The Return
Page 10
There was a pause. “Josephine Bethel.”
I stared at him as irritation spun up like a high-speed cyclone. “I’ve figured that out. Thanks.”
“Is that so? By the way, you’re off to a good start with this whole ‘protecting her’ thing. Are you doing it remotely? Is that a new ability of yours I’m unaware of?” He turned, tilting his head to the side. He seemed to be staring at the chain hanging from the ceiling fan. Seconds later, he confirmed this by reaching out and tugging the chain.
Light clicked on.
He tugged the chain again.
Light went off.
Oh for gods’ sake, he had a mean case of ADD sometimes. “Apollo,” I snapped.
Seeming to have forgotten he was even in the room with me, he lowered his hand slowly. “You haven’t asked the correct question, Apollyon.”
I forced myself to take a step back before I tapped into the air element, wrapped the shiny gold chain around his thick neck, and turned him into a sun god piñata. “She’s not a half or a pure. She feels like a mortal, but she…” I shook my head, turning away. Moving to the large window, I pulled back the curtain. Dusk had fallen, bringing a haze of fog to the tops of the tree-covered mountains.
“What, Seth?” Apollo asked softly.
I couldn’t believe I was going to say this, but Apollo wasn’t going to feed me information. That wasn’t how he rolled. Slipping my fingers off the curtain, I closed my eyes. “She looked…she reminded me of Alex.”
Alex.
Alexandria Andros.
The girl I once had thought was just an ordinary half-blood, but had turned out to be another Apollyon—the real Apollyon. I was the one who was never supposed to have happened, even though I’d been born first. I’d come into existence because Ares had sought to control Olympus through controlling me. And worse than being a descendant of that asshole, he’d almost succeeded in turning me into the God Killer, the supreme being that was the result of one Apollyon absorbing the abilities of another. It was why having two Apollyons in one generation was forbidden.
And I’d played right into Ares’s games. I’d fucked up—fucked up in a way that had ended with Alex spending a good part of the year—and of every year for eternity—in the underworld. That was something I could never forgive myself for. No matter what amends I’d made or deals I’d offered.
I cleared my throat and continued. “Not completely. Different hair. Different nose and eyes, but she even sounded like her for a second.” I laughed, and it sounded harsh. “If I didn’t know better, I’d think they were somehow related, but that’s not possible. Right?”
There was no answer as Apollo stared at me.
And then I lost my shit.
Glyphs snapped over my flesh. The lamp on the executive-style desk exploded in a shower of sparks and tinkling glass. The smell of burnt ozone filled the air. Wind picked up, blowing the little courtesy notepads off the nightstands. “It’s not possible, Apollo.”
He arched a blond brow. “I’m not surprised that she reminds you of Alexandria.”
For a moment, I couldn’t move or say anything. My lips pulled back into a sneer as I stumbled a step back. I waited for him to say something else, anything else. Apprehension ran its bony fingers over my neck.
“What is she?” I rasped, tensing up. The need to destroy something rippled over me like a shockwave.
Apollo dipped his chin and the seconds ticked away before he spoke. “She is a demigod.”
Chapter 4
THAT HAD to be the last thing I was expecting Apollo to say.
“A demigod?” I repeated like I’d just learned to speak a few seconds ago. “A real, live demigod?”
“Opposed to a fake, dead one?” He chuckled, proud of himself, and then sighed when my eyes narrowed on him. “You used to have a sense of humor, Seth.”
“I used to have a lot of things,” I retorted. His features sharpened and his mouth opened like he wished to expand on that, but that wasn’t what was important here. “There hasn’t been a true demigod in thousands of years—not since mortals worshipped the gods.”
“That’s true. We agreed not to create anymore when we retreated to Olympus, but what is also true is that she’s not the only one.”
I stared at him, and then I barked out a short laugh. “There are demigods roaming the Earth? You know, this might have been good to know a year or so ago, when we all were getting our asses kicked.” Demigods were like the Apollyon, their powers second only to the gods’. They were major ass-kickers. And they were also like Pegasus. Supposedly it existed, but since it did so in Olympus, I’d never seen it. “Wait. This doesn’t make sense. I felt nothing around that girl. She sure as hell didn’t act like a demigod, and that doesn’t explain why she reminds me of…her.”
“Is it so hard to say her name?” Apollo asked. “I think a few minutes ago was the first time you’ve said her name since after you two fought Ares.”
My jaw ached from how hard I was grinding my molars.
“Whatever,” Apollo said, his attention returning to the godsforsaken ceiling fan chain. “Don’t talk about it. Be the best issues-boy you can be.”
I took a deep breath. It didn’t help. “I don’t have issues.”
He tipped his head back and roared with laughter. Paintings of the nearby Blue Ridge Mountains rattled. “You have more baggage than United Airlines. Cross that out. You have more issues than Medusa, and that woman makes the inside of a cat lady’s thoughts seem like a calming place.”
