The Power
Page 92
There was nothing.
CHAPTER 30
Josie
Dropping the blade, I shot forward and tried to stop Seth’s fall. I circled my arms around his waist, but he was too heavy. The toxin had hit him hard, and I couldn’t hold his weight. Not when standing and forcing my way to him had leached what remaining energy I had.
I crumpled along with him, hitting the floor on my hip. Pain flared, but I ignored it as Seth’s head cracked off the stone floor.
Reaching deep down, I scrabbled up his side and rolled him onto his back. His eyes were closed, dark lashes fanning his golden cheeks. With a shaking hand, I felt his neck for a pulse and then swallowed a cry of relief as I felt it steady under my fingers.
I had no idea what the Pegasus blood would do to him. It could kill mortals. Immobilize Titans and demigods, but the Apollyon? No one had really said what it would do to him.
He was alive.
Out cold, but alive.
Pushing myself up, I sat down and scanned the room. My gaze landed on the blade first. You will need the toxin, but not for whom you expect. Medusa’s words haunted me. She had known. That woman had known.
And I’d seen the Titan Atlas before.
He’d been in my nightmares. Over and over, he’d been there. That had been him. How? I didn’t understand, but he had.
Numb, I lifted my gaze. Deacon was struggling to his feet, along with Luke. Both looked like they’d been blown through a wall. A fine trickle of blood leaked out of Deacon’s nose, but he appeared otherwise uninjured. The bruises on Luke’s jaw were from fighting Atlas. Hercules was sitting up, his expression absolutely dumbfounded.
“How did he do that?” Alex stumbled to her feet with Aiden’s aid, swaying to one side. Both looked okay. “How did he do that?”
I didn’t answer, because I didn’t know how Seth had tapped into all of us without even touching us.
My gaze finally fell on Solos. “Oh gods,” I whispered, quickly averting my gaze. What Atlas had whispered in my dream the night before had also been right. Dig a grave.
He was . . . I closed my eyes, biting down on my lower lip until I tasted blood. Pain opened in my chest, overshadowing the physical aches that bit and chewed at me.
Solos was gone.
Him falling had tipped Seth over an edge, a very precarious edge I hadn’t even realized he’d been teetering on this . . . this entire time.
I was numb, sitting between where Seth had fallen and where Solos lay. This scent of death was different than what followed the shades. This . . . this was heavier, more real.
“Solos,” Deacon spoke softly. He’d dropped to his knees beside him. “Oh man. Oh gods, this is . . .” He reached out, but drew his hands back. “This isn’t right.”
It was never right.
Alex shuffled over to Deacon and her face crumpled a second before she smacked her hands over her cheeks. She turned slightly, her shoulders tensing, and then, after a handful of moments, she appeared to pull it together. When she turned back around, her expression was devoid of emotion.
“We need to bury him with coins,” she whispered. “We need to give him that so he can cross over on the ferry at Styx. Now.”
“Agreed.” Aiden knelt by Solos, and I saw his fingers move over Solos’s face. Oh God, he was closing his eyes. “Gable?”
I’d forgotten all about him.
He crept out from behind the stairs. He hadn’t made it farther before everything went crazy. There was no color in his face as he stared at Solos. “We . . . we have a lot of property. There are . . . um, shovels out in the shed, by the pool.”
Aiden turned to his brother and Luke. “Go with him. I need you guys to make sure he stays safe.”
For once, Deacon didn’t argue. With one last look at Solos, he rose and joined Gable. They followed the shaken man toward the kitchen. At the last second, Deacon veered off and hurried into the living room, returning seconds later with a blanket.
“I can’t leave him there like that,” he explained as he walked up to where Solos lay. Carefully, he draped the blanket over him, covering Solos’s face and chest, along with most of his legs.
Then Deacon was gone.
“We need to figure out what to do with Seth.” Aiden dragged a hand under his bloodied lip.
I stilled, looking up at him.
“He pulled aether from us,” Hercules said, sounding like sandpaper had gotten inside his throat. “I was not told he could do that. No one should be able to do that.”
I looked back at Seth. The glyphs had now faded, seeping into his skin. His eyes hadn’t been amber when he’d faced me. Had the others seen that? They’d been all white, like a god’s.
“He didn’t just stop Atlas.” Aiden clutched a dagger as he neared us. “He . . . he took out Atlas. He killed a Titan.”
Hercules shook his head back and forth. “That’s not possible.”
“Looks like it to me.” Alex rubbed at her hip and chest as she walked over to the spot where Atlas had stood. The stone was charred. “Looks real possible.”
“That means . . .” Aiden trailed off.
“Means what?” I asked, placing my hands on the stone. I pushed up, climbing to my feet. “What does it mean?”
“Only the demigods can kill the Titans, right?” Aiden walked around to stand behind Seth’s head. I tensed. “Or entomb them, but no one else except . . .” He didn’t finish again, almost like he didn’t want to give word to what he feared.
