Sentinel

CHAPTER 27

I wasn’t big on the Covenant garden when I was alive, but I kept finding myself in this one now. There was something calming and peaceful among the roses and peonies. I kept coming back to the old stone bench, especially in the mornings. Maybe I thought Grandma Piperi would magically appear and give me another messed-up prophecy for old time’s sake. That would be fun.

Or not.

Making my way down the marble pathway, my gaze skipped over the intricate designs in the sidewalk. Somehow I hadn’t noticed this before, but the carvings were the marks of the Apollyon. Interesting.

I rounded the thick nightshade bush and lifted my gaze. I drew up short, my eyes widening.

The bench wasn’t empty today.

Apollo sat there, hands clasped between his knees. “It’s about time,” he said. “I’ve been waiting for about an hour.”

I stared at him, my mouth hanging open. “I…I slept in.”

He cocked his head to the side. “I hear you’ve been sleeping a lot.”

I snapped out of it. “Where have you been?”

“I’ve been busy.” He stood, towering over me. “I came as soon as I could.”

“As soon as you could?” I repeated dumbly. “It’s been more than a week!”

Apollo folded his massive arms. “Time moves differently here, Alexandria. An hour or two here is a second in the mortal realm. It hasn’t been that long.”

“Since I died?” I crossed my arms, mimicking his stance. “I thought you were supposed to take care of me.”

“I did.”

My eyes narrowed. “I’m dead. I’m not quite sure how that’s taking care of me.”

Apollo unfolded his arms and strolled up to me. “You need to get over that tiny fact.” Then he patted me on the head. Actually patted me on the freaking head. “Come on. We have something we need to do.”

I turned, half-tempted to spin-kick him in the head, and while I was sure I could break out some of the moves, I didn’t have any leftover, supercool Apollyon powers. Spin-kicking him probably wouldn’t end well.

Apollo glanced over his shoulder, exasperated. “Are you coming? Time is ticking.”

“Oh, I think I have, like, an eternity worth of time.” I wanted to stay where I was, because I was feeling pretty damn childish, but I groaned and then followed him. “Where are we going?”

“You’ll see.”

I made a face at him as I struggled to keep up with his long-legged gait. Pissed as I was at him, I remained sullenly quiet as we walked. We made it to the edge of the garden before I couldn’t hold back my questions.

“How is everyone?”

He looked at me sideways. “How do you think?”

My palms tingled, and anger heated my cheeks. “A part of me knew that this would be the outcome, but I hoped it would be different. I hoped because of what you said and what I was being asked to do. You let me down, Apollo. So the least you could do is give me a straight answer.”

His blue eyes deepened, turning the color of the sky before a storm. I knew I’d struck a chord, but I didn’t care. What could he do? Kill me? A quiet voice whispered in the back of my head that he could drop my unhappy ass in Tartarus, but I doubted he’d ever do that, no matter how much I ticked him off.

Apollo sighed. “They’re not happy. Your uncle holed himself up in a room and drank himself into a stupor. Your friends? Inconsolable. I think you know how Seth feels. Maybe you don’t—not to the full extent, anyway. And Aiden?” He paused, and the back of my eyes burned. “I have never seen a man break the way he did. And he broke. Set half the damn Covenant on fire. If his brother hadn’t showed up when he had, I’m positive that he would’ve stayed in the burning building. Is that what you wanted to know? Did it make you feel better, Alexandria?”

“No,” I whispered, my chest aching as if someone had split me wide open. Tears welled up and spilled down my cheeks. I wiped at them hastily. “That didn’t make me feel better at all.”

“I didn’t think it would, but you insisted.” He headed around the front of the cottage—the cottage I wasn’t sure I could even look at now. “People loved you—still love you. Mourning is never easy. But they will heal, and they will continue to live.”

And I wanted that—I wanted them to move on. Even as badly as I wanted to see them again, I didn’t want them here. They deserved to live.

“The Elixir is no more,” Apollo said. “I thought you’d like to know that.”

I looked up at Apollo as we crossed the beach, the sand warm under my bare feet. Since I’d died, I’d boycotted shoes. “Thank you.”

