From Gods (22 page)

“Why don’t you kill them yourself? Don’t you have the same blood?” Skylar asked, testing her.

“I can’t.” She looked embarrassed at first, then changed her expression to anger. “We do have the same blood, except mine is different. Over time, depending on the family line, our abilities and the potency of the blood changes. But your family bloodline is strong. That means that in every generation in your family line, one of the parents had the HM blood—Hades-Medusa blood.”

“Why do you want to kill them? They haven’t done anything to you.”

“It was my mother’s wish. She was the same as me, but one of the gods’ children killed her.”

“We didn’t do anything. We didn’t kill anyone,” Amanda shouted. “We keep to ourselves. We don’t want any trouble. Let us go. We won’t hurt you.”

“I know you can’t hurt me, Amanda, just like Everett; but Nick and Mason, on the other hand, can. Their blood is stronger.”

“Tell her, Nick. Tell her, Mason. Tell her you won’t hurt her,” Amanda pleaded loudly.

“I won’t hurt you,” Nick started to say. “I’ll just…ace your face and crush your body beyond anything you can imagine. Zap you with my volts, fry your body from head to toe, and feed it to your ugly pets.”

Alena hissed like an untamed wild animal and jerked back, projecting eyes of evil. “After I kill all of you, I’m going to kill the others. There are more of you out there, hiding. We’re sending the vultures after them until every one of you is dead.”

“So you are the one who sent the vultures?” Amanda blared with fury in her eyes.

Alena laughed out loud. “You think I sent them? You have no idea. You hide yourselves in a little town, oblivious to the war around you. Now I’ve enlightened you. I take my orders from someone else. You really need to open your eyes.”

Alena was distracted from the conversation. Too busy being proud to have the upper hand, she didn’t realize Skylar was eyeing her dagger. Swiftly, Skylar twisted her body as pain jolted from the roots of her hair. She positioned herself in front of Alena and snatched the dagger. Skylar nicked Alena across the arm just before Alena gripped her wrist, causing Skylar to drop the dagger. Blood trickled down Alena’s wounded arm as she reached to retrieve it.

“Too bad I can’t kill you with my blood,” Alena sneered.

Skylar didn’t know where her courage came from, but she could feel the adrenaline pumping through her veins. All that was on her mind was that she needed to help her friends, and at this point she was their only hope. Her strength and speed were not comparable to Alena’s, but it didn’t matter because she knew if there was a will, there was a way.

Tangoing back and forth, Alena banged Skylar into the tree. Pain rang in her head, vibrating to the rest of her body, making her see double. She could see Mason’s worried face, and somehow that gave her strength. Remembering a move from a self-defense class, she kneed Alena in the stomach. Alena curled inward as she cursed and lost her grip. Without anything to defend herself with, Skylar ran, but Alena was faster.

“Where do you think you’re going?” Alena placed herself in front of Skylar, making her gasp sharply. “You think you can out run me?”

“You know what your problem is?” Skylar retorted. “You talk too much.” Just the way she was taught, Skylar swiped her right leg across the ground to knock Alena down, but it didn’t happen. Alena jumped and let Skylar have it with her boot, contacting her face. Skylar flew back and whacked her body against the tree. Blood trickled down her nose and the left side of her temple, dotting some of it on her shirt.

“How convenient. All I wanted was drops of your blood. We didn’t have to go through all this trouble.” Alena leaned down to Skylar, who looked unconscious. With her dagger, Alena cautiously swiped blood from her temple. “There. That is all I need to kill your friends. I said you would be the one to kill them.”

Pain shot through Skylar’s nose, her head, and down to her feet. Her skull felt like it was split into two. Drained and out of it, she sat still and closed her eyes. It was all she could do at the moment. Her thoughts were reeling, trying to figure out what to do and how to save her friends.

With her eyes barely open, Skylar watched, anticipating Alena’s next move. While Alena’s back was to her, Skylar attacked her from behind, clasping her arm round Alena’s neck.

“Release the barrier. You do know what happens when you touch my blood, don’t you? Would you like to find out?” Though she had stopped bleeding and had wiped the blood away as much as she could, Alena didn’t know that. As far as Alena knew, Skylar was still bleeding, and a drop of her blood would kill Alena.

“Okay, I’ll do it,” Alena said through gritted teeth. “But you’ll have to ask the Oracle. This was her idea.”

All eyes flashed to the Oracle, who was now close to the tree, her home. The Oracle extended her cane in defense, mumbled a few words, seemingly releasing the shield, and vanished with a flash.

Skylar was unaware she had loosened her grip on Alena. Alena took that moment of weakness, jabbed Skylar in the gut with her elbow, and flipped her over. “Your strength is no match for me. You’re so lucky I was told to keep you alive.” Then she fled.

Chapter 29

The barrier had been broken. Mason rushed to Skylar, helping her up, careful not to touch a drop of her blood. As expected, her wounds had already started to heal.

Standing before them, Skylar confessed the events of the dreadful night when Remus had died. After she told her side of the story, Everett and Amanda seemed forgiving, but they didn’t treat Skylar any more welcoming than before. They kept their distance from her like she was the plague. She didn’t blame them though. One touch from her blood could kill them. The only reason why they even tolerated her was for Mason’s sake. But Nick was the same—carefree and friendly.

