Bound (3 page)

The air leaked out of Natasa’s lungs. She hadn’t realized just how much she’d been banking on Maelea knowing something—anything—that would help her until this very moment. Months she’d wasted trying to find the female, when what she should have been doing was chasing a different lead.

Dammit, she was back to square one, with no idea where to look next and only this blasted heat to keep her company. She swiped at the sweat on her brow.

No, that wasn’t true. She was back further than step one, because the end date was rushing up faster than even she’d anticipated.

“There are Titans in the human realm,” Maelea said softly. “Those who didn’t side with Krónos in the Titanomachy. Ones in hiding amongst humans. Have you tried them? Epimetheus, maybe? Prometheus’s brother? It’s possible he knows something.”

Natasa huffed. “I already spoke with him. He’s the one who suggested I find you. Epimetheus is a fool. Talking to him is as productive as talking to a wall.”

Maelea’s lips turned down. “Yes, I’ve heard that about him. But perhaps he knows more than he’s letting on. Is there a reason he doesn’t want you to find Prometheus?”

Oh yeah, there was. Because Epimetheus knew exactly
what
she was.

Her mind spun. And connections she hadn’t made before clicked into place. Natasa lifted her gaze back to Maelea. “Has Epimetheus ever sided with Zeus?”

Maelea’s brow wrinkled. “Not that I’m aware. But anything’s possible, I suppose. Why? What are you thinking?”

What was she thinking? She was suddenly thinking Epimetheus had sent her after Maelea, knowing she’d fail. The question was…why?

There was only one place to find out.

She turned for the door. “Sorry to bother you.”

“Wait—”

Maelea reached for her, but Natasa moved onto the veranda and closed the double doors before the female could stop her. She climbed over the railing and dropped down to the balcony below, landing with a soft thud on her boots. Then she waited, listening to see if anyone moved in the room beyond.

Nothing but silence met her ears. But from the balcony above, a male voice rang out. “
Sotiria
? They’re ready for us.”

“Gryphon,” Maelea breathed.

Gryphon
… He was an Argonaut. Natasa had heard that name back at the half-breed colony. She knew she should get inside before Maelea sent someone to look for her, but her curiosity got the best of her, and she waited, wanting to know if Maelea knew more than she’d let on too.

Fabric rustled, followed by soft murmurs and the distinct sound of kissing. And as she listened, a low ache built in Natasa’s chest. When was the last time someone had hugged her? Kissed her? When was the last time she’d
wanted
someone’s touch like that?

Warmth spread up her chest as she thought back to those few moments with Titus at the colony. Moments she’d foolishly relived in her mind a hundred times since.

“What’s wrong?” Gryphon asked above.

“I’m fine,” Maelea answered. “Nothing’s wrong. I just…I had an interesting visitor.”

“Who?” The concern in the Argonaut’s voice jolted Natasa out of her melancholy and brought her focus back to the conversation above.

“I don’t really know. She wasn’t Argolean, but she was definitely otherworldy.”

“She?” Concern gave way to suspicion. “What did she want?”

“To know if I had information about where my father is holding Prometheus.”

Silence. Then, “Prometheus? Why?”

“She didn’t say.”

“Was she looking for the Orb?”

“It’s a possibility, considering Prometheus crafted the Orb, but no, I don’t think that was her goal. She didn’t mention anything about it and I had the sense whatever she wanted from him was much more personal. I don’t know why, but…”

“But what?”

Natasa held her breath.

“I sensed a very strong power within her. One not rooted completely in darkness but not bathed in light either. I can’t put my finger on what it was, but my senses tell me whatever it is, it’s on the verge of being released.”

Shit
.

“
Skata
,” the Argonaut muttered. “That kind of power anywhere near the Orb is not a good thing.”

“I know,” Maelea whispered.

So the Orb really was in Argolea. That explained why Natasa felt different here than she had in the human realm. And why she had such an uncontrollable urge to stay.

“We need to share this with Theron and the others before we head downstairs to the celebration,” Gryphon said above. “Come on.”

The others
.

The Argonauts. Including Titus.

