I shifted my position so that I kept Calder in my sights while still watching the man who held my father out of the corner of my eye.
“Subpar? My dear, I don't do anything subpar.”
“We can tell by your overzealous hit squad. Call them off!” Percy commanded.
Hip growled. "We won’t let you dipshits take her.”
Calder looked exasperated. "I clearly underestimated your tenacity, but I won’t be reigned by children. The girl is coming with us.”
Brandishing their spears, three of the four guards rushed forward and backed the guys against a wall.
“STOP!” I screamed.
Chaos broke out in the hall. Fast as lightning, Ajax grabbed a spear and yanked, pulling one guard forward to smash his face. Percy did the same to another guard, grabbing the spear and using it against him.
I felt hopeful. Hopeful that we would make it out of this crazy situation. Hopeful that no one would get hurt.
But of course, I had hoped too soon.
Percy screamed, “JASON!”
Blood.
Everyone paused for that split second as Jason stared down at the spear blade that was wedged right into his gut. His face was blank, the surprise and pain not yet catching up to him. Then time sped up again as blood began to bloom around the wound.
“That’s enough!” I heard Calder call.
But I didn’t listen as I dropped my hostage and raced at the culprit who had hurt what was mine. Launching myself onto his back, I slammed my hands into his ears.
“Ah, fuck!” the bastard shouted. Disoriented, he dropped the spear that was still wedged in Jason’s stomach and fell to the ground with my weight on him.
Underneath his body, I snaked around him, locking his arms with my legs and wrapping my arms around his head, cutting off his air supply. He bucked against me, trying to free himself, but I had the upper hand.
That was when one of the first goons jumped into the action, tugging at my arms and yelling for me to let go of his brother. Well, his brother stabbed my boyfriend, so I’m going to go with fuck no!
Another guard was on me, tugging at my body and trying to get me to let go of my prey.
He was struggling less, now. I wasn’t going to kill him, just incapacitate him.
I bit at a hand that wrapped around my arm.
“Let go of her!”
“I said that’s enough!”
“Let go of my brother!”
More hands were on me and I was beginning to get overwhelmed. The guys were shoving the remaining guards, going back and forth above me, and so much weight was pressing down on me. It was like the giant pile ups you see in football.
“STOP!”
It felt like a wave washing over me, halting my body and ripping away my free will. Everyone else around me stopped moving as well.
Syren voice, I realized moments later. Both Calder and Theseus had shouted together.
“Break it up.”
“Move away.”
A breath of fresh air as all of the bodies got off of me. I was still unable to move for several moments before the Syren’s voice released me and I let go of the now out-cold guard.
Looking up, I met Theseus’s beautiful, worried gray-blue eyes.
“Are you okay?” He asked.
“I’m fine. Jason…”
Jumping up, I rushed over to Jason, who was slumped against the wall, the spear still sticking out of his stomach. There was blood everywhere and he looked so pale.
“Jason, hang in there.” I said, my hands flying frantically but not doing anything. I didn’t know what to do!
He grunted and looked up at me. “Tis’ but a flesh wound.”
“Is this the time to be quoting Monty Python?” I scolded.
“There’s always time for Monty.” He chuckled and winced.
I made a quick glance to where my father had been. The man was no longer holding him. He was in Ajax’s arms. Safe.
Hip took off down the hall. “I’ll go get a doctor!”
Theseus came over and put pressure onto Jason’s wound at the base of the spearhead.
Turning back to Jason, I gave a wobbly smile. “Yeah, you’ll be fine. I mean, we’re in a hospital.”
But there was just so much blood. Too much, considering the spear was still in there.
“Don’t cry.”
“I’m not crying.”
Jason gave a weak smile then tilted his head, gesturing to my right. Looking over my shoulder, I saw Percy. My calm, steady man was crying. Tears fell down his cheeks in steady streams, but it was the slight wobble of his lower lip and shaking of his hands that broke me.
Percy fell down to his knees next to me. “I’m so sorry.”
“Percy, I’ll be fine. Like Atalanta said, I’m in a hospital. It’s not like I’m going to die.” He shuddered violently. “I’m just really cold. Not something I’m used to.”
Carefully, I inched forward and slid up beside him. He was shaking so badly, I was worried he would make his wound worse as the spear swayed. As gently as I could, I reached over and steadied the spear. With my free hand, I grasped his tightly. I felt that relaxing happy tingle race through my body, warming me from the inside. I only hoped it was doing the same for him.
Percy kneeled there, his body shaking as much as Jason’s as he stared at the blood that was soaking into his shirt.
“Percy...”
His eyes snapped to mine. They were glowing the brightest amber, and the color was seeping. I would have thought he was a wolf shifter if I didn’t know better. He was also partially shifted. Actually, as I took a moment to look around the room, all of my guys were partly shifted. Eyes glowing and scales glinting in the light.
Suddenly, Percy lunged forward and slammed his lips to Jason’s in an extremely passionate kiss.
I blinked and leaned back. Jason looked just as shocked as I felt for a split second, before losing himself in the kiss. Pushing back against Percy. Demanding, pleading. Tilting his head, he reached up with his free hand and ran it through Percy’s hair and tugged.
Oh, this was hot.
Until Jason winced and pulled away with a pained groan.
Percy’s face, for that one second, looked so beautiful and full of wild passion before it turned stony and full of anger.
Standing up, Percy turned towards Calder, shaking. “This is your fault!”
I studied Calder. His confidence was cracked. I could tell he was worried about Jason as his eyes kept flicking our way, brows scrunched, but his pride was what was probably keeping him from doing something.
“It’s a regrettable outcome.” He said, hesitance in his voice.
“Regrettable!? If he dies, I will torture you within an inch of your life, until you beg for death. I will keep you alive for centuries, torturing you until your mind is so broken, you will be but a shell of a man.”
Calder gulped and took a step back. “You don’t have it in you. You're just a scholar.”
“Try me.”
I looked back at Jason, who met my gaze with an expression that said the same thing I was thinking. That was really hot.
Finally, a doctor and several nurses arrived, immediately getting to work on Jason. Shooing us away, two of the nurses carefully laid him flat while another pulled up a crash cart. I felt so stupid having sat there doing nothing when I had known there were carts like that one all over the place. This was not the time for a memory lapse.
I watched as they assessed his wound and made the decision to pull the spear out.
“Shiiit!!” Jason gasped, and jolted forward before his eyes rolled back and he passed out.