The Struggle(35)

“Then he must not be on the move,” Basil replied. “That has to be good news.”

I wasn’t so sure about that. Just because Hyperion wasn’t roaming around didn’t mean the other Titans weren’t, and Josie . . . She was still out there, maybe even still in Malibu. Or they’d left to find the other two demigods.

Unrest filled me, and it had nothing to do with aether. There was an odd sensation in the center of my chest. Had been there when I woke up. Almost like when you walk in the room and forget something. I couldn’t shake it.

Something didn’t feel right.

Thrusting my fingers through my hair, I narrowed my eyes as I stared across the narrow, empty room. “I tried seeking out Apollo this morning. Couldn’t locate him either.”

“He must be in Olympus, Kýrios.”

I’d given up on telling the bastard to stop calling me master. I couldn’t pop myself into Olympus. Since I’d never been there, I couldn’t seek it out, but I knew of gateways that would let me in. Finding one would be . . . interesting.

And probably fun.

But once I made it to Olympus, they would not be able to stop me from entering whenever I wanted, and that would be even more fun.

Standing, I walked across the raised floor and stepped down. I started across the room when Basil said, “You should bring her here, Kýrios.”

I stopped before I was even realizing what I was doing.

“I know you do not like to speak of her,” Basil continued cautiously. “Perhaps your heart no longer feels the same for her, but even if you no longer want to be with her, it is not safe for her to be out there.”

Slowly, I turned around and faced him. Power rippled over my skin. “My feelings for her have not changed. They will never change.”

Basil tilted his head to the side. “So you still care for her deeply?”

Part of me wanted to tell him to mind his own damn business, but I didn’t. “She is psychi mou. I love her. I will always love her.”

Confusion marked his face. “If she is your soul, then how do you not trust yourself with her? That alone would ensure her safety.”

I opened my mouth to respond, but I found myself without words. Basil didn’t understand. I hadn’t been able to stop myself before. But it is different now, whispered the voice in the back of my head. Listening to that voice, caving to it, was too risky.

Spinning around, I stalked out of the door and passed several servants who were dusting or doing whatever the fuck they always seemed to do in the many rooms. They, of course, practically kissed the floor when they bowed.

I ignored them and went outside. Stopping under the shade, I scanned the horizon. Several small boats floated in the sea. I rubbed my hand against my chest, under my heart. I knew what the problem was. I needed to know if Josie was okay. I could do that without her knowing since I’d done it before. I could keep watch over her from afar.

After all, I was a damn god.

I could do that.

I should have already done this—checked in on her after I’d seen her sleeping. Basil was right. It wasn’t exactly safe, even if she could protect herself or if the people she was with could throw down. But if I saw her again, could I really leave her again?

Lowering my gaze, I closed my eyes and pictured her face. A smile tugged at the corners of my lips. Her features pieced together so quickly and perfectly it was almost like she was standing right before me. Holding onto her image, I searched for her.

I found nothing.

“What the hell?” I opened my eyes.

Heart rate kicking up, I tried again, reaching out into the void, searching for her imprint and there was . . . there was nothing.

Confusion rose swiftly. That didn’t make sense. No matter where Josie was, I should be able to find her. Mentally backtracking to the last place I knew she’d been at, Gable’s house, I pictured the home and felt myself shift.

A second later, I was standing in front of the home Gable lived in.

“Hell,” I growled. Immediately, I knew something had gone down here.

The driveway was cracked—not just cracked, but split wide open, creating a steep crevice. My head jerked up, and I rushed past the rift and pushed open the door. It creaked and fell from its hinges, crashing off the floor, but I didn’t really hear it.

The house was utterly destroyed.

What had happened outside had continued inside and there were no signs of life, but I could feel it—a residue of power so potent that it was not from this realm. There was a coating that belonged not to just one god but many. Stepping back from the destruction, my hands closed into fists as knots of unrest formed.

Something had happened here.

Something bad.