Page 9 of Sweet Obsession

My best bet is the man who stands before me. He’sPoseidon; he’s bound to have access to a wide variety of water vessels that could potentially slip through Circe’s net in the dark of night. But first I have to escape him…or turn him to my way of thinking.

“You stripped me,” I say. I don’t particularly care that he took off my pants and underwear, but this kind of accusation is a surefire way to get a bead on the kind of person he is.

Did I think he was blushing before? This new flush to his pale skin puts that one to shame. He practically turns as crimson as his hair, and he shifts from foot to foot like a small child caught with his hand in the cookie jar. Interesting.

He clears his throat a few times. “I put a towel over your hips. I didn’t see anything. You were covered in blood, and so the pants had to come off. It was all very respectable.”

How infuriatingly charming. “Respectable. What’s respectable about someone unconscious and bleeding as you ogle their naked body? And not just anyone—the man you’re holding captive.” Every word is designed to worm its way into the crack he’s exposed to me. Because he is supposedly a man of honor, and people of honor are inherently more manipulatable than others. They expect you tohold the same moral center that they do, and so they never see you coming.

“That’s not… I didn’t…” He clears his throat. “You’re trying to provoke a reaction out of me.”

“If I was, it’d be working. You feel guilty. And you should.”

He glares. “I am sorry for the harm you came to while under my care, but you aren’t going to be able to manipulate me. You tried to harm my city and everyone in it, which makes you the enemy. I need to leave now, but when I return, I fully expect you to give me the information I need to protect my people and the rest of the city. Do you understand me?”

Do you understand me?

He says it softly, evenly. He’s not yelling at me. He’s not even really threatening me. And yet my body locks up all the same. I’m thankful for the blanket covering my lower half because it hides my clenched fists from his gaze. It takes more effort than it usually does to paste my charming smile on my face, to force my shoulders to relax as if his words have found no purchase. It’s vitally important not to show your weak underbelly to those who want to hurt you. It doesn’t mean theycan’thurt you, but at least they won’t be able to find your soft center. “It’s cute how you’re so committed to the bit. Even Demeter breaks character sometimes. I’m your enemy. Why are you pretending you care about the people of Olympus tome?”

Poseidon’s brows draw together. “What are you talking about?”

If he keeps this up, it’s going to jump straight past charming into irritating. I wave my hand. “It was a smart move taking the strong, silent stance and gaining a reputation as a man who’s for the people or whatever. I can see why you’d go that route instead ofthe others when you came into the title so unexpectedly…unless it wasn’t unexpected.”

I’m watching him closely, looking for that character break. Usually, I can talk quickly enough for a time to get anyone angry at me—certainly angry enough to stop this ridiculous act.

But he just looks more confused. “Did Polyphemus hit your head, too? What are you talking about?”

“Stop pretending!” I flinch as soon as the yell leaves my lips. This isn’t strategic. I’m being stubborn for no damn reason at all. “Never mind. It doesn’t matter.”

“Icarus.”

“I understand that you want information from me.” And I do. He’s given me the path to cracking him wide open. Because he’s anhonorableman, and people pretending to be honorable are even easier to manipulate than those who are actually honorable. They’re predictable.

“What Iwantis to protect the city from Circe. More importantly, the people in the city.”

Not himself. Not the Thirteen. The helpless people who rely on those stronger for safety. Surely he’s notactuallyan honorable man. That would be too good to be true…

I shake my head roughly. “It doesn’t matter what you want. It’s all the same to me.”

I’ll give him everything he asks for. I can’t stop Circe—I don’t think anyone can at this point—but part of Circe’s power is her support base, and I’ve slept with more than a few of them over the years. I’m good at pillow talk, good at delving into the little nooks and crannies that hide their secrets. They love to brag, love to tellme things no one else knows. Things I can exploit. And what they don’t brag about, I find on my own. I’m not as good with computers as Ariadne, but I’m no slouch, either.

I already intended to use the information I’ve painstakingly compiled to blackmail them into giving me enough money to live a lavish lifestyle until I die of old age. That money would’ve gone a long way toward protecting Ariadne and me, into getting us far away from Olympus and Aeaea. An entire world away, even.

I’ll still need money if I survive this, but if I’m still in Olympus when Circe takes the city, I’m going to need every bit of blackmail to ensure I don’t end up dead along with the rest of her enemies. Unfortunately, I don’t have blackmail onCirce—her preferences lean more in the sapphic direction—but depending on who she brought as generals, I should have a decent chance of living through this.

I just need to string Poseidon along until that happens. If he’s going to insist on pretending to be an honorable man, then I’m going to use it against him to ensure I stay alive.

I settle back down into the comfort of the bed. Now, when I’m finally properly alone, I allow myself to picture my sister, to witness the desperation on her face as she forced a promise from me: Carnaval next year. We’re supposed to meet there. I don’t know if I believe that it’s even possible…but Poseidon has given me an avenue forward. And I mean to take it.

6

Poseidon

Icarus’s words ring in my ears as I leave his room and head downstairs. Most of my people have homes in the area surrounding the docks, but I keep the rooms in the guesthouse stocked with all the necessities for those who need it. No questions asked. Polyphemus has been using one of those rooms ever since his sister, who he lived with, died in the attack on Triton.

I check there first, but it’s empty. It only takes a few minutes to find him sitting on a chair in the small sitting room tucked just off the entrance, head bowed. Even as I tell myself to be calm, the words burst from me in a furious rush. “What the fuck do you think you were doing?”

Polyphemus digs his hands into his pockets and hunches his shoulders. “I’m sorry.”

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