The Power (Titan #2)

by Jennifer L. Armentrout

  “Jackson?” murmured Josie.

  I shook my head. That wasn’t something she needed to know about me. Hell, she already knew enough bad shit about me.

  My gaze met Colin’s. He held it for a moment and then lowered his. He knew who the two punks were, and I had a feeling he’d be more than happy to tell me. I was going to have a little chat with him later. “So, they know you’re a demigod then?”

  She nodded. “Sorry?”

  “You don’t need to apologize.” I curled my hand around the nape of her neck and squeezed gently. “You defended yourself. You did the right thing.”

  “Agreed,” Marcus stated. “No one was injured. If anything, she scared the two boys.”

  Her lips twitched at that.

  “It’s going to get out, probably very fast.” Marcus shifted his weight as he lifted his chin. “This was bound to happen, and I don’t think it’s going to cause many problems. If anything, it will keep the foolish ones away from her.”

  That much was true, but that did mean she would be treated like some kind of prized pony, where everyone would be staring at her. I didn’t want that for her.

  “Well, it really isn’t a big deal then?” Solos ran a hand over his head, straightening the knot of hair he’d pulled back from his face. “Here I was thinking she set someone on fire.”

  Josie’s lips pursed. “I only almost did that once.”

  Behind the bench, Colin’s eyes widened. Good. Josie was hot. Literally. After a few moments, with promises from Colin that he wasn’t going to say anything, everyone split off. Solos went with Marcus to inform him of our scouting, which wasn’t much of anything. There’d been no daimons nearby, but the strangest damn thing was the absolute absence of any animal or bird. That wasn’t exactly normal and we didn’t really know what the hell that meant.

  I walked Josie back into her room, and once inside I stripped off the Covenant daggers and the titanium-loaded Glock, placing them on her coffee table.

  “Are you really okay?” I asked her, tugging my shirt out of the tactical pants. “And not pretending like something else didn’t happen?”

  “I wouldn’t pretend that something didn’t happen.”

  Bullshit. Since I woke up in the infirmary after her demigod powers had unlocked, she’d been telling me that she really didn’t remember her time with Hyperion, and I knew that was a lie.

  Her nightmares confirmed that.

  “Are you okay?” she asked, walking into the bedroom.

  “Huh?”

  She sat down on the bed and toed her shoes off. “Are you okay?” she repeated as she pulled her sweatshirt off, tossing it on the floor.

  “Yeah.” I leaned against the doorframe. “Why are you asking that?”

  She raised a shoulder. “You were just kind of . . . distant during training and whatnot. Just making sure you’re fine.”

  My gaze dipped to where she wiggled her toes. Last night I’d slept in my own room, needing the space to clear my head and get the residual anger out. It hadn’t felt right being with her when I knew I really didn’t care if I killed that kid or not.

  Didn’t feel right being here right now.

  But this was where I was at, and I didn’t plan on changing that at the moment. Leaving was what a decent person would’ve done.

  “I’m okay,” I said finally. “So, you scared those pures?”

  She grinned as she nodded. “Dude, they got up and ran. And I mean, they ran. It kind of felt awesome.”

  I chuckled as I pushed out of the doorway. “Aren’t you a little badass.”

  “I was totally a badass. Like, I felt like a . . .” She paused, her mouth soundlessly moving as I pulled my shirt over my head.

  My grin was slow, indulgent, as her gaze dropped and roamed over my bare chest and stomach. I kicked off my boots, along with my socks. “What were you saying, Josie?”

  Shaking her head, she blinked rapidly. “I . . . I hadn’t meant to use the air element, though. I was going for water.”

  “Not surprised.”

  “Ass.”

  Stretching out on my side beside her, I winked. “What? Hey. At least you successfully used an element without doing serious damage.”

  “Oh. Wow. Is that supposed to be a compliment?”

  “Sure. If that makes you feel good about yourself.”

  She rolled her eyes. “You’re such a charmer.”

