by Lucy Roy
“What—Tessa!”
She sat on her mattress, knees drawn to her chest. Her beautiful face was red, tears dripping down her cheeks and running in rivulets down her neck and chest. Her long ponytail had come out of its tie, and pieces of hair were plastered to her skin.
Her face, neck, chest, and arms were all covered with vicious red burns.
I dropped down beside her and gently placed a hand on her back, careful to only touch the fabric of her tank top.
“Tessa?” I brought my hand up to her head and stroked her hair. “Can you hear me?”
She raised her eyes to me, and a shudder rocked through her body. Anger welled up inside of me as I stared at the burns that marred her skin.
“Nate, I think—”
My gaze snapped to Mary, who was hovering next to Yana and Anette, their expressions tense.
“You think what? Who did this to her?”
“We think you need to enter her mind,” Yana said. “We cannot get her to speak. It took all we had just to wake her. I tried—I had to go get Mary…” She swallowed and rubbed her hands up and down her arms.
“She was thrashing, screaming, and these marks kept appearing on her skin,” Anette whispered, her eyes wide.
“This happened while she was sleeping?” I asked.
Mary nodded, sniffling, her face streaked with tears.
Without further deliberation, I dove into her mind, and for once, her power didn’t fight me.
I watched as she was taunted, then attacked, then tortured by a monster I knew all too well.
Cutting the connection, I lifted her into my arms and held her tight against me. Her hands gripped my shirt as she shuddered and pressed her face to my chest.
“What are you doing?” Mary moved to stand in front of me, blocking my path.
“I’m taking her to my brother.”
“What—Nate, what did you see?”
“It was Menoetius. He’s gotten into her head.”
“Nate!”
Ignoring her, I teleported us directly to my brother’s front lawn.
I kicked open the front doors so forcefully they crashed against the walls.
“Apollo!”
I stormed down the hall toward the living room. I’d just raised my foot to kick them open when Apollo stepped out, looking furious.
“Nathaniel, what do you think—” Apollo’s expression transformed from angry to confused. “What’s happened?”
He stepped out of the way and let me set Tessa down on his sofa.
As soon as I released her, she began to shiver.
“Nate?” Her voice was a harsh whisper, and her eyes were wide as she met mine.
“I’m here.” I sat down next to her, still careful not to touch too much of her bare skin as I wrapped my arms around her.
She leaned into me, resting her head on my shoulder, and I pressed my lips to her hair.
Frowning, Apollo pulled a blanket off the back of the couch and handed it to me, then sat down on the coffee table, so close his knees almost touched mine as he looked her over.
“Nathaniel, what’s happened?”
“Menoetius attacked her in a dream walk,” I said flatly, wrapping the blanket around Tessa.
He gave me a look of alarm, then leaned forward to examine her injuries. He touched one of the fading red lines on her cheek.
“Is this from—”
“Godsbane,” I bit out. “He pinned her against a fucking tree and tortured her with it.”
His eyes widened in surprise. “Show me what you saw,” he demanded. “Her thoughts are too jumbled. I can’t get a good read on her memory.”
“Aren’t you going to ask my permission first?”
I looked down at Tessa and smiled in relief when I saw that her tears had dried and her shaking had ceased.
“Not this time, love. Sorry.”
She nodded, and she buried her face into my chest.
“Okay.”
When Apollo saw the events of Menoetius’ dream walk, and Mary and Yana’s description of Tessa’s state, he paled.
“This is…not good.”
I stared at him, incredulous. “Not good? No shit! How does he know who she is?”
He opened his mouth to speak, then snapped his jaw shut. Reaching toward the end table, he picked up a tumbler of wine and took a large swallow. I was surprised to see his hand trembling slightly.
“Nathaniel, I can’t tell you that.”
Rage coursed through me. Tessa must’ve known what I was feeling because she twined her fingers through mine and squeezed, the soft gesture instantly settling me.
Taking a deep breath, she faced Apollo. “Why can’t you tell us?”
He scratched the back of his neck, then moved to sit in a chair on the opposite side of the sofa and met her gaze wearily.
He ran a hand over his face and exhaled sharply before speaking. “Do you know what an interdiction is?”
“No, I don’t.”
Suddenly, I understood.
“Who placed it?” I demanded.
“What’s an interdiction?” Tessa said, her voice stronger now.
“It’s similar to what humans call a gag order,” Apollo explained, setting his glass down. “Only for the gods, a gag order isn’t in writing, it’s performed by a witch. I would quite literally be rendered speechless if I tried to disclose certain information to you.”
He turned his gaze to me.
“It’s why I haven’t been able to tell you anything about her, Nathaniel. I know you may not believe that, but it’s the truth.”
I ran a hand through my hair and exhaled a heavy breath. “Why didn’t you tell me this sooner?”
“I’d hoped I could simply convince you to stay away from her. I wanted to avoid certain… questions being raised. I suppose I should have learned long ago that wouldn’t work.”
I drummed my fingers against the arm of the sofa. “I’ll ask again; who placed it?”
“It was Hecate, wasn’t it?”
Apollo turned his eyes to Tessa and arched a brow. “I can’t answer that.”
