The Return
Page 55

Marcus blinked as he shook his head. “Seth, she isn’t one of us.”
“I didn’t say that she was, but thanks for pointing out the obvious,” he replied, and white lines formed around Marcus’s mouth. “She isn’t one of us. She’s completely different.”
Solos arched a brow. “You gonna give us details or drag this out as long as possible?”
I thought for a second that Seth was going to wing something at Solos’s head, maybe one of those sharp blades, but he sat beside me, so close that his entire leg pressed against mine. “Are you all aware of what happened with the Titans?”
Across from us, Marcus straightened. “Of course. And we’ve taken the necessary steps to ensure that our students and those here are safe, and not only from them.”
Seth smirked. “Message received,” he replied, and I had no idea what that meant. “So you’re warded against the Titans.”
He nodded. “We are, but what does this have to do with her?”
I wondered how you could ward against something as powerful and scary as Hyperion. Probably involved the blood of a dozen virgins or something equally archaic and creepy.
Seth leaned forward, meeting the brightest green eyes I’ve ever seen, and then he dropped the bomb. “Josie is Apollo’s daughter. She’s a demigod.”
Marcus and Solos swung their gazes on me. Both men’s eyes were wide, and they stared at me like I had suddenly morphed into a three-headed dragon. “No,” Marcus said. “There aren’t any demigods on Earth, and anyway, we would sense her if she was one. What kind of—?”
“Her powers are bound, Marcus. That’s why you don’t sense her. And she’s not the only one,” Seth explained as he reached over, clamping his hand on my knee, stilling it.
“Sorry,” I muttered, casting my gaze to his hand. As Seth started talking again, explaining to our rapt audience what I was, how many of us there were, and all of that good stuff, he kept his hand on my knee. I stared at the long, elegant fingers. Graceful, but deadly.
The weight of his hand made me feel funny, and I didn’t like it at the same time I acknowledged there was something comforting about the pressure, almost grounding.
“Gods,” Marcus murmured, drawing my attention to him. He was still staring at me. “A demigod—a born demigod. Never thought I’d be around to see that.”
I squirmed uncomfortably, and Seth removed his hand. “Apollo told me to bring her here. She needs to be kept safe, Marcus, until the rest of the demigods can be located.”
The next breath I took hitched. Why did I care if I was just a job to Seth? It wasn’t like he was Erin, but for some reason, knowing that he’d also been ordered to be a part of my life, no matter how brief, also stung like I’d walked into a nest of hornets.
“Yes.” He blinked, looking away for a moment before his gaze moved right back to me. “She’s very important.”
This was getting really awkward, but at least he wasn’t kicking me out on my butt. I needed to use this to my advantage. “I want to be trained,” I announced, and yep, everyone was really staring at me again, including Seth. “Like the…the Sentinels. Can you do that while I’m here?”
Marcus sat back as he rubbed two fingers over his brow. “Trained?” He glanced at Seth and then shook his head. “Josie, our Sentinels are trained from—”
“From the age of eight. I know, but I got my butt handed to me twice—when we ran into daimons, and then Hyperion. I couldn’t do anything as those…those things bit into me like I was a cheeseburger. Then Hyperion handled me like I was a ragdoll. And he used these things…these shades to kill my—” My voice cracked, and I swallowed hard. “To kill my grandparents, and I couldn’t do anything. I’m absolutely helpless if he gets in here.”
“Josie—” Seth started.
“You’re planning on leaving, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t someone here that can help me.” I turned my gaze to the Dean. “Please. What can it hurt? If not, I’m just going to be sitting around, right? I can’t do that. I can’t just sit here. I have to do something. Please.” And then I laid the only cards I had on the table. It was a crappy thing to do, but I had no choice. “If you can’t do it, then I can’t stay here.”
Seth whipped toward me, eyes narrowing into angry amber slits. “You are staying here.”
“No one can watch me twenty-four hours a day. I’m smart. I’ll find my way out.” I met his glare with my own. “If no one can do this, then I’m out. And wouldn’t that suck, being how important I am?”
His mouth opened as he stared at me. “I didn’t just bring you halfway across the United States, get you to a place that is safe, for you to do something as incredibly stupid as threaten to leave. Do you have a death wish?”
“Do you?” I shot back.
He cocked his head to the side. “That response doesn’t even make sense.”
“Whatever,” I snapped, crossing my arms. “I don’t even like you and I didn’t ask for your opinion.”
“You’re going to get my opinion, like it or not, Joe.” His eyes flashed a bright tawny color. “You’re not going to risk your life because you’re not getting your way.”
“Why do you even care?” I shouted, throwing my hands up. “Seriously? So shut up, Sethie.”