I pursed my lips. “No, actually, no one has said that.”
He smiled tightly. “Well, I am.”
Busted, Seth said.
Gripping the edges of the chair, I stared straight ahead. I hate you. “So, what’s up?”
Other than the fact Perses is getting some instead of being here?
Apollo picked up a silver ball from the other side and let that one go.
Oh my gods…
Marcus’ look turned suspicious as his gaze bounced between Seth and me. “Solos was talking battle strategy with Perses. We figured, since you two play an intricate role in this, it would be smart to bring you in on these meetings.”
Seth strolled forward and dropped down in the seat beside me. “What’s to discuss? From what I understand, it’s fairly simple. The army will attack the front gate while Alex and I sneak in with Perses.”
Perses had discussed his plan with us the previous day between rounds of kicking our butts. Aiden was still taking part in the additional trainings even though he’d agreed to remain with the larger group once we launched our attack against Ares.
Propping his hip against the desk, Solos pointed down at a map of the New York Covenant, a much better map than the one Athena had created. “It’s really not that simple. We have to find a way to sneak you in. I’m sure you remember how well-guarded the Catskills is. Getting past the preliminary fences will be no problem. The wall is another story.”
An insolent smile twisted Seth’s lips. “There was a breach in the east wall. I’ve already told Perses. It’s not a huge hole, but it is large enough for a person to slip through. Unless Ares is interested in masonry work, I doubt it has been repaired.”
“It’s unlikely that Ares would leave the breach unguarded,” Aiden said, his eyes a steely gray. “You won’t just walk in there.”
That smirk on Seth’s face grew. “I wasn’t planning to just walk in there.”
“Okay,” I sighed, interrupting before a battle of wills erupted. “So we will have to scout the wall first. We can—Apollo!”
The god looked up. In his hands, the Newton balls knocked off of each other once more. “What?” he asked.
“What?” I shot him annoyed look. “Seriously. Have you’ve never seen a Newton’s Cradle before? Every time you move the first ball, it’s going to move the rest of the balls.”
“No.” His gaze dipped to the cradle. “Gravity is cool.”
“Oh my gods,” I moaned, slumping in my seat. “My brain hurts.”
Apollo let go of the silver ball once more and then placed the cradle on the edge of Marcus’ desk. “I imagine you’re leaving with the army on Saturday?” he said to Solos. When the half-blood nodded, he glanced at Aiden. “And you will travel with Alex?”
“Do you need to even ask that question?” Aiden replied, placing his hands on the desk and leaning in.
Apollo shrugged.
“I will leave with the army, as well,” Marcus announced, sitting back in the chair.
Diana cleared her throat delicately. “If I may make a suggestion?” My uncle nodded, and she smiled. “I think you are needed here more, Marcus.”
His eyes immediately sharpened into green crystals. “I’m needed in the Catskills.”
“I know you feel that way,” she started again, patiently and understandingly. “You are a Sentinel at heart, Marcus, but there is so much we have to do. More than just fighting.”
“She’s correct,” Apollo said, apparently ready to contribute to the conversation. “Rebuilding is just as important as war, and that process starts long before the war is over.”
Marcus’ jaw tightened. “You are here, Diana, plus other surviving members of the Council.”
“The Council is in ruins, Marcus. We need you here, and we need you alive to help rebuild after all this is said and done,” Diana argued, and I couldn’t but wonder if something deeper drove her conviction. If so, I didn’t blame her. I would cut off my left arm to convince Aiden to remain behind. “We need you here.”
Several agreed, and Marcus stiffened in his chair. “I’m a trained Sentinel. I have assets that will be of—”
“We know that.” It was Aiden who spoke. “But I have to agree with Diana. We have this covered.”
“We do,” Solos confirmed. “Defeating Ares means nothing if we can’t deal with the chaos afterward. And there will be chaos. We have Covenants that are destroyed or heavily damaged, and entire Councils have been wiped out. And we will have half-bloods coming off the Elixir and out of servitude. We will need leadership—strong leadership.”
