Текст книги "Deity"

Автор книги: Jennifer L. Armentrout

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Текущая страница: 12 (всего у книги 22 страниц)

CHAPTER 18

I SLEPT LONGER THAN I’D EXPECTED. WHEN I AWOKE, the room was empty and my cell phone had been placed on the bedside table. I hoped that Aiden was getting some rest, and that Marcus was, too. Pushing into a sitting position, I winced as the movement pulled at the skin around the stitches.

Curious, I inspected the jagged scar again. Half-bloods were notoriously fast healers and Covenant blades were designed to cut cleanly, but it had to have done some internal damage. Had Apollo somehow patched me up more? Because I doubted that the doctors could’ve reversed that kind of damage. Other than feeling lethargic, I felt… okay.

But as I glanced around the room, something poked at the recesses of my memories. I was forgetting something—something hugely important. It was on the tip of my tongue just like when I’d been under a compulsion before. This was different, though. It was like waking up and not being able to remember a dream.

Sighing, I reached over and snatched up the cell phone. There was only one missed call from Cuddle Bunny. Scooting down, I called him back.

Seth answered on the second ring. “So, you’re alive?”

My heart flipped over heavily. “Yeah, why wouldn’t I be?”

“Well, I haven’t spoken to you in about two days.” He paused. “What have you been doing?”

“I’ve been sleeping, not doing much.”

“Sleeping for two straight days?”

I poked at my scar and winced. “Yeah, that’s about all.”

“Interesting…” There was a muffled sound, like something had been pulled over the phone. “You’ve been sleeping but Aiden had your phone?”

Crap. “He’s been babysitting me. I don’t know why he answered the phone when you called.” There was another muffled sound, and then Seth grunted. “What are you doing?”

“Pulling on my pants and it’s hard when you’re holding a phone.”

“Um, do you want me to call you back? Like when you’re not naked?”

Seth laughed. “I’m not naked now. Anyway, maybe we have some weird Apollyon malaise. I’ve been exhausted for about two days, but feel fine now.”

So he had felt something. I chewed on my lip. “Can I ask you something?”

“Hit me.”

“You said that when I Awaken, I’ll know what the past Apollyons knew, right?”

There was a pause. “Yes, I said that.”

Unease twisted my insides. “Then how did you not know about the Order of Thanatos, and that they’d killed Solaris and the First? Wouldn’t you’ve seen what they’ve seen?”

“Why are you asking?” Seth asked.

I took a deep breath. “Because it doesn’t make sense, Seth. You should’ve known. And how did you not know that a half and pure made an Apollyon? None of the Apollyons in the past had ever figured that out?”

“Why are you asking about this—” A distinctive, very feminine giggle cut off his words. When Seth spoke again, it sounded far away and sounded an awful lot like the word, “behave.”

I sat up, sucking in air sharply as my stomach screamed in protest. “Who are you with, Seth?”

“Why? You jealous?”

“Seth.”

“Hold on a second,” he replied, and then there was a sound of a door shutting. “Dammit, it’s cold out here.”

“Better be careful. Don’t want anything to freeze and fall off.”

He laughed. “Oh, that was bitchy. I think you just might be jealous.”

Was I jealous that he was so obviously with a girl and he’d been naked? Shouldn’t I be? But I wasn’t jealous—more like annoyed. Annoyed because I’d been getting stabbed and dying while Seth was screwing around. And how could I be mad? I was the one in love with another guy. I really had no room to talk. But I hadn’t gotten naked with that guy, not in several long months. Not since I’d decided to see what could happen with Seth.

Gods, I was so confused and I had no idea what was going on and why it was happening now.

“I’m not doing anything wrong,” Seth said after a stretch of silence.

“I didn’t say you were. Wait. You’re with Boobs, aren’t you?”

“Do you really want to know, Alex?”

Not when he put it like that. I chewed on my lip, unsure of what to say. Suddenly I heard Caleb’s voice in my head. There’s still hope. Weird.

