Текст книги "Apollyon"

Автор книги: Jennifer L. Armentrout

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Текущая страница: 20 (всего у книги 22 страниц)

The way he tacked on nowdid not make me all happy face.

“Thank you for your hospitality,” Marcus said, obviously trying to diffuse the building tension. “Hopefully we will be able to repay you in some measure.”

My uncle was such a diplomat.

The dean of the University nodded. “Please start by explaining how you made it past the automatons.”

Between Marcus and Dominic, they filled the Dean and Diana in, for the most part, on how we made it here in one piece. The conversation quickly turned, though, when Dominic announced that I could stop the First.

I shifted restlessly, surprised to be so uncomfortable with all the eyes on me. Usually I loved being the center of attention. I had no idea when that had changed.

“I can stop Seth,” I said finally. “It won’t be easy, but I know how.”

“And how can you?” the Dean asked. “From what our history teaches us, the First has complete control over the Second, and if you two are around each other, he can transfer your power to his, therefore becoming the God Killer.”

Folding my arms, I met Dean Elders’ curious stare. “Well, obviously the First doesn’t have complete control over me. And there is a way for me to reverse the transfer, stopping him from becoming the God Killer. And if he’s not the God Killer, then Lucian has no real weapon protecting him.”

Diana leaned against the oak desk, her brows pinched. “But you would have to be near him to do this, correct?”

I nodded. “Yes. We came here hoping there would be others who would be willing to… to fight for this. There’s no way that just the eight of us can breach the army that Lucian has surrounding him, so that I can reach Seth. We need our own army.”

Dean Elders looked at Dominic, who shrugged. “We have many Sentinels and Guards here, plus half-bloods who are receiving advanced training. And we also wish for the same outcome. This needs to be stopped before more innocent people are lost, so you may recruit whomever wishes to join you.”

Well, that was surprisingly easy.

“There will be some, maybe even many,” the dean continued, “but none will be forced to join the cause, Apollyon.”

I found that funny considering how an entire race of halfs had been forced into either servitude or a certain early death, but somewhere along the line, I’d learned to keep my mouth shut. Kind of.

“Understood,” I said. “As a half-blood, I would never force people into something that would risk their lives.”

The dean’s brows rose. “Point taken.” He gazed over the rest of my group. “I imagine you all wish to meet with the Sentinels and Guards here as soon as possible, but all of you look like you could use showers, food, and clean beds. While you rest, Sentinel Hyperion and I will have time to set something up for you.”

“Okay,” I said, wondering when whether or not I agreed had started to matter. I wanted to talk to the Sentinels now, but I knew if I did, so would Aiden and most of the others. We all needed to rest; we were barely standing. “That will be fine.”

“There are many rooms available for your rest,” the dean said. “Sentinel Hyperion will show you to them.”

Unable to hold back the question any longer, I turned to Diana. “The Sentinels who have arrived from the Catskills… do you know any of their names?”

“Some I am familiar with,” she said.

Then it struck me. My father probably wouldn’t be known as a Sentinel, at least not any longer. “What about the servants?”

I couldn’t tell by Diana’s pained expression if she knew what I was getting at or if she was aware that my father had been a servant at the Catskills. “Things were in a state of chaos when we left there. Some servants were brought here, and those who no longer appeared to be under the influence of the Elixir escaped into the woods. Some remained behind. The servants could be anywhere.”

“Oh,” I whispered. They could be anywhere—my father could be anywhere. I felt Laadan’s hand on my back and I drew in a sharp breath. “What was the state of the Covenant when you left?”

A dark shadow crossed Diana’s face. “The walls had not been breached, but it was only a matter of time. Lucian and the First wish to take the Catskills. It does not matter that the bulk of the Council no longer resides there. It is the seat of power, and whoever sits upon the throne rules our society. It is the law.”

It was an incredibly stupid law that didn’t mean a damn thing to me.

