Page 6 of Dark Restraint

Dionysus gives me a long look, but he accepts the pen from me and signs his name as well. Aphrodite snatches the contract from the table as if they think one of us will set it aflame. They glance over our signatures and nod. “While I understand that you plan to live in separate residences, you know how this works, Dionysus. I need you together up until the wedding, at least.”

He looks like he wants to argue but finally shrugs. “Very well.” He stands and extends a hand, his fingers covered in rings. “Shall we?”

No choice. No choice. No choice. I was never going to be happy. I’ve known that from a very young age. Ultimately, this man seems preferable to anyone my father would’ve chosen. He might not be who I would choose, but… No use thinking about that now. I just hope whatever fondness Asterion had for me is enough to keep him from hunting me down and cutting out my heart.

At this point, I’d almost welcome it.

At least then maybe I would stop hurting from the loss of him.

4

The Minotaur

“That little bitch!”

I don’t flinch as Minos grabs the nearest lamp and hurls it across the room. Icarus, on the other hand, looks like he’s about to bolt. His narrow shoulders are hunched and his skin has gone gray with fear. All these years, and he’s never learned to hide his terror of his father. He should know by now that fear only incites Minos to further violence.

I’m feeling pretty violent myself currently.

She left me. Not so she could leave this cursed city. That, at least, I could forgive. I know how Ariadne longs for freedom, that her dreams have always gone far beyond her current circumstances. Back in Aeaea, she’d had a secret notebook filled with magazine clippings of all the places she wants to visit. She’d even gone so far as to create itineraries. It made my fucking head hurt, but she’d get this dreamy look on her face when she’d walk me through the fantasy trips.

Except she didn’t run away to live out those dreams. If she had, I would have finished my tasks here in Olympus and then gone to find her. She never explicitly invited me along, but what are all those damned itineraries if not an invitation?

But no, she only ran far enough to cross the River Styx. To deliver herself into the hands of her father’s enemies. Even that, I could’ve forgiven. But not this. I stare at my phone screen as if hating the words I’m reading is enough to change them.

Love is in the air!

Our new Aphrodite has arranged a marriage between Dionysus and Olympus’s newest addition, Ariadne. More details to come!

Marriage. To one of them. To someone who isn’t me.

Minos drags his hands through his hair. He’s a big fucker, almost as big as me, and age hasn’t diminished his strength. The living room is in ruins, except for the chair Icarus huddles on and the couch I lean against.

He exhales slowly. “We have to assume she’s told them everything she knows. It shouldn’t be enough to sink us. Not when we already have people in the city. Circe is amassing her navy, so all that’s left is to take out the barrier. My traitor of a daughter doesn’t know how we plan to do that.”

I’m not sure that Minos knows how they plan on doing that. His benefactor has been tight with information every step of the way. Considering how things have gone, I don’t blame her for that; even in a party of five, information leaks like a sinking ship—and we’re losing allies fast. Theseus switched sides, taking Pandora with him. Neither of them knew enough to hurt us, but Minos is severely underestimating his daughter. He always has.

Not that I give a fuck. Not anymore. I slip my phone into my pocket. “What’s the plan?”

He spins to glare at me, his dark eyes furious. “And what, pray tell, makes you think I would rely on you for the next steps? You’ve done nothing but fail me. You failed to take Ares. You failed to kill Artemis. In the weeks since, you haven’t made a move on a single member of the Thirteen.”

I won’t pretend the loss of the Ares title was anything other than a catastrophic failure. If I had possession of the armed forces in the city, the last few months would’ve played out significantly differently. Yes, as Ares, I would’ve had to deal with Helen as my wife, but wives are easy enough to neutralize. The last Zeus all but set a precedent.

Saving Artemis was my choice, and even with the current clusterfuck, I don’t regret it. Ariadne never would’ve given herself to me that day in the maze if I came to her with blood on my hands. But that’s the key—she gave herself to me. She’s mine. She has no fucking business running off to marry some asshole. “I’ll kill Dionysus.”

“He is not on Circe’s list.” Minos shakes his head sharply. “It won’t matter in the end. Ariadne can marry him, but it won’t protect her. Olympus will fall, and she will fall with it.”

I may be so furious at Ariadne that I can barely think past my rage, but that doesn’t mean I’ll let anyone else touch her. I have no intention of the punishment she fucking deserves being fatal. She’s mine. “I’ll take care of it.”

“You don’t get to make that decision.” He turns and kicks a piece of broken lamp viciously. “Now that the way across the river is closed, we’ll have to focus our efforts on the upper city. Meet with Aeacus and discuss options. I want a full report by tonight.”

I consider him. “And Ariadne?”

Minos sneers. “Fine. Have it your way. If you want to be the one to do it, then consider this an order. Kill my traitorous daughter. Make an example of her.”

At that, Icarus surges to his feet. It’s about fucking time he grew some semblance of a spine. “That’s bullshit! She only ran because she’s afraid of you, Father. This is your fault. You don’t get to punish her for your failures.”

The look Minos gives his son is so full of hatred that it affects even me. Icarus actually takes a step back. His father’s sneer grows more vicious. “You have been a failure from the moment you first drew breath. Don’t think you sharing my blood is enough to protect you if you keep talking to me like that. Get out of my fucking sight.”

---