The Power (Titan #2)

by Jennifer L. Armentrout

  Then he had left me.

  The mood in the living room was tense, even after Luke had explained that Seth hadn’t injured him, had even seemed regretful of his actions. The same with Gable, who was currently holed up in his room. It didn’t change the outcome though.

  I sat on the couch, beside Alex, as everyone debated what to do next. Alex and Aiden wanted to continue to Canada to retrieve Demeter’s daughter and let Herc deal with the runaway Seth issue when he returned. Deacon and Luke were mostly quiet, and no one really asked for my input.

  Probably a good thing, because I’d spent the better part of the day absolutely numb and riddled with guilt. I shouldn’t have let them put Seth in that room, or at least, not by himself. My instincts had urged me to stay with him, but I’d caved to the advice of others without saying anything. That was weak, and I’d failed him.

  I was a pretty big fail when I punched him after he admitted what he done. Granted, he’d deserved that, but when he apologized and when he’d asked me if this was it, I’d said nothing. The only thing I could do at this point was to move forward. Not without him. No. Never without him.

  Where could he have gone, and where could he be going? I racked my brain the entire morning and afternoon, latching onto the mystery so I didn’t slip into a soul-crushing downward spiral. And I was so close to doing that, wanting nothing more than to throw myself face-first onto the bed and sob until there was nothing left in my body.

  “So, you guys are totally okay with letting Herc handle things with Seth?” Deacon asked, leaning against the fireplace I doubted was ever used. “We’re just going to forget about him?”

  Aiden looked over at him. “We’re not forgetting him, but we have to find the rest of the demigods before the Titans do. Atlas might be gone, but the rest aren’t.”

  “I think we need to find Seth,” his brother challenged. “We need him when they do come back, especially since he’s all kinds of special sauce right now. I don’t want to see what happened to . . . to Solos happen to anyone else.”

  “I don’t want that either.” Twisting the heavy length of hair in her hands, Alex shook her head. “We need the other demigods to defeat the Titans.”

  Luke cocked his head to the side. “Agreed, but we need Seth too. We need as much firepower on our side as we can muster, and he has the ultimate power, by the looks of it.”

  “But . . .” Alex looked over at me, trailing off. Her shoulders tensed and she appeared to choose her words carefully. “I don’t think Seth is going to be of a lot of help right now.”

  Deacon’s lips pursed. “You know, I’m just going to address the two-hundred-pound Apollyon God Killer elephant in the room.”

  His brother arched a brow.

  “What you all are not saying is that you think Seth’s gone all dark side again, right? That he’s hopped up on aether and is going to go on a killing binge again, but like a legit, ‘kill everything in his path’ spree this time. That’s what you’re not saying,” he said, eyes narrowing. “But the thing is, Seth immobilized Luke and Gable, but he didn’t hurt them, and you all know damn well, if he’d wanted to hurt them, he would’ve.”

  Deacon paused, looking at me. I’d told them earlier that Seth had seen me before he’d left. Of course, I didn’t go into details about what we had done, because seriously, that would be a little TMI, but I’d told them that he’d seemed normal. Which was true. Needless to say, Alex and Aiden both had looked at me like they doubted my sanity since I hadn’t alerted anyone to the fact Seth was roaming around.

  “And he didn’t hurt Josie,” Deacon continued. “He didn’t feed off her. He basically stayed with her until she slept, said goodbye to her, and then left. Does that sound like an out of control, aether-sucking killer Apollyon?”

  “Try saying that fast,” murmured Luke.

  “He lost his shit because of what happened to Solos. Can we really blame him for that? None of us were hurt. We need to find him,” Deacon stated, his chin lifting. “Before he does turn into that and starts blowing up islands or something.”

  I stiffened. What had Deacon just said? Blowing up islands? Holy crappers, the islands. I blinked. Would Seth really go home? He hadn’t been there since he’d been sent to the Covenant in the UK as a teen, but he’d talked of wanting to go back there. He’d mentioned it once, but to even speak of a place that had been so cold to him, it had to be important. It was a wild guess, completely out there, but it was a very real possibility. His family home was surrounded by nothing by trees and sand. He would be alone there, away from everyone. But would he go that far, halfway around the world? Would he go to that kind of extreme?