A proud grin crossed my lips. Marcus would make a great leader. He already was. And I could easily see him taking the role of Head Minister. Marcus might act like he had a stick shoved in a very unmentionable place half the time, but he’d be righteous and fair. Strict, but he would always do the right thing by pures and halfs.
Our eyes met, and I don’t know what he saw in my expression, or if my smile had anything to do with what he did next, but I like to think it did.
Marcus rubbed a hand across his brow, sighing heavily. “I want to be there, but…you’re right. I need to stay here.”
“Well, now that’s settled, I think I’m going to find something soft to lie on.” Seth popped up from his chair, his movements not nearly as fluid as normal. He glanced at me, and a mischievous glint filled his amber eyes. “Want to join me?”
I rolled my eyes.
Annoyance flashed into Aiden’s eyes, turning their hue into a stormy gray as he pushed off the desk and straightened. “Very amusing.”
Seth winked as he backed away. “Hey, just being gentlemanly.”
“Go somewhere else, then,” Aiden replied.
Chuckling, Seth dipped out the door as I shook my head. While Seth and I had been more than friends at one point and our feelings for one another did run deep, I was a hundred percent certain that Seth was just trying to cause Aiden to stroke out.
Once Seth exited, the conversation moved back to the Council, and my interest also exited. Pushing up for the chair, I limped out of the office after telling them I was heading back to my room. I foresaw another herbal bath in my future. I had two more training sessions with Perses, and while each of us was getting better, none of us had taken him down.
Yet.
One of us had to take him down before we left for the Catskills.
I’d made it halfway down the stairs before Apollo poofed in front of me, startling me. I jerked to the side and lost my balance. Teetering on the edge of the step, visions of bones crunching rang in my head. He caught my arm, stopping my fall.
“Gods,” I gasped, grasping the handrail with my free hand. “Is it necessary to do that?”
“You’re okay.” He dropped my arm. “We need to talk.”
I leaned against the railing, eyeing him wryly. “What? You got bored with the Newton’s Cradle?”
His lips tipped up at the corners. “Why haven’t you transferred the power from Seth yet?”
“He wants to wait until we get to the Catskills.” I paused as his eyes narrowed. “Look, I’m going to try to get him to do it before we leave, but—”
“Seth doesn’t want to do it, and I bet it’s because he’s not sure he can let you do it.” Apollo cursed, and unease blossomed deep in my belly. “This could be a potential problem.”
The unease gave way to irritation. It pricked at my skin and poked holes in my insides. “You know, I love how you just pop in and out whenever you want to and offer little to no answers. Nothing really helpful either, but boy oh boy, there may be a problem!”
Apollo’s expression slipped into a scowl, but I was on a roll. No stopping me now. “You know, all of this is bullshit. I said it before, and I’ll say it again, Ares is your problem. He’s the gods’ problem.” His mouth opened, but I kept on going. “And don’t you dare say it’s Seth’s problem! Ares created this mess ages ago when he started this crap with Solaris and the First. But you guys didn’t re
ally do anything then, did you? You sent the Order in to kill them instead of getting to the bottom of what was happening.”
“Alex—”
“And now it’s happening again. We are going to war for you—for the gods. People will die. My friends and the people I love could die! I could die!” My voice cracked, and I took a step down. My throat felt like it was on fire. “I haven’t forgotten that, Apollo. I know I could die in the end.”
He clapped a heavy hand on my shoulder and squeezed. “I promise you, Alex, that no matter what happens, I’ll take care of you. I told you that, and I always keep my promises.”
A knot in my throat made it difficult to speak. The probability of my inevitable death at the hands of those who needed my help wasn’t something I’d forgotten about. In reality, it was just something I couldn’t fixate on. Since the hellboy twins had been exorcised from me, I had refused to dwell on it, and the reason why descended in startling clarity in that moment. In the end, no matter what Apollo wanted, he would not disobey the other Olympians. Doing so would further split them, and it could become disastrous.
