From Titans (Book 4) (2 page)

I tried using my water and
lightning powers and even tried to burn the wall, thinking I could
travel the same portal to find Mason, but oddly it
didn
’
t make a mark or a dent. None of our powers made a
difference. It only meant one thing. A spell had been placed to
keep us out. We needed to break the spell. But how?

I didn
’
t know what danger or
torture Mason faced. But Cronus had him, and if Zeus, Poseidon, and
Hades feared their titan father, then we were all in trouble. If I
couldn
’
t escape those thoughts, I
’
d go insane. Maybe lack of sleep
and eating had already driven me crazy. I had to find a way to
build my strength, because when the gods found a way to save Mason,
I had to be in top shape.

“
Skylar,” Hades whispered,
sounding as somber as me. “You need to eat. Nick brought some food.
Come with me. You have guests.”

Though I sat curled on the
floor with my knees tucked in and my arms covering my face, I
recognized his voice. He bent low to me and placed his arm around
my shoulders. Unexpectedly, Hades had been my strength. He had
supported me most besides my parents and the Grand family. They
lived in the hell pit as well, trying to cope with
Mason
’
s abduction as we searched for any tiny clue to give us
hope.

I grunted, having no will to move off the
cold tile floor. My body weighed a ton, and I moved slowly and with
much effort. With my face still hidden under my arms, I nodded.

“
We
’
ll find
Mason. We
’
re doing everything we can. Zeus sent Hermes in search of
Cronus to all corners of the earth, and the Oracles are trying to
track down Eris.”

Eris became another
mystery we needed to solve when a golden apple rolled across the
floor as the wall closed. Zeus insisted Eris was somehow connected
to the plot. She
’
d upset the wedding of King
Peleus and Thetis with a golden apple, and she had grown to be
known as the goddess who stirred trouble wherever she went and left
a golden apple behind. After all, she was the goddess of chaos, so
no surprise there. She was just foolish enough to go against the
gods and work with Cronus. All the facts lined up, pointing to her.
As for the apple, Zeus tossed it in the trash.

“
Up you go. I
can
’
t let you starve to death.” Hades pulled me to stand. I
weighed as much as a feather to him. I wished I had ten times the
gods
’
enormous strength so I could punch through the wall. But a
spell was a spell, and no amount of strength would break
it.

“
What happened to the
blood?” I asked, realizing the bloody streaks had been wiped from
the wall. I had punched it until my hands bled and my wrist broke,
but my powers had healed it.

“
We cleaned it up. Come
on. Let
’
s get out of the kitchen,”
Hades urged.

To my surprise, everyone already sat at a
table smiling, watching Hades and me come out of the kitchen.
Pleasant aromas filled my nostrils, making my stomach growl and
cramp with hunger. On the table, a big platter of a whole roasted
chicken surrounded by assorted vegetables sat in the center.
Adjacent to it, a big bowl of chicken noodle soup.

“
Hello, Skylar.” Zeus
greeted me first. His blue eyes sparkled.

“
Hi.” I greeted him back
somberly.

Everyone else smiled with a long face and
sadness in their eyes; even Persephone graced me with her presence.
She had been staying at New Olympus with the Oracles for safety
reasons and visited Hades when time allowed.

They were there for me,
making sure I ate and stayed alive. Hades must have told them
I
’
d
spent most of my days and nights standing by the wall. It
didn
’
t solve anything, but I didn
’
t know what else to do. After we
told the Oracles what had happened, we waited for some answers
while they searched for clues and ways to find Mason with no
luck.

Hades pulled out a chair
for me, guiding me to sit down. After he pushed in my chair, he sat
next to me. Then he placed a drumstick, carrots, beans, and
potatoes on my plate and handed me a bowl of soup. Everyone already
had their plates
filled.

Nick, Everett, and Amanda
looked as bad as I felt, with puffy eyes and dark circles under
them. They tried to hide their worry and sadness, but strong
emotions like those couldn
’
t be hidden. It was clearly
written on their faces, and their smiles—short and sweet—were
faç
ades.

“
Let
’
s eat,” Zeus said,
adjusting the collar on his polo shirt. “I
’
m starving.”

“
You
’
re always starving,”
Poseidon commented, taking a piece of bread out of the basket and
passing it to Nick. “You
’
re always eating too.” He
chuckled.

“
I enjoy my food and
wine.” Zeus took a long whiff of his red wine, sipped it, and
exhaled a long breath to show how much he savored it.

Poseidon arched his brows.
“Don
’
t forget to add how you enjoy women.”

Zeus cleared his throat,
holding a drumstick in his hand. “Don
’
t tell me you
don
’
t.”

Poseidon flashed his
ocean-blue eyes at us. “Let
’
s not discuss this here. There
are children here.”

Hades arched his brows.
“They
’
re not children. They
’
ve probably done more things…” He
squinted and shook his head. “Never mind. I don
’
t want to think it or
say it.”

Everyone released a light
chuckle, gaping at the gods teasing each other. It felt strange to
see gods wearing jeans and plain shirts. Nick had taken them
shopping to blend in with humans. We didn
’
t want them sporting long
gowns and flashing gold embellishments. But I had to admit, they
looked like they walked out of
GQ
magazine.

The three gods, Zeus,
Poseidon, and Hades…could they be any hotter? Everywhere we went,
to the mall, grocery store, to the theater,
women
’
s eyes focused on them, and sometimes even
men
’
s did too.

“
There
’
s another reason why
we came here,” Zeus started to say, swallowing a spoonful of soup.
“The Oracles want to meet with all of us tomorrow. They have come
across something they think will lead us to Eris.”

My heart fluttered and my lips