Total pages in book: 98
Estimated words: 92659 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 463(@200wpm)___ 371(@250wpm)___ 309(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 92659 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 463(@200wpm)___ 371(@250wpm)___ 309(@300wpm)
He does deserve it, but that doesn’t change that my instincts are conflicted when it comes to him.
I turn without another word and leave the town house, making sure to lock the front door behind me. The street is just as quiet as it was when we arrived, but I still pause and look around.
Something feels…off.
It would be easy enough to brush the feeling away, but I find myself pulling my phone out of my pocket and dialing Minthe. She answers on the second ring, her voice groggy. “This better be good.”
“I need someone on my street.”
“What?” She yawns and, when she speaks again, sounds more awake. “Something going on?”
“I don’t know.” I turn a slow circle, but nothing seems to be out of place. “Just a feeling.”
“Okay.” Another yawn. “I’ll be there in twenty.”
“You don’t have to do it personally.”
“Yeah, I do. No reason to drag anyone else out of bed. Send someone to relieve me around breakfast.”
Minthe can be a pain in the ass, but she’s reliable as fuck. “Thanks.”
“That’s what friends are for.” She hangs up without another word. Part of me is tempted to wait until she shows up to leave, but Hades wouldn’t have summoned me to the greenhouse without good reason. Time is of the essence.
I call Medusa as I climb into my car and head out. I’m not surprised she’s still awake, just like I’m not surprised that she doesn’t ask any questions. She and her girlfriend, Calypso, seem to be night owls naturally. Either that, or Medusa bolts into wakefulness without any delay. Considering her former line of work that’s just as likely.
The drive is short enough that I don’t have much time to think. It’s just as well; tonight took more turns than I could’ve ever anticipated. First with Eurydice instigating things between us, and us losing control in my back seat. Then with Orpheus showing up in the lower city tonight of all nights.
I don’t want to think about Orpheus though.
I pull to a stop in front of the greenhouse. Technically, it’s a flower shop that’s been owned by the same family for several generations. Most businesses in the lower city are like that; they can trace their lineage parallel to the history of Olympus. Some of them are transplants. It’s not common for people to move into the city from the greater world, but it’s not entirely unheard of either.
Matthew’s family has owned this flower shop, and the greenhouse above it, since the city was founded. He’s the last of them now, except for a distant cousin who lives out near the warehouse district.
I don’t know why anyone would fuck with Matthew or the flower shop. There’s no money to be had here, and as far as I can tell, he doesn’t house any flowers or plants that are rare enough to tempt someone to steal from him.
The only value this place holds is for the people who live in the lower city. Hades in particular comes here when he needs time and space to think. These days, Persephone comes with him.
All the lights are on as I climb out of my car and head toward the building. The big glass windows are untouched, but someone has thrown a brick through the glass door. Matthew is on his knees, trying to sweep the glass into a bin.
He looks up as I approach, and the sheer relief on his face makes me uneasy. “Thank the gods you’re here.”
We don’t see much crime in the lower city, but it does exist. It’s a city, after all. Still, Hades rules with a firm and fair hand, and most people are all too happy to obey the rules. I can’t remember the last time I’ve seen something like this. Maybe a few years back when the last Zeus sent his people over the river to cause problems. He, of course, claimed innocence when confronted, but we all knew it was him.
I step carefully over the glass. Nothing else seems to be disturbed, which is a relief. Or it would be if Matthew didn’t look like he was about to cry. I crouch down next to him. “Tell me what happened.”
“Alarms went off about thirty minutes ago. I was asleep, so it took me a few minutes to get down here to figure out what was going on.” He sniffles, and his hands shake where they hold the short broom. “Charon, they…” He looks to the door that leads up the narrow set of stairs to the greenhouse. I hadn’t realized it was cracked until now. “They destroyed everything.”
Oh, fuck.
I don’t get a chance to respond, because Medusa walks through the front door. She’s a tall white woman with close-cropped blond hair, and nearly as many muscles as me. Despite the cool temperature, she’s wearing a T-shirt that leaves her arms exposed, revealing her scars and snake tattoos.