Page 66 of Sweet Obsession

“I hope so.”

We catch up with the team at the bottom of a set of stairs. Bellerophon glances at their tablet. “This should be the main suite. She’ll be there.”

“Let’s go.” Zeus doesn’t hesitate. He rushes up the stairs andslams the door open, the stolen shotgun still in his hands. He doesn’t spare us a look before disappearing into the room.

Fuck.I drag in a breath and follow him in, steeling myself to pull the trigger if necessary. Circe has been the cause of so much pain and suffering. She may have been victim to it herself, but even as I empathize with the pain she’s experienced, I cannot condone the harm she’s committed. She’s too clever, too driven. As long as she lives, Olympus won’t be safe.

Except the room is empty.

I slowly lower my gun, following Icarus’s touch to shift away from the door and put our backs to the wall. The room isn’t anything particularly fancy. There’s a desk bolted to the floor, and a short divider that has a single bunk on the other side, sheets tucked in with military precision.

Zeus charges into the only other door, one leading to a tiny bathroom. It’s pristine in a way that suggests no one has been here in some time. There are no toiletries on the sink or in the shower. I look back at the room again. No computer, no personal effects, noclothes. “She’s not here. She might never have been here at all.”

Zeus spins around, blue eyes showing emotion for the first time all night. They’re wide and wild. “Where is she?Where the fuck is she?”

“We’ll find her.”

“She was here. You met her out on the water with my wife.” He clenches his fists. “She went back to her ship after that meeting.”

“I thought she did.” I catch sight of a stack of papers on the desk and move toward it. “She went in that direction, but we didn’t follow her. It’s possible she changed course once she was out of sight.She didn’t land where my sentries could see but…”

“But without the barrier, there’s more land than there are sentries,” Icarus murmurs, finishing my thought.

Zeus veers around me and plucks the piece of paper I noticed from the desk. He reads it and curses. “That fuckingbitch.”

It takes my eyes a moment to adjust to the darkness enough to read the words written in thick marker, their meaning almost obscene in their cute bubble letters. Circe even drew hearts over the tops of thei’s.

It’s so cute that you thought you could get the best of me. Darling Zeus, you should know by now that I’m always three steps ahead. Tell Icarus that Deo sends his regards. Better luck next time.

—C

“What—?” I can’t even get the sentence out before Zeus shoves everything off the desk and roars in rage. “Zeus, stop.” I start to step forward but Icarus grabs the back of my shirt, pulling me up short. Or, more accurately, as soon as I feel the resistance, I stop. “There might be evidence we need in the room.”

“There isn’t.” He kicks down the divider between the bed and the rest of the room. It’s also bolted to the floor, so it only bends drunkenly until he kicks it again and again.

Shock roots my feet to the floor, but Icarus has the presence of mind to shut and lock the door before any of Athena’s people see. I’ve never witnessed Zeus as anything other than cold and composed,even when he was still Perseus, heir to the title his father held.

He continues to rampage. Icarus and I stand as silent witnesses. I’m aware of the tension in Icarus’s frame, but there’s not a damn thing I can say that won’t make things worse. I’m not letting Zeus turn his ire on the man I care for, but I’m also not going to say as much and give Zeus any ideas.

He finally slumps against the desk. “Damn it. This is so fucked. It was supposed to end tonight.”

This is my cue. We aren’t friends—he hasn’t earned the effort it takes me to manage his emotions—but there’s no one else. I step forward carefully. “This is still a victory.”

“How do you figure?” He doesn’t look up, fisting the fabric of his expensive slacks.

“It’s pretty fucking clear. Circe lost her squadron. Four of her generals sailed off without her.”

He snorts. “So they can circle the coast and come back. She said Deo sends his regards.” He narrows his eyes at Icarus. “He played you. He playedus.”

“Think, Zeus.” I want to shake him but manage to resist the urge. “She has no reason to deceive us. With five ships, she could bomb the city to oblivion with little risk to herself. The only reason she didn’t get around to it yet was because she was sure the Thirteen wouldn’t vote—something she was correct about. She didn’t see the coup coming. We stopped her.”

He finally drags a hand through his blond hair and curses. “We didn’t stop anything, but at least the blockade is no longer an issue.” As he speaks, I can actually see the walls coming back, his control once again reasserting itself. “Take this ship.”

“Excuse me?”

“Take this ship,” he repeats slowly. “You and your little boyfriend wanted to free the crew? Do it. Then bring the ship back to port and we’ll take it apart with a fine-tooth comb.” Zeus jerks open the door and stalks out of the room.

I blink, still trying to process this unexpected turn of events. I glance at Icarus, who surveys the room with a strange look on his face. “Is it a trap?” I ask. “It’s what she did with Hades in the lower city.”

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