The Power

by Jennifer L. Armentrout

  different needs sprung alive inside me. I focused on the right one, the one that mattered.

  “Seth—”

  Circling one arm around her waist, I clasped a hand along the nape of her neck and pulled her to me. My mouth was on hers in a nanosecond. She tasted of mint as I lifted her up onto the tips of her toes, bringing her hips into contact with mine. Her breathy moan made me harder, which seemed impossible until now. She looped an arm around my neck as she pressed her chest to mine. How quickly could I get us somewhere private? There was a supply closet to the right. Various conference rooms.

  “Really?” Solos walked past us, shaking his head. “Don’t get her pregnant in the lobby, Seth.”

  “Oh my God,” Josie groaned, dropping her face on my shoulder.

  I flipped Solos off. He laughed as he headed outside. Curling my hand around her ponytail, I pressed my mouth to the space just below her ear. “I was actually thinking of making use of that closet over there.”

  Josie laughed softly. “I’ve never done that before.”

  “Figured as much.” I nipped at the fleshy part of her earlobe, drawing a sharp gasp out of her. “And just so you know, I am more than willing to introduce you to semi-public sex.”

  “Seth,” she whispered. “You are terrible.”

  I dragged my nose along the side of her cheek. “Look, I’m just letting you know that I’m all about sexual education. We need to discover what you like and don’t.”

  “So helpful of you.”

  “That’s me.” Drawing back, I kissed her nose. Our gazes met, and I smiled without even thinking about it. Felt strange. Felt good. “Glad you’re here. Did you run into any problems outside?”

  “No. They weren’t even paying attention to me.” She stepped back, lowering her arm. “And it looked like the Guards had them under control.”

  “Good.” I reached for her hand and saw she was holding something. “What’s that?”

  Her eyes filled with exhilaration as she opened her hand. A vial of some kind of dark blue liquid lay in her palm. “Blood of a Pegasus.”

  I looked up. “How did you get that?”

  “Athena.”

  “Come again?”

  “You heard right.” She rocked back, seconds from bouncing. “I found the librarian. But she’s not a librarian. Not really. I mean, I guess in some weird way she is, but you’re not going to believe what I saw, who I saw and then I found— ”

  “Whoa. Slow down there, Mighty Mouth.”

  Her nose wrinkled. “Mighty Mouth?”

  “Kind of sounds sexual. Like your super power would be sucking—”

  “Seth,” she snapped, eyes narrowing.

  “But I meant you’re talking so fast I can barely pick up what you’re saying.”

  Josie shook her head. “Sure you did.”

  I winked. “How about we take this convo to that room back there? Practically everyone is there.” I took her free hand, but she didn’t budge. I searched her face. “You okay?”

  “Everyone is there?”

  “Yeah. Luke and Deacon, and Alex and Aiden.” I paused. “You know they can be trusted with this, right?”

  “Of course,” she replied quickly. “I just don’t want to intrude.”

  I stared at her a moment. “Intrude?”

  “Yeah.” She slipped her hand free as she glanced down at the vial. “I mean, it’s been six months since they could all hang out, and I don’t want to intrude.”

  I didn’t know if I should laugh, hug her, or shake her. Pressing the tips of my fingers under her chin, I lifted her gaze to mine. “Okay. There’s a couple of things you need to understand.”

  One eyebrow rose. “Oh, really?”

  “Yes. Really,” I repeated. “Alex and Aiden are back for the time being. It’s weird. Trust me. And to be honest, you know how I feel about being around them, right or wrong, but you have no reason to feel like you’re intruding. You’re not.”

  Her lashes lowered and she sighed. “I know. It’s just . . . they are such close friends and none of this is important right now, but I guess . . . I’m socially inept when it comes to these things.”

  “That makes two of us then.”

  She laughed softly and looked up. “Awesome.”

  “You don’t ever have to worry about them. Hell. Given some time, Alex is probably going to become your best friend.”

  Her eyes widened and she winced. “I don’t know about that. I mean, there’s the whole Apollo thing and then the whole thing with you, and that’s like sharing way too much weird stuff.”

  “Josie.” Chuckling, I lowered my mouth and kissed her. “You are . . .”

  “Amazing?” she supplied.

  “I was going to go with crazy, but amazing works too.” I laughed when she smacked my arm with her free hand. Luckily, not with the vial of Pegasus blood, because that would’ve sucked. “You ready?”

  “Yeah. Just one sec.” Pink spread into her cheeks. “There’s something I need to tell you first.”

  “Okay.”

  She stretched up and over, speaking in my ear. “I love you.”

  Fuck. Muscles locked up. Heart picked up. Skin hummed. And that closet was looking more and more like a place we needed to investigate.