  Deep down, I just knew he would. Call it intuition, but I just knew I was right.

  “I think I know where he’s gone.” I stood up, thrusting my hands through my hair and then dropping them to my sides. All eyes were on me. “I can find him.” Determination filled me. “I’m going to find him.”

  “Where?” Luke asked, attentive.

  Glancing around the room, I exhaled slowly. “I think he’s gone to the Cyclades Islands.”

  “What?” Alex frowned.

  “That’s where he was born, and his home is still there. I can’t tell you how I know that. I don’t even know, but I just do. He’s gone there.”

  Aiden looked away, his silver eyes flashing as he crossed his arms over his chest. Without saying a thing, I knew he so wasn’t on board with this plan. Not my problem.

  Deacon glanced at Luke, who nodded. “We’re in.”

  His older brother’s eyes narrowed. “I don’t think that’s wise. You saw him. You saw how unstable he is.”

  “I’ve also seen how he’s been the whole entire time he’s been here,” Deacon argued. “So I think my decision is completely wise.”

  Alex unfurled her leg, and her shoulders rose with a deep breath. “I’m going to have to agree with Aiden on this.”

  “Of course you do,” muttered Deacon. “I mean, when wouldn’t you agree with him?”

  Aiden snorted. “Uh, like all the damn time?”

  She narrowed her eyes at Aiden and then turned to me. “I know you have seen a . . . a different side to Seth. I get that, but you don’t know what he’s capable of—”

  “And you do?” I fired back without really thinking about it, because of course she knew what he was capable of.

  “Yes,” she replied quietly, confirming what I already knew. “We all know what he’s capable of. You don’t. And I’m not trying to be a douche canoe by pointing that out, but it’s the truth. Seth can be and is incredibly dangerous, even when he’s chill, but now that he’s a God Killer most likely jonesing for aether? You have no idea how bad it is.”

  Irritation prickled along the back of my skull, and the rustling of papers on the desk broke the silence. “He’s not the same person you knew.”

  Alex opened her mouth.

  “No. He’s not, Alex. He’s not the Apollyon who was tricked by Lucian and Ares. He’s not the same person who got all those people killed. He’s not the man who was willing to play second best to another.” The room went silent. Crickets could be heard. Alex flinched, but I kept going, my words razor-sharp and clear. “I’m not saying he’s all forgiven or that he’s perfect. He’s not. I know that. But he’s Seth. He’s not just the sum of only half of what he’s done. He’s whole and he’s not going to be referred to from here on out as the God Killer. That is not who he is. And he needs help, and because I love him—because I’m in love with him—I’m going to help him instead of giving up on him.” I looked between her and Aiden. “I’m pretty sure that’s something you two are familiar with, right? You two didn’t give up on each other. Not once.”

  “Mic drop,” murmured Deacon.

  Aiden shook his head as he stepped forward, unfolding his arms. “It’s not the same thing, Josie.”

  “It is the same thing,” his brother challenged, silver eyes brightening. He threw his hands up. “You didn’t give up on Alex
, and she was legit trying to kill us. None of us did. So why would we give up on Seth?”

  Alex pursed her lips as she walked over to where Aiden stood. They stood side by side, a formidable sight. “We’re not asking you to give up on him.”

  “You’re not? Because I’m pretty sure you all are totally on board with Herc capturing him. And why would you all want to capture and cage him?” The papers stirred again, and I forced myself to calm down. “If my father or any of the gods truly think he’s a threat, they’re going to amp up on finding how to . . .” A knot formed in the base of my throat. “They’re going to find a way to destroy him. And that’s why he would be caged—held until they find a way. That’s not just giving up on him, but that’s helping them murder him.”

  “I don’t want that,” Alex argued, her hands curling into fists at her sides. “I know it’s hard to believe, but I care about Seth too.”

