The Return
Page 48
Oh no, no.
Seth’s grip tightened and he drew me to a halt. “Something’s not right.”
Fear crowded my thoughts. “I need to make sure my grandparents are okay. Let go.”
With his free hand, he pulled out one of those wicked-looking daggers he had stowed God knows where. “You are not going into that house.”
I whirled on him, but the look in his eyes stopped me dead. I shook my head. “No. Not—”
Seth hauled me to him and twisted, going down on his knees as another loud crack reverberated and the windshield on the Ford exploded in a shower of glass. “Gods,” he grunted, pushing me the ground and back against the Porsche. “Stay down.”
He sprung up and around, scooting down the narrow space as another shot rang out, smacking into the hood of the truck. I pushed onto my hands and knees.
My grandfather stood in the doorway, a sawed-off shotgun in his hands. He whipped it around, aiming straight for Seth. I scrambled to my feet. “Granddad! No!”
He didn’t hear me as he came down the porch steps, firing another round. I screamed as Seth darted to the right as the buckshot whizzed past him.
Seth moved as fast as I imagined a panther did in the jungle, rushing the steps. He gripped the barrel of the gun, twisting it out of my grandfather’s hands and tossing it to the ground in front of the Porsche. The sun glinted off the dagger as Seth raised it high.
“No!” I screamed, shooting out from between the two vehicles. “Seth! Don’t!”
Seth hesitated a fraction of a second as he looked in my direction. My grandfather stepped to the side, lifting his leg and landing a vicious kick in Seth’s midsection, knocking him back. With a grunt, Seth crashed through the wooden railing on the steps.
“What the…?” I skidded to a stop at the bottom of the steps, staring up at my grandfather. I hadn’t seen that coming.
My grandfather faced me.
“Josie, get back!” Seth shouted.
I saw my granddad’s eyes…or the lack of them. They were pitch black. No pupils. Just pure black. I took a step back. I took a sharp breath, and the scent of dirt and decay surrounded me.
He smiled. “We’ve been looking for you, daughter of Apollo.”
Oh shit.
“That’s not your grandfather.” Seth was suddenly in front of me, edging me back. “Not anymore.”
My head couldn’t process that. I got what he was saying, I saw what he meant with my own eyes, but I just didn’t want to understand. I couldn’t.
Granddad kept coming, and Seth tensed in front of me. “Don’t look, Josie,” Seth said softly. “Don’t watch.”
Breath strangled in my chest, and I couldn’t look away. He’d been right—Seth had been right. He tried to tell me that it would be too dangerous to come home, but I hadn’t listened.
I’d led these…these things straight to my family.
“It’s too late.” My grandfather laughed, and it was nothing like his normal laugh. It was cold as death, dank as underground tunnels. “He’s here.”
An icy shiver coursed down my spine.
Seth took a step toward my grandfather, and I knew what was about to happen. A scream built in my throat, but before it could escape, my grandfather threw his head back, and black smoke poured out of his mouth, thick and murky like dirty oil. I didn’t even see where it went.
My grandfather crumpled, folding into himself like there were no bones or muscles in his body. I shot around Seth, but he snagged my waist with one arm, lifting me clear off the ground. Through a haze of tears, I stared at the lifeless body. He lay in a messy pile of skin and clothes. My heart cracked, fissuring straight down the center.
“Pappy?’ I whispered, reaching for him.
“He’s not there,” Seth said into my ear. “He’s gone, Josie, and we need to go. We need to get out here before—”
Dust plumed above the roof as it cracked down the center. The windows in the house exploded, one after another. Glass flew through the air like tiny missiles, heading right for us. My throat closed up as Seth started to turn, to use his own body as a shield, but the glass shards stopped. They just froze in midair and stayed there. Light reflected on the slivers, turning them into diamonds. And then they dropped to the ground.
The house shuddered and the porch trembled as something— someone—stepped out from the warped doorframe. Planks of wood snapped under booted feet. Legs the size of tree trunks were encased in leather, and the wide torso was covered with a half-buttoned white shirt.
It was a guy—a massive guy who had to be seven feet tall, or damn near close to that. He was huge, steroid-size huge. Head completely shaven, eyes exotically slanted at the corners, wide mouth and broad cheekbones, his skin tone was the strangest mix of ethnicities. He wasn’t white or black or Hispanic; he appeared to be several different shades all at once. As he strode forward, the roof over the porch peeled up like a can opener had been set across the middle. The man was beautiful until I saw his eyes. They were pitch black—soulless.
Yeah, I didn’t need to be up on my mythology to safely assume that this—this was a god. Please be a friendly. Please be a friendly.
Seth continued to edge me back, his body coiled with tension. “Hyperion.”
Totally not a friendly.
Hyperion stopped at the top step as he tilted his head to the side. “Step aside, Apollyon,” he said, his voice echoing through me. “Or I’ll burn everything you cherish.”