“May I ask a question?” Diana countered. When I nodded, she went on. “If you were to succeed in transferring the power to you, what would happen?”

At the unexpected question, I blinked. “What would happen to Seth? He would still be alive. I guess he’d still be the Apollyon, but weaker. The tables would turn. The prophecies…” I shook my head. “The prophesies would change.”

“And what would it do to you?”

I could feel the eyes on me again, mainly Aiden’s. “I would become the God Killer.”

Her brows knitted in confusion. “Please do not take offense to this, but isn’t the God Killer the last thing the gods want?”

“I imagine so, with the exception of the god who is working with Lucian. That god obviously wants the God Killer for his own reasons. Speaking of which, it must be Hephaestus, considering he created the automatons,” I threw that out, hoping the topic would change. “I don’t know why he’d do this, though. I mean, he helped keep me away from the First, right?”

Aiden nodded. “He did.”

“It doesn’t make sense, but when do the gods ever make sense?” I forced out a laugh. “I guess he was tired of being known as the gimpy one.”

“But what about the other gods?” she persisted. “They cannot be pleased with the idea.”

Seeing no way around this other than ignoring her question, I sighed. “It is what Apollo wants. And it is what the gods want.”

Aiden turned completely toward me, as did half the room. I felt like slinking under the desk. “After I become the God Killer, they want me to take out the god responsible.” I looked up, my gaze settling on a marble bust of Zeus. “The Olympians want me to kill one of their own.”

CHAPTER 35

That little ditty went over like the Titanic. Everyone was pretty stunned. There were a couple of ripe curses from Aiden and Marcus, and some surprised gasps from the rest of the peanut gallery.

I got the whole “Holy crap-a-roo” thing going on. The gods had fought on and off for millennia, but had never seriously wanted one another dead, not since the Titans fell. But things were different now. This god, surprisingly one whom no one would’ve expected, had gone too far. Although many mortals had died, the gods were most likely more concerned with the fact that Hephaestus hoped to use the God Killer against them.

So, yeah, things were different now.

Once the shock died down, Dominic led us to the first dorm and showed us inside. They were nothing like the ones in Deity Island. These rooms were suites—two bedrooms joined by a shared living room and bathroom.

We were left to figure out the sleeping arrangements ourselves. Before Marcus could go all parental on us again, Aiden claimed one of the suites for the two of us, practically dragging me inside. Before he’d even shut the door, he leaned down so that our faces were only inches apart. I knew he was mad—the steely, thundercloud-colored eyes, the rigid line of his jaw, and his stiff movements pretty much gave him away. That and the fact he hadn’t so much as looked in my direction since we’d left the Dean’s office. “Take the shower first, and then we need to talk,” he said, his voice low, leaving no room for argument. He disappeared into his room before I could even agree.

Olivia’s lips pursed. “Someone’s not a happy camper.”

“Can I bunk with you?” I was only half-joking.

She leaned against the door of the suite across from mine, smiling slightly. The tight curls drooped around her face. Shadows bloomed under her eyes. “My room is your room, but seriously, you do need to talk to him. It’s obvious he didn’t know about what you’d been asked to do. None of us did.”

I scrubbed my grimy cheek. “I… I wasn’t even sure I was supposed to say anything.”

“Does that matter?”

“I guess not. I just didn’t want anyone to worry.”

“I get that. I’m sure he does too, but there are some things you shouldn’t keep from those who love you.” Olivia turned, opening her door. “Talk to him.”

Not like I had a choice when it came to talking to him. “Thanks.”

She nodded and then slipped into her room. Letting out a loud and largely obnoxious sigh, I went into my room. My gaze immediately went to the full-size bed and I groaned.

“Shower first. Epic bitch-out session second, sincere apology third, and then sleep.”