  Heat poured into my chest. I was woman enough to admit I still didn’t like hearing that. Nope. Nope. Nope.

  “I will always care about him,” she added, meeting and holding my gaze. “But we have Titans running around gaining strength, and if they enter Olympus, it’s over for all of us. We need to focus on finding the other demigods.”

  “We need Seth to help defeat them.” I was seconds away from stomping my feet. “And you know where Demeter’s daughter is. You two can go with Herc and get her. Deacon and Luke can help with finding the other demigods.” Stepping back, I fisted my hands until my knuckles ached. “Honestly, I don’t care what you end up doing. I don’t need your blessing or permission,” I told the two demigods. “And if you’re smart, you’re not going to try to stop me. So either you’re going to help me or you’re going to stay out of my way.”

  Luke let out a low whistle and said, “We will do whatever you need us to do. We’re not giving up on him.”

  I waited.

  Truth was, Alex and Aiden were both super-strong. They might not be able to stop me, but I wasn’t sure. I had more aether in me, but they both knew how to use their physical strength a hell of a lot more than I did. I needed them on my side. I needed them to not run to Herc or my father and tell them where Seth might be, but if I couldn’t get them . . .

  “I will do anything to protect Seth,” I warned, my voice low. Both of them looked over at me sharply. Understanding flared in their features. “Anything.”

  Aiden lifted his chin. “And what if he is where you think he is and you find him, and he’s not . . . not the same, Josie?”

  Cold air drilled into my chest, reminding me so very much of Hyperion’s touch. I shuddered. Right now, I couldn’t let myself think of that and I wouldn’t let myself think of the possibility of Seth being unreachable. I refused to even consider the idea, because I could get to him. I could help him. “That’s not what’s going to happen, Aiden.”

  He looked away, a muscle feathering along his jaw. Silence stretched out between us, feeling like an eternity. My shoulders tensed. I fully expected them to argue with me more.

  “Okay,” Alex said, reaching down and wrapping her hand around Aiden’s. He squeezed her hand, and my chest clenched. “We’re in.”

  Deacon smiled.

  Beside him, Luke lifted his chin quietly.

  Aiden nodded and then lowered his head to Alex’s, brushing his lips across her cheek. “You’re right,” he said after a moment, lifting his silvery gaze to mine. “We owe Seth. We owe him big.”

  And I exhaled roughly, caught up in a mixture of triumph and exhaustion. I didn’t have time for either, because I needed every ounce of strength and determination I had in me. Because I was going after Seth, and I wouldn’t rest or give up until he was where he belonged.

  Standing beside me.

  Acknowledgements

  A huge thank you to the following people for making the book possible: Kevan Lyon, my agent of awesome; Kate Kaynak for acquiring the Covenant Series all those years ago, which made the Titan Series possible; Rich Storrs for editing through the mess that was my first draft and having the patience to do so; and a huge thank you to the team at Spencer Hill Press. Thank you to K.P Simmons, and to my assistant/BFF Stacey Morgan. A special thank you to Drew Leighty for letting us plaster his face and other parts all over the covers, and for bringing Seth to life. None of this would be possible with you, the reader. Because of you, this book happened. There aren’t enough thank yous in the world.

  Don’t miss the thrilling first book in the Titan series:

  A novel of danger, Gods and Titans . . . and an

  electric love story which will send you reeling.

  A year ago, Seth made a deal with the gods – and pledged his

  life to them. Now, Apollo has a task for Seth: one which sees

  him playing protector over a beautiful, feisty girl who’s strictly

  off-limits. And for someone who has a problem with restraint,

  this assignment might be Seth’s most challenging yet.

  Josie has no idea what this crazy hot guy’s deal is, but he

  arrives in her life just as everything she’s ever known is turned

  upside down. Either she’s going insane, or a nightmare

  straight out of ancient myth is heading her way.

  Josie can’t decide which is more dangerous: an angry Titan

  seeking vengeance? Or the golden-eyed, secretive Seth – and

  the white-hot attraction developing between them . . .

  ISBN 978 1 473 61157 3

  Available from Hodder in paperback and eBook