I’m having trouble reconciling the image in front of me now. I mean, Dex might as well be wearing tights and a cape. How does that fit with the competitor Dex has been so far?
But the affection in his eyes as he ruffles Rafe’s hair is unmistakable and real. Until the Crucible, I thought I read people well. Am I reading Dex wrong now?
Boone leans over to whisper in my ear. “What are you going to say about me, I wonder?”
Not that I’ve had a huge crush on him for years. “That you’ve been a pain in my ass?”
“Stop. You’re going to make me blush.”
I chuckle.
Then pause. Something feels…different with us. Easier.
A glance shows me that, on my left, Hades is leaning away from me, talking to Nora. He even smiles at her. No dimples, but still, he’s charming enough that she smiles back widely, visibly starstruck. Apparently, he can put some mortals at ease.
Neve is pretty, but I have to say Nora is drop-dead gorgeous, her creamy skin flawless against that abundance of auburn hair and a smile that could compete with Aphrodite’s. What’s more, she seems unafraid of Hades.
I bet he’ll appreciate that about her.
I pull my gaze away to fiddle with the stem of my wineglass.
“Lyra?”
Boone nudges my foot under the table, and I look around to find Zeus staring at me and all eyes except Hades’ and Nora’s already on me.
Oh, I guess it’s my turn. How many times did the god have to call my name?
I stand, the same way the others did, wincing as my chair scrapes loudly against the marble flooring. “This…” I wave awkwardly to my right. “Is Boone Runar. He is a pledge in the Order of Thieves with me.”
I go to sit, and my butt is halfway to the chair when Athena slides a question my way. “Friends?”
The goddess’s brown, bobbed hair has golden highlights picked up by the fires in the braziers, and she’s smiling warmly like I can trust her. But her high brow and intense, deep-brown eyes give the impression of an intelligence that misses not a single detail. The indent in her chin smacks of stubbornness, and I’ve noticed before that she moves with the prowling grace of a fighter. She’s the goddess of both wisdom and war. Not to be trifled with.
Where is she going with this?
I pause, then stand back up. “I—”
“Yes, we’re friends.” Boone’s grin is all things Boone, and it’s no surprise when at least half of the group grin back at him. He’s always had that effect on people. A lot like Dionysus that way, despite the rough-looking exterior.
I don’t say anything. I can’t.
“The person you love most in the world is…just a friend?” Athena clearly has an agenda here. I think I’m starting to see what. “What about your parents?” she asks. “They seemed so caring on TV.”
What. A. Bitch.
“Is that really where you want to take the evening, Thena?”
I thought he wasn’t listening, but Hades is now looking directly at Athena.
Unfortunately, that only makes Athena’s eyes brighten with interest. She studies me. “Lovers?”
“Excuse me?” I ask.
Her smile turns sly. “You and Boone, of course. What did you think I meant?”
That same spark of irritation that got me into it with Hades when we first met at Zeus’ temple in San Francisco rears up. “I thought you meant Hades.” I smile back at her sweetly. “We’re not.”
The flare of surprise in her eyes is worth it. Hades, however, doesn’t react because he’s turned back to Nora like he can’t be bothered.
“Yet,” I clarify, just to see what he does.
Nothing, it turns out.
He’s clearly engrossed in whatever he’s discussing with Nora. To the point that Neve catches my eye and then looks deliberately between them before shooting me a smug smile.
I’m tempted to point out that I saved her ass two Labors ago. I don’t. “Boone is the most talented of our pledges,” I tell the room at large, “and a bit of a cheat. You might want to lock up your valuables.”
“Hey!” Boone protests. But I know that he’s protesting me warning them, not the veracity of the claim itself.
Nora laughs suddenly, but everyone else—other than Hades—is still focused on Boone and me.
“Well, that’s too juicy to ignore,” Dionysus says, joining the conversation. At least his interest seems genuine. “Got any stories?”
Hundreds, but only because I’ve been paying attention. I raise a single brow at Boone. “Which one should I pick? There are so many.”
Instead of getting irritated or even embarrassed, he laughs right back at me. “How about the time I followed Lakshmi into that museum and took the piece she’d come for before she knew I was even there?” He turns to the room. “I got back to the den with it, and Lyra about blew her top at me for snatching a score from another one of our pledges.” He just shrugs.
Grins turn to laughs, and what the fuck? How did we become the entertainment tonight?