“Some of the servants will have lasting effects from being on the Elixir for so long, but many are functioning well. Many are presented with options they’ve never had before.” He stopped, several feet from the edge of the lapping waves. “After Ares’ defeat, an emergency Council meeting was called. Solos was given a spot on the Council.”

My mouth dropped open. “Are you serious? A half-blood on the Council? Oh my gods, that’s…wow, that’s awesome. How did it happen?”

A small grin appeared on his lips. “Only a few days have passed, but a lot has happened. Aiden took his spot on the Council as well.”

I sucked in a shallow breath as pride swelled through me. “He did? His parents…”

“He did. With his vote, among others, they officially revoked the Breed Order and gave those rights I promised you back to the halfs.”

Oh, my gods galore, I felt like I needed to sit down. This was major.

“He also gave up his seat afterward. He gave his seat to Solos.”

My eyes widened. “He did what? I mean, that’s great about Solos, but why would he do that?” Then fear poured into my chest like ice. “Oh gods, he’s going to be okay, right? He’s not going to do anything stupid—”

“He’s not going to do anything stupid. He will be okay,” Apollo responded. “Change is coming for our society, Alexandria. It will take some time, but it will happen. Just like you will come to accept your new path.”

Thrown off by that last statement, I took a step back, away from Apollo. “My new path?”

“Yes, it’s time that you start to move on.”

I gaped at him. “I just died!”

“And apparently enough time has passed for you to get ticked off about me not coming to visit you immediately.” Apollo smiled widely at my death glare. “Remember what you did with Caleb to honor your mother and those who died last summer?”

“What?” The change of subject left me spinning.

“You used spirit boats as a way of moving on, didn’t you?”

I frowned. “Were you peeping on me then, Apollo?”

He ignored that. “I think you need to do the same thing for yourself.”

“What the what?” I stared at him, stunned into stupidity. “You want me to set a spirit boat into the ocean that’s meant for me?”

Apollo nodded once more. “I think it’s the perfect idea. It will be symbolic and hopefully a new start for yourself.”

Several seconds passed while I waited for him to yell “just kidding” and slap me on the shoulder, but he didn’t. “You’re serious.”

“Do I look like I’m joking?”

Actually, he looked like he wanted to hit me. “But that is so…weird.”

“It is not weird.” His gaze dropped over me. “But you should be dressed nicer than this, like you were when you did it before.”

My mouth opened, but before I could utter a word, Apollo snapped his fingers, and my clothes changed. They changed while on my body. Jeans and tank top, my choice of afterlife attire, turned into the black tube dress I’d worn the day Caleb and I had set the little spirit boats free.

Smoothing my hands over the soft material, I lifted my gaze. “That’s…that’s creepy, because there had to be a split second when I was naked, so don’t do that again.”

He shrugged and then held out his once-empty palm. Not so empty now. A spirit boat rested in his hand, candle and all.

I hesitated. “You’re really going to make me do this.”

“Yes.”

Fighting the urge to roll my eyes, I recognized that Apollo wasn’t going to be swayed on this matter. And it was strange. Ever since Apollo had killed me, I’d imagined letting loose on him hundreds of times, but now that he was here, holding a damn spirit boat in hands, I didn’t have it in me.

Maybe because I had agreed to become the God Killer, knowing how it would probably end.

Shaking my head, I took it from Apollo. The moment my fingers wrapped around it, a tiny flame encased the wick of the white candle. I held the fragile spirit boat in my hands. “You know this is twisted and morbid, right?”

“You need to let go of your old life, Alexandria.”

“My only life,” I muttered.

Apollo didn’t respond to that.

Exhaling harshly, I turned toward the ocean. Sun glinted off the waves, and I knew the water would be warm and foamy, because that was how I liked it. But walking out to those waves with a spirit boat meant for myself wasn’t as easy as anyone would think.

