I uncurled the scroll, and my eyes nearly popped out of my head. The list was endless. “You want me to find every single person on this list by tomorrow?”
No reply. I looked up, and Zeus’s throne was empty. Perfect. I glanced down at the scroll again and scowled. One day. Countless names. And no one to help me, because the entire council thought I was the plague.
Maybe that’s what Zeus was counting on—I’d fail, and he’d have a valid reason to remove me from Olympus. And if that were the case, maybe I’d be better off a drifter anyway. If I didn’t fade completely.
I wouldn’t go down without a fight, though. Not now, not ever, which meant I had one option in the next twenty-four hours: prove Zeus wrong, no matter how impossible.
* * *
Usually I didn’t need sleep. I could go weeks, if not months without it when I wasn’t using my powers—all of us could. But before I was halfway done with that list, I needed sleep more desperately than I’d ever needed anything in my entire life.
I leaned against the golden wall of the throne room, struggling to keep my eyes open. I couldn’t fall asleep. Time was precious enough as it was, and if Zeus knew I’d been sleeping on the job, too—
Right. I liked my ass right where it was, thank you. I leaned forward and forced myself to focus on the list of names. Next up was Pollux. Not too hard to find him and Castor, even though they were on the run, so at least this wouldn’t take much effort.
“How’re you holding up?” Iris crossed the throne room, balancing a tray in her hands.
“I’m seriously considering running away and spending the rest of eternity holed up in the woods,” I said. “What’s that?”
“I brought you some tea. Figured you might need it.”
That was oddly nice of her. Maybe Zeus had laid into her, too. “Thanks,” I said, stretching. She sat beside me, and I picked up the cup and sipped. It wasn’t a solid night’s sleep, but it would do. “I mean it, though. There’s no way I’m finishing this list. Ten hours left, and I’m not even halfway done.”
She smirked, but there was a hint of sympathy behind it, too. “When Zeus fires you, make sure to put in a good word for me, would you?”
It would’ve been funny if it hadn’t been so true, and I glowered into my tea. “Zeus said if I don’t finish in time, I really will be kicked off the council.”
“Zeus likes to say a lot of things. Most of them aren’t true.”
“This is, though.” I nudged the list in her direction. “You didn’t happen to run into any of these gods on your trip, did you?”
She examined the names, and with a wave of her hand, she crossed off well over two dozen. “I know where to find loads more. If you want, I can check out a few places. That’ll cut your list down, as well.”
“You’d really do that for me?” I said. “What about wanting my job?”
Iris shrugged, and a curl escaped from behind her ear. “I’ll take pity on you just this once. Are you serious about running away?”
I leaned my head against the wall. If it were possible for immortals to have headaches, I would’ve had a raging one right about now. “Hermit jokes aside, someone needs to figure out what’s causing all of this. None of the others have spent time with mortals like I have.”
“And yet Zeus won’t let you go?”
“You know how he is. Can’t handle someone else having a better grip on things than he does.”
Iris gave me a look. “So while gods and goddesses are mysteriously dying for reasons the council can’t possibly be sure of, you’re going to listen to Zeus for the first time in your life.”
“He’d track me down the instant he knew I was gone. You know that.”
“Unless…” Her fingers danced over the parchment, an inch from my knee. “Someone kind, generous, thoughtful and extremely beautiful covered for you.”
I raised an eyebrow. “Do you think someone like that actually exists?”
She punched me in the arm. “You’re a jerk. Maybe I won’t help you. Bet I could do your job with both hands tied behind my back.”
“Right now I’m not sure I can do my job, not if Hades keeps acting like this. And not if Zeus keeps giving me impossible tasks.”
“Hades will come around eventually, and we’ll work together on this list,” she said. “I’ll go down to the surface and check things out. You focus on the names I’ve circled, all right? But on one condition—after you finish this, you’re going to sneak off and mingle with mortals. I’ll cover for you.”
I glanced down at the list. Somehow she’d narrowed it down to a manageable number. “Really?”
“Really.” She squeezed my arm. “Some things are more important than kissing Zeus’s ass.”
Coming from Iris, that meant loads. “If we get through this, remind me to tell you I love you.”
She snorted, though her cheeks turned pink. “Please. I know you love me. It practically oozes out of you.” Giving me a pat on the hand, she stood. “Don’t fall asleep, lazy, else I really will have no choice but to replace you, bloodlines be damned.”
“Whatever you say,” I said with a tired grin. But the tea helped, and if she stuck to her word, this might be doable, after all. “And Iris?”
She stopped, inches from the portal. “Yeah?”
“Thanks. You’re not nearly as heinous as everyone says you are.”
Rolling her eyes, she stepped into the crystal circle and grinned. “You really are such a jerk.”
* * *
Together, Iris and I finished the list by the time the council reconvened. No idea how we managed it—magic, probably, or some sort of tear in time—but we did.
Six names were unaccounted for. Older gods and goddesses whose roles had been taken over by newer ones. I’d triple-checked those to make sure, but it wasn’t good news. Neither of us could find them. I should’ve stayed to tell the council; someone had to, after all, but by the time we finished, Iris was practically pushing me toward the portal.
“Go,” she said. “I mean it. I’ll give the list to Zeus.”
“He’ll smite you if he finds out you’re covering for me. Sure it’s worth it?” I said.
“Yes, I’m sure. Besides, if you figure this out, maybe they’ll forgive you for the whole Persephone thing.”