Page 67 of The Queen & the King

“Question my loyalty all you want.” Helios glares at me. “Yeah, I wasn’t on your side last time.”

That was understating it a bit. He was a fuckinggeneralin the last war, but he cut a deal with me to avoid him and his two sisters being locked up in Tartarus like the rest of the Titans.

“And this time?” I hiss, my eyes narrowing. Who is he truly siding with? Is this all an act? A long, drawn-out ploy?

Helios slowly rakes his eyes over me. “I’m not going to answer that becausemyloyalty isn’t important.”

My jaw ticks.Hisloyalty isn’t important? Tell that to Zeus, who constantly tries to get me to imprison him.

“Mellie’sloyalty? To questionthat?” My jaw audibly cracks, but Helios doesn’t pause for a second. “P was my friend first, so yeah, I hate this. I hate that this cold bitch has a hold of her. But I know of all people, even without her memories, Persephone never needed saving. Anyone who crosses her is put into the ground or worse. So get your head out of your ass.”

Helios spins on his heel, leaving me alone and robbing me of the response I would eventually have come up with. Instead, I’m alone, and this time, I fucking deserve to be.

I glareat the broken mirror in the bathroom. I don’t know if it’s because it’s the same mirror I summoned Nemesis to, but the palace hadn’t repaired the cracked glass. The tattoos had consumed the whites of my eyes, making the sapphire blue seem even more stark. My horns and wings are covered in the darkness. I glance at my tail, inspecting it. The dark swirls cover it as well.

Fuck. I’ve been consumed.

I thought releasing it once would be all right. I thought I could put it back into the obsidian box inside me and seal the lid tight. But the box is not just broken. It is fucking shattered.

Mellie leans in the doorway. “Pull yourself together.”

I laugh sadly and move past her, using my glamor to hide my wings and horns. There is no hiding the swirling tattoos anymore. I’ve tried, but it’s like they’re inked onto my glamourtoo. Mellie walks to the small bar and pours two measures of scotch, handing one to me. I sit in one of the dark armchairs while Mellie curls up on another.

“I’m really… I’m losing control,” I whisper.

Mellie takes a long sip. “Persephone is being so strong. So wherever your control is, I suggest you find it because she’ll be pissed when she finally comes back to us, and you’re batshit.”

She would be furious. Not that I let the darkness get this far, but that I gave up on myself.

“Zeus wants Helios,” I look at her, “in chains.”

Mellie’s glass shatters. “What?”

“He wants to bring in Helios’s father and his two sisters by using him as bait,” I admit, watching her. Zeus made it clear that any deal I had with Helios is off.

Mellie snarls, not even noticing as blood drips from her hand.

“Helios hasn’t… mentioned anything?” I rub a hand wearily down my face. “About which side he’s on?”

Her face contorts, her scars darkening. She snatches the drink from my hand, downing it. “I have to go.”

Does that mean he has mentioned something or he hasn’t?

“I’ll be back tomorrow,” she says just before she vanishes.

Forty-Two

Persephone

ISIT UP IN BED, PANTING. MY ROOM IS STILL COVERED IN BLACK VINES.It’s lucky my mother hasn’t seen them yet. I’ve managed to make excuses to the maids about why I don’t want my room freshened up, and every time anyone tries to open my bedroom door, the vines tighten over it, declining entry.

The meadow continues to elude my dreams. There is nothing but the same blackness every night. Every so often, there is a flicker of a bright white light. Every night, it becomes a little more frequent. It has been eight nights since I last saw Hades. Even the temporary mental link seems unavailable to me, and it’s driving me insane. I miss him. He consumes my every thought. I know he hasn’t left me, but what if there’s something wrong? I’m so fucking helpless here.

I climb out of bed, and following my new morning routine, I try to remove the vines. Sometimes, when I get very frustrated, there is slight movement, but mostly nothing changes. I take a deep breath and close my eyes, about to delve into my power, when my mother’s raised voice from downstairs distracts me.

I open my eyes and glance at my bedroom door. The vines part for me, encouraging me to investigate. I glare at them before pulling on my robe and quietly leaving my room, heading down the corridor. My mother’s furious voice carries down the halls.

“Do not try to force me into anything, Kronos,” she snarls. I tense at the name, Hades’ warnings flashing through my mind. I silently creep down the stairs, expertly missing the steps I know creak.

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