Pandora's Ghost [Book 2]

Chapter 30 : Distraction

He walked away from the pinkish dome and headed in our direction. "Remind me again...why are we keeping Hunter out of this discussion?"

Zion rubbed his forehead and sighed. "I told you, the more he's far from this mess, the better. I'm not making the same mistake I did with Pedro."

Dimitri placed his hands on the table and leaned in. His black t-shirt stretched over his lanky frame." Hunter is already in deep shit like the rest of us. Didn't you hear what Penny said? Wyatt and Henry want Hades."

"I'm aware," Zion said glumly. "That's why you'll stay close to him while the rest of us rescue Pedro."

"Oh, hell no! You're not adding me to your 'List of Protection.' I can take care of myself. Pedro is my friend and we need all the help we can get." He pointed at an empty seat. "Eros can't help us because he's busy finding a way to prevent Zeus and Pandora from ascending. Not to mention he's still searching desperately for Psyche. Kicking Hunter and I out will leave you, Penny, and Liam to fight against a whole pack of Crocottas and Manticores."

He was right.

Before we came here, Eros had agreed to help stop Zeus from gaining consciousness. And within that minute moment, he confessed he had sent a few bouncers to my area to protect my dad while trying to convince Artemis to heal him.

He's doing more than enough already.

Dimitri continued. "And no offense to Liam but I still don't trust him. Which means it's left with just you two."

Zion shrugged, eyes finding mine. "Same. But Penny trusts Liam, so we have to respect that." He smirked. "You look lovely tonight."

I smiled, my cheek heating up by the second. "Thank you."

The moment we arrived, I took a warm bath and I left my hair down before slipping into a fresh nightwear Dimitri snagged from his mom's store.

My fingers twitched with the lace of my black silk coat. Zion's willingness to get along with Liam was comforting. I trusted Liam because there is no way he'll willingly sabotage this mission. He's in it because of me and the desire to kill Henry. I grabbed the hot mug and sipped. The chocolate drink warmed my throat.

As of now, Liam was escorting Eros back to star-crossed inc. But before that, I had promised to fill him in when he got back. "Um...Dimitri?"

"Yeah?" He turned to me, irises already a bright purple.

"Where exactly did you get that dog?"

Dimitri looked over his shoulder. His gaze found the puppy sleeping by Zion's brother. The dog was the gift he promised Hunter if he cooperated tonight. And if you ask me, it seemed more like an early present -- considering the triplets will have their birthday this month.

Dimitri turned back to me. "You sense something weird about it, don't you? Well, you're right."

Bingo!

I was slowly getting used to his entire persona. Dimitri never did anything without a reason. And with the number of monsters lurking around, there's no way he'll bring a random dog near Hunter unless it's supposed to perform a specific task. And there's only one dog-like creature connected to Hades.

Zion folded his arms. "Explain to me why you brought Cerebus to your house." He eyed the puppy. "And from the looks of it, Hunter doesn't know he's sleeping with a three-headed dog from the underworld. Where did you find him?"

Dimitri pulled an empty chair out and sat. "It kept following Hunter wherever he went. Dionysus helped me confirm its identity. And don't worry, it wouldn't transform into the huge deadly canine it's known for. According to Dionysus, It'll need Hades' power to change forms. And with Hunter's ability being dormant, that won't occur any time soon."