Freshly showered, I was thrilled to find someone had dug up a pair of jeans and a clean shirt that fit me. Most likely Aiden had done so while I was hogging all the hot water. It was so like him, even when he was mad at me. Alone for a few moments, I sat on the bed and crossed my legs. The bedroom walls were a nice shade of buttercup, while the door and window frames were trimmed with titanium, as were the headboard and the small end table. On the far wall, a picture of Artemis hunting with her bow and arrows was framed in titanium as well.

It was like these people expected daimons to pop out from under their beds.

But studying the décor wasn’t the whole point of me sitting on the bed like a Buddha knock-off. Ever since Seth’s appearance after Lea’s death, he had been oddly quiet. As if he was gone, actually. The cord was still there, but his unmistakable presence was absent. Like before I’d Awakened, when my head and body had been my own.

Closing my eyes, I concentrated on the cord. It was there, humming softly and barely discernible.

But there was no Seth.

I screwed my face up in concentration. This wacky long-distance internal phone call crap should be able to work both ways. Maybe I was crazy to be the one initiating contact, but a quiet Seth made for a really nervous Alex. It wasn’t like him. He was up to something. He had to be.

Seth? I called his name again… and again. At some point, I heard the low hiss of the shower and then it turned off. The muted sound of a door closing followed minutes later. That was how long I sat there, looking like an epic fail at meditation.

The door to the living area opened, and Aiden came in carrying a plate of fruit and roasted turkey slices. “I bring gifts in the form of food—what are you doing?”

“Nothing.” I flushed as I patted the spot beside me. “I’m starving. Thank you.” And I was also surprised that he was bringing me food.

Aiden sat beside me, placing the plate between us. He smelled of clean soap and spice. Moving a few slices out of the way, he found a thick piece of dark meat.

“Aiden—”

“Eat first.”

I frowned at him, but he held the turkey way too close and my mouth watered. Taking it from him, we spent the next several minutes gorging on the meat and fruit. As I chased a ripe strawberry across the bowl, he leaned over and tucked a damp strand of hair back behind my ear. I looked up and our eyes locked. All the air fled my lungs. Aiden was probably ready to throttle me, but that look in his silvery eyes…wow, simply wow.

Aiden leaned back, observing me, studying the blush I knew was spreading like a fever across my cheeks. “Before this goes any further, what you did with the automatons was nothing short of amazing. I haven’t had a chance to tell you, but I wanted you to know.”

I blinked. “Really?”

“Yes. That kind of power—it was epic and graceful. It was pretty amazing.”

My gaze fell to the empty plate. “If I hadn’t worn myself out, I could’ve saved Lea.”

His fingers found my chin, tipping it up. “Don’t blame yourself for what happened to her. Her death was not your fault. And if you hadn’t used your power, all of us would’ve died.”

I nodded. Those words weren’t as easy to swallow as they were to say.

“Done?” Aiden gestured at the plate and bowl. He placed them on the table when I nodded again. There was a stretch of silence where he just looked at me until I squirmed. He sighed. “How could you not tell me, Alex?”

“I didn’t want you to worry,” I said lamely.

His eyes narrowed. “That’s bullshit, Alex.”

I jumped, eyes going wide.

“We’re in this… this screwed-up situation together, right? Both of us would do anything for each other, am I correct?” He didn’t give me a chance to answer. He was really on a roll. “We love each other. And call me stupid or old-fashioned, but I think all of that means we don’t keep secrets from one another, especially potentially dangerous secrets that the other party really should know about.”

My cheeks were burning for a whole different reason now. Everything he said was true. Keeping him in the dark had sprouted from the best of intentions, but he was right.

“I’m sorry and I mean it. I should’ve told you when I figured it out.”

His brows lowered. “When did you figure it out? Wait. While we were in the Underworld, right? You were different when we came back.”

Damn. He was good. “It was when I was talking with Solaris. Things sort of clicked, and then I confronted Apollo. He confirmed that the gods wanted me to become the God Killer so that I could stop the god responsible.”

Aiden cursed under his breath. “Sometimes I want to hit that bastard.”

“Join the club.”