Seth’s grip tightened and he drew me to a halt. “Something’s not right.”
Fear crowded my thoughts. “I need to make sure my grandparents are okay. Let go.”
With his free hand, he pulled out one of those wicked-looking daggers he had stowed God knows where. “You are not going into that house.”
I whirled on him, but the look in his eyes stopped me dead. I shook my head. “No. Not—”
Seth hauled me to him and twisted, going down on his knees as another loud crack reverberated and the windshield on the Ford exploded in a shower of glass. “Gods,” he grunted, pushing me the ground and back against the Porsche. “Stay down.”
He sprung up and around, scooting down the narrow space as another shot rang out, smacking into the hood of the truck. I pushed onto my hands and knees.
My grandfather stood in the doorway, a sawed-off shotgun in his hands. He whipped it around, aiming straight for Seth. I scrambled to my feet. “Granddad! No!”
He didn’t hear me as he came down the porch steps, firing another round. I screamed as Seth darted to the right as the buckshot whizzed past him.
Seth moved as fast as I imagined a panther did in the jungle, rushing the steps. He gripped the barrel of the gun, twisting it out of my grandfather’s hands and tossing it to the ground in front of the Porsche. The sun glinted off the dagger as Seth raised it high.
“No!” I screamed, shooting out from between the two vehicles. “Seth! Don’t!”
Seth hesitated a fraction of a second as he looked in my direction. My grandfather stepped to the side, lifting his leg and landing a vicious kick in Seth’s midsection, knocking him back. With a grunt, Seth crashed through the wooden railing on the steps.
“What the…?” I skidded to a stop at the bottom of the steps, staring up at my grandfather. I hadn’t seen that coming.
My grandfather faced me.
“Josie, get back!” Seth shouted.
I saw my granddad’s eyes…or the lack of them. They were pitch black. No pupils. Just pure black. I took a step back. I took a sharp breath, and the scent of dirt and decay surrounded me.
He smiled. “We’ve been looking for you, daughter of Apollo.”
Oh shit.
“That’s not your grandfather.” Seth was suddenly in front of me, edging me back. “Not anymore.”
My head couldn’t process that. I got what he was saying, I saw what he meant with my own eyes, but I just didn’t want to understand. I couldn’t.
Granddad kept coming, and Seth tensed in front of me. “Don’t look, Josie,” Seth said softly. “Don’t watch.”
Breath strangled in my chest, and I couldn’t look away. He’d been right—Seth had been right. He tried to tell me that it would be too dangerous to come home, but I hadn’t listened.
I’d led these…these things straight to my family.
“It’s too late.” My grandfather laughed, and it was nothing like his normal laugh. It was cold as death, dank as underground tunnels. “He’s here.”
An icy shiver coursed down my spine.
Seth took a step toward my grandfather, and I knew what was about to happen. A scream built in my throat, but before it could escape, my grandfather threw his head back, and black smoke poured out of his mouth, thick and murky like dirty oil. I didn’t even see where it went.
My grandfather crumpled, folding into himself like there were no bones or muscles in his body. I shot around Seth, but he snagged my waist with one arm, lifting me clear off the ground. Through a haze of tears, I stared at the lifeless body. He lay in a messy pile of skin and clothes. My heart cracked, fissuring straight down the center.
“Pappy?’ I whispered, reaching for him.
“He’s not there,” Seth said into my ear. “He’s gone, Josie, and we need to go. We need to get out here before—”
Dust plumed above the roof as it cracked down the center. The windows in the house exploded, one after another. Glass flew through the air like tiny missiles, heading right for us. My throat closed up as Seth started to turn, to use his own body as a shield, but the glass shards stopped. They just froze in midair and stayed there. Light reflected on the slivers, turning them into diamonds. And then they dropped to the ground.
The house shuddered and the porch trembled as something— someone—stepped out from the warped doorframe. Planks of wood snapped under booted feet. Legs the size of tree trunks were encased in leather, and the wide torso was covered with a half-buttoned white shirt.
It was a guy—a massive guy who had to be seven feet tall, or damn near close to that. He was huge, steroid-size huge. Head completely shaven, eyes exotically slanted at the corners, wide mouth and broad cheekbones, his skin tone was the strangest mix of ethnicities. He wasn’t white or black or Hispanic; he appeared to be several different shades all at once. As he strode forward, the roof over the porch peeled up like a can opener had been set across the middle. The man was beautiful until I saw his eyes. They were pitch black—soulless.
Yeah, I didn’t need to be up on my mythology to safely assume that this—this was a god. Please be a friendly. Please be a friendly.
Seth continued to edge me back, his body coiled with tension. “Hyperion.”
Totally not a friendly.
Hyperion stopped at the top step as he tilted his head to the side. “Step aside, Apollyon,” he said, his voice echoing through me. “Or I’ll burn everything you cherish.”