Blinking back tears, I looked away, working my throat until I was sure that, when I opened my mouth, it wasn’t a sob. “I don’t want to die.”
“I know,” Apollo said, and his voice was surprisingly gentle. “I will do everything in my power to make sure that doesn’t happen. I haven’t let you down yet, have I?”
My gaze crawled over the gray cement walls, finally settling on his. Had he? He’d skirted the truth and divulged information only when he felt like it, but had he let me down? I didn’t answer the question. “The gods should be fighting. You know that, Apollo. They should be a part of this.”
Seconds passed. “You’re right.”
Wow. I was stunned into silence. Next thing I’d knew, Aiden and Seth would start to make out and profess their undying love for one another. “I’m right?”
“You are. They do need to be involved. They need to fight.”
It took me a couple of moments to remember how to use my tongue. Hope kindled in my chest like a fledging, delicate fire. If the gods would fight, then the losses on our side would be less. “And you can make this happen?”
Apollo lowered his chin. “I will do everything I can to get them involved.”
“You should. This is their fight.”
“This is everyone’s fight,” he corrected. “Because it’s everyone’s future.”
CHAPTER 19
Saturday had been a day full of pain.
While we were getting better at fighting Perses, we still were getting our butts handed to us. Seth had come close to taking Perses down with a kick. The Titan had stumbled, but he hadn’t fallen. He’d come back at Seth, and within seconds the First was on his back.
But Sunday got worse.
“Mats are for the weak,” Perses announced as I bounced across the blue butt-saver, and that comment took the happy right out of my step. He raised a hand, and the mats flipped up on their own, starting to fold like accordions. “Warriors do not need mats.”
Jumping back, I missed being smashed and folded by less than a second. Under the mats was nothing but cold, hard floor. I sighed, knowing this was going to sting, and as usual, we had a crowd watching. Three pures had mixed among my friends. Solos was already cringing.
Perses motioned me forward. “Come on, girl.”
I took a deep, calming breath before I stalked toward him. Attacking in anger seemed like a good idea. The gods knew I was known to do so from time to time, but I made mistakes in the heat of it, and making mistakes with Perses or Ares wouldn’t end well for me.
He immediately launched at me, swinging a meaty hand at my head. Easy. I dipped down, avoiding the attack. Springing up, I twisted to the left as he kicked out with a booted foot. I blocked him at the knee, and then struck out for his throat. Perses countered, sneaking a punch that caught my arm and spun me. I tried to twist out of it into the fall, but as I turned, he threw his arm out, hitting me across the chest. Air exploded out of my lungs. Stumbling back, I was unprepared when he kicked out, sweeping his legs out from underneath me. I hit the hard floor on my back, knocking the oxygen out of my cells this time.
“Ow,” I moaned, bending my knees. I blinked the ceiling back into focus, clearing the white flecks of light from my vision.
Aiden’s curse rang loudly.
Hovering over me, Perses’ laugh grated on my nerves. “I hope, when you become the God Killer, Ares stands still for you.”
I flipped him off.
The Titan tipped his head back and laughed. “Charming.”
Rolling to my feet, I limped over to the side, passing our little audience. Olivia caught my eye and smiled sympathetically. Almost, she mouthed.
Almost didn’t really count. I joined the guys by the wall. “Well, that was a fail.”
“It wasn’t.” Aiden tucked a stray piece of my hair back behind my ear. “You did well.”
“She looked like a pancake when she hit the floor,” Seth remarked, earning a pissy look from both of us. He laughed as he jogged off toward Perses.
Sitting down, I took the bottle of water Aiden handed me and gulped it down. As Seth squared off against Perses, I readied myself for another round. When Seth ate floor, Aiden took his place. Half of my bones felt brittle, as if they were about to break, and I couldn’t fathom why Aiden was subjecting himself to this when he didn’t have to. Not that Perses was complaining. The more butts he was kicking, the happier he was. I stretched my legs out, easing the sore muscles. Every time I went up against Perses, I wanted to tap into akasha and just give a good old, aether-fueled bitch-slap in the—
“Holy daimon butts,” I whispered.
