My breath caught. “You’re perfect.”
“And you know that’s not true.”
“It is.”
A throat cleared behind us, and then Apollo said, “Seriously, you two? It’s not like you’re keeping a god waiting or anything.”
Aiden drew back with a soft groan. “Sometimes I hate him.”
My lips curved up. “Sometimes.”
“I heard that,” Apollo said. “And I’m pretty sure there’s someone else you hate more than me. I’ll give you two clues. Starts with an S and ends with an H.”
There was an audible huff from inside the office.
I started to grin.
“Well, you got that right.” Aiden’s eyes were fixed on me. “You want to do this right now?”
I nodded, and then Aiden lowered his head once more, kissing me in a way that truly felt like the very first time. When he lifted his head, his eyes shone with everything he was feeling in that moment. I knew what he’d said moments before was the truth. He believed we had a lifetime to feel that odd little burgeoning of hope again, and I latched onto that.
Together, we turned and headed past Apollo. He followed us in and took up stance in the middle of the room. “Well, the gang’s all here. Almost. We are missing a few, but this will do.”
We were missing Solos, Luke, and Olivia, and it didn’t feel right that they weren’t here. And it felt really weird that Seth was here. He was leaning against the wall where the daggers had once hung. He arched a brow at me.
“Your mark should be gone, which means the twins won’t be able to get back into you,” Apollo said, and I resisted the urge to yank my shirt up and check right then. Then he turned to Seth. “And don’t think you and me are okay. It’s great you’re no longer Ares’ little bitch-boy, but you’re still a punk-ass.”
Aiden snickered.
“And I hope your jaw really hurts,” Apollo added.
Seth smirked. “Hey, if you want to go a few rounds again, Golden Boy, we can do it.”
“This is an awesome start to our Army of Awesome meeting number two,” Deacon murmured.
The air around Apollo crackled, and I let out a loud sigh and propped myself against a chair. “So, I’m assuming you had a reason for coming here besides helping me and arguing with Seth.”
“That’s right.”
I waited, and when Apollo said nothing, I crossed my arms. “And that would be?”
“We need a plan,” he replied.
“Wow.” Seth folded his arms. “That’s a unique concept.”
“Seth,” I hissed, shooting him a look.
“That’s okay,” Apollo replied, smiling at Seth in a wholly creepy “hide your kids” kind of way. “When you least expect it, I’m going to turn you into a pink flower that smells like cat pee.”
I choked on my laugh. “Oh, my gods…”
Seth’s eyes narrowed into thin, amber slits, but before he could volley back, a whole different conversation sprouted out of the depths of my very own personal hell.
“I’m sorry.” Marcus was leaning against the desk, looking a bit green. “Am I the only one stuck on the fact that these two thought they might’ve been…that you could’ve been…that there might have been…?”
“That we could’ve made you a great-uncle,” I supplied since he’d obviously run out of words. His eyes narrowed, and heat spread across my cheeks. “Can we not talk about that right now?”
“I second that,” Aiden muttered, shifting awkwardly.
“I disagree.” Apollo’s “hide your kids” smile was now spreading across his face. “This conversation is going to be epically entertaining.”
“For you.” Aiden cut him a dark look.
“Exactly,” the god replied.
Marcus ignored that. “I don’t know how many times I’ve told you two that you shouldn’t be sharing a room.” He turned to me. “I don’t care how old you are or that you’re an Apollyon, Alexandria. You’re my niece; therefore, I am responsible for you. And you?” He spun on Aiden, whose eyes widened. “You know better.”
“Oh my gods,” I moaned. I rather have run naked through the quad then had this conversation both with my uncle and with an audience. Especially with this audience.
“Don’t ‘oh my gods’ me.” The color had returned to Marcus’ face. It was red. “Do I really need to have a conversation with you about responsible sexual activity?”
Seth looked like he wanted to shove a dagger in his eye.
“I think you do,” Apollo suggested.
