CHAPTER 3
Ted woke up in a hospital bed. Though woke wasn’t really the right word. He’d been awake for what seemed like lifetimes. But he could finally move. He was no longer trapped in a Titan-induced time warp. Ted had witnessed Kronos’s time manipulations on others before, but this was the first time he’d been caught in it.
When time ceased to exist, when it stopped, he couldn’t find words to describe the wasteland. He could witness the world, but not react. He shuddered pushing the memories away.
Kronos hadn’t been alone this time. He’d had a partner with him.
Brother.
A monitor started to buzz, and a nurse came rushing in. She checked the screens with an empathetic smile. “Welcome back, Mr. Belkin.”
“Mr. Belkin was my dad. You can call me Ted.” He glanced around the room and rubbed his forehead with his free hand. “How long have I been—” Stuck? “—immobile?”
“About two hours.” She punched some numbers into her tablet and then met his eyes.
Ted frowned. “What happened to everyone else?”
“From the Observatory?” She glanced at her tablet again. “We received eight patients from the gala; the rest were transported to Mercy and Crystal City General.” She lifted her gaze. “Did you have a family member with you?”
“No. Just friends.”
She nodded and glanced at the door. “There’s a detective here. Maybe he can check on your friends.”
Speak of the devil…
Detective Nate Malone filled the doorway. He smiled at the nurse. “Mind if I ask Mr. Belkin some questions?”
“Sure. But don’t be too long. His vitals are stable, but the doctor is coming by soon to look him over.”
Malone nodded his thanks and entered the room so she could pass through the door. He approached the bed, his old-school notepad and pen in hand. Nate Malone was the first Guardian to emerge in Crystal City. Since then, he’d married his muse, Mel, the Muse of Tragic Poetry. And because Ted had given the order to have Mel abducted two years ago, his relationship with Detective Malone was dicey at best. Luckily, the detective was a true law-and-order man. He wouldn’t kill Ted, but if he had the chance to lock him in a jail cell and throw away the key, Ted had no doubt Malone would take it.
The detective cleared his throat, keeping his voice hushed. “Did Kronos see you at the Observatory tonight?”
“I don’t think so.” Ted frowned. “Why?”
Nate set the notepad on the bed. “Because Trinity told us Kronos isn’t alone this time, and we need a man on the inside if we’re going to get ahead of this. Two people died tonight, and more will follow if we don’t anticipate his movements.”
The machines monitoring Ted’s pulse beeped faster. Fear twisted in his gut, the memory of being trapped in his own body while Kronos’s brother beheaded two people flashed through his mind. And as much as he wanted to help Trinity, to be a hero for her…he didn’t have it in him.
He shook his head, relieved and ashamed at the same time with his decision. “This isn’t my problem. I helped trap Kronos once already. My debt is paid.” Ted shifted in the hospital bed, scooting up farther, hoping his expression looked more determined than it felt.
Nate leaned in closer, gripping the railing of the bed until the color drained from his knuckles. “Unless you can bring Nia and Polly back from the dead, you still owe us plenty.” He straightened up, shaking his head. “If that’s not enough to convince you, don’t forget that Trinity won’t be safe until we figure out a way to stop these Titans.”
Ted’s gut twisted. “Even if I wanted to be your mole with Kronos, it’s not like I can just text him. How do you expect me to get close?”
“Make yourself available.” Malone rolled his shoulders back. “Our only advantage is that Kronos and his brother are strangers in this world. They don’t understand the technology. They’re going to need you. Kevin knows where you work. He’ll find you.”
“They.” Ted corrected. “He wasn’t alone this time. He brought his brother out of Tartarus.”
“Yeah.” Malone picked up his notepad. “Trinity said it was Iapetus, the Piercer.”
Ted squirmed, running a hand down his face. “Shit.”
“Exactly.” He slipped the notepad into his pocket and met Ted’s eyes. “Hunter’s going to help me stake out Belkin Oil. We’ll have eyes on you the whole time.”
Hunter Armstrong was a retired Navy SEAL, but even with his weapons training and physical stamina, Iapetus was a force of nature—the God of Mortality. They were fucked. The legends claimed he moved with impossible speed, killing before a mortal eye ever caught sight of him.
But there weren’t many options. It wasn’t like there was anywhere to hide. These were immortal beings, born of Mother Earth herself, children of Gaia.
“Okay.” Ted nodded, wishing he had a better choice. “When they let me out of here, I’ll go to my office.”
“Good.” Malone patted the railing on the hospital bed. “Keep me informed once you know what they’re planning.”
Malone left the room, and Ted kicked his feet off the bed. This was nuts. He should get the hell out of Dodge. But where could he run that the titans couldn’t find him? He stood up and scanned the room for his clothes. A bag labeled PERSONAL BELONGINGS sat on a chair across the room. He wandered over and dug through his things for his cell phone.
