“Pull this cord.” He held out the small string “And don’t worry. It’s not like you would die anyway. Trust me, it would take a lot more than a silly jump to kill you.”
Numbly, I nodded my head. Seth leaned over and kissed my cheek. “You’ll be fine, Thena.”
“Ahem.” Adonis cleared his throat. “Stop screwing around, guys. We gotta jump, now or never.” He fastened his pack haphazardly, making me even more nervous. He could at least make sure it is tight and not going to fall off halfway through the jump.
I watched in fascination as Adonis kicked away the plane door. Muscles ripped through his arms as he braced the opening of the door against the outside air. I looked out, and all I could see were clouds, which was way worse than seeing land. At least then I’d know there was an end to my fall. Right then, Heaven was looking pretty good.
I sent up a quick prayer and prepared my body for the fall.
“Ready?” Adonis yelled above the noise.
Seth and I nodded.
“One,” Adonis screamed, and the plane moaned and cracked. “Two.”
The adrenaline in my system was pumping so hard it was difficult to see straight.
“Three!”
I closed my eyes and jumped, noticing both men were close by in the air.
Hmm, this isn’t so bad, it’s not even…
“Aghhhh!” The initial shock wore off, and my stomach clenched. Maybe it was because my body kept expecting the fall to stop sometime this century? Instead it continued. I looked to my left, and both guys motioned for me to pull the cord on my chute.
I nodded my head and pulled it.
Nothing happened. I pulled it again, harder this time. Still nothing. I started to panic and then told myself to snap out of it. I was supposed to be wise. Quickly, my mind took in my surroundings. I was headed straight for the ground. If I didn’t do something fast, then I was going to break bones and put the mission in jeopardy because I’d need to heal and don’t heal as fast as purebloods.
I felt around for my second chute. Thankfully it pulled out… and then detached from my pack.
Fabulous.
It did, however give me a minor slow down. I refused to give into fear as air whooshed by my ears.
Think, Thena, think…
It was too late. My brain told me as the mountain came into full view that I was heading straight for it. I closed my eyes, so I could disconnect from the inevitable pain, and waited for the impact.
About the time I imagined my body should be hitting cold, hard mountain, something lifted me up, and again I was Heaven-bound. I opened one eye then the other. I was on some sort of winged contraption. The contraption was attached to a man. Wings with no feathers were attached to the device, and they looked waxy and shiny. He flashed me a smile and set me down on the mountain then removed the contraption.
“Icarus, at your service, Athena. Atlas said you might need some help. Tell me, was your plan to see how many bones you could break on the side of the mountain?”
“Yeah, well… I thought it would be fun.” I gave a half-hearted laugh, still shaking from the whole escapade. Icarus pointed up to the sky where Adonis and Seth were slowly descending.
“Seems to me your plan was faster…” Icarus flashed a wide grin. Have I mentioned how much I hate being surrounded by male beauty? He was dressed in golden armor and bronzed like the sun. His yellow hair ran down his back like a golden blanket. A silver crown wrapped around his head.
“It’s going to be a few minutes. Care to clue me in on why you and your partners are making this particular visit? Or why you killed Empusa in the process?”
I groaned. “Sometimes I hate how connected everyone is.”
“Yes, well…” Icarus went to a nearby rock and pulled out a duffel bag. “It seems those of us who are Fallen are still connected, whether we like it or not. We just can’t see any of the plans unfold the way the Seekers do.” He pulled out a down coat and matching gloves. I snatched them greedily.
“So, are you here to convince them, then?” His voice got serious.
“I’m going to try.” I am, I just don’t know how it’s going to go.
“It won’t work, Athena. Trust me. I’ve known the Titans for a long time. I’ve fought for both sides and suffered the consequences when they fell. Now, I’m a cursed guard for the mountain. They don’t take kindly to strangers.”
My shoulders slumped. “I don’t really have any other option, Icarus.”
His eyes flashed. “But you do.” Suddenly he was in front of me, all seven feet of him and I desperately wished Seth and Adonis would hurry up. Why was I always being attacked?
“Your father…”