“Oh! You’re one to talk!” I whirled on Apollo. “Seriously? If I was to Google ‘irresponsible sexual activity,’ it would be your picture staring back at me!”
Apollo made a face at me—actually made a face at me like he was ten years old or something.
Marcus was now staring at Aiden like he wanted to take his dagger and use it on Aiden in an area much lower than the eyeballs.
“Okay, can we move on to the important stuff?” I demanded, losing my patience. “If not, then this is wasting my time, and I’m going to bed. That just might include irresponsible sex, because I’ve had a really crappy day!”
Five sets of eyes settled on me. One set was particularly interested in what I had just said.
“What?” I rolled my eyes, scowling. “Get on with it.”
Apollo sent Seth one more scathing look, which I was sure wouldn’t be the last one directed at the First. “As I said, we need a plan, and although I have many talents…”
For some reason, I couldn’t help but look at Deacon. He flushed.
“I am not a strategist, not like Ares.”
The look on Seth’s face said he was wondering why Apollo was here then, but before he could vocalize that opinion, another fissure of energy whipped through the air. The aether in my veins hummed, and the marks raced to the surface. Seth and I stiffened in anticipation.
A shimmery blue form appeared and then solidified beside Apollo. A second before, there had been nothing but a glittery waterfall, and now there was a tall brunette woman dressed in a tailored business suit. Her hair was pulled up in a tight bun, which did nothing to lessen the ethereal beauty of her face. In her slim, almost delicate-looking hands, she held a rolled parchment.
Gods were like opossums. You could go your whole life without seeing one, but once you found one of them, you found the whole freaky family.
Every pure in the room bowed, leaving Seth and me standing straight like two douches. We apparently were a little slow on the show of respect. The goddess didn’t seem to notice or care.
“Athena, please meet the, uh…Army of Awesome.” Apollo arched a brow. “Or whatever they are calling themselves.”
The goddess of wisdom, strategy, and a whole slew of other things inclined her head. “Nice title.”
“Nice suit,” I said, my gaze dipping to her pointy heels.
Her all-white eyes centered on me, and one side of her lips tipped up. “I picked it up at Saks along with this amazing leather satchel and these to-die-for shoes.”
“Oh.” I slid Aiden a glance. He studiously ignored me. “They’re very nice, too.”
She strode forward, placing the parchment on the desk. Marcus swallowed and stepped to the side, giving the goddess a wide berth. It was a map. A really crudely drawn map of trees, mountains that looked like upside-down Vs, and stick people. Apparently, drawing was not one of Athena’s skills. “The plan, and I assume that has not changed,” she paused, passing an arched look between Seth and me, “will require the God Killer to get close to Ares. Currently, he’s camped out—”
“In the Catskills,” Seth interrupted, and I thought of my father. He was there. Seth came forward, eyeing the map. “He’s got around the same number of Sentinels that I have here with me, plus mortals. All of them are under compulsion.”
“Ares’ compulsion?” Marcus asked, and when Seth nodded, my uncle sighed. “There’s no way to break a compulsion from a god, is there?”
; “Not unless you take out the god, or so we assume,” Apollo said. “Dionysus has confirmed that the mortal encampment is several miles out from the Catskills.”
“We would have to get past them, and then get through the walls of the New York Covenant, which are guarded by Sentinels.” Seth tapped his finger along what appeared to be an uneven brick wall, squinting. “But that’s not all. Ares is heavily guarded.”
“Guarded by what?” I asked.
“Daimons,” Seth said, looking away. “And you know how he’s controlling them.”
My stomach roiled. I did. He was feeding them pures and probably halfs—dinner in exchange for loyalty. I remembered the days when the Council didn’t believe daimons could reason. Now the daimons had most likely drained those Council members dry.
“And the automatons.” Athena glanced at Apollo. “Hephaestus has completely lost control of them.”
The god sighed. “Don’t start.”
Her eyes narrowed. “I warned all of you that using them was a bad idea. We had no idea what god was responsible for this, and using a creature designed for war without such knowledge was a poor plan.”
