The Daughter of Zeus novel · Chapter 9 of 24

Chapter 9: Ambrosia

"Grey," I said, "with a gold ring around the middle."

Zeus closed his eyes.

It was only for a moment.

When he opened them again, he looked like a man who had been hit and was deciding not to fall down.

"There is a feast tonight," he said.

"You will attend."

"That's not an answer."

"No," he said.

"It isn't."

He walked away up the stair with his shoulders bent.

Hermes watched him go with his mouth in a flat line, and said nothing at all.

The banquet hall was a mile long.

It had tables of gold, goblets of silver and a ceiling of living vines heavy with grapes.

Every god in Olympus had come, and every one of them was already drunk.

A servant led me to the very last table.

It stood beyond the pillars, near the kitchen doors, and it had no cloth on it.

The plate in front of me held a heel of bread and a smear of grease.

Far up the room, the queen sat beside the empty throne in her peacock cloak.

She raised her goblet to me, and she smiled.

I looked at the bread.

"She's put you with the dogs," Hermes muttered, dropping into the seat beside me.

He had a whole roast duck under one arm.

"Eat this. Don't let her see you're hungry."

"I'm not hungry," I said.

I looked at Alekos.

He was seated near the front among the heroes, in the place of honor he had held for twenty-six centuries.

He had not looked at me once all evening.

His hand was clenched on his cup so hard that the silver had begun to bend.

I put the bread down.

Then I climbed up on my chair, and from there onto the table.

Hermes choked on the duck.

"What are you doing?"

"Asking a question," I said.

I cupped my hands around my mouth.

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