“Whatever.” I turned, snatching my bag off the chair and tossing it on the bed. I pulled out the Glock that was loaded with titanium-encased bullets and shoved it in the back of my jeans.
Just as I tugged my shirt down over the butt of the gun, it hit me. I turned slowly to Apollo, and he must’ve read something in my gaze, because he arched a brow.
Son of a bitch.
“The eyes,” I said, taking a step toward him. “Her eyes were familiar.”
A slow smile formed on his mouth, and then he blinked. When he reopened them, I let out a harsh curse. They were the dark, denim blue—almost-normal mortal eyes. The same eyes that had been behind thick, long lashes, and the same eyes Josephine Bethel had stared up at me with.
“She’s yours, isn’t she? That girl back there?” I swung my arm, jabbing a finger in the direction of the campus. An odd feeling opened up in my chest. It was unfamiliar, but I knew what it was. Dread. “She’s your kid.”
Apollo’s smile spread until he was flashing even, white teeth. “She is. And when her abilities are unlocked fully, she’ll have every power that I do, not like Hercules or Perseus or any of the original ones who only had some of our abilities—we’ve figured out a few things since then. And that means she could turn you into a bush that smells like cat piss, so remember that when you’re around her.”
Hmm, how would he react if he knew I’d been checking out his daughter’s ass? But I really didn’t care if she could turn me into the damn Kraken. What I cared about was the fact that she was related to her—to Alex. That was why they seemed similar. After all, Apollo was Alex’s great-great a thousand times greatgrandfather, and they all shared the same basic flavor of aether. So even though the girl’s powers were bound, I was still picking up on something.
My eyes met his. “This is messed up, Apollo. You know that, right?”
He inclined his head. “I could see where it could be… uncomfortable for you.”
Uncomfortable? I almost laughed, but I didn’t, because I wanted to punch him in the face. The last thing I wanted was anything that reminded me of how badly I’d messed up, of all the poor choices I’d made, and this girl would be a constant reminder. I could feel my chest constricting with anger and unease, because there was nothing I could do. The gods, namely Apollo, owned my ass. I could fight it, but ultimately I’d be forced to play along, and the forcing part would not be pretty. It was the deal I’d made.
Apollo turned so that his profile was visible, and a look that said he was thinking of something or someone far removed from this room flickered across his face. “To the best of my ability, I’ve kept her safe over the years, but with the Titans, I…I fear that it won’t be enough.” His large body shuddered with his next breath. “You think we are bad. You think we are uncaring, but the Titans are truly monsters, unnaturally cruel, and all they’ve had to survive on these thousands of years is thoughts of vengeance. And I fear that some of them don’t even care about taking back Olympus, that some of them would be more concerned with payback.”
Was this…actual apprehension I was sensing from Apollo? Holy shit, I hadn’t suspected he was capable of such a thing.
“I fought Hyperion and was the one to seal him into his tomb. It was a bloody battle and…well, let’s just say that Hyperion has every reason to strike back at me. The moment he realizes that we have demigods on Earth, he’ll be looking for my child.” Apollo turned to me. “He wouldn’t just feed from her. He would destroy her to get back at me. She is my daughter, Seth. Take care of her, and I won’t forget that.”
Whoa. All I could do was stare at him. That had to be one of the most compassionate things I’d ever heard come out of Apollo’s mouth—or from any god, for that matter.
And then he vanished in the way all gods did when they were done with a conversation.
Tipping my head back, I closed my eyes and exhaled slowly. “This is so messed up.”
CHAPTER
5
DUSK WAS already chasing the sun out of the sky, and I couldn’t even stifle my yawn as I hurried across the lawn, running late for my Thursday study-date-that-wasn’t-a-real-date with Jesse. I’d stayed up way too late last night with Erin and my bottle of José, and I’d been paying for it with a mushy brain all day. I had no idea how this study-session was going to have any bennies. Well, I’d probably spend the whole session staring at Jesse’s face, and well, that was a benefit, and it was better than thinking about the Crazy Hot Guy from yesterday.
