"With Atlas gone," the goddess replied in a bored tone, "I needed a lover."
Atlas, Titan god of Strength. Once, the god had attempted to escape Tartarus and Gideon had helped hunt him down and re-cage him. And it hadn't been easy, either. No one had ever fought so forcefully.
Where had the god of Strength gone?
"But Cronus?" A pair of black stilettos dangled from the servant's fingers as she approached the bed. She was tall and thin, with short brown hair that curled around her head. Plain blue cloth covered her, and not a single piece of jewelry did she wear. "You've only been his mistress for six days, and already he kicked you out of your quarters in favor of a man."
"I don't need a reminder," the goddess snapped.
"Have you learned who the man is yet?"
"No, but I will."
"Is Cronus...?"
"Experimenting with a male lover? Who knows? I'll learn that, too, and eliminate the bastard if so."
The female sighed. "Your sister will never forgive you for taking her place at the king's side."
Mnemosyne laughed, the sound carefree. "Oh, Leto, you ignorant fool. My sister won't bother me. No matter what I do."
Ah. He knew the name. Leto was the minor Greek goddess of Modesty. She'd been one of Hera's personal attendants yet had given birth to two of Zeus's children, and when the former queen learned of Zeus's infidelity, she had hated Leto for it. Hera had also tried to kill her, which was why Leto had been incarcerated with the Titans and had later, most likely, helped Cronus regain his throne.
Leto bent in front of Mnemosyne and strapped the shoes to her feet. "But how can you be sure?"
"Insurance."
"But—"
A frowning Mnemosyne stood. "You're bothering me now. Leave."
Color bloomed in Leto's cheeks, but she straightened and strolled from the room.
Mnemosyne strode to the full-length mirror just in front of Scarlet and Gideon, heels clinking, and twirled, watching herself as long as possible.
"Perfect," she breathed, her satisfaction clear.
Scarlet reached out and traced the glass, just along the woman's jaw. "Her tone with Leto...that isn't like her. She's gentle. She's unerringly kind. I...think. I mean, even though everything inside me tells me she used to hug me and whisper sweet words into my ear, in the back of my mind, I can see her pushing me down. Yes. She did. She pushed me down. I can see it now."
"Are your memories fuzzing more?" Clearing up, he meant.
She understood. "Yes. The more I watch her, the more solid they become. She didn't just push me, she...yes, she actually kicked me while I was down."
First, the bitch was going to pay for that. Second, Scarlet was regaining her memory with surprising speed. Gods, he wished it were that easy for him. Just think about something and boom, it was all there. Every last detail. So badly he wanted to relive his every moment with Scarlet and Steel. "Worry, Scar." Don't worry. "You won't get to talk to her."
"Thank you." Such intense longing radiated from her, his chest started hurting. "There's a lot I want to ask her about. The pushing and the kicking. You. What if...what if she's the one who hurt you?"
What if. Yeah, he had questions of his own. And damn it. While he could wait for answers, he didn't want Scarlet to have to. There had to be another way inside that room.
He looked down the passage, where they had yet to go. Several more doorways loomed. "Stay here," he said, an idea hitting him. Come on. He pulled her with him. The next room was occupied by several servants, but the chamber after that was empty. Perfect. They could exit the secret passage with no one the wiser, backtrack to her aunt's room and enter through the front door. That way, if a quick escape became necessary, running back into the passage would still be an option.
Gideon twisted the knob, relieved when the door opened soundlessly.
Inside the new quarters, he closed the door and watched as the paneling blended into the mirrored wall. Then he faced Scarlet and placed a finger at his lips. Quiet. This room might be empty, but he hadn't forgotten that the one next to it was not.
She nodded in understanding.
Avoiding the immaculate feathered bed was tough—he could just imagine Scarlet on top of him, grinding on his always-hard cock—but he managed to place one foot in front of other. Eye on the prize and all that shit. As planned, they backtracked. In the hall, several sprites bustled past with their cleaning supplies. Gideon acted as if he belonged there and they ignored him. With all the immortals that passed through this palace, they were probably used to strangers.
Mnemosyne's door was closed. And damn, he was growing tired of trying to pronounce that name, even in his mind. He'd never be able to say it out loud, anyway, thanks to his truth-curse. NeeMah would have to do instead. Besides, Scarlet thought she remembered this woman pushing her down, so that made the bitch an enemy, as far as Gideon was concerned.
"Let me do all the talking," he said.
"Thank gods. I wasn't going to say anything to you, but since you mentioned it...she wouldn't understand you, so you'd be doing everyone a favor, letting me take over."
He pressed a hard kiss on her lips, a silent thank-you. Then, with his free hand, he palmed a dagger and burst inside.
The goddess gasped as she spun to face him, a hand fluttering over her heart. "What—"
"Hello, Auntie," Scarlet said at his side. "Did you miss me?" He was proud of her. There was iron-hard determination in her tone.
Blue eyes widened. "S-Scarlet?"
"The one and only."
"How did you get up here?" She couldn't mask her outrage. Or her fear. "Your mother—"
"Doesn't matter," Scarlet said. "We have questions, and you have answers. Answers you will give us."
Good girl.
NeeMah gulped. Laughed shakily. "Yes, of course. And of course I missed you. I love you so much. You know that. I would do anything for you, just as I did when you were a child. Do you remember?"
A moment passed. Scarlet's head tilted to the side, and she rubbed her lips together as if she were pondering something important. Her warrior-stance relaxed. "I— Yes. Yes, I do. You were so kind to me."
Gideon squeezed her hand. Don't lose focus now, sweetness. She was looking at the goddess; her mind shouldn't be fuzzing. Should be clearing. Right? That's how it had worked in the hallway.
"I'm so glad you remember." NeeMah's arms opened, the very picture of love. "Now come over here and give your favorite aunt a hug."
Scarlet tugged from his hold and rushed forward. "I'm so sorry we scared you. We're not going to hurt you, I swear."
Gideon tried to grab her, but she danced out of reach, threw herself at her aunt, and he was forced to watch as smug satisfaction filled the goddess's eyes. Definitely a bitch, he thought. Besides that, his demon was suddenly going batshit crazy. In a good way. The demon liked her.
Pathological liars always had that effect.
"I'm just so happy to see you," Scarlet continued, oblivious. Looking at NeeMah must not matter when you were in the same room with her. Or when she purposely wove a deception.
"And I'm so...happy you're alive."
Lie. Both he and his demon recognized it.
The bitch would pay for playing with his woman. He'd thought it before, but now, now it was a need.
"Now. Tell me about the man you brought me." The goddess's gaze landed on Gideon, intent, studying this time. Recognition—followed by shock—claimed her features. "You. Wh-what are you doing here? With Scarlet? What questions do you have for me?"
He ran his tongue over his teeth. Such a telling reaction. She knew him, and she had expected him to stay away from Scarlet. "Scar, devil," he said, waving her back to his side. "Don't ask her if she screwed with my memory."