I stared at him as irritation spun up like a high-speed cyclone. “I’ve figured that out. Thanks.”
“Is that so? By the way, you’re off to a good start with this whole ‘protecting her’ thing. Are you doing it remotely? Is that a new ability of yours I’m unaware of?” He turned, tilting his head to the side. He seemed to be staring at the chain hanging from the ceiling fan. Seconds later, he confirmed this by reaching out and tugging the chain.
Light clicked on.
He tugged the chain again.
Light went off.
Oh for gods’ sake, he had a mean case of ADD sometimes. “Apollo,” I snapped.
Seeming to have forgotten he was even in the room with me, he lowered his hand slowly. “You haven’t asked the correct question, Apollyon.”
I forced myself to take a step back before I tapped into the air element, wrapped the shiny gold chain around his thick neck, and turned him into a sun god piñata. “She’s not a half or a pure. She feels like a mortal, but she…” I shook my head, turning away. Moving to the large window, I pulled back the curtain. Dusk had fallen, bringing a haze of fog to the tops of the tree-covered mountains.
“What, Seth?” Apollo asked softly.
I couldn’t believe I was going to say this, but Apollo wasn’t going to feed me information. That wasn’t how he rolled. Slipping my fingers off the curtain, I closed my eyes. “She looked…she reminded me of Alex.”
Alex.
Alexandria Andros.
The girl I once had thought was just an ordinary half-blood, but had turned out to be another Apollyon—the real Apollyon. I was the one who was never supposed to have happened, even though I’d been born first. I’d come into existence because Ares had sought to control Olympus through controlling me. And worse than being a descendant of that asshole, he’d almost succeeded in turning me into the God Killer, the supreme being that was the result of one Apollyon absorbing the abilities of another. It was why having two Apollyons in one generation was forbidden.
And I’d played right into Ares’s games. I’d fucked up—fucked up in a way that had ended with Alex spending a good part of the year—and of every year for eternity—in the underworld. That was something I could never forgive myself for. No matter what amends I’d made or deals I’d offered.
I cleared my throat and continued. “Not completely. Different hair. Different nose and eyes, but she even sounded like her for a second.” I laughed, and it sounded harsh. “If I didn’t know better, I’d think they were somehow related, but that’s not possible. Right?”
There was no answer as Apollo stared at me.
And then I lost my shit.
Glyphs snapped over my flesh. The lamp on the executive-style desk exploded in a shower of sparks and tinkling glass. The smell of burnt ozone filled the air. Wind picked up, blowing the little courtesy notepads off the nightstands. “It’s not possible, Apollo.”
He arched a blond brow. “I’m not surprised that she reminds you of Alexandria.”
For a moment, I couldn’t move or say anything. My lips pulled back into a sneer as I stumbled a step back. I waited for him to say something else, anything else. Apprehension ran its bony fingers over my neck.
“What is she?” I rasped, tensing up. The need to destroy something rippled over me like a shockwave.
Apollo dipped his chin and the seconds ticked away before he spoke. “She is a demigod.”
Chapter 4
THAT HAD to be the last thing I was expecting Apollo to say.
“A demigod?” I repeated like I’d just learned to speak a few seconds ago. “A real, live demigod?”
“Opposed to a fake, dead one?” He chuckled, proud of himself, and then sighed when my eyes narrowed on him. “You used to have a sense of humor, Seth.”
“I used to have a lot of things,” I retorted. His features sharpened and his mouth opened like he wished to expand on that, but that wasn’t what was important here. “There hasn’t been a true demigod in thousands of years—not since mortals worshipped the gods.”
“That’s true. We agreed not to create anymore when we retreated to Olympus, but what is also true is that she’s not the only one.”
I stared at him, and then I barked out a short laugh. “There are demigods roaming the Earth? You know, this might have been good to know a year or so ago, when we all were getting our asses kicked.” Demigods were like the Apollyon, their powers second only to the gods’. They were major ass-kickers. And they were also like Pegasus. Supposedly it existed, but since it did so in Olympus, I’d never seen it. “Wait. This doesn’t make sense. I felt nothing around that girl. She sure as hell didn’t act like a demigod, and that doesn’t explain why she reminds me of…her.”
“Is it so hard to say her name?” Apollo asked. “I think a few minutes ago was the first time you’ve said her name since after you two fought Ares.”
My jaw ached from how hard I was grinding my molars.
“Whatever,” Apollo said, his attention returning to the godsforsaken ceiling fan chain. “Don’t talk about it. Be the best issues-boy you can be.”
I took a deep breath. It didn’t help. “I don’t have issues.”
He tipped his head back and roared with laughter. Paintings of the nearby Blue Ridge Mountains rattled. “You have more baggage than United Airlines. Cross that out. You have more issues than Medusa, and that woman makes the inside of a cat lady’s thoughts seem like a calming place.”