  “It’s what I excel at best.” I snagged her hand and tugged her down beside me. “On a serious note, you okay with people around here finding out what you are?”

  Her nose scrunched. Gods, I still found that cute as hell. “I guess. I mean, I don’t really have an option at this point. What do you think?”

  “I think it will be okay.” I slipped my finger under the strap of her tank top. “And if not, if you get mad, you’ll just blow them all away while trying to drown them.”

  “Shut up,” she laughed.

  “Or maybe one of Apollo’s powers will surface, and you’ll turn them into bushes that smell like cat pee.” I worked the strap down, baring the white, lacy strap of her bra. “That’s what he always threatens to do to me.”

  “Nice.” Pink flooded her cheeks and her eyes brightened with arousal. “How . . . how were things outside the walls?”

  “Boring,” I murmured, easing the white strap down. “No daimons or shades.”

  Her chest rose sharply. “That’s good news, right?”

  “Yeah.” I moved on to the tank top again, easing it further down her arm until the cup of her bra was exposed. The heavy swell of her breast strained against lacy edging in such a mouth-watering way. “There weren’t any animals, though. None. Come to think of it,” I said, dragging my finger along that lace, “I didn’t hear any insects either.”

  “That’s weird.” Her breath caught as the back of my hand brushed along the front of her bra. “What could that mean?”

  I lifted my gaze, smiling slightly when I saw that her eyes were closed. “Not sure. Solos is going to keep an eye on it.”

  “Sounds like a plan.” Her hand found its way to my lower stomach. I was already hard. Seemed like I was permanently that way around her, but her mere touch caused me to thicken. “I went to the library again today.”

  “Find out anything?” I reached around and found the clasp on her bra. With a flick of my fingers, the cups loosened.

  “No,” she said, her voice barely above a whisper. “I don’t think I’m ever going to find her.”

  I drew my hand back to her front, hooking my fingers around the center of her bra. I tugged it down and the rosy, tight peaks came into view. Glorious.

  Easing her onto her back, I shifted down and brought my mouth to her breast. With a sharp gasp, her shoulders pressed into the bed as her back arched. Cupping her breast with my other hand, I ran my thumb over the tight nipple. She moaned as she threaded her fingers through my hair.

  “Maybe . . . maybe she doesn’t exist,” she said, her voice husky in a sexy way.

  “You’ll find her.” My voice was thicker, rougher when I lifted my head, staring down at my handiwork. My lips curled up on one side. “She’s got to be there somewhere.”

  Josie didn’t respond. She was breathing hard and fast. I felt her fingers working my belt loose, and then the button. The zipper went down next and then she halted, the tips of her fingers stopped at the band of my briefs.

  She was still hesitant. Like she didn’t know if she was doing the right thing, which blew my mind, because when it came to this, there was nothing she could do wrong.

  Not a damn thing.

  I lowered my mouth to hers as I drew the briefs down my hips and then reached between us, folding my hand over hers. I pressed her palm against my length, and there was no stopping the groan. Her fingers curled around me, and my jaw locked down as raw sensation pounded through my veins. Her hand began to move. Our tongues tangled, and the taste and feel of her nearly overcame me. She quivered under me, the movement of her
hand growing more confident with each stroke.

  There was another part of her I wanted to taste again. Thank the gods she was wearing loose sweats, and it took nothing for me to slip my hand in them and get—

  “I see your glyphs,” Josie whispered, her voice awed.

  A fissure of power curled down my spine. More glyphs bled to the surface of my skin, shifting and forming different symbols, a response to the presence of a god.

  I jerked back. “Shit.”

  “Seth.” Apollo’s voice boomed from the living room. “You have got to be kidding me.”

  Chapter 7

  Blood drained from Josie’s face and then rushed back up from her neck, flooding her cheeks in scarlet.

  “Don’t come in here!” she shrieked. Her hand tightened on my cock, which really wasn’t helping things. “Don’t you dare come in here!”

  “Wasn’t planning to,” Apollo replied, and a second later, it sounded like he’d thrown himself onto the small couch.

