The Power
Page 20
“Who do you think the demigod is going to be?” she asked.
“I don’t know.” I rubbed my fingers through my hair. “But knowing Apollo, it’s going to be the most annoying demigod he can get his hands on.”
CHAPTER 8
Josie
I had another nightmare last night.
This time I’d been training with Seth, hand-to-hand combat. He’d taken me to the ground, except it hadn’t been Seth I stared up at.
It had been the same unfamiliar face.
And he’d said the same thing he’d said in every dream. I’m going to find you. But this time, I was so lucky and got four extra words of warm and fuzzy. I’m coming for you.
I’d woken up in a cold sweat, with a scream stuck in my throat, and somehow I’d managed to not wake up Seth this time, but my entire day was off. I didn’t think it was just the dream throwing me off, though.
I was also rocking some hardcore daddy issues.
And some mommy issues too.
Part of me was thrilled that I’d gotten to see Apollo yesterday, even if he’d only been there for a few minutes. I was like a sponge when it came to him, soaking up every precious second, because except for that one summer, he’d been gone all my life. I was like a puppy. Any attention was good attention. It was still hard processing that I had a dad that was in the picture, albeit not often. And even more crazy to process that said dad was Apollo, the Sun God.
There was the other half of me that was pissed every time he left, because he was leaving yet again. We never really got to talk. There was no chatter over coffee or lunch. Nothing personal. I’d gotten a chance to ask him about Erin but not my mom. And you’d think Apollo would, oh, I don’t know, start the conversation off with news about my mother, because hello, she was my mother, but there was nothing.
Training had been flipped around today. Solos worked with me on the more physical stuff in the morning, which sucked, because I’d gotten used to not having my ass kicked first thing in the morning, and the day was ending outside with Seth.
And I wanted to throat punch him.
“Concentrate, Josie. That’s all you have to do.” He paced in front of me, obviously at his wits’ end with the whole thing. “That’s it.”
“If that was all that it was, don’t you think I’d have done that by now?” I fired back.
He shot me a look. “You’re not concentrating.”
“I am too!”
“That is one thing you definitely got from your father.” He stopped to my right, eyes flashing. “A bird flies by and you’re staring at it for the next minute, no matter what you’re doing. ADD must run in the family.”
My mouth dropped open. “That is not true.”
“Really?” Incredulity filled his expression. “Because a couple of minutes ago, when you were supposed to be concentrating on summoning the water element, you were staring at an eagle.”
“It was a bald eagle!” I argued, unsure if that was the kind of eagle I’d actually seen or not. “And it was perched on that statue.” I pointed at the gigantic marble thing. “Artemis’s statue! I mean, what a coincidence.”
His brows lowered. “You do realize she uses hawks, right? Not eagles.”
“Oh, whatever. It was still pretty cool.”
He rolled his eyes. “Okay. What about when we first started? The clouds?”
Frustrated, I threw up my arms. “It was like for five seconds and it was because the clouds looked like boobs. Giant boobs.”
Seth stared at me.
“I don’t like you.”
He stalked toward me. “You don’t have to like me right now, but you need to concentrate. You need to get better at this, because if you don’t, you’re never going to leave this campus. You understand that?”
Pressing my lips together, I refused to respond.
“Do you, Josie? Because if you can’t summon the elements and harness them, how will you ever be able to control akasha? The most powerful and deadliest of all the elements.” Seth got all up in my face. What he was saying was true. That also didn’t mean I had to like it. “And if you can’t harness akasha, you’ll never be able to face down the Titans.”
My hands curled into fists. “I know that.”
“I don’t think you do.” His voice was low, deadly calm. His gaze met mine. “I won’t let you leave here if I don’t think you can actually defend yourself.”
“Oh? What? You think you can stop me? Oh, my gods!” I shrieked.
I didn’t think. I spun around and threw my arm out toward the dummy, palm open. He wanted me to concentrate? Well, I wanted to throw the damn dummy through some walls and into next year. Maybe even throw him along with it. Energy coursed through me, and the wind picked up. I opened up my hand, and I felt it—the lick of power.
A gust of wind rattled the benches as it rushed out from my palm and struck the dummy. It lifted the stupid thing up in the air, tossing it several feet backward. The dummy landed just in front of the low marble wall surrounding the cemetery, arms and legs askew.
“There.” I turned to Seth, folding my arms. “Happy?”
His ultra-bright gaze roamed over me. “First off,” he said, shifting back a step, “you just used ‘gods’ for the first time ever. Secondly, I just need to get you angry and you can do it. No problem. And finally, your eyes are glowing, Josie.”
