Nathan took a deep breath, and I gathered his thoughts were merging with mine. “Should we go get this over with?” he asked.
“As nice as it is here, I can’t wait to see Callie for real.” The dreams had only been teases. They had only made me miss her more.
“I don’t like it here,” Nathan countered. “I worry about Poseidon and Zeus.”
“They know I’m here,” I offered. “I haven’t seen them yet, but they haven’t hinted at any aggression toward me. They were happy to hear the demigods were gone.”
“All but one,” Nathan pointed out.
He had told me once before that he suspected some of the gods wished to have all of the demigods eliminated, myself included, once the more problematic demigods were taken care of. Now that they had been, what were the gods’ plans for me?
Nathan’s obvious concern pushed him into getting up. He wanted to see how far Hecate had come, what needed to be done yet before the curse could be broken, and when we could get out of there.
On top of that, I planned to ask Hecate how to permanently protect Alec from the hellhounds and keep him out of Tartarus, and find out if she had a remedy for my aging dilemma.
Following Nathan’s lead, I dressed quickly. Once finished, I turned to find him still shirtless as he fumbled with the clasp of his jeans. He must have sensed my eyes on him, because he tossed me a lopsided smile over his shoulder.
“It still hurts a little bit,” he explained timidly.
My gaze followed his to what remained of the large wound that covered his shoulder, back, and neck. Nothing but puckered red tissue remained now, thanks to Asclepius. I wondered how much of the scar would be left a week from now . . . a year from now. It took nothing away from him. If anything, it gave him more of an edge.
An incredibly sexy edge.
“You didn’t seem hurt a few minutes ago,” I teased.
I scooped his shirt off the floor as I moved around the bed to help him. My incredibly sexy, hard-nosed man needed help. It was enough to make a girl swoon.
His head inclined at my insinuation, and his dimple popped. “It’s called willpower.”
Our eyes met, and I considered tossing the shirt where we would never find it. So what if we spent the rest of the day boarded up in here together? Hecate would find us when she was ready. I was sure of that.
“You keep looking at me like that . . .” Nathan took a step closer, forcing my chin up to keep my eyes on his, “and we’re not going to go anywhere.”
“I like the sound of that.”
His hand grazed my hip, but didn’t make it any farther before he dropped it to his side at the sound of a knock on the door. It swung open, and Aphrodite bustled into the room.
“Coming to check on the patient,” she announced breezily. She froze, and clicked her tongue when her eyes landed on Nathan. “What are you doing out of bed?”
Nathan didn’t respond, and it was clear from the expression on his face that an answer wouldn’t be forthcoming. His brain had reverted to that of a fourteen-year-old boy’s.
What was it about Aphrodite? Seriously? And why did she have to be his nurse?
Her hands ran brazenly over his back as she inspected the wound. Nathan’s head turned to watch over his shoulder with a dropped jaw. His eyes darted to mine, and he grinned—actually grinned at me.
“It appears to have healed well,” Aphrodite mused. She walked around to stand in front of Nathan, her back to me. “Anything else you will be needing? I am at your service while you are under our care.”
My eyes nearly popped out of my head. Was she actually flirting with him? Was I invisible? And what the hell kind of services was she talking about in that sultry voice?
“I don’t think the patient requires any further servicing,” I quipped. I couldn’t help it. She was lucky I hadn’t already broken that hand that kept touching him.
Nathan shifted his amused gaze from me to Aphrodite. “The fiancée has spoken,” he answered her with a shrug.
She spun around to regard me for the first time since walking into the room, her face lit with joy.
“Betrothed? Oh, how wonderful! I love when two destined souls find each other. It doesn’t happen enough, in my opinion.” As she gushed, she took each of our hands in both of hers. “Please, allow me to bless this union.”
She didn’t wait for either of us to respond before her head bowed and she began to chant a series of unfamiliar words—all of them Greek, but unknown to me. Nathan and I shared bewildered glances, but let her do her thing. It only took a moment, and I didn’t feel any different when she finished. Nathan claimed he didn’t either.
“I’m sure it doesn’t hurt,” he told me as we finally left the room, “to be blessed by the goddess of love. It can’t be a bad thing.”
Chapter 23
We found Hecate in her room. Books were strewn across the table in front of her, along with vials and bottles of the compounds she used to cast spells. The rest of the group had been put to work, and currently had their noses buried in books.
Jared glanced up when we entered. His lopsided grin couldn’t hide the relief etched all over his face. “Well, well . . . the great Houdini has returned.”
While Nathan exchanged greetings with everyone, my focus shifted to the back of the room, and to the lone person standing there. With his arms folded across his chest, his legs crossed at the ankles as he leaned casually against the bookshelf, he looked every bit the boy I knew. Death certainly hadn’t taken away his personality, evidenced by the broad grin on his face as I approached.
But the simple fact that I was the only one who knew he was there reminded me that things weren’t as they were.
“How’s it going?” I asked him.
“I’m still here.” His head nodded over my shoulder, at Hecate. “She’s got me grounded.”
“You are free to wander where you wish,” Hecate chimed in from behind me, “within the walls of Mount Olympus.”
