The Return
Page 88
My eyes squeezed shut. It had changed him. And it had messed with his head.
“But, that’s not the end of the story, Josie.” When I opened my eyes, he was smiling a little. “Seth was on our side in the end. He worked with us. They ended up freeing one of the Titans to help fight Ares. Aiden had to make a deal with Hades to do so. Yeah, Hades is hot, but also a dick. Aiden had to promise an eternity as one of Hades’s guards once he died in return for releasing Perses—Perses the Titan.”
I gaped at him.
“Who was also a major dick.”
I gaped at him some more.
“Yeah, that apparently was a bad idea, but that wasn’t Seth’s bad idea, so…any-who, in the end…Seth did something truly amazing.”
“He did?” I whispered, wondering how, after hearing all of that, Deacon could even be in the same country as Seth, but then I remembered the first morning here. Deacon had thanked Seth.
His smile strengthened, turning his eyes dove-gray, and I wondered if his brother shared that eye color. “Yeah. You see, it was fated and prophesied that there could only ever be one of them—Seth and Alex. Like total Highlander shit.”
“Huh?”
“Mortals.” He rolled eyes. “Never mind. In the final battle, Alex tapped into Seth and became the God Killer. That was Seth’s idea, because he knew, with his past issues with power, it was too much of a risk to let him do it. They fought Ares together. They won. The God of War is no more. But that damn prophecy could not be changed. The remaining gods appeared. They would not allow a God Killer to exist. Alex…she knew that, you know. She knew what she was doing—she knew the price and still did it. The girl…she had balls.”
I stiffened, going so still I could mimic one of those statues.
“Seth was with her. He held her while the gods killed her.”
“Oh my God!” I shouted, jumping out of my seat. “What do you mean, they killed her? She did all that and they—”
“Calm down, honeycombs. Apollo took care of her.” He waited until I sat down, but my heart was still racing, and I couldn’t shake the image of Seth holding this faceless girl as she died. “When Apollo had Alex in Olympus, turns out he’d given her ambrosia, the nectar of the gods. She died a mortal death, but ambrosia made her immortal. She became a demigod. Not like you, being all cool and born that way, but Apollo saved her nonetheless.”
“Oh.” That was kind of confusing as crap, but I was happy to hear she wasn’t dead dead.
“Then Seth surprised all of us. He knew about the deal Aiden had made, and knowing that he couldn’t be with Alex, because she has to stay in the Underworld for like six months out of the year—total Persephone rip-off right there—and the fact that Alex would never age, he made a deal with Apollo and Hades.”
I held my breath, waiting.
“He pledged his life to the gods and his soul to Hades, virtually becoming their bitch, in return for Aiden being given ambrosia as well.”
“Wow,” I murmured.
“I don’t think you get it. Seth sacrificed his future, his afterlife, his everything for Aiden and Alex, so that they could be together,” Deacon explained, and, yeah, I got it. I just couldn’t believe it. “For how long he has left here—and that’s solely up to the gods—they control him, and once he dies, he will be a slave of Hades. He gave up everything in the end.”
Rocking back, I stared at Deacon, totally mind-blown. “Oh my gosh, Deacon, I don’t…”
“You don’t know what to think or say? I get that. None of us really did. No one expected that from him, but what he did was huge. He gave my brother everything. He gave Alex everything, and in the end, he got nothing.”
Deacon leaned forward, tugging on a strand of my hair. “Until now.”
I blinked.
“He’s got you, doesn’t he?” He let go of my hair. “Don’t answer that yet. I just told you the guy you’re lusting after might have been classified as a mass murderer by human standards and practically became a saint by the end of it all. How do you reconcile those two things?” He shrugged. “I don’t know. So let’s watch Supernatural. The new season is On Demand.”
I just sat there as Deacon found the remote, found the On Demand listing, and flipped on Supernatural, providing some awesome Winchester Brothers distraction.
“You know, that one season where they square off at Stull Cemetery, because it’s one of the Hell gates?” he said, chuckling. “Stull Cemetery is actually one of the portals to the Underworld. Makes me wonder about the writers on that show, you know?”
I shifted my wide stare to him.
Deacon was focused on the TV.
Letting out a breath I didn’t realize I was holding, I sank into the thick cushions, trying to understand the puzzle that was now completed for me. There had been a lot Seth had not told me and now…now I understood why.
Chapter 28
IT WAS late.
Deacon had left an hour or so ago, there’d been no sign of Seth’s return, and there was no way I was getting any sleep anytime soon. Thoughts crowded my head. I didn’t know what to think about everything I had heard, and I was wearing a path in the carpet.
What was I supposed to think about him now? He had done horrific things, but in the end, he did the right thing. Did that undo everything else?
Passing the coffee table for the hundredth time, I easily conjured up the conflict I’d seen in his gaze many times, the sorrow that seemed to linger beneath the surface. He felt remorse for hunting down the traitors.
