“Damon Blackwood has been quiet,” I admitted. House Hades unsettled me more than I’d have liked. “Too quiet. Everyone expected House Hades to collapse after Viktor was lost to theshadows. Instead, Damon took the throne and stabilized it. He doesn’t seek counsel, and he doesn’t broadcast his intentions. He just… rules. From the dark.”
A part of me was jealous of him. He seemed to have taken to leadership so well, whereas I just… floundered. Without Nikos, I might not have survived the transition from my father’s rule at all.
“An Alpha House that operates in a vacuum is a liability.” Maris rested his hand on the cool surface of the sphere, his fingers tracing the edge of the black void. “A loose stone that could bring down the entire fortress.”
“I take it that’s why we’re here?” I locked eyes with him across the swirling map of our world. “A temporary truce. We keep the waters calm, at least until we know who’s swimming with knives.”
Maris extended a hand, not for a handshake, but palm up, an offering. “I don’t think we were ever at war, Alexander. But let’s agree to that phrasing. As flawed as it is.”
I stepped forward and clasped his forearm, my grip hard and unyielding. His was just as strong. It was not a gesture of friendship. It was the binding of two predators who had agreed not to hunt each other until the lesser prey was dealt with.
Orion released my arm and gestured toward the main door, the gracious host once more. “Then the work is done. Go. Mingle. Enjoy the party.”
I raised an eyebrow. “Your parties are notoriously exclusive, Orion. I don’t see any other Alphas enjoying your hospitality.”
A rare, genuine laugh escaped him, a startling crack in his controlled facade. “Let’s be honest, Stormwright. The rules were never meant for you. Anyone in Olympus would make an exception for the great Alexander Stormwright.” He gave a small, mocking salute with his glass. “Try not to break too many hearts.”
The dismissal was clear. I turned and walked out, Nikos at my heels.
Nikos let out a breath he’d been holding for the entire meeting as the heavy door sealed shut behind us. “I suppose that went better than expected.”
“With Orion, at least.” I stared down the white corridor, seeing only the void where House Hades should be. “And our truce with him can’t hurt.”
“Then we should leave.” Nikos moved past me, already thinking ahead. “We’ve made our point. Being seen here is a liability.”
“In a moment.” I shook my head, trying to clear the image of the shifting power map from my mind. I needed to wash the taste of cold-blooded politics out of my mouth.
That was when I felt it. A faint scent cut through the recycled air of the corridor. It was sharp, clean, and utterly out of place in this environment of excess.
“What is that?”
Nikos paused, his brow furrowed in confusion. “What? I’m not picking up any threats. The perimeter is secure.”
“Not a threat.” I took a step toward the main deck, drawn by an invisible current. The scent grew stronger, resolving into two distinct notes. The sharp, bitter scent of crushed pomegranate, layered over the astringent fragrance of white tea. It was a challenge. “A… scent.”
I brushed past Nikos, my focus narrowing to a single point.
“Alexander, where are you going?” Nikos grabbed my arm, his grip tight with alarm. “This is not the plan.”
“The plan just changed.” I shook him off without looking back and pushed through the doors, back into the chaos.
As I moved through the crush, my senses filtered the meaningless chatter, the desperate posturing, the entire garish spectacle. It was all noise. I was hunting a signal.
I pushed past a Beta who leaned heavily against his companion, sloshing his drink. “—swear to the gods, the ice in my drink is from a glacier on Olympus itself. Maris had it flown in this morning.”
I discarded the chatter before it fully registered, pushing deeper into the throng. Another snippet cut through the din as I sidestepped a staggering couple.
“—never seen Maris so impressed,” one of them said. “That Hephaestus prodigy, Wayland? She’s going to be running her own division by the end of the year.”
The Omega beside him scoffed, rolling her eyes. “If her plus-one lets her. Did you see that Omega with her? Glared at anyone who got within five feet. I heard she had to carry the Wayland girl off to a cabin an hour ago. Total lightweight.”
The words were meaningless noise, fading as soon as they were spoken. My focus remained locked on the invisible thread pulling me forward.
A low, deep rumble of thunder echoed from outside, vibrating up through the deck plates. It resonated in my bones, a familiar summons that had nothing to do with the weather. It was the Storm, my own blood and power, responding to something on this ship. An answering hum of pure instinct rose in my chest.Up. Closer to the sky.
I changed direction, answering the command of my own magic. I started for the stairs leading to the upper deck.
“Alexander, wait!”