Peitho was at work when she received a phonecall from Apate. She'd gotten through on her work number; Peitho's cell had been turned off for days so that Hermes couldn't call. Cruel yes, but since their relationship had always been tinged with a little cruelty, usually on her part, Peitho didn't see anything wrong with it.
And besides, he'd needed it. Waking her up in the middle of the night because some escapee theoi was giving him nightmares was one thing, but then he'd started to get far too involved in himself and his ego. Peitho was having none of that.
So she'd stonewalled him. Hermes had needed to know she wasn't on board with whatever insanity he'd planned. He'd needed to hear that message loud and clear. Not that her lack of support was enough to stop him doing something stupid, it never had been.
But perhaps this time he'd pushed his luck too far.
He was unconscious, Apate had said. No physical injuries, but they couldn't wake him. Peitho nodded through the details and hung up. "Put me on the next flight to DC," she told her assistant. The assistant looked up from her computer screen and creased her brow a little. "But you have a meeting at-" "Cancel it," Peitho interrupted. "Trust me, my boss will understand."
She headed into her office to pick up her purse, then headed out, rubbing at the links on her bracelet in absent worry. It was only a matter of time before Hermes pushed his luck too far, but she really hoped that time wasn't now.