“Fuck,” Orpheus muttered.
Gryphon tensed and pushed off the bed. He knew that voice. Knew it well, because it belonged to Lord Lucian, the leader of the Council of Elders. His—and Orpheus’s—uncle. “How does he know what’s going on?”
“Beats me,” Orpheus muttered. “But that’s why Titus and I didn’t tell Theron when we figured out where you and Maelea were holed up.”
“You think the Council’s planted a spy at the half-breed colony?”
“You bet your ass I do. Otherwise they wouldn’t have known about your escape, about the fact you took Maelea with you, about those daemon remains you left behind. And before I forget, let me just ask…what the hell were you thinking, not destroying them? Lucian and the rest of the Council’s gonna use this as another excuse to try to get rid of the Argonauts altogether.”
Gryphon knew Orpheus was right. The Council saw the Argonauts as rogue warriors who weren’t needed. Even after everything Atalanta had done and was doing to try to destroy Argolea, they still didn’t think she was a big enough threat to warrant the guardians. They’d been trying to disband the Argonauts for ages. But underneath, Gryphon knew the Council’s hatred of the Argonauts had nothing to do with perceived threats or protection. It had to do with power. They saw the Argonauts as the monarchy’s personal warriors. And they couldn’t overthrow the queen until the Argonauts were gone.
It didn’t matter that Orpheus and Gryphon were Lucian’s nephews. Familial ties meant nothing to their uncle. They’d both learned that long ago. Power was all that mattered.
The fact that Orpheus seemed so pissed off by that thought hit Gryphon right in the chest. Because before—before Gryphon had gone to the Underworld, before Orpheus had stepped in to fill his shoes with the Argonauts, before Isadora had asked Orpheus to stay on, even though Gryphon was back—Orpheus had despised and undermined the guardians as much as Lucian.
Gryphon sighed. “I couldn’t. There were hellhounds chasing Maelea. We barely got away from the first bunch of daemons alive. I didn’t have time to destroy the remains before Hades’s hounds were on us. And the second set—at the motel—they surprised us. There were too many. I had to use my gift to freeze them, then Maelea killed them because I was too weak to move.”
He omitted the fact he’d handcuffed Maelea to the bed, which was why he hadn’t been able to protect her in that fight, but from the look on Orpheus’s face, it was clear he’d already figured out something else had gone down in that motel room.
“Maelea killed them,” Orpheus said with a hint of pride in his voice. “Well, I’ll be damned.”
“The lords and I want to see him,” Lucian bellowed in the hall. “He has much to answer for. The first of which is why he brought Persephone and Zeus’s daughter into our realm. We will not stand for this.”
Panic rushed over Gryphon as he glanced toward the closed door again. Out in the hall he could hear Theron arguing with his uncle. He had to get to Maelea before the Council did. He didn’t doubt for a minute that they wouldn’t just boot her right out of the realm on her ass. And if they did that, she’d be a prime target for Hades.
He looked to Orpheus. “Where is she?”
Orpheus turned from the door. Didn’t even hesitate to say, “Second floor. Northwest wing. Skyla’s with her.” When Gryphon moved for the balcony of the suite he’d been tucked into, Orpheus added, “What about your shoulder?”
Gryphon was already thinking through how he’d climb one floor up the outside of the building onto another balcony, then find a back set of stairs down to Maelea’s level. “It’s fine.”
He was out on the balcony before Orpheus caught his good arm, stopping him. “Gryphon, wait. Take this.”
He took the small, clear electronic device from Orpheus. “What is it? A phone?”
“Some kind of fancy techno gadget Titus came up with. This one works like a human sat phone but is way cooler. Integrates your brain waves or some shit. I don’t know how it works, but all you have to do is have this puppy turned on in your pocket and think about contacting me, and it sends a signal. Only problem is it only works here, not in the human realm. Titus hasn’t perfected it yet. But at least you’ll be able to get in touch with me.”
Gryphon looked down at the device in his hand. “Titus…”
Shit. He needed to apologize to the guardian. Try to make up for what he’d done.
“Callia couldn’t keep him in bed,” Orpheus said. “He was as adamant about finding you as I was.”
“Yeah, to kick my ass, I’m sure. I have it coming.”
“No,” Orpheus said, “To make sure Nick and his men didn’t. He doesn’t blame you, Gryph. He understands. If anyone knows what was happening in your head, it’s him.”
That thought didn’t exactly put Gryphon at ease. But it helped. At least, leaving, he knew Titus didn’t hate him.
“If you get into trouble,” Orpheus added, “look to the witches. Tell them you’re my brother. Delia and her crew will do whatever they can to help you.”
Delia was the leader of the witch enclave that resided in the Aegis Mountains. Her witches had been instrumental in helping the Argonauts rescue Isadora from the warlock Apophis’s castle. And Orpheus’s mother had been part of their coven.
Gryphon didn’t know what to say. His relationship with Orpheus had not been one of brotherly love and admiration. For years Gryphon had tried to break through Orpheus’s outer shell, but Orpheus had always done whatever he wanted, whenever he wanted. And then, after Gryphon had come back from the Underworld, it was Orpheus trying to get through to Gryphon. So many years lost and wasted because of animosity and jealousy and lack of understanding. And now, after everything they’d both been through—lies and mistakes and secrets on both sides—they’d finally found common ground. All because of the Underworld.
But when he looked into his brother’s gray eyes, he didn’t see anger or even sympathy anymore as he’d seen since coming back from hell. He saw respect. A respect he hadn’t realized he was missing.
“Get her out of Tiyrns,” Orpheus said softly. “Take her into the mountains if you have to. The Council will be looking for her. And you.”
“I know.”
“You’re safer here than you are in the human realm.”
He knew that too. He also knew that what Orpheus was doing now, letting them both go, he wasn’t doing as an Argonaut, but as his brother. And that it would mean the end of Gryphon’s days with the Argonauts. “What will you tell Theron and the others?”
One side of Orpheus’s mouth tipped up. “That I finally came to my senses.”
“You’re gonna bring down a shitstorm of trouble. Not just from the Argonauts, but from the Council as well.”
Orpheus’s smirk turned into a full-fledged grin. “I’ve been on the straight and narrow for several months now. It’s time I did something to shake things up. Besides, Lucian’s still considering retiring, which means I’m still in line for his Council seat.”
“You’re an Argonaut now. They’ll never let you sit on the Council.”
Orpheus’s eyes sparked with challenge. “All the more reason I’m gonna push for just that.”
Gryphon didn’t doubt that. When Orpheus put his mind to something, he usually found a way to make it happen. He closed his hand over his brother’s forearm, locking them together. “I owe you. For…a lot more than I can ever repay.”
“Just take care of her. That’s all the payment I ask for. She’s special, Gryph.”
“I know.” Emotions closed his throat. “And I will. I promise.”