Suddenly, a warm hand touches my arm, making me jump.

“Hey, what’s wrong?” Herc asks.

Seeing his worried expression snaps me out of my daze. “Uh—nothing. Sorry for waking you up.”

Looking at him from a different perspective, I notice the similarities between him and Zeus, which makes me uneasy.

But this isn’t the moment to dwell on that.

I swiftly leave the bed and pack my belongings into a bag.

“Actually, something is wrong. We need to leave immediately. If you want a normal, peaceful life, you have to come with me now.” Urgency fills my voice.

He appears confused, and I understand why, but he still gets up and starts getting dressed. “What’s happening, Meg?”

I can’t afford to waste time. I quickly send a text to Apollo using the number I discovered in the company directory and saved in my contacts.

I thought about calling Ares, but he’s probably not in the best shape after last night’s partying, and I don’t have Zeus’ number.

I don’t want to expose Herc to Zeus, but we need help against Hades.

I begin walking toward the door, but stop. I turn to face him and ask, “Herc, were you adopted?”

He appears taken aback by my unexpected question.

“Yes, I was,” he replies.

Although I’m aware this revelation may seal our fates and I have a hunch about his response, I ask regardless, “Do you know who your biological father is?”

He shakes his head. “No, I never had much interest in finding out. Why?”

He stands behind me as I hover by the door.

I take a deep breath and say, “We have two options: face your birth father and get caught up in an ugly inheritance fight, or leave this town immediately and never look back.”

He grabs my shoulder, turning me to face him. “You know who my father is, right? Tell me, then I’ll decide.”

We need to leave immediately, but he won’t budge until I tell him the truth. “It’s Zeus, the most powerful man in this city. Going to him could make you like him. He’ll pull you into his world, and your life will change forever. We have to leave because your uncle Hades is coming. He wants to use you against Zeus. You must decide now. Choose.”

He looks so young and confused and lost in that moment.

I reach out to touch his cheek, but he begins pacing with a mix of anger and worry on his face.

“So Zeus, the big shot of this city, is my father?” he asks.

I nod.

He continues pacing and asks another question. “And my uncle is the leader of the criminal underworld?”

“Yes,” I reply.

“And they want to use me as a pawn in their power struggle,” he says, vibrating with frustration.

Herc impresses me with his quick grasp of things. I’m sure it’s his cop training. Despite the shock, he’s quickly processing all this new information.

“It’s Hades who intends to do that,” I concur, nodding. “But yes, that’s a way to put it.”

“Let me get this straight. Based on that call, you’ve been helping the criminal underworld’s leader find information to overthrow my birth father. You never left that world? Did you commit the crime you were convicted of?”

His question stabs at me, but I can’t blame his doubts. From his perspective, it certainly looks incriminating.

“No, I didn’t do it. However, Hades was the one who saved my ex but it cost me. Once I was released from prison, Hades called in the debt I owed him. So, I’ve been trying to repay him to finally gain my freedom. I never anticipated meeting someone I’d be interested in or that it would involve you,” I explain.

Herc listens and then asks, “What will happen to you?”

I admit my uncertainty to him. “I genuinely don’t know. Zeus might ignore me, but Hades won’t, especially if he finds out I aided you. Hades is vengeful, and he wants to use you against your father.”

He looks worried, but he takes my hand and gives it a reassuring squeeze.

I wonder what Herc is thinking. Is he questioning whether he can trust me? I wouldn’t blame him if he did.

“Let’s go and not look back,” he decides.