Sentinel [Covenant #5] (9 page)

reason, I couldn’t help but look at Deacon. He flushed. “I am not a strategist, not like Ares.” The look on Seth’s face said he was wondering why Apollo was here then, but before he could vocalize that opinion, another fissure of energy whipped through the air. The aether in my veins hummed, and the marks raced to the surface. Seth and I stiffened in anticipation. A shimmery blue form appeared and then solidified beside Apollo. A second before, there had been nothing but a glittery waterfall, and now there was a tall brunette woman dressed in a tailored business suit. Her hair was pulled up in a tight bun, which did nothing to lessen the ethereal beauty of her face. In her slim, almost delicate-looking hands, she held a rolled parchment. Gods were like opossums. You could go your whole life without seeing one, but once you found one of them, you found the whole freaky family. Every pure in the room bowed, leaving Seth and me standing straight like two douches. We apparently were a little slow on the show of respect. The goddess didn’t seem to notice or care. “Athena, please meet the, uh…Army of Awesome.” Apollo arched a brow. “Or whatever they are calling themselves.” The goddess of wisdom, strategy, and a whole slew of other things inclined her head. “Nice title.” “Nice suit,” I said, my gaze dipping to her pointy heels. Her all-white eyes centered on me, and one side of her lips tipped up. “I picked it up at Saks along with this amazing leather satchel and these to-die-for shoes.” “Oh.” I slid Aiden a glance. He studiously ignored me. “They’re very nice, too.” She strode forward, placing the parchment on the desk. Marcus swallowed and stepped to the side, giving the goddess a wide berth. It was a map. A really crudely drawn map of trees, mountains that looked like upside-down Vs, and stick people. Apparently, drawing was not one of Athena’s skills. “The plan, and I assume that has not changed,” she paused, passing an arched look between Seth and me, “will require the God Killer to get close to Ares. Currently, he’s camped out—” “In the Catskills,” Seth interrupted, and I thought of my father. He was there. Seth came forward, eyeing the map. “He’s got around the same number of Sentinels that I have here with me, plus mortals. All of them are under compulsion.” “Ares’ compulsion?” Marcus asked, and when Seth nodded, my uncle sighed. “There’s no way to break a compulsion from a god, is there?” “Not unless you take out the god, or so we assume,” Apollo said. “Dionysus has confirmed that the mortal encampment is several miles out from the Catskills.” “We would have to get past them, and then get through the walls of the New York Covenant, which are guarded by Sentinels.” Seth tapped his finger along what appeared to be an uneven brick wall,squinting. “But that’s not all. Ares is heavily guarded.” “Guarded by what?” I asked. “Daimons,” Seth said, looking away. “And you know how he’s controlling them.” My stomach roiled. I did. He was feeding them pures and probably halfs—dinner in exchange for loyalty. I remembered the days when the Council didn’t believe daimons could reason. Now the daimons had most likely drained those Council members dry. “And the automatons.” Athena glanced at Apollo. “Hephaestus has completely lost control of them.” The god sighed. “Don’t start.” Her eyes narrowed. “I warned all of you that using them was a bad idea. We had no idea what god was responsible for this, and using a creature designed for war without such knowledge was a poor plan.” It was. The half-machine, half-bull fire-breathing creatures had turned on us and were now under Ares’ control. “So not only will your…” Her nose wrinkled. “Your Army of Awesome have to get past the mortals, they will have to face Sentinels, daimons and automatons before even reaching Ares.” Aiden folded his arms. “That is, if he doesn’t come after us the moment we set foot out of the University.” “He won’t.” Athena tapped her finger down on a square, which I assumed was the Covenant building. “He knows how heavily entrenched he is, and moving an army would make him vulnerable to attack. Before the First left him, he would’ve risked it. But not now that he knows the God Killer is coming for him. He will remain where he is and wait for you to come to him. He knows you will suffer losses in the process.” The truth weighed heavily. We would suffer losses. “Getting past the mortals will not be hard,” she continued. “The loss of their lives will be unfortunate, but we have to sacrifice the few to save the many. Then there are the Sentinels, daimons and automatons, but it is fighting Ares that will take everything.” “We can’t just zap him with a God Killer bolt and call it a day?” I asked. Athena arched a brow. “It’s not like he’s going to stand still and