Page 17 of Dark Restraint

“Thought as much.” I expect him to press me on that, but he just contemplates his glass for a few moments. “Where is Hermes?”

“I would think you’d know. You two were attached at the hip.” When he just stares, I finally shrug. “I have no idea. As far as my information goes, her deal with Minos ended at the party.” I have no loyalty to either Minos or Hermes at this point. Dionysus doesn’t seem inclined to murder me and toss my body in a dumpster, so there’s no point in dodging this series of questions. It’s not like it will make a difference in the final outcome.

“Ah well. Hope springs eternal, and she owes me some answers. Now for the less delicate business.” His dark eyes go hard and his body language firms up, until it’s like looking at a different man entirely. “You’re more than welcome to keep following me if that suits your fancy, but Ariadne is now my fiancée, and she will be my wife. I have no great love for the woman, but she is under my protection, and I won’t see her harmed. If you continue to be a threat and murder my people…” Again, he waves to the pair in the booth across from us. “Well, you get the idea.”

“If this wasn’t an ambush, they wouldn’t stand a chance. They sure as fuck didn’t last night.”

“Perhaps. Perhaps not.” He glances meaningfully at the beer in front of me. “You’re in Olympus, old boy. Everything you eat comes from Demeter. A good portion of what you drink is courtesy of me. You’ve been in the city too long to be running on food you brought in with you. All it will take is a little bit of this, a little of that, and you won’t be a threat to anyone.”

10

Ariadne

The computer Hera provided is more than sufficient to meet my needs. It took about an hour to get it set up to my specifications, and then I spent another hour checking on the various forums to see if anything new has popped up since I’ve been offline. It’s been remarkably quiet. There’s something big stirring in Europe and a handful of revolutions across the globe, but it’s startlingly silent when it comes to what’s going on here.

Part of that is because Olympus operates on its own server, of sorts. With a barrier keeping it walled away, it’s reached almost mythological status to the rest of the world. They know it exists, but it’s not real to them. Not like it was on Aeaea.

I reassure a few of my online friends that I am, in fact, still alive. It’s tempting to sink into that, to catch up with them, to check the fan fiction sites that I spend so much time on, to do anything except my task.

I’m all but assured to be walking into a trap tomorrow. The question is why bother to set a trap to begin with? It’s not Asterion’s style. He prefers blunt honesty, sometimes to the point of cruelty, so one never wonders where they stand with him. He was right yesterday—if he wants me dead, he has no reason to play the long game. He could’ve just done it.

He’s only disobeyed one of my father’s orders. Because of me. I’d be a fool to believe he’d disobey a second time. Any fondness he holds for me will have burned up with my betrayal.

But Hera wants him to have those blueprints, which leaves me little choice.

If she wanted to make this easy on me, she could’ve accessed the information on her own instead of sending me on this wild-goose chase. “But that might get her perfectly manicured hands dirty. We can’t have that,” I mutter under my breath as I get to work.

The cybersecurity in Olympus isn’t terrible, but it’s somewhat out of date. These days, hacking technology advances almost faster than the defense can keep up. Good for me. Bad for them. I suppose they haven’t had to worry about it much since the most interest they get is from conspiracy theorists wanting to prove they don’t exist…or that they do.

I barely register the time passing and the light changing in the room. It’s not until the front door shuts softly that I snap out of it. I close the laptop just as Dionysus walks into the room. He doesn’t appear to have slept since I saw him last, but there’s a bounce in his step and he’s humming under his breath.

He stops short when he sees me. “Oh. You’re here.”

“I…do live here now.”

“Right. I kind of forgot.” He drags his hand through his thick dark hair. “I have some things I need to take care of this evening, but how about brunch tomorrow?”

I blink. “Brunch?”

It’s hard to tell, but I think he might be blushing. “Yes, well, I’m almost never awake in time for a proper breakfast, so brunch is the way to go. Plus, brunch comes with a flight of mimosas and the best food money can buy.”

If I didn’t know better, I might think he’s nervous. It’s such a strange experience that I almost don’t recognize it. Very few people even notice me, let alone consider me someone worthy of being nervous around. I don’t know if I like it.

But he’s making an effort, so I can too. I try for a smile. “Brunch sounds lovely.”

“Oh. Great. See you then.” He hurries out of the living room without another word.

It’s not a good idea for me to do sensitive work while he’s in the apartment, so I use this as an excuse to log on to my favorite fan fiction site and read the most recent update from one of my favorite authors. They write the most deliciously angsty hurt/comfort, and they branched out into fandoms that aren’t mine, but I still read every fic they write. This one is absolutely agonizing, and I soak up every feeling.

About an hour later, Dionysus reappears. He’s changed into a mustard-yellow suit with a floral-printed vest and shirt of the same color beneath it. It’s downright outrageous, but he manages to pull it off, just like he pulls off everything he wears. He’s obviously showered and combed his hair, and his mustache is looking particularly perky. This time, he doesn’t jump when he sees me. “Feel free to order yourself food or whatever you need. One of my people in the lobby will bring it up to you. After the…incident…the other night, the service elevator is locked down, and I’ve focused my people on the perimeter rather than having two stationed up here at the door. It’s best you don’t leave after dark, but if you need to, just let someone know, and some of my security folks will go with you.”

In other circumstances, I would appreciate that he’s not trying to box me into a corner. He’s obviously as uncomfortable with the situation as I am. Unfortunately, the first thing I’m going to do once he leaves is betray him. It kind of sours the whole experience of him trying to make me feel welcome.

Still, I attempt a smile. At least no more of his people will die because of me. “Thanks. I appreciate it.”

“It’s the literal least I can do.” He edges toward the door. “We’ll talk in the morning.”

“At brunch.”

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