Page 143 of A Touch of Chaos

“You can’t end this,” he said. “Even if you return toTheseus, he will still come for us, and there is no guessing what he might do to punish you.”

There was a moment of quiet, and then Naia spoke. “You are not responsible for Theseus’s actions.”

“I left. I—”

“Fled,” said Ariadne. “You fled anabuser, Phaedra.”

“He wasn’t—” She started to protest but glanced at Dionysus, swallowing her words. “How do you know Theseus was responsible for the attack on your house?”

“Phaedra!” Ariadne gasped, “Perseusworksfor Theseus.”

“You do not know that Theseus sent him,” Phaedra argued. “Perhaps Perseus acted on his own. It would make sense. Theseus would never threaten the life of his son.”

Her words did not even anger Dionysus, because he had expected them.

“Theseus would do anything to gain public favor.He wants to be a god!”

“He does not want to be a god,” she said. “He wants freedom and fairness—”

“If you really believe that, then you are a fool,” Ariadne snapped.

Phaedra paled. She looked just as stricken as Ariadne sounded. Then she glanced from side to side, seeming to remember they had an audience, and she fled.

For a few moments, Ariadne just stood there, stunned.

Dionysus thought about putting his hand on her shoulder, or maybe he should draw her close. He was not sure what would be appropriate, but before he could decide, Ariadne left, calling after her sister.

“I only hope he’s dead before she manages to flee,” said Lilaia.

It was a harsh statement, but Dionysus agreed.

“We must prepare for anything,” he said. “Fortify the tunnels. I want all entrances monitored twenty-four hours a day. If you see something strange—if for any reason you sense something is wrong—raise the alarm.” The maenads nodded as he added, “Sleep with your weapons nearby. The Olympians are going to war.”

With their orders given, the maenads dispersed, save Naia, who pulled Dionysus aside.

“I have news for you,” she said.

“All right,” he said, dread seeping into the pit of his stomach.

“Hebe sent word this morning. She knows what happened to Medusa.”

Hebe was one of the maenads tasked with locating the gorgon, and the way Naia spoke now made Dionysus think the worst. He straightened. “What happened?”

“She was kidnapped by Tyrrhenian pirates,” Naia said. “They are holding her for ransom.”

While that was not the worst thing imaginable—the worst being death—it was a close second. He had a long history with the Tyrrhenian pirates that stretched back to ancient times, which meant that it did not matter if he could meet their ransom demand. They would not do business with him.

“Fuck.” He smoothed his hand over his head. “When was the ransom announced?”

“Just this morning,” she said.

“How do we know it is really her?”

There were few descriptions of the woman beyondthe fact that she was beautiful and that she could turn men to stone with a glance. As it turned out, her head had to be separated from her body for that power to work.

Now he feared the actual worst—that she was, in fact, dead.

Naia hesitated. “Well, we don’t actually know,” she admitted. “But I do not think we can ignore the possibility that they are telling the truth. She was last seen on the shore of the Aegean.”

---