He was silent for a couple of moments. “They expect you to fight Seth and have the power transferred to you. Then they expect you to fight this god?”

I nodded.

“I don’t like this—I don’t want you to do this.” Anger burned in his gaze. “This is too dangerous—every part of it. Besides the fact that Seth could transfer the power from you, no god is going to go down easy. It’s insane.”

It was, but when had anything in my life been completely sane? I wiggled closer to him. “But it has to be done, Aiden. Even if we manage to stop Lucian and Seth, this god will try something again. Look at all the people who have died.”

“I don’t—” He cut himself off.

“You don’t what?”

He looked up, features rigid. “I was going to say that I don’t care. Not when you could die doing this. I don’t care.”

I had no idea what to say to that, and I knew that it took a lot for Aiden to admit that. Hell, it would take a lot for anyone to admit that. But it was the truth, and sometimes the truth wasn’t pretty or ethical or fair. It just was.

Aiden tipped his head back and sighed. “What if I asked you not to do this?”

My mouth opened in surprise, but no words came out.

He shook his head. “I know I can’t ask you that. I know it’s incredibly selfish. Don’t answer it, okay?”

Tears moved up the back of my throat so quickly I didn’t think I’d be able to hold them back. By some miracle I did. I knew I needed to tell him that there was a good chance I wouldn’t survive this in the end. It wasn’t like I was giving up, because Deacon had sort of given me the kick in the rear that I needed, but it didn’t change the possibility.

Aiden made a sound in the back of his throat and he reached for me. I went, climbing into his lap. As his arms circled me, squeezing me so tight against him that I could feel his heartbeat, I couldn’t tell him that now. I didn’t think I could ever tell him.

And that was the thing about truths and secrets. Sometimes the truth didn’t need to be known. The lie was healthier than the truth and, while some secrets could set people free, other secrets could destroy them.

I didn’t feel good about it as I closed my eyes. Guilt settled in my stomach like a handful of sharp stones, but this secret wasn’t meant to be shared.

Finally, Aiden’s grip loosened and his hands moved from my shoulders. He held me back, his gaze searching my face. “Have you been having any headaches recently?”

Grateful for the change in topic, I shook my head. “Not since… Lea died. Seth was there afterward, but he’s gone. I mean, I can still feel the cord, but it’s weird. It’s like he’s taken a vacation.”

Aiden arched a brow. “He’s up to something.”

A small grin pulled my lips. “Exactly what I was thinking.”

“Great minds think alike.” With one hand, he smoothed his thumb over my lower lip. “You have to be exhausted.”

I shrugged. “So do you.”

“We should get some rest.” His hand fell back to my shoulder.

“Marcus isn’t going to be happy with you sleeping in here.”

“I know.” He leaned back against the headboard, his eyes hooded. “We’re probably going to have to cut the whole sleeping together thing back.”

I pouted.

Aiden chuckled. “I said sleeping together, Alex. What I have in mind doesn’t involve sleeping.”

“Oh.” Warmth spread through me like I was back in the steaming shower. “ Oh.”

A slow grin tugged at his lips as his hands spread down my arms to my hips. That dizzying warmth stole into the marrow of my bones. “Little slow on the uptake, huh?”

I laughed and it felt… okay to laugh. Bending forward, I pressed my forehead to his. “Sorry. My mind isn’t in the gutter, like some people I could name.”

“So you say.” His hands tightened. “We’ll just have to see about that.”

Aiden moved so quickly that one second I was in his lap, and the next I was on my back and he was hovering above me. He lowered his head so that his lips brushed mine softly. That one all-too-quick touch nearly undid me.

“I love you,” he said, and those were the last words spoken for quite some time.

CHAPTER 36

Aiden hadn’t left the bed, so I guess cutting back on the whole sleeping arrangement thing wasn’t going to start today. Not that I was complaining. After… well, not sleeping and then sleeping for several hours, and some more of the “not sleeping” thing, we were summoned by a knock on the door.

