Page 131 of Hades

But he wasn’t settled.

For a second, the club’s chaos stopped.

Zeus was already moving, his attention snapping to the door the instant they walked in. Even with everything burning around him, Eros mattered. Asclepius closed the distance, starting his assessment whether Eros wanted it or not.

Eros hated fussing.

He’d want a drink, a shower, and for everyone to stop looking at him like he was one hard breath away from dropping.

“Kraken,” Zeus said, his voice tight. Controlled. “Report.”

Kraken’s jaw worked. He looked at Eros first. Then at Zeus.

“Arizona Stone is dead.”

The room went still.

“Alex?” Zeus asked.

“In the wind.”

Fuck.

“What happened?” Atlas asked.

Eros moved forward, slow and deliberate, like every step cost him something. He grabbed a chair and lowered himself into it with the kind of care that said his body was barely holding together.

The room went silent, everyone listening.

“Arizona’s the bastard who went after F.I.R.E. I tracked him to that storage unit, but⁠—”

“But you were already fucking injured,” Zeus snapped.

Eros glared at his president. Ignoring him, he continued, “He had his gun on me. Alex came out of nowhere and attacked him with something metal. A pipe, maybe. I don’t fucking know. I just saw her swing and connect with his skull.”

“Jesus,” Atlas muttered.

“He went down. Not out, just stunned. They fought for the gun.” Eros’ hands flexed on the armrests. “She was smaller. Weaker. But she was fucking desperate. She clawed at his face, bit his hand, then got her fingers on the grip.”

“And?” Hermes prompted.

“She got it.” Eros looked at the floor. “Emptied the whole fucking clip into him.”

The room absorbed that.

Zeus leaned back, processing.

“Alex just stood there,” Eros said quietly. “Staring at what she’d done. Realizing she’d killed him. That she’d actually fucking done it. Then we heard bikes.”

“What did you do?” I asked.

“Told her to cut me loose. Take my keys. Take my bike and run.” Eros looked up and met my eyes. “Told her she needed to disappear before they got there. We had no way of knowing who was coming.”

“So you fucking sacrificed yourself so she could get away?” Zeus asked.

“She saved my fucking life,” Eros growled. “I was saving hers.”

“And she listened?” Atlas asked, cutting Zeus off before he could open his fucking mouth again.