looking everywhere all at once.
“Planes don’t fly over the area. Never have. And those who have seen it think it’s some rich private college with really exclusive admission criteria.” I shifted the strap on my shoulder. “Mortals see what they want to see. Never what’s really there.”
She looked at me sharply, but didn’t say anything.
In the circular structure up ahead, busts of the Olympian Twelve, including Ares, were carved into the sandstone pillars. When I glanced at Josie, her expression was floored, the surprise of someone unexpectedly transported to Greece. A small smile pulled at my lips. The building where the Council met did look like a Grecian amphitheater.
As we climbed the wide steps of the main building, she glanced around, spying the Sentinels who were not so covertly following us. A frown appeared as she looked at me. “You said this is a college, right? Where are all the students?”
“Good question. When we showed up, they probably had them all confined to their dorms.”
Her steps faltered. “Why?”
“They’ve been through a lot, Josie. They don’t trust anyone.”
She seemed to mull that over as we passed the statue of Themis. The scales she held were balanced. Before we reached the titanium double doors, they opened for us, spilling bright light out onto the veranda, and Josie drew up short, gasping.
Out of instinct, I moved closer to her, attaching myself to her hip since I couldn’t put her behind me when we had a shit ton of Sentinels breathing down our necks, and a shit ton standing in front of us, forming a loose line that prevented our entrance.
Every muscle in my body tensed as energy coiled tight inside me, ready to be unleashed if they made one wrong step toward us. “All of you are here to welcome us?” I drawled slowly. “I’m honored.”
None of the Sentinels replied. Nope. They were too restrained for that shit, and as my gaze flickered over them, I noted all of them were halfs and none of them looked like they were about to roll out the red carpet.
Josie shivered.
That pissed me off.
Anyone could take one look at the girl and know she was a hairsbreadth away from falling on her face. This shit wasn’t necessary.
But the wall of Sentinels parted as a tall pure strode between them, and it was the guy I was looking for. Looks could be deceiving when it came to this pure. He was Rambo in pressed khakis and could kick ass with the best of them. His dark-brown hair was styled back from his face, and while there were more lines around his startling green eyes and his mouth than I remembered, he looked as cool and calm as I recalled.
The only time I’d ever seen Marcus Andros lose his shit was when Apollo had told him that his niece had…that she had suffered a mortal death.
I’d been there. Chaos had reigned supreme. The Covenant in the Catskills had been burning to the ground, and in the glow of the unnatural fire, Marcus had punched me.
It had been the last time I’d seen him.
Behind him, I saw a familiar face. A Sentinel stood just off from the rest, his thick brown hair pulled back from a face only his mother could love, with a jagged scar cutting from one eye to the corner of his lips.
Solos Manolis.
I wasn’t surprised to see him here. From what I’d gathered, the main Council had been moved to the University since the Catskills had to be rebuilt. He wasn’t a bad dude—actually pretty legit. But he was part of a group that I wanted nothing to do with— the group that I knew was here. His father was also a pure, a well-respected one who had lobbied on behalf of the half-bloods for years. Solos had taken a seat on the Council—the very first half-blood to ever do so, taking the place of saint Aiden St. Delphi, who’d given up the prestigious spot.
Marcus’s cool gaze flickered from me to Josie, stayed there a moment, and then settled back on me. “Seth, this is… unexpected.”
“I know,” I replied, meeting his gaze. “We need to talk.”
The Dean of the Covenant stared at me for a moment and then he glanced at Josie. A long moment passed. “Yes. We do.”
CHAPTER
17
WITH WIDE unblinking eyes, I watched the elegant-looking man who was almost as tall as Seth pivot around on the heel of a polished loafer. “Follow me,” he ordered.
And he didn’t wait for us. Nodding to the man with a scar on his face, he kept walking, thankfully bypassing a huge spiral staircase I knew I would never be able to climb, since right now I felt like lying down in a fetal position and not moving for a month.
Every muscle ached and burned, and my body throbbed as I trudged along beside Seth, grateful when the very unhappy-looking people in all black kept their distance as they followed us through the absolutely awe-inspiring lobby.
I focused on the intricate designs etched into every square inch of the building, instead of letting my mind wander back to Missouri. If I did, I would be in that fetal position and I wouldn’t get out of it. Part of my heart had been shattered in Osborn, and I gathered every cord of strength I had in me to hold it together. So I focused on the drawings of tall men and women wearing togas, on the beautiful writing that had to be an ancient language, and on all the glossy white statues.
I’d never seen anything in my life like this, not even in museums.
The man crossed under another archway, down a narrow hallway, and then we entered a brightly lit common room with a large sofa and several armchairs. The scarred man followed, closing the door behind us before leaning against a wall that looked like sandstone.
Seth dropped our bags on the floor by the door, and I stopped. Dead on my feet, I swayed a little as the stranger moved to the center of the room, crossing his arms over his chest as he watched us.