Seth glanced down at me, frowning. “Uh, what?”
Popping up to my feet, a smile split my lips. “I got it.”
He shook his head as he studied me. “Got what? Milk?”
“No.” Excited, I couldn’t wait until Aiden went down. Not that I really wanted that, but I wanted at Perses. “I know how to take him down.”
Seth snorted.
I ignored his lack of faith in my ability. Never once during our training had Perses told Seth and me that we couldn’t use our Apollyon abilities. We’d just assumed that we couldn’t. After all, we were treating these training sessions like we were back in class, fighting instructors. But we weren’t. We also weren’t normal students.
Aiden caught a kick in the middle of the back, taking him to his knees.
“We’re so stupid,” I said to Seth, grinning.
His brows rose. “Speak for yourself, Angel.”
As Aiden started back toward us, I passed him halfway, brushing my fingers down his arm. “I got this,” I told him.
He smiled down at me, and as I continued forward, I saw the pures gathered at the doors exchange looks of disgust and disbelief. I flipped them off.
Perses yawned. “Back so soon, girl?”
“I can’t wait to see your face when you hit the floor.” I shook my arms out, letting the rush of power in my veins make it to my skin.
His gaze flickered over me, and I knew that he, like the gods, could see the marks of the Apollyon. A smooth brow rose. “Well, let’s do this.”
Backing off, we circled one another, eyeing each other for that fine, slim moment of weakness. Springing forward, he twisted in midair, kicking out, but I spun to the side. He landed in a crouch, shooting up. Summoning akasha, I welcomed the rush of power as I threw my hand out. Shock flickered across his face. A pulse of light arced across the short distance between us, smacking into his chest. It wouldn’t kill him, but it definitely did the trick.
Perses stumbled back, his body bending at the waist. There were only a few seconds to complete this. Spinning around, I aimed my knee for his stomach. He tried to avoid the kick, but he wasn’t fast enough. I caught him in the midsection. He went down on one knee as I straightened. Bringing my arm down, I slammed my elbow into his back, between his shou
lder blades. He planted his hands on the floor to catch himself. Moving lightning-quick and putting every muscle into the motion, I brought my leg up. The toe of my sneaker connected with his solar plexus. Perses flipped.
He hit the floor on his back, his eyes wide.
Silence.
It was like the sound had been sucked out of the room. And then I heard Aiden yell, and then Luke, and then Olivia. I’d done it.
I’d taken down a mother-freaking Titan.
Ares could suck it.
Standing over Perses, a ridiculously large smile crossed my face. “I don’t think you’ll be calling me ‘girl’ anymore.”
He grunted.
“What the hell?” Seth stalked up to us. “You used an element—akasha. How was that fair?”
Rocking back on my heels, I resisted the urge to start jumping around and clapping. “He never said we couldn’t use our abilities. We just assumed we couldn’t.”
Seth stared at me.
Perses shifted to his feet. “She’s right. It’s only taken a week for you idiots to figure that out. Even that one,” he said, gesturing to where Aiden waited. “He could’ve used fire, but he never did. To defeat Ares or any god, you will have to use every weapon you have. That was the lesson.”
I almost giggled with glee—actual glee.
Seth’s mouth dropped opened. “If that’s the case, I’ve couldn’t taken you down the first day.”
“But you didn’t.” Perses smiled as he tapped a long finger against his head. “You need to start using this as well as your muscles.”
Okay. I felt like clapping.
Seth rolled his eyes, but he turned to me. Nice work, Angel.
My smile spread, and I let my pride consume me for a moment. Perses ended the session shortly after that, and Seth disappeared out the door, parting the crowd like he was our version of Moses. I watched him go, knowing I needed to track him down. We had to do the transfer tonight.
Aiden hugged me when I joined him, resting his chin atop my head. “Brilliant.”
I laughed as I squeezed him. “Not really. Think about how long it took me to figure out that we should’ve been using our abilities the whole time.”
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