  Groaning, I eased her hand away from my dick and rolled to the side. I helped her fix her bra and top before pushing off the bed.

  “You two are taking really long in there,” Apollo commented.

  “Really? Do you have some kind of sick sense for this?” I tucked myself back in and pulled up my zipper. Apollo was the damn God of Cock Blocking, and one of his powers was delivering blue balls. “Gods.”

  “It’s not my fault that every time I come to visit, you’re trying to get with my daughter.”

  “Oh my God.” Josie shot to her feet and smacked her hands over her face. “This is so weird and so not cool. I’m going to need years of therapy because of this.”

  “You and me both,” I muttered, fixing my belt.

  Apollo snorted from the living room. “You could definitely benefit from therapy, Seth, and it has nothing to do with this.”

  Lifting my head, my hands stilled at the belt while my lips pursed.

  Josie grabbed her hooded sweatshirt and tugged it on over her head. She glanced at me. “I can still see your glyphs.” Her voice was low as she touched my chest with the tip of her finger, tracing the design. “It’s beautiful.”

  I caught her hand and lifted it to my mouth. I kissed her palm. “As soon as he leaves, we’re starting over.”

  “I heard that,” Apollo said, huffing. “And it makes me want to ensure that starting over leads nowhere for you.”

  “Oh my God,” Josie whispered.

  I rolled my eyes as I snatched up my shirt and pulled it on. “Ready?”

  She looked like she wanted to say no, but she nodded. She was still getting used to the whole Apollo being her dad thing. It had to be weird for her, especially since she had known him briefly as a child. He’d gone by the name Bob then. Bob. For real. And used to bring her dolls and candy. Apparently Apollo wasn’t aware that he’d rate high on the “stranger danger” scale.

  It also couldn’t help that Apollo didn’t look old enough to be her father, since he appeared to be in his mid to late twenties.

  Placing my hand on her lower back, I walked with her into the living room. Apollo’s large frame took up the entire couch. He was a big guy. Almost seven feet tall and broad. He looked like himself today. Blond hair. Blue eyes identical to Josie’s.

  In other words, he didn’t look like a freak.

  Josie gave him an awkward little wave. “Hey.”

  He smiled at her, and I was struck once more by the genuine warmth in his gaze and expression. Until Josie, I honestly didn’t think Apollo had a large emotional compass. It was obvious he cared about Alex, but even then it didn’t appear to run that deep.

  Apollo rose fluidly. “I have not been able to visit you as much as I have wanted,” he said in way of an apology for his continued absentee parenting style.

  “I understand.” Josie clasped her hands together. “I know being around me weakens you. And I . . . I know you’re busy doing, um, god stuff.”

  I smirked. I was sure Apollo was busy screwing everything that walked, which was also how most of the gods spent their time, because if they were actually doing something useful, the world would end.

  Then he looked at me, and his expression returned to the bored indifference I was familiar with. “Is there something you’d like to add, Seth?”

  I arched a brow. “Nope.”

  He eyed me in a way that made it obvious he was briefly considering knocking me through the wall. “I would love to stay, but I cannot be here for very long.” He turned his attention back to his daughter. “I do have news.”

  That was surprising. Usually he just popped in and out for no real reason whatsoever.

  “Good news or bad news?” Josie asked.

  Apollo smiled faintly. “I would say it is good news.”

  Tension eased out of her as she exhaled softly. “Well, that’s good to hear.”

  “What’s up?” I asked, folding my arms and thinking it better be awesome good news considering what he interrupted.

  “It is imperative that we find the remaining demigods before the Titans do, but until recently, it would have been like looking for a long-haired cat in a room full of Himalayan cats.”

  Like looking for what in what?

  Josie’s brow wrinkled as her mouth opened, and then she snapped it shut. She gave a little shake of her head.

  He continued on. “Since most of my brethren had not kept . . . tabs on their offspring, it could take us years to locate them. We do not have the luxury.”

  “I’m guessing you’ve discovered another way to locate them?”

