Sentinel

CHAPTER 9

I didn’t think I heard Seth right at first.

Slowly, I lifted my head and locked my gaze with his. “What?”

“I saw your father when I was at the Catskills,” he repeated quietly. “Not before you Awakened. I didn’t see him when I was there at that time, but when we arrived about a month ago, he was there—is still there.”

My mouth worked, but there was no sound. I scooted forward, coming closer to Seth than I probably should have. I drew in a breath, but it got stuck. “Did you…how is he?”

“I didn’t talk with him, Alex, but he’s there with the other servants. The Elixir isn’t working, and he seems to be keeping them safe. He can’t leave. None of them can with Ares there.” He paused, and my heart dropped. “He appears to be okay, but Ares knows who he is, Alex.”

I stared at him as those words sunk in. “But he’s okay for now?”

For now. Seth reaffirmed silently.

Closing my eyes, I squirmed under the sudden pressure in my throat. And Ares knows he’s my father?

“Yes.”

“Does he have any plans to use him against me?” I asked, already knowing and fearing the answer.

“I would like to give you the answer that would make it better.” There was a pause, and then I felt his fingers graze my arm. Electricity passed from his skin to mine, and my head jerked up. I backed out of his reach, watching the marks of the Apollyon glide up his arm and onto his neck. Seth pulled his arm back through the bars. “He will use any means necessary, Alex. He can’t get to you right now, but the moment he can, he will dangle your father in front of you.”

I looked away, pressing my mouth closed until my jaw ached with the effort. I knew I wasn’t feeling everything I should be considering how much danger my father was in. I let out a ragged breath. “It’s not just me he’s going to come at. It’s you, too.”

“I know.” Seth laughed dryly, and my gaze fell back to him. “But what does he have to hold over my head other than you?”

And I got it then. Once Ares realized Seth was batting for the opposite side, he’d force Seth’s hand by forcing mine, and he’d use my father and everyone I cared about to make that happen.

“Shit’s bleak, isn’t it?” Seth said.

I huffed. “You have no idea.”

“Then why are we doing this? Seriously? We could leave.”

I pinned him with a look.

He laughed again, and this time, he sounded more like himself. “You could bring St. Delphi along.”

“I’m sure he’ll appreciate the invite.” Truth was, the idea of running away was tantalizing as hell. It wasn’t like I hadn’t considered it before, and we could hide for as long as we could, but it wasn’t right. “There’s enough of me left inside that knows I can’t do that.”

Seth cocked his head against the bars but said nothing.

“I especially can’t after what Ares did, but it’s more than that. There are so many innocent people who will end up enslaved by him or dead. I couldn’t live with myself.”

“I could.”

One side of my lips tipped up. “Of course.”

There was a stretch of silence, and then he said, “You’re so different.”

I didn’t know what to say.

“It’s not because you’re crazy, but I know what you went through.”

The muscles along my back tensed. “I wanted to die.” There. I said it out loud, and it sounded just as horrible as when I thought it.

Seth lowered his gaze. “I know.”

“Part of me wishes—”

“Don’t say it.” Seth stood quickly and backed away from the bars. A niggle of shame rose like a weed, and he looked away. “I know you’re not going to let me out. It’s probably better if you don’t until we have a plan that we can act on immediately. It will make everyone else feel better.”

“Would it make you feel better?” I pushed to my feet.

Seth backed farther into the shadows of his cell. “It should make you feel better.”

I was pretty sure I belonged in a cell, too, like the one Seth was in.

“You don’t,” Seth said. I must’ve thought that at him. “You’re not crazy, Angel.”

“Don’t call me that.”

Seth didn’t respond. The conversation was obviously over. I lingered for another moment, unsure if there was anything else to say at this point. I ended up not saying anything as I turned around and headed toward the titanium door I’d left cracked open.

One thing I knew for certain: Seth wasn’t going to trick us. And if he came after me, it would be like a daimon going for aether and for no other reason. It didn’t mean he was safe, but it was better than him working with Ares.

Opening the door, I spied a lithe form leaning against the wall. It wasn’t Solos.

Crap.

