The Return

by Jennifer L. Armentrout

  A Lord of the Rings kind of elf.

  Pointy ears and chin. High cheekbones. Long brown hair. And her skin had a faint sheen, a dewy glow. She wore a skintight, forest-green jumpsuit, and her eyes were all-white as they focused on me. I inhaled sharply, and all I could smell was rich soil and sun.

  “Your father sent us,” she said, her voice as light as spring showers as she propped a crossbow on her shoulder.

  Us?

  Then I saw them—dozens of them coming out from the woods. All the females were just like the one kneeling next to me. There were men, too. They wore some kind of animal-skin pants. Their skin shimmered in the sunlight. All of them carried bows.

  She helped me onto my feet. “You must go. The poison will only hold him for a few minutes.”

  Breath catching in my throat, I looked down at Hyperion. He was frozen on one knee, staring straight ahead. “Poison?”

  “Blood of Pegasus,” she answered, smiling slightly. “It freezes anyone and anything for a limited period of time.”

  Seth was on my other side, staring at the woman with a mixture of awe and trepidation. “You’re a nymph, but…” He trailed off as he glanced at the male striding up behind Hyperion, pointing an arrow at the back of Hyperion’s head.

  “We’re all nymphs,” she answered. “Contrary to the stories they tell, there are both males and females. Now you two must go. His body will adapt quickly.”

  “Thanks. Have fun with this douche.” Seth sheathed his dagger and then started to pull me toward the Porsche.

  I dug my heels in. “Wait. My grandmother—”

  “Gone.” The nymph was suddenly in my face, at eye level. Seth stiffened next to me as sympathy crossed her face. “She is gone. There is nothing alive in that house.”

  Her words thundered through me, and I cracked open. My heart hurt in a way that felt so very real, that shattered me straight through. My grandparents had raised me. They had loved me, and I had loved them with everything I had in me, and now they were gone. There just a few minutes ago and now gone, and for what? I couldn’t say anything, couldn’t process as Seth gently pulled me away from the nymph, leading me to the passenger side of the car. My eyes were dry, but I could barely see. I was quiet, but it felt like I was screaming myself raw.

  When he opened the door, a male nymph was suddenly there. Up close, I realized, numbly, that he was as unearthly pretty as the female. “Your mother is safe,” he said. “Your father made sure of that.”

  I stared at the elfin creature, unable to speak. Seth loaded me up and I sat in that front seat, staring straight ahead but not seeing anything, not hearing a single word Seth spoke to me as he got behind the wheel and spun the Porsche around.

  It wasn’t until we hit the rural road that I realized I still clutched the shotgun to my chest.

  CHAPTER

  16

  GODS, THAT couldn’t have gone any worse.

  Fucking Hyperion. Apollo had been right. The Titan had gone straight for Josie, and he’d tried to tag her—maybe he had. He’d had his hands on her, positioned in the way to feed. I knew how it was done that way.

  My hand tightened on the steering wheel and a flare of pain danced over my aching knuckles. The fucker had a hard head. My knuckles weren’t the only things hurting, but I wasn’t concerned about the ass-kicking I’d just gotten handed or even the fact that the Titan had been the only thing in a very long time that could kick my ass.

  For the hundredth time since we got into the SUV, I glanced over at Josie. She was still, her eyes on the road ahead. At some point, she had let go of the shotgun and it now rested across her knees. The only words she’d spoken to me since we’d left the house were when I asked if she was okay, which was a lame-ass question. Her lip was bleeding again. Blood had dried along the front of her throat, but the bruise around her neck was painfully visible, forming a handprint, and wasn’t that a punch in the gut to know that Hyperion could have choked the life out of her or snapped her neck, while I’d been right there.

  Fuck.

  Before, when Apollo had told me about the Titans and I’d thought he’d wanted me to go after them, I hadn’t cared if I fell in a fight against them. Hell, there’d even been a little part of me looking forward to it, but now it was different. If I went down in a fight against Hyperion, so would Josie.

  But I shouldn’t care about that. I couldn’t. Caring about anything or anyone was futile at this point in my life.

  I had to get her to South Dakota and then she would be safe. Sort of. And I would be…I needed to get away, but right now I was focused on her.

  “I think we can stop for a few,” I said, breaking the silence as I glanced at her again. We’d been on the road for about five hours, with about four more to go. “Enough time to get a look at you and—”

  “I’m fine,” she cut in, still staring straight forward. “I don’t want to stop. I just want to get to where we’re going.”

  A wisp of unease curled in my gut. “Josie, you were tagged this morning—twice—and you faced off with a Titan. Your throat was bleeding and I…” I also wanted to make sure she was okay, and not just in the physical sense. What she had seen happen to her family, on top of everything else, it was a lot. Too much for anyone to really handle.

  “I’m…I’m okay. Like I said, I…I don’t want to stop. I want to go. I want to keep going and get as far away from there as I can.”

  The muscle in my jaw spasmed in response to her words. Aw, damn, this…this wasn’t good. “Josie, I’m…I’m sorry about your grandparents. I wouldn’t wish that on anyone.”

