Damn straight she did. My girl was smart.
“But I’ve never built a profile before, and even though I know the basics, with something like this you need someone trained. At the very least, to point you in the right direction.”
I frowned at the back of her head.
Marcus appeared to consider that. “Handing over that kind of information is serious. To be honest, I’m more comfortable with you having access to these records than anyone else in this room.”
Across from Josie, Alex’s mouth dropped. “Well, I’m kind of offended.”
I shrugged. “Meanwhile, I’m not at all surprised that you wouldn’t be comfortable with me having that info.”
“I’m actually surprised that you wouldn’t trust me,” Aiden said, and I rolled my eyes.
A faint smile appeared on Marcus’s face. “Everyone except for Josie has a personal experience with Ares. I feel like this requires someone who wasn’t a part of what he did, but I cannot hand over that kind of personal information.”
Alex opened her mouth, but she was silenced when Marcus raised his hand. “What I can do is reach out to a few people I know who will be able to help us.”
That was better than nothing.
“What are we going to do if we find out whoever is behind this?” Alex asked the moment Marcus lowered his hand. “Stopping it here may not stop it happening elsewhere.”
“Well, if the profile works here and we can find the people responsible for the attacks, then why wouldn’t it work elsewhere?” Aiden asked. “It could be implemented in any of the communities or schools that are facing these problems.”
“But what will happen to them? As a mortal, I was as liberal as they come,” Josie said, sitting back. “But if someone or a group of people is running around killing others because of how much aether is in their blood, then I feel like they’ve forfeited their right to live out their lives in a jail cell somewhere.”
Everyone, including Alexander, turned and stared at Josie.
“What?” she said. “I’m not saying people aren’t capable of changing, but once you murder someone? Yeah. No.”
“That’s bloodthirsty,” I said to her. “And it really turns me on.”
“Gods,” Alex moaned. “We didn’t need to know that, Seth.”
I shrugged, and Josie flushed pink.
“We don’t have the same procedures that the mortal court has,” Marcus interjected. “We’re a lot more…”
“Old school,” Aiden said. “Hand for a hand type of stuff.”
“Oh,” Josie whispered. “Well then, that answers my question.”
Marcus sighed. “As soon as you all get out of my office, I’ll get to work on the personnel files.”
At least that part was discussed and it felt like we were actually doing something about the damn pure-bloods here, but that wasn’t the only thing on the table. “We need to talk about the remaining demigod.”
Alex nodded. “We didn’t get a chance to tell you yesterday, but there’s a really good chance that the demigod is…Ares’s son.”
For a moment, I thought Marcus might actually curse. His mouth opened and then closed. Finally, he settled on, “Gods.”
“Exactly,” Aiden muttered. “Ares is just raising his ugly, twisted head all over the place.”
Marcus uncrossed his legs and leaned forward, resting his arms on the table. “So it appears.” He let out a disgusted sigh. “Why do we think this?”
As Alex told her uncle, I could feel the mood in the room change. Without having to tell Marcus why it was so important we find that damn demigod yesterday, he got it.
“The Titans could use him in ways we haven’t seen yet.” Marcus’s lips pursed. “His abilities won’t have the same impact on pures and halfs, but in the wrong hands he could create even more problems. The question remains—how will you find him?”
“Deacon is insistent on going over there.” Aiden sighed as he leaned onto the back of Alex’s chair. “I hate the idea, but he and Luke have a knack for finding the demigods. We need to get over there as soon as possible and find him.”
“And I guess if he is Ares’s son, I would recognize him.” Alex started messing with her hair, the same way Josie did. “I know that sounds crazy, but I just…I’d recognize him.”
Her father didn’t look happy about any of that.
But I understood what Alex was saying. “I would recognize him, too.” When she looked over at me, she nodded slightly. We both would know the second we saw the guy. “I can take them over. Save some time and money on a flight.”
Marcus arched a brow. “Would it be wise for so many demigods and a god to be there? The Titans may not have found the location yet, but with so many of you there, it’s bound to draw them.”