Reaching down, Seth took my hand and led me to the couch, never taking his eyes off the men, but there was no missing the surprise that flickered across the older man’s face when his gaze dropped to our joined hands.
“Sit,” Seth said in a soft voice.
I was not going to argue with that. The moment my butt hit the thick cushions, it thanked me. Seth didn’t sit. He stood beside me, arms also folded. For a moment, the three of them engaged in some kind of weird stare-off, and it didn’t take a genius to figure out there was some history there. Not a good history, but I was too tired, too whipped, and just…too numb to even care.
Then the older man looked at me, and I knew he stared at my neck. The neckline of the sweater had been stretched in my pitiful fight with Hyperion, revealing the tag. I must’ve looked a mess, but I also didn’t care about that. He softened his hard expression with a slight curve of his lips. “We haven’t been introduced.” His voice was deep, cultured. “I’m Marcus Andros, the Dean of this University, and you are…?”
I resisted the urge to glance at Seth, because I couldn’t rely on him at this point. He’d made it clear earlier that he was leaving as soon as we got here, and we were here now.
Clasping my hands together to keep them from shaking, I shoved them between my knees. “My name is Josie Bethel, and I’m…” My brows knitted. “I’m not quite sure what I am.”
His brows inched up his forehead as he glanced at Seth. The man with the scar chuckled softly and said, “Honey, I don’t think any of us quite know who we are, but that’s probably the strangest introduction I’ve heard in a while.”
Seth stiffened. “I do believe she said her name was ‘Josie,’ and not ‘honey,’ the last time I checked, Solos.”
The man with the scar, who I assumed was Solos, laughed again, but it was Marcus who almost looked thunderstruck as he stared at Seth, who appeared as if he was on the verge of throwing someone through a wall.
I shifted and winced when a dart of pain shot down my leg. My patience with—with everything—started to slip. “He brought me here because he was ordered to do so. It’s his job.”
Seth’s head swung toward me and his golden brows knitted as his eyes narrowed. What had I said to earn that look? Only the truth, so whatev
er. I bounced my knee, ignoring the licks of dull pain that shot up my leg.
“May I ask why?” Marcus sat in a leather chair across from us. “I’m assuming you know what we are, based on your…condition.” There was a pause. “No offense, Josie, but I cannot fathom why he would bring you here.”
“Because she’s not mortal,” Seth replied, and boy, the room got so quiet I could’ve heard a cricket hiccup.
Marcus blinked as he shook his head. “Seth, she isn’t one of us.”
“I didn’t say that she was, but thanks for pointing out the obvious,” he replied, and white lines formed around Marcus’s mouth. “She isn’t one of us. She’s completely different.”
Solos arched a brow. “You gonna give us details or drag this out as long as possible?”
I thought for a second that Seth was going to wing something at Solos’s head, maybe one of those sharp blades, but he sat beside me, so close that his entire leg pressed against mine. “Are you all aware of what happened with the Titans?”
Across from us, Marcus straightened. “Of course. And we’ve taken the necessary steps to ensure that our students and those here are safe, and not only from them.”
Seth smirked. “Message received,” he replied, and I had no idea what that meant. “So you’re warded against the Titans.”
He nodded. “We are, but what does this have to do with her?”
I wondered how you could ward against something as powerful and scary as Hyperion. Probably involved the blood of a dozen virgins or something equally archaic and creepy.
Seth leaned forward, meeting the brightest green eyes I’ve ever seen, and then he dropped the bomb. “Josie is Apollo’s daughter. She’s a demigod.”
Marcus and Solos swung their gazes on me. Both men’s eyes were wide, and they stared at me like I had suddenly morphed into a three-headed dragon. “No,” Marcus said. “There aren’t any demigods on Earth, and anyway, we would sense her if she was one. What kind of—?”
“Her powers are bound, Marcus. That’s why you don’t sense her. And she’s not the only one,” Seth explained as he reached over, clamping his hand on my knee, stilling it.
“Sorry,” I muttered, casting my gaze to his hand. As Seth started talking again, explaining to our rapt audience what I was, how many of us there were, and all of that good stuff, he kept his hand on my knee. I stared at the long, elegant fingers. Graceful, but deadly.
The weight of his hand made me feel funny, and I didn’t like it at the same time I acknowledged there was something comforting about the pressure, almost grounding.
“Gods,” Marcus murmured, drawing my attention to him. He was still staring at me. “A demigod—a born demigod. Never thought I’d be around to see that.”
I squirmed uncomfortably, and Seth removed his hand. “Apollo told me to bring her here. She needs to be kept safe, Marcus, until the rest of the demigods can be located.”
The next breath I took hitched. Why did I care if I was just a job to Seth? It wasn’t like he was Erin, but for some reason, knowing that he’d also been ordered to be a part of my life, no matter how brief, also stung like I’d walked into a nest of hornets.
“Yes.” He blinked, looking away for a moment before his gaze moved right back to me. “She’s very important.”