  “You were right. You said it was dangerous, but I didn’t listen. I shouldn’t have gone back home.” She drew in a sharp breath that hitched. “It’s my fault.”

  “It is not your fault. You didn’t hurt your grandparents, Josie. Hyperion did. Don’t put that kind of shit on yourself.”

  She didn’t respond, and when I looked over at her, I could tell that those words hadn’t changed a damn thing. My gaze focused back on the road. Traffic was getting congested the closer we got to Sioux Falls. There’d be tons of hotels, but there was also a rather large pure community nearby, which meant there’d be more daimons.

  After a few minutes, she spoke again. “The guy…the nymph, he said my mom was safe. That Apollo took her. Would he do that?”

  If so, he failed to mention that fact, but then again, Apollo rarely told anyone what he was doing. I decided to be Positive Paul with this. “He probably knew that Hyperion would eventually learn where your family was and knew he could use your mom to lure you out.”

  “So, she’s safe?”

  I didn’t say anything, because I hoped for her sake that she was.

  Josie drew in another ragged breath. “I couldn’t fight him. I couldn’t do anything to stop him or to help you.”

  Wasn’t what I expected her to talk about right now, but at least she was talking. Shifting into the next lane, I passed a slow-ass sedan. “You’re not trained, Josie. You’re not—”

  “Can you train me?” she said, and I could finally feel her gaze on me, and I was sure she saw my mouth hanging open. “Can you train me to fight like you?”

  I had no idea how to respond to that. Slowly shaking my head, I pushed away the rising memories of training another person— another girl. Then again, training Alex had been completely different. Alex had already known how to fight, and I hadn’t been the only one working with her. “I am the best fighter that is breathing, and I’m not even trying to be arrogant about that. But I barely held my own against Hyperion. Besides that, training you won’t change what happened to your grandparents.”

  “I know that, but at least I’d be able to do something other than stand there and scream. Or watch other people get their asses kicked, or watch them die!” Her lips trembled when I glanced at her. “If he comes after me again, I won’t be able to defend myself or anything.”

  “You’ll be safe at the University,” I told her, and acid
churned in my stomach, because I wasn’t sure how safe she would be. It wouldn’t take Hyperion long to find out where she was stashed away, and I had no idea how they planned to keep the Titan out. There were probably wards—protective spells—but no ward was a hundred percent foolproof.

  “I can’t stay there forever,” she replied, raising a hand to her neck. She started to touch the spot where the daimon had tagged her earlier, but jerked her hand away. There was a tense pause. “Will you do it? Train me?”

  Muscles in my shoulders tensed. Training Josie, like I’d trained Alex? I almost laughed at the fucked-up irony of it all, but nothing about any of this was funny. “Josie, I’m…I’m not sure what I’m doing after I get you to the University. Your father might have other plans for me and…”

  And I couldn’t stay there.

  “That’s right. You’re leaving,” she said quietly, and looked away, casting her bleak gaze out the passenger window. “Do you think someone there would train me?”

  It was possible. Sentinels were still trained at the University, and there’d be plenty around. All she needed was for the Dean of the Covenant to agree, and I was assuming that was still Marcus Andros, the former Dean of the North Carolina Covenant and Alex’s uncle. He’d go for it, especially once he learned what she was and who she was to him. Someone would help her.

  But it couldn’t be me.

  I wasn’t going down that road again.

  Dusk had turned into a starry, cloudless night. I’d forgotten how dark it got up here, when there was nothing between us and the sky. The University was nestled in the Black Hills, not near Mount Rushmore, but in a part of the protected Northern Hills. People had to know what to be looking for to find the entrance road. Five bumpy miles later, we reached the repaired outer walls of the University. The last time I’d been here, burnt-out cars had lined the roadway and huge chunks of the outer marble walls had been blasted through. The walls were all shiny and new now, looking as if nothing evil had ever crossed their path.

  My hands tightened on the steering wheel.

  Josie stared up at the twenty-foot walls that circled the acres and acres of land, and then her gaze landed on the titanium-encased gates, speaking for the first time in hours. “Holy crap.”

  She was staring at the Sentinels. Kind of hard not to when they had semi-automatic weapons pointed at our SUV. Dressed all in black, they were nothing more than shadows as they drifted forward.

  Josie shifted. “Seth…?”

  “It’s okay.” I hit the window, rolling it down. “They’re just very cautious.” I rested an arm on the open window, hoping none of the Sentinels approaching were ones I’d tried to kill at some point. That would be awkward.

  A male Sentinel leaned down, his shrewd gaze sweeping over me and getting stuck on Josie. His jaw tightened as he lowered his weapon. “What is your purpose, Apollyon?”

  I arched a brow. “It’s none of your business.” The Sentinel cocked his head and I gave him my best smile, the kind that pissed off everyone in a ten-mile radius. “I need to see the Dean.”

  The Sentinel’s lips curved into a smirk. “You have a mortal with you.”

  “And that is also none of your business.” I held his gaze even though I heard Josie inhale sharply. Like I was going to tell some random Sentinel who she was. More than anybody, I knew it was never a great idea to trust anyone. “I need to see the Dean. Now. And if I have to repeat myself, you better hope you not only have great aim, but that you can pull that trigger fast.”