Defeated, I fell against the back of the sofa and stared at my brother.
“So what do you suggest? We can’t just leave her to be attacked again.”
“I don’t think he’ll be back,” Tessa said. “It seemed like he just wanted to scare me.”
“I wouldn’t count on that,” I replied.
“Neither would I,” Apollo agreed. He pressed his lips into a thin line as he assessed us both. His eyes drifted to where Tessa’s hand was clutched in mine and he sighed.
“Take her home with you,” he said, looking at me. “There’s nothing I can do for her here, and with your powers, you should be able to force her to wake if it happens again. She should stay with you until—” His jaw snapped shut once again. He pinched the bridge of his nose and huffed out a breath. “She should stay with you… for the time being. You’ll be able to keep her safe.”
I looked at Tessa, who’d let her head come to rest on my shoulder.
“Is that alright with you?” I asked her.
“Now is not the time for politeness,” Apollo snapped. “Just take her with you.”
Tessa’s head jerked up and she stared at him, wide eyed. “Shouldn’t I get a say in this?”
“No.”
“Tessa, I think—” I sat forward and turned her face toward me. “I think he’s right. It would be safer if you stayed with me.”
She rubbed her hands over face, then dropped them to her lap and met my eyes. “Fine. Let’s go.”
“I’ll go speak with Ares and Athena,” Apollo offered. “We’ll adjust her training for tomorrow.”
“Thank you.” I appreciated the gesture, even if it wasn’t meant for me.
With no further acknowledgement, he vanished, leaving Tessa and me alone in his living room.
“We need to go back to my room,” Tessa said. “I need clothes, and I can’t leave the girls hanging after this.”
“Of course.” I reached for her hand. “Whatever you need.”
42
Tessa
By the time we made it back to Nate’s house, it was nearly four in the morning. Mary had convinced Anette to go back to bed before I returned, but she and Yana had waited up for me. They’d been reluctant to let me out of their sight but agreed that Nate’s place was safest for me at the moment. The fact that I’d calmed down and the burns had faded helped reassure them.
Nate rubbed the back of his neck as he looked around the living room.
“So, ah…My room is right through there.” He pointed toward a short hall behind the fireplace. “I can take the couch.”
I looked in the direction he was pointing, then arched a brow.
“Isn’t the whole point for you to be able to wake me up if he comes back?”
“Yes, but I just thought—”
“Nate, I think we’re both adult enough to share a bed,” I said wearily.
Nate nodded, then took my bag and led me into his bedroom.
His room held the same comfortable feel as the rest of the house. The floors were made up of the same dark wood planks as the living room, but the walls had been covered with smooth, white plaster, a sharp contrast to the honey colored logs in the main part of the house. A large oriental carpet took up most of the floorspace, and a fireplace was built into the wall on the right side of the room, flanked by two large picture windows that faced the mountain. Facing the fireplace was a king-sized bed topped with sage green sheets on an ash wood frame. Matching nightstands sat on either side, and a door beside it opened into a closet. Across the room from the entrance was another door I assumed led to a bathroom.
I eyed the rumpled comforter and pillow that had fallen to the floor. Between that, his wrinkled clothes, and messy hair, it didn’t take much to deduce he’d left in a hurry once he’d gotten Mary’s call.
Reaching up, I pulled the hair tie from my hair and began combing through it with my fingers. I forced back a shudder as my mind flashed back to the pain I’d felt when Menoetius had yanked my head to the side.
I wasn’t sure I could speak without crying, so after using the bathroom and splashing cold water on my face, I crawled silently into his bed and pulled the covers up around me. His clean, woodsy scent surrounded me, instantly putting me at ease.
After a few moments, he turned out the light, bathing the room in moonlight. I heard the rustle of clothing as he put his pajamas back on, then he slid into bed next to me.
“Come here,” he whispered, pulling me into him.
Accepting his offer of comfort, I clung to him, pressing my face to his chest as silent tears began to make their way down my cheeks.
“I’m so sorry you had to endure that,” he whispered, resting his chin on my head.
I sniffed and pulled back to look at him.
“You don’t have anything to be sorry for, Nate. There’s no way you could’ve prevented this.”
He brought one hand up to my face and used his thumb to wipe away my tears. “Maybe not. It doesn’t change how I feel.”
“And how is that?”
“Like I failed you. Like I should’ve known something like this might happen.”
“That’s ridiculous. There’s no possible way—"
“Zeus said it himself; you’re incredibly powerful. There’s clearly a connection to Atlas, which means a connection to Menoetius. A dream walk is the only way to reach someone mentally for a face-to-face conversation. He’s leading a damn rebellion against us. If he somehow got word of the existence of a Mimic…”
“That’s a huge stretch and you know it,” I said. “Besides, even if you had thought of it, what could you have done?”
“What I’m doing now.” His eyes searched mine as he spoke. “Making sure I’m by your side if anything happens.”
“What—ohh.” Understanding dawned in my mind. “You think—”
“Tessa, if I hadn’t ruined things with you, I might’ve been with you when this happened.”
He pulled back to look at me, keeping his arm around my waist. “Am I wrong?”
I bit my lip, unsure how to respond.
