The Iron Queen (Daughters of Zeus) - By Kaitlin Bevis Page 0,13

and the freedom it represented just beyond my reach. If only I could just drop through the floor and back to my realm.

“Do you have something to say?” Zeus’ voice slithered through my ears, sending a shiver through me.

I nodded, tears chasing each other down my cheeks. I’m so sorry, Hades.

Hades couldn’t hear me. Maybe equilibrium didn’t cross realms? Or maybe Zeus had somehow burned away our connection. I took a deep, shuddering breath as I realized it was probably for the best that Hades couldn’t see where my thoughts were headed. I’d wanted to be stronger than this. But torture was torture. And I was broken. After dealing with the Reapers for months, I’d thought I could handle anything, but Zeus put me through levels of anguish I hadn’t known existed.

Calm washed over me as my body entered the blissful stage of non-feeling. Everything was going to be okay. Suddenly another bolt hit me, tearing through me and reawakening the pain. I couldn’t even scream.

“I asked you a question,” Zeus reminded me.

I couldn’t take the pain anymore.

Chapter X

Aphrodite

Melissa sighed, again. The sigh was loud, heavy, and brimming with irritation. I rolled my eyes, flipped to another page in my fashion magazine, and circled another picture.

Shooting me a dirty look, she tossed her brown hair over her shoulder with a huff. She sat on the floral-patterned comforter on Persephone’s loft bed as far from me as possible, with her knees drawn to her chest and her arms crossed over them. Melissa couldn’t have looked more sullen if she’d tried. Gods, she probably was trying.

Melissa hated me. Oh sure, she’d deny it if I asked. After all, she did have that luxury. But her actions belied her words, conveying a hatred that ran almost as deep as the jealousy she so obviously suffered from. Whatever, I didn’t like her either.

“How can you sit there and read”—her emphasis on the word made it clear how little she thought of my reading material—“while she’s missing?”

I snapped the magazine closed and popped it on the wooden desk with enough force to stir every paper within five feet. “Your moping is no more helpful. They aren’t going to find her any faster no matter what we do. So excuse me if I don’t want to die of boredom while Persephone’s gone.”

I should have never suggested Demeter leave me with someone I couldn’t charm. I’d forgotten my oath to never charm or allow harm to come to any of her priestesses. Especially Melissa the Teenage Bitch.

Melissa narrowed her eyes and muttered something under her breath. I clenched my teeth and picked up the magazine.

“I should be doing something.” Melissa stared at her knees with so much intensity I worried they’d burst into flame. “Not babysitting you.”

I closed the magazine again. “Do you think I like this any better than you do? My sole purpose for existing is to let Zeus use me as he pleases and to be nice to look at. Do you think that’s fun? I hate him. And despite that, all Zeus has to do is snap his fingers, and I’ll stab my best, not to mention only, friend in the back. Sort of puts your tantrums into perspective, doesn’t it?”

“Oh, shut up.” Melissa’s brown eyes flashed.

Melissa’s mother, Demeter’s head priestess, wanted Melissa to stay at the local university instead of going to Iowa State. Instead of getting mad at her mom, Melissa got pissed at Persephone. Humans are so irrational. Never mind that Persephone hadn’t given a damn where Melissa went to school. Or that she’d made Melissa immortal. And sure, being a major deity’s priestess should have been a huge honor, but Melissa would rather move to Iowa. She wanted to give up being second in command to an all-powerful deity for school. In Iowa! Oh yeah, and during all that, people in Athens were dropping dead like flies, and Zeus was hunting Persephone. Naturally Melissa decided that—you know what?—right then would be a great time to bring all that up. I guess she figured Persephone didn’t have enough going on.

And people said I was an attention whore.

Treat her like you’d treat me, Persephone had instructed, unaware of course that I had to listen to what she said. Sitting quietly and being respectful while Melissa acted like a spoiled brat sucked. Fortunately I’d found a workaround.

I got a whole lot more blunt with Persephone. Now I could say whatever I wanted.

“Yeah, I don’t feel like shutting up. So I’m going to