I respected him for that.
I don’t know how long I sat there, but it couldn’t have been that long before the door behind me eased open. Boards creaked as the footsteps drew near.
Aiden sat beside me, still in his Sentinel uniform. He stared straight ahead and said nothing. I looked at him. The dark waves were messy, going in every which direction. A slight shadow was forming on his jaw.
“Didn’t wake up Deacon?” I asked.
“Nah, if I did then I’d probably never get to bed. He’ll need entertainment or something and you know how that goes.” Aiden tilted his head toward me. “When did Apollo leave?”
“A little while ago.”
Aiden was quiet for a moment. “Is there anything I should know?”
My heart skipped a beat. “No.”
His eyes met mine and I couldn’t tell if he believed me, but he extended his arm. I scooted over, fitting myself against the side of his body as he locked his arms around me. He rested his cheek against my hair and I felt his breath.
Minutes passed, and then he said, “We’re in this together, Alex. Don’t ever forget that. We’re in this together to the end.”
CHAPTER 28
By the time Apollo reappeared later that night, I hadn’t really come to terms with everything. I mean, how could I? Going through all of this, facing only gods-knew-what, knowing there was a 99% chance I’d die in the end really didn’t help with the whole motivation factor. So I decided to do the only thing I could do.
Forget about the end result.
Probably not the wisest method, but it was the only way I could do this and keep sane, because right now I didn’t know how to change any of it.
Apollo didn’t return alone. When he popped into the living room, he brought along Dionysus. It was the first time I’d seen the god. He looked like a frat boy in his Hawaiian shirt and cargo shorts.
Dionysus dropped onto the couch in a lazy, arrogant sprawl. His heavy-lidded gaze moved over the females in the room, sizing them up like one looks at a menu. When his freaky eyes landed on me, I arched a brow.
He grinned. “So this is the Apollyon?”
“That would be me.”
“For some reason, I expected you to be taller.”
What the hell? Folding my arms, I shot him a bland look. “I don’t know why people keep saying that.”
Aiden leaned against the desk I sat on. “You are pretty short.”
My height wasn’t our biggest problem. Thankfully Marcus reined the conversation in, bringing it back to more important things. “Do you have news of Lucian?”
The god stretched, folding his arms behind his head. “Well, I got as close as I could. Something’s different this time around.”
Apollo frowned. I didn’t like it when gods frowned—usually it meant something really, really bad. “What do you mean?”
“I could only get so close. Something barred me from getting among them, even barred my nymphs.” He wiggled his toes. “No ward can do that. Only another god.”
“I don’t understand,” I said. “How could another god block you?”
“A powerful one can, little Apollyon.” Dionysus winked one all-white eye. “It would be like hitting an invisible wall. The First and the pure-blood are well protected.”
“Hermes?” Marcus said, rubbing his jaw thoughtfully.
Dionysus snorted. “Hermes couldn’t pull something like that off.”
“Who could?” Solos asked, gaze shrewd.
“One of the core,” Dionysus answered with a smirk.
“What do you mean?” Luke leaned forward in his chair, dropping his arms over his knees. “‘One of the core’?”
The god spared him a brief glance. “There’s a social… or political structure to things in Olympus—a ranking by power.”
Across the room, Laadan cleared her throat. Beside her, Olivia remained quiet. She hadn’t spoken since asking about Caleb earlier. I had kept his promise, as much as it sucked.
“Can you give us a little more detail?” Laadan asked politely. “I believe this is something that we are unaware of.”
“Not really,” Apollo answered. “You modeled your Councils after Olympus, with each Council having a leader, so to speak. Olympus is the same.”
My curiosity swelled. “So who is the core?”
Dionysus might not have had pupils, but I was pretty sure that, when his head swung back to me, he was staring at my chest. And I was also sure that Aiden believed so, too, considering the way he stiffened.
“Zeus and Hera, followed by the ever-popular Apollo and his sister Artemis, then Ares and Athena,” Dionysus answered. “Last but not least, Hades and Poseidon. They are the most powerful gods and the only ones who could pull that off.”
