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"Not interested," I said, adding to his list. "You're not my type."
"But leadership is," he argued. "We don't have to be intimate. Think about it. You could be second in command of the whole Vault."
I cocked my head back. "Why would I want second? Maybe I want to be first?" I watched his face, expecting him to become angry.
Instead, he laughed. "You have bigger balls than most of the men I know."
"Um, thanks. I think," I said. "I prefer to think of it as cast iron ovaries."
His eyes flicked down toward my abdomen. "Think about it. You would make a good second. You know how things run even better than I do. The people know you. And you'd be first if someone decided to assassinate me." From the expression on his face, he seemed to think that was unlikely.
I suspected the chance was higher than zero. Whatever helped him to sleep at night.
A thought occurred to me and I stared at him. "That's how you think I could become second, instead of Gwendolyn, isn't it? You want me to assassinate her?"
He gave me a level look in response. "I didn't say that. That's whereyourmind went."
"But that's what you want?" I pressed. "You want me to get her out of the way for you, so I can take her place." What kind of madman was he? Oh right, the type who staged coups and was closely related to Helene. Megalomania must run in their family, or something.
"Sometimes to get where you want in life, you have to be ruthless," he said simply.
I bit back a retort. He was right about that, at least to some extent.
"I won't kill," I said firmly. "Not for you, not for anyone. Not unless I have to, to stay alive."
"Can you be certain she won't come after you?" he asked.
"If you've asked her to, she might," I conceded. "If you've told her I might go after her." I would have to try to speak to her, to assure her I had no intention of attacking her.
In the meantime, I cocked my head at him.
"I haven't said a thing to her." He held out his hands to either side of him. "And I won't. Whatever she does, is all on her. Everything." He seemed sincere, but he wouldn't be the first to fake it, and he wouldn't be the last.
He changed the subject. "You must have a lot of questions about the hemitheos. I assume the Keeper and the Alpha didn't tell you much."
"They didn't know we existed," I replied.
Seth gave me a look which clearly said he was surprised I bought that story from them.
"Are you suggesting they also knew?" I asked. I didn't want to believe that. Ididn'tbelieve it. Bain would have told me, even if Dex thought it better not to. Hades, Kerina would have told me if they hadn't. She wasn't backward in coming forward.
"Only you and they can answer that." He leaned against the table and crossed his arms. "So, questions?"
He arched an eyebrow.
"Are we really demigods?" I asked.
He seemed surprised at the question, although I wasn't sure why. It had sat uppermost in my mind since Comus mentioned it.
"It's as good a word as any," Seth replied slowly. "Aren't we all children of the gods?"
I shrugged. "I don't know, are we? I don't think my mother fucked Hades. Or did she?"
Seth laughed softly. "She may have."
I gave him a disbelieving look. "Why would a god want to screw my mother? She's— my mother."
"She wasn't always your mother," Seth said. "I'd guess she was as beautiful as you are, when she was your age. She might be beautiful now. Not to you, but you're looking as a daughter."