CHAPTER 30
Josie
Dropping the blade, I shot forward and tried to stop Seth’s fall. I circled my arms around his waist, but he was too heavy. The toxin had hit him hard, and I couldn’t hold his weight. Not when standing and forcing my way to him had leached what remaining energy I had.
I crumpled along with him, hitting the floor on my hip. Pain flared, but I ignored it as Seth’s head cracked off the stone floor.
Reaching deep down, I scrabbled up his side and rolled him onto his back. His eyes were closed, dark lashes fanning his golden cheeks. With a shaking hand, I felt his neck for a pulse and then swallowed a cry of relief as I felt it steady under my fingers.
I had no idea what the Pegasus blood would do to him. It could kill mortals. Immobilize Titans and demigods, but the Apollyon? No one had really said what it would do to him.
He was alive.
Out cold, but alive.
Pushing myself up, I sat down and scanned the room. My gaze landed on the blade first. You will need the toxin, but not for whom you expect. Medusa’s words haunted me. She had known. That woman had known.
And I’d seen the Titan Atlas before.
He’d been in my nightmares. Over and over, he’d been there. That had been him. How? I didn’t understand, but he had.
Numb, I lifted my gaze. Deacon was struggling to his feet, along with Luke. Both looked like they’d been blown through a wall. A fine trickle of blood leaked out of Deacon’s nose, but he appeared otherwise uninjured. The bruises on Luke’s jaw were from fighting Atlas. Hercules was sitting up, his expression absolutely dumbfounded.
“How did he do that?” Alex stumbled to her feet with Aiden’s aid, swaying to one side. Both looked okay. “How did he do that?”
I didn’t answer, because I didn’t know how Seth had tapped into all of us without even touching us.
My gaze finally fell on Solos. “Oh gods,” I whispered, quickly averting my gaze. What Atlas had whispered in my dream the night before had also been right. Dig a grave.
He was . . . I closed my eyes, biting down on my lower lip until I tasted blood. Pain opened in my chest, overshadowing the physical aches that bit and chewed at me.
Solos was gone.
Him falling had tipped Seth over an edge, a very precarious edge I hadn’t even realized he’d been teetering on this . . . this entire time.
I was numb, sitting between where Seth had fallen and where Solos lay. This scent of death was different than what followed the shades. This . . . this was heavier, more real.
“Solos,” Deacon spoke softly. He’d dropped to his knees beside him. “Oh man. Oh gods, this is . . .” He reached out, but drew his hands back. “This isn’t right.”
It was never right.
Alex shuffled over to Deacon and her face crumpled a second before she smacked her hands over her cheeks. She turned slightly, her shoulders tensing, and then, after a handful of moments, she appeared to pull it together. When she turned back around, her expression was devoid of emotion.
“We need to bury him with coins,” she whispered. “We need to give him that so he can cross over on the ferry at Styx. Now.”
“Agreed.” Aiden knelt by Solos, and I saw his fingers move over Solos’s face. Oh God, he was closing his eyes. “Gable?”
I’d forgotten all about him.
He crept out from behind the stairs. He hadn’t made it farther before everything went crazy. There was no color in his face as he stared at Solos. “We . . . we have a lot of property. There are . . . um, shovels out in the shed, by the pool.”
Aiden turned to his brother and Luke. “Go with him. I need you guys to make sure he stays safe.”
For once, Deacon didn’t argue. With one last look at Solos, he rose and joined Gable. They followed the shaken man toward the kitchen. At the last second, Deacon veered off and hurried into the living room, returning seconds later with a blanket.
“I can’t leave him there like that,” he explained as he walked up to where Solos lay. Carefully, he draped the blanket over him, covering Solos’s face and chest, along with most of his legs.
Then Deacon was gone.
“We need to figure out what to do with Seth.” Aiden dragged a hand under his bloodied lip.
I stilled, looking up at him.
“He pulled aether from us,” Hercules said, sounding like sandpaper had gotten inside his throat. “I was not told he could do that. No one should be able to do that.”
I looked back at Seth. The glyphs had now faded, seeping into his skin. His eyes hadn’t been amber when he’d faced me. Had the others seen that? They’d been all white, like a god’s.
“He didn’t just stop Atlas.” Aiden clutched a dagger as he neared us. “He . . . he took out Atlas. He killed a Titan.”
Hercules shook his head back and forth. “That’s not possible.”
“Looks like it to me.” Alex rubbed at her hip and chest as she walked over to the spot where Atlas had stood. The stone was charred. “Looks real possible.”
“That means . . .” Aiden trailed off.
“Means what?” I asked, placing my hands on the stone. I pushed up, climbing to my feet. “What does it mean?”
“Only the demigods can kill the Titans, right?” Aiden walked around to stand behind Seth’s head. I tensed. “Or entomb them, but no one else except . . .” He didn’t finish again, almost like he didn’t want to give word to what he feared.