“I don’t know.” I rubbed my fingers through my hair. “But knowing Apollo, it’s going to be the most annoying demigod he can get his hands on.”
CHAPTER 8
Josie
I had another nightmare last night.
This time I’d been training with Seth, hand-to-hand combat. He’d taken me to the ground, except it hadn’t been Seth I stared up at.
It had been the same unfamiliar face.
And he’d said the same thing he’d said in every dream. I’m going to find you. But this time, I was so lucky and got four extra words of warm and fuzzy. I’m coming for you.
I’d woken up in a cold sweat, with a scream stuck in my throat, and somehow I’d managed to not wake up Seth this time, but my entire day was off. I didn’t think it was just the dream throwing me off, though.
I was also rocking some hardcore daddy issues.
And some mommy issues too.
Part of me was thrilled that I’d gotten to see Apollo yesterday, even if he’d only been there for a few minutes. I was like a sponge when it came to him, soaking up every precious second, because except for that one summer, he’d been gone all my life. I was like a puppy. Any attention was good attention. It was still hard processing that I had a dad that was in the picture, albeit not often. And even more crazy to process that said dad was Apollo, the Sun God.
There was the other half of me that was pissed every time he left, because he was leaving yet again. We never really got to talk. There was no chatter over coffee or lunch. Nothing personal. I’d gotten a chance to ask him about Erin but not my mom. And you’d think Apollo would, oh, I don’t know, start the conversation off with news about my mother, because hello, she was my mother, but there was nothing.
Training had been flipped around today. Solos worked with me on the more physical stuff in the morning, which sucked, because I’d gotten used to not having my ass kicked first thing in the morning, and the day was ending outside with Seth.
And I wanted to throat punch him.
“Concentrate, Josie. That’s all you have to do.” He paced in front of me, obviously at his wits’ end with the whole thing. “That’s it.”
“If that was all that it was, don’t you think I’d have done that by now?” I fired back.
He shot me a look. “You’re not concentrating.”
“I am too!”
“That is one thing you definitely got from your father.” He stopped to my right, eyes flashing. “A bird flies by and you’re staring at it for the next minute, no matter what you’re doing. ADD must run in the family.”
My mouth dropped open. “That is not true.”
“Really?” Incredulity filled his expression. “Because a couple of minutes ago, when you were supposed to be concentrating on summoning the water element, you were staring at an eagle.”
“It was a bald eagle!” I argued, unsure if that was the kind of eagle I’d actually seen or not. “And it was perched on that statue.” I pointed at the gigantic marble thing. “Artemis’s statue! I mean, what a coincidence.”
His brows lowered. “You do realize she uses hawks, right? Not eagles.”
“Oh, whatever. It was still pretty cool.”
He rolled his eyes. “Okay. What about when we first started? The clouds?”
Frustrated, I threw up my arms. “It was like for five seconds and it was because the clouds looked like boobs. Giant boobs.”
Seth stared at me.
“I don’t like you.”
He stalked toward me. “You don’t have to like me right now, but you need to concentrate. You need to get better at this, because if you don’t, you’re never going to leave this campus. You understand that?”
Pressing my lips together, I refused to respond.
“Do you, Josie? Because if you can’t summon the elements and harness them, how will you ever be able to control akasha? The most powerful and deadliest of all the elements.” Seth got all up in my face. What he was saying was true. That also didn’t mean I had to like it. “And if you can’t harness akasha, you’ll never be able to face down the Titans.”
My hands curled into fists. “I know that.”
“I don’t think you do.” His voice was low, deadly calm. His gaze met mine. “I won’t let you leave here if I don’t think you can actually defend yourself.”
“Oh? What? You think you can stop me? Oh, my gods!” I shrieked.
I didn’t think. I spun around and threw my arm out toward the dummy, palm open. He wanted me to concentrate? Well, I wanted to throw the damn dummy through some walls and into next year. Maybe even throw him along with it. Energy coursed through me, and the wind picked up. I opened up my hand, and I felt it—the lick of power.
A gust of wind rattled the benches as it rushed out from my palm and struck the dummy. It lifted the stupid thing up in the air, tossing it several feet backward. The dummy landed just in front of the low marble wall surrounding the cemetery, arms and legs askew.
“There.” I turned to Seth, folding my arms. “Happy?”
His ultra-bright gaze roamed over me. “First off,” he said, shifting back a step, “you just used ‘gods’ for the first time ever. Secondly, I just need to get you angry and you can do it. No problem. And finally, your eyes are glowing, Josie.”