It was. The half-machine, half-bull fire-breathing creatures had turned on us and were now under Ares’ control.
“So not only will your…” Her nose wrinkled. “Your Army of Awesome have to get past the mortals, they will have to face Sentinels, daimons and automatons before even reaching Ares.”
Aiden folded his arms. “That is, if he doesn’t come after us the moment we set foot out of the University.”
“He won’t.” Athena tapped her finger down on a square, which I assumed was the Covenant building. “He knows how heavily entrenched he is, and moving an army would make him vulnerable to attack. Before the First left him, he would’ve risked it. But not now that he knows the God Killer is coming for him. He will remain where he is and wait for you to come to him. He knows you will suffer losses in the process.”
The truth weighed heavily. We would suffer losses.
“Getting past the mortals will not be hard,” she continued. “The loss of their lives will be unfortunate, but we have to sacrifice the few to save the many. Then there are the Sentinels, daimons and automatons, but it is fighting Ares that will take everything.”
“We can’t just zap him with a God Killer bolt and call it a day?” I asked.
Athena arched a brow. “It’s not like he’s going to stand still and allow you to do that, and we know what happened last time you faced off with him.”
“Thanks for the reminder,” I muttered.
“It is only to serve a much-needed point. None of you are trained to battle a god, let alone Ares. Even I couldn’t prepare you, not effectively. He can and will outmaneuver and out-plan you, and he knows that.” Athena waved a hand over the map, and it disappeared. Neat trick. I was jealous.
“So are you saying that we cannot defeat him, not even with the God Killer?” Marcus asked, and the crinkled skin around his eyes appeared more noticeable.
“No.” She faced us and hopped up on the desk, demurely crossing her legs. “War is partially strength, partially skill, and partially psychological. We have the strength in the Apollyons and the Sentinels, but we do not have the skill, and we do not have anything that will put Ares at unease. Without the last two factors, we will not succeed.”
I frowned. “Are you also the goddess of depressing facts?”
Apollo snorted.
“I am just being realistic,” she stated coolly. “But I do have an idea.”
Here we go. A bit of excitement thrummed through me. An idea was better than everything else she’d been spouting, because right now, I didn’t need Phobos and Deimos inside my head to believe we were embarking on a suicide mission.
“It is a risky idea, but we really have no other choice. If the God Killer fails, it will be an all-out war, and we know what happened the last time the gods went to war,” Athena said.
Aiden shifted his weight. “Thousands died.”
“And it will be millions this time.” Apollo studied the goddess. “What is your idea?”
A small smile appeared. “We use Perses.”
Apollo stiffened, and I didn’t understand the reaction. “The demigod? Are we going to go slay Medusa or something?”
“No. Not Perseus. Perses.”
I stared at her. “Okay. I’ll admit, I slept or doodled through most of my classes. I have no idea who you’re talking about.”
“That is a lovely discovery.” Marcus pierced me with his Dean of Academics stare. I withered like a poor little flower left out in the sun without water.
“Perses is the god of destruction and war,” Apollo explained, eyes wide. “He was nearly indestructible and nearly unstoppable.”
I shook my head as I glanced at Aiden, relieved to see he looked just as clueless as me. “Okay. Is there another god of war that I’m unaware of?”
“You guys populate like rabbits,” Seth added, grinning slightly. “It could be possible we haven’t heard of him.”
Deacon’s lips twitched, but Athena’s next words knocked the smile off his face and silenced the entire room.
“No,” she said. “Perses is not an Olympian. He is the Titan god of destruction.”
CHAPTER 11
I gaped at the goddess in what must have been the most unattractive manner known to man. “A Titan?” I squeaked out. “A mother-freaking Titan?”
Athena nodded. “A Titan.”
“Whoa.” Aiden ran his hand through his hair before clasping the back of his neck. He turned sideways, shaking his head. “Wasn’t expecting that.”
