The Glass Fortress

Living in the Penthouse of Ares was like living in the barrel of a loaded gun.

The apartment occupied the top three floors of the Ares Security Tower in Midtown. It was all glass, steel, and black leather. No photos. No plants. Just weapons mounted on the walls and a view of the city that made you feel like a god looking down on an anthill.

For three weeks, I lived there.

Julian was... unexpected.

I expected a jailer. I got a guardian.

He didn't touch me again—not sexually. He seemed terrified of the bond, of the intensity of his own reaction. He treated me like fragile porcelain.

He cooked for me. Who knew the God of War’s son could make a perfect risotto?

We fell into a routine. He would leave at dawn to hunt monsters. I would spend the day wandering the glass fortress, reading his books, staring at the city. When he came home, he would be covered in grime and ichor.

He would shower, then sit with me on the balcony.

We didn't speak. I couldn't, and he didn't need to.

One night, he came home bleeding. A Chimera in Central Park. Deep claw marks raked his chest.

I met him at the door. I pulled him to the bathroom, pushing him down onto the stool.

"I'm fine, Cassia," he grunted, wincing as he tried to clean the wound.

I slapped his hand away. I grabbed the celestial bronze salve from the cabinet.

I applied it gently. My fingers grazed his skin. The bond hummed—a low, contented purr in the room.

Julian watched me. His eyes were soft.

"It’s quiet when I'm with you," he whispered. "My head... it’s always full of war. Strategic layouts. Threat assessments. But when you touch me, it stops."

He caught my hand. He kissed my palm.

"I think Aphrodite didn't curse you," he murmured. "I think she blessed me."

My heart cracked.

He was falling in love with a lie. He loved the silence because he didn't know the noise I was capable of. He loved the peace, not knowing I was the storm.

I pulled my hand away and went to the window, staring out at the Hudson River.

I was a parasite. I was feeding on his protection while deceiving him every second of every day.

* Tell him,* the bond whispered. *He loves you. He will understand.*

* He is an Enforcer,* my fear answered. *He kills monsters. And you are the worst monster of all.*