“Well it’s not Hades. He wanted to take me to the Underworld. And I doubt it was Poseidon since he went all water-god on Deity Island.”
Aiden slid Apollo a look.
The sun god’s eyes narrowed. “Yeah, like it’s me.”
“Could really be any of them,” Dionysus said, and then yawned loudly. “They’d have to be fooling everyone, so they could’ve fooled even us.” He shrugged as if none of this was a big deal. “It is what it is.”
“Did you sense anything?” Apollo’s hands closed at his sides when Dionysus shook his head. “Did you see anything that might tell us who the god was? Anything?”
“Really wasn’t looking for that. You told me to see how many that idiot pure-blood had with him, and I did.”
A muscle popped in Apollo’s jaw and he all but growled, “So what did you see?”
“Nothing good.”
“Details,” Apollo said, exhaling through his nose. “Details.”
I wondered if Dionysus was drunk or high. My gaze caught Deacon’s on the other end of the couch, and I could tell he was thinking the same thing. Even Lea, who was sitting on the arm beside Deacon, was giving Dionysus a what the hell look.
“He has damn near close to a thousand half-blood Sentinels and Guards, maybe more. Plus, he’s surrounded by some sort of inner circle—other pures. And it gets even better.” He paused, and I knew it was for dramatic effect. “There were mortals with him.”
My mouth dropped open. “What?”
“Soldiers,” Dionysus replied. “Mortal soldiers—like the ‘Be all that you can be’ kind of soldiers. There were probably about five hundred of them.”
I almost fell off the desk.
“How is that possible?” Lea demanded. Then she squeezed her eyes shut, features pinched. “He’s using a compulsion.”
“No.” Marcus shook his head as he turned to Apollo. “No pure-blood could control that many mortals. Not even if he had a hundred pures surrounding him.”
“It’s the god.” Apollo looked disgusted.
My stomach heaved at the thought. Using mortals like that was wrong on so many levels. They’d never survive a fight against a Sentinel or Guard, no matter how many guns they had. We were simply so much faster and better trained. Mortals would be canon fodder and nothing more. It was revolting.
Anger filled the room, so thick I could practically taste it.
“I don’t get it.” Deacon ran a hand over his head, clasping the back of his neck. “How is the mortal world not paying attention to something like that?”
“One of the mortals must be high up in the army, someone who can make that kind of call and give some sort of reason.” Apollo’s lips thinned. “At least that’s what I’d do.”
“And they could’ve called some sort of state of emergency,” Marcus added. “No part of the U.S. has gone completely unscathed, and I’m beginning to wonder if this god even cares about exposure.”
Aiden gripped the edge of the desk. “I think it’s obvious that the risk of exposure isn’t important. Hell, maybe it’s even planned.”
All eyes turned on him.
“Think about it. Why else would a god be orchestrating all of this? Or going along with what Lucian wants?�
� Aiden asked. “To take out the gods and then what—rule Olympus? Or rule Olympus and the mortal realm?”
A shiver raced across my shoulders. My wildest imagination couldn’t even fathom what it would be like if the world knew that gods did exist—and on top of that, if the world ended up being ruled by one.
“We can’t let that happen,” I said.
Apollo’s eyes met mine. “No. We can’t.”
I averted my gaze, because right now I didn’t want to think about what stopping this god meant. I cleared my throat. “I wonder if Lucian and Seth even know.”
“Does it matter?” Lea asked, snotty as ever.
My lips quirked at her tone. “I guess it doesn’t, but you have to wonder who’s using who. And what will happen to them in the end if the god is successful. Does he plan to keep them around or get rid of them? Do they even have a clue?”
Most of the people in the room couldn’t care less—that much was apparent—but Marcus strode over to where I sat and leaned against the desk on the other side of me. “I doubt they know. In a way, no matter what they have been responsible for, it is tragic.”
