The Struggle
Page 42
“So that means the gods have to do what Apollo did for you,” Aiden said.
“And how likely is that?” Alex asked. “Especially if it weakens them?”
“Then we don’t worry about entombing the Titans.” Seth shrugged a shoulder. “I take care of them like I did Perses.”
“Seth, we can’t . . .” I trailed off, because I could tell by the look on his face he wasn’t hearing it and I really didn’t have the energy to argue over it. I had no idea if five demigods could stop the Titans.
What if the only choice was to kill the Titans?
Luckily there hadn’t seemed to be any ill effects from taking Perses out. Yet. But with the other Titans? There had to be.
“I want to ask you a couple of questions.” Aiden sat beside Alex and leaned forward, resting his arms on his legs as he eyed me. “Are you okay with that?”
Without even looking at Seth, I could tell that he tensed. “Yeah. Of course.”
Behind me, Seth sighed.
Aiden smiled faintly. “What can you tell us about the Titans? Anything would be helpful for us to better know what we’re dealing with.”
Inhaling deeply, I unfolded my arm and reached up, tucking a piece of hair behind my ear. “I only saw a couple of them. It was mostly Hyperion and a woman whose name was really hard to pronounce up until Cronus somehow figured out they had me.”
“Cronus? Okay.” Aiden’s eyes darkened to thunderclouds. “What can you tell us about him?”
“He wasn’t what I expected. He was old, like really ancient. Kind of like Gandalf the Gray, but way older.” I began to tell them how frail Cronus was at first and how he couldn’t even sit up without help. I skimmed over the whole feeding part, but they were able to fill in the blanks when I explained that he’d appeared stronger the next time I’d seen him. As I spoke, Seth came around and sat on the arm of my chair. His jaw was so hard it could cut marble. “I only saw two other Titans. One I think was called Oceanus. He had a bright blue Mohawk and he . . .”
“He what?” Aiden prodded gently.
My gaze dropped to my wrists. “He was the one feeding off Lauren—the girl who died. Mitchell had said he . . .” Biting down on the inside of my cheek, I paused. “Oceanus just needs to die.”
There was a gap of silence, and then Alex asked, “Who else?”
“There was Perses, but yeah, he’s no more, apparently.” I glanced at Seth. He smiled. Alrighty then. “There was also this female Titan. Her name is super hard to say, but I think it’s Tet-something. Tethys?” I cringed. “I don’t know, but she wasn’t very pleasant. I know Hyperion referred to her at one point as his sister, but then they were practically eating one another’s faces at one point, so that was weird.”
Alex’s lip curled with revulsion. “And you didn’t see any other Titans?”
I shook my head. “I was alone a lot towards the end. But not in the beginning.”
“Who were you with?” Seth asked, his voice too quiet, and when I looked at him, his eyes shone like topaz jewels.
“The other two demigods.” I looked over at the others. “When I first saw both of them, I really thought they were dead. Barely moving or breathing.” A shudder worked its way through me as I recalled seeing them for the first time. “They’ve been there so long.”
Alex rubbed her arm with her hand. “And you said that this Mitchell was still alive the last time you saw him?” When I nodded, she continued. “Were you all kept in the same place?”
“I think I was eventually moved to some other part of the place. It was like an old, abandoned warehouse. We were kept underground in what felt like a basement.” I paused, because there was something I was forgetting. It lingered in the back of my head, just out of reach. “Wherever the warehouse was, it was really hot, so if it was in the states, it had to be somewhere in the south. There was absolutely nothing around it except trees.”
“How did you know there was nothing around it?” Aiden inclined his head.
“Hyperion took me outside sometimes. He had me sit in the sun.” I lifted my hand, touching the cut in my lip. “I always looked around to see if there was anyone or anything around. I didn’t even hear traffic. I tried to escape once. That obviously didn’t work out.”
“Okay.” Aiden sat back, his face a shade or two paler. I didn’t want to look at Seth. “I know you don’t want to think this, but do you really think Mitchell could still be alive?”
I sucked in an unsteady breath. “I hope so. To die alone, in a place like that, after what was being done . . .” I couldn’t finish. My throat sealed right up. I’d truly believed that I would die there, just like Lauren.
“All right.” Seth rose and took my hand. My eyes flew up, but before I could protest, he lifted me up out of the chair. “I think that’s enough for right now.”
I opened my mouth, but Alex was nodding. “We’re going to check in with Deacon and Luke to see if they have any news.”
“I’ll also call my contacts in the communities,” Aiden added.
“Awesome.” Seth’s reply was curt as he led me out of the room.
Stopping the moment we hit the hallway, I pulled my hand free. “Hey, what was all of that about?”
