“Of course not,” I mumbled, wiping my eyes with my sleeve. Cronus produced a handkerchief out of nowhere, and only because refusing him would do me no good, I took it. “Why does there need to be a war in the first place? Why can’t everyone coexist?”
“Because, my dear Kate, they will not stop until I have been imprisoned once more, and I cannot allow that to happen.”
“What if they promised not to try to send you back into the Underworld?”
“If it were that easy, we would have reached a solution eons ago. Unfortunately it is not. Zeus will never agree.”
“He’s a stubborn jackass,” I muttered, and Cronus chuckled.
“Right you are, my darling. Surely you understand that as long as he rules the skies, I cannot stop.”
“But what if he and the rest of the council promised not to attack?” I said. “If I could get Walter—Zeus to agree to leave you alone as long as you didn’t hurt anyone else?”
Cronus shrugged. “If you are capable of doing the impossible, then perhaps I might consider a truce, though I certainly cannot speak for my daughter.”
Without Cronus, Calliope was all but powerless against the other members of the council. “Someone once told me that anything is possible if you give it a chance,” I said softly. “If Zeus agrees, you’ll back off and let the council take Calliope?”
“Yes,” said Cronus, snaking his arms around my waist and gently drawing me toward him again. “I have no use for her any longer. You are all I need.”
My entire body went numb. Of course he still expected me to be his queen. He thought Henry was dead.
I stared into the cradle. I’d never held Milo. I’d barely even touched him, and now he would be doomed to a lifetime with Cronus as a father. Then what would everything I was fighting for mean?
Nothing.
“Okay,” I whispered. “I’ll come back to you as soon as you call a truce and the others have Calliope in custody. But I want you to let my son leave.”
“If he leaves, I cannot allow you to go with him.”
I nodded tightly. “I know.”
He studied me. “You do not want to be his mother?”
I wanted to be his mother more than anything in the world, but if I let Cronus near him, I would be anything but. “I want my mother to raise him in Olympus,” I said firmly. That way Milo would be with Henry, and I could breathe easier knowing they would have each other.
“I see,” said Cronus. “You do not want me to be his father.”
I balled my hands into fists. “You’ll have me. You don’t need anything else.”
He brushed his knuckles against my cheek in what I was sure he meant to be a loving caress. It sent shivers down my spine, but not the kind he was aiming for. “I need you to be happy. It would give me such great pleasure to show you the honesty and compassion you have shown me.”
“If you want to show me any of that honesty and compassion, then you’ll give me my son,” I said. “And you’ll promise to stop killing all of those people.”
“Have Zeus agree to a truce, and you have my word,” said Cronus with a bow of his head, and he produced a scroll out of thin air and set it in my hand. “A token of my intentions.”
I began to untie the black silk ribbon, but he placed his hand over mine.
“It is a list of names of those who have turned traitor and pledged their allegiance to Calliope. With your husband dead, it is only a matter of time before I overthrow the council,” said Cronus. “If they wish to survive, my forgiveness is their only hope. And for that, all I ask is you.”
I clutched the scroll, and even though it tore me to shreds, I whispered, “Thank you.”
“No, my dear,” said Cronus, and the fog in his eyes swirled malevolently. “Thank you.”
Chapter 9
Messenger
What was left of the council gathered in the throne room of Olympus. It was well past midnight in Greece now, and after the battle at sunset, several of the members looked like they hadn’t slept in months. They were there though, and that was the important part. Even Henry had gathered, though he was silent and still looked the worse for wear.
“Well, Kate,” said Walter from his throne of glass, “we have all gathered. What is so important that it could not possibly wait?”
I stood. James sat across from me, and I focused on him as my nerves fluttered. Start simple. No need to tell them what I’d bargained until it became necessary. I couldn’t give them any reason to turn Cronus down.
“Cronus wants to call a truce,” I said, and a ripple of stunned whispers spread throughout the council. Only James didn’t move, his eyes locked on mine. He knew the price.
“Absolutely not,” said Walter, his voice booming with thunder. “We will not negotiate with a Titan.”
“Kate, what’s going on?” said my mother quietly, but I didn’t waver. If I looked at her, if I saw the concern in her eyes, if I let the confusion in her voice crack my determination, I had no idea what I would do. And I couldn’t take that chance.
“He’s sent a list of gods who have sided with Calliope,” I said, holding out the scroll to Walter, but he made no move to take it. “As a token of his intentions.”
“I’m sure he did,” said Walter. “And as soon as he has our complacency and his freedom, he will turn on us and once again attempt to destroy the council. I will not allow it to happen.”