I stood there for several moments, so many thoughts racing through my head as a soft breeze rolled off the ocean and stirred my hair. Could I really do this without laughing or crying? Because I wasn’t sure if it was funny or just really sad. And was I ready for this? Contrary to Apollo’s annoying opinion, I did just die. Was I ready to move on? Did I want to?

That was a tough question.

The pain, the longing, and the yearning had become familiar to me. Letting go seemed like I was giving up, but that wasn’t right. Even in my darkest moments, I knew that wasn’t true. The truth was, I didn’t want to be like this forever. I didn’t want to be like this for another week. And I sure as hell didn’t want to end up in the Vale.

I wasn’t sure that a spirit boat would be the answer, but it wouldn’t hurt to try. And who cared if I felt a little stupid for doing it? I was dead. Not like anyone was going to judge me here.

Taking a deep breath, I forced my legs forward. The sand gave way under my feet, and water tickled my toes. I kept going until the water foamed just below my knees. I stopped, staring down at my boat. I’d done this before. Hadn’t I said that Mom was in a better place? She was—I saw her yesterday. We pulled weeds in the garden together. So wasn’t I in a better place now? No more looming threats of death or dismemberment. No more messed-up Fate or duty. No more loss.

There was just the loss I’d already suffered.

But maybe that too would fade one day. And I’d see my friends and family again. I knew that. And maybe when it was time for Aiden, Hades would take pity on us. After all, the rotten S.O.B. owed us. He most definitely owed me.

Letting out a sigh, I bent down and placed the spirit boat in the ocean. My fingers lingered for a second, and I said the only thing I could think of saying. “Goodbye.”

And so I let the boat go.

Straightening, I watched the waves carry it off, further and further out until I couldn’t see the boat anymore. I wasn’t sure I felt any better, but I thought it was a step in the right direction. It was something, which according to my own personal motto was better than nothing.

I turned around, about to yell back at Apollo and ask him if he was happy now, but as my gaze flickered over the god, something else caught my attention.

My heart stopped.

Dead or not, it was possible.

Air froze in my lungs. I couldn’t blink, because I was terrified that if I did, what I was seeing would vanish, because it couldn’t be real.

He couldn’t be real.

Aiden stood at the shoreline, the water curling around his ankles, dampening the hems of the jeans he wore. The breeze caught the edges of his white shirt, lifting them slightly, and played with his locks of dark, wavy hair. Rays of sun kissed his broad cheeks, and from that distance, I could see that his eyes were a breathtaking, fierce silver. He was smiling.

He was smiling at me.

“Hey,” he said, and oh my gods, it was his voice. A voice I’d thought I wouldn’t hear again for a very long time—or maybe never again.

I placed my hand against my chest as my throat worked. “Is this… is this real?”

His smile spread, revealing those deep dimples in his cheeks. “This is real, agapi mou.”

I couldn’t move.

“Alex,” he called, laughing softly.

“How are you here? Oh my gods…” My gaze darted to Apollo. “Is he dead? You said he would be okay! That he wouldn’t do anything—”

“I’m not dead,” Aiden interrupted, stepping forward. Waves lapped up his calves. “Come out of the water and we’ll explain. Come on, agapi mou.”

I was held immobile for another second or two, and then it seemed to sink in. Aiden was here. A cry parted my lips as I sprang into action. Holding my hair back from my face, I half-stumbled and half-ran toward the beach. He came forward, meeting me halfway.

Throwing myself at him, I nearly knocked him down, but he regained his footing, wrapping his arms around my waist as he pulled me against his chest. The feel of him, warm and real, against my chest was wonderful and sent a thrill through me. His scent, the mixture of sea and soap, filled me.

It also ripped me right open.

Tears fell from my eyes as I burrowed against his chest, squeezing him so tightly I was surprised I wasn’t hurting him. Though he held me the same way, whispering in my ear words I couldn’t understand above my sobs. And I was speaking, but the words didn’t make much sense.

But finally, his hand slid up to my cheek, leaving a trail of fire in its wake, and he made this deep sound in his chest a second before his lips brushed across mine. Another cry came from the depths of my soul, and the kiss deepened. The kiss reached into me, wrapped its way around my heart, and jump-started it in a way that it never had when I was alive. And I kissed him back, tasting the salt of my tears and of the sea on his lips.

