The Return (Titan 1)

My steps picked up and, as I entered the main academic building, I held the door open for the two Sentinels who had been trailing my ass since I’d left the first dorm.

“Try to be a little more inconspicuous next time,” I suggested, turning just as the female Sentinel flushed.

“No offense,” said the male, stepping inside. “Orders are orders.”

Strolling past the elaborate statue of three gods joined at the hip or something equally fucked up like that, I flipped him off.

“He’s waiting for you in his office,” the female called out.

Of course he was. Pushing open the doors, I hit the stairwell and climbed about a thousand steps. One would think, at some point, someone at one of these damn Covenants would invest in an elevator.

The Dean of the Covenant’s office was down a wide hall, past a bunch of pointless offices. The last time I’d been up here…it hadn’t been good. Dark and bitter memories clogged my thoughts as I forged forward, but no matter how badly I didn’t want them there, images appeared.

Images of all of us in the Dean’s office, of Apollo showing up and yanking the gods Phobos and Deimos out of Alex, and her losing her shit afterward, because she…she had sensed something different about her. She had thought she’d been pregnant. So had Aiden, and the whole time, it had been that bastard Ares’s children invading her body, enhancing her fears and doubts.

My stomach churned as I ignored the stoic guards outside of the office and welcomed myself in.

Marcus was behind the desk, and a brow rose as I came in. He sat back in his chair, his chest expanding with a deep breath. The setup was different. There was some kind of terrarium behind him, taking up the length of the wall. Upon another look, I realized there was a huge yellow-and-white snake in there.

Did not picture Marcus as a snake guy.

I was right behind the set of chairs in front of his desk when I realized we weren’t alone. I spun around and my eyes narrowed on the silent, older man lounging against the wall, arms folded across his black thermal.

My eyes widened with recognition.

Oh, fuck me with a rusted fork. Seriously?

The older Sentinel’s weathered face crinkled with a tight smile that did not reach his whiskey-colored eyes. Yeah, I doubted he was happy to see me, being that he was Alex’s father.

I had a feeling I was going to get punched again.

“Alexander has been overseeing the Sentinels here,” Marcus explained, and the man didn’t chime in, because he couldn’t, since his tongue had been cut out years ago. “Have a seat. I figured there was something you wanted to talk to me about without Josie being present?”

Not really wanting my back to Alex’s dad, but having no choice, I turned. I just didn’t sit. “I’m going to train her as long as I can.”

He didn’t look particularly surprised by the news. “What do you mean by, ‘as long as you can?’”

The back of my skull tingled from the holes Alexander was drilling into my head. “You know I made a deal with Apollo. He tells me to head to Switzerland, I’ve got to go. I don’t know what he plans for me next. He’s got people out there looking for the other demigods, so he could put me on that. Until then, I’ll work with Josie.”

“Then you should get Luke to help you in case you are… reassigned. I’d suggest using Solos, but his responsibilities to the Council take up a lot of his time.” Marcus closed a folder on his desk, and then folded his hands on top of it. “I assume that, when more demigods are found, they will be brought here?”

I shrugged. “He didn’t tell me that, but you know how Apollo is. I haven’t seen him since I found Josie.”

He shook his head. “Apollo’s daughter… Amazing, but this could become problematic.”

Tension drew my shoulders back. “She’s very important, Marcus. And yeah, it’ll be problematic, but what’s the point once the Titans are fully charged and decide to go psycho on the world? You know they’ll go after the pures and halfs first, and then mankind.”

His eyes flashed emerald fire. “I know she’s important, Seth, and I’m also well aware of the threat. It’s not like this is the first time I’ve been on the front line of a massive disaster, but I cannot allow what happened at the Deity Covenant to happen here.”

A muscle started throbbing along my temple.

“You remember, don’t you?” He leaned forward, and he met my stare. “After the stunt you pulled with the Council, you recall what happened?”

Stunt? On Lucian’s orders, I had…I had done unforgivable things. “Personally, I wouldn’t label that as a stunt.”

His chin dipped as his hands curled into fists. “I could do nothing as Poseidon destroyed the Covenant. Do you know how many people died that day? Three-hundred and five, Seth. I will not have that happen again.”

Hearing that number was like swallowing a lead bullet. It made my skin raw, uncomfortable. “I’m not planning to pull a stunt like that again.”

He pushed off the desk and rose, and out of the corner of my eye I saw Alexander ghost forward. “I’d hope not, but I have a responsibility to these students and those who have sought refuge here.”

“I get that, but this is sounding like a lot of bullshit to me.” A brow cocked. “Is that so?”

“Yeah, it is.” The glyphs bled onto my skin. He couldn’t see them, but I knew he was picking up on the rush of energy whirling around inside me. “Because what it sounds like is that you’re willing to dump Josie outside those gates.”

“I never said that, Seth. What I am saying is that, if her presence here, or anyone’s presence here, threatens the safety of the Covenant, I will have to take steps to rectify that,” he said. “Hopefully, that will never mean turning her or anyone else away.”

That told me nothing, and as I stared at Marcus, I had to give him credit for not pissing his pants and for protecting what was his. But I would have to do the same thing.

Marcus sighed as he glanced over to where Alexander stood. “I’m going to say something I know you’re not going to want to hear.”

“Great,” I muttered.

He ignored that as he pressed his palms onto the desk. “A lot of things have changed. Some are the same. You haven’t been around to see any of that, but I know—I know—you’ve changed, and that’s the only reason why you’re standing in this office.”