“We never said we were in a relationship, and besides, whatever. You’re there. I’m here. And in a week or so, I’ll be back. And it’s not going to even matter.”

I blinked. “Really, it’s ‘whatever’?”

Seth sighed. “I know he was by your side the minute I left, doing his annoying brooding thing, trying to figure out a way to be with you. And he’s answering your phone while you’re sleeping? Yeah, it’s ‘whatever’.”

My mouth dropped open. “That is totally not what is happening here.”

“Look, it doesn’t matter. I’ve got to go. I’ll talk to you later.” Then he hung up on me.

I stared at the phone for several minutes, shocked and a bit disturbed. Had he just given me permission to do “whatever” with Aiden because he’s doing “whatever” with Boobs? My gods, had I died and come back into an alternative universe?

The door opened then, and Aiden walked through. Setting the phone aside, I was happy to see that he looked a lot more refreshed. Damp hair curled around his temples and the shadows under his eyes had lessened.

“Hey, you’re awake.” He sat beside me and the bed shifted us closer together. “How are you feeling?”

I leaned away from him. “Gross.”

Aiden frowned. “Gross?”

“I haven’t brushed my teeth or washed my face in days. Don’t come near me.”

He laughed. “Alex, come on.”

“Seriously, I’m gross.” I put my hand over my mouth.

Ignoring my protests, he leaned over and brushed my stringy hair back. “You’re as beautiful as always, Alex.”

I stared at him. He must not get out much.

Aiden arched a brow. “Did you call Seth?”

Unwilling to lower my hand, I nodded.

His eyes danced. “Did he seem suspicious?”

“No,” I said from behind my hand. “He was actually with Boobs.”

He looked confused. “Boobs?”

“It’s this girl from New York,” I explained.

“Oh.” Aiden leaned back. “What do you mean by he was with this girl?”

“What do you think?” I lowered my hand.

“Oh, Alex, I’m sorry.”

I made a face. “Why are you sorry? It’s ‘whatever.’ Seth and I aren’t in a relationship.” But he had been behaving himself since he’d returned to the Covenant with me. Pushing that out of my mind, I focused on something more important. “I need to get out of this bed.”

Something flickered across Aiden’s face and then he shook his head. “Alex, you really shouldn’t.”

“I reallyneed to.”

He held my stare and then he seemed to get it. “Okay, here, let me help you.”

The idea of him getting close to me when I felt this gross didn’t appeal to me, but there was no arguing with him. Aiden helped me out of the bed and then insisted on guiding me to the little bathroom. I half-expected him to follow me inside.

Closing the door behind me, I did my thing and eyed the shower stall longingly. Aiden would have a fit if I turned it on. I glanced at the door, debating whether or not he’d dare busting in here. Aiden was way too saintly.

I decided to test that theory out.

The second after I turned the water on, he yelled. “Alex, what are you doing?”

“Nothing.” I pulled off my clothes, wishing I had something clean to put on.

“ Alex” Bemused frustration colored his tone.

I grinned. “I’m taking a quick shower. I’m gross. I need to be clean.”

“You shouldn’t be doing that.” The door handle jingled. It wasn’t locked. “Alex!”

“I’m naked,” I warned.

Silence and then, “Is that supposed to make me not want to come in there?”

A warm flush covered my body as I stared at the door.

There was an audible sigh. “Make it quick, Alex, because I willcome in there if you are not done in less than five minutes.”

I took the quickest shower of my life. Drying off and dressing quickly, I reveled in the feeling of being clean again, but showering had taken whatever energy I’d had left in me. I sat in front of the sink, because the toilet seemed too far away, and started brushing my teeth. My mouth no longer felt like a woolly mammoth, but as I eyed the sink and realized that I’d have to get back up again, I kind of wished I’d stayed in bed.

I know he was by your side the minute I left, doing his annoying brooding thing, trying to figure out a way to be with you.

