Page 72 of The Queen & the King

She nods, brushing away another tear. “I miss him too.”

I sit back at my desk as Helios and Mellie continue to bicker. “Another Titan was captured, a minor one, Tethys, Titan of Fresh Water.”

Persephone nods. “I’m going to hunt for some strays on Olympus.”

My entire body goes tense, my muscles squeezing, locking on bone. “You don’t have your tie to the Underworld anymore. This would be you alone.”

She locks eyes with me and nods. “But the alternative is to give up. Which I refuse to do.”

The way her mouth is pressed into a tight line, and her eyes flash, I know she won’t be moved on this, despite the danger. They are between Persephone and her family, and they will pay the price.

“Zeus is missing, as well.” I sigh. “ No one has seen him since our first date.”

I should feel bad for sending him to Demeter as a distraction, but I really don’t.

“I doubt Hera is making any rescue efforts,” Persephone adds tartly, and she is right about that. My darling and deadly sister-in-law thinks he’s out creating more bastard children for her to ignore.

Those are her words.

“It is possible he’s buried under your house after his fight with your mother.” My lips twitch at the way Persephone shrugs at that. She is so nonchalant about the missing King of the Gods.

Fuck, I miss her.

“She can’t hold Gaia’s power for much longer,” Persephone whispers. Mellie stops arguing with Helios at that, looking at the phone with a frown.

“Why do you say that?” I ask.

“Her face, it looks like it’s cracking.”

“Cracking?”

“Probably because she’s a stone -cold bitch,” Mellie retorts, crossing her arms over her chest.

I shoot a look at the goddess before I focus back on Persephone. “I don’t know if there’s ever been a god who couldn’t hold on to the power they absorbed.” No one was insane enough even toattemptit.

“She’s got all of Olympus terrified of her. No one even looks at me,” Persephone says.

I prop the phone on my desk and pace, trying to plan our next steps. It is less than ideal that Zeus is imprisoned. Once released, he will be furious and even more unpredictable.

“If she’s losing that power,” I murmur, “she won’t be able to hold Zeus for much longer.”

Zeus is king for a reason. Poseidon and I knew he deserved to be king after freeing us and winning the war, but there is more to it than that. Zeus’s power is not limited to his first calling, like Poseidon and me. He has the ability to summon any Olympian’s ability if he so wishes. Any of his subjects, the many gods who call Olympus their home, he can wield their abilities as natural as breathing. So holding him in any kind of prison, even for a goddess wielding Primordial power, would be taxing, to say the least.

“I should go if I want to make any headway on catching Titans,” Persephone says. My head snaps toward the phone, and I grab it, cradling it in my hand.

“Be careful,” I warn. I want to tell her not to go, that she doesn’t have to fight. We’ve already lost so much, paid so much, endured so much. But I can’t say any of that to her. “I’ll send Cerberus to join you.” I glance at the dog. “You want to go hunting with Mommy?”

He barks excitedly, spinning.

“No. He stays there,” Persephone growls.

“He can help.”

She grinds her teeth. “No.”

My jaw twitches with annoyance, but I nod silently. She’s won this round. She wouldn’t bePersephoneif she bowed to my every demand.

“I have to go. Love you guys.” She holds my gaze.

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