Ch. 54: The Next Step
"Please, let go with you!" Eris whined, sounding more like a spoiled child than a goddess. Her voice echoed through the room, filled with frustration. "I'm tired of being cooped up in here! This place is suffocating."
I barely glanced in her direction, dismissing her complaints as re background noise. She had a knack for dramatics. As I turned to leave, I felt her cold fingers tighten around my wrist, desperate and insistent. "I said no, Eris," I growled, prying her fingers off . But she held on, her grip stronger than expected.
A sudden flash of irritation surged through . I hit her on the side of the head—harder than I ant to—sending her sprawling to the floor. She yelped, more in surprise than pain. "Quit these childish gas," I snapped. "You know full well why you can't leave."
A whole month had passed since the ceremony at the temple, yet the investigation into the Circle's machinations was still ongoing. I'd been thodically dismantling their operations, but they were slippery. Hecate and I had worked tirelessly, snuffing out their outposts across the kingdom of Olympus.
Piece by piece, we were unraveling the mysterious chaos that Poseidon had sown across the land of the gods. His plans had nearly succeeded—chaos would've consud everything. But we stopped him. For now.
Thanks to Hers, I had intel that allowed to strike significant blows to their operation. Over the past month, I had grown—both in strength and cunning. But with each step forward, new challenges erged, almost mocking . My hands were constantly full, balancing the many roles I now had to play. I wasn't just Hades anymore.
I was also the hunted— investigated relentlessly by the Bai Corps and the elite Bai Force. They hadn't been able to pin anything on yet, but they were getting close. Too close.
Then, there was Aphrodite's curse. A delicate situation that was proving more complicated than I had initially thought. Hecate had searched endlessly for the origin of the curse, but so far, all leads had gone cold. And to make matters worse, Mr. Anonymous had resurfaced. His presence was like a shadow that lurked behind every digital corner.
No firewall or spell had been enough to keep him out for long. I was running out of ti, and I knew it.
Hecate had been invaluable, though. If not for her help, the Underworld would have descended into chaos while I was trapped here in Olympus. With the Circle still a looming threat, I wasn't permitted to leave the kingdom—sothing that grated on my nerves daily. Still, thanks to Hecate, I was able to maintain a semblance of control over the Underworld.
She was more than capable, and for now, that would have to do.
And then there was Eris. At first, she had been little more than a nuisance, a liability. But slowly, she had beco useful. When it ca to social dia, there was no one better. She could extract information from the most innocuous sources—things even I would have overlooked. But being confined to my hotel room had started to wear on her.
She was developing bad habits, constantly whining and begging for luxuries. It wasn't like I wanted to keep her here. In truth, I didn't care much either way, but I had to keep her alive, and that ant keeping her safe.
"Please," Eris whined again, her tone desperate as she crawled back to her feet. "I'll be good. I promise!"
I glared at her, more annoyed than angry. "Eris, you know the Circle would target you the mont you stepped outside. I can't risk it."
Her shoulders slumped in defeat, but her eyes remained defiant. "Urgh, fine! Just get the latest fashion magazine and a dress or two from Aphrodite. I'm dying in here!"
Before I could respond, a sharp knock echoed through the room.
"Expecting soone?" Eris asked, though her smirk revealed she already knew who it was.
I sighed and walked to the door, muttering as I glanced over my shoulder. "Stay here. And keep the damn TV down."
She rolled her eyes. "Duh."
I opened the door to find my assistant standing there, as punctual and poised as ever. Her petite figure was clad in her usual black and white suit, complete with a bowtie. Her light blue eyes sparkled with energy, a stark contrast to the dark lipstick that painted her lips. Her hair, as always, fell over one eye, adding an air of mystery to her otherwise cheerful appearance. "Boss!
You're up early again."
She handed a steaming cup of coffee, and I took it gratefully, closing the door behind . "No one disturbs at 6 AM without coffee." I took a long sip, savoring the rich flavor. "Hmm, good as always."
As we walked down the hallway, she fell in step beside , her hands folded neatly behind her back. Her deanor shifted, the brightness in her eyes dimming into sothing more calculating. "I trust you rember where we're headed today? Aphrodite's been hounding for an update on the curse situation."
I took another sip of coffee, considering my response. "Scratch that," I said finally. "I received a ssage earlier. My request has been approved."
She tilted her head, curiosity gleaming in her eyes. "You know, changing the schedule at the last minute isn't exactly good leadership."
I shot her a sideways glance. "You're one to talk."
She didn't push further, which was unusual. "So, Olympus finally approved your request to et Protheus?"
I nodded. "Apparently."
Protheus. The na alone sent a chill down my spine. Even Hecate didn't know the full extent of what I was after. Only I knew the truth about why I needed to see him. There were secrets I kept, even from my most trusted allies. Like the fact that I wasn't originally from this world.
Or my encounter with the Watcher.
As the elevator doors slid open, we stepped into the opulent lobby of the hotel. My assistant walked toward the exit, her voice low. "The Bai Corps is keeping their investigation under wraps for now. My sources say they're struggling to make sense of what they've uncovered. They can't put the pieces together."
"Good," I muttered, climbing into the backseat of the luxury car waiting for . "I like them confused."
She slid into the driver's seat, her fingers tapping the wheel. "You're not driving today?"
I smirked. "Stomach issues."
She snorted. "Liar." Her expression turned serious as she pulled out of the parking lot. "Be careful if you're really eting Protheus. You know how dangerous he is. And don't forget about the Bai Force. They're more dangerous than the Corps.
If they catch wind of this, they'll hunt you down like a dog. It's strange they haven't already gone after Hers' case yet."
I had to agree. The Bai Force was notorious for taking down anyone who posed a significant threat to Olympus. I'd been treading carefully, but it was only a matter of ti before they turned their attention to .
My thoughts drifted to the Watcher and the impossible task he had laid before . I had to go back—two hundred years into the past—to stop the Pandora's Box incident. I hadn't even begun to figure out how I was going to do that. The weight of it gnawed at , lingering at the back of my mind like a ticking ti bomb.
As the car sped toward the rising sun, I couldn't shake the feeling that everything was about to change. eting Protheus was just the beginning. And the truth I was about to uncover might very well tear Olympus apart.
But first, I had to learn more about Pandora.
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