Pushing my wet hair back from my face, I lifted my gaze to the ceiling. I didn’t want to close my eyes for any real amount of time, because even though I was clutching at that good feeling, the image of that furie sinking its claws deep into Colin’s chest waited for me. I knew if I let my thoughts wander I would hear the sound of the half-blood’s bones shattering as she slammed into the wall.
And I knew if I wasn’t careful, I would think of my father.
Of how I’d called out to him this afternoon and he hadn’t responded. Of how he didn’t come to my aid when the furies were unleashed. I would think of how he had to have been watching, because he’d gotten Seth.
But he hadn’t appeared to me.
The door opened before I allowed that train wreck of a thought process to take hold, and within a heartbeat Seth was strolling into the bedroom. His gaze immediately found me in the softly lit room.
“How are they?” I asked.
“Good.” Walking around to where I sat, he bent down and kissed me on the temple. He straightened. “They know to stay in their rooms for the rest of the evening.”
That was good to hear. “Do they have food, though? Should we—”
“They have food, babe.” Turning, he began to unhook the daggers around his waist, the ones hidden under his shirt. “They have everything they could need right now.”
Except for Colin. He’d been so good with them.
I fiddled with the sash on the robe. “I think I need to be there with them.” I started to scoot off the bed, but Seth turned and the look in his eyes stopped me.
“You need to be right where you are.”
“I’m fine, Seth. There’s nothing wrong with me except for a sore muscle.”
“I know you’re okay, but today has been shit for you.” Seth twisted, placing the two titanium daggers on the dresser. He reached around to his back. “There’s no harm in taking it easy for a few minutes.”
I guessed he was right, but I felt like I’d been taking it easy half the time already. Shoulders slumping, I sighed. “Tell me about this other demigod.”
Seth placed a gun on the dresser, next to the daggers. “It was who we expected. Ares’s son.”
“I expected as much, but I was really hoping that wasn’t the case.” I watched Seth lean against the dresser as he toed off his boots. “How was he?”
“Other than causing an entire bar full of old men to throw down like they were in a wrestling match, and then being a smartass?” Bending down, he tugged off his socks. “He’s seems all right.”
“I feel like there’s a ‘but’ coming.”
One side of his lips kicked up. “He knows who his father was. Actually met Ares a few times.”
“Whoa.” My eyes widened as I pulled my legs up onto the bed. I tugged the edges of the robe over my knees. “That’s probably bad, isn’t it?”
“I really don’t know.” He pulled the leather band from his hair. Gold strands glided forward, resting against his cheeks as he dipped his chin. “He knew of me—of who Alex and I used to be. The amount of stuff Ares could’ve told him is insane. At the end of the day, he’s going to be a wild card. Either way? We can’t let the Titans get their hands on him. Not with his abilities.”
Biting down on my lip, I nodded. “You said…you said Apollo showed up?”
Seth looked up as he tugged off his belt. “Yeah. Came out of nowhere. Told me to get to you and I did.”
I opened my mouth, closed it, and then tried again. “Do you think he’s still with them?”
“I damn sure hope so, because I’m not going back there anytime soon to get their asses.” He dropped the belt on the dresser. “I figure Apollo can bring them back.”
“But what if he doesn’t?”
“That’s their problem.”
“Seth.”
He flashed me a quick grin that I lost sight of as he reached behind his head, gripping the collar of his shirt. He pulled it off over his head. “If I don’t hear from them in a couple of hours, I’ll go back and check on them, but I seriously doubt Apollo is just going to leave them there.”
My gaze flickered over all the glorious bare skin on display as Seth tossed his shirt aside. It landed somewhere on the floor, in front of the bed. Dragging my gaze away from Seth, I stared at the space the shirt had disappeared to. “I went to the library this morning, after you guys left. Not only did I not find Medusa, the doors she’d taken me through were gone.”
“Gone?”
“Yep. Completely gone. Like they’d never been there, and when I asked the librarian about Medusa, there was no one who works there that looks anything like her.” I wrapped my arms around my knees. “And when I got back here, I…man, I feel so stupid, but I called out to Apollo. You know? Like, I asked for his help. I mean, how can we entomb the Titans when there aren’t even six demigods left to naturally unlock their abilities? What are we supposed to do? So, I called out to him, and he…he didn’t answer.”
I didn’t hear Seth move, but he was suddenly there, sitting on the bed beside me. His fingers curled around my chin, guiding my gaze to his. “Babe…”
“I didn’t really expect him to. I figured he doesn’t even pay attention.” I lifted a shoulder. “But he is paying attention. He knew something had happened to me. Instead of coming to me, he went to you. Why?”
Pain flickered across Seth’s face. “I don’t know why. I wish I did. Damn, do I ever.”
Closing my eyes, I leaned forward, all but face-planting his shoulder. Harsh words festered in my chest, and I didn’t want to give a voice to them, but they slithered up my throat. “I hate him.”
“Psychi mou.”
“I know I shouldn’t. I know that makes me a bad person, but I hate him.”
“It doesn’t make you a bad person.” He folded his arms around me, pulled me to him and lifted me up at the same time. I ended up in his lap, my face still fused to his shoulder and my robe slipping down one arm. “It just makes you mortal.”
“But I’m not mortal.”
His lips coasted over the inch of bare skin at my shoulder. “You know what I mean.”
“I do.” I turned my head so my cheek rested on his shoulder. “He didn’t save my grandparents. They died. He lied to me about my mother. She died. I really don’t even know if Erin is okay or not. He could be lying about that too.” I drew in a shaky breath. “And you said Zeus knew I was pregnant. That means Apollo has to know. Does he not even care?”
Seth’s hand tangled in my wet hair. “He cares. I’m not saying that because I’m trying to make you feel better, babe. But I think he cares. He just has a shit way of showing it.”
Tears burned the back of my eyes as more words bubbled up. I whispered, “I don’t hate him.”
His arm tightened around my waist. “I know.”
I swallowed hard.
“Hug me back,” Seth said, voice soft in my ear.
I gave a half-hearted attempt at pressing against him.
Seth chuckled. “Hug me back, Josie.”
Letting out an absurdly loud sigh, I let go of my robe and wiggled my arms free. I threw them around Seth.
“That’s my girl.”
I hugged him tight as I shifted around so my knees slid along either side of his hips. “What are we going to do, Seth?”
“That’s a loaded question,” he said as he scooped the strands of hair out from under the robe.
It really was, but I figured I’d start with the obvious. “What are we going to do with the Titans? Great. We have Ares’s son. Awesome. But we don’t have enough to unlock their abilities. The whole plan is bad.”
Seth slightly pulled back so he could kiss my cheek. “The plan has been shit from the beginning, really.”
I couldn’t help it. That made me laugh. “It has.”
“We’ll figure something out.”
Leaning back, I slid my hands off his shoulders, to his chest. His skin was warm under my palms. “We keep saying that, but we aren’t figuring anything out.”