allow you to do that, and we know what happened last time you faced off with him.” “Thanks for the reminder,” I muttered. “It is only to serve a much-needed point. None of you are trained to battle a god, let alone Ares. Even I couldn’t prepare you, not effectively. He can and will outmaneuver and out-plan you, and he knows that.” Athena waved a hand over the map, and it disappeared. Neat trick. I was jealous. “So are you saying that we cannot defeat him, not even with the God Killer?” Marcus asked, and the crinkled skin around his eyes appeared more noticeable. “No.” She faced us and hopped up on the desk, demurely crossing her legs. “War is partially strength, partially skill, and partially psychological. We have the strength in the Apollyons and the Sentinels, but we do not have the skill, and we do not have anything that will put Ares at unease. Without the last two factors, we will not succeed.” I frowned. “Are you also the goddess of depressing facts?” Apollo snorted. “I am just being realistic,” she stated coolly. “But I do have an idea.” Here we go. A bit of excitement thrummed through me. An idea was better than everything else she’d been spouting, because right now, I didn’t need Phobos and Deimos inside my head to believe we were embarking on a suicide mission. “It is a risky idea, but we really have no other choice. If the God Killer fails, it will be an all-out war, and we know what happened the last time the gods went to war,” Athena said.Aiden shifted his weight. “Thousands died.” “And it will be millions this time.” Apollo studied the goddess. “What is your idea?” A small smile appeared. “We use Perses.” Apollo stiffened, and I didn’t understand the reaction. “The demigod? Are we going to go slay Medusa or something?” “No. Not Perseus. Perses.” I stared at her. “Okay. I’ll admit, I slept or doodled through most of my classes. I have no idea who you’re talking about.” “That is a lovely discovery.” Marcus pierced me with his Dean of Academics stare. I withered like a poor little flower left out in the sun without water. “Perses is the god of destruction and war,” Apollo explained, eyes wide. “He was nearly indestructible and nearly unstoppable.” I shook my head as I glanced at Aiden, relieved to see he looked just as clueless as me. “Okay. Is there another god of war that I’m unaware of?” “You guys populate like rabbits,” Seth added, grinning slightly. “It could be possible we haven’t heard of him.” Deacon’s lips twitched, but Athena’s next words knocked the smile off his face and silenced the entire room. “No,” she said. “Perses is not an Olympian. He is the Titan god of destruction.”CHAPTER 11I gaped at the goddess in what must have been the most unattractive manner known to man. “A Titan?” I squeaked out. “A mother-freaking Titan?” Athena nodded. “A Titan.” “Whoa.” Aiden ran his hand through his hair before clasping the back of his neck. He turned sideways, shaking his head. “Wasn’t expecting that.” “I don’t think anyone was expecting that.” Apollo stepped toward Athena. “Let’s break down this idea step-by-step. How would we be able to use Perses? The last time I checked, he was in Tartarus.” “He is still there.” Athena tipped her chin up. “And as you know, he is not dead. He is only entombed.” “And how do you think we’re going to release him?” Apollo demanded, brows slashed. “Zeus would never agree to this.” “I am Zeus’ favorite child.” Her smile beamed. Apollo’s blue eyes rolled. “That’s something to be proud of.” She tsked softly. “I can get him to agree to anything, and he’s desperate, Apollo. You know that’s true. The last thing he wants is a full-out war.” “The last thing he wants is to do anything. That lazy son of—” “True.” Athena raised her hands. “But I will get his backing.” “Okay. So if you get his backing, what about Hades? He will never agree to releasing Perses,” Apollo argued. “He will if Zeus demands it.” Apollo laughed deeply, and the sound shook the chairs. “Hades controls the Underworld. He will deny it just because Father demands it.” “I’m sure you can get Hades to understand and agree. That will be up to you.” She tapped her manicured fingers on her bent knee. “And you know how Hades likes to make a deal.” Last time I’d seen Hades, he’d wanted to kill me. This idea was going downhill fast. “All right, let’s say we get Hades to agree to release Perses. How in the world would we be able to control him?” Apollo asked. “Perses is just one Titan. He is powerful and a bit…crazy, but Ares nearly died by his hands during the war, if you remember correctly. Perses can train the God Killer. He could train hundreds of our people to fight. We will have the skill, and we will have the psychological upper hand.” She smiled again. “Besides, Perses will do anything to be free. Any of the Titans would. Put the fear