Page 129 of A Touch of Chaos

She didn’t even look at him as she pulled away and hurried after her sister.

A half hour later, Dionysus was dressed, but he hesitated to leave his room.

It was ridiculous given that this was his house, yet he could not help feeling anxious about what he would find once he left, and it had nothing to do with Phaedrawalking in on them. Today, he would have to face the reality of everything that had happened and plan for Theseus’s inevitable retaliation.

The demigod was not stupid. He did not need evidence to connect Ariadne to Phaedra’s disappearance. He did not need evidence to know that Dionysus had helped her, which meant everyone associated with him was now in danger. The only thing working in his favor was that the refuge and the tunnels that led there were secret.

Finally, Dionysus left his room.

He was hoping that Ariadne would be in the living room so he could speak to her about today’s plan, but she was not there. He did find the television on and the baby sleeping in a bassinet that the maenads had brought the day before along with a fuck ton of other items.

Dionysus inched closer to the crib, peering down at the child who was swaddled tightly, his head covered with a cap. He looked different from yesterday. Less alien.

“For someone so small, you breathe really loud,” Dionysus said in a hushed tone. He leaned closer. “At least you are cute.”

He heard a sharp intake of breath, and his head snapped to the left. Phaedra had returned to the room. Dionysus straightened.

“My Lord,” she said, bowing her head.

The title felt strange. He did not hear it often, as it was mostly reserved for Olympians.

“I’m sorry,” he said. “I didn’t mean to startle you.”

“You didn’t,” she said.

An awkward silence followed. Dionysus did not know what to say. His introduction to Phaedra was anabduction, and this morning, she’d caught him fucking her sister. He had a feeling it would take a while for them to become friends.

“Is Ari—” He started to speak when Phaedra did.

“Do you pay my sister for sex?” she asked.

Dionysus’s mouth fell open, shocked by her question. “What?”

“Do you pay my sister for sex?” she asked again, her gaze unwavering. He wanted to ask if everyone in her family had that same piercing stare. Gods, it was unnerving.

“No,” he said, and when she continued to stare, he added, “Is it that hard to believe she chose me?”

Finally, Phaedra dropped her gaze and approached slowly. “It’s what Theseus told me,” she said. “That Ariadne had turned to prostitution. She showed me pictures of you with her in the pleasure district.”

“That isnotwhat we were doing in the pleasure district.”

Mostly.

Phaedra was quiet, her gaze focused on her son.

“I’m not sure what makes me feel worse,” she said. “That my husband lied to me…or that I believed him.”

“Do not feel guilty for what he made you believe,” said Dionysus.

Phaedra was quiet, but after a moment, she spoke in a voice so low, Dionysus did not think her words were meant for him.

“I just don’t understand,” she said.

He could relate, in a way. He had often tried to understand Hera’s hatred toward him, but more than that, he had witnessed other women attempt to make sense of the very thing Phaedra was now.

“You do not have to understand today,” he said.

It was likely she never would, but he also wasn’t going to say that today either.

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