Page 47 of Hades and Persephone: Keeper of Sins

“Annie,” I gasp. I can’t seem to catch my breath. Or explain the sudden attraction I feel toward this woman—when I’ve never felt attraction to a woman before.

What in the world is happening to me?

Minthe stands, lifting a bottle of water to her lips. Through the sweat that clings to the cold bottle, I watch mint leaves dance in the water. Minthe smiles. “That’s not your name.”

“It’s the name everyone calls me.”

“Not everyone.” She eyes me coyly, grinning the same.

I frown. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Oh, come on now. I know you’re working for Hades Pluton.”

“Everyone knows that.”What is she getting at?

“Breathe, Persephone. My girlfriend works forHades. I do, too, actually. As a waitress.” She winks at me.

“Who is your girlfriend?” Even as I ask, I already suspect I know.

“Leuce.”

Yep, I knew.

“I’ve met her,” I admit. “She’s intimidatingly gorgeous.”

“She is.” She sucks her bottom lip into her mouth, releasing it slowly. Another throb of unexpected attraction slams inside me, and I frown.

It’s notmyattraction, or at least I don’t think it is. It feels distant, somehow. Impersonal.

And yet…

I’m confused. I don’t know what this means?

Am I attracted to women?

I give my head a firm shake. “You said you know Hades?”

“Oh, yes. I do.”

I frown. I feel as though I’ve stepped into some warped version of the Twilight Zone. “It’s bizarre, isn’t it?”

Minthe tips her head to the side. “What?”

“All of us meeting like this. Finding each other.”

A slow smile spreads, but her brow knits. “What do you mean?”

“Our names. Minthe, Leuce, Hades, and Persephone. Isn’t that aweird coincidence?”

She shrugs. “I suppose. Or maybe it just means we’re supposed to know each other.”

“Maybe.” I hear myself agree, but I’m not sure. It feels like more, my connection to these people who share ancient names in this modern time.

And that’s when I really know I’m losing the plot. Because I think we have any ties to the ancient, mythical beings who lived in a time well before my own.

Argh, maybe I should be sitting out of the sun like the rest of my team. There’s a good chance Dad was right, and I’ve cooked my brain without my hat.

Oh well, I was already on board the crazy train. What’s a little sun thrown onto the raging fire of insanity that is me?

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