“Good enough.” He opens the door and steps back. “Go ahead.”
Calypso moves first, brushing her shoulder against mine as she steps into the shadows of the room. I cast one last suspicious look at Charon and then follow her in. The room is like the rest of the house we’ve seen—expensive but not particularly lavish. It feels like a house a rich person actually lives in, rather than entertains in. The massive mahogany desk dominates the space…or maybe it’s the man sitting behind it who does.
He’s another dark-haired white guy, though his hair is a bit longer than Charon’s and he’s sporting a neatly shaped beard. He looks vaguely familiar, but it’s Calypso who recognizes him while I’m still trying to figure out why he looks familiar. She sucks in a shocked breath. “Hades?”
I jerk back and then look closer. A lot of Olympians get curious about the member of the Thirteen who’s essentially the boogeyman of the city. Or at least he was before his death. There aren’t many photos of the last Hades, but Athena and Apollo both keep good records, and so I’ve seen a picture of that man.
This one could be his doppelgänger.
Except that’s impossible, because even if Hades hadn’t died thirty years ago, he’d be in his late fifties now, at least. Maybe sixties? I’m not exactly great with guessing ages. This guy can’t be more than thirty-five. Understanding hits me like a lightning bolt. “You’re his son. You’re supposed to be dead.”
“Call me one of Olympus’s best-kept secrets.” He doesn’t smile, and his dark eyes don’t warm at all. “You’ve come to claim sanctuary.”
We hadn’t planned it in so many words, but that’s a good way of putting it. I suck in a breath to explain ourselves, but Calypso gets there first. She walks toward the desk, and she’s even moving differently than she normally does, her hips gaining a seductive sway. Her voice has lowered, too. “Yes. We’ll do anything.”
His brows raise so little, I almost convince myself I’ve imagined it. “Explain the situation.”
She starts to speak, but I grasp her shoulder. “Let me.” I don’t give her a chance to argue, just jump into a slightly chaotic explanation of how we got to this place. It’s not perfect but this Hades can get the general idea of what we’re up against.
He listens silently, never showing a sign of exasperation that it takes me a little longer to get to the point or cutting in to demand a cleaner explanation. When I finish, he sits back and steeples his fingers beneath his chin. “I see.”
“We’ll—”
Once again, I speak over Calypso. “We’re willing to work or do anything that’s a reasonable ask, but we will not be willing to do anything. I’m not going to kill anyone, and Calypso is not going to be your mistress.”
At that, his brows wing up. “This is the lower city. We don’t make a habit of murdering people who inconvenience us, and no one will be compelled to enter into any kind of sexual or emotional relationship if they’re not consenting.”
“So you say.” I’m being a dick, and I know it, but I don’t trust this. “What’s the catch?”
He turns his attention to Calypso for a long moment before returning it to me. “You’re hardly the only two people who have been wronged by the Thirteen.”
“You’re a member of the Thirteen.”
He continues as if I didn’t interrupt. “I can offer you the safety of the lower city, with the understanding that if you’re not being honest about why you’re here, the consequences will be…severe.”
“You’ll kill us,” Calypso says softly.
I glare. “You just said you don’t make a habit of murdering people who inconvenience you.”
“I did.” His nod is slight, but undeniable. “I will do anything to protect my people, no matter how distasteful. Harming them is hardly something that can be labeled an inconvenience. If your motives are true, you’re welcome to stay. But you can never go back to the upper city. My domain stops at the River Styx. I can’t protect you if you’re foolish enough to go where you’re not protected.”
I wait, but it seems he’s finished. “That’s it?”
“Yes.” He lowers his hands. “I sympathize with being used and discarded by those more powerful than you. Beyond that, Charon is prepared to vouch for Calypso here, and I get the feeling that all your bristling spikes are in defense of her.” He shrugs. “We have space for you in the lower city. Don’t make trouble and you can live out the rest of your life here in peace.”
“What about Athena? And Zeus?”
For the first time since we walked into the room, his expression goes dark and ruthless. “I’ll handle them. They should have known better than to send an assassin into my territory.”
Too good to be true. I open my mouth to keep arguing, but Calypso’s hand finds mine, her fingers lacing tightly between mine. “We’ll stay. We won’t cause trouble.”