I closed the door behind me, took a deep breath, and faced Aiden. Locks of dark hair fell over his forehead in uncontrollable waves. His hair was starting to curl like Deacon’s, and I favored that wilder look. Right now the edges of that hair brushed equally dark eyebrows—eyebrows that were currently slammed down. His lips were in a taut, tight line, and his eyes were a gunmetal gray. He was not a happy camper.

“Hi?” I said lamely.

The muscles in his folded arms rippled under the black shirt he wore. He was so still he was almost a part of the wall. “You left in the middle of the night.”

I shifted my weight from one foot to the other. “I did.”

“Without saying a damn thing,” he added in voice that was too calm. I knew him well enough to know how misleading that was. I was entering the danger zone. “Especially after what happened between us? Did you stop and consider what I would think when I woke up and found you gone?”

He had a point. “I’m sorry, but I’m okay.”

“Obviously, you’re not okay.”

I opened my mouth, thinking he was referencing the whole gun thing, but then I realized something else. Knots formed in my stomach. “How much did you hear?”

Aiden unfolded his arms. “Enough.”

My brain winced. Doesn’t sound possible, but it was. “Aiden—”

“Hearing you say that you loved him was…well, there aren’t many words for that.”

Heat rushed my face. “I said not in the same way I feel for you.”

“Wait.” He held up his hand, silencing me. “For days I’ve been trying to get you to talk to me about everything. I figured you weren’t ready, so I haven’t pushed it, but then you leave me in the middle of the night to go talk to him.”

Uh. Oh.

“And then you tell him what’s going on in your head when you’ve barely told me anything?”

Backed into the corner, I reacted the only way I knew how—the only way the old Alex, the Alex before Ares, would’ve reacted. “Maybe you shouldn’t have been eavesdropping.” The moment those words left my mouth, I wanted to drop kick myself in the face, because Aiden had a right to be pissed. “It’s rude,” I finished weakly.

“Are you serious?” Aiden pushed off the wall, and his eyes flashed quicksilver. Double uh-ohs. “You went to him.”

Whoa. Wait a second. “It’s not like that. I didn’t go, go to him.”

“It’s not like that?” Aiden stopped directly in front of me. He lowered his chin, and his eyes flashed with anger. “You told him how you were feeling—what you haven’t been feeling—”

“I’ve told you that!” My hands clenched into fists as my own anger surfaced like an old friend. Yes. I grabbed onto that anger. At least it meant I was feeling something.

“You told him you wanted to die.” His voice broke on the last word, and the quick burst of anger inside me vanished. Pain poured into his expression, paling his face. “And I know you were about to say that part of you still wishes you had died that day.”

I took a step back, wanting to deny that, but words left me and the shame came again, stronger this time. I wrapped my arms around my waist, trying to stop it from spreading. Aiden was the last person I’d wanted to know how weak I’d been—how weak I still was.

“It kills me to know you think that.” A muscle ticked in his jaw as his gaze locked with mine. “Why wouldn’t you come to me with that?” He shook his head, his throat working. “Why would you go to him of all people? After everything he’s done?”

“You don’t understand.” And he didn’t. No matter what, Seth and I were the same person. That didn’t mean he was all forgiven, but Seth knew what I’d been through without me telling him, and I never wanted to share that with Aiden. I knew I needed to tell him that, but the words wouldn’t come out.

Aiden drew in a shallow breath. “You told him you thought you were pregnant.” He looked like I had stabbed him in a chest with a Covenant dagger. “How could you even trust him with something like that? What if he’s playing us? What if he takes that knowledge back to Ares?”

“He’s not playing us.”

His eyes widened as his stance shifted. “How can you be so sure, Alex? We all saw what Seth was like way before you did, and none of us had a connection with him. He has control over—”

“He doesn’t have any control over me! I know he’s not playing us. I know.”

“Maybe you’re right,” he said, the heat dying in his eyes. “But that’s not a risk I’m willing to take, and you didn’t stop to take that into consideration. You…” He stopped and looked away, thrusting his hand through his hair. “You didn’t take how I would feel into consideration.”

“I…I’m sorry. It’s just…” I shook my head helplessly.

He then did something I honestly couldn’t remember him ever doing to me before.

Aiden walked away from me.

I went back to the room I was sharing with Aiden, but he wasn’t there, and by the time I’d drifted off to sleep waiting for him, he hadn’t returned. And when I woke up, there was no sign of him, but he had made an appearance at some point while I’d slept.