“I’m going to hang back here,” Josie spoke up then. “Not that I don’t want to go to Pluckley and possibly see a ghost, but it’s just not smart.”
Aiden nodded. “Agreed.”
“I think that is wise.” Marcus nodded, but he didn’t know the real reason why Josie wasn’t going there.
I looked over at her, and she must’ve seen the question in my eyes, because there was the tiny lift at the corners of her lips and she nodded.
Shifting closer to her, I brought my gaze to Marcus. “You don’t know this yet.” I glanced at Alex’s father. “Neither do you, but sooner or later, you’ll find out.”
Marcus lifted his brows while Alex folded her hand over her mouth, obviously hiding a smile.
Then I said the words I was quickly beginning to realize I really fucking enjoyed saying. Words I was oddly proud of. “Josie and I are expecting a child.”
If I thought Marcus was caught off-guard by the whole Ares bullshit, I hadn’t seen him truly shocked. Hell, I couldn’t remember seeing him so thunderstruck before. Not even when I showed up with Josie the first time or when I popped into his office without warning when I’d been looking for her.
He stared at us like he didn’t even understand how a baby was made.
Alex choked on a giggle.
“Is it that shocking?” I asked, one side of my lips kicking up.
“Yes? No.” Marcus gave a little shake of his head, and I had no idea what that meant, but then he looked at Josie. “A child of a god and a demigod. That’s—”
“Never happened.” Josie grinned. “We know. We just learned that.”
“And that…that will be something amazing.” It was rare to see the Dean smile. It wasn’t something he often did and usually it looked more like a grimace than it did a smile, but this was a real one, warming those usually chilled green eyes. “Now I see why you plan on staying back. I believe that is a mature and wise choice. How far along?”
“She’s at about six weeks.” Leaning over, I gently flicked her ear.
Josie shot me a look, but she was grinning. “I’m guessing I’m not due until around January, but I think we’ll know more once we see a doctor who specializes in babies.”
“Congratulations,” Marcus said, rising from his chair. “I truly mean it.”
Then he did probably the most shocking thing I’d ever seen the man do. He walked up to me and offered his hand.
What felt like an entire minute went by before I snapped out of my stupor. In a daze, I shook his hand. Marcus had never shaken my hand. I was still standing there, staring at him like a dumbass when Marcus bent down, kissing Josie’s cheek.
Aiden raised a brow as he looked over at me. When our gazes locked, he smiled and then looked away, placing a hand on the back of Alex’s neck.
Drawing back, Marcus leaned against his desk. “Well, today has been full of unexpected revelations. A very good one.” He met my gaze briefly, looking at me like he’d never seen me before, and then his gaze flickered over the room. “And some not so good ones.”
“Starting to sound like an ordinary day,” Alex commented. “Or, at least—”
A knock on the office door silenced Alex. I turned just as it opene
d. A Guard popped his head in. “I’m sorry to interrupt, but this could not wait.”
“It’s okay, Banks. What is going on?”
Banks stepped into the room, spine straight and shoulders stiff. I had a feeling the “not so good” part of the day was about to get worse. “We just received a call from one of our communities in Chicago. They said there’s been an incident and they’ve lost contact with some of the people in different parts of the city.”
I frowned as Alex twisted and looked at Aiden. Marcus became very still. “Do we have any more information?”
Banks nodded. “I think you need to see it. It’s all over the news.”
Marcus reached into a drawer and pulled out a slim remote. With one tap of a button, the upper doors on the mahogany cabinet to the left of the desk silently slid open, revealing a TV I’d never known was there. The TV turned on and a news channel appeared.
“Oh shit,” Alex murmured under her breath the moment she saw the “Breaking News” banner along the bottom of the screen.
Suspected terrorist attack near South Wacker Drive. Multiple injuries and casualties reported.
