The Power
Page 82

Josie spoke up. “Everything is fine. Thanks.”
“I don’t know about that,” the man replied. “Doesn’t seem like it’s okay.” He started toward us, steps purposeful and precise. “Seems like something is going on here.”
My eyes narrowed as Josie tensed beside me. The moment he got close enough to see his eyes, I cursed. They were watery, washed out, and devoid of most color.
The man was possessed by a shade.
“Hercules,” I snapped.
Thank the gods, he got the message. Head bowing, the massive lump of flesh and muscles charged forward with a smirk.
Knowing what was up, the shade stepped back. “You stupid cattle,” it spit. “Give it up now. My liege will make it painless—”
Hercules slammed his fist into the man’s jaw. Bone cracked. The impact spun the man around in a full, perfect circle. He started to go down, but the man jerked once and then twice. Mid-fall, his back arched and his mouth dropped open.
He let out a horrible screeching sound, like metal grinding on metal, and the black smoke poured out of its mouth, flooding the sky.
“Holy shit.” Gable fell back against the side of the SUV. “Holy. Shit.”
The black smoke spiraled like a mini-tornado before arching down sharply. Hercules grabbed at it, his fingers going through the smoke. It shot across the side of the road, zig-zagging like a damn snake. Then it was out in the road, dodging traffic until it was no longer seen.
“We really need to go before anyone questions that or the dead guy.” Josie opened the passenger door. “Like, for real.”
Good call.
“You saw that?” I asked Gable, and when he didn’t answer, I tapped the side of his face. He blinked rapidly. “We aren’t messing around here. You get me now? That thing was after you.”
“Me? I-I don’t understand. I’m not anything special.”
“I’m something special. You’re kind of special.” Hercules sidled up beside us. “But I already told you. You’re the son of Poseidon, and the Titans want you because they can feed off you.”
“Oh,” Gable murmured, dazed. “You did tell me that.”
“Yep.” Hercules smiled.
Gable wasn’t struggling as I shoved him into the back of the SUV. What he’d just seen had sucked the fight right out of him. Alex was on one side of him, Hercules was on the other.
I caught Herc’s attention. “Keep him under control.”
He one-finger saluted me.
Rolling my eyes, I shut the door and as I passed Josie, who was getting in, I smacked her ass. Yeah, not exactly the most appropriate time, but I wasn’t the most appropriate person. Her head whipped around, and I winked. She shook her head as she got in, closing the door behind her. A second later, I was behind the steering wheel and then easing out into traffic.
It wouldn’t take long before someone saw the body. We were going to have to ditch this car and lay low.
“You hanging in there?” Josie twisted around and asked.
Gable looked up and slowly turned his head left, then right. “Dude, that was . . . that was some Supernatural shit right there.”
Alex choked on her laugh. “Man, Deacon is going to love you.”
“What is Supernatural ?” Hercules asked, frowning.
“You watched Laguna Beach, but not Supernatural ?” Alex scowled at the demigod. “Man, that is just wrong on so many different levels.”
As they went back and forth, my attention flipped between the road and the back seat. We had Poseidon’s son, but that shade was still out there, and where there was one, there were more.
And then there were Titans.
Josie
If Gable wasn’t already thoroughly overwhelmed, bringing him to a motel that I was sure had witnessed a ton of overdoses and one or a hundred sex-for-money acts a week, and then introducing him to the rest of the crew, tipped him all the way over the edge.
All of us crammed into a small motel room that smelled of mothballs. Solos was standing by the window, forever on lookout. Next to Alex was Aiden, leaning against the faded green wall. He’d taken the SUV and ditched it, returning with a white Yukon he’d said would not, under any circumstances, be reported as missing.
He’d used a compulsion.
Something I had yet to try. Mainly because it still didn’t feel right to mess with someone’s thoughts. I kept that opinion to myself, though, because I was sure that it wouldn’t be welcome. I’d probably be laughed at a little.
Deacon and Luke were sitting on the floor. Brave guys. Seth was lounging in front of the door. Somehow, and no one wanted to look a gift horse in the mouth, Herc was asleep, his snore drowning out conversation every couple of minutes.
Gable sat in a worn chair by a small, scuffed table, and I sat on the edge of the bed. He’d listened to everything we had to say, giving him an introduction to the whole world of pure-bloods and half-bloods. Everyone helped out, touching on the war with Ares and everything that had gone down worldwide because of that. I explained, as best as I could, the whole “you’re a demigod, but your powers are locked and we need to defeat the Titans” thing.
His wide, startled gaze roamed through the room, and when I had a feeling he was starting to not believe us again, everyone in the room who could control the elements gave him a little show.
Hours went by as we answered his questions. Well, as the other people answered his questions, because, unsurprisingly, I didn’t know the answers to some of what he was asking.