Alec gave me a raised eyebrow look as if to say, see?
I turned to find the others watching me peculiarly. “Alec’s here,” I offered in explanation for the one-sided conversation they heard.
They accepted it so much easier now, as if it was a part of our daily lives to have a spirit hanging around. I supposed it had been lately.
“So what have you found out about the curse?” Nathan asked Hecate without missing a beat.
The goddess leaned back in her chair with a sigh. “Circe covered her steps well. I’ve discovered the spell she used, but I’m afraid it’s a difficult one to break.”
Her troubled gaze shot to me, and I swallowed. “It is possible though, right?”
Hecate nodded slowly. “A sacrificial ceremony is the only way I have found to break it.”
My stomach hollowed. Though I feared the answer, I found myself asking, “What’s the sacrifice?”
“You.”
Silence settled amongst the group as her answer sunk in. Finally, Bruce broke it.
“But Circe tried to kill her,” he pointed out. “Wouldn’t she have broken her own curse?”
“No,” Hecate answered. “It must be a self-sacrifice, and it must be done during a very specific ritual. Simply killing Kris would not have broken it.”
“How was it supposed to be fulfilled?” I asked softly. Circe had been relying on me to do it, and I had no idea what would have been expected of me.
“Another self-sacrifice, using a different ritual.”
“So I die either way,” I summarized wryly.
“That’s not going to happen,” Nathan declared. To Hecate, he asked, “Are there any other alternatives?” His tone made it obvious that my sacrifice was not an option worth another second of discussion.
To him, I suspected it wasn’t. But what about the thousands of humans that were wrapped up in the curse? Why should one life be more important than all of theirs? I bit my tongue on my thoughts, knowing they would get me nowhere with the people in thi
s room.
“What if we do nothing?” Jared wondered.
“The human lives affected by the curse will eventually succumb if it is not broken,” Hecate explained, “but their life forces will not be taken if Kris does not do the ritual to trap them.”
“Is there any way for Circe to complete it?” Jared asked.
“No. I stripped her of her essence,” Hecate replied. “She has no powers left with which to pull it off.”
“What about Hades?” Bruce prompted. “Could he . . . help her somehow?”
Hecate scoffed. “Hardly. She has nothing to offer him now. He will likely imprison her until she can reclaim her essence, or until he finds me.”
My mouth ran dry at the disgust that coated her words. “Will he come for you?”
“The mountain is protected. He cannot enter unless invited by Zeus,” Hecate explained. “He will wait until I am vulnerable, as long as it takes. As long as I am the most powerful manipulator of magic, he will not give up searching for me.”
“What are we going to do?” I fretted.
“Don’t you worry about that, dear,” she told me.
How could I not worry? I just got her back, and now I had to fear Hades coming to take her away from me again.
“We will deal with one problem at a time,” Hecate commanded. “First, the immortality curse. There may be one other way to undo it, but I’m not sure if it will work.”
“What is it?” Nathan asked. He was obviously game for anything that didn’t call for my sacrifice.
“If I can pinpoint the moment the curse was initiated, I may be able to undo it by manipulating time. I’m not positive it will work. Circe may have thought about that, and protected the curse from manipulation.”
“If she didn’t, what will happen?” I asked.
“The curse will have never been started. Your lives will essentially start over from that exact time.”
I laughed, only because I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. “Like time travel?”
“Far from it,” Hecate returned warily. “There may be significant side effects—memory lapses, your life could be very different from what you know now. There are no guarantees in time manipulation. There is no way to predict how much your new path may change from the one you are on now. Of course, the farther back I have to go, the bigger of a difference there may be.”
My eyes met Nathan’s from across the room. I was afraid to ask Hecate exactly what she meant by no guarantees. A new path? Would Nathan and I fall in love in another life? Or would altering Circe’s master plan alter the events that led us to each other?
What about the rest of the people in this room, whom I had experienced so much with, and had also come to respect and love in my own special way? Would I even know them on another life path? Was losing the life I knew now a better option than sacrificing myself?
While I fought to contain the panic rising up my throat, Lillian turned to Hecate with the one answer we all needed.
“I started it,” she admitted. Her eyes drifted to mine before lowering in shame. “Kris was twelve years old when Circe found me. She trained me for several years before we developed the curse. It started a little over a year ago. I remember the exact date, the first victim . . . everything.”
As Lillian spoke, a dark, unwelcome thought planted and took root.
“What about Lillian?” I asked Hecate. “She was a Skotadi a year ago. What will manipulating time do to her?”
Hecate eyed Lillian carefully as she thought about her answer. “If she participates in the manipulation, I believe the version of her we see now will continue on the new life path. Again, I’m sorry to say, there are no guarantees.”
“Kris . . .” My eyes shifted to Lillian at the sound of her voice. “I want to do this. I need to do this, to fix my mistakes.”
I opened my mouth to argue, but she stopped me.
“I can’t go on with the knowledge of what I have done,” she insisted. “This is something I have to do, no matter the consequences.” To Hecate, she added, “I want to help you with the spell.”