When he found it, a text from Mikolas was waiting for him:
Protect Trinity.
Ted frowned, sorting through the memories. Mikolas had been there with Trinity. He had warned Kevin about the police outside. Iapetus had swung his spear. Two bodies had fallen, but Ted hadn’t been able to move to see who they were.
There was only one way to find out. He fired off a quick text:
Did you make it out?
He tossed his phone on the bed and took out his clothes. Screw the doctor releasing him. He was leaving.
Now.
Trinity walked down the aisle of the theater, trying to control the crescendo of emotions Mikolas was churning up inside her. This entire place was built on blood, sweat, and far too many tears. They’d fought through soul-crushing losses, but she and her muse sisters struggled to keep pushing forward, inspired by the ones they’d lost.
And now the grand opening was only two weeks away.
Or at least it had been before the Father of the Gods showed up with his spear-wielding brother. Tonight, the Titans had claimed the lives of two innocent people. A couple of years ago, the gore of blood and bodies would’ve left her in shock, but a sick numbness filled the cracks in her heart now.
She climbed the stairs on the side of the stage. Mikolas stood in the house, his hands in the pockets of his disheveled tuxedo. His bow tie was gone, and the top two buttons were open on his shirt. And he was still so damned beautiful.
Her vision wavered as she blinked back unwelcome tears. She sat down on the edge of the stage, resting her hands on either side of her body. She stared up at the balcony seats. “We fought so hard to build this place because we truly believed that inspiration could change the world.” She shook her head, dropping her gaze to her feet. “I’m not going to let all that sacrifice be for nothing. As long as I’m breathing, we’re opening this theater.”
Mikolas came closer to the stage, his deep voice resonating with the natural acoustics of the theater. “My grandmother never found her muse sisters, but she had dreams about this theater. When I was a boy, she’d tell me about the daughters of Zeus who had the most important burden to carry for the future.”
Trinity lifted her head. “How could you know all that and still get mixed up with the Order of the Titans?”
“Long story.” He ran his fingers through his dark hair. There was no taming the wavy curls. His eyes locked on hers. “My grandfather encouraged my father to join the original Order back home in Greece. He thought the best way to keep the muses safe was to know what the enemy had planned. My father rose through the ranks of the Order, and eventually he learned about the progress of the Order in Crystal City. Ted Belkin, Sr. owned an oil company with an off-shore rig with a mission that had nothing to do with oil. We had to stop them. But we were too late.”
“The Oceanus rig.” Trinity crossed her arms. “Ted’s father cracked into the Earth’s core before he died. He blamed the explosion on an equipment failure.”
“Right. But he had told the international chapters of the Order of the Titans that the rise of Kronos was imminent.” Mikolas took a couple of steps closer to the stage. “My father and grandfather had invested heavily in Belkin Oil so they could position me to infiltrate the America Order.”
She raised a brow. “You were a spy.”
“Not exactly. We didn’t expect Ted Belkin, Sr. to die, but we owned enough of the stock to push the board toward proclaiming me CEO. At the time, I was eager to get here. I thought my life’s calling to be the Guardian of the Muse of Astronomy was in sight…” His gaze fell to the floor. “But by the time I arrived in Crystal City, Nia was already dead, and the Order had trained an enforcer to go after more muses.” He lifted his head. “I know you probably don’t believe a word I’m saying, but I need you to know that I didn’t order anyone to burn down this theater. And I wasn’t behind the wheel of my car when Cooper was hit, either. I forbade all of it.”
Part of her actually believed him. Gods, would she never learn? Her taste in men was deadly. How many friends would she have to lose before she accepted that reality?
“Why are you telling me all this?” she asked.
He came all the way forward, but with her being seated up on the stage, he still had to look up her. There was no trace of hesitation in his voice. “Because I want you to know you can trust me.”
Cynical laughter escaped her lips as she rolled her eyes. His gaze didn’t falter, and the intensity in his dark eyes shook her. She focused on her shoes instead. “Has Ted ever told you about us?”
“I know you two dated.”
She got to her feet and wandered to the center of the stage before risking a glance in his direction. “Maybe that’s all it was to him.” Her self-loathing roared like a hungry lion in her soul. “I loved that asshole. Gods, I was so blind. I trusted him and shared the dreams about Euterpe that started haunting me. Eventually, I started to think I needed to go to Crystal City, and Ted made me believe I wasn’t a freak.”
She cursed under her breath. Talking about it out loud left her feeling vulnerable and weak. She’d promised herself a million times she’d never do it again, yet here she was confiding in another man.
“I trusted the wrong guy, and it cost two of my friends their lives.” Her voice faded as she spoke, but she meant every word. “I refuse to lose anyone else.”
