“Think I wouldn’t show up, darlin’?”
My breath caught in my throat as I felt his presence at my back. The smell of ash and burning firewood hit my nose, and I turned to face him. “I would’ve understood if you had to go back unexpectedly.”
“And that’s precisely why I made it a point to show.” He dipped his chin, those sexy strands of hair falling over his cheeks.
With a stiff arm, I shoved another lanyard at him. “Here you go.”
“Ah, yes. How fortunate we’re VIPs.” He plucked the badge from my hand and slipped it over his neck with a grimace.
“What do you have against Apollo’s Suns?”
He led us toward the entrance. “Their singer is my egocentric nephew.”
Hades walked forward, but my feet froze to the ground. He opened the door, waiting for me, and did a double-take when he saw I was several feet away.
“The frontman of Apollo’s Suns is the actual Apollo?”
“As I said—egocentric.”
I shuffled forward, but my arms remained stiff. “I’ve been a fan of them so long. I’m not sure how I’m going to look him in the face.”
He slipped his arm around my waist. “You look me in the face without issue. Just try not to get blinded by his sunshine smile.” Sarcasm laced his words like venom.
A resort worker spotted our badges and motioned for us to follow him. Without knowing, I gripped onto Hades’ shirt, my heart racing as we got closer and closer to the stage.
“You have no reason to be nervous. He has half the power I do. Maybe even less.”
I narrowed my eyes. “Did you ever stop to think I’m nervous about meeting a rockstar, not the fact he’s a Greek flipping god?”
He frowned. “Sorry.”
Now I was double nervous. I often heard rockstars referred to as “gods” in their own right, but never in the literal sense. It was ingenious. His cover—was essentially himself. Ingenious or extremely arrogant. The resort worker led us to the wings. We were so close you’d be able to see the sweat rolling down their faces.
“Here we are. The show should be starting in a few minutes. You’ll be able to meet the band after the first act. Enjoy!”
Hades folded his arms over his chest, a scowl distorting his features. The lights dimmed, and I clapped. The band entered the stage from the opposite side, the drummer taking his position first, followed by the bassist and guitarist. The crowd roared, waiting for that pivotal moment when Apollo made his grand entrance. A burst of flames ignited in the middle of the stage. Ace or rather, Apollo stood with his iconic silver and ivory guitar with glowing orange suns down the neck.
“Oh, brother,” Hades mumbled.
I stopped clapping. “That wasn’t pyrotechnics, was it?”
“No. It wasn’t.”
Apollo stepped up to the mic stand, throwing the rock symbol into the air. “How are we tonight, Corfu?”
He wore skintight metallic gold pants and a leather vest with no shirt underneath. His bleach blonde hair hung to the nape of his neck, draping over his perfectly sun-kissed skin. Every time he ran his fingers through, it only made him more attractive as it fell in a perfect frame around his chiseled facial features. He had the brightest blue eyes I’d ever seen, a broad jawline, and just as Hades described—an electric smile.
The drummer began their first song. Apollo strummed his hand over the strings of his guitar, sun rays blazing from it toward the audience. I’d seen the effects before, but it was crazy to know they weren’t parlor tricks. Every time he did something, Hades’ eyes would fall shut and he’d shake his head. Considering he was stuck underground every waking day of his life, it must’ve been annoying to watch another god flaunt their powers so openly.
The songs I knew had a different meaning now. The lyrics centered around Apollo’s life. Lyrics I previously thought were a complete myth. I curled my hands around the strings of my lanyard. Apollo moved to the front of the stage, swinging the guitar on its strap behind him. He grabbed the mic stand and leaned forward, reaching out to various women screaming and clawing over each other to get to him.
I elbowed Hades. “Aura?”
“Aura and an ego the size of Olympus,” he mumbled.
“We can’t help who our family is.”
“Very, very true, darlin’.”
Apollo worked the crowd, especially the ladies, occasionally hopping down to roam the aisles. Fire, sunbursts, and blinding flashes of light went off throughout the performance. When they played the final song of the first act, he turned in our direction, and my heart quickened.
Oh, my God. He was coming over here. My inner fangirl went into overdrive. This was my chance to redeem myself from the airport.
He dragged a hand through his hair, grinning wide when he spotted Hades. The guitar slung over his shoulder, and he rested one of his hands on the neck of it. “Uncle. Long time no see.”
“You’re hilarious,” Hades replied, narrowing his eyes.
Apollo bit his lip, letting his steely blue gaze drop to me. “You look familiar.”
I snorted, feeling my cheeks warm. “Stephanie. Steph.” Keeping one hand on my lanyard, I stuck the other one out to him.
He snapped his fingers. “The airport. You were that shy little mouse who couldn’t bring herself to talk to me.” He gave a snarky grin and shook my hand.
Why in the world did he have to remember? The heat from my face traveled down the back of my neck. Hades stepped between us, breaking Apollo’s hold on my hand.
“So, this is what you do with your time? Pretend to be a rockstar? Exhibit your powers openly?” Hades asked as he slipped an arm around my waist.
Apollo looked at me with a cocked eyebrow.
“She knows,” Hades said.
“She knows? Well then, that changes things entirely, doesn’t it?” He grinned at me. “And I’m not pretending to be a rockstar. I am one. Are you able to subscribe to Spotify in the Underworld?”
Hades sighed. “Considerin’ none of us are ever in the same place by coincidence—why are you here?”
He pointed at Hades and spoke to me. “This is why my dad gave him the Underworld. He’s a smart cookie.”
His dad. Zeus. Uncle Hades. Underworld. Apollo. I’d warped into the Twilight Zone.
“My visit comes with bad news, I’m afraid,” Apollo started, draping both hands over his guitar.
Hades rolled his shoulders. “I’m listening.”
“Thanatos has abandoned his duties.”
“What?” It came out more like a growl.
Apollo held up his hands. “I’ve no idea how or why. But something tells me you’ve noticed.”
Hades dragged a hand over his face.
“What does that mean?” I asked.
“It means, my dear Stephanie, Hades here is in charge of souls both on the surface and below.” Apollo pointed at the ground with a smirk.
His smile annoyed me. “This doesn’t sound like a funny situation.”
“Maybe not for my uncle. He’ll be a very busy man.” He slapped his shoulder.
Hades growled again, balling his hands into fists. “I’m powerful, but even I can’t be in two places at once.”