We exchanged a quick look. “Uh, should I be answering the door, since this is my room?”

Aiden nodded and I started to rise, but he caught my arm. “You might want to put some clothes on first.”

“Oh. Ha.” I giggled as I started searching for my clothes. “Good call.”

“Uh-huh.”

Hopping around the room, I shoved my legs into thejeans. “Be right there!”

I was sure Aiden got an entertaining eyeful, and my face was blood-red by the time I reached the door. Opening it wide enough for me to slip through, I saw Dominic.

“Hey,” I said, hoping I didn’t have a mad case of naughty-in-bed hair.

His expression remained bland. “I’m sorry that I’ve woken you, but we have new arrivals. One of them, I do believe, was an Instructor at Deity Island.”

“Really? Wow. Where are they?”

“Currently with the Dean,” he replied. “Your uncle is already aware. I stopped by Sentinel St. Delphi’s room, but…”

“Oh. Yeah, um…” I was pretty sure I matched a fire truck. “He’s a heavy sleeper.”

“I’m sure he is.” Dominic stepped back. “If you wish to join your uncle, I’ll be waiting outside. You should have time to get ready. Your uncle is a… heavy sleeper, also.”

Whaaaa…and then it hit me. Ew. Ew. Ew.

Hurrying back into the room, I closed the door, and then leaned on it. “Dear gods, that was awkward. You heard?”

Aiden stood beside the bed, buttoning his pants. My eyes got hung up on his fingers and then that stomach. “Yes. He didn’t say who it was?”

I wasn’t thirsty, but my mouth sure was dry. “No. Just that it was an Instructor. Do you think we should check it out?”

“Sure.” Muscles popped as he reached over his head, pulling a shirt on. “I think it’ll be good to see a familiar face.”

I thought it would be good for him to take off that shirt, but what did I know? After running a brush through my mass of hair, I grabbed a slender dagger, slipped it into my back pocket, and tugged my shirt down over the handle.

Daggers. Never leave home without them.

It was late evening and the air seemed unseasonably chilly when we joined Dominic and my uncle. Then again, we were pretty high up in the mountains, but I was pretty positive it was the beginning of May and made a mental note to find a calendar pronto.

“I wonder who it is,” I said, feeling a little high-strung. A bad case of the hyperactivity disorder was probably about to occur.

“I do not know,” Marcus said.

I increased my step to stay in line with the long-legged freaks. “Do you know of any Instructors who had escaped?”

“Many were not at the campus when Poseidon attacked.”

“That’s right. They were away on break.” I shoved my hands into my jean pockets. “So it really could be anyone.”

Marcus glanced down at me, a single brow arched. “It really could be.”

I pulled my hands out of my pockets. “Why didn’t Diana come?”

My uncle shot me a look and I grinned.

“Anyway, I hope it’s someone I know.” I started to shove my hands back into my pockets, but Aiden grabbed my wrist.

He frowned. “What is your deal?”

“What do you mean?”

“You’re acting like a little spaz right now.”

I pulled my hand free. “I don’t know. I’m just hyper.”

“Oh, great,” Marcus muttered.

Shooting him a look, I tried to keep my jittery movements to a minimum. It wasn’t hyperactivity. More like nervousness, but I didn’t have any reason to be nervous. Well, besides the obvious, but this was different. The marks of the Apollyon were bleeding though my skin, moving sluggishly into glyphs.

The stairs weren’t as killer this time around. As always, two Guards were posted at the end of the hall, outside the Dean’s doors. They stepped aside as they opened the door and in we went. Curiosity had begun to outweigh the edginess somewhere on the stairs.

My gaze drifted over the room, finding Dean Elders first, and then to the far side of the room, to the oval-shaped window and the figure who stood in the light, his back to us.

Aiden and I hung back as Marcus strode to the desk. I wasn’t sure if Dean Elders really wanted us here.