The quilt that had been pushed down to the edge of the bed had been spread over me.

I knew that wasn’t a white flag, and Aiden had every reason to be upset with me. I wished I had explained why I told Seth what I had. Not that I really believed Aiden would’ve been a hundred percent understanding, but it would’ve been better than apologizing or saying nothing.

Or telling him not to eavesdrop.

I pulled myself out of bed and took a quick shower. My empty stomach growled as I pulled on a pair of jeans and a shirt that belonged to Aiden. It swallowed me, but it smelled like him. Before I left the room, I scrubbed my hands down my face.

I would find Aiden, and somehow I would make this up to him.

Going to Seth had been wrong when I had been with the one person who had always been and always would be there for me. My intentions hadn’t been malicious or shady, but they still stung like a hundred bees. The only good thing to come from it was that I knew Seth wasn’t playing us.

Convincing everyone else would require nothing short of a miracle.

The first place I checked for Aiden was the common area in the dorm. He wasn’t there, but Luke was sitting at one of the tables along with Deacon and Olivia.

And there was a mammoth plate of bacon and sausage links in front of them.

Lured by the wonderful, greasy scent, I drifted over to their table, my mouth watering at the sight. Bacon made everything better.

“Want some?” Deacon offered, knocking a mess of blond curls out of his face. “Because you look like you’re about to start eating our faces if we don’t give you some.”

Olivia’s nose wrinkled. “Ew.”

I sat beside Aiden’s brother and helped myself to a heaping of the crispy goodness. “Thank you.”

I was munching away on my fourth slice when I felt eyes on me. Glancing up, my gaze met Luke’s. His cheeks were red, as if he’d been kissed by the sun. “What?” I asked around a mouthful of bacon.

“I don’t know how he did it—Seth.” He sat back in his chair, rubbing his hand along his jaw. “I remember being out by the cars and seeing a few Sentinels I didn’t recognize, and then the next thing I know, I’m standing inside the gate and there you two were.”

“Compulsion,” Deacon said, turning to me. “I’ve been telling him that all morning.”

“He has,” Olivia threw in.

Luke frowned. “I know it was a compulsion, but damn, I never felt something like that before.”

“I have.” Olivia looked at me pointedly, and my appetite vanished at the reminder. “You weren’t responsible, Luke.” She speared a link with her fork. “And now we have another crazed Apollyon—no offense, Alex—locked in a cell.”

“None taken,” I muttered, and then sighed. “It really isn’t your fault, Luke. Deacon could do a compulsion, but one from an Apollyon packs a punch.”

Luke didn’t look relieved by that, but he grabbed a handful of bacon, so I figured if he was eating like that, he wasn’t too traumatized.

“So what are we doing with Seth?” Deacon asked after a few moments.

A shudder coursed through Olivia. The girl had never been a fan of Seth, and I remembered what Aiden had said last night. Everyone had seen what Seth was really like, but not me. Well, and not Caleb, because Caleb had been a major fanboy when it came to Seth.

Oddly, there was no slicing pain when I thought about Caleb.

“We aren’t going to do anything right now,” I said finally. Everyone at the table stared at me. My gaze lowered to the half-eaten plate of bacon. “Seth isn’t working with Ares anymore. I’m not saying we should welcome him with open arms or invite him in for breakfast, but he’s not our big enemy right now.”

“What?” Olivia’s voice was an octave higher. “How can anyone be sure of that?”

“That’s a good question.” Deacon slid me his unopened bottle of OJ. “Thirsty?”

I murmured my thanks again and took a drink. “Well, for starters, that cell is only holding him because he’s not trying to escape. If he wants out, he’ll get out faster than any of us could, including me. Secondly, he doesn’t want to become the God Killer anymore.”

Luke rocked back on his chair, eyes widening. “Come again?”

Olivia stopped with another sausage link halfway to her mouth and gaped at me. Shifting in my seat, I felt heat spread across my cheeks, but I wasn’t sure why. “He doesn’t want to be the God Killer. He wants me to transfer the power from him.”

“How did he find out that was our plan?” Deacon asked. He was suddenly serious, which was a rarity for him.