Apollo cleared his throat.

Slowly, as if we had all the time in the world and didn’t have an audience, Aiden slowed the kiss down at his own pace, nipping at my lower lip as he lifted my head. I was breathless as I opened my eyes.

He kissed my forehead and then eased me down onto my feet. Keeping an arm around my waist and tucking me close to his body, he turned us toward Apollo and we waded back to the sand.

The god was smiling. Not the creepy smile that he usually graced the world with, but a real one.

“How?” I asked, clutching the front of Aiden’s shirt as if I planned to hold him there. “How is this possible? Is he visiting me? Is he—?”

Aiden chuckled as he smoothed his free hand under my chin. “I’m not visiting.”

My heart almost imploded at that, but I didn’t understand.

Apollo took pity on me. “Remember when I told you that I would take care of you? It was a promise I wasn’t going to break, but this—this is not all me.”

“It’s not?” I still held onto Aiden’s shirt.

“I knew that this could be the outcome long before you agreed to it,” he explained. “A lot of things in life aren’t fair, and there are lessons to be learned from that, but there was no lesson to be gained in your death. So when I took you to Olympus after your first fight with Ares, I made sure that, no matter what happened, you would be rewarded.”

“By giving me Aiden?” I asked, and well, while I really appreciated that, it didn’t seem fair to Aiden. Elysian Fields was nice and all, but it was the Underworld.

“No,” Apollo said. “I gave your mother a drink to give you. Remember? I told her it would help you heal?”

I remembered that. “It tasted good, but…strange.”

That smile was back, tipping his lips up at the corner. “It wasn’t a normal drink. It was ambrosia.”

My lips slowly parted as I stared at him. Ambrosia? The nectar of the gods? Those who were gifted with ambrosia became immortal. “I don’t understand. I’m dead. That couldn’t—”

“You had a mortal death, Alexandria, but you are not truly dead, not like those around you. By setting the spirit boat free, you set the next stage of your existence into play. You are immortal. To get technical, you are now a demigod.”

My jaw was on the sand. There were no words. None at all.

“But for every gift, there has to be an exchange,” Apollo continued. “You did have a mortal death, and my brethren were not aware of what I’d done. They say it will upset the strands of Fate if there is not an exchange. Follow me?”

Uh, no, but I nodded.

“You will have to spend six months in the Underworld—six months Underworld time—and then you will be allowed to spend six months—six months mortal time—in the mortal realm.”

“Like Persephone?” I shook my head when he nodded. “Holy gods, I don’t know what to say. Thank you and—wait!” My heart jumped as I looked up at Aiden. “If I’m immortal, then what about Aiden? He can’t stay in the Underworld for six months. I don’t understand.” Not that I was ungrateful. If I could see him and my dad and friends just for six months topside, I’d take that, but I was thoroughly confused. Aiden had said he wasn’t visiting, and I knew I was missing something. “Someone help me out here.”

“That’s the other half,” Aiden said, dropping his chin and kissing the top of my head.

“And that had nothing to do with me,” Apollo said. “I would’ve made sure that Aiden could visit you when he could and for however long he could be here, but this…this is all because of Seth.”

I blinked. “Seth?”

“If you’re surprised, just imagine how I felt.” Aiden’s arm tightened. “Seth made a deal with Apollo and Hades before I even knew what was going down.”

“What deal?” I looked at Apollo. “What deal did Seth make?”

“First, you must understand that Seth never should’ve been, Alexandria. You were always meant to be the Apollyon, and Seth knew that. To him, for you to be the one who died, he couldn’t live with that,” Apollo explained, and my skin chilled. “When he came to me, I told him that you would be fine. I told him that you’d been given ambrosia, and I explained the exchange to him. I even told him that you would see Aiden again, and that in the end, you were being taken care of and you would be happy, but that wasn’t enough for him.

“He knew that, when Aiden died, his soul would go to Hades, and who knows what mood Hades would be in when that day came. And in the end, you would out-live Aiden. You would have to watch him grow old and die while you stayed the same during those years he aged. Seth didn’t want that for you.”