of gods in him, or whatever it is the mortals say. Make him behave, and in return, Hades can give him better accommodations.” “Oh, this is rich.” Apollo laughed. “You’re serious about releasing a Titan?” Seth blinked slowly, as if coming out of a daze. When Athena simply nodded, he turned to me. “Ares would never expect it.” There were honestly no words. From what I remembered about the Titans, those who stood against Zeus had been imprisoned since they could not truly be killed. Titans were badass, like “they put the ‘bad’ in badass” kind of badass. The last time they were topside, it had been a bloodbath. No one, not even the Olympians, messed with the Titans. And now we were talking about unchaining one and working with it? And hoping for the best? Oh, this had apocalypse written all over it.And people thought I made bad decisions? But Seth was right, and so was Athena. Ares would never expect something as crazy as this. Perses was the Titan god of war and destruction. If anyone could prepare us for coming face to face with Ares again, it would be him and no one else. “Okay,” I said, letting out a deep breath. “Let’s unleash a Titan on the unsuspecting world.” The others agreed, and plans were made to meet with Hades. The atmosphere was much better, and that probably had to do with the absence of Phobos and Deimos and the fact that we had something, no matter how crazy, to work with. Still, I couldn’t help but think we might be making the whole situation worse. *** I knew Seth wasn’t being housed in the cell anymore, but I also knew he wasn’t in this dorm. There were others, and he’d wisely chosen one that didn’t house a decent number of people who wanted to commit an act of homicide when they were around him. And it had put some much-needed distance between us. The stupid cord in me wasn’t happy about the separation, but it had ceased its incessant buzzing and humming. I liked to think that I was gaining some control over the obsessive need to be near Seth, and if both of us survived this, it was something we both needed to work on. We would survive this. I couldn’t allow myself to think anything else. When Deimos and Phobos had been inside me, it was all I could think about. We would fail. I would die. Those I loved would die. Now that their influence was gone, I felt like myself again. Things weren’t all rainbows and puppy tails. I could still lose people, and after I discovered there was a good chance the Olympians would take out my rosey-red behind after fighting Ares, there had been moments when I wanted to find a corner to rock in. But I was a born fighter, and I would fight. That’s who I was at the core. Alone in my room, I stripped out of my clothes and kidnapped another one of Aiden’s shirts to sleep in. The soft, well-worn cotton slipped over my head and ended at the thigh. I wasn’t sure if he was truly okay with me hijacking his clothes, but he wasn’t there and I simply liked his shirts. Dragging myself to the bed, I tucked my legs under the covers and rolled onto my side, facing the door. The last I’d seen of Aiden, he’d left with Marcus to go over the newest developments with Solos and the crew. As exhausted as I was, I had bowed out of the third meeting with the Army of Awesome. There was just too much going on in my head to face everyone. Lying there, waiting for Aiden to return, I told myself again that we were actually planning to release a Titan. Crazy pants right there. Obviously, I’d never met a Titan, and a part of me was excited by the prospect of coming face-to-face with such a legendary being. A freaking Titan. I gave a sleepy snort. My eyelids grew heavier as the minutes ticked by. I didn’t want to fall asleep, because there was so much I needed to talk with Aiden about, but I was sinking through the bed. After Deimos and Phobos had been yanked out of me, the emotional storm that had followed had been a cleansing of sorts, but it had also tuckered me out. I realized then that I hadn’t thanked Seth. That was the last thing I remembered thinking before I felt something warm and slightly rough graze my cheek. Stirring restlessly, I forced my eyes open. “Aiden,” I whispered. A slight smile appeared on his full lips. His hand stilled on my cheek. “I didn’t mean to wake you up.” “It’s okay. I didn’t mean to fall asleep. I was waiting for you.”“You need to sleep, but I…” His thumb smoothed on my cheek again. “I couldn’t stop myself from touching you.” A wealth of warmth blossomed in my chest at those words, and then spread when I realized that Aiden was under the covers and he was shirtless. Maybe even pantsless. “I’m not complaining.” In the soft light from the nightstand, his eyes were a luminous silver. “How are you feeling?” Wiggling closer, I bit back a sigh as his hand slid around the nape of my neck. “I feel…I feel