“He didn’t. He suggested it without me saying anything. Seth’s got…well, like I said, he no longer wants anything to do with Ares and Lucian…” My brows pinched. “Lucian is no longer an issue.”

“I’d say,” Luke said under his breath and then louder, “Not to beat the dead-and-buried horse, but how can anyone, including you, trust anything that Seth says? I mean, if he changes his mind…”

We were all screwed.

I got that, but I couldn’t really vocalize why I trusted Seth. His issues with his twisted addiction were his own business. No longer hungry or in the mood to convince them when I had Aiden and a whole slew of other people to talk to, I pushed up from the table. “I’ll see you guys later.”

I made it to the door before I realized Deacon was following me. He fell in step beside me as we walked out of the dorm. “You know they were just vocalizing their concerns, right?” he said, shoving his hands into his jeans. “They didn’t mean to upset you.”

“I know.” I squinted against the bright glare of the sun. “And they didn’t upset me.”

“You sure about that?”

I was. Like always, I really wasn’t feeling much of anything. We continued down the pathway in silence, passing a few pure-blood students. They stared.

“Aiden is in a mood. Like a ‘if you breathe in my direction, I will nunchuck you into next week’ mood,” Deacon announced as we passed one of the training centers.

My stomach sank a little. “Nunchuck? I don’t think he knows how to use them.”

“My brother knows how to use every weapon known to man. Nunchucks are no exception.”

A small grin tugged at my lips. “I’ll take your word for it.”

“So, are you gonna tell me what crawled up his ass, besides the fact a fleet of potentially crazy Sentinels is poised outside our gates and his arch-nemesis is chilling in a cell right under his nose?”

“Have you seen Aiden?” I asked instead.

He nodded. “He’s in the dean’s office with Marcus.”

Veering toward the main Covenant building, I didn’t look forward to going to the room where I’d last seen Ares

“So, you’re not going to talk to me about Aiden?”

“Are you going to follow me all the way to the dean’s office?”

“Yep.” Deacon shot me a quick grin.

“There’s a lot of steps.”

“I need my exercise.”

I sighed. “Aiden’s mad at me.”

“I doubt that.”

“Oh no, he’s definitely mad at me.” I tucked my hair back behind my ear and glanced at Deacon. He elbowed me gently in the arm, and the corner of my lips pulled up a little, but it quickly slipped away. “He’s mad because I went to see Seth.”

Deacon raised a brow. “He’s mad over that?”

“Well, I left in the middle of the night, didn’t tell him what I was doing, and there’s other stuff, but…” I shook my head, not wanting to really get into it. “So he’s a little perturbed at the moment.”

He didn’t respond as we stepped into the main building and passed the Guards, waiting until we reached the stairwell. The cord inside of me strained since we were near Seth.

“Well, considering all the crap with Seth, I can get why Aiden isn’t happy.”

“I know.” I rounded the second floor. “I’m not mad at him. He has every right to be upset.”

Deacon hopped up the stairs, chock-full of energy. I hated him. “He’ll get over it. My bro loves you, like really loves you. Like, he’s in love with you, Alex.”

I cast him a smile. “I know. I just hate that he’s mad.”

He looked at me, his eyes a brilliant silver. “I think that’s the first time I’ve seen you really smile in a while.” He spun around, opening the door to the top floor. “You doing okay?”

“No.” I stepped through the doorway. “But I will be.”

Deacon dropped his arm over my shoulder as we headed down the long hall. There were no guards at the dean’s door, because there was no dean to protect, not really. “We’ll be okay,” he said, squeezing me. “I’m all into positive thinking these days.”

The door to the dean’s office was cracked open, and without a second of hesitation, Deacon slid around me and opened the door, pulling me in behind him. “Hello!”

Marcus looked up from the desk, brows raised. Over his shoulder, Aiden straightened. His gaze went from me to Deacon, and then back to me. There was nothing to be gained from his expression, but the tips of my ears burned.

“What’s going on?” Marcus asked.

Deacon dropped my arm and plopped into one of the leather chairs. “I have no idea. I just have nothing better to do.”

Aiden folded his arms as he pinned his brother with a look.

Well aware that we probably weren’t welcome at this moment for a multitude of reasons, I inched my way over to the other seat and sat.