Aiden’s hand smoothed over my hip as he spoke next. “Seth offered an exchange. He offered his servitude to the gods, which is needed, since no one can find Perses and none of the Olympians can kill Seth.”

“We need him on our side, so we were willing to deal,” Apollo confirmed. “He offered his servitude and obedience in exchange for ambrosia for Aiden. And then he offered to Hades to take Aiden’s place once he died. And as you would guess, Hades was over the moon with the prospect. We accepted.”

My eyes widened. I didn’t know what to say. Seth…oh my gods, that little punk…that wonderful little punk. “He gave up his life to the gods, basically? You’ll be able to call on him whenever.” And knowing Seth, that would drive him absolutely crazy. “And when he dies?” I shook my head, beyond words.

What Seth had done was unbelievable. He’d sacrificed so much. My heart was pumping fast. I wanted to cry again. I probably would. And I wanted to laugh, and I wanted to find Seth and shake him because he hadn’t needed to do this. He shouldn’t have. My future with Aiden wasn’t more important than his future, no matter how badly I wanted that.

I was blown away.

“Seth didn’t want you to know he did this, and while I have honored most of his requests, I felt you needed to know what he has done for you. He gave you this, Alexandria. He gave Aiden this. And I know it is hard for you to accept. And it was hard for Aiden to fully accept, surprisingly,” Apollo added dryly. “But it was Seth’s decision, and it cannot be undone. And when you go topside in six months, you should find him and thank him.”

I was actually going to hug and squeeze and love the dude. Then smack him. And then hug and squeeze and love him again.

“We are not sure what it does with your connection. You are no longer the God Killer, as you did die a mortal death, but this has never been done before.” Apollo shrugged. “You may still be connected once you’re in the mortal realm. You may not be. We don’t know.”

There was so much I wanted to say. My head was spinning. I hadn’t expected any of this, especially not what Seth had done. He had given us everything. I couldn’t imagine how I could repay him, but I would find a way one day.

Apollo’s smile was soft then, the most human thing I’d ever seen from the god. “His journey is not over, Alexandria. And neither is yours. Or Aiden’s. Remember that.”

Choked up in a ridiculous way, I nodded and then, without any warning, Apollo faded out. I stared at the spot where he’d stood for a long moment, then turned into Aiden’s embrace.

One side of his lips curved up, and a dimple appeared in one cheek. “We owe Seth a lot.”

“Everything,” I agreed, my fingers still digging into the front of his shirt. “We owe him everything.”

Aiden lowered his head, brushing his lips over mine. My mouth immediately opened to his. I sank into him, ready—

“Oh. I almost forgot.”

I jumped a good four inches off the ground at the sound of Apollo’s voice, which was right in my ear. “Oh, my gods, will you ever stop doing that?”

“No. Make sure you give Hades some hell while you’re down here.” He winked, and then he disappeared again.

Aiden looked from where Apollo had been, then to me, and then laughed. “Do they have bells in Elysian Fields?”

A laugh bubbled up in my throat. “Yeah, I’m sure they do. You kind of need something, and it appears. Like, if you want to eat some coconut shrimp, you get coconut shrimp.”

“Really?” He laughed again, looping his arm around my waist. “What about Big Macs?”

“Yep. Even Big Macs.”

“Wow. This must really be paradise for you then.”

The knot of emotion was back in my throat again. “It…really isn’t. I’ve missed you terribly. I…” I stopped myself.

He pressed his lips together as he smoothed his thumb along his jaw. Then he glanced over his shoulder. “Is that what I think it is?”

I bit down on my lip, hoping this didn’t make me come across like a total creeper. “It made me happy, and it felt…it felt like you, so it turned out to be a part of my paradise.”

Aiden’s hand slipped down my arm, and he threaded his fingers through mine. When he spoke, his voice was rough with emotion. “Show me?”