This was getting really awkward, but at least he wasn’t kicking me out on my butt. I needed to use this to my advantage. “I want to be trained,” I announced, and yep, everyone was really staring at me again, including Seth. “Like the…the Sentinels. Can you do that while I’m here?”
Marcus sat back as he rubbed two fingers over his brow. “Trained?” He glanced at Seth and then shook his head. “Josie, our Sentinels are trained from—”
“From the age of eight. I know, but I got my butt handed to me twice—when we ran into daimons, and then Hyperion. I couldn’t do anything as those…those things bit into me like I was a cheeseburger. Then Hyperion handled me like I was a ragdoll. And he used these things…these shades to kill my—” My voice cracked, and I swallowed hard. “To kill my grandparents, and I couldn’t do anything. I’m absolutely helpless if he gets in here.”
“Josie—” Seth started.
“You’re planning on leaving, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t someone here that can help me.” I turned my gaze to the Dean. “Please. What can it hurt? If not, I’m just going to be sitting around, right? I can’t do that. I can’t just sit here. I have to do something. Please.” And then I laid the only cards I had on the table. It was a crappy thing to do, but I had no choice. “If you can’t do it, then I can’t stay here.”
Seth whipped toward me, eyes narrowing into angry amber slits. “You are staying here.”
“No one can watch me twenty-four hours a day. I’m smart. I’ll find my way out.” I met his glare with my own. “If no one can do this, then I’m out. And wouldn’t that suck, being how important I am?”
His mouth opened as he stared at me. “I didn’t just bring you halfway across the United States, get you to a place that is safe, for you to do something as incredibly stupid as threaten to leave. Do you have a death wish?”
“Do you?” I shot back.
He cocked his head to the side. “That response doesn’t even make sense.”
“Whatever,” I snapped, crossing my arms. “I don’t even like you and I didn’t ask for your opinion.”
“You’re going to get my opinion, like it or not, Joe.” His eyes flashed a bright tawny color. “You’re not going to risk your life because you’re not getting your way.”
“Why do you even care?” I shouted, throwing my hands up. “Seriously? So shut up, Sethie.”
Seth drew back as the cut line of his jaw hardened. “You test my patience.”
“Children,” Marcus murmured tiredly.
I tested his? “You make me want to nunchuck you in the throat! But I can’t. Because I don’t know how to use nunchucks!”
His lips twitched, and I swore, if he laughed, I was going to physically hurt him with my bare hands. “Sentinels don’t use nunchucks, Josie.”
“I’ve used nunchucks before,” Solos commented.
Seth cast him a long look. “Seriously? Not helping.”
The Sentinel shrugged, but he was grinning, and not even trying to hide it.
“Then can you help me?” I asked the man. I wasn’t picky.
Seth turned on me. “He is not training you.”
“Stop interjecting yourself where you don’t belong!” I all but shrieked.
Solos made a deep, gruff sound. “Gods…”
A strange looked crossed Marcus’s handsome face. “You two remind me of…” He trailed off, shaking his head, and Seth cursed under his breath. “Well, it doesn’t matter.” Standing, he looked at me. “We’ll talk more about this tomorrow, Josie. Right now, it looks like you could use some rest.”
I pushed myself to my feet and bit down on my lip as my muscles protested the movement. “We talk about the training now.”
“For gods’ sake,” Seth muttered, shoving to his feet. “You have no idea how hard training is, Josie. I don’t even think you can do it.”
Something ugly and hot twisted in my chest. “Again, I didn’t ask for your opinion.”
Rolling his eyes, he shook his head. “This is getting repetitive.”
“No shit.” Then I flushed as I glanced at Marcus.
He stared at me, and I felt my resolve start to crack a little. I wasn’t a ballsy person. More like go with the flow, so it took a lot for me to stand there under his sharp, emerald gaze. But then he smiled, and it wasn’t a big smile, never reaching his eyes. “You remind me of my niece,” he said, and a burst of tension exploded off Seth. “I hope you two get to meet one day. I think you’ll like her.”
“Uh, okay.” And just like that, whatever energy I had left in me seeped out. My shoulders slumped. I was so tired, absolutely spent.
“We’ll find someone to train you,” Marcus continued, and I almost
ran up and hugged the man, but he didn’t look like a hugger and it felt like that would get real awkward real quick, so I held myself back.
“Thank you,” I said, feeling a measure of relief. “Really. Thank you.”
He nodded as he looked at Seth. “We’ll talk more tomorrow. With that being said…” His gaze shifted from Seth and he eyed me with a mixture of awe and a measure of distrust. “Welcome to the Covenant.”
Anger reverberated through every inch of my being, and I wasn’t sure if it was directed at the now-quiet Josie, at Solos who was leading us to the dorms, or at myself.
Irritated on so many different levels, I ignored every attempt Solos made to make conversation, and he finally gave up by the time we crossed another courtyard. And I ignored the outright curious
The Return Page 18