Taking a quick inventory of the room, I was happy to see that, with the exception of the boarded-up window, everything had been repaired. The aquarium was gone and the desk had been replaced, as had the carpet. But I knew, if I pulled up the carpet, there’d be bloodstains underneath.

Some of them would be mine.

“Alex.”

My chin jerked up at the sound of Aiden’s voice, and our gazes collided for a brief second. I’d come to talk to him, but I’d lost my courage the moment those thundercloud-colored eyes had focused on mine. “I don’t have anything better to do, either.”

“So what are you two doing?” Deacon asked, batting impossibly long lashes.

Marcus leaned back in his chair, and his cool emerald gaze drifted over us. “We were discussing what to do with the Sentinels outside the gates. They haven’t caused any problems yet. In fact, it appears they are now guarding the gates from outside.”

My gaze flicked over to Aiden. He was staring at me in that intense, consuming way only he could pull off. It was the same way he used to watch me while I was in grappling class. I shifted in my chair. “Well, um, that’s good news, right?”

“We hope.” Marcus scratched his chin. “Aiden was telling me you talked to Seth last night?”

Oh.

Oh crap.

I squirmed some more. “Yeah, I did.”

“And you believe him?” he asked. “He’s turned over a new leaf?”

“I’m not sure I’d say he’s completely turned over a new—” A quick fissure of energy rolled down my spine, and the marks of the Apollyon raced across my skin. Electricity filled the room, and my senses flared. I knew the feeling. A god was here. I shot to my feet and started to turn.

Apollo stood behind me. “Hi.”

I jerked back, smacking my hand over my pounding heart. “Good gods…”

One side of his lips curved up. He looked completely unrepentant, but he was rocking those baby blue eyes instead of the creepy god ones.

“Why must you keep doing that?” Aiden shook his head. “Gods.”

The god shrugged. “How else should I do it? Ring a bell first?”

“That’s actually a great idea,” Aiden replied dryly. Deacon was on his feet, eyes wide, and he immediately started to backpedal out of the room. “I think I need…to, um, go find something else to do. Yeah.”

Momentarily distracted from Apollo’s sudden appearance, I narrowed my eyes at Aiden’s brother. “What is it between you two?”

Deacon froze near the door.

The lopsided smile on Apollo’s face spread. “Well, I would never kiss and tell.”

My mouth dropped open as Deacon’s face turned blood red. Oh jeez. Suspicions confirmed. Wow.

“What. The. Hell.” Aiden stepped around the desk, glaring at Apollo. “Have you—?”

“Wait.” Apollo held up a hand, his voice brokering no argument. He stared at me for a second. “Come here, Alex.”

“Uh…” I didn’t move, and I sure as hell didn’t want to get between Aiden and Apollo. “No thank you. Find another diversion tactic.”

Apollo’s head moved to the side. “Alex—”

I sensed Seth the second before I heard a shot outside, and then he barreled through the door, skidding to a halt a few feet behind Apollo. There were daggers in his hands.

Amber eyes dilated, Seth took a deep breath and let it out slowly as his gaze landed on Apollo. “Oh. It’s you.”

Well, now we knew Seth most definitely could get out of that cell when he wanted to. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Aiden draw his gun. Deacon crept back to our side.

“Yeah, it’s me.” Apollo seemed to grow in height, which was a bit frightening considering he was already Godzilla-sized.

A handful of Guards appeared behind Seth, all of them out of breath and a bit banged up. Seth shrugged and turned, handing the pair of daggers back to an empty-handed Guard. Several of them began talking at once.

“He just got out. No warning,” one Guard said. “We tried to stop him.”

“Sorry,” Seth said. “I thought it was another god, one more annoying than this one.”

My eyes widened.

Apollo smiled tightly. “Oh, you’re so cute.”

Seth smirked. “I am fabulously sexy, the last time I checked, but I’ll go back to my cell now. Breakfast would be nice, by the way. I’m starving.”

“This isn’t a hotel,” Aiden said, his gun leveled on Seth.

The Apollyon eyed the gun in Aiden’s hand and then arched a brow. “You really like pointing that thing at me.”

“You have no idea how much joy it gives me.”

Seth got that look on his face—the one that said he was tossing out bait and knew Aiden was about to bite. “Don’t let me forget. I do owe you for the knock over the head yesterday.”