good. I mean, hurling up those gods changed things. That was crazy, right?” His lashes swept his cheeks and then lifted. The intensity in his gaze was consuming. “It isn’t something you see every day.” My lips tipped up at the corners. “It’s a relief to know that a lot of what I was feeling wasn’t coming from me.” “I have to agree.” His knee rose under the covers, and soft flannel brushed my bare legs. Damn. He did have pants on. “Want to talk?” What I really wanted to do was cross the scant distance between our mouths, but I did need to talk to him. There had been so much I’d held back while the gods had been squatting in my head, and there was so much Aiden needed to know, so I told him everything from how I’d felt when I fought Ares to what it was like the moment all those violent emotions rose to the surface. When I was done, he smoothed his hand over my cheek. His hand had stayed on me the whole time. “Do you feel that way now—the way you felt with Ares?” I met his gaze as I placed my hand against his warm chest. “I think there will still be moments when it…well, when it sucks, but I don’t want to die. I’m glad I didn’t.” I laughed, a little embarrassed. “I don’t feel that way anymore.” “Good.” Aiden inched his head over and kissed me so softly, like he was being cautious, and then pulled back. He slipped his hand off my cheek, placing it over where mine rested against his chest. “It killed me, Alex, when I heard you admit that to Seth. All I wanted to do was go in there and hold you, figure out some way to make it better.” “I’m okay now.” I turned my hand over and threaded my fingers through his. “But I’m still scared.” “That’s normal.” “I know. And I know it’s okay to be scared.” He squeezed my hand. “Damn. I should record that statement.” I laughed, and it was a real sound. It was good. “I never thanked Seth, and I need to, Aiden. He helped me calm down. He didn’t try to manipulate me. If it hadn’t been for him, I would’ve brought that building down.” His eyes latched onto mine. “About Seth…” Swallowing heavily, I prepared myself. “I can’t blame the gods for that. I knew what I was doing when I went to see Seth. I should’ve woken you and told you where I was going. That was my fault.” “He was right,” he said, as if he hadn’t heard me. I blinked. “What?” “The little bastard was right.” He let out a heavy sigh. “I was jealous when I found you with him. I was jealous afterward. I am still jealous.” “I—” “I heard what you said,” he stated quietly, not looking away. “I heard you say that you loved him.” My eyes widened and my stomach dropped as a horrible feeling opened up in my chest. How had I forgotten that he’d overheard me saying that too? For a moment, I didn’t know what to say. Awkward didn’t even cover it. “I did say that, but it’s not the same—” “Same way you feel about me.” His eyes shut briefly. “I know. I honestly know it’s not, but hearing that…? I wanted to punch him. I still do for various reasons, but mostly because I know that there willalways be a part of you that does love him. That you two will have this connection for the rest of our lives, and that’s something I can never compete with.” An ache opened up in my chest, and I closed the distance between us, practically crawling onto him. “I’m sorry.” His brows rose as he rolled onto his back, wrapping an arm around my waist. “For what, Alex? I should say I’m sorry. I was a dick to you because of my stupid jealousy. You shouldn’t have to apologize.” “But you shouldn’t have to deal with a freaky Apollyon connection.” I peered down at him. “What normal couples have to deal with that?” “We deal with a lot of things normal couples don’t deal with,” he replied dryly. “I know! That’s why I’m sorry you have to deal with…with Seth and me on top of everything else. If it was me, and you were connected to someone, I’d probably stab her in the eyeball every time I saw her.” Aiden’s lips quirked up lazily. “Really?” “It’s not funny.” I smacked his chest lightly. “I would. I wouldn’t be able to deal with it, so I totally get your jealousy. I just don’t want you to feel that way, because I love you. I’m in love with you. Forever and ever, and all the corny things I can attach to that.” He chuckled deeply, and the sound brought a smile to my face. “I know you do. And I have to work on not hating him for this. I have to remember that there are other reasons to want to kill Seth.” I laughed, and he rewarded me with another tender kiss that curled my toes. It didn’t go any further than that. He guided my head down to where his heart beat steadily in his chest. I wanted to take that kiss further, but the moment my cheek hit his skin, I found my head too heavy to lift. Aiden told me how the rest of the group had taken the news about releasing Perses. He also had explained to them that