Chapter 12
Seth
One by one, the fallen bodies of the pures rose, shuffling to their feet, a bloody and ghastly mess. They faced me in unison, an army of resurrected pures standing between the Titan and me.
I’d seen some shit in my day, but this—yeah, this was creepy as hell.
I went on high alert. “A deal?”
Oceanus dipped his chin in what I could only assume was a nod. “Bring us Zeus’s head and you will have nothing to fear from us.”
“You’re serious?” A harsh laugh burst out of me.
Dark brows furrowed. “Do I sound like I’m joking? You bring us Zeus’s head, and we will leave you in peace.”
Behind me, I could hear Aiden waking up. My brain whirled to click everything he was saying into place. “And why would killing Zeus be enough?”
A smile crept across the Titan’s face. “Do you know nothing?”
“Well, that was a rude statement.”
“If Zeus dies, Cronus ascends to Olympus. We rule once more, as we should.”
“And then you release the rest of the Titans and kill the rest of the gods?”
“We will give them a choice,” he replied. “And they will choose their own fate.”
“Why doesn’t Cronus go after Zeus himself? Or is he scared?”
The ground trembled slightly under my feet, and I had a feeling Cronus was nearby. He’d heard that and hadn’t liked it.
I smirked.
“Because we want you to choose your own fate, Seth. Side with us. You cannot defeat Cronus,” Oceanus replied coolly.
Yeah, this wasn’t adding up. “You know what I’m thinking? There’s a reason why you want me to do this. Cronus doesn’t want to face off with me. Is it because I killed Perses?”
His nostrils flared as the shades shifted restlessly.
“Or is it because of how easily I killed Hyperion?” I asked, letting some of my power slip through to the skin. My vision tinted white. “And he’s afraid that I’ll kill him?”
“You know what will happen if you kill Cronus.”
I did, but he didn’t know I cared. “Do I strike you as someone who worries about what would happen?”
“You should be.” Oceanus lifted his chin. “We will usher in a new beginning, a better world.”
A fine shiver danced across my shoulders as I thought of the prophecy Ewan the nymph had told me.
The end of the old is here, and the beginning of the new has been ushered in.
The prophecy was about me, wasn’t it? Or was it about more than me?
“We will right all that the Olympians had done wrong,” he continued.
“That’s an extraordinarily long list,” I replied dryly.
Oceanus inclined his chin. “Bring us his head or we will level this city, and from here we will destroy everything in our paths. You have until the Kronia. We’ll be waiting.”
~
Oceanus disappeared after that, but I could tell he was still hanging around. I could feel him.
So, I made sure I took out all those damn shades, all fifty of them. Then I went to Aiden and we got the hell out of there. I focused on Alex and found her in her room.
She let out a little shriek when Aiden and I suddenly appeared in front of her. That scream turned into a gasp. “Aiden?” She rushed from the bedroom, hobbling along with one shoe on. “What happened?”
“I’m fine.” He lifted his head. A purplish bruise shadowed his jaw. “I just need to sit down.”
Alex’s gaze met mine as she slipped an arm around Aiden’s waist, taking some of his weight. “Titans?”
“And shades on steroids,” I answered. “He’ll fill you in, but I have to see Marcus.”
“Okay.” Concern pinched her expression as she led Aiden into the bedroom, stopping long enough to say over her shoulder, “Thank you, Seth.”
I had no idea what she was thanking me for. Focusing on Marcus, I let myself slip into the void. A second later, I appeared in Marcus’s office.
“Gods,” he gasped, frozen mid-sitting down behind his desk.
“Sorry,” I said. “No knocking this time.”
Straightening his tie, he shook his head as he sat down. Marcus wasn’t alone. Laadan and Alexander were in his office, and the television was still on. Scenes from Chicago played. “Should I be worried that you’re back from Chicago so quickly?”
“Yeah, you should be worried.” I came to stand between the chairs Laadan and Alexander were occupying. “There’s no other way to say this, other than to just say it. The community in Chicago is lost.”
“What?” Laadan’s hand flew to her chest.
“I don’t understand. Banks just spoke to them. No more than half an hour had passed between the time he got the call from them to when you and Aiden would’ve arrived.” Marcus’s brows furrowed together as he stared back at me. “What happened?”
“We found a community of…dead pures. The Titans didn’t get in there to feed, Marcus. They slaughtered those pures.”
Laadan paled as she lowered her chin. “Gods.”
“There were shades there. Aiden and I fought them, and these weren’t normal shades.”
“Is it possible that there are some there still alive? The pures?” Laadan asked.
I nodded. “It’s possible, but you send anyone in there to get them out, you’re just sending more people to slaughter. I saw shades possess over fifty dead pures.”
Alexander’s eyes narrowed.