Hecate nodded thoughtfully before inviting Lillian to sit with her. Their voices dropped as they discussed the details that Lillian remembered, and that Hecate needed. I couldn’t stop thinking about what we were risking . . . for everyone.
“So much might change,” I muttered under my breath.
A hand came down on my shoulder, and I swiveled to find Alec’s mournful eyes. Circe’s efforts to find me had ultimately brought him into my life. Without her, or her curse, would I even know Alec? Would I remember him at all on my new life path? The thought of losing the memories I had of him—when that was all I had left—produced a bubble of emotion to rise up my throat. I swallowed it down, but it had been too late. He had seen it.
He pulled me in for a hug. My head no sooner landed on his shoulder when a thought caused me to jump away.
I may lose the memories I had of Alec . . . but what about his life?
“What about Alec?” I called to Hecate. “If you manipulate time, the events that led to his death will never happen.”
“I’m afraid some things cannot be undone, even with time manipulation,” she explained softly. “However . . .”
I peeled my gaze away from Alec’s to look pleadingly at Hecate. Please let it be a good ‘however.’
“He is currently freed from the confines of the underworld,” she mused.
I wasn’t sure why that mattered, but I was hopeful. “So it’s possible he . . .” I trailed off, unable to finish the thought.
As hard as losing Alec had been the first time around, I feared that allowing myself to have too much hope now, only to be disappointed with the outcome later, would crush me.
“I don’t know,” Hecate admitted before turning back to Lillian.
Alec’s hand on mine forced me to turn my attention back to him. “I’m not the deciding factor here, Kris,” he told me. “Callie is.”
I nodded. “I know,” I mumbled. But it would have been nice to know Alec would have another chance at life as well. Even if I might never know him.
“And you are,” Alec added.
I lifted my eyes to his, and followed his gaze across the room to where Nathan stood. Our eyes met, and he took long and purposeful steps toward me.
“Do what’s best for you, Kris,” Alec advised.
But there were no guarantees.
I nodded glumly, and Alec wandered away to give me a moment alone with Nathan. His finger hooked under my chin, and with one look at my face, he knew my fears.
“I’ll find you,” he promised.
I shook my head. “What if—”
“I will find you,” he repeated. “I’ve always managed to find you.”
“We’re about to rewrite the last year,” I fretted. “The things that brought us together won’t happen now. And even if we do meet again . . .” I pinned him with a heavy look. “Nathan, we hated each other when we first met.”
Nathan’s eyes narrowed slightly, and a grin curved his lips. “I never hated you. Never came close. I told you why I was . . . an asshole. I felt the exact opposite of hate, Kris.”
I scoffed lightly. For some reason, that only made me feel worse. Would he feel the same way again?
He gave my shoulders a gentle shake to snap me out of my funk. “Besides, you didn’t really hate me. Did you?”
“Well . . .” Yeah, kind of. But only because I had been so drawn to him at the same time.
“I promise I’ll be nicer,” he assured me.
“Less stubbornness would be good.”
“Noted.” He nodded with a smile. His eyes penetrated mine so deeply, so intimately, I feared he was using the opportunity to memorize what I looked like.
“Don’t,” I chided.
“Don’t what?”
“Don’t look at me like this is goodbye.”
The lingering tease of a smile on his face dropped. “It’s not. Because I am going to find yo
u. No matter where we’re at.”
I knew he wouldn’t stop until he did. As long as he remembered me . . .
Of course he would, I told myself. We were destined. We had just been blessed by the goddess of love. Surely that meant something.
My knuckles grazed his jaw tenderly. “I know you—”
My words were cut off by a crash at the door as it flew open. My hand dropped as Nathan’s head swiveled toward the intrusion.
With one look at our uninvited guests, I knew all the hope in the world couldn’t help us now. There were some things not even destiny, nor blessed unions, could overcome. Two angry gods ranked high on that list.
I had yet to officially meet Zeus and Poseidon, but I instantly knew that they were the two gods who stood in the doorway. Moving on their orders, three other gods I didn’t recognize moved into the room. Two approached Hecate, while one stalked toward me.
I instantly found myself behind Nathan, his broad frame sandwiching me between him and the wall.
“What is going on here?” Hecate flew from her seat. She faced the doorway, where Zeus and Poseidon waited. “Zeus? Is this your doing?”
“We want no quarrel, Hecate,” he returned calmly, despite the flicker of annoyance in his eyes. “The girl is a demigod. We have allowed them to exist for too long. We will not make the same mistake again.”
“This is all because of a power-hungry goddess, and a few ill-advised children,” Hecate retorted. She jabbed a finger in my direction. “She ended it all!”
“She is a danger to us all,” Zeus countered.
The god sent to retrieve me reached Nathan and me where we stood against the wall. He halted a few steps away before removing a blade from its hiding place within his robes. He didn’t have to say anything. The warning was clear.
“Nathan,” I pleaded. I tried to push myself out from behind his cover, but his hold on me tightened.
“I’m not letting them take you,” he snapped over his shoulder.
“Tell my mother to do it,” I whispered urgently. “Have her manipulate time.” I pressed my lips to his shoulder. “I’ll wait for you to find me.”
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