The pain in Trinity’s eyes tore into Mikolas. Ted had shared his side of the story, but hearing Trinity blame herself and witnessing the aftermath of Ted’s betrayal made Mikolas ache to beat the shit out of Ted. Trinity got up and walked farther upstage.
Mikolas jogged up the steps and followed her into the shadows. “Trinity, wait.”
She sighed and stopped. Slowly, she turned to face him. “What?”
“It’s not your fault.”
“Bullshit.” She stared up at him, scanning his face and pressing her lips together. “If I’d never confided in Ted, Nia and Polly would be alive. His father would have never known they were muses. They followed me to Crystal City, and I led them right to my sisters.”
“What if you and your sisters aren’t the end game here? When I went to meet with Rhea at Blessed Mary’s Village and she showed me the shard containing a piece of one of Zeus’s lightning bolts, it occurred to me that there is more happening here in Crystal City than just the opening of the Les Neuf Soeurs theater.”
A crease formed on her forehead. “How do you figure that?”
“You and your muse sisters had dreams that led you to this city, to a rundown theater with potential, right?”
She nodded slowly.
“So why was Rhea already hiding in Crystal City?” He paused, letting his words sink in. “And she’s not alone. Her elderly poker group friends Mrs. Mardas and Mrs. Spanos are really Titias and Kyllenos, the Guiders of Destiny. I can’t believe that is coincidence.”
She searched his eyes. “And Zeus is here, too.”
“This is bigger than you and your sisters.” Mikolas slid his hand in his pocket. “I think the Guiders of Destiny saw this turning point coming.”
“They knew Tartarus wouldn’t hold Kronos forever.”
“That’s my guess,” he agreed. “And to take it a step further, I’d guess that Zeus sent his daughters of this generation those dreams because this theater is going to be a beacon of inspiration for humanity. And we’re going to need it if we’re faced with doing battle against the Titans. None of this is random.”
“But we can’t win.” Trinity shook her head. “We’re mortal. Even the Guardians. You each have a gift, but none of you are strong enough to face a Titan.”
“Zeus told me he would handle his father. Maybe with the help of the other Guardians we can stop Iapetus. The muses and Guardians stopped Philyra. Maybe we can do it again.”
Trinity stared at the floor. “There is no we, Mikolas.” She sighed and looked up at him again. “I want to believe you, which makes me even more wary of trusting you. My instincts suck when it comes to men. Besides, after everything we’ve been through with the Order, none of the muses and Guardians are going to be excited to see you.”
All true, but dammit, he wasn’t going to walk away. He reached for her hand and she didn’t pull away. It seemed so small in his. He met her eyes, his voice softening. “You don’t have to trust me. You don’t even need to like me. But Zeus chose me to be your Guardian for a reason we probably don’t understand yet. Finding you awakened something inside me, and if I can use that gift to keep you safe, then it’s worth figuring out how it works. Help me learn to control it. I’m not expecting anything more from you.”
A sad smile curved her lips. “You can’t possibly be that selfless.”
He chuckled. Trinity didn’t mince words, but the honesty was refreshing. He’d grown up as the only son in a wealthy family. He’d experienced more than his share of women who would’ve told him anything in hopes of gaining a piece of his inheritance. A woman pushing him away was new.
“I’m far from selfless.” He drank in her dark eyes with their flecks of gold. One of a kind. Just like she was. “But I’ve waited my entire life to find you, and I’ll protect you, or die trying.” He had whispered the words before he’d even realized he was going to speak.
She withdrew her hand. “Okay, I bet that romantic crap has women all over the world throwing their panties at you.” Regret flashed in her eyes. “But I’m not going to be another conquest.”
He ached to touch her again, but she was right about one thing. Trinity Porter wasn’t a conquest; she was far more precious. He looked out at the empty seats. “Destiny is playing out in Crystal City. This generation will decide the future of mankind.” Facing her again, he almost smiled. “You’re going to change the world.”
“We have to live long enough first.”
“That’s where I come in.” He dusted off the sleeves of his tux, hoping the goofy gesture might coax a smile from her. “Zack told me finding you made me a demigod.”
The sound of her laughter inspired a symphony of emotions inside him. For the first time, she looked up at him not with disdain but with a playful smirk. “Wow. So you’re Achilles now?”
He shook his head. “I think I’m more a channel for energy. Or maybe I magnify it? Hell if I know. I was hoping my muse might help me hone it before we face Kronos and his brother again.”
He hadn’t meant to claim her as his, but the words were out of his mouth now. He couldn’t reel them back.
Trinity stiffened, her smile fading. “There’s still no we between us.” She paused and added, “But you can call me Trin. And I guess I don’t hate you anymore.”
Baby steps.
He nodded slowly. “Progress.”
His phone buzzed in his pocket. He frowned, taking it out. A text from Ted lit up the screen. Mikolas lifted his gaze to her face. “The guests from the gala at the Observatory are awake.”