  Josie kissed my cheek and then settled back. “I thought you should be reminded of that.” Taking my hand, she squeezed gently. “Ready?”

  Those three words struck me silent as I led her to the room the crew was in. They were three words I wasn’t used to hearing. I didn’t think I’d ever be.

  Everyone was pretty much where they’d been when I left, except the cartons of food were closed and Aiden was sitting while Alex stood next to Deacon and Luke.

  “Found her.” I shut the door behind us, keenly aware that everyone in the room noticed our joined hands. I was . . . weirdly proud of that. “And she has something very interesting to share.”

  Josie waved her closed hand at everyone, and one quick glance showed that her face was a shade somewhere between red and fire-engine red. She focused on Deacon. “I went to the library and I finally found the librarian.”

  “What?” He slapped his hands down on the table, rattling empty water bottles, his expression crestfallen. “Are you kidding me? The one day I don’t go and you find her?”

  “Librarian?” Aiden asked, leaning forward.

  Josie caught him and Alex up on the whole vague Apollo message to find this librarian. “I saw her today. She’s not the only thing I saw.” Whirling to face me, excitement practically poured out of her. “Oh my gosh, I forgot to tell you. I saw a Pegasus today. Like a real, live Pegasus, and it was amazing. I got to touch it. It liked me. I think. I mean, it didn’t kick or bite me.”

  Aiden cocked his head to the side, his brows lifting. The dumbfounded look on his face was pretty priceless.

  “Are you high?” Deacon asked, and then laughed. “Because if so, I want whatever you’re smoking.”

  His brother turned and looked at him.

  “What?” Deacon shrugged, sitting back in the chair. “That sounds like some good shit.”

  “I wasn’t high.” Josie slipped her hand free and walked over to the table. She put the vial down. “This is blood of the Pegasus.”

  “You bled the Pegasus?” Horror etched into Alex’s expression.

  “Geez! No. It didn’t come from the one I saw. At least, I don’t think it did.” Josie frowned as she stepped back, standing next to me. “Athena brought it.”

  “Athena?” Luke eyed the vial and then carefully picked it up, turning it over in his hand. “Like, the Athena?”

  “Yes. And the librarian is—you guys are never going to believe this, but she’s Medusa. Like snakes in the hair and creepy eyes and everything,” Josie explained in a rush, and now I was staring at her with the same expression as Aiden. “Apparently Perseus never killed her. That was a lie.”

  “Man,” Deacon murmured. “I could’ve seen Medusa. This is so fucked up.” />
  Aiden shot him a look. “I think it’s probably a good thing you didn’t see her.”

  “It probably is. I get the impression she’s not too keen on the menfolk,” Josie said as Alex walked back to the couch. Aiden leaned back and she dropped down in his lap. “She took me to the door under the stairs, which sounds kind of creepy, and into this weird hallway where she made a door appear out of thin air. There was this chamber full of stone dudes.”

  “Medusa,” Alex repeated, slowly shaking her head. “And a Pegasus?”

  Josie nodded. “I found the icons and the—” She frowned. “I found the icons. I know how to get to them once we find the other demigods.”

  “They’re in the library?” I asked.

  “I don’t know. The place they’re kept in is kind of accessed through the library, but I don’t think it’s actually there,” she explained, glancing at the vial as Luke placed it back on the table. “Athena appeared then too. She gave me the vial. I guess it’s for . . .” Her brows pinched. “I guess it’s for the Titans since it works against them.”

  “It works against everything,” Luke said. “Would kill a mortal if it even came into contact with their skin.”

  “This is good news, though,” Aiden said as he looped his arms around Alex’s waist. “We know where the icons are. At least that’s one thing marked off the list.”

  “It is.” Josie glanced up at me and she smiled. “Now we just need to know where the other . . .” Her eyes widened. “Glyphs,” she whispered.

  I felt the presence of a god a second before energy rippled through the room. Two shimmery pillars appeared next to the table, and a second later Apollo was standing there.

  He wasn’t alone.

  Beside him was someone I’d never seen before. Some dude a little over six feet tall, and as wide as a damn linebacker.

  “I’ve brought you guys someone,” Apollo said. No hello. Typical Apollo. Just popping in with random strangers with no greeting whatsoever. Such a douche. “Everyone meet Hercules.”

  Everyone stared.

  Apollo smiled as his all-white eyes gave way to blue irises that matched Josie’s. “Yes,” he said, “that Hercules.”

  Chapter 22

  Josie

  I’d thought earlier that today was the most bizarre day of my life, and I had not been wrong. It just went from crazy-weird straight to insanity-land. I’d seen Medusa, Athena, and a Pegasus today.

