I opened my mouth, but Alex was nodding. “We’re going to check in with Deacon and Luke to see if they have any news.”
“I’ll also call my contacts in the communities,” Aiden added.
“Awesome.” Seth’s reply was curt as he led me out of the room.
Stopping the moment we hit the hallway, I pulled my hand free. “Hey, what was all of that about?”
He turned to me, his jaw locked. A moment passed and I thought he was going to speak, but then he moved. One second we were standing outside the living room and the next I was in his arms, my front pressed to his, and we were standing outside, under the warm sun, sand between my toes and the ocean only a few feet away.
“Holy crap!” I pushed away from Seth and stumbled back. Spinning around, I took in the scenery with wide eyes. “Holy crap!”
“I don’t really have to walk anywhere anymore.”
“No shit!” I whirled, facing him. He’d done that when I’d gotten sick, but I’d been too focused on holding it together to really process that he had popped me from one room to the next. “How about warning me next time?”
A sheepish grin tugged at his lips. “But then I’d miss that look on your face.”
“What look?”
“Like you want to kick me and kiss me at the same time,” he answered.
My eyes narrowed. “I do not look like I want to kiss you right now. I probably look like I want to vomit on you.” I pressed my hand to my lower stomach. “Holy wow, that’s a nifty . . . and lazy talent.”
“But fast.”
It was that.
“Are you feeling sick again?”
I shook my head no. “Why? Why bring me out here?”
Seth walked over to me. “It hadn’t occurred to me, and it took a couple of moments for it to sink in, but it makes sense.”
“What?” Wind picked up strands of my hair and blew them across my face.
“You said Hyperion took you out in the sun. Did he ever say why?”
For a moment, I didn’t get where he was going with this, and then it came to me. “He did! He said it helped replenish the lost aether. I totally forgot about that.”
Anger flashed in his brilliant eyes. “Probably because your father is the Sun God. I should’ve thought of that as soon as I had you back here.”
“Why would you think of that? I didn’t even remember and I should have.”
“You’ve had a lot on your mind.”
“So have you.”
“Pisses me off that Hyperion figured that out before me,” he grumbled.
“Well, Hyperion has been around for a long time, so . . .” Taking in my surroundings, I shuffled toward the ocean and then sat down in the sand. “And I forgot, so there’s no point in being hard on yourself.”
Seth dropped down beside me and was quiet as I leaned forward and rolled up the hem of my pants, exposing my blindingly pale calves. Then I stretched out my legs, letting the cool, frothy water tickle my toes. “Are you going to make me stay out here until . . . ?”
“If I could make you stay out here forever, I would, but at least until you start . . .” His brow creased. “Until you start to feel right.”
I stopped wiggling my toes. “Yeah, we’re going to need to talk about the whole staying here forever part, but first, what do you mean until I feel right?”
His shoulder brushed mine as he stared out over the ocean. “Remember when I told you before that I could barely feel aether in you? Yours has always been strong—almost as strong as a god’s, but like I said before, I can barely sense it now.”
“Oh. Yeah.” I bit down on my lip and then winced when I bit the cut in my lip. “That’s . . . not good.”
“It’s like a light. Normally you’re a beacon to me, but you’re flickering now.” Seth turned his head toward me. “You’re weak, and I don’t mean that to be insulting, but it’s the truth.”
“I will get better,” I told him.
“I know, but I don’t want you risking your life again. Not even for that demigod.”
I forced myself to remain patient as I explained what I felt was obvious. “I cannot forget about him, Seth. You don’t understand. I know just a little bit of what he’s been through, and that’s enough to not be able to walk away from this. And I can’t stay here while everyone else goes out there and risks their lives.”
“Why not?” he shot back. “Haven’t you already lost enough? Sacrificed enough, Josie? You’ve lost your grandparents and then your mother. Your friend Erin? Who knows if she’s really alive? Apollo could’ve lied about that also.” He shot to his feet, pacing. Over his shoulder, I saw thick, gray clouds form. “You’ve had to leave college and your friends. Your whole life has been turned upside down. You were held captive, not once but twice. You’ve given enough.”