No one needed to read the banner to see what was happening. The scene on the screen was one of chaos. People flooded the sidewalks, rushing out of the buildings and into the congested traffic that was at a complete standstill. There were glimpses of people covered in dust. As the camera whirled, there were brief glances of others just standing amongst those running, staring up, and then the camera went up.
Dark smoke poured out of several skyscrapers, darkening the sky and blotting out the sun.
Jaw clenching, I shook my head as I stared at the screen. The unseen reporter talked over the video. It was a suspected bomb—possible suicide bomber. Mortals. Sometimes I forgot just how violent they could be all on their own.
“This is terrible,” Alex whispered. “There have to be so many people in those buildings.”
The camera panned out over the crowd again, at the base of one of the burning buildings, lingering for a moment before zooming in on the smoke pouring out of the skyscrapers.
“Oh, my God.” Josie shot from the chair so fast it could’ve toppled over. “Holy crap.”
“What?” I turned to her.
“That man—that man in the crowd.” She rushed toward the TV. “That was Cronus.”
Chapter 10
Josie
My stomach felt like it was somewhere near my toes as I stood in front of the TV. I couldn’t believe who I’d just seen.
“Are you sure?” Seth asked, suddenly at my side.
“Yes.” I looked at him, eyes wide. “Never in a million years will I forget what he looks like.”
His jaw tightened. “I believe you.”
The camera was zoomed onto the building now. “Can you go back?”
“I believe so.” Marcus was standing, staring at the remote with a slight frown on his face. “I think one of these buttons…”
“Geez.” Alex rose from the chair. “Let me see the remote.”
Marcus handed it over, and within a few seconds the images rewound.
“There,” I said, my breath catching. “Stop.”
Alex stopped and then paused it. Immediately I saw him in the crowd. An icy chill clung to my skin as I pointed at the man. “That’s him. He didn’t look like that when I saw him. He was frailer, but that is him.”
Everyone crowded behind me, getting their first look at the man I knew as Cronus. “He was a lot slimmer when I saw him. He was frail, but that is him.”
Cronus stood on a sidewalk, his shoulders broad now and muscles straining the pale blue shirt he wore, covering what had been a sunken chest. His skin had smoothed and filled out. That wizened beard was trimmed into a neat goatee and his white hair was cut shorter, slicked back from sharp cheekbones.
And the eeriest thing was how he was standing. “Is it just me, or is he staring directly out at the camera?”
“Hell.” Aiden inched closer, his head tilting. “It does look like that.”
“Hit play, Alex,” Marcus commanded.
I missed it the first time, because it had been a shock when I saw him, and the camera had quickly moved away from him, but there was no missing it now once the image start playing again.
Cronus smiled.
“Gods,” Marcus growled, stepping back. “They’re responsible for this.”
Alex hit rewind, stopping it back on the image of Cronus. His eyes were almost normal, but the irises were so black they were almost obsidian.
Seth turned to Banks. “What else was said to you by the community outside of Chicago?”
Banks swallowed hard. “Only what you see on the television and that they’re unable to reach any of our kind within the city.”
“If the Titans are in Chicago and the community can’t get hold of the pures in the city, it’s because the Titans already have them,” I said, remembering the…the bodies of the pure-bloods scattered outside that house. “They’ll feed off them. I’ve seen it.” I spun toward Marcus. “You need to get those pures out of there. Now.”
Seth cursed under his voice. “Where is this community?”
“It’s near Lincoln Park, in a gated neighborhood,” Banks answered. “It’s pretty much a town within the city.”
“So we could get them out without drawing too much attention?” Seth asked.
“I would think so.” Banks looked to Marcus. “We could call ahead and let them know we’re coming.”
“We’d have to send in buses to get them out. With what is happening in the city, that’s going to be a problem,” Marcus said, his green eyes brilliant.
“They’ll be expecting that,” I spoke up, and Marcus focused on me. “I know I haven’t been in this world long, but I’ve seen what they’ve done to pures. They could burn through them like they’re nothing more than snacks. If the community can’t get hold of the pures in the city, they’re already lost. I’m sorry to say that, but they’re already gone.”