“But, that’s not the end of the story, Josie.” When I opened my eyes, he was smiling a little. “Seth was on our side in the end. He worked with us. They ended up freeing one of the Titans to help fight Ares. Aiden had to make a deal with Hades to do so. Yeah, Hades is hot, but also a dick. Aiden had to promise an eternity as one of Hades’s guards once he died in return for releasing Perses—Perses the Titan.”
I gaped at him.
“Who was also a major dick.”
I gaped at him some more.
“Yeah, that apparently was a bad idea, but that wasn’t Seth’s bad idea, so…any-who, in the end…Seth did something truly amazing.”
“He did?” I whispered, wondering how, after hearing all of that, Deacon could even be in the same country as Seth, but then I remembered the first morning here. Deacon had thanked Seth.
His smile strengthened, turning his eyes dove-gray, and I wondered if his brother shared that eye color. “Yeah. You see, it was fated and prophesied that there could only ever be one of them—Seth and Alex. Like total Highlander shit.”
“Huh?”
“Mortals.” He rolled eyes. “Never mind. In the final battle, Alex tapped into Seth and became the God Killer. That was Seth’s idea, because he knew, with his past issues with power, it was too much of a risk to let him do it. They fought Ares together. They won. The God of War is no more. But that damn prophecy could not be changed. The remaining gods appeared. They would not allow a God Killer to exist. Alex…she knew that, you know. She knew what she was doing—she knew the price and still did it. The girl…she had balls.”
I stiffened, going so still I could mimic one of those statues.
“Seth was with her. He held her while the gods killed her.”
“Oh my God!” I shouted, jumping out of my seat. “What do you mean, they killed her? She did all that and they—”
“Calm down, honeycombs. Apollo took care of her.” He waited until I sat down, but my heart was still racing, and I couldn’t shake the image of Seth holding this faceless girl as she died. “When Apollo had Alex in Olympus, turns out he’d given her ambrosia, the nectar of the gods. She died a mortal death, but ambrosia made her immortal. She became a demigod. Not like you, being all cool and born that way, but Apollo saved her nonetheless.”
“Oh.” That was kind of confusing as crap, but I was happy to hear she wasn’t dead dead.
“Then Seth surprised all of us. He knew about the deal Aiden had made, and knowing that he couldn’t be with Alex, because she has to stay in the Underworld for like six months out of the year—total Persephone rip-off right there—and the fact that Alex would never age, he made a deal with Apollo and Hades.”
I held my breath, waiting.
“He pledged his life to the gods and his soul to Hades, virtually becoming their bitch, in return for Aiden being given ambrosia as well.”
“Wow,” I murmured.
“I don’t think you get it. Seth sacrificed his future, his afterlife, his everything for Aiden and Alex, so that they could be together,” Deacon explained, and, yeah, I got it. I just couldn’t believe it. “For how long he has left here—and that’s solely up to the gods—they control him, and once he dies, he will be a slave of Hades. He gave up everything in the end.”
Rocking back, I stared at Deacon, totally mind-blown. “Oh my gosh, Deacon, I don’t…”
“You don’t know what to think or say? I get that. None of us really did. No one expected that from him, but what he did was huge. He gave my brother everything. He gave Alex everything, and in the end, he got nothing.”
Deacon leaned forward, tugging on a strand of my hair. “Until now.”
I blinked.
“He’s got you, doesn’t he?” He let go of my hair. “Don’t answer that yet. I just told you the guy you’re lusting after might have been classified as a mass murderer by human standards and practically became a saint by the end of it all. How do you reconcile those two things?” He shrugged. “I don’t know. So let’s watch Supernatural. The new season is On Demand.”
I just sat there as Deacon found the remote, found the On Demand listing, and flipped on Supernatural, providing some awesome Winchester Brothers distraction.
“You know, that one season where they square off at Stull Cemetery, because it’s one of the Hell gates?” he said, chuckling. “Stull Cemetery is actually one of the portals to the Underworld. Makes me wonder about the writers on that show, you know?”
I shifted my wide stare to him.
Deacon was focused on the TV.
Letting out a breath I didn’t realize I was holding, I sank into the thick cushions, trying to understand the puzzle that was now completed for me. There had been a lot Seth had not told me and now…now I understood why.
Chapter 28
IT WAS late.
Deacon had left an hour or so ago, there’d been no sign of Seth’s return, and there was no way I was getting any sleep anytime soon. Thoughts crowded my head. I didn’t know what to think about everything I had heard, and I was wearing a path in the carpet.
What was I supposed to think about him now? He had done horrific things, but in the end, he did the right thing. Did that undo everything else?
Passing the coffee table for the hundredth time, I easily conjured up the conflict I’d seen in his gaze many times, the sorrow that seemed to linger beneath the surface. He felt remorse for hunting down the traitors.