“You want that again?” Aiden smirked. “Keep talking.”

“Oh, for the love of gods everywhere, stop it,” I said. “This is ridiculous.” Everyone turned to me. “Obviously you don’t think he’s tricking us, Apollo, or you’d have blasted him with some god juice by now.”

“Just because I haven’t doesn’t mean I won’t.”

Seth opened his mouth, but I jumped in before he could make the situation worse. “And it’s rather pointless. He can get out if he wants to. So what’s the point of making him go back into the cell?”

“I can knock him out again,” Aiden suggested calmly. “He’ll stay put for a while after that.”

“You’re really starting to annoy me.” Seth turned to Aiden, his eyes glowing faintly. “You know what your problem is?”

I rolled my eyes.

“Do tell.” A muscle spasmed in Aiden’s jaw.

“One word.” Seth took a small step forward, a grin playing across his lips. “Jealousy.”

I threw my hands up. “I give up. Not like we don’t have real problems to deal with, but let’s continue the boy-fight.”

“Actually, as entertaining and long overdue this boy-fight is, Alex has a point for once. Surprising, huh?” Apollo earned a death glare for that. “Aiden, put your gun away. Marcus, there’s no need for daggers.” Then he eyed Seth. “If you have nothing to hide, you aren’t going to run from me.”

Seth’s spine straightened. “I would never run.”

I had no idea what was going on, but Seth held himself still as Apollo took two long strides and placed his hand on the center of the Apollyon’s chest. Surprise flickered across Seth’s face, and then Apollo stepped back.

“He’s telling the truth. He’s no longer working with Ares, but that doesn’t mean he’s not still a threat,” Apollo announced, and I had a feeling I knew what the god was referencing. And then he turned to me. “We need him here anyway. He’s not the problem. You are.”

“What?” He was staring at me. “Why me? I’m, like, the voice of reason for once.”

“It’s not that.” Apollo faced me completely. “Guards, leave the room and close the door behind you.”

They didn’t even hesitate. They scattered like cockroaches. Unease formed little knots in my belly as I glanced at Aiden. He hadn’t put the gun away, and looked like he was going to aim it at Apollo next. Deacon had successfully pinned himself against the wall, out of everyone’s path.

“Have you been marked?” Apollo asked, his nostrils flaring.

I shook my head, taking a step back. Sweat dotted my brow as I eyed the door. I wanted out of this room really badly. “I have no idea what you’re talking about, but you’re starting to freak me out.”

Apollo’s eyes flipped from blue to white—no pupils, no irises. Static crackled in the air. “Come here,” he repeated.

I needed to get out of here. Blood pounded in my veins. Every ounce of my being screamed for me to leave. Apollo wasn’t—

He shot forward—over the roaring in my head, I heard Aiden shout—and clamped his hand down on my shoulder. I staggered under the weight.

“Did he mark you?” Apollo demanded, his expression furious. “Did Ares mark you?”

Those all-white eyes became my whole world.

“What is going on?” Marcus asked, but he sounded far away.

Apollo reached around me and grabbed the hem of my shirt. By the time I realized what he was doing, it was too late. He yanked up the shirt, exposing my back. Aiden exploded, yelling at the god as I tried to twist away.

“There it is.” Apollo’s hand landed on the oddly-shaped scar, and my entire body jerked as if I’d been shocked. “Phobos! Deimos! Show yourselves!”

Seth cursed.

I started to think Apollo might’ve lost his damn mind, but then, without any warning, there was a deep wrenching inside me. I broke the god’s hold and stumbled back a step. A tremor worked its way through my body, rippling through every muscle. The room tilted.

“Oh, gods,” I whispered, doubling over and clutching my stomach.

“Alex?” shouted Aiden.

“Don’t touch her!” Apollo got in between us, holding Aiden back with nothing more than a raised hand. It was like an invisible shield appeared between us. “Deimos! Phobos! Σε διατάζω να σου αϕήσει αυτό το πλήθος!”

The skin…oh gods…the skin under my hands moved, pushing out against my shirt and my palms, and formed…fingers. Pressure expanded my stomach, and I dropped to my knees. Something slithered through my chest, into my throat. I couldn’t breathe. Aiden’s voice sounded further and further away as a sensation like icy, sticky fingers crawled under my scalp. It slipped down to the base of my skull, joining the mass in my throat.