From what Skylar could recall, there had been minimal brotherly bond or affection toward Remus. Regardless, living with Remus and knowing he was their half brother must have meant something. Though she knew it wasn’t her fault, she couldn’t help the feeling of guilt consuming her soul, and she was unable to look them in their eyes when she spoke. She had taken a life…their brother’s life. Though it was an accident and Remus did wrong by her, she could never forgive herself.

From what they gathered from Skylar’s story, Remus died from swallowing Skylar’s blood, not by contacting it, but Alena thought otherwise. From Skylar’s account of the events and from the information told by Alena—if she was telling the truth—they concluded that swallowing Remus’s blood had caused her to absorb his power of healing. It triggered her body to be more god-like so she was able to heal faster, unlike before; however, that was all. She didn’t move like them or have their strength and speed. The biggest question remaining was how the Oracle was involved. Unable to find her, they decided to head back home.

Finding their way back to the campsite was not a problem, but they were faced with how to get back down from the mountain until Skylar told them she had a car. She just had to remember where she had parked it. Though there was light on Olympus, making it look like it was daytime, it was still the middle of the night in the real world.

Without a flashlight, it was difficult to see. Suddenly light appeared. Nick’s and Mason’s bodies glowed, making them appear like they were the center of the sun, but not as bright. Awestruck, Skylar dropped her jaw. It was the first time she had witnessed such a phenomenon. Mesmerized by this wonder, she tried hard not to stare, and looked elsewhere.

“Oh, God. Must you shine so brightly, Rudolph?” Everett mocked, covering his eyes with his hands from the intensity of the light.

“Are you color blind? Do you see red on my nose?” Nick snorted.

“I’ll give you a red nose.” Everett wrapped his arm around Nick’s neck and ruffled his hair. Everett jumped a few feet when sparkling lights zapped out of Nick’s fingers and shocked him on purpose.

“Show off,” Everett murmured under his breath, rubbing his arm.

“Only when we don’t have a flashlight,” Mason said to Skylar, ignoring Everett and Nick.

“I see why,” she said, smiling. “Are you as hot as you look?” She rethought her question, blushing. “I meant….”

Mason chuckled. “Awesomely hot.” He winked. “I know what you meant.”

Nick jumped in the conversation. “I’m the hot one. Hotter than Mace.”

“Walking flashlights don’t talk,” Amanda teased. “You should get one, Skylar. You’ll never get lost. It follows you wherever you go.”

“Shut up,” Nick laughed. “You’re just jealous.”

“What? That I’m not a torch like you?”

“Nope. That you can’t light up someone’s life like I can.”

“Ouch.” Mason nudged Nick. “Little harsh there.”

Amanda scoffed. “Shut up, both of you, and find Skylar’s car.”

Skylar remembered she had placed Alena’s instructions in the back pocket of her jeans. “Here.” She handed a piece of paper to Mason, and soon after, they found her car. Mason offered to drive, and two hours later, they were at Nick’s house.

Instead of driving back to her college dorm in the middle of the night, Mason convinced Skylar to spend the night and drive back home in the morning. Exhausted, she agreed, knowing she couldn’t drive back home in her condition, and her body ached from fist fighting with Alena. She was glad the self-defense courses had come in handy. It was too bad she couldn’t tell her mom about it.

Mason excused himself from his room so Skylar could take a shower. He placed a pair of sweat pants and a T-shirt on his bed for her to change into while he took her clothes to be washed in the washing machine.

Standing under the hot running water, she wished she could wash away her poisoned blood too. Now that she could breathe easier again, relief from everyone making it out of there alive poured through her tears. She cried so hard, she gasped to take in air. Her tears fell with the water droplets, blending in. Through her tears, she let out all her worries, frustrations, and the one question she knew had no answer…why? Why did it have to be her?

After she finished, she dried herself, put on Mason’s clothes, and headed for the king size bed.

Looking around the room, bad memories of Remus crashed through, and when she heard the door creak open, she sucked in ghastly air. Seeing Mason, she quickly calmed her nerves.

“Your clothes are drying. I’ll get them for you in the morning,” Mason said.

“Thank you.”

“You should go to bed. Do you have early morning classes?”

“No. I have one in the late afternoon.”

“Okay…that’s good. You can sleep on the right side. I’ll sleep on the left. It’s a king size bed, so I’m sure we can both fit.”

“Of course. Thank you.”

Mason moved closer, making Skylar’s heart flutter as if it was pumping with euphoria. The way he came toward her, with an alluring look, overpowered her desire and emotions. While stroking her hair, Mason spoke softly. “We should be thanking you. You came for us. You came for me. Why?”

“Because…because…I know you would do the same for me,” Skylar expressed, closing her eyes, enjoying Mason’s caresses. What she wanted to say was she cared for him, and she needed to know he was safe. “You were gone so long. At first I thought you…I mean…I couldn’t just wait around. I had to make sure you were…I mean, everybody was safe.”

“Let me see your wounds.”

