Page 23 of Deadly Games
Chapter 11
Kore
It was the day I had been waiting for since last year, but now that it was finally here, my stomach was full of moths, not butterflies. I didn’t want to believe I was actually going to turn my back on everything I’d worked so hard for, everything I had convinced Dionysus and Daphne to fight for, but I didn’t have a choice.
Did I?
The wicked game I’d been drawn into against my will had once seemed like the most insidious form of godly mischief, but when our self-appointed ruler was so much worse, how could anyone else be held accountable?
As much as it pained me, I didn’t need to make more of an enemy out of Odin right now. Especially not if I was even more connected to his son than I’d feared.
I still couldn’t get that night out of my head, even though technically, it hadn’t really happened. Not here, at any rate.
I hadn’t seen Hades, Loki or Fenrir since, aside from a few stray glances after the ceremony. After talking to Dionysus, we’d gone straight back to our room and I’d slept until my alarm went off warning me it was time to get ready for the ceremony.
Now or never.
I changed into my formal school uniform, which was just a dark blazer with gilded edging and a slightly longer skirt with a golden blouse. I placed the golden wreath atop my hair, which I’d curled for my mother’s sake. As disillusioned as I was, I didn’t need her having reason to suspect something was wrong, and wearing my hair the way she wanted had always been something of a peace offering.
The truth was, I had no idea just how deep her connection to Cronus went. For all I knew, she was aware of what he’d done and her arranging my engagement was just her way of ensuring we escaped unscathed. After all, when the world goes to hell, the Queen of the Underworld and her mother are guaranteed first-class tickets.
Dionysus had already gone ahead of me since all the boys were expected to help with setting up the banquet for Cronus’ esteemed presence. I doubted the dusty old creep could still eat anything without it turning to ashes on his tongue, but they were acting like he was some kind of savior.
To be fair, in a way, he was. Bowing in submission to him was the only way to save yourself from what he did to those who showed even the slightest bit of insolence toward him.
The idea of coming face to face with him made my skin crawl, and I could only hope he wasn’t as perceptive as his son in that regard. Determined to meet my fate—or at least prolong it—I set off for the grand dining hall.
It wasn’t a surprise to find that most of the attendees had already gathered. Not everyone from the Games was in attendance, only those who had made it past the second round. It seemed a bit elitist, but what else was new at this school?
“This way, Ms. Ademone,” said a butler I didn’t recognize as one of the Academy staff. Cronus must have brought his own cronies. It figured.
I followed him down the long table, trying to ignore the curious stares I had been getting ever since I’d entered the room. All this time, I’d figured that being the object of everyone’s spite was the worst part about being the Rabbit, but now I knew it was being the center of attention at all. Nothing good ever came from being a spectacle among the gods.
We passed Loki and Fenrir, both sitting to Hades’ left, and Hades to his father’s right. His cold eyes met mine once more and the understanding that passed between us reassured me that I hadn’t just imagined everything. As certain as I’d felt talking to Dionysus, there were moments when it still felt so impossible.
“His Majesty, the High King of the Council,” the butler announced with the utmost reverence. I had to keep from rolling my eyes as everyone around the table stood once more, even though they’d all kissed his ass when it was their turn to come into the room.
There he was, standing mere feet away from me and so temptingly close to a steak knife. Hopefully he didn’t notice the way my hand twitched at my side before I hid it in the pleats of my skirt.
“Your Majesty,” I said, bowing low. I could all but hear my mother’s sigh of relief from across the table as I obliged the old custom.
Cronus didn’t rise, but I felt his eyes on me like greedy fingers, picking and peeling away at the surface, trying to suss out whatever was underneath. I met his gaze, refusing to look like I was hiding. If there was one thing I’d gotten good at, it was lying to stuffy old patriarchs like him.
Except, now that we were face to face, he was less stuffy than I’d imagined and nowhere near as ancient. The sparse wrinkles on his face made him look scarcely older than fifty, even though he had known countless centuries. His eyes were a much darker shade of stone than Hades’, but they possessed the same chill that ran right through you. It was all I could do not to shiver, mostly because I was sure he’d get a kick out of it.
“Persephone,” he said in a tone that was smooth and sticky like day-old syrup. “We meet at last.”
He held out his left hand, which was surprisingly smooth for someone who was old as sin. Hell, he’d probably been the one to come up with that idea, too. I looked down at the ring, printed with the seal of the High Council. The mark of authority that allowed him to sign any treaty or declaration of war and make it binding without any diplomatic vote.
He liked the power. I could see it in his eyes. He enjoyed all of this. The banquets, the sycophants tending to his every need, the empty praise and the hollow submission. He enjoyed watching people squirm and knowing exactly how to do it with a single glance.
In that moment, I knew I was wrong. Hades wasn’t anything like his father. It was easy to think that from a distance, but now that I’d gotten up close with both of them, the difference was night and day.
I bowed my head and kissed the ring, my lips brushing over the intricate carving on the surface of the silver. Disgust roiled through my belly, rendering any hint of an appetite I might have had null and void. When I stood once more, the smug satisfaction in his gaze made me wish I’d bitten off his finger instead.
Of course, that wouldn’t be nearly enough to pay for his crimes. No, he deserved comeuppance and he would get it, but I had to play it cool. Like it or not, I needed Hades or the whole thing was doomed to fail anyway.
“You are a beautiful girl,” he remarked. “I see why my son is so taken with you.”