Natasa’s pulse thumped faster. She pushed away from the wall and turned for the door she hoped was unlocked. Inside the room—another bedroom suite—she scanned the empty space, her mind already thinking ten steps ahead. To what she needed to do next. To the moment she was out of this castle and heading for the portal that would take her back to the human realm.

To where she would go after that.

Because, no matter what, she wasn’t giving up.

* * *

“You’re sure about this?” Theron asked.

Isadora stood beside Theron’s desk in what used to be her father’s office but was now the center for Argonaut business, arms crossed over her growing belly, listening to what Maelea and Gryphon had come to tell them.

The leader of the Argonauts looked less than thrilled with the news, and Isadora knew why. If this mysterious guest Maelea had encountered in the castle was the same female who’d shown up at the colony days ago, it meant things were heating up, not cooling down as they’d hoped.

Of course, the Fate had warned them after Atalanta’s death that they’d won the battle, not the war, and Isadora didn’t doubt for a minute that the gods were plotting a way into Argolea so they could get their hands on the Orb. She just hadn’t expected it to happen so soon. Especially not now, when she should be out on the balcony overlooking the city of Tiyrns, presenting Maelea to the Argolean people.

“I’m not certain of anything,” Maelea answered. “I can only tell you what I felt. There’s more power in her than I’ve sensed in a very long time, from any one person who wasn’t a god.”

Theron glanced toward Isadora. “What do you think?”

Isadora chewed her lip. He’d told her of his suspicions and why he’d advised this Natasa to leave the colony and never return. “It sounds like the same girl. But how did she get here?”

“A delegation of Misos came across with Nick,” Demetrius said from the couch behind Maelea. “Could she have come with them?”

The babe in Isadora’s belly kicked out at the sound of Demetrius’s voice, as if he too took comfort in the guardian’s presence, and Isadora looked past Maelea and Gryphon toward her mate. Two more months until their son would be born. And hopefully then the permanent worry she saw in Demetrius’s eyes would dim when he realized everything was going to be okay.

She smoothed a hand down her belly to ease both herself and the little one. “I guess she could have. She was at the Misos Colony long enough undetected. The question is, why risk coming all the way to Argolea? And why now? Nick’s downstairs. I think we should include him in this discussion.”

Demetrius pushed his big body off the couch. “I’ll find him.”

He reached for Isadora’s hand and gave her a reassuring squeeze before heading to the door. And Isadora released a breath of relief as he left. Demetrius’s public displays of affection came easier these days, but the fact he had willingly volunteered to seek out his twin, with whom he’d never had any relationship other than fierce animosity, was the best sign of all.

“Send Titus up here if you see him,” Theron said to Demetrius.

Demetrius nodded and left. When he was gone, Isadora turned her attention back to Theron. “Tell them what you told me.”

On a sigh, Theron rubbed his fingers against his forehead and leaned back in his chair. “When Titus found this female in your room at the colony, Maelea, she was holding a small book. More like a journal. Detailing the lineage of the gods.”

With a confused expression, Maelea glanced toward Gryphon at her side, then back to Theron. “If she was looking for me, that makes sense, since Zeus and Persephone are my parents.”

“Right,” Theron answered, dropping his hand. “But the pages marked in her little book weren’t yours. And they weren’t Prometheus’s.”

“What pages were marked?” Gryphon asked.

“The ones related to Zagreus. Hades’s son.”

Gryphon reached for Maelea’s hand, and Isadora’s own stomach tightened at the fear and hatred she saw flash in his eyes. All the Argonauts knew what a loose cannon Zagreus was. Hades had unleashed his son on the human realm years ago, and though he had a reputation for being as vile and twisted as his father, since he didn’t seem to focus on humans and he generally kept his little world of torture to himself, they left him alone. Going after Zagreus meant starting a war with Hades himself, but now it looked like that might be inevitable.

“You think she’s working for Zagreus?” Gryphon asked.

“It’s possible,” Theron answered. “But more importantly, if she is, and she’s here for Maelea, it means Hades hasn’t given up his search for Persephone’s daughter.”

Maelea’s face paled, and Gryphon wrapped his arm around her shoulders. He drew her close and pressed his lips against her temple. “He won’t get to you,
sotiria
.”