  “Oh dear,” Josie murmured.

  Holding my stare for a moment that tested my patience, the Sentinel finally straightened. Pressing his free hand to his earpiece, he spoke quickly into it.

  Josie was still staring at the Sentinels in front of us. “Do you think you could’ve been…um, nicer to that guy?”

  I chortled. “No.”

  Slowly, she turned her head toward me and raised her brows. “They could shoot us. They look like they want to shoot us.”

  A smile appeared on my lips. “They won’t shoot us.”

  She didn’t appear convinced, but the Sentinel raised his arm and motioned toward those at the gate. A second later, the heavy thing swung open. “See? They aren’t going to shoot us.”

  “That’s good to know,” she mumbled, staring wide-eyed as we passed a bunch of mean-looking Sentinels.

  We traveled on, and she ended up pushing the shotgun aside and leaning forward, placing her hands on the dashboard. “What…what happened to those trees?”

  The trees surrounding the inner walls of the University had taken a huge hit. Hundreds of them were still tipped over, their limbs stretching to the ground. Exposed roots were the color of ash.

  “Ares,” I said. “When it all started to go down, he went after the University. He couldn’t get in—not at first. But he did eventually.” A dry laugh rattled my chest as I slowed the Porsche. “He’d been around us since the beginning, pretending to be an Instructor at the Deity Island Covenant. That’s how he got into the University here.”

  “What happened?”

  A big part of me was glad she was talking now, but I wasn’t particularly fond of where this conversation was heading. “He got in, killed a bunch of people, and hurt quite a few more.”

  She pressed her lips together as we were guided toward a large parking area that was within walking distance of the second gate. I ended up parking beside a dozen Covenant-owned Hummers, and after killing the engine, I turned to her.

  “We’re going to walk from here,” I told her, and I watched her throat work. “What you’re going to see will probably be a bit overwhelming, but you’re safe. I’m not going to let anyone hurt you.”

  “But you’re leaving,” she replied immediately, and only then did I realize what I’d said. My chest hollowed out as she looked away, closing her eyes briefly, and then she nodded curtly. “Okay. Let’s do this.”

  I sat there as she opened the door and climbed out, wincing when she put her feet on the ground. I’m not going to let anyone hurt you. What kind of fucked-up statement was that? It had been my job to get her here in one piece and I had. Sort of. Definitely not unscathed. My job of keeping her safe was over.

  Almost over.

  Getting out of the Porsche, I slammed the door shut, headed to the back, and loaded up with our things. She was waiting for me by the passenger side, her chin dipped and arms folded across her chest. My gaze flickered over the Sentinels casually lounging near the wall. Over a dozen of them. I ignored them as I dropped my bag on the ground. Using the tips of my fingers, I urged her chin up. Tired blue eyes met mine. Gods, exhaustion was carved into her features. I had no idea how she was still standing, because her weariness went beyond the physical.

  I wanted to gather her in my arms. Comfort her. Hold her tight and lend her whatever strength I had to give. But that wasn’t me. Or was it? There had been a time when I’d had the luxury of comforting someone, holding her through the raw pain of losing someone she loved, but that felt like forever ago, and I had been a different person then.

  I didn’t know who I was today.

  Feeling about seven kinds of awkward and knowing several eyes were on us, I dropped my hand. “Are you okay, Josie? You ready for this?”

  She nodded again, and after a few seconds, she spoke. “I can carry some of the bags.”

  “I got them.” Picking up my bag, I turned toward the gaping gate. “Stick close to me.”

  Josie listened as we made our way across the marble walkway near the wall. In the dim light, I wondered if she could see the etchings in the stone—the glyphs and drawings of the ancient gods, or see the very same things carved into the inner walls.

  As we passed under the archway, under the scrutiny of Sentinels who seemed to be repopulating faster than we could walk, I heard her ragged exhale. “Holy good Lord,” she whispered as she looked around, getting her first good look at one of our Covenants.

  It had to be something pretty amazing
to see for the first time.

  The campus was a sprawling monstrosity of everything Greek, spreading between two mountain peaks. From the marble and sandstone walkways and benches, to the elegant, hand-chiseled statues, to the columned buildings, it was like ancient Greece had thrown up all over the valley.

  Courtyards filled with every flower known to the mortal world surrounded us—flowers that shouldn’t grow in South Dakota, but did inside the Covenant walls due to some crazy godly reason— casting a balmy scent that clung to my skin.

  Her mouth was open as we rounded a bend and the high walls of the Courtyards tapered off. She was staring at the statues.

  “There used to be twelve of them there,” I told her, gazing up at the marble likenesses of the core Olympians. “Looks like they tore down Ares’s statue. Can’t really blame them.”

  They were big, well over ten feet, and each probably weighed a ton. They lined the walkway. And then there were the stone Muses, guarding the entrance to each academic building we passed. Dorms rose in the background like skyscrapers, lights glittering from windows, and I knew from memory that below them were the training facilities and community buildings that were full of every modern convenience one could come up with.

  “How in the world do people not know this is here?” she asked,