“Yeah, it was like something straight out of Game of Thrones,” I said. “And again, these aren’t normal shades. If there are pures still alive, there’s a good chance they’ll be dead by the time you wrangle up enough Sentinels and Guards to get there. Not to mention, if I were to bring them in, they’d feel my presence and know something’s up.”
“But we’re going to leave them there? To be killed or fed off?” Laadan demanded of Marcus. “We cannot do that.”
Marcus was quiet for a moment. “What do you believe will happen if we send reinforcements into Chicago?”
“My honest answer? They’d all die.”
“Even if you go with them?” he persisted.
“If I went back there, the chances of killing another Titan increases. Trust me on that.” I held his stare. “I know my limits and my patience. I also know that I…have a slight problem controlling myself when it comes to those bastards.”
Surprise flickered over Marcus’s face, and I figured it had to do with what I was admitting. “You think the Titans are in that community? Right now?”
“I know the Titans are holed up in that community. They’re waiting.”
“For what?” Laadan twisted back to me.
“Well, here comes the craziest thing that happened. Oceanus showed up and offered me a deal.”
Marcus’s hands flattened on his desk. “A deal?”
“They want me to bring them Zeus’s head.”
Laadan sucked in a shrill breath, and for a moment I thought the woman would faint. Marcus had a much more subdued response. “Is that so?”
“Yep. They said if I bring them Zeus’s head, they’ll leave us alone.” I lifted my brows. “Of course, that means if I kill Zeus, Cronus will ascend the throne in Olympus. The Titans claim they’ll give the rest of the gods a choice. Fall in line or die.”
Marcus sat back. “If the Titans were to take control over Olympus, they would not remain hidden from the mortals. They’d throw the world back into the days of sacrifice and fear.”
Which wasn’t very different from when the Olympians interacted with mankind, but I figured Marcus knew that.
“What was your answer, Seth?” Marcus asked.
I arched a brow. “What do you think?”
He said nothing, and I could feel Alexander’s stare drilling holes through me.
Crossing my arms, I had to remind myself that I didn’t have the greatest track record with them. “No, I did not agree to run off and kill Zeus.”
“That’s good to hear,” Laadan murmured.
I smirked. “I’ll be honest with you all. It has very little to do with Zeus, but mostly to do with the fact I’m not an idiot. Not for one second do I believe the Titans are a better choice. That any of us would be safe from them.”
Marcus dragged his forefinger under his lip. “No, we would not be. This is an interesting development. What did he say would happen if you didn’t do this?”
“Oceanus said they would destroy the city, and they wouldn’t stop there.”
Laadan closed her eyes, and I thought she might be praying.
“Did they give you a deadline?” Marcus asked.
“Yeah, they said I had until something called the Kronia. No clue what the hell that is.”
Laadan lowered her hand to her lap. “The Kronia was, I believe, an old Athenian festival that celebrated Cronus. It was actually a lovely festival from what I’ve read. Everyone feasted and waited on their servants. Social restrictions were forgotten.”
“Sounds like a fun time,” I murmured. “Any idea of when this festival was held?”
Her nose pinched as she looked upward. “I do believe it was celebrated from the end of July through the beginning weeks of August.”
“That’s good news. We have time.” More than a month, at least.
“We need to get the remaining demigod as soon as possible,” Marcus insisted.
“We’ll go in the morning.” I started to leave, but I turned back to Marcus. “You’re going to send Sentinels into that community, aren’t you?”
Marcus’s gaze lifted to mine. “I have to try.”
“You’ll be sending them to their deaths, Marcus.”
He didn’t look away. “If I gave them the choice, what do you think it would be?”
I already knew. “They’d go, even knowing the odds.”
And that was the damn truth. Sentinels weren’t suicidal. They were just dangerously brave. I had no doubt in my mind that, if Marcus presented them with the option, they would go and they would die trying to save others.
~
Josie
I needed a shower.
Dust covered nearly every square of inch of my body, and it sucked, because I was going to have to wash my hair again.
That’s what I got for practicing with the elements outside during a windy day. All the loose dirt had been stirred up by the wind, and it had coated my skin and hair.
And I hadn’t even been outside for more than thirty minutes.
What I would’ve loved to do was take a bath. Of course, it would’ve been so gross, as dirty as I was, and this bathtub was so not for soaking, but the one at Seth’s house in the islands?
I could marry that tub.
I turned on the faucet until steam filled the air, then stripped off my dirty clothes. As I snatched a towel and placed it on the sink for easy access, I couldn’t stop the kernel of worry forming in my belly.
Seth hadn’t returned yet.
There hadn’t been any earthquakes, so I was taking that as a good sign. Not that I didn’t believe he’d hold to his promise, but if a Titan showed up and went after him?
He’d do everything to keep his promise, but did Seth really know how powerful he was? Things could spin out of control before he even realized it.