He turned to me, his jaw locked. A moment passed and I thought he was going to speak, but then he moved. One second we were standing outside the living room and the next I was in his arms, my front pressed to his, and we were standing outside, under the warm sun, sand between my toes and the ocean only a few feet away.
“Holy crap!” I pushed away from Seth and stumbled back. Spinning around, I took in the scenery with wide eyes. “Holy crap!”
“I don’t really have to walk anywhere anymore.”
“No shit!” I whirled, facing him. He’d done that when I’d gotten sick, but I’d been too focused on holding it together to really process that he had popped me from one room to the next. “How about warning me next time?”
A sheepish grin tugged at his lips. “But then I’d miss that look on your face.”
“What look?”
“Like you want to kick me and kiss me at the same time,” he answered.
My eyes narrowed. “I do not look like I want to kiss you right now. I probably look like I want to vomit on you.” I pressed my hand to my lower stomach. “Holy wow, that’s a nifty . . . and lazy talent.”
“But fast.”
It was that.
“Are you feeling sick again?”
I shook my head no. “Why? Why bring me out here?”
Seth walked over to me. “It hadn’t occurred to me, and it took a couple of moments for it to sink in, but it makes sense.”
“What?” Wind picked up strands of my hair and blew them across my face.
“You said Hyperion took you out in the sun. Did he ever say why?”
For a moment, I didn’t get where he was going with this, and then it came to me. “He did! He said it helped replenish the lost aether. I totally forgot about that.”
Anger flashed in his brilliant eyes. “Probably because your father is the Sun God. I should’ve thought of that as soon as I had you back here.”
“Why would you think of that? I didn’t even remember and I should have.”
“You’ve had a lot on your mind.”
“So have you.”
“Pisses me off that Hyperion figured that out before me,” he grumbled.
“Well, Hyperion has been around for a long time, so . . .” Taking in my surroundings, I shuffled toward the ocean and then sat down in the sand. “And I forgot, so there’s no point in being hard on yourself.”
Seth dropped down beside me and was quiet as I leaned forward and rolled up the hem of my pants, exposing my blindingly pale calves. Then I stretched out my legs, letting the cool, frothy water tickle my toes. “Are you going to make me stay out here until . . . ?”
“If I could make you stay out here forever, I would, but at least until you start . . .” His brow creased. “Until you start to feel right.”
“And how likely is that?” Alex asked. “Especially if it weakens them?”
“Then we don’t worry about entombing the Titans.” Seth shrugged a shoulder. “I take care of them like I did Perses.”
“Seth, we can’t . . .” I trailed off, because I could tell by the look on his face he wasn’t hearing it and I really didn’t have the energy to argue over it. I had no idea if five demigods could stop the Titans.
What if the only choice was to kill the Titans?
Luckily there hadn’t seemed to be any ill effects from taking Perses out. Yet. But with the other Titans? There had to be.
“I want to ask you a couple of questions.” Aiden sat beside Alex and leaned forward, resting his arms on his legs as he eyed me. “Are you okay with that?”
Without even looking at Seth, I could tell that he tensed. “Yeah. Of course.”
Behind me, Seth sighed.
Aiden smiled faintly. “What can you tell us about the Titans? Anything would be helpful for us to better know what we’re dealing with.”
Inhaling deeply, I unfolded my arm and reached up, tucking a piece of hair behind my ear. “I only saw a couple of them. It was mostly Hyperion and a woman whose name was really hard to pronounce up until Cronus somehow figured out they had me.”
“Cronus? Okay.” Aiden’s eyes darkened to thunderclouds. “What can you tell us about him?”
“He wasn’t what I expected. He was old, like really ancient. Kind of like Gandalf the Gray, but way older.” I began to tell them how frail Cronus was at first and how he couldn’t even sit up without help. I skimmed over the whole feeding part, but they were able to fill in the blanks when I explained that he’d appeared stronger the next time I’d seen him. As I spoke, Seth came around and sat on the arm of my chair. His jaw was so hard it could cut marble. “I only saw two other Titans. One I think was called Oceanus. He had a bright blue Mohawk and he . . .”
“He what?” Aiden prodded gently.
My gaze dropped to my wrists. “He was the one feeding off Lauren—the girl who died. Mitchell had said he . . .” Biting down on the inside of my cheek, I paused. “Oceanus just needs to die.”
There was a gap of silence, and then Alex asked, “Who else?”
“There was Perses, but yeah, he’s no more, apparently.” I glanced at Seth. He smiled. Alrighty then. “There was also this female Titan. Her name is super hard to say, but I think it’s Tet-something. Tethys?” I cringed. “I don’t know, but she wasn’t very pleasant. I know Hyperion referred to her at one point as his sister, but then they were practically eating one another’s faces at one point, so that was weird.”
