“Oh, my gods!” Lexa shoved a wad of napkins into her hands and Persephone pressed them against her shoulder. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine.”

“Has this ever happened before?”

“No,” she said, peeling back the napkins to look at the wound the vines left behind. The gash was small, like she’d been scratched by a throne and the bleeding minimal.

“Is that a goddess thing?” Lexa asked.

“I don’t know.”

She’d never seen her mother’s powers manifest this way, or Hades’ for that matter. Maybe it was just another example of how terrible she was at being a goddess.

“Will you tell Hades?”

The question surprised Persephone, and her gaze shot to Lexa’s. “Why would I tell him?”

She listed the reasons, “Because it’s never happened to you before, because it looks painful, because it might have something to do with being the Goddess of Spring?”

“Or it’s nothing,” Persephone said quickly. “Don’t worry about it, Lex.”

A beat of silence passed between them before Lexa reached a hand across the table to draw Persephone’s attention.

“You know I’m just worried about you, right?

The Goddess of Spring sighed. “I know. Thank you.”

There was more silence and then Lexa shrugged. “I guess none of this really matters. You already promised Hades you wouldn’t write about Apollo...right?”

Persephone was reluctant to meet Lexa’s gaze.

“Persephone—”

“What about Sybil? Are we just supposed to let her suffer?” Persephone asked.

“No, we’re supposed to be her friends,” Lexa said.

“Which means I should do everything in my power to ensure Apollo is exposed.”

“It means you should do what Sybil wants you to do.”

Persephone frowned. Sybil wanted Persephone to leave this situation alone, but silence was part of the problem. How many people had been hurt by Apollo and not spoken up?

“Are all the Divine wired for revenge?” Lexa posed the question off-handed, as if she were asking it rhetorically, but it didn’t sit well with Persephone.

“What do you mean?”

Lexa shrugged. “You all want to punish. Apollo wants to punish his lovers so you want to punish him, and he will probably punish you for that. It’s insanity.”

“I don’t want to punish him,” she said, defensively.

Lexa raised a brow.

“I don’t! I want people to know they shouldn’t trust him.”

“Just like you wanted people to know not to trust Hades?”

“That’s different.”

It was true Persephone had started her series on Hades with the intention of exposing his unfair bargains with mortals. Overtime, however, she’d learned his intentions were far more honorable than she’d originally assumed.

Lexa sighed. “Maybe, but isn’t that what Hades was telling you? Apollo is willing to punish without a second thought.”

Persephone averted her gaze, frustrated, and Lexa’s outstretched hand covered her own.