Page 8 of Dark Restraint

Why do I find that reassuring? The man I met at my father’s party back in August was just as polished as the rest of Olympus’s elite, his mask effective at hiding his true feelings. I’d watched him unravel under the stress of being there…of being even partially attached to my father’s plans. It all came to a head when his guest, Pan, was attacked.

Was attacked. What a neat little use of passive voice, designed to skirt the truth. My brother attacked Pan. He almost killed him, and for what? It wouldn’t have furthered my father’s goal to have members of his household installed as one of the Thirteen. Pan was just a guest. The attack might have been intentional, but the victim wasn’t. It was Icarus’s desperation that led him to make that mistake, and in the wake of it, I watched Dionysus drink more and more. He might say that alcohol doesn’t provide an escape all the time, but during the remainder of the party, he was obviously running from his guilt over Pan being hurt.

“Do you want to talk about it?”

He smirks. “Absolutely not. We might be in this sinking ship together, but I’m not a complete fool. You’ve changed sides once. It wouldn’t take much to change right back. If Circe’s coming for us, she has all our secrets already, so I don’t know what you could learn that would tip the balance, but there’s no reason to tempt fate.”

I drain my glass and nudge it closer until he pours more for me. “I’ve had my fill of secrets. I just want some peace.”

“Peace is one thing we won’t have.” He watches me with bleary blue eyes. “War is coming one way or another. Just gotta hope you picked the winning side.”

War.

I knew it was on the horizon. This has hardly been a bloodless coup, and that’s only going to get worse. I would love to say I won’t shed a single tear should my father finally see consequences for his actions, but I know better. He might be a monster, but he raised me. In my own way, I’m just as monstrous as he is. But my brother? Or…

Gods, I can barely bring myself to think Asterion’s name. Part of me expected to hear from him somehow after leaving that note, but I should have known better. He’s always been a silent hunter. If he decides to come after me, I’ll never see him coming.

“I’m tired,” I say abruptly. “Where am I staying?”

“Second door on the right.” He waves a hand in the direction of the hallway. “Get your rest while you can. Aphrodite has something to prove with this wedding, and they’ll be putting us through our paces.” Dionysus peers down into his glass. “I suppose I’ll be dodging more assassination attempts in the process. It’ll be fun.”

He doesn’t believe that any more than I do, but I don’t challenge the statement. “Then I’ll see you in the morning.”

“Good night, fair Ariadne. I hope you dream sweetly.”

I walk away without answering. What is there to say? These days, every time I close my eyes, only nightmares await me. Tonight won’t be any different.

I step into the room and stare. There are two familiar suitcases sitting next to the bed. But that’s impossible. I fled my father’s apartment with only a backpack full of necessities, and he’s more likely to burn every single thing I own than he is to pack a suitcase for me. I love my brother, but I doubt it would occur to him to do it, either. And Asterion…

I really have to stop thinking about Asterion.

I’m feeling too fragile to go back out and ask Dionysus about them. If he did this as a nice gesture, it is nice, but it only leaves me more off-center. This whole thing feels too good to be true, which means it’s a trap. It has to be.

When I move closer, I see a small envelope tucked into the handle of the tallest suitcase. Inside is a bright-green note. My eyebrows climb as I read the careless scrawl.

You’ve performed your role beautifully. Such things deserve a reward, don’t you think?

Cheers!

—H

H can only be Hermes, but… “What the fuck is she talking about?” The only role I’ve acted out is that of traitorous daughter. Hermes might play at being magical, but she’s just a human. There’s no way she could have anticipated my ending up here. I certainly didn’t.

Before I can talk myself out of it, I grab the phone Hera provided and dial my brother. I owe him an apology, but maybe I can get some information when I’m doing a bit of groveling for his forgiveness.

He answers immediately. “Hello?”

“Icarus.” My throat tries to close, but I push past it. “It’s me.”

“Ari. Thank fuck you’re okay.” His voice goes tight. “I am so mad at you.”

“I know. I’m sorry.”

“You should have told me you were going. I would have—”

I cut him off before he can lie to himself and me. “No, you wouldn’t have. I don’t doubt for a second you would have tried to help me, but you’re still too tied up in him. You would have faltered, and I couldn’t risk it.”

He curses. “You don’t have much faith in me.”

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