Apollo had checked Seth out, and the First could be trusted…as far as anyone could really trust Seth. Then he explained to them about the evil god twins, and for that I was eternally grateful. That was the last thing I wanted to explain all over again. I didn’t take long for me to drift back off to sleep as Aiden talked, not with the rise and fall of his chest luring me off or with his hand playing in my hair. I wasn’t sure how comfortable it was for Aiden, considering I was sprawled half on top of him, but when I woke in the morning, neither of us had moved. I was still on my side, one leg thrown over his and my cheek on his chest. Pleasant pressure built inside me. I wanted a million mornings of waking up like this. I was going to have those mornings. I stayed there for a little while, feeling and listening to Aiden breathe. My mind started to wander over so many things—Seth, my father, my friends, the state of things for half-bloods, the future if we defeated Ares, and what would happen if we failed. By the time I got tired of where my mind had gone, half his body had to be numb. I started to push off. Aiden’s other arm swung around with startling quickness, and his hand landed just above my knee. “Where do you think you’re going?” he asked, voice gruff from sleep and from…from something else. A flutter started in my stomach as I raised my head to look down at him. His dark waves were going in every direction. His eyes were heavy-hooded, and his lashes were thick. The slight stubble on his jaw pushed over the edge into dangerous territory. Only Aiden could look so sexily sleep-ruffled. “Nowhere?” “Sounds about right.” One hand curled around the edges of my hair while the other crept up my thigh, causing me to shiver. “How long have you been awake?” “Not long.” My gaze dropped to his mouth. Those lips were perfect. He made a deep sound in his chest, and that flutter picked up in my stomach. “What time is it?” “No clue.” I couldn’t tear my gaze away from his lips. “But I think we might’ve slept in.” “Maybe.” The hand slipped up to my neck, and he guided my mouth to his. There was a quick flash of concern over brushing my teeth and kicking morning breath, but that worry went out the window themoment our lips touched. The kiss was slow, lazy, and never-ending. It felt like forever since he’d kissed me like that when, in reality, it had really only been a handful of hours, but I lost myself in that kiss, in Aiden. And kissing him now was nothing like it had been those hours before. I felt the pressure, the intense sweetness, and the love behind every stroke of his tongue and sweep of his lips, to my very soul. The hand in my hair tightened while the other traveled north, up my thigh, and then over the curve of my hip. Aiden’s hand stilled and then swept back down, causing me to suck in a sharp breath. He pulled his mouth away from mine and opened his eyes. They were a pure, heated silver. “You’re not wearing anything under this shirt, are you? Like, at all?” I giggled. “I think you know the answer to that.” He had to, especially considering where his hand drifted to in that moment. I wasn’t giggling anymore. I was barely breathing. He made that sound again, that absolutely sexy male sound that rumbled through him and then me. “You’re killing me, agapi mou.” “I’m sure that’s not what I’m doing to you.” Aiden moved lightning fast. He rolled me onto my back and was above me, on me, pressing his leg between mine. His lips found mine like they’d been born to do so. This kiss was different. Hungry. Starving. My hands slid up the hard sides of his stomach and then onto his back. Those sculptured muscles flexed under my hands as the kiss deepened until my senses were spinning. There was probably a lot to do today. Some would also say there were a lot more important things we could be doing at this very moment. I would argue against that point voraciously, because there was nothing more important than this. Not when those wonderfully rough hands skimmed under the borrowed shirt. His hips rocked against mine, and a fire raced throughout my blood. I wrapped my fingers around the band of his pajama bottoms. “Agapi mou, I’ve missed you.” His lips moved across my jaw and trailed a heated, shivery path down my throat, and then back to my lips. “I need you.” My heart stuttered. “Yes.” Who knows what I was really saying yes to? Anything at that point. Karate chop a few daimons while I was naked? Sure. Do trig formulas for fun? Okay. As long as he kept kissing me, kept calling me agapi mou, and kept touching me, I’d say yes to a lot of things. Too bad we weren’t doing this while I was still in school. I could’ve used his kisses as an amazing studying incentive. His hand hooked around my hip, urging me to wrap my leg around his, and I stopped thinking. If only