Page 105 of Queen of Tempests and Sin

Before I could answer, the air shimmered and in strode Bronte, Sephy hot on her heels—both of them looking like they’d just crashed Olympus’s best-kept secret.

‘Well, well,’ Bronte sang, dropping into a chair with a theatrical sigh. ‘Guess who just eavesdropped on the brothers’ little strategy huddle? They and your tempestuous boyfriend are off to an auction in approximately, oh…’ She checked her watch. ‘Five minutes.’

Sephy’s shadowed gaze hardened. ‘The dragon’s teeth.’

Bronte grinned. ‘Bingo. Ixion’s going to be there, all hooded and smug, probably practising their villain cackle. And our illustrious brothers? Off to save the world without telling us. Typical.’

Heat fizzed under my ribs. ‘I know. I’ve just found out. And, yes, they’re leaving us out of it.’

‘Of course,’ Bronte said cheerfully. ‘Men with delusions of grandeur always do.’

Sephy’s voice went cold, precise. ‘Ixion with the Spartoi could raise an army no pantheon could contain. Olympus and the Underworld could both burn. I’m not sitting this one out.’

‘I’m not letting Si go without me, either,’ I snapped, fists clenching. ‘This is personal; armies like this wouldn’t just fight gods, they’d flatten the mortal world. If he thinks he can sideline me, he’s forgotten who I am.’

Perseus groaned, dragging a hand down his face. ‘Gods help me. Do you three have any idea what you’re asking?’

‘We’re not asking,’ Bronte said sweetly.

Sephy’s shadows tightened like a coiled rope. ‘Either you take us, or I shadow-walk us there myself. Once Guinn tells me the venue. Don’t test me.’ Guinn’s face paled, and she visibly gulped.

I stepped forward, cutting my grin into a blade. ‘Three against one, Perseus. And you know damn well we’re going whether you help or not. So the smart choice is to drag your ass along and pretend you meant to.’

He stared at us—at Bronte’s ruthless grin, at Sephy’s steady menace, at my stubborn set jaw—then muttered, half in surrender, half curse. ‘I was supposed to stay here and keep you safe…’ He sighed. ‘Fine. But if Poseidon feeds me to a kraken for this, I’ll come back and haunt the lot of you.’

Bronte’s eyes shone with wicked delight ‘Deal. But you’d better make it a fun haunting. I like my ghosts entertaining.’

Perseus scowled, then did that reluctant, dramatic sigh he always did before doing something exciting. ‘Alright. Get ready.’

And with Perseus muttering and Bronte grinning like a villain in an Agatha Christie novel, he flashed us to the auction.

CHAPTER 34

POSEIDON

We all knew the three women had eavesdropped on our talk with Zeus.

The king of the gods played his part well… spinning self-discovery and promises of being a better god, a better king, a better man. I had a feeling it was for the benefit of Bronte… but maybe he truly meant it; or maybe it was just another performance. Time would prove whether he was full of truth—or full of shit.

And as for the auction? We weren’t blind. We’d known Bronte and Persephone were listening in, waiting for an excuse to drag Cordelia into the fray. So we gave them fifteen minutes. Enough rope to make their choice, enough time to come chasing.

Now we stood outside the venue, waiting for them. Sure enough, a harried-looking Perseus appeared with the three of them in tow, his eyes going wide in horror when he spotted us.

‘Sorry, Majesty,’ he muttered, staring at the ground like a chastised boy. ‘They’re… pretty scary. And persuasive.’

All three women froze mid-step, equal parts startled and guilty at finding us waiting.

‘It’s fine,’ I grunted. Perseus let out a relieved breath as though I’d just spared him from the gallows.

Ajax scowled, and Thanatos grinned at Persephone with something dangerously close to pride.

‘Let’s do this, bros,’ Bronte announced, striding past us as if she owned the damn place. Zeus’s eyes brightened as he watched her, but Hades shook his head, shadows curling at his feet.

‘Before we go anywhere,’ he said, voice edged with command, his gaze cutting to Persephone, and making Bronte’s step falter. ‘You three stay on the upper level. Lookouts only.’

Persephone’s mouth opened, ready to argue.

‘No arguments,’ Hades snapped, voice pure steel. Power wrapped around his words, and the fight drained from all three women at once.