  And now I was staring at my father, Apollo, who was standing next to Hercules—that Hercules.

  My brain sort of emptied out, which was probably a good thing, because I’d been stressing since I’d left the library. Medusa’s parting warning was more than unsettling. I had a feeling they’d given me the toxin with the idea that it wasn’t just for the Titans. Knots of unease had formed in my belly. It wasn’t that I believed that I’d ever have to use it against Seth, but it was the fact that they thought I’d have to.

  That was what bothered me.

  “Holy. Shit,” murmured Deacon, breaking the silence.

  I blinked once, and then twice. Hercules was still standing there, a smirk on his well-formed lips. The demigod was striking. A head full of blond, wavy hair. Eyes as blue as the morning sky, and his muscles had muscles. They strained the white shirt he wore, and even his thighs bulged in a way that made me think the seam of his jeans would explode at any given minute.

  “I see you all know who I am,” Hercules said. “Not that I’d expect anything else. After all, I am the Hercules.”

  My brows rose.

  Seth snorted.

  “Hercules is a dick,” Apollo stated, and the demigod shrugged his shoulders. Obviously that wasn’t the first time he’d heard that. “But he’s the only one Zeus would allow out of Olympus. He will be able to locate the other demigods.”

  “Because I’m that awesome,” Hercules replied.

  Apollo sighed as he rolled his eyes. “And as I said, he’s a bit of a dick.”

  “A bit of a dick?” Seth murmured, his gaze moving from the tips of Hercules’s boots to the top of the blond head. “A small dick?”

  Oh my God.

  Alex smacked her hand over her mouth.

  “You’d like to find out, wouldn’t you?” Hercules replied.

  Seth snickered. “I don’t need to go on a search and find mission to discover what’s already obvious.”

  Oh. My. God.

  The demigod stepped forward. Empty bottles on the table rattled. “I’ve heard about you, Apollyon. I’ve heard all about you.”

  “Oh my,” whispered Deacon. He elbowed Luke with glittering silver eyes. Aiden and Alex stood.

  Apollo folded his arms. “You two will be making out soon, I see.”

  “I’m not surprised,” Seth replied, ignoring Apollo. One side of his lips kicked up. “After all, I am that Apollyon.”

  “Something to be proud of,” Hercules replied.

  Well, this was going downhill fast.

  Seth lifted his chin. “At least what you’ve heard about me is true. You? Mostly myth, right? I bet Daddy makes sure everyone thinks you’re a big, bad—”

  “No,” snapped Apollo as Hercules raised his hand. A white glimmer danced over the demigod’s knuckles. “You cannot hurt the Apollyon.”

  Seth’s smirk grew to epic proportions. “Damn straight.”

  “Oh, don’t get me wrong, Issues Boy,” he said, and Seth scowled. “Herc here can hurt you, but I’m telling him not to. The same goes for you. I need both of you to behave.”

  “That’s no fun,” pouted Hercules.

  “Wait.” Deacon’s gaze bounced back and forth. “Can we call you Herc?”

  The demigod looked over his shoulder. “Everyone else does.”

  “So cool,” murmured Deacon, silver eyes wide.

  I felt like I needed to sit down.

  Apollo glanced over at the couple standing in front of the couch and he smiled, warming the ethereal beauty of his face. My chest squeezed. “It’s been too long since I’ve seen you two,” he said. “Both of you look very happy.”

  “We are,” Aiden responded.

  Next to him, Alex let out a little squeal and then she shot forward. Apollo chuckled as he opened his arms wide, welcoming Alex. He hugged her. She hugged him. The squeezing in my chest increased.

  I stiffened and then forced myself to not have any reaction. I shouldn’t have one in the first place. This was . . . sweet. They obviously hadn’t seen each other in a very long time. Casting my gaze away, I focused on Herc. He was watching Apollo curiously, as if he’d never seen the god hug anyone before. The demigod’s gaze slid to mine. I looked away and saw Seth watching me. I smiled at him, because I didn’t have a reason not to smile. Everything was cool.

  Everything was not cool.

  Reaching up, I flipped my ponytail over my shoulder. I don’t know why it bothered me. Okay. I totally did. Apollo hadn’t even greeted me. His daughter. I was just standing over here like a doofus.

  Aiden clapped a hand on the god’s shoulder and said something too low for me to hear as Alex drew back. She smiled up at Apollo, and I exhaled very slowly. Time to pull the big-girl panties up. Things were weird between Apollo and me, and Alex had known him for a long time, like really known him. I only knew the fake Apollo and the real Apollo, and I could literally count on both hands how many times I’d seen him.

  Seth folded his arm over my shoulder, and I kept that smile plastered across my face. “So, what’s the game plan?” I asked,