Cutting around a cluster of funky-smelling bushes, I hopped up on the veranda along the side of the library. Out of the corner of my eyes, I saw that someone was leaning against the exterior wall, someone tall, and as both my feet hit the stone walkway, the person pushed off the wall.
“Josephine.”
My breath caught at the sound of the voice I couldn’t easily forget and I spun around.
It was him—the Crazy Hot Guy who lurked in stairwells. Even in the dim overhead lighting and the rapidly increasing darkness, there was no way I wouldn’t recognize him. Dumbly, all I could think was he knew how to make a pair of distressed denim jeans look like a work of art on long legs, because you know, that was an important observation. He also was wearing a henley again, the sleeves pushed up to the elbows, but it was black this time. Yet another helpful, essential observation.
My gaze trekked up his body, and I felt a little dizzy. My memory had not done that face justice. Every angle and plane, every square inch of his face, was something an artist would crave to sketch or paint. His beauty…the longer I stared at him, the only word that came to mind was “unearthly.”
“We didn’t get off to a good start yesterday.” Crazy Hot Guy shoved his hand out, extending long fingers. “My name is Seth.”
I stared at his hand, and then I stared at his face some more.
One golden eyebrow arched. “This is the part where you shake my hand and say, ‘Hi, Seth, it’s so nice to meet you outside of a stairwell.’” There was a teasing, cajoling tone to his voice that left me unsettled as he lowered his hand to his side. “Or not.”
My heart jumped a little as I started backing away. “I’m sorry, but I’m running late and I…I really don’t know you.”
“We’ve actually met. In the stairwell. Yesterday.”
“That doesn’t count.” I took another step back.
“It does to me.” He tilted his head to the side. A strand of blond hair slipped free, kissing the curve of his high cheekbone. “We need to talk.”
“I don’t even know who you are, other than being the crazy hot guy from the stairwell. There’s nothing to talk about.”
Seth’s one-sided grin went up another notch. “You think I’m hot.”
My cheeks heated. I had said that, because I was an idiot and tended to babble when I was nervous. “I also said you were crazy.”
“I have subjective hearing, but you and I do need to talk, Josephine.”
“Josie,” I corrected absently.
“How about I call you Joe?”
My brows knitted. “What? Don’t call me Joe.” I shook my head. “Why am I even standing here, talking to you? I have to—”
“Hey, Josie, I’ve been looking for you. What are you…?”
I turned toward the sound of Jesse’s voice. He was standing behind me, his textbook dangling from his fingertips. He wasn’t looking at me. He wasn’t talking.
Confused, I glanced over at Seth. His profile was to me and he was staring at Jesse. My gaze darted back to him, and he was just standing there, arms hanging limply at his sides.
“Go away,” Seth said, his voice low.
Jesse blinked slowly, his lips forming a word that never came out, and then he pivoted around, stiffly walking off. What in the holy hell?
My mouth dropped open as my heart kicked in my chest. Jesse seriously had just turned and walked away, leaving me with Crazy Hot Guy! I spun back to Seth, and he was closer now, maybe a foot away.
He winked at me.
Whoa. Most guys looked like total douche-wads when they winked, or a caricature of a guy who belonged on a cheesy sitcom. Basically, guys winking was just something awkward that shouldn’t be done, like ever. He, however, looked damn sexy and confident. But, more importantly, hot winking aside, something wasn’t right. Tiny goosebumps formed on my skin.
“I hate interruptions.” He dipped his chin in a way that made him come off ridiculously angelic. “So, Josie…?” His gaze slowly traveled over my face, his stare so intense it felt like a caress. He reached out, lifting a strand of my hair.
I locked up. Every muscle. Every cell. I didn’t even breathe. This was weird, really freaking weird.
He twisted the strand around three of his fingers. “You have interesting hair. Blonde. Brown. A gold color. Some strands so pale, they could be white. All mixed together. Never seen anything like that, and I’ve seen a lot of things.”