“It will be tragic if they succeed.” Dionysus stood and stretched his arms over his head. “Well, I’m out.”
Apollo nodded and Dionysus bowed to the room, sweeping his arms out to the sides with a flourish. And then he was gone.
I shook my head. “Okay. Who else thinks he was high as a kite?”
Hands went up across the room and I grinned.
“So, we’re leaving tomorrow morning for the University?” Olivia asked as she pulled on a springy curl. “Don’t you think that, if this god is so conniving and smart, he’s figured out that Alex will be going there? I mean, even if he’s using Lucian and Seth for his ultimate evil plans, he’s still going to need Alex, right? Because he’s probably controlling Seth, or wants to.”
Everyone grew quiet and I felt like a little ant under a magnifying glass.
I glanced at Apollo, but he was staring at the globe on the desk.
“Making any move is going to be as dangerous as sitting here,” Marcus said finally. “But in South Dakota, we will be safer.”
“Alex will be safer there, too,” Luke murmured, staring at his hands.
I opened my mouth, but Lea spoke. “Well, I think our job is to make sure that Seth and this god don’t get to Alex.”
My mouth really dropped open.
She smiled smartly at me. “Can’t have you going all psycho-Alex again and ending the world as we know it.”
“She has a point.” Deacon grinned.
I narrowed my eyes. “Wait. Guys, I don’t want—”
“What?” Aiden nudged me with his elbow. “You don’t want us having your back?”
“That’s not what this is.” I stared at Apollo, but damn, that globe fascinated him. “If there’s going to be a god gunning for my butt—”
“It is a nice butt,” Aiden murmured as he studied the toes of his boots. A small grin was on his face.
I stared at him a moment. “Plus Seth is out looking for me, this… this is going to be really dangerous. I don’t want you guys risking your lives for me.”
Lea snorted. “Damn, Alex, your ego is out of control. You know me. I’d sooner throw you in front of a daimon any other day, but if keeping you away from them means saving millions of lives, then I’m on your team. So this is bigger than you.”
“I know this is bigger than me.” My cheeks burned, and Deacon’s idiot grin wasn’t helping. “And I know you’d toss me in front of a daimon, but I don’t want to see any of you get hurt.”
“Everyone here knows the risks, Alex.” Marcus’ voice was stern, reminding me of the days back in the Covenant when he’d spent the majority of his time yelling at me. “No one is being forced to do this.”
“And none of us would do anything else.” Olivia offered a tentative smile. “All of us have lost people because of what’s happening. We all have reasons to make sure this stops and doesn’t happen again.”
“Even me,” Deacon said. “I haven’t gotten my regular twelve hours of sleep since all of this went down, and that is damn tragic.”
Aiden rolled his eyes.
“Everyone is ready to fight.” Laadan crossed the room, smiling as stood next to Marcus. “This isn’t just your battle.”
“It was never just your battle,” Solos corrected.
“In other words,” Marcus said, his jade-colored eyes meeting mine, “you’re not in this alone. You never were.”
“And you’re not going to be,” Aiden finished quietly.
Wow. I think I sort of loved everyone in this room right now, even Lea. Tears burned my eyes, and I tipped my head forward so no one could see. The thing was that, ever since I realized how all of this could end—probably would end—I’d never felt more alone. But sitting here, hearing them…
“Group hug time?” Deacon suggested.
“Shut up,” I said, but I laughed.
Aiden slid an arm around my shoulders and tipped me toward him. Right in front of the entire room full of halfs, pures, and a god, he kissed my temple. “You’re just going to have to accept that this isn’t going to just be you. It’s going to be all of us.”
I lifted my head and looked at all of them, at a loss as to what to say.
Luke smiled. “I know. We’re awesome.”
I laughed again.
“And we were born to do this,” Olivia said, shrugging. “We’d be doing this in a month or so, anyway. We’re ready.”
Lea slid Olivia a grin that said she was more than ready. “Bring it.”