I got these damn pants off— A sudden pop and crackle preceded the overwhelming and very unwelcome presence of a god. Aiden’s lips stilled against mine. My eyes popped up, latching onto his quicksilver ones. No way. I refused to believe it. No freaking way. “Hades will be here in twenty minutes,” Apollo announced from somewhere way too close to the bed. “Either speed this up or pick it up later, kids.” “Oh my gods,” I whispered, horrified. “Oh, and I hope you two are being responsible,” Apollo added. And then he was gone. There was a muffled, hoarse shout from a room nearby. “Damn him,” Aiden muttered, dropping his head onto my shoulder. He shuddered. “Damn him to the Underworld and back again.” My cheeks burned. “A bell—the first chance we get, we are buying him a bell.”CHAPTER 12A god popping in and out of your bedroom was, unsurprisingly, a major mood killer. After Apollo vanished, neither of us was willing to risk him coming back with a ten-minute warning. Aiden had offered to speed up the get-ready-together process by sharing a shower. From the bed, I raised my brows. “I don’t think that would be a quick shower.” “You’re right.” He backed toward the bathroom door, his pajama bottoms hanging too low on his hips to be legal. “Can’t blame me for trying.” He disappeared, and I flopped onto my back, groaning. I was going to ninja-kick Apollo in the face when I saw him. Today, I didn’t put jeans on. I wore my Sentinel uniform. My hair was still damp when we headed to the dean’s office. I don’t know why we had to keep meeting in there. It wasn’t so much because of what Ares had done in that room but because there were a lot of stairs to climb. A lot. The whole crew waited inside the office, and I knew Apollo was in there with Hades. I ran my hand over my arm, watching the marks glide seamlessly across my skin. “Itchy?” Aiden asked. I shrugged a shoulder. “The marks always go crazy when there are gods nearby.” As we walked toward the dean’s office, he reached over, trailing his fingers along my arms. “Do they still react when I touch you?” Heat crawled through my veins, and I nodded. The marks had followed the path of his touch. “Yeah, they still like you.” One side of his lips curled up, and a look of male pride crossed his face. I shook my head. Boys. We entered the office, and all the godly power in the room, plus Seth’s presence, was a bit overwhelming at first. I clenched my hands into fists to keep myself from bouncing off the walls or monkey-climbing Seth. The two gods stood a good head taller than everyone else. They were shoulder to shoulder, but they couldn’t have been more opposite of one another. Where Apollo was all golden skin and sunlight, Hades was dark as night. Aiden sent Seth a downright frightening glare as he strolled toward the people clustered around the two gods. At least he didn’t punch Seth, so that was a start in the right direction. I guessed. Seth lingered in the back, leaning against the wall as he eyed the two gods with an edge of distrust. I took a deep breath and approached him. A new wariness crept into his expression. “What’s up?” he asked. “I didn’t say thank you.” One golden brow rose. “For what?” “For helping me out yesterday,” I explained, turning so we stood side by side. “I didn’t say thank you, so thank you.” “You’ve said thank you three times now.” “Yeah.” I leaned against the wall. “I can say it again, if you want.” Seth turned sideways, facing me. When he spoke, his voice was low and held a biting, hard edge to it. “I don’t want you to say it at all.”I arched a brow, but before he could elaborate, Marcus cleared his throat, drawing my attention. Two gods stared at us. I swallowed. Eerie. At least Apollo had normal eyes. Hades, on the other hand, looked like someone had forgotten to give him irises and pupils. Seth pushed off and went to stand by the opposite wall, his back stiff and shoulders tensed. The gods tracked his movement like lions watching a gazelle. Then Hades turned to me. The god’s lips spread into a tight smile. “Nice to see you again, Love.” With the exception of wanting to kill me that one time, Hades was an exceptionally gorgeous man. And he had a British accent, which made him that much hotter. I had no idea why Hades had one, and I’d yet to hear another god with the same accent. “No puppies this time?” I asked. His eyes narrowed at the reminder. The last time we’d met, it had been in a convenience store in Middle of Nowhere, West Virginia, and I’d taken out a few of his prized three-headed hellhounds. “No puppies. Yet.” Dressed in a sleeveless tunic, Hades’ biceps flexed as he folded his arms. “So, it’s true?” He swept the rest of the room with an arch look. Olivia shrank back, her normally caramelcolored skin pale. Hades’ grin spread. “You all have a favor to ask of me?” Marcus