Tears streamed from the corners of my eyes as I threw my head back. I opened my mouth to scream, but thick, white smoke poured out of me, steaming to the ceiling. Through the haze of tears, I saw the smoke spread and then drop into two separate pillars. There was a final tugging motion deep in my chest, as if something was digging in and not wanting to let go, and then it broke. The last of the smoke slipped out of me.

I fell forward, catching myself with my hands. Breathing raggedly, and with trembling arms, I lifted my head.

“Holy crap,” someone whispered.

The pillars of white smoke spun like mini-tornados, taking shape with each dizzying pass. Two sets of legs. Two sets of arms. An ear-piercing cry reverberated through the room. A burst of wind rattled the chairs and the desk, and then there was nothing.

Silence.

Two gods stood in the room, their forms translucent, but there was enough mass to them to make out their identical features. They weren’t as tall as Apollo, but I had a feeling they weren’t fully formed.

One of them drifted toward me, too quick for me to react. Through his eerily handsome face, I could see Seth’s legs coming forward. “You’re prettier on the inside…” the god said, his voice slick like a snake.

“Than you are on the outside,” the other said.

The first one gave a mocking smile. “Then again, you’re not…”

“All there, are you? It’s nothing but rot.” the twin finished, chuckling. It sounded like ice falling.

“What a shame,” the first spoke again.

The second floated closer, his wispy lower body dissipating. “And who’s really to blame?”

“In the end?”

“When there’s nothing left to defend?”

I shrank back, horrified. They were like the twisted oompa loompas of the Olympian world.

More and more, their forms faded out, but their words were clear. “You’re all destined to die. Taste the fear…”

Strong arms encircled me from behind, pulling me back from the gods and against a hard chest. Aiden turned, using his body to shield mine, but it didn’t stop me from hearing their final words.

“It will all be over by the end of this year…”

A loud sigh swept through the room as the smoke dispelled. The twins were gone.

“Well,” Apollo drew the word out. “That made absolutely no sense.”

Muscles weak, I slumped over and would’ve face-planted on the carpet if Aiden hadn’t caught me. He gripped my arms, but my skin felt too sensitive, too raw as he gently lowered me to the carpet. I crawled away, dragging in deep breaths.

“What…what was that?” Deacon asked, his voice hoarse.

Shaking, I sat back and lifted my head. There was a balloon expanding in my stomach, moving up my chest.

Apollo stood in the middle of the room with his hands on his hips. “That was Phobos and Deimos. The gods of fear, dread, panic, and sheer terror. They are Ares’ sons. When you fought him, he marked you, giving them access to your psyche. I knew something was off about you while you were in Olympus, as did Artemis when she was here, but I didn’t see it until now.”

I blinked slowly. “What?”

“Phobos and Deimos have been riding you, feeding off your emotions, and choosing and amplifying which ones you feel.”

Seth paled as he took a step back. His eyes met mine. “I didn’t know.” He raised his hands. “I had no idea.”

“That’s what Artemis meant by something being inside of her?” Aiden was kneeling beside me. Horror whipped through his voice. “They were inside her?”

“Yes.” The white light dimmed in Apollo’s eyes and blue irises appeared.

“I thought…I thought I was going crazy. I thought I was pregnant. I didn’t think…” I was too shocked, too everything to care about what I had just admitted to everyone in the room, to even acknowledge Aiden’s sharp inhale or how broken it sounded, or the way Seth turned his back, like he couldn’t bear to look at me. “They were inside me this whole time?”

“Since you fought Ares,” Apollo confirmed. “I’m sorry. If I could’ve come sooner, I would’ve known.”

Staring at the god, I had a hard time accepting what he said. I got it. I believed it, but to think another god—gods—were inside my head and my body, tinkering around, messing with me and being with me the whole time floored me. A floodgate broke, and the balloon in my chest burst. Rage flooded me, burning like lava through my veins. It tasted like blood and acid.

The room tinted amber.

Seth whirled around. “Uh, guys…”

The hair lifted off my shoulders and neck. Aiden called my name, but I was beyond hearing. I was beyond listening.

I lost my shit, right then and there.