“Dean Andros,” Dean Elders said, bowing slightly. “Thank you for joining us. Our newest arrival was most pleased to hear that some of his colleagues from the Deity Island Covenant had reached our campus.”

The man by the window turned slowly, and I recognized the thinning dark hair, olive skin tone, and near obsidian-colored eyes. My mouth dropped all the way to the floor.

“You have got to be freaking kidding me,” I said.

Instructor Romvi smiled tightly. “I am happy to see you too, Miss Andros.”

Well, I guess I knew my suspicious about some Order members escaping Seth and the Sentinels. One of them was now standing in front of me.

Aiden and Marcus both moved toward me, withdrawing daggers. The poor Dean of the University looked like he was about to have a coronary.

“Guards!” he yelled, moving behind his desk as if that could somehow protect him in case the poo was about to hit the fan.

The doors behind us flew open and the two stepped in, eyes darting around the room. Dominic held his dagger out too. “What the hell is going on?”

All of this wasn’t necessary. I was no longer the student in class. I was the Apollyon and fully charged. Let Romvi try something. I’d seriously look forward to throwing his monkey ass out the window.

“He is a member of the Order of Thanatos, which tried to kill Alex.” Fury rolled off Aiden, and I expected something to catch fire. “He is not what we’d consider a friendly acquaintance.”

Instructor Romvi clasped his hands in front of him. “As I remember, I was not the one who carried out the deed, which was successful, might I add.”

Oh, that was the wrong thing to say.

Aiden’s stance said he was about to break all kinds of bad. “That is correct, but you are a member of the Order and you—”

“Have the ability to kill the Apollyon?” interrupted Romvi. “Yes. I do. But I am many things. Stupid is not one of them. It appears Miss Andros has many gods on her side, and the Order’s only real mission is to serve the gods.”

“And that meant killing me?” I said, folding my arms.

His eyes met mine. “It did at the time.”

“And not anymore? We’re supposed to believe that?”

Romvi cocked his head to the side. “We are on the same side, Miss Andros.”

That nervous, too-much-caffeine feeling was back, tying my stomach up in knots. The runes were really going crazy now. “And what side is that, Romvi?”

“The only side there is to stand on,” he replied. “In war, there is only one side to truly stand on, and that is on the side that wins. And make no mistake, Miss Andros, we are at war.”

“You never seemed like the philosophical type,” Aiden said.

Romvi’s smile didn’t slip. “I’m sure I didn’t seem like much to you, St. Delphi.”

Aiden replied, but I wasn’t listening. I was getting a weird feeling again, the one I had had while standing in the War Room in Hade’s palace. That odd, nagging feeling, like there was something I should remember, that I should see. It was much stronger now.

“In times like these, we must let go of mutual dislike.” Romvi still hadn’t moved closer, but I felt… choked by his presence. “We must work together.”

“We are always at war,” I murmured, feeling very, very odd.

Romvi arched a cool brow. “You remember my teachings. That pleases me.”

I thought of the strangest thing then. When Romvi and I had sparred once, what had he told me? I should cut my hair. Something to do with vanity, but I recalled that War Room all too easily and what Persephone had said.

He likes to cut the hair of those he’s conquered and then strings them up for all to see.

I slowly unfolded my arms. My heart sped up. Romvi was watching me curiously, as if he was waiting for something. Memories of what Persephone had said pieced themselves together rapidly. To him, everything is about war and its spoils…What had she said about him? Without war, there was nothing.

“One should never turn their back on war,” I said, moving my hand behind me. “I also remember you saying that.”

And I also remember Persephone saying that about…

Romvi’s gaze dropped. “No. One should never turn his back on war. I believe that is why we are where we are today. The fools have turned their back on it, even though war always exists.”

Suddenly, the weird, edgy feeling and the marks made sense. It wasn’t nervousness or hyperactivity. No, not at all. And the automatons. There was one other god who could wield control over them—they were creatures created to fight. There were the mortal armies that were backing Lucian. That made sense now.

Son of a daimon donkey.