Closing my eyes, I stood under the pelting spray of hot water and let all my worries wash away, right along with the dust and sweat. More than anything, I wanted to lose myself in Seth. I wanted him here, where I knew he was safe and I…
I sighed.
I was struck silly by the fact that I missed him even though he’d only been gone an hour or so, but I couldn’t…well, I couldn’t get enough of him. When we were apart, I did miss him desperately, and the longer we were separated, the more I hated it.
I guessed that was what being in love felt like.
A small smile tugged at my lips as I thought about him just holding me as we talked about the future, about our child. A strange thing always happened when he did that. I felt…normal.
Like we were normal and had a future.
Turning, I snatched up the body wash and soaped myself up. My skin was oddly sensitive, have been for, well, at least a couple of days. Probably had to do with pregnancy hormones. They were no joke, because right now, my body was aching for Seth in a way that was almost painful. As if he had branded me somehow and only he could ease the burn.
Gods.
That sounded ridiculous, and I was totally blaming hormones for that thought, but it felt true in that moment.
My head tipped back and I bit my lower lip as I placed the loofah on the little caddy. My hand slipped down my belly and then lower. My breath caught. The touch of my own fingers was nothing like what Seth could do, especially when he did that wicked thing with his thumb…
The mere thought of how he used his fingers made my head spin. Using my other hand, I ran it over my breast. Swallowing a moan, I rolled my hips. The tension coiled. I was so—
“You just can’t stop thinking about me, can you?”
Shrieking, my eyes shot open and I pulled my hand away.
Seth stood just outside the shower stall; his golden hair fell around his chiseled cheeks, brushing the tops of his shoulders. There was a certain mischievous quirk to his full lips, but his gaze was like liquid fire, centered far below my eyes.
“You have got to stop doing that,” I gasped, finding my voice. “Or I will put a bell on you.”
“That was possibly the hottest thing I’ve seen in all my years.” Seth pulled my hand away and climbed fully clothed into the shower. “You have no idea how badly I needed to see that.”
I jolted at what he said and my heart dropped as my gaze coasted over his face. Was there blood along his temple? “Was it that bad?”
“Worse than that bad,” he murmured.
My heart was racing, desire mixed with embarrassment and the returning concern, but then his gaze lifted to mine. I needed to know what had happened; however, instinct told me he needed something else entirely in that moment. I let the shame go and I pushed the concern to the back of my mind.
“Beautiful,” he whispered. Water pelted him, but he didn’t seem to notice. All of his attention was focused on me. “But this?” He brought my hand to his mouth, sucking a finger into his mouth.
“Oh, my…” My knees felt weak. Heat boiled my blood.
“I’m jealous.” He dropped my hand and snaked an arm around my waist, lifting me off my feet. “Would’ve given just about anything to see how all of this started out.”
I could barely breathe, let alone think. My senses were firing all at once and the feeling of being pressed against his soaked clothing set me on fire. “It really wasn’t that exciting.”
“Are you out of your mind? It was probably exciting on a heart-attack level.” He dipped his head, brushing his lips over mine.
I opened my mouth, inviting him in as I slid my hands up his hard chest, clasping them loosely behind his neck. The taste of him was something I’d never grow tired of.
With that, his kiss turned urgent, deepening. Nothing could’ve prepared me for the raw intensity of his kiss, his embrace. And it scared me a little. Not of him or what I was feeling, but for what could’ve happened when he went to Chicago. He was kissing me like he’d been deprived of doing so, and that caused my senses to overload as his tongue slipped over mine. When he finally did lift his head, I felt dizzy.
Seth’s smile was wolfish as his eyes connected with mine. Then, with one impressive surge, he had me backed against the shower stall. Using his knee, he pushed my thighs apart. The wet, smooth material of his pants made me groan.
“I missed you,” I admitted, blushing as I threaded my fingers through the wet, silky strands of his hair.
He pressed a kiss under my chin. “I wasn’t gone that long.”
“I know.”
His lips were against the hollow of my neck, hot and firm. “What did you do while I was gone?”
“I practiced with the elements.” I tipped my head back and let my eyes drift shut. “I got covered in dirt.”
He didn’t move for a moment and then his lips were on mine, kissing me softly. Then he was back to trailing hot kisses down my neck, over my collarbone. His lips were so close to the tip of my breast, drifting over the swell. My breath became shallow and quicker as his tongue flicked over the beaded skin. My entire body shuddered.
“Were you thinking of me?” He teased. “Wait. Of course you were.”
I was about to tell him that it was an incredibly dumb question, but then he drew my nipple into his hot mouth, and I didn’t care. I gasped as pleasure rolled through me. His free hand slipped between my thighs, fingers brushing over damp skin. My gasp quickly turned to a moan.
He lifted his head, nuzzling my neck, under my ear. “You’re so beautiful. Damn it, you’re so fucking beautiful.”