Closing my eyes, I clutched the plastic toothbrush and stretched out my legs.

Whatever. You’re there. I’m here. And in a week or so, I’ll be back. And it’s not going to even matter.

Foamy toothpaste trickled down my chin. It wouldn’t matter because Seth would be around? Or it wouldn’t matter because in five weeks, I’d Awaken? Was that what Seth was trying to say in between whatever Boobs was doing?

“Alex?” Aiden knocked on the bathroom door. “Are you okay in there?”

I tipped my head toward the closed door. More toothpaste dribbled from my mouth. “I’m tired.”

The door opened. Aiden’s gaze dropped and his brows went up. A slow smile crept over his face, softening the hard look that had been in his eyes since I woke up. Aiden laughed.

Something fluttered in my chest. “Laughing at a dead girl isn’t nice.”

“I told you that you should’ve stayed in bed.” The light didn’t go out of his eyes as he knelt. He reached over, wiping the toothpaste off my chin with his thumb. “But you never listen. Hold on.”

It wasn’t like I was going anywhere, so I watched him glance at the sink and then rise. Aiden disappeared back into the room, returning with two small plastic cups and some paper towels a few seconds later.

Prying the toothbrush out of my hands, he tossed it in the sink after filling up the cup. “Here you go.”

Cheeks flaming, I took the cup and swished the water in my mouth.

Aiden handed me another empty cup. “Rinse and repeat.”

I glared at him, but secretly did a happy dance in my head when he laughed again. Once I didn’t have toothpaste falling out of my mouth anymore and my hands were empty, Aiden bent and carefully slid an arm around me. “I can stand without help,” I grumbled.

“Sure you can.” Aiden’s hair tickled my cheeks. “That’s why you’re sitting on a bathroom floor. Come on, back to bed.”

The door in the main room opened. “What’s going on?” Marcus’ voice carried through the room. “Is Alexandria okay?”

Crimson stained my entire face.

“She’s fine.” Aiden easily hauled me to my feet. The tender skin pulled a little, but I kept my expression blank. Didn’t want him having a heart attack. “She just wore herself out,” he continued, grinning as he let go. “You okay to make it back to the bed?”

I nodded. “It’s not my fault. Leon—Apollo—whoever he is—didn’t fix me right. Godly powers my—”

“I did fix you, but you were dead. Give me some credit,” Apollo said.

I jumped, smacking my hand on my chest. Apollo sat on the edge of the toilet seat, one leg crossed over the other.

Beside me, Aiden bowed stiffly. “My master.”

“Oh, my gods,” I said. “Seriously. Are you trying to kill me again by giving me a heart attack?”

Apollo tipped his head at Aiden. “I’ve already told you. You don’t need to do the ‘master’ and bowing business with me.” Little sparks of electricity rimmed those all-white eyes. “Why are you out of bed? Doesn’t getting stabbed warrant some downtime?” He smiled at Aiden, who was now standing. “She really is hard to take care of, isn’t she?”

Aiden looked a little pale. “Yeah…”

“I… I felt gross.”

Apollo disappeared from the bathroom and popped up behind Aiden. Marcus took a step back, his eyes wide. He bowed too, and I really thought for a moment that Marcus was going to drop to his knees.

“Good gods,” Aiden said under his breath as he led me out of the bathroom.

I stared at the hulking god in the corner of the room as I climbed back into bed. “Did anyone know about this?”

Apollo glided to the bed. It was strange looking at him and seeing some traces of Leon. The face was basically the same, but more refined, sharper. Hair that looked like spun gold replaced the short crew cut Leon had favored, falling just below his broad shoulders. And he seemed taller, if that was even possible. He was achingly beautiful, lacking the rougher edges, but his eyes… they creeped me out. There were no pupils or irises just white orbs that seemed full of electricity.

The Sun God.

I was staring at the mother effin’ Sun God… and yet, it was like staring at Leon. It was bizarre that a god would even be on earth, but to be as comfortable as Apollo seemed was unreal.