Banks blanched.
“Josie is right. We need to check it out first before we send more in. This could be a trap, and we’d basically be sending lambs to slaughter,” Seth said. “I can go in and scope out the community. Make sure it’s safe to bring in buses. You just need to figure out how to get the buses there.”
My heart skipped a beat. Seth being in the same location as the Titans? I knew that what Zeus had showed him in Long Beach had shaken him up, but it was a risk.
A possible world-ending risk.
“It will be a strategic nightmare, but I can get it done,” Marcus said.
“I want to go with you,” Aiden announced.
Seth looked over his shoulder at him. “Are you trying to be my best friend?”
Aiden smirked. “I thought we already were best friends.”
“I think that is a good idea,” I suggested tentatively, earning a narrowed look from Seth. I squared my shoulders. “You have no idea what you could be going into, Seth. It could be nothing or it could be…” Pressing my lips together, I shook my head. “It could be horrific.”
Seth didn’t respond for a long moment and then he nodded. “For you,” he said, his eyes holding mine. “Okay.” He looked over his shoulder at Aiden. “You can come with me.”
“If you take him, I should go.” Alex squeezed past the chair and Aiden. “I am not—”
“I’m only taking Aiden.” Seth’s gaze hardened. “And before you even say it, it has nothing to do with you being a girl.”
Her eyes flared to a burning whiskey. “I wasn’t going to say that. I was going to say you’re not taking me because you’re being an ass.”
My eyes widened.
Seth, on the other hand, showed little emotion. Apparently, he was used to Alex saying things like that. “It’s too much of a risk.”
“But going to Pluckley wouldn’t be?” she shot back. “You had no problem with the idea of me or the guys going there.”
Aiden turned to her. �
�Alex—”
“Don’t Alex me,” she snapped.
Keeping my mouth shut, I glanced over at Marcus, and we had a moment. Both of us were just going to stay quiet.
He tried again. “We have no reason to suspect that the Titans are anywhere near Pluckley yet. We know that Cronus is in Chicago.”
“I can handle myself.” Her cheeks flushed with anger.
“We know that.” Aiden angled his body toward her. “No one would ever question that.”
“And I’m not questioning your abilities. The Titans are going to sense me and they’re going to sense Aiden. We don’t need another demigod there,” Seth explained. “It’s going to be hard enough for two of us to stay under the radar there.”
For a moment I thought Alex was still going to argue, but she finally relented. Not happily. When she and Aiden walked out of Marcus’s office to retrieve Aiden’s weapons, I was sure he was going to catch an earful.
Plans to leave for Pluckley were delayed until we knew what to do with Chicago, and I agreed to break the news to Luke and Deacon. Once we were back in our room, I scooted around Seth and stopped directly in front of him.
“I’m worried,” I admitted.
“Babe.” Reaching between us, he captured my hands. “You know I’ll be fine.”
That wasn’t exactly true. “Cronus can kill you.”
“He won’t get near me.” He dipped his chin so we were at eye level.
“You can kill Cronus,” I reminded him.
Understanding flickered across his face. “I am not going to go after him. I know better. Now.”
A huge part of me believed him, but Seth knew Cronus had fed off me and Seth was…well, Seth was Seth. “Promise me.” I searched his gaze. “Promise me that you will get out of there before it comes down to a fight.”
Seth rested his forehead against mine as he let go of my hands and cradled my cheeks. “I promise.”
~
Seth
Josie’s fear ate away at me as I met back up with Aiden and then took both of us to Chicago. I didn’t blame her for one second for worrying that I would lose my shit and kill Cronus.
Gods, to be completely honest, I wanted nothing more than to watch the fucking life seep out of his eyes. He’d fed on Josie, just like Hyperion had. So, yeah, I wanted to kill that bastard slowly.
The Prophecy: The Titan Series Book 4 Page 10