Skylar peered up and turned her head slightly so he could examine her. Unsure if it was purposely done, his touch was pleasant, making her feel excited and sleepy at the same time. She didn’t know how long she could control herself. Any minute now her knees would buckle.

“They’ve healed nicely. You can’t tell.”

Under normal circumstances, she would probably still be bleeding or have a big gash; instead, her cut had healed as if she’d never had one. “The pain was already gone when we were out of Olympus.” The pain was gone when you touched me, she wanted to say, but couldn’t.

“You were pretty awesome back there. Where did you learn to fight like that?”

“My mom made me take a self-defense class. You know…just in case.”

“I better remember not to piss you off.”

Skylar giggled shyly, then became serious. “This isn’t over, is it?”

“I think it is for now, but she’ll be back. We’ll have to keep our guard up. At least we know who the vultures get their orders from. When we see them, we’ll know she’s around. No more talking. You should go to bed.”

After tucking in, Skylar scooted to the edge of her side of the bed. Lying next to Mason was not her idea of comforting sleep…being next to him made her stomach flutter with nervousness and happiness. Feeling restless, she curled her legs in, then out, and then back in. Her arms did the same. She wanted to turn her body to him to see if he was asleep, but she couldn’t.

“Sky. Stop moving and go to sleep,” Mason said. His tone sounded groggy.

Skylar froze. She was trying not to disturb him, but the questions she had were eating at her.

“You can ask me one question,” he said, as if he knew she was itching to ask.

“I can ask you one question?”

“Yes, Echo.”

Skylar giggled inwardly. Though she claimed she didn’t liked being called that, it had become their inside joke. It was a special nickname, and she didn’t mind it so much. Recalling his tattoo, she was dying to ask him the significance of it. “Why do you have the lightning tattoo on your arm?” She heard him sigh softly, seeming to hesitate before he answered.

“It’s very personal, but…I’ll tell you,” he mumbled softly. “I got that tattoo shortly after my mom passed away. In a way, it helped me to accept who I am and the powers I was given, even though I didn’t have a choice. It is a reminder for me to use it wisely, responsibly, and to protect others who can’t defend themselves against evil…you know something corny like ‘with great power comes great responsibility’…like how they said it in the
Spiderman
movie.”

Wow! She did not expect that at all. How beautiful his words were…how beautiful he was. Knowing it was personal and knowing he had shared it with her, she was simply stunned, but she could only think of one lame word to say, “Oh….” Then she remembered how it radiated when he used his powers. “Your tattoo glowed when you used your powers. I saw it light up.”

“I always glow,” he said matter-of-factly with a note of arrogance in his tone, seeming to not want to answer the question.

She would have agreed, though she wasn’t quite sure what he meant, but she didn’t want to fatten his ego even more so she said nothing. Then she changed the subject, hoping he would answer more of her questions before he decided not to. “Are you afraid of me?”

“If I was, do you think you would be in my bed right now?”

Skylar thought about what Mason said and realized she’d asked a stupid question. “Do you like me? I mean…could you like me as a friend, with the dark side and all?”

“I said only one question. That was three, but I’ll answer. Yes.”

“Do you think I’m evil?”

“No. Now you’ve asked four. No more.” He exhaled an irritated sigh. “Sky…turn around.”

When Skylar turned, Mason was inches away. With his elbow on the pillow, his fist under his chin holding up his head, he looked down at her. Trying not to look into his eyes, she focused on his lips instead—not a good idea.

“What do I have to do or say to convince you that I don’t think you’re evil?”

“I…I’m…nothing.” Skylar couldn’t speak, let alone concentrate on her thoughts. He was so close that if she raised her head just an inch, his lips would be on hers. But she couldn’t stop the heat tingling throughout her body. She wanted to be mad at him so she wouldn’t have these feelings, and it didn’t take long. He started being rude again.

“Next time, don’t come to my rescue. It could’ve all gone wrong. You could’ve gotten yourself killed.”

The “I want you” tingles got shot away as he spoke. “What do you mean? You want me to ignore the note I got and…and just let bad things happen to you?”

“Yes. You should care about your own life and not mine. If anything happened to you….”

With both of her hands on his chest pressing lightly, Skylar was just about to push him away when she realized he’d said something sweet—”If anything happened to you”—but he never finished. “You would what?”

“Why did you come?” he continued.

“Because…because….” Smoothly, as if her hands had a mind of their own, they ran up his muscular chest, over his shoulders, and down to the curve of his biceps. She couldn’t believe what she was doing.

Lost in Skylar’s touch, he blinked when she stopped and snapped out of his daze. “Because…you care? Well, you shouldn’t.” Suddenly, his soft tone sharpened. His eyes fluttered with pain, sorrow, and anger under his eyelashes. “You shouldn’t care. I’m no good for you. I won’t return the care.” He snatched her hands, pinned them against the pillow with both hands on either side, and fixated his eyes on hers sternly. “No matter what you do, I won’t care. My walls are too thick, sealed up tight. No one can break them…not Nick, not Everett, not Amanda, and certainly not you. So don’t waste your time. I’m broken, and you can’t fix broken people.”