I led him into the cottage, and as he looked around, seeing the familiar living room and kitchen, his hand tightened around mine. I felt my cheeks flush. “It has a bedroom and a bath, like yours, but there’s a garden in the back. I know it’s not—”

“It’s perfect. You’re perfect.” His silvery gaze landed on me. “I’m sorry I couldn’t get here sooner. I know—”

“Don’t,” I said, placing my fingers over his lips. “You have nothing to apologize for. Apollo told me about the Council and the Breed Order. What you were a part of was amazing. Solos on the Council, and how the Breed Order was revoked, and—”

Aiden swooped down, silencing me with a lingering kiss that left me breathless when he lifted his head. “Nothing that I did was truly amazing, Alex. It was just what needed to be done. I only wish it hadn’t taken so long from your perspective.”

He told me then that Seth had made his deals before the Council meeting, within hours of my death, but that he had taken care of the Council seat and spoken with his brother before he’d left with Apollo.

“Deacon,” I gasped. “Oh gods, you won’t see him for six months. And it will be even longer for him with the time-moves-differently thing.”

“It’s okay.”

I shook my head. “But he’s your family, and I know he means the world to you.”

“He does mean the world to me, and I’m going to miss him, but he’d try to kick my ass if I didn’t come to you.” Aiden grinned. “He knows how I feel about you. He saw how I was…afterwards. He understands, and he’s happy. Besides, we’ll see him again.”

Then it struck me. Excited, I almost started bouncing. “Oh, Aiden! You’ll get to see your parents. I haven’t seen them, but they’re here. Somewhere.”

“I know, but as terrible as this sounds—and gods, it probably is—right now, I don’t care.” Using my hand, he turned me around and hauled me against his chest. “That’s not what I want right now, or what I need.”

Grandma Piperi’s prophetic words came back to me. There is want and there is need… To her, those two things had been very differently entities, but right now, they were one and the same.

He placed the tips of his fingers on my cheeks, the hold heartbreakingly tender as his gaze moved on my face. “Look at you,” he said. “Your eyes…”

I stood still, letting his fingers trail an unseen path across my face. “I look a lot better half-dead or whatever, huh?”

“You’ve always looked beautiful to me, Alex.” He trailed his fingers over the line of my jaw and down my neck. His hands trembled as he slid them down my shoulders. “Gods, Alex, I’d thought after what happened with Linard, I’d never face losing you again. Even when you were connected with Seth, you were still alive. And even if you didn’t want to be with me, you were living, and in the end, that was all that mattered.”

Aiden took a deep breath. “But when I came into that room and saw Seth and Apollo, but didn’t see you, my heart stopped. It broke me,” he admitted with quiet honesty. “Because all I wanted was a future with you, and it had been taken from me again.”

I closed my eyes against the rush of tears.

“But here we are,” he murmured.

“Here we are.” I blinked open my eyes, my chest swelling with the emotion I read in his gaze. We’d been given that future because of Apollo and Seth. And there was no way I was going to dishonor that gift by not living every second of that future. “I love you.”

“Agapi mou, you are my everything.”

Aiden kissed me. Words weren’t necessary at that point. He’d experienced every moment of loss that I had, every second of desperation, and it was reflected in every touch, every sweep of the lips, and every soft moan. We were greedy with one another, finding ourselves in the bedroom. In no time, our limbs were tangled together, and when our bodies joined, everything slowed down. Our want for one another was all-consuming, but for the first time since we’d locked eyes in Georgia, we had all the time in the world to enjoy our love. And we did.

Long after our breathing returned to normal, Aiden hovered above me, his hand slowing tracing the line of my jaw. I smiled as something occurred to me. “We’re demigods now.” I laughed as a wealth of emotion built in my chest. “We’re actually demigods.”

His lips responded, curving upward and spreading until deep dimples appeared, and my heart melted in the way only he could make it. “Yeah, we are,” he said.

“You know what that means?” I stared into those silver eyes. I had an infinite number of moments like this ahead of me to share with Aiden.

“They’re going to tell stories about us.”

Aiden lowered his head, kissing me softly, deeply, and so lovingly that tears pricked my eyes. “They already are.”

THE END