My entire body clenched. Hot, tight shudders racked my body. His fingers were barely touching me and I felt close to tipping over the edge. This wasn’t nice—oh no, this was raw, full of painful need.
My hips surged forward, grinding against his thigh and his hand. Pleasure spiked, making me dizzy and breathless.
Seth growled low in his throat as he grabbed my hip, stilling my movements. His hand stopped moving. “Do you want more than this?”
Frustration caused my eyes to snap open. Was he being serious? Yes. He was. I pushed against his shoulders, but he stared down at me, the look on his face telling me without words what he wanted me to do. Part of me wanted to smack him. And the other…well, it wanted to drown in him.
He wore a wicked grin as his thumb smoothed over a very sensitive part, causing my body to jerk. “I’m waiting, babe.”
“Yes,” I whispered, glaring at him. “Okay. Yes.”
A satisfied smile split his lips. I expected his hand to return to what he had been doing, but his mouth started under my chin again, making a slow descent. He started all over. His hair brushed my chest as his lips drifted over my collarbone. A tiny feminine sound that sounded so foreign to my own ears caught in my throat.
Seth knelt before me, spreading my legs wide. Vulnerable—I was completely vulnerable to him. Lightning rushed through my veins as he spread my legs wider, grasped my hips. His tongue glided from my navel and then lower.
I remembered the first time he’d done this and he’d coaxed me through it. Now, I didn’t need any coaxing. I spread my legs further, giving him more access.
He kissed my inner thigh, nuzzling the slick skin. The air left my lungs as he moved just an inch. He captured my flesh with his mouth, and I cried out. Lost in the raw sensations, I grasped his hair and rocked my hips. He growled against me, and my back arched, heart pounded. Water beaded on my chest. The fierce heat was building and building until I feared it would consume me, and then my body felt like it liquefied. I couldn’t breathe as every muscle locked up, ready for what was surely going to be a mind-blowing orgasm.
“Seth, oh yes…” I buckled and climaxed with such force I almost slid down the wall. He caught me, keeping his mouth on me while my body spasmed with sweet aftershocks.
Before the tremors even subsided, Seth stood fluidly and swept me into his arms. I wasn’t sure how he managed to turn off the water. Had to be the fact he was a god. The next thing I knew, he was laying me on the bed. Dazed, I stared up at him. I was snared in his molten gaze.
He tore off the dark shirt he wore, letting it fall to the floor. My gaze followed the light dusting of blond hair that disappeared under the band of his pants.
I rose onto my elbow, grinning when he arched his brows at me. “You’re sort of stunning,” I said. “But I’m sure you already know that.”
He stepped out of the wet pants and leaned over me, placing a hand on each side of me, caging me in. “You’re one to talk.”
I tipped my head back. “I love you, Seth.”
He made a deep sound, brushing his cheek over mine. “I know.”
I placed my hands on his chest, lowering them over each hard ripple. He pressed against my thigh, warm and hard. “You’re supposed to respond with ‘I love you, too.’”
Seth grasped my hips and rolled me on top of him. “I think I already did, in the shower.”
I kissed the stubble along his jaw as I reached between us, palming him. His back reared off the bed. My heart was already racing again. “Not good enough.”
He reached up, cupping the nape of my neck. His eyes were startling in the darkness of our room, consuming me. My heart tripped over itself. Lust hardened the edge of his voice. “I love you.”
“That’s better.”
Sitting up in one fluid motion, he slipped deep inside me and captured my mouth, smothering my cry of surprise. He wrapped his arms around my waist, holding me tight against him as he flexed his hips upward while pulling me down. Toes curling, I gripped his shoulders as my surprise turned to pleasure.
“I love you now,” he said, thrusting his hips. “I will love you always.”
I pressed my forehead against his, my bottom twisting down. Both of our chests were rising raggedly. “Always? I-I love the sound of that.”
He pulled back and our eyes locked.
Wordlessly, he cupped my rear, urging me to move faster. Unable to look away, I fell into those burning eyes. A sharp swirl of tingles rushed through my body. Under me, he moved his magnificent body at a furious rhythm. My release came fast and hard. My entire body stiffened.
Seth grasped my cheeks, bringing my face down to his, kissing me deeply. Lightning flew through my veins. My muscles clamped down on him as he found his own release. My cry mixed with his as he pumped his hips furiously, throwing me head first into another orgasm.
Sometime later, I stirred to lift my head from his chest, but his embrace tightened. I cleared my throat. “What happened in Chicago?”
He didn’t answer for a long moment, and when he did, part of me almost wished he hadn’t. I almost couldn’t process what he told me or the horror those poor people must’ve felt and seen. Worse yet, if Seth didn’t do what they asked, more innocent people would die. Mortals. Pures. Halfs. Everyone.
“This is bad,” I whispered.
And for the first time Seth didn’t say it would be okay.