Was he right? Was it so crazy to think I would’ve been sleeping in his bed if he hadn’t put such a rift in the relationship we were building?
I closed my eyes against the onslaught of conflicting emotions that swirled through me. The memories of Menoetius’ dream walk still burned within me, but they were being overwhelmed by my need to be happy. To feel loved.
I opened my eyes and looked into his. A soft smile turned up the corners of his mouth.
I felt my cheeks redden. “I was shouting again, wasn’t I?”
“A little.”
I scooched up on my pillow so I could look him in the eye.
“You didn’t ruin things, Nate, you just put a kink in them. I needed time to wrap my head around everything, that’s all.”
“And have you? Wrapped your head around things?”
“I think so. I think tonight kind of put it all in perspective, you know?”
“How so?”
“I’m pretty positive I would’ve died tonight if Menoetius wanted me to,” I said, shuddering slightly. “But I didn’t, and now I’m here. This might sound nuts, but I’ve been thinking a lot about some of the things Hera said to me that day. One of the things she talked about was how stupid humans were for waiting for an opportune time to voice feelings. I thought it was crazy at first, but I think she’s right. I’ve spent so much time these last couple of weeks thinking about whether I should forgive you, and I’m realizing now, I already have. I just felt like I should make you wait, suffer a little.”
I smiled up at him. “After tonight, I’m realizing how stupid that was.”
He smiled back and brushed his thumb along my jaw. “Does that mean I get another chance?”
I smiled apprehensively. “Yes. I mean, if you want one.”
He pulled me in tighter and kissed my forehead.
“There’s nothing I’d love more,” he murmured.
My lips curved up into a smile. “So should we, like, kiss or something?” I asked, trying to keep my tone teasing.
He laughed quietly, then tilted his head down and laid his lips on mine. He ran his fingers through my hair and down my arm before linking them with mine.
Suddenly, a question that had been bugging me for a while popped into my head. I pulled back and frowned.
“Hey, speaking of your mother, can I ask a weird question?”
He gave me a dubious look. “I suppose.”
“How did your parents come up with your name? It’s so…”
He laughed. “Human? Yes, I know. I was wondering when you’d ask about it, actually.” He sighed and rolled his eyes. “That was all Hera. According to Ares, she and Zeus had been fighting quite a lot while she was pregnant with me. I’m not sure what about, exactly, but most likely my father’s lack of fidelity. Apparently she threatened to give me the most human name she could think of if he didn’t shape up. He didn’t, and he was absent for my birth, so he ultimately had no say.”
My mouth dropped open.
“Hold on.” I shook my head in disbelief. “You’re telling me that your mother named you Nathaniel purely to spite your father?”
He gave me a wry smile. “Does that really surprise you?”
“Yes! Why didn’t he just change it?”
“A god’s name can’t be changed once it’s given. The Fates don’t allow it. So, I got stuck with Nathaniel while all of my siblings got the best names.”
“Eh.” I shrugged. “At least your name is easy to shorten. You can’t really do that with many of the others.”
He chuckled, then kissed my forehead. “I guess there’s always a silver lining. You should sleep. I’m not sure what time Ares and Athena will be expecting you, but I know you’ll be required to train tomorrow. Or today, technically.”
I looked out the picture window next to his bed
and saw that the sky was turning a pale purple.
I groaned. “Can’t you write me a note or something?”
He laughed. “You’ll be fine. I’m going with you this time. Every time, if I have anything to say about it.”
“Good. I’ve hated not seeing you these last few weeks,” I admitted.
“I wish you knew how badly I wanted to come find you,” he said. “Giving you space took more self-control than I thought I had.”
“Well, I don’t need space anymore.”
He kissed my forehead and pulled the covers up around my shoulders. “I’m happy you’re here, Tessa.”
I wrapped my arm around his waist and snuggled closer. “I’m happy, too.”
43
Tessa
“Well, it looks like you two had a productive evening.”
A smooth voice startled me out of a dead sleep a few hours later. Nate and I had fallen asleep wrapped up in each other, our arms and legs a tangled mess.
Nate let out a groan as he rolled off of me and pulled a pillow over his head.
I peeked over the edge of the blanket to see Apollo smirking down at us.
“Good morning Tessa. Would you be so kind as to wake your lover?”
My eyes widened and I shot an elbow into Nate’s side, causing him to grunt.
“I’m awake,” he mumbled, pulling the pillow from his face and rubbing his eyes. “And just because you’re an Elder and my brother doesn’t mean you shouldn’t knock. It’s rude.”
“I’d just assumed you’d let her get some sleep, that’s all. Now come on, it’s time to get up.”
Nate lifted his head and glared at his brother who’d just taken a seat at the foot of the bed.
“She did sleep, Apollo. Now go away.”
“I’d like to avoid any morning—” he eyed us both “—shenanigans, if possible, so I think I’ll stay until I’m certain that won’t be happening.”
Just then, the door opened, and Athena stepped into the room. “Oh, good, they’re awake.” She smiled sweetly at me. “Tessa, dear, it’s time to get moving.”
“Oh, for the love of—is this entirely necessary?” Nate sat up, glaring at both of them.