CHAPTER 29
I’d only gotten a few hours of sleep by the time the sun broke through the blinds the next morning. Listening to everyone tell me they were ready to face whatever was thrown our way… even hours later, I still couldn’t find the right words for how much it meant. But an unseen weight also had settled on my shoulders and it’d grown overnight, pressing me straight down through the mattress. I couldn’t stop any of them—and I wouldn’t just like they wouldn’t stop me—but a thousand things raced through my head.
And the main thoughts centered on any of them losing their lives in this. So many had already perished, and no matter how Positive Polly I tried to be, I knew deep in my core that something terrible, something violent, waited in the future. Death had come long before they’d pledged to see this through, and it was on the other side of the door, or in another state, waiting patiently, because nothing was as unwavering as Death. It probably had the most time in the world.
Even though I knew what awaited them—awaited us all—in the Underworld, I couldn’t bear the idea of seeing any of them fall. If I could, I’d seal them all up in the cage downstairs, even Aiden. No doubt that wouldn’t go over well, but I knew that, between what Apollo needed of me, what Solaris had warned, and how far gone Seth seemed to be, this would end in disaster.
When Aiden shifted beside me and dropped an arm over my waist, I grimaced. “Sorry.”
He snuggled closer. “About what?”
“I kept waking you up.” I pressed back against him, looking over my shoulder. Two silvery eyes peered from behind a mess of dark hair. “I know I did.”
“Not that much.” Aiden rose up on one arm. His body was relaxed, but concern radiated in his gaze. “How much did you sleep?”
I thought about lying, but I shook my head, and then wiggled onto my back. “We’re leaving in a few hours.”
Aiden nodded as his eyes searched mine.
Twisting my fingers together, I tried to smile. “How long will we be on the road?”
“We’re looking at about ten hours.”
Yikes. “Deacon’s riding with us?”
“Yes. So are Luke and Marcus. Solos is taking the girls.”
Something stirred restlessly in the pit of my stomach. I didn’t want to name it. “You think that’s okay?”
Aiden placed his hand over mine, stilling them. “Olivia and Lea are ver
y good. You know that.”
They were. Especially Lea—she was like She-Ra. And Solos and Marcus had gone out earlier, picking up two throwaway cell phones to help us keep in communication.
“And you know Solos will never let anything happen to them. Neither will Laadan.” As he spoke, he eased my hands apart and threaded his fingers through mine. “We have six hundred miles of no man’s land to get through. We’re going to be okay.”
That thing in my stomach tipped over. “I’m not afraid.”
“I didn’t say that you were.”
My eyes narrowed.
Aiden cracked a grin. “But you are.”
“I’m—”
“Do I need to find a sensory deprivation chamber again?” When my cheeks flushed at the memory, his grin spread into a full smile. Deep dimples appeared and, instead of my stomach tumbling, my heart did. “It’s okay, Alex.”
“What is?” My voice sounded terribly fragile, and normally I would’ve hated that, especially considering I was this big bad Apollyon, but with Aiden, I didn’t need to pretend. Sometimes I forgot that, though.
“To be afraid, Alex, it’s okay. What we’re facing is some scary… shit.”
I smiled then. “You cussed.”
“I did.”
My smile quickly faded though, because we were facing some scary shit. Crap that Aiden didn’t even know the half of. “Are you scared?”
For a moment, he didn’t answer. All that could be heard were the slow, steady ticking of the ancient wall clock and the distant chirping of the birds outside the rustic log walls. “Yes.”
Hearing him admit that was both relieving and frightening. “You’re never afraid.”
Aiden shook his head, his smile slipping into a wry one. “You know that’s not true. There’re a lot of things that terrify me, Alex.”
I met his eyes. “Tell me.”
Stretching out beside me, he tugged me over so my cheek was pressed against his chest. “I’m afraid that Deacon is going to get hurt… or worse. I’m afraid that we will lose more people.” There was a pause and his heart picked up under my cheek. “I’m terrified of what you’re going to face—what you have to do and how it’s going to affect you.”
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