Dusk had turned into a starry, cloudless night. I’d forgotten how dark it got up here, when there was nothing between us and the sky. The University was nestled in the Black Hills, not near Mount Rushmore, but in a part of the protected Northern Hills. People had to know what to be looking for to find the entrance road. Five bumpy miles later, we reached the repaired outer walls of the University. The last time I’d been here, burnt-out cars had lined the roadway and huge chunks of the outer marble walls had been blasted through. The walls were all shiny and new now, looking as if nothing evil had ever crossed their path.
My hands tightened on the steering wheel.
Josie stared up at the twenty-foot walls that circled the acres and acres of land, and then her gaze landed on the titanium-encased gates, speaking for the first time in hours. “Holy crap.”
She was staring at the Sentinels. Kind of hard not to when they had semi-automatic weapons pointed at our SUV. Dressed all in black, they were nothing more than shadows as they drifted forward.
Josie shifted. “Seth…?”
“It’s okay.” I hit the window, rolling it down. “They’re just very cautious.” I rested an arm on the open window, hoping none of the Sentinels approaching were ones I’d tried to kill at some point. That would be awkward.
A male Sentinel leaned down, his shrewd gaze sweeping over me and getting stuck on Josie. His jaw tightened as he lowered his weapon. “What is your purpose, Apollyon?”
I arched a brow. “It’s none of your business.” The Sentinel cocked his head and I gave him my best smile, the kind that pissed off everyone in a ten-mile radius. “I need to see the Dean.”
The Sentinel’s lips curved into a smirk. “You have a mortal with you.”
“And that is also none of your business.” I held his gaze even though I heard Josie inhale sharply. Like I was going to tell some random Sentinel who she was. More than anybody, I knew it was never a great idea to trust anyone. “I need to see the Dean. Now. And if I have to repeat myself, you better hope you not only have great aim, but that you can pull that trigger fast.”
“Oh dear,” Josie murmured.
Holding my stare for a moment that tested my patience, the Sentinel finally straightened. Pressing his free hand to his earpiece, he spoke quickly into it.
Josie was still staring at the Sentinels in front of us. “Do you think you could’ve been…um, nicer to that guy?”
I chortled. “No.”
Slowly, she turned her head toward me and raised her brows. “They could shoot us. They look like they want to shoot us.”
A smile appeared on my lips. “They won’t shoot us.”
She didn’t appear convinced, but the Sentinel raised his arm and motioned toward those at the gate. A second later, the heavy thing swung open. “See? They aren’t going to shoot us.”
“That’s good to know,” she mumbled, staring wide-eyed as we passed a bunch of mean-looking Sentinels.
We traveled on, and she ended up pushing the shotgun aside and leaning forward, placing her hands on the dashboard. “What…what happened to those trees?”
The trees surrounding the inner walls of the University had taken a huge hit. Hundreds of them were still tipped over, their limbs stretching to the ground. Exposed roots were the color of ash.
“Ares,” I said. “When it all started to go down, he went after the University. He couldn’t get in—not at first. But he did eventually.” A dry laugh rattled my chest as I slowed the Porsche. “He’d been around us since the beginning, pretending to be an Instructor at the Deity Island Covenant. That’s how he got into the University here.”
“What happened?”
A big part of me was glad she was talking now, but I wasn’t particularly fond of where this conversation was heading. “He got in, killed a bunch of people, and hurt quite a few more.”
She pressed her lips together as we were guided toward a large parking area that was within walking distance of the second gate. I ended up parking beside a dozen Covenant-owned Hummers, and after killing the engine, I turned to her.
“We’re going to walk from here,” I told her, and I watched her throat work. “What you’re going to see will probably be a bit overwhelming, but you’re safe. I’m not going to let anyone hurt you.”
“But you’re leaving,” she replied immediately, and only then did I realize what I’d said. My chest hollowed out as she looked away, closing her eyes briefly, and then she nodded curtly. “Okay. Let’s do this.”
I sat there as she opened the door and climbed out, wincing when she put her feet on the ground. I’m not going to let anyone hurt you. What kind of fucked-up statement was that? It had been my job to get her here in one piece and I had. Sort of. Definitely not unscathed. My job of keeping her safe was over.
Almost over.
Getting out of the Porsche, I slammed the door shut, headed to the back, and loaded up with our things. She was waiting for me by the passenger side, her chin dipped and arms folded across her chest. My gaze flickered over the Sentinels casually lounging near the wall. Over a dozen of them. I ignored them as I dropped my bag on the ground. Using the tips of my fingers, I urged her chin up. Tired blue eyes met mine. Gods, exhaustion was carved into her features. I had no idea how she was still standing, because her weariness went beyond the physical.
I wanted to gather her in my arms. Comfort her. Hold her tight and lend her whatever strength I had to give. But that wasn’t me. Or was it? There had been a time when I’d had the luxury of comforting someone, holding her through the raw pain of losing someone she loved, but that felt like forever ago, and I had been a different person then.
I didn’t know who I was today.
Feeling about seven kinds of awkward and knowing several eyes were on us, I dropped my hand. “Are you okay, Josie? You ready for this?”
She nodded again, and after a few seconds, she spoke. “I can carry some of the bags.”
“I got them.” Picking up my bag, I turned toward the gaping gate. “Stick close to me.”
Josie listened as we made our way across the marble walkway near the wall. In the dim light, I wondered if she could see the etchings in the stone—the glyphs and drawings of the ancient gods, or see the very same things carved into the inner walls.
As we passed under the archway, under the scrutiny of Sentinels who seemed to be repopulating faster than we could walk, I heard her ragged exhale. “Holy good Lord,” she whispered as she looked around, getting her first good look at one of our Covenants.
It had to be something pretty amazing to see for the first time.
The campus was a sprawling monstrosity of everything Greek, spreading between two mountain peaks. From the marble and sandstone walkways and benches, to the elegant, hand-chiseled statues, to the columned buildings, it was like ancient Greece had thrown up all over the valley.
Courtyards filled with every flower known to the mortal world surrounded us—flowers that shouldn’t grow in South Dakota, but did inside the Covenant walls due to some crazy godly reason— casting a balmy scent that clung to my skin.
Her mouth was open as we rounded a bend and the high walls of the Courtyards tapered off. She was staring at the statues.
“There used to be twelve of them there,” I told her, gazing up at the marble likenesses of the core Olympians. “Looks like they tore down Ares’s statue. Can’t really blame them.”
They were big, well over ten feet, and each probably weighed a ton. They lined the walkway. And then there were the stone Muses, guarding the entrance to each academic building we passed. Dorms rose in the background like skyscrapers, lights glittering from windows, and I knew from memory that below them were the training facilities and community buildings that were full of every modern convenience one could come up with.
“How in the world do people not know this is here?” she asked, looking everywhere all at once.
“Planes don’t fly over the area. Never have. And those who have seen it think it’s some rich private college with really exclusive admission criteria.” I shifted the strap on my shoulder. “Mortals see what they want to see. Never what’s really there.”
She looked at me sharply, but didn’t say anything.
In the circular structure up ahead, busts of the Olympian Twelve, including Ares, were carved into the sandstone pillars. When I glanced at Josie, her expression was floored, the surprise of someone unexpectedly transported to Greece. A small smile pulled at my lips. The building where the Council met did look like a Grecian amphitheater.
As we climbed the wide steps of the main building, she glanced around, spying the Sentinels who were not so covertly following us. A frown appeared as she looked at me. “You said this is a college, right? Where are all the students?”