“And how do you plan to stop him?” she asked on a whisper. “You yourself told me since he’s not an Olympian, he can cross into Argolea, like my mother.”

Theron pushed out of his chair before Gryphon could answer. “No one will get to you. You’re one of us now, and we protect our own.”

The finality in his voice warmed Isadora’s heart, and from the tinge of pink on Maelea’s cheeks, it clearly warmed hers too.

Theron shifted his gaze to Gryphon. “I know you were planning to take her to your place on the coast for an extended holiday after the ceremony, and you both deserve that more than anyone, but for the time being, she’s safer here in the castle where we can protect her.”

“I agree.” Gryphon looked down at Maelea. “
Sotiria
?”

“I’m okay with that.” She squeezed Gryphon’s hand. “As long as we’re together.”

Footsteps echoed near the open door, drawing attention.

“Demetrius told us to get up here,” Phineus said, stepping into the room with Titus at his heels. “What’s going on? I thought the party was about to start. Man, the council members do not look thrilled with all those Misos downstairs.”

“Yeah, tell me something I don’t already know,” Theron mumbled. “Zander and Cerek can run crowd control for a few minutes.”

He turned his attention toward Titus, whose hazel eyes were as focused as Isadora had ever seen them. As the guardian could read minds, he’d probably already picked up on what was going down. And though she couldn’t be sure, something told Isadora he knew more than he was letting on.

“I need your super spying skills,” Theron said.

Titus’s gaze narrowed. “Why?”

“Because your mystery woman’s back. And this time, she’s not playing games.”

Chapter Three

The sands of time were sifting through the hourglass faster than he liked. And every second he had to sit here waiting for this melding of the minds to begin, the more he had to fight the urge to rip someone’s fucking toenails out one by one.

Hades tapped his fingers on the armrest of the uncomfortable chair and stared across the gilded room toward his brother Zeus, whose head was currently tipped to the side as he shared hushed words with one of his bow and arrow-wielding, Barbie doll Sirens. At the moment, he’d like to rip Zeus’s toenails out just to hear the fucker scream. What the bloody hell were they whispering about? And where in all hellfire was Poseidon?

Probably off fucking a sea nymph, knowing the son of a bitch. And most likely,
not
his wife. A frown turned Hades’s lips as his thoughts strayed to his own wife. He couldn’t help but wonder where
she
was right this minute. And with whom.

He hadn’t seen Persephone in weeks. As per his agreement with her father, she spent half the year on Olympus and half with him in the Underworld. The few times she’d escaped to meet him in the human world during their latest separation weren’t enough. He needed to see her again soon. Not simply because he wanted to string her up and ravage that sinful body, but because he needed to keep a close eye on her. His wife was as twisted and manipulative as he. And she wanted the Orb of Krónos just much as he did—maybe more.

The heavy door to the right pushed open, and Poseidon, the sea god, strolled into the massive room as if he owned the joint.

Day like all days
…

The Siren straightened and stepped back, but a look passed between her and Zeus before she left the room. A look that said the King of Gods was up to something.

Zeus flashed his thousand-watt smile, the one Hades wanted to rip from his face. “
Adelfos
, I was about to send my Sirens to search for you.”

Bullshit.

“No reason to worry about me,” Poseidon answered, crossing the floor, his long legs eating up the space, his blond surfer hair blowing around his face as he moved. “Got tied up with business. Humans are always causing trouble, dumping crap and chemicals in my waters. Not to mention the creatures that need to be regulated, the storms that have to be redirected. Overseeing the world’s oceans isn’t as easy as, say—“he turned his blinding blue gaze Hades’s way—“simply sorting souls.”

Venom built in Hades’s veins. The same raging fury he always felt when he was face-to-face with his pissant brothers. His condescending, kiss-my-ass brothers who’d taken the best parts of the earth and tossed him what was left: the fucking Underworld.

He tamped down the resentment, knowing he needed to stay focused so he could get this meet-and-greet over and move on to more important matters.

“Perhaps, brother,” he said, glancing at his long fingers against the mahogany armrest, “humans wouldn’t shit in your home if you took your dick out of those sea nymphs long enough to pay attention to what they’re doing.”