Alex’s lip curled with revulsion. “And you didn’t see any other Titans?”
I shook my head. “I was alone a lot towards the end. But not in the beginning.”
“Who were you with?” Seth asked, his voice too quiet, and when I looked at him, his eyes shone like topaz jewels.
“The other two demigods.” I looked over at the others. “When I first saw both of them, I really thought they were dead. Barely moving or breathing.” A shudder worked its way through me as I recalled seeing them for the first time. “They’ve been there so long.”
Alex rubbed her arm with her hand. “And you said that this Mitchell was still alive the last time you saw him?” When I nodded, she continued. “Were you all kept in the same place?”
“I think I was eventually moved to some other part of the place. It was like an old, abandoned warehouse. We were kept underground in what felt like a basement.” I paused, because there was something I was forgetting. It lingered in the back of my head, just out of reach. “Wherever the warehouse was, it was really hot, so if it was in the states, it had to be somewhere in the south. There was absolutely nothing around it except trees.”
“How did you know there was nothing around it?” Aiden inclined his head.
“Hyperion took me outside sometimes. He had me sit in the sun.” I lifted my hand, touching the cut in my lip. “I always looked around to see if there was anyone or anything around. I didn’t even hear traffic. I tried to escape once. That obviously didn’t work out.”
“Okay.” Aiden sat back, his face a shade or two paler. I didn’t want to look at Seth. “I know you don’t want to think this, but do you really think Mitchell could still be alive?”
I sucked in an unsteady breath. “I hope so. To die alone, in a place like that, after what was being done . . .” I couldn’t finish. My throat sealed right up. I’d truly believed that I would die there, just like Lauren.
“All right.” Seth rose and took my hand. My eyes flew up, but before I could protest, he lifted me up out of the chair. “I think that’s enough for right now.”
I opened my mouth, but Alex was nodding. “We’re going to check in with Deacon and Luke to see if they have any news.”
“I’ll also call my contacts in the communities,” Aiden added.
“Awesome.” Seth’s reply was curt as he led me out of the room.
Stopping the moment we hit the hallway, I pulled my hand free. “Hey, what was all of that about?”
He turned to me, his jaw locked. A moment passed and I thought he was going to speak, but then he moved. One second we were standing outside the living room and the next I was in his arms, my front pressed to his, and we were standing outside, under the warm sun, sand between my toes and the ocean only a few feet away.
“Holy crap!” I pushed away from Seth and stumbled back. Spinning around, I took in the scenery with wide eyes. “Holy crap!”
“I don’t really have to walk anywhere anymore.”
“No shit!” I whirled, facing him. He’d done that when I’d gotten sick, but I’d been too focused on holding it together to really process that he had popped me from one room to the next. “How about warning me next time?”
A sheepish grin tugged at his lips. “But then I’d miss that look on your face.”
“What look?”
“Like you want to kick me and kiss me at the same time,” he answered.
My eyes narrowed. “I do not look like I want to kiss you right now. I probably look like I want to vomit on you.” I pressed my hand to my lower stomach. “Holy wow, that’s a nifty . . . and lazy talent.”
“But fast.”
It was that.
“Are you feeling sick again?”
I shook my head no. “Why? Why bring me out here?”
Seth walked over to me. “It hadn’t occurred to me, and it took a couple of moments for it to sink in, but it makes sense.”
“What?” Wind picked up strands of my hair and blew them across my face.
“You said Hyperion took you out in the sun. Did he ever say why?”
For a moment, I didn’t get where he was going with this, and then it came to me. “He did! He said it helped replenish the lost aether. I totally forgot about that.”
Anger flashed in his brilliant eyes. “Probably because your father is the Sun God. I should’ve thought of that as soon as I had you back here.”
“Why would you think of that? I didn’t even remember and I should have.”
“You’ve had a lot on your mind.”
“So have you.”
“Pisses me off that Hyperion figured that out before me,” he grumbled.
“Well, Hyperion has been around for a long time, so . . .” Taking in my surroundings, I shuffled toward the ocean and then sat down in the sand. “And I forgot, so there’s no point in being hard on yourself.”
Seth dropped down beside me and was quiet as I leaned forward and rolled up the hem of my pants, exposing my blindingly pale calves. Then I stretched out my legs, letting the cool, frothy water tickle my toes. “Are you going to make me stay out here until . . . ?”
“If I could make you stay out here forever, I would, but at least until you start . . .” His brow creased. “Until you start to feel right.”
