He sat across from her. They ate in silence, with the muted TV flickering behind her. As her stomach filled, and one need was slaked, her mind drifted to what she needed to do next. And excitement and worry warred hot all over again.
She swallowed a bite, set down her burger, and wiped her hands on a napkin. Gods, she really didn’t know how the hell to start this, but he’d never believe her intentions if she came out and jumped him, so she needed to try to ease the tension in the room first.
“I bet the others are worried about you,” she said, deciding to go with small talk first.
“They’re not.” He picked up a french fry, popped it in his mouth, didn’t look at her while he chewed.
“I’m sure Orpheus is.”
The mention of his brother stilled his hand against his drink, but he didn’t answer. As he lifted his cup, she wondered if he felt any guilt for running out on the brother who’d rescued him from the Underworld. Orpheus had to be going crazy right now, not knowing where Gryphon was or what he was doing.
He took a drink, set the cup back down, and went back to eating. In the low light, the Argonaut markings on his arms stood out in dark contrast to his light skin.
She studied the ancient Greek text that made up the markings. Realized the other Argonauts had to be mad at him after what had happened to Titus. She wanted to ask why he’d turned on one of his own, but knew that was small talk that would only lead her away from her goal. So she tried a different line of attack.
“What do you think of Skyla?”
“I don’t think about her.”
“No, I mean for Orpheus. It must have been quite a shocker to know he’d fallen for one of Zeus’s Sirens.”
He looked up…finally. And gods, those eyes were captivating. “Are you always full of so many questions?”
“Depends on the situation. Normally I’m not around people much, so I keep to myself. But since you’re forcing me to stay with you, there’s no sense ignoring each other, is there?”
He stared at her with those piercing light blue eyes so long, she was sure he was going to tell her to shut the fuck up. Then he looked back down at his burger and resumed eating. But before he did, he said, “As long as he’s happy, I don’t care.”
The comment surprised her. There was love there. But then, there had to be, if Orpheus had been willing to go into the Underworld—again—to rescue Gryphon. For the first time, she wondered what Gryphon had been like before he was sent to Hades. She remembered the females at the colony whispering that he’d been a playboy. Sought after by Argolean females. She could see why, with his looks. But his mood must have been a hell of a lot better then. She couldn’t imagine a bunch of women throwing themselves at him if he’d been as dark and brooding then as he was now.
You’re about to throw yourself at him, aren’t you?
Yes, but I have a reason.
She shook off the thought, not wanting to argue with herself over this decision. Looking down, she fingered a fry. “Did you know? About Orpheus? That he was Perseus’s son reincarnated?”
“No,” he said, swallowing a bite, his focus still on the food, not her. “But it makes sense. I always knew he belonged with the Argonauts. Now I know why.”
Maelea dropped her hands in her lap. Yeah, Orpheus did belong with them. In fact, he’d proved himself a hero probably more than any of the others. “I still can’t believe I didn’t realize he was my nephew right off the bat. All that time I spent with him, and I didn’t even know. I guess I’m not as perceptive as my father.”
He finally looked up, his eyebrows drawn in question. “Orpheus is your nephew?”
“You didn’t know?”
“No. Who are your parents?”
“Zeus and Persephone.”
He set down what was left of his burger and leaned back in his chair. “Holy shit.”
Unease rippled through her. “I thought you knew that. I though that was part of the reason you were keeping me with you.”
“No, I…” He rubbed a hand over his head. “Holy fucking shit.”
Her stomach clenched as he pushed to stand and paced the room. He really didn’t know? Then what the hell was he doing, keeping her?
Think. Think, dammit. Now that she’d opened her big mouth and blabbed who she really was, she didn’t need to give him any reason to hold her any longer than he’d originally planned. Or to get rid of her, so no one would know what he’d done.
“Neither one of them care about me,” she said quickly. “I don’t see them. In fact, I’m in the human world because I’m not allowed in either of their realms.”
He stopped pacing. “Maelea.” His wide-eyed gaze shot to her. “You’re Melinoe?”
She ground her teeth at the mention of that name. Oh, how she hated that blasted name Hades had branded her with, the one that meant “dark thought.” She crossed her arms and glared in his direction. “I stopped using that a long time ago.”