Page 1 of Deadly Games
Chapter 1
Kore
“My dear Persephone,” the weird guy in a wizard coat said, his arms outstretched and his piercing red gaze fixed on me. “Welcome home.”
For a moment that felt like forever, I just stood there staring at him, waiting for the punchline. Or to wake up. I knew for a fact that all of this was a dream, or at least it had begun as one, but it was making my fantasy of front row tickets to every Mets game seem realistic.
“I’m sorry,” I said, once I trusted myself to speak anything other than gibberish. “Do we know each other?”
“That’s Ares,” Hades said in a rushed voice, laced with irritation, like I was supposed to know. The news probably shouldn’t have taken me by surprise, but I still felt like I had just been stabbed in the chest as I stared at the man in front of me.
“Seriously?” I blurted out. I really couldn’t be trusted around royalty.
At least Ares didn’t seem offended by my bluntness. In fact, if I wasn’t mistaken, there was the slightest hint of a smile on his lips. He definitely wasn’t what I pictured of the God of war and chaos. “Yes,” he answered. “But you may call me father.”
Father. It occurred to me only then that I’d never actually called anyone that. Not father, not dad, not pops. All my life, it had just been me and mom, and while I knew I had to have a father out there somewhere, knowing and realizing were two different things.
I realized the other three were staring at me, waiting for my response. I wasn’t sure how Iwantedto respond, but I knew I had to say something. “You brought me here, didn’t you?”
The question seemed to come from nowhere. It certainly hadn’t been a conscious decision to ask, but it was too late to take back now.
Ares watched me patiently, but I wasn’t about to let my guard down. He’d been banished for a reason. “I did,” he confessed. “I knew the opportunity would present itself during the Games. This is one of Odin’s favorite tricks.”
“You know about the Games?” I blinked.
He gave me a knowing look. “What father doesn’t watch his daughter’s performances?”
I wasn’t sure how to respond to that. I was more hung up on the idea that he’d literally been watching me for who knew how long.
“You’re close with my father?” Loki asked warily.
“I was,” Ares answered. “Before he realized Cronus was planning on banishing me and turned away like the rest.”
I could hear Loki swallow from across the room. “Yeah, that sounds like him. For the record, never really liked him much.
Hades rolled his eyes, his arms still folded and a defiant scowl on his face. “So you wanted a family reunion. Why drag us into it?”
Ares’ entire countenance turned icy as he directed his attention to Hades. To his credit, Hades didn’t shrink away the way most would have in his position. Then again, maybe that was idiocy rather than bravery.
Always fifty-fifty with him.
“You are her consorts, are you not?” Ares asked.
For a few seconds, none of them said a word. Loki was usually the first to laugh, but Hades beat him to it. Then again, Loki still looked like he was tempted to bolt for the door and hope for the best.
“Consorts?” Hades echoed. “Is that some kind of joke?”
The blank look on Ares’ face made it clear it wasn’t.
“Hades is the only one of us who’s gotten past first base,” Loki remarked. “I’m afraid you’re mistaken.”
Irritation flashed in Ares’ eyes, and I couldn’t be sure if it was because of the mention of me fooling around with Hades or the young god speaking out of turn. Maybe both. “Being a consort has nothing to do with that. It’s destiny.”
“Whatever it is, you’ve got it wrong,” I interjected. “We’re just classmates. And...I’m bound to Hades, but it’s more the other way around.”
“Bound?” Ares raised an eyebrow.
“I saved her life,” Hades answered before I had the chance. The scolding glare he shot me made it clear he was still touchy about the whole necromancy thing.
