Page 20 of Blood of Olympus

And I’d be damned if I let her spend one more second of the time we had left — which might not be long at all with war on our horizon — as this empty, depthless shell.

Aros reentered the chamber then, taking up his father’s throne with only a sliver of hesitation. He dropped into it with a heavy sigh, his breath ruffling the fiery strands that had fallen into his eyes.

“Poseidon is safely tucked away, although I doubt he’ll see reason anytime soon,” he huffed.

I leaned across. “Who did you assign as his guard?”

The right corner of Aros’ lips tugged up into a rueful smirk. “Evadne.”

Hermes scoffed. “You know he didn’t sleep with that many women because of the size of his cock⁠—”

“Or lack thereof,” Aphrodite coughed.

Artemis sniggered, translating for Apollo who beamed delightedly.

Hermes shot her a look of disdain before continuing, “He’s cunning. Slippery. He’ll be between her legs and out of his cell faster than you can say Pin -dick Poseidon.”

Snickers echoed around the vast marble chamber. It even managed to breach Nyssa’s walls — her lips twitched with suppressed amusement.

“Ah, but not Evie,” Aros replied, sitting up. He eyed Hermes until he fidgeted. “She’d sooner chop off his dick and feed it to him before she let her duties slip between her fingers.”

Nyssa’s grin was one of wicked delight and my heart did a backflip at the sight.

“Come to think of it, she’d probably claim that as part of her duty, anyway. Maybe I should go check on them,” he mused, brows increasingly furrowed.

“I like her already. Who is she?” Nyssa asked.

Aros blushed, rubbing the side of his neck. “Apparently, someone I forgot to previously mention.” He smiled sheepishly. “She’s going to murder me,” he said under his breath. “Evadne, or Evie to family⁠—”

“And me,” I added, rather unhelpfully.

“And Caelus.” He glared, as if to say: the hole I’ve dug myself is deep enough, thank you. “She’s my sister.”

Aphrodite gasped, putting the puzzle together before anyone else, even with all its scattered pieces across the board.

No one ever gives her the credit she rightfully deserves.

Your bonded does, Lykos yawned.

You’re right, she does.

“Twin, actually,” Aros added, adding another foot to his metaphorical hole.

Nyssa’s dark brows shot up her forehead. Her gaze darted between Aros, Apollo, and Artemis.

“But twins are⁠—”

“Rare, yes.” Aros winced.

“Exceedingly rare, actually,” Athena cut in. “So infrequent that they are usually cause for concern.” The goddess frowned, her gaze seeming to pierce right through Aros.

I do not envy him. I bit my lip to keep from laughing as he wriggled in his new seat.

Nor do I, my wolf rumbled.

“Twins born to full-blooded gods can end in one of two ways,” Athena continued. “Infamy,” — she eyed the gods of sun and moon — “or tragedy.”

The room sobered, its silence strained.