Apollo arched a brow as he slowly turned his head to Marcus. “I know this is a little… shocking, but what I was doing required that I disguise who I was.”

Marcus blinked, as if he was coming out of a daze. “Are there more like you here?”

Apollo smiled. “We are always around.”

“Why?” Aiden asked, dragging his fingers through his hair. He looked a little out of it also.

“Things are complicated,” Apollo said.

“So, was Leon a real person? Did you like, take over his body or something?” I folded my legs under the blanket. “Or have you been Leon this entire time?”

The corners of Apollo’s lips twitched. “We are one in the same.”

Slowly, I reached over and poked his arm. It felt like real flesh, warm and hard. Disappointed, I poked him again. I was expecting something amazing—celestial—by touching him. Instead all I got were weird looks from everyone in the room, including Apollo.

“Please stop touching me,” Apollo said.

I jabbed his arm again. “Sorry. It’s just that you’re real. I mean, I just thought you guys weren’t really around here.”

“Alex.” Aiden sat on the edge of the bed. “You should probably stop touching him.”

“Whatever.” I dropped my hand into my lap. I still wanted to touch him, though, which was really weird. I kind of wanted to rub all over him like a cat or something… and that was more than weird, and a little uncomfortable.

“Usually we’re not,” Apollo said, frowning at me. “When we are on earth our powers are limited. Everything about this place drains us. We tend to stay away and if we do visit, it is only for a short while.”

“Long enough to hook up with some mortal chicks?”

“Alexandria,” Marcus snapped.

Apollo faced me. “No. We haven’t spawned any demigods in centuries.”

I shuddered when my gaze met his. “Your eyes are really freaking creepy.”

He blinked, and in a nanosecond, his eyes were a brilliant, intense cobalt. “Better?”

Not really. Not when he was staring at me like that. “Sure.”

Marcus cleared his throat. “I’m really at a loss of what to say.”

Apollo waved his hand dismissively. “We’ve worked together for months. Nothing has changed.”

“We didn’t know you were Apollo.” Aiden folded his arms. “That changes things.”

“Why?” Apollo smiled. “I just don’t expect you to be as willing to spar with me now.”

The skin around Aiden’s eyes crinkled as he smiled. “Yeah, you can be sure of that. All of this is just… I mean, how did we not know?”

“Simple. I did not want any of you to know. It made things easier… blending in.”

“I’m sorry,” I interrupted. Apollo arched a brow, waiting. I felt my cheeks flush. “This is just really awkward.”

“Do tell,” Apollo murmured.

“I mean, I’ve like insulted you every which way from Sunday to your face. Multiple times. Like when I accused you of chasing boys and girls and how they turn themselves into trees to get away—”

“Like I said before, some of those things are not true.”

“So Daphne didn’t turn into a tree to get away from you?”

“Oh, my gods,” Aiden muttered, rubbing a hand along his jaw.

A muscle popped on Apollo’s jaw. “That was not all my fault. Eros shot me with a damn arrow of love. Trust me, when you are hit with one of those things, you cannot help what you do.”

“But you cut off some of herbark.” I shuddered again. “And wore it as a wreath. That’s like a serial killer collecting their victim’s personal items… or fingers.”

“I was in love,” he replied, as if being in love explained away the fact that the chick turned herself into a tree to get away from him.

“Okay. What about Hyacinth? The poor boy had no idea—”

“Alexandria,” Marcus sighed, looking near apoplectic.

“Sorry. I just don’t understand why he hasn’t smited me or something.”

“The day is still young,” Apollo said, grinning when my eyes widened.

Marcus glanced at me. “You’re here because of her.”

Apollo nodded. “Alexandria is very important.”

This was weird to me. “I thought the gods weren’t fans of the Apollyons.”

“Zeus created the first Apollyon thousands of years ago, Alexandria, as a way to ensure that no pure-blood would become too powerful and threaten the mortal race or us,” he explained. “They were created as a system of checks and balances. We are neither fans nor enemies of the Apollyon, but see them only as a necessity that will be needed one day. And that day has come.”