Moving lightning quick, I pulled the Covenant dagger from my back pocket. With speed and perfect precision, I threw the blade across the room.

The pointy end embedded deep into Romvi’s chest before he could take his next breath.

“What the hell?” Marcus exploded, whirling on me. “What is wrong—?”

Aiden turned wide eyes on me. “Alex…? Holy crap…”

The Dean of the University started toward Romvi, but drew up short. And Marcus and Aiden quieted down, because Romvi was still standing.

And he was laughing.

Marcus took a step back. “What the…?”

The Guards and Dominic exchanged looks, and then moved toward the Dean, surrounding him and edging him toward the door.

Romvi’s laughter faded. “I was beginning to think you weren’t that clever, Miss Andros.”

Then a blue shimmery cast surrounded Romvi’s body, swirling around him until we couldn’t see the man behind the eerie, god-like glow. Then it receded, revealing what stood behind it.

Ares was impressive.

Well over seven feet tall, he neared Godzilla-size with his height and bulk. He had more muscles than a pro wrestler, like Apollo on steroids.

He wore leather pants and a tunic that was punctured by the Covenant dagger still in his chest. Snakelike bands covered his biceps, but as he lifted an arm, I realized they weren’t bands at all.

They were bronze snakes, pulsing and slithering around his arms.

“Holy crap,” I whispered.

Reaching up, Ares wrapped a meaty hand around the handle of the hilt and pulled the dagger free. It turned to dust in his hands. “That wasn’t very nice, Miss Andros. The gods and the Council fear the First, but who’s the one lobbing daggers at a god?”

To say I wasn’t scared would be a bald-faced lie. Ares was the god of war and discord. Armies trembled at his feet and nations fell under his wrath. His children were gods of terror and misery. There wasn’t a single thing about him that didn’t send a spike of fear straight through me or any other living, breathing creature.

This must be the god who was a part of Seth’s bloodline, the one who’d been working behind the scenes with Lucian.

We were so screwed.

At least now I could understand how Romvi could kick my ass day, night, and on Sundays. It struck me then. I’d been sparring with Ares. Dear gods…

His cold, apathetic gaze drifted over us. “Silence? No one is going to cower before me? Beg for mercy, like thousands have before you? How disappointing. But there will be time for that in the future.”

“How?” Marcus choked out.

“How what?” Ares’ dark brows rose. “How have I been right under your noses this entire time? The same way apparently Apollo was, I assume. I avoided him whenever he was around, and therefore he never sensed me. The Golden Boy had his suspicions, I am sure, but… well, he just isn’t that smart, is he?”

“What do you want?” I was proud that my voice didn’t shake.

Ares brushed the dust off his hand. “Oh, you know. Just… everything. And to get everything, I need you to connect with the First.”

Aware that Marcus and Aiden were moving in behind me, I tipped my chin up. “That’s not going to happen.”

He sighed. “I was really hoping I wouldn’t have to tack on the ever cliché ‘or else’ at the end of that, but I see that I do. You can make this very easy, very painless. You know what I am, what I am capable of. Apollyon or not, you cannot even begin to hope to defeat me. I am the god of war. Connect with the First or else.”

I held my ground. “Or else what? You’re going to stand there and glare me to death? You can’t kill me. And you can’t force me to connect with the First.”

The smile that etched over his lips sent an icy Shockwave through me. “You are right andwrong. I may not be able to kill you, but I can bend you to my will and I can make you wish for death. And I can kill all those you love.”

Ares threw out his arm, and several things happened within a matter of seconds. The Guard closest to him was flung across the room and through the window I’d wanted to toss Romvi/Ares out of. The second Guard moved toward him and Ares closed his fist. The Guard crumbled to the floor, blood streaming from his nose, mouth, and ears. Dominic was next. He was thrown back, his body contorting and twisting in air. Bones snapped through skin. He was nothing but a mangled mess when he hit the floor. Then, Ares turned on the Dean of the University.