Page 36 of Flowers Near Me

Although Persephone appreciatedthe office tour Hades and Charon had given her, she wanted to walk around on her own and get a real sense of the space. DB had been her stomping grounds from early childhood and she could navigate its halls with her eyes closed. She needed to learn the ins and outs of her new jail. But if she was being honest, she hadn’t seen Eurydice yet and wanted to have a word with the developer.

When she considered Eurydice’s situation, she’d be a liar to say she wouldn’t have done the same thing. To have two executives dedicated to the successful rollout of your app was a once-in-lifetime opportunity. You had to take every advantage you could to get a leg up in the tech industry. Olympus had mega stars—gods for Fate’s sake. But that didn’t diminish the lingering frustration Persephone felt at Eurydice’s two-timing antics.

A little lost in her thoughts, Persephone grinned when she caught Eurydice filling her mug with coffee at the beverage station.

She inched closer, careful not to make a sound until she was within arm’s length. “Well, look who it is. Good morning, Eurydice.”

Eurydice whipped around, sputtering a polite, “Good morning, Miss Ioulo.”

Persephone hummed a laugh. “Given that you’ve bested meandI already gave you permission to call me Persephone, I’d say we’re past formalities. How are you?”

“I’m well. And you?” The lost look on Eurydice’s face made Persephone feel a little bad about ambushing her.

“I’ve been better, but I shouldn’t complain.” Persephone paused, gathering her thoughts. She needed to clear the air and not toy with the young woman like her mom would. Fates, her mom would have this poor girl sweating bullets if she’d tried to trick Demeter.

“Eurydice, I don’t like that you hid the patent ownership from me, but…” She softened the look on her face, hoping to convey sincerity. “Had I been in your situation, I would’ve done the same thing and held out for the best deal.”

Eurydice sucked in a breath. “Really?”

Persephone nodded. “It was opportunistic, but that’s what it takes to be successful in Olympus.” Shrugging, she continued, saying, “And it would’ve been foolhardy for you to try to convince me to work with Hades, so I can’t blame you for not saying anything to me. But I hope that moving forward, you’ll trust me enough to share all of your hopes for the app. I meant it when I said that your tech is impressive and that you’ve got a bright future ahead. I thinkFlowers Near Meis clever and I’m proud to be associated with it.”

“Thank you. This means a lot.” Eurydice gave a restrained smile.

“I mean it. I’m here to do a good job and promote this app with everything I’ve got.”And somehow get it away from Hades’ hands.She kept that last part to herself. “Let’s get this out of its beta version and ready for the masses. No hard feelings, okay?”

Eurydice nodded. “Thanks, Persephone.”

Persephone smiled. “I’ll see you around.” With a parting wink, she turned and headed back to her new office.

Hecate’slong black hair glinted purple where the light hit it as she walked into Persephone’s office. Her sleeveless wrap dress cascaded into a flowing skirt that ended mid-calf and displayed her heeled gladiator sandals. Persephone stood to greet her.

“Nice to see you again, Persephone.” Hecate pulled Persephone towards her and placed a light kiss on each cheek.

“Likewise. It’s always good to see you.” Persephone had fond childhood memories of Hecate coming to visit Demeter’s estate. The goddess always made a point to exchange pleasantries with her.

“Did you know that Hades claims you’re his COO.”

Hecate laughed. “His COO? For fuck’s sake. He needs to stop using that joke.”

“So, you’re not?” She needed to know.

“Fates no. I only do freelance consulting for his team. I work with your mom too, but I doubt she told you I’m on her staff.”

Persephone huffed a laugh. “Good point.”

“Well, he asked me to take you to lunch because he wants me help you feel more at home at Underworld Unlimited,” said Hecate. “I say we can use it as an excuse to get you out of the office for several hours every day.”

This was good. Hecate was stuck between Demeter and Hades too, so she could understand Persephone’s situation, but unlike Persephone, Hecate waspowerfuland could offer protection that Persephone couldn’t give herself.

Hecate used her powers to portal them both to a bistro sandwiched between a packing and shipping store and a plain office building. The outdoor sitting area was in an alleyway behind the tiny restaurant with olive and oak trees and small tables placed under the canopy of leaves. A tiny forest within the city. Such a welcome sight.

Hecate swiped lip gloss over her pursed lips. “Have you been here before?”

“No. I haven’t been to many parts of the city.”

“Right. You’ve lived on the estate. I’m sure you miss it.” Hecate poured two cups of tea, then waved her hand over the hot drinks.

“It’s beautiful there, as you know. Lush. Orderly. Quiet. Everything that Demeter wants it to be. Olympus has its charms, too. My sister’s lived here since her residency.”

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