“I don’t think anyone was expecting that.” Apollo stepped toward Athena. “Let’s break down this idea step-by-step. How would we be able to use Perses? The last time I checked, he was in Tartarus.”
“He is still there.” Athena tipped her chin up. “And as you know, he is not dead. He is only entombed.”
“And how do you think we’re going to release him?” Apollo demanded, brows slashed. “Zeus would never agree to this.”
“I am Zeus’ favorite child.” Her smile beamed.
Apollo’s blue eyes rolled. “That’s something to be proud of.”
She tsked softly. “I can get him to agree to anything, and he’s desperate, Apollo. You know that’s true. The last thing he wants is a full-out war.”
“The last thing he wants is to do anything. That lazy son of—”
“True.” Athena raised her hands. “But I will get his backing.”
“Okay. So if you get his backing, what about Hades? He will never agree to releasing Perses,” Apollo argued.
“He will if Zeus demands it.”
Apollo laughed deeply, and the sound shook the chairs. “Hades controls the Underworld. He will deny it just because Father demands it.”
“I’m sure you can get Hades to understand and agree. That will be up to you.” She tapped her manicured fingers on her bent knee. “And you know how Hades likes to make a deal.”
Last time I’d seen Hades, he’d wanted to kill me. This idea was going downhill fast.
“All right, let’s say we get Hades to agree to release Perses. How in the world would we be able to control him?” Apollo asked.
“Perses is just one Titan. He is powerful and a bit…crazy, but Ares nearly died by his hands during the war, if you remember correctly. Perses can train the God Killer. He could train hundreds of our people to fight. We will have the skill, and we will have the psychological upper hand.” She smiled again. “Besides, Perses will do anything to be free. Any of the Titans would. Put the fear of gods in him, or whatever it is the mortals say. Make him behave, and in return, Hades can give him better accommodations.”
“Oh, this is rich.” Apollo laughed.
“You’re serious about releasing a Titan?” Seth blinked slowly, as if coming out of a daze. When Athena simply nodded, he turned to me. “Ares would never expect it.”
There were
honestly no words.
From what I remembered about the Titans, those who stood against Zeus had been imprisoned since they could not truly be killed. Titans were badass, like “they put the ‘bad’ in badass” kind of badass. The last time they were topside, it had been a bloodbath. No one, not even the Olympians, messed with the Titans. And now we were talking about unchaining one and working with it? And hoping for the best?
Oh, this had apocalypse written all over it.
And people thought I made bad decisions?
But Seth was right, and so was Athena. Ares would never expect something as crazy as this. Perses was the Titan god of war and destruction. If anyone could prepare us for coming face to face with Ares again, it would be him and no one else.
“Okay,” I said, letting out a deep breath. “Let’s unleash a Titan on the unsuspecting world.”
The others agreed, and plans were made to meet with Hades. The atmosphere was much better, and that probably had to do with the absence of Phobos and Deimos and the fact that we had something, no matter how crazy, to work with. Still, I couldn’t help but think we might be making the whole situation worse.
* * *
I knew Seth wasn’t being housed in the cell anymore, but I also knew he wasn’t in this dorm. There were others, and he’d wisely chosen one that didn’t house a decent number of people who wanted to commit an act of homicide when they were around him.
And it had put some much-needed distance between us.
The stupid cord in me wasn’t happy about the separation, but it had ceased its incessant buzzing and humming. I liked to think that I was gaining some control over the obsessive need to be near Seth, and if both of us survived this, it was something we both needed to work on.
We would survive this.
I couldn’t allow myself to think anything else. When Deimos and Phobos had been inside me, it was all I could think about. We would fail. I would die. Those I loved would die. Now that their influence was gone, I felt like myself again. Things weren’t all rainbows and puppy tails. I could still lose people, and after I discovered there was a good chance the Olympians would take out my rosey-red behind after fighting Ares, there had been moments when I wanted to find a corner to rock in.
Sentinel c-5 Page 14