Page 21 of Sweet Obsession

I clap him lightly on the shoulder and nod. “Thank you. We’ll be back shortly. Wait here.” I don’t want any witnesses for whatever comes next. If it’s a trap, then Hera and I will pay the price for our arrogance alone.

Hera steps down into the boat, and I follow her significantly less gracefully. She doesn’t speak until I’ve started the engine and guided us away from the dock and onto the open water toward where Circe’s five ships linger. “It’s rather impressive how loyal your people are. They truly love you, don’t they?”

There’s no reason to think her question is a threat, but I bristle all the same. “What do you think you’re going to accomplish with this meeting tonight? If the rest of the Thirteen find out—”

“But they won’t find out, will they?” Her words go hard, her tone unforgiving. “Our intentions are the same, Poseidon, even if our methods differ. I need my family to be safe, and if that means I have to break every vow I’ve made and sacrifice a large number of lives, then I’ll do it in a heartbeat.”

I’ve heard her husband say something similar. I don’t say as much, though. She won’t thank me for the comparison, and she sure as fuck won’t thank me for pointing out that she and Zeus are remarkably well matched. I can’t leave her words unchallenged, though. “Our intentions arenotthe same, Hera. I’m not willing to sacrificeanyone.”

“So you say now.” She shrugs, her gaze going distant. “But when it comes down to your people or all the rest of Olympus, it won’t be much of a choice at all.” She turns to face the direction we’re traveling in, effectively ending the conversation.

The salty air of the wind whisking the mist into our faces fills my lungs and relaxes a tight muscle between my shoulder blades. We might be driving to our certain deaths, but at least I’m out on the water again.

Out here, even in the relative shelter of the bay, I’m reminded of how small my life really is. My people find the feeling disconcerting, but for me it’s a comfort. The sea doesn’t care that I’m one of the Thirteen; it will crush any arrogance I have as easily as the next person’s. I respect the destruction water and weather can come together to create, but I don’t fear it. There’s almost always warningand time to prepare, to minimize the damage.

The same can’t be true of people.

The relative peace of the moment is over far too soon. “We’re here.” I ease off the throttle and allow the boat to coast to stillness. Or as close to stillness as we can manage while ensuring the waves don’t wash us back to the shore. It’s too dark to see the ships blockading the bay, but I can feel their presence like a weight pressing down on my shoulders. There’s no true freedom on the water right now. There won’t be until we end this.

The faint sound of a motor declares Circe’s arrival. Squinting into the darkness, I’m shocked to find she’s held to her end of the bargain. There are only two people aboard the small vessel cutting through the waves in our direction before slowing to pull up next to us.

I get my first look at Circe—or my first look since that ill-fated wedding to Zeus. She wears the years well. Even in the darkness, I can see her straight spine and proud shoulders, her face a pale oval as the boat gets closer, her short brown hair seemingly impervious to the wind. There’re new lines at the corners of her mouth and eyes, but she’s no less beautiful than she was all those years ago. Her companion has their hood pulled forward and is bundled up with enough clothing that it’s impossible to tell anything about them.

She and Hera stare at each other, each appearing to weigh their enemy. To Hera’s credit, Circe is the one who speaks first. She crosses one long leg over the other. “I’ll admit, I was surprised to hear from you. It’s enough to make one wonder how you got my number to begin with.” Her gaze flicks to me and then back to Hera.

“That’s the least important part of the conversation we need to have.” Hera’s voice is cool and even, showing no sign of the strain she has to be feeling. We sit in the presence of the person who has orchestrated so much pain and suffering in our city. People have died because of the plans Circe put into motion. More will die before this is over. But none of that is evident on Hera’s face. “You’ve been sitting out here, so obviously you wanted someone’s attention. I chose to give you mine.”

“We had bets on who would reach out first.” Circe examines her nails, long and painted some dark color that I can’t divine with so little light. “You weren’t even on the list. Bravo. A Hera with gumption and ambition and no small amount of ruthlessness. You’ve surprised me.”

“If you were paying attention, I wouldn’t have.” Hera’s voice goes hard. “I’m prepared to deliver you Zeus in exchange for you not sacking the city.”

Circe throws her head back and laughs, the sound musical and light and downright joyous. It’s completely at odds with the current situation, and it makes me shudder. When she finally controls herself, her laughter trailing off into little giggles, she presses a hand to her chest. “My, you certainly are full of surprises, aren’t you?”

“That’s what you want, isn’t it? My Zeus isn’t the one who caused you so much pain, but he’ll do in a pinch.”

“Darling, you have to learn to dream a little bit bigger.” All amusement disappears from Circe’s voice. “The entire power structure of Olympus is responsible for the harm I endured.”

Hera huffs out a breath. “The entire power structure of Olympus has caused harm to a lot of people. You’re not special. There’s notmuch to be done about it.”

“Maybe not for you. Personally, I mean to shatter it into a thousand little pieces and then rebuild it from the wreckage into something that doesn’t serve only thirteen people, each more corrupt than the last.” She smiles slowly. “Even you, who would offer up your husband to the enemy.”

Hera is silent for a beat, two. “You can’t have Olympus. If you invade, the people will fight you to their last breath and you’ll inherit nothing but an empty, barren piece of land. And then, right when you’re at your weakest and exhausted from the battle, the outside world will finally realize the barrier that kept our city safe and separate no longer exists. They’ll come and they’ll take what few resources are left.”

Far from being taken aback by Hera’s words, Circe seems downright delighted. “How are you going to fight me when you can’t even manage a vote to go to war with me?”

I tense. How does she know aboutthat? It’s a silly question, and I have my answer as soon as I think it. Circe is Olympian. More than that, she’s obviously studied us and the laws, no matter how archaic. She knew about the assassination clause. Of course she knew we’d have to vote to go to war—and how unlikely it is to get a majority vote among the Thirteen.

She…planned on it.

“If you weren’t the slightest bit worried, you wouldn’t have accepted this meeting with me. You don’t seem like someone who likes her time wasted. You’re looking for a contingency plan, so let’s stop pussyfooting around. Why don’t you tell me what you’rereallywilling to accept in order to create peace?”

“You know, Hera, I think I like you. Keep that phone on you. I’ll be in contact.” She motions at her person near the engine and they power up. Within seconds, Circe is whisking away, disappearing into the darkness.

I turn to Hera. “What the fuck was that?”

“I told you my husband has to die, you agreed tothat, and now you’re going to falter when you discover the means?” She turns and looks in the direction where Circe disappeared. “Regardless, I was right. There’s something she wants and she recognizes that a full-out battle benefits no one. She’ll let me cool my heels for a little bit to assert her dominance, and then she’ll give me her real terms. That’s when we move.”

I reluctantly start the engine and turn us back toward the shore. “More like she knows how incompetent the Thirteen are when the group of us are together.” I shoot a look at Hera. “Why don’t we tell Zeus to call another vote and this time you voteforwar? That wouldreallysurprise Circe.”

---