Page 17 of The Brothers Bane

“Areto, please let Alcides sit with us for today,” Hippolyta says to the Amazon seated to Eleutheria’s right. The stocky woman eyes me warily, but nods and moves to another table.

“What more is there to share?” Antiope asks. “Surely it isn’t that he intends to stay. You remember how that went before.”

“Water under the bridge, sister,” Hippolyta says, shooting me an apologetic look.

“Right. But we don’t need him to hang around in order to train the girl. He’ll just be a distraction if what he said last night is true.”

I grit my teeth, unwilling to cause a scene that would just serve to make me appear more threatening than I intend to be. But Eleutheria smacks her palms down on the table hard enough to make the heavy wood creak.

“Just stop, Antiope. He’s here for me as much as her. I have waited myentire lifeto meet him. If I want him here, he can stay, got it?”

“It truly is only through the week,” I finally say. “The Titans have cursed several dragons outside the Temple of Olympus. We have made a bargain to trade the key to the temple for lifting the curse. Tartarus and I must be there, with the key, at the end of the week to fulfill our end of the bargain.”

“That doesn’t give us much time to prepare,” Antiope snaps.

“We didn’t exactly have any warning that they would escape,” I shoot back.

“And you’re just going togivethem the key? We may as well just surrender now!”

My nostrils flare with my effort to hold back my ire at this insufferable woman. Antiope is a formidable warrior, but has never been a fan of mine.

“No,” I say in as even a tone as I can muster. “We intend to capture them and avert whatever destruction they plan to cause if they are given access to the Temple. The kernels of their power are locked within. Aside from their confrontation with the dragons, they’ve been lying low since escaping. That will change if they are allowed to reclaim their power. We won’t let that happen.”

Antiope’s continued scrutiny bites like a blade at my throat, but I don’t let it show. Instead I lean forward, my voice a low rumble that only those at the table can hear.

“We have a plan,” I begin, locking eyes with each of the women before me. “But for it to work, Nemea needs to be at her full potential. She’s more than just a trainee—more than just my fate. She’s a weapon.”

I keep to myself the fact that I still don’t know all the details of the plan, only that Vesh was working on them before I left. All I am sure of is that he still needs me to unlock the Temple, and I don’t intend to let him down, despite my betrayal in taking Nemea away from him. As far as I’m concerned, her desire to leave was his fault, and my loyalty is as much to her as it is to him.

I glance over to where Nemea sits, laughing now with the two women beside her. The sight of her relaxed and unguarded eases a tension in me I hadn’t realized was coiled so tight. She looks free. Relaxed. I only wish we didn’t need her to capture the Titans.

Antiope’s gaze follows mine. “We need to train Nemea quickly then,” she says.

Hippolyta nods. “She’ll be ready. If her display on the course is any indication, all she needs is a little discipline and her talents will be razor-sharp.”

My gaze lingers on Nemea again. Discipline isn’t the only thing she needs, but the women at this table don’t need to know that detail. For her to be at full power, she’ll need to complete her bonds with all the guards of Tartarus, including me.

“You’ll have to forgive Antiope,”Hippolyta says when the meal is finished and most of the residents have departed. Nemea has been commandeered again by Melanippe for more training, while Antiope has disappeared to go tend to the horses, which were always her preferred companions. Penthesilea and Eleutheria remain at the table with us.

“I hold no animosity toward your sister,” I say. “Even though I’ve done nothing to earn what she shows to me.”

Eleutheria shares a pointed look with her mother, who gives a curt shake of her head. Pen rises to clear the dishes as if this is her cue to disengage from the conversation.

“Shortly after you departed last time, she made a visit to the Temple of Zeus. She was still bitter over the bargain you and I made, and perhaps a little bit more so over the baby you left in my belly. She prayed to the god to teach you a lesson. To make you fail your next labor.”

I grimace at the thought of any woman willingly summoning my father to aid them. He always exacts a steep price for his favors. Hippolyta sees my reaction and shakes her head.

“Perhaps she thought that as our grandfather he would have some shred of affection for her and would grant this favor. But he is so far removed from his various progeny it’s unlikely the familial tie mattered to him.”

My skin prickles at the gravity in her tone. I know I’m not going to like what she says next.

“His price was her body, and when she changed her mind, he took what he wanted anyway.”

The ceramic mug in my grip cracks under the strain of my hand wanting to curl into a fist. It’s only Eleutheria’s hand on my arm that makes me ease up and take a breath.

“He did not deliver on their bargain,” I say. “I succeeded in stealing Gerylon’s herd. All the remaining labors I undertook after that were a success.”

Hippolyta’s lips are a tight line as she nods. “That was when we destroyed his temple. None of the gods are welcome here, and few of the goddesses. Being only slightly removed from him in stature and likeness, she is still reminded of that one bad decision when she sees you.”

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