He was cracking jokes. A little of her embarrassment ebbed. “I guess you could say that.”
She swallowed. “My mother eventually reached Egypt, and Zeus did rid her of Hera’s curse. And there she married an Egyptian king—Telegonus—my stepfather. But when Zeus found out what had transpired between Prometheus and my mother, he came looking for me.”
“Wait. I know this one too. Prometheus foresaw that a descendent of Io’s would lead to the downfall of Zeus.”
She nodded again. He didn’t look shocked anymore. Just…interested. And that calmed her anxiety. “I was in my late twenties by then. I had only recently been told about Prometheus. When Zeus appeared in the form of a dove, I wasn’t afraid. I mean, doves aren’t scary, right? It was only after—after he took me away from my home—that I realized why.”
“So he froze you in some kind of perfect state for more than three thousand years? Why didn’t he just kill you?”
“Because by killing me, he’d also kill the fire element. And he knew he’d one day need it.”
“How did you get away?”
“I have no memories of that time. It was like being in a coma. One day you fall asleep, the next you wake up and years have gone by. Only in my case, it was thousands of years. I don’t know what changed, but for some reason, I came awake. I was in a cave high in the mountains of Greece. I didn’t wait around to see who—if anyone—had saved me. I got as far from there as I could. Then, after I’d adjusted to the changes in the world—which I’m still not totally accustomed to yet—I went looking for my father.”
“To fulfill your destiny,” he said quietly.
His eyes were so intense, his gaze so focused on her face, her heart bumped again. “No,” she whispered. “I’m no hero, Titus. I’m not looking for Prometheus for any reason other than to find out how to stop the fire inside from consuming me.”
“Destiny’s a fickle thing to play with.”
“I wouldn’t know. At the moment, I’m just trying to make it from one day to the next.”
“That’s why you were with the Amazons, isn’t it? Because you were hiding from Zeus.”
She drew in a breath, then slowly blew it out again. “Yes. The Amazons don’t have any particular love for the gods. Though Aella and her warriors have their own issues, they were more than happy to help me so long as I helped them.”
“What were you going to do for them?”
“Find a way to stop Zagreus from bugging their tribe.”
“That didn’t work out so well.”
No, it hadn’t. And a sliver of guilt whipped through her when she thought of what had happened at the Amazon city. Though she was pretty sure Zagreus being there was not her fault. “I wasn’t trying to hurt anyone. That guard in your realm…I didn’t even know I could do that.”
“I know.”
His utter faith in her shook her to her core. No one else had ever believed in her. Why him? And why now? She stared into his hazel eyes. And saw that flash of worry again.
He was holding something back. Her pulse picked up speed. Her skin grew hot all over. She searched his eyes for answers.
He was a smart guy, the descendent of Odysseus. Even if he wasn’t willing to admit it, he already knew what would happen if the fire consumed her first.
Her heart clenched. “You should get as far from me as possible,” she whispered. “I don’t want to hurt you.”
He reached across her body, hooked a hand over her hip, and tugged her beneath him, until her body was flush against his. “You said that before and I didn’t listen. I’m not listening now.”
She pressed her hands against his chest and tried to push him away. “Titus—”
“Stop.”
She stilled beneath him.
His eyes were intense as ever. His stare, unwavering. And gazing up at him, her heart took a hard, painful tumble. “I told you you’re not getting rid of me, and I meant it.” He brushed a curl away from her temple. His voice gentled. “We’ll figure this out. We’ve still got time. I’m not letting you go, Natasa. Understand? You’re mine now.”
His…
He bent his head, brushed his mouth over hers, and kissed her gently. Deeply. And her entire body responded. Not just to the kiss, but to him. To what he was willing to do for her. To his steadfast vow to protect her.
She knew it was wrong. She knew it was selfish. But she didn’t want to give him up either. Wrapping her arms around his neck, she pulled him close and arched against his strong, muscular body.
No one had ever wanted to help her before. She hadn’t even considered that someone like Titus could be out there. She hadn’t thought to wait for him. But maybe there really was a chance they could do this. Maybe he could help her find her father and get rid of this blasted element.
And maybe…just maybe…she wouldn’t have to go through with the deal she’d made with Poseidon after all.
Chapter Thirteen
Demetrius flashed into the courtyard of the Argolean castle. Memories of seeing Nick and Isadora here the day before bombarded him, but he pushed them aside. Right now he needed to get to Theron.
“Hold up, D,” Orpheus muttered at his back.
He ignored Orpheus and headed into to the castle. At this hour—nearly six a.m.—the castle was quiet. Guards glanced their way in the main foyer but barely paid them any attention. He headed for Theron’s office.
Light spilled through the doorway into the darkened corridor. Voices echoed from inside. Theron’s and Zander’s.
He stepped into the room. Z and Theron were studying what looked like a map on a virtual screen near Theron’s desk. Both looked his way when his boot steps quieted.
“Well?” Theron asked. His gaze flicked from Demetrius to Orpheus at his back. “Anything?”
“More than you may want to know,” Orpheus muttered, stepping around Demetrius. “We just had ourselves a nice little chat with Epimetheus.”
“The Titan?” Zander asked. “How in Hades did you end up there? I thought you went to see about a witch.”
Demetrius moved into the room and told them about their visit with Delia and how that had led them to the elder god. When he was done, Zander’s shocked expression said it all.
“Skata,” he muttered. “And I thought Krónos was the one we had to look out for.”
“So did we. ‘Things are going well for you?’” Orpheus mocked in his best Zeus impersonation. “‘Here, bend over and I’ll fuck you in the ass a few times to liven things up.’”
Theron ignored his sarcasm. “We need to get to Titus and stop Natasa before its too late.” Urgency formed deep lines in his forehead. He looked back at the map. “Based on what little we were able to get from the portal’s records, we’ve narrowed it down to the western half of the US. Cerek and Phin are searching this area here—”
“Dad?”
The voice of Zander’s eleven-year-old drew their attention. Zander’s brow wrinkled with concern. “What are you doing up this early, son?”
Max rubbed his left eye. Blond hair stuck out all over his head, and his pajamas hung off his slim frame, looking two sizes too big. But the Argonaut markings visible on his hands proved he’d soon grow into his lineage. And since he was Zander’s son, and a descendent of Achilles, he’d grow into it well. “I couldn’t sleep. I went to see Mom, but she’s not in bed. I thought maybe she was with Aunt Isadora, you know, because of the baby and stuff, but she isn’t in her room either.”
A shot of unease echoed through Demetrius. Theron turned toward Zander. “Go find out if everything’s okay. D?”
Demetrius looked over. “Yeah?”
“Go with him.”