“He’s still looking for Maelea,” Skyla said, folding her paper and slipping it into her right boot. “Now that I know this is about the Orb, I’m guessing he’ll use her to locate the medallion. If you gave me all the information I needed up front to do my job, I’d be far more effective.”
Maelea—technically known as Melinoe, but she’d dropped that name long ago—was the waiflike creature who’d wandered the earth for over three thousand years. Not a god, not a human, she was the daughter of Zeus and Persephone, conceived one dark night when Zeus descended into the Underworld and disguised himself as Hades, then seduced the Lord of the Underworld’s wife near the banks of the River Styx. Zeus was always doing shit like that, causing trouble and making waves, but he got away with it because he was Zeus. King of fucking everything. It was no great surprise that Hades had been pissed at both his brother and his wife when he discovered their affair, or that he’d cast their bastard child out of the Underworld, banishing the girl to the human realm, where she’d wandered ever since, caught between worlds.
Athena had given Skyla the hint before—that the daemon hybrid was tracking Maelea—but she hadn’t told her why. “I’ll expect an update when you find her.”
Skyla nodded, stepped past Athena, and headed for the front of the library.
“Skyla.”
Skyla hesitated but didn’t look back. “What?”
There was still hurt there. Athena didn’t feel bad for causing the Siren pain, but neither did she like the resulting resentment. “Duty has saved you. Remember that.”
Skyla didn’t move, and in the silence Athena sensed that the Siren wanted to say something but didn’t. She simply nodded again and disappeared out the front of the archives.
Athena stared after her, trying to decipher what it must be like to be mortal. Though Skyla didn’t age, she was still mortal in every sense of the word. She truly was the toughest Siren Athena had ever trained, but that didn’t make her invincible. The iron shield she’d built around herself since Cynurus’s death wouldn’t last forever. And when it finally gave, Athena had a sinking suspicion the aftermath just might cause a host of problems for the whole of Olympus.
Unless, of course, Athena headed it off before that happened.
Footsteps echoed to her right. She didn’t turn to look to see who’d joined her. She already knew who’d been lurking in the stacks because she’d told her to wait there until Skyla left. “Gather two other Sirens. I have a job for you.”
Sappheire paused at Athena’s side, her gaze straying to the front of the building. “Khloe and Rhebekkah are available.”
“Good.” Athena turned toward the blue-eyed Siren who would one day soon take Skyla’s place. “Send them to Argolea. A new queen rules. I want them to enlist the help of the Argonauts.”
“Toward what end?”
“To locate the warlock who holds the Orb of Krónos.”
“And what if they won’t? As far as they know, the hybrid is one of them.”
“They will. Especially when you tell them what he really is.”
“And what of her?” Sappheire nodded toward the door Skyla had just exited.
“Follow her. And report back to me what she and the hybrid are doing.”
“You think she’s compromised.”
Athena chose her worlds carefully. “I think it’s possible Skyla is letting emotions rule her actions.”
“And if you’re right?”
Loyalty was a sacred trait that couldn’t be taught. But even to the gods, self-preservation trumped loyalty by a long shot. “Then you and I both know what has to be done.”
***
Orpheus had been in a piss-poor mood ever since the blond with the hypnotizing violet eyes had ditched him three nights ago in her apartment. He’d replayed the events over in his mind and only two things were clear.
One, she was definitely otherworldly. Even if she hadn’t poofed right out of his arms, he’d have known it from the mind-blowing sex they’d had in her hall. Human females didn’t blow his mind. Argolean females either. He’d even slept with a few goddesses in his many years and not even they’d rocked his world the way Skyla had. He tried to ignore the fact she was the only one who’d ever flipped him end over end like that, but couldn’t.
He had to get the female out of his head. The only thing that really mattered—and the second point that was clear to him—was that the sex obviously hadn’t been as earth-shattering for her as it had been for him. Evidenced by the way she’d run like the wind as soon as it was over.