Total pages in book: 90
Estimated words: 83786 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 419(@200wpm)___ 335(@250wpm)___ 279(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 83786 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 419(@200wpm)___ 335(@250wpm)___ 279(@300wpm)
I imagine she’s utilized more than a little bit of that knowledge to further her own goals. My mother has never met a tool she’s unwilling to use, and knowledge is only one component of the equation. I clear my throat. “Even with the hurdles, changing the government might be a wise move to regain the goodwill of the people. Their faith in the Thirteen has fractured beyond repair. They deserve to be represented by leaders they choose.”
“Are you sure this sudden change of tune has nothing to do with your not wanting to be Hera or married to Zeus?” She crosses her arms over her chest. “It won’t work the way you’re imagining it, and even if it could, there would be chaos in the changeover. You’re not thinking things through, darling.”
I drag my fingers through my hair, fighting to remain calm. This is my one shot and I’m fucking it up. I’m not Psyche or even Persephone with the right words to accomplish my goals. Usually, I go with pure viciousness, but that won’t work with my mother. “I could say the same of you. Why are you so resistant to the idea of being voted in? That’s how you acquired the title of Demeter. You don’t think you could win another election?”
She scoffs. “Of course I could. That’s not the point. It’s about stabilization, which is something we’ve been lacking for nearly a year now. Look around us.” She motions widely, even though there’s nothing to see but the opulence of her tent. “The entire population of Olympus is living out of tents in the mud on land that sat fallow for nearly a decade before I purchased it recently. They aren’t happy. They won’t put up with this for long. We have to find a solution so they can go back to their homes before we can even consider a project of such scope.”
She’s not wrong, but the Circe problem won’t resolve itself unless the government problem does. Even if Perseus is right and there are people secretly coming in through some mountain pass, we still would have registered a standing army. It’s not here.
That’s not comforting in the least. Circe doesn’t seem to be of the mind that she needs a government in place to take over for the old one. She wants the Thirteen gone in a permanent way, and if there’s a plan after that, none of us will be alive to worry about it. “Mother, I need you to listen. I—”
“We need to leave.” Perseus shoves through the tent flap, his expression all storm clouds. Behind him, he drags a blond woman with a furious expression on her handsome face. “Now.”
“Zeus. How lovely of you to finally join us out in the countryside. And who is this?”
He shoves the stranger forward and pulls his coat from her shoulders, revealing that her hands have been zip-tied behind her back. “We found four of Circe’s people going over maps in the foothills. They’ve infiltrated the encampment. Ares and a small team are taking the other three back to the city, but this one is for you to question.”
“I…see.” My mother’s tone is all sweet honey, nearly hiding the poison beneath. It’s a testament to her stress that it’s even showing up at all.
“Poseidon told you to post sentries to ensure no one could surprise us from the mountains.” His tone is low and dangerous. “I would like you to explain to me how these people have been coming and going without you knowing about it.”
My mother frowns, but not even I can be certain if she’s lying or not when she says, “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“Because there were no fucking sentries!” he roars. “You wouldn’t have noticed anything, and now we have no way of sifting them from Olympian civilians without causing a full panic. There are no cameras in this encampment, and creating a smaller, more organized version of the camp on this table isn’t going to tell you which of those people out there are our citizens and which are the enemy’s.” He holds out his hand to me. “It’s not safe for you to be here, Ca—Hera. We’re going back to the city immediately.”
True to form, my mother doesn’t panic. She taps her fingers to her lips and surveys her table. “I don’t think it’s wise for you to leave. You’ll be exposed on the road back. Better to stay here while we figure this out.”
“We’ll be safer in the city.” Perseus shakes his head sharply. “Once we’ve questioned the other three, I’ll send along a report with all the information we acquire.”
“That’s not necessary with this captive in front of us. We’ll question her and we’ll find them.” She twists to face me. “But my point remains. We have Eros and plenty of guards here. Stay. Please.”