  His eyes narrowed. “Don’t steal my thunder, Seth.”

  I rolled my eyes. “By all means, please continue then.”

  “Thank you for your permission,” he countered drolly. “I’ve discovered that there is something that can sense out a demigod, even if their abilities are locked and hidden away.”

  “Really?” Josie sat on the arm of the chair next to the coffee table. “Please tell me it’s not something I need that librarian for, because I’m pretty sure she’s, like, left the country or something.”

  His lips tipped up on the corners. “She is still around, but she is . . . how do I put this? Shy? Keep looking for her. You will find her.” He tilted his head to the side. “But no, you do not need her for this. What we need is another demigod.”

  My brows inched up. “Wait. That isn’t particularly helpful. We don’t have another demigod other than Josie. Unless she can sense them out.”

  “She can’t sense them out,” he replied.

  “I couldn’t even sense you when you showed up,” she said, shoulders slumping. “Why don’t I get some kind of cool internal warning system?”

  “You do.” Apollo turned the icy-blue stare on me. “But you’re new at this and I’m going to hazard a guess here and say you were too distracted to recognize what you were feeling.”

  I smiled at him, the kind of smile I knew he hated.

  “Oh,” Josie murmured from where she was perched. “That’s kind of awkward.”

  “Anyway.” Impatience colored his tone, and of course, it was directed at me. Whatever. “An original demigod can sense other ones. They actually have some kind of internal homing signal. Has to do with the amount of aether and recognizing the similarity.”

  “Huh.” Josie glanced over at me, her eyes widening as our gazes locked, and I did everything to hide my smile.

  “Once we get a demigod down here, in this realm, it will take no time for the other demigods to be located,” Apollo explained. “The only hold-up is getting one of them here.”

  “Of course,” I murmured.

  He shot me a wry look. “It’s going to take some finagling. With the exception of our most recent offspring, demigods have been forbidden to enter the mortal realm for thousands of years. Their presence could have . . . consequences.”

  “Of course.” It was Josie who murmured that this time.

  “I do not like how similar you two are becoming,�
�� Apollo stated.

  Josie flushed. “What kind of consequences?”

  “Thank you for asking,” he returned, and I started wondering how much longer this conversation was going to take. “As you know, all lesser beings tied to Olympus are no longer allowed in the mortal realm.”

  “Except for pures, halfs, and Apollyons.” I paused. “And the occasional nymph and demigod.”

  “Exactly.” The intensity of his blue eyes heightened. “If we allow one of them to come through, there’s a chance that other . . . things will too.”

  “Like what?” Josie asked.

  “You know, the occasional Pegasus or Hydra. Maybe even a Minotaur. Ultimately nothing to be too concerned with.”

  “Hydra?” she squeaked. “Nothing to be too concerned with. Okay.”

  Apollo smiled as he nodded. “I should have the release of the demigod shortly. Still waiting on Hera to sign off on it, but she’s currently pissed at Zeus, and that’s slowing everything down.”

  I decided not to comment on that. “Okay. So what demigod are we talking about here?”

  His smile turned creepy, like hide-your-kids-level creepy. “You’ll see.” A shimmery blue light appeared over him. “Now I have to—”

  “Wait just a second. Please?” Josie rose. “How is Erin?”

  The shimmer around Apollo faded. “She is doing very well. I have a feeling you will be seeing her soon.”

  “What—”

  The blue shimmer increased around Apollo and within a heartbeat, he was gone.

  “—about my mother?” Josie finished, throwing up her arms as she twisted toward me. “Why does he always do that?”

  “I think it makes him feel cool or something.”

  “Well, it is kind of cool. I mean, he can pop in and out of, like, anywhere, but I really wish he had better timing.”

  I snorted. “You and me both. He’s the king of bad timing.”

  Josie smiled a little as she sat back down on the arm of the chair. “I wish he actually hung around so that I could ask him about Erin and my mom.” She paused, and her shoulders slumped. “Or, you know, spend time with me.”