I sat back—fell back on my butt and I felt no pain as I stared at him. “Oh my god,” I whispered. “No. No way.”
This couldn’t be happening. I couldn’t be here. Panic unfurled in my chest. My gaze swung around the room as my pulse pounded erratically. Oh god, I couldn’t be here. I would wake up and—
No. This wasn’t a nightmare. I was with the Titans and that could only mean one thing for me. No one would be coming. Seth didn’t know I was captured. He was gone, and I didn’t know what had happened to Alex and Aiden or Deacon or Luke. I had no idea if they were alive or in here, wherever here was, or somewhere else if the furies had protected them.
My fingers curled in, nails digging into my palms.
I dragged in a halting breath.
I was so screwed.
And I was scared—terrified. I didn’t want to be. I wanted to be like I was sure Alex would be if she were in my place. Scared but strong, confused but plotting a way out from the moment she awoke. But I wasn’t her. I hadn’t trained since birth. I was just a mortal less than a year ago, and I knew—oh gods—I knew what was going to happen to me. All those horrid, whispered promises Hyperion had made me before Seth had arrived the last time. He was going to carry through with them. I knew it.
Pressing the back of my hand to my mouth, I squeezed my eyes shut. Tears burned as the panic infiltrated every vein. I couldn’t—
Voices and footsteps echoed outside the chamber, and I froze, unsure of what to do as I tried to decipher the language they spoke. Moments passed and I began to understand.
A woman was speaking. “You are a fool, Hyperion. You are not the one in control here.”
“I did not ask for your council.”
She made an exasperated sound. “Her? He will come for her and he already—”
“Close your mouth or I will rip your tongue out, Tethys,” Hyperion warned. “You know I will.”
My heart stopped and there was only silence for a few seconds, then I swallowed hard, eyes widening as I heard the locks turning on the door. There was nowhere for me to go, and it didn’t matter, because the door swung open, and light leaked into the room, revealing a narrow tunnel and Hyperion standing in the center of it.
The male beside me suddenly moved. He scuttled back against the wall and hunched over, curling his forearms around his face as he began to rock.
“Good.” He strode forward, legs encased in leather. “You’re awake. Now the fun can really begin.”
I threw up a hand. “Don’t come any closer.”
He stopped, and I could hear the smile in his voice. “Or what?”
There was no point in replying. Concentrating, I reached deep inside of me and searched for aether and . . . and found nothing.
“What . . . ?” I pressed a hand to my stomach, to my core, and felt nothing.
Hyperion chuckled. “There is nothing you can do. You see, Sunshine, nothing is simply absolute. There is always a nullifying factor. Those bands around your wrists were once around ours.”
Lifting my arms, I stared at the thin bands.
“They were forged in Olympus with the blood of Zeus and Cronus,” he explained. “Titan blood is powerful, and if you mix it with the Olympians? It was what allowed our children to entomb us. Those bands nullified our powers long enough for us to be placed in those tombs. They were removed when we did the whole deep-sleep, never-wake-up gig. Luckily, we were able to find a few.”
I couldn’t breathe.
“Do you know how the gods maintain their power, their immortality?” he asked casually, like we were discussing how to spruce up the place.
“No,” I grunted out, heart thumping. “But I guess you’re going to tell me?”
“No, Sunshine. I’m going to show you.”
“Yay,” I muttered, lifting my gaze to his.
“Your bravado is false. The stench of terror seeps from your pores.”
I shuddered.
“But that’s okay. Pretend you’re brave. It will be so much more fun breaking you, and I will this time.” Hyperion crouched in front of me. “But back to the more interesting part of the conversation. For the gods to live outside of Olympus, we must . . . feed.”
My stomach hollowed as I trembled.
“We can make it feel good or we can make it feel like your skin is being flayed from your bones, but you . . .” He reached out, folding his hand around my jaw. I winced at the touch, and he smiled. “You already know that.”
Breathing raggedly, a scream built in my throat as the male demigod whimpered.
“And it’s time to feed.”
Chapter 8
Seth
“You need to feed, Kýrios.”