CHAPTER 19

“WHY NOW?” I ASKED WHEN NO ONE ELSE SPOKE. I think the pures were a little star-struck. Apollo was a rock star to them, but even with his otherworldly beauty he was still just Leon to me.

“The threat has never been greater,” Apollo answered. Seeing my confusion, he sighed. “Perhaps I should explain a few things.”

“Perhaps you should,” I muttered.

Apollo drifted over to the bedside table and picked up the pitcher of water. Sniffing it, he placed it back down. “My father has always been… paranoid. All that power, but all Zeus has ever feared is his children doing what he did to his parents. Overthrowing him, conquering Olympia, slaughtering him in his sleep—you know, the same old family drama.”

I shot Aiden a look, but he was riveted by Apollo.

“Anyway, Zeus decided that he should keep his enemies close. That is why he called all the demigods back to Olympus and destroyed the ones who didn’t heed his call, but he forgot about their children.” Apollo smirked. “All that power, and sometimes I wonder if Zeus had been dropped on his head as a baby. He forgot about the Hematoi, the children of the demigods.”

I laughed, but Marcus glanced up at the ceiling as if he expected Zeus to strike Apollo with a bolt of lightning.

“The Hematoi,” Apollo looked at Marcus and Aiden pointedly, “are watered down versions of the demigods, but you are very powerful in your own way. Your numbers frankly outnumber the gods by thousands. If there was ever a cohesive attempt to overthrow us, it might just succeed. And the mortals, they would not stand a chance against the Hematoi.”

“I thought you guys were, like, all-knowing. Wouldn’t you know if you were about to be overthrown?”

Apollo laughed. “Legends, Alexandria, are hard to separate from the truth. There are things we know, but the future is never set in stone. And when it comes to any creature living on this planet, we cannot see or interfere with them. We do have… tools we use to keep an eye on things.”

“That’s why the oracle lived here,” Aiden said.

Again, there was a tickle in the back of my head. Something about an oracle poked at my fuzzy memories. It stayed out of reach.

“Yes. The oracle answers to me and only me.”

“Because you’re a god of prophecy… among five hundred other things,” I added, picking back up on the conversation.

“Yes.” He came back to the bed, tilting his head to the side. “Once Zeus realized that he had forgotten about the Hematoi, he knew he had to create something that was powerful enough to control the Hematoi but could not populate like the Hematoi did.”

Marcus sat in the only spare chair in the room. “And so the Apollyon was created?”

Apollo sat beside Aiden, which really crowded the bed. “An Apollyon can only be born when the mother is Hematoi and the father is a half-blood. It is the aether of a female pure combined with that of a half-blood which creates the Apollyon. It is similar to the way a minotaur is born. Apollyons are nothing more than monsters in the scheme of things.”

I frowned at his back. “Gee. Thanks.”

“Mixing of the two races was forbidden to ensure that there would not be many and the Hematoi were ordered to kill any offspring of a pure and a half.”

My mouth dropped open. “That’s terrible.”

“That it may be, but we could not have a dozen Apollyons running around.” He looked over his shoulder at me. “Two are considered bad enough. Can you imagine if there were a dozen? No. You cannot. And besides, one slipped through every generation as planned. Though, we do make mistakes every once in awhile.”

I was really beginning to dislike Apollo. “So I’m a monster and a mistake?”

He winked. “The perfect kind of mistake.”

I scooted away from him a little.

The grin reached his vibrant eyes. “As long as the Apollyon behaves himself, he is left alone to do his duty. But when there is a second in the mix, it ups the power of the First. This was something we had not accounted for. Zeus thinks it is a kind of cosmic joke.”

Marcus leaned forward. “But why do you even allow the second to live if one is such a threat?”

I shuddered.

Apollo stood again, apparently suffering from a hyperactivity disorder. “Ah, you see, we cannot touch the Apollyon. The markings are… wards against us. Only Thanatos’ Order can carry out a successful attack on the Apollyon and, of course, an Apollyon can kill another Apollyon.”

My head was starting to hurt. “And Seth would know this, right?”

“Seth would know all of this.”

I exhaled loudly. “I may just kill him.”

Apollo arched a brow. “Mankind and the Hematoi have something greater to fear than the daimon… issue. And by the way, the whole daimon problem can totally be blamed on Dionysus. He was the first to discover that aether could be addictive and he just had to show someone. Once Dionysus got so high off the stuff, he actually showed himself to a King of England. Do you know how many problems that caused?”

It was official. The gods were overgrown children. “That’s good to know, but can we get back to the whole greater fear thing?”

“The oracle had a prophecy upon your birth, that one would bring the true death to all of us and the other would be our savior.”

“Oh geez,” I muttered. “Grandma Piperi strikes again.”

Apollo ignored that. “She could not tell which one, though. And I grew curious. When Solaris came around, there had been no such prophecy. What made this time so different? So I checked in on you both throughout your lives. There was nothing particularly remarkable about either of you.”

“You’re really doing wonders for my self-esteem.”

He shrugged. “It is only the truth, Alexandria.”

“You did not tell the rest of the gods about Seth and Alexandria?” Marcus asked.

“No. I should have, and my decision not to has not made me many fans.” He folded his arms. “But then three years ago, the oracle foresaw your death if you stayed at the Covenant, which led to your mother leaving to protect you, although her prophecy did come true.”

It struck me then. “Because I came back to the Covenant…”

“And you did die,” Aiden finished, his hands curling into fists. “Gods.”

“The oracle is never wrong,” Apollo said. “I kept an eye on you up until the night before the daimon attack in Miami. I thought you had sensed me once. You were returning from the beach and you stopped just outside your door.”

My eyes widened. “I remember feeling something weird, but I… didn’t know.”

“If only I had stayed around…” He shook his head. “When I learned that the Covenant was actively seeking you, I disguised myself as Leon to see what was going on. I had no idea Lucian was aware of your true identity.”

“I never told him,” Marcus said. “I only knew because my sister confided in me before she left. Lucian already knew by then.”

“Interesting,” Apollo murmured. “I do believe I am not the only god hanging around.”

“Wouldn’t you know if there were other gods around?” Aiden asked.

“Not if they did not want me to know,” he answered. “And we could be moving in and out at different times. Although, I do not know what any god would have to gain by ensuring that the two Apollyons were brought together.”

“Do any of you want revenge?” I asked.

Apollo laughed. “When do we not want revenge against one another? We are constantly irking one another out of boredom. It would take no stretch of the imagination for one to take it all too seriously.”

“But what is the fear, Apollo?” Marcus asked. “Why would the Order try to take out Alexandria when she has done nothing?”

“It is not Alexandria they are trying to stabilize.”

“It’s Seth,” I whispered.

Aiden stiffened. His eyes turned a thundercloud gray. “It’s always about Seth.”

“But he hasn’t done anything,” I protested.

“Yet,” Apollo replied.

“Have you, I don’t know, foreseen him doing something?”

“No.”

“Then this is all based on crazy Grandma Piperi?” I tucked my hair back. “And that’s all?”

Marcus’ eyes narrowed. “It does sound extreme.”

Apollo rolled his eyes. “You cannot tell me that Seth is not primed for disaster. He already has an ego of a god, and trust me, I would know. The kind of power that a God Killer can harness is astronomical and unstable. He is already feeling the effects of it.”

“What do you mean?” Aiden asked.

“Alex?” Apollo said softly.

I shook my head. There were moments when I questioned Seth’s sanity and even his intentions. Then there was Jackson. I couldn’t prove that it had been him, but… I shook my head. “No. He would never do something so stupid.”

“It is sweet.” In a second, Apollo was in front of me and at eye level. “That you would defend him even though I know you do not trust him entirely. Maybe at one point you did, but not anymore.”

I opened my mouth, but closed it. Lowering my gaze to my palms, I bit my lip. Once again, something poked at my memory. I swallowed.

“I must leave now,” Apollo said quietly.

I looked up, meeting his gaze. Apollo creeped me out and made me really question just how cool I was, but I sort of liked him. “Will you be back?”

“Yes, but I cannot be Leon anymore. My cover is… blown, and I must answer for not informing Zeus of what I have been doing.”

“I will probably be grounded.” He laughed at his own joke. I just stared at him. “I am Apollo, Alexandria. Zeus can kiss it.”

Marcus once again looked like he wanted to crawl under the bed.

“I will check in when I can.” He turned to Marcus. “I will also see if I can track Telly down. Oh, and see if you can have Solos Manolis transfer up here from Nashville. He is a half-blood you can trust.”

“I’ve heard of him,” Aiden spoke up. “He’s quite… outspoken.”

Apollo smiled and then, without so much as another word, disappeared from the room.

“Well, he sure knows how to make an exit.” Aiden stood, shaking his head.

Marcus and Aiden made plans to contact this Solos, but I was only half-listening. Curling on my side, I thought about what Apollo had said about Seth. Part of me flat-out refused to believe that Seth could be dangerous, but when I was being honest with myself, I wasn’t so sure about that. There were moments he’d proven that I really didn’t know what was going on in his head or what to expect from him. I couldn’t even figure out why he was so trusting of Lucian—a man who was as plastic as they came.

I hadn’t even realized Marcus had left until Aiden sat and placed his hand on my cheek. I wondered if he realized how much he’d been touching me lately. It was almost like an unconscious move on his part. Maybe he did it to remind himself that I was alive…

Suddenly, the fog cleared around my memories. I sat up so quickly that I gasped.

“Alex? Are you okay?” Aiden’s eyes were wide. “Alex?”

It took me several seconds to say it. “I remember… I remember what happened when I died.”

The look on his face said he hadn’t expected me to say that. His hand slid around the nape of my neck. “What do you mean?”

Tears clogged my throat. “I was in the Underworld, Aiden. There were all these people there, waiting to pass over and guards on horses. I even saw Charon and his boat—and his boat is much, much bigger and nicer. There was this girl named Kari who’d been killed by daimons while shopping for shoes and…”

“And what?” he asked, gently wiping away a tear.

“She said she was an oracle. That she knew we’d meet but not like this. And I saw Caleb. I got to talk to him, Aiden. Gods, he looked so… so happy. And he plays Wii with Persephone.” I laughed and wiped at my face. “I know it sounds crazy, but I saw him. And he said my mom was there and that she was happy. He told me that a big blond god was arguing with Hades over my soul. He must’ve meant Apollo. It was real, Aiden. I swear.”

“I believe you, Alex.” He cradled me against his chest. “Tell me what happened. Everything.”

I pressed my cheek against his shoulder, squeezing my eyes shut. I told him everything that Caleb had told me, including what he’d said about Seth. When I asked Aiden to get Olivia’s number so I could pass on his message, he shook his head, expression pained.

“I know you want to tell her,” he said, “and you will, but right now, we don’t want a lot of people knowing what happened. We don’t know who we can trust.”

In other words, it wasn’t Olivia we needed to be worried about, but we couldn’t run the risk of things being repeated. I hated the idea of not telling her right now, because it was important, but how could I tell her without giving away what happened? I couldn’t.

“I’m sorry, Alex.” His hand smoothed along my back. “But it has to wait.”

I nodded.

Part of me ached worse after realized I’d been with Caleb, because his loss was fresh again. But as Aiden held me long after I’d quieted down, the tears that came, in spite of everything, were joyful ones. The pain of Caleb’s loss was still there, but it was lessened by the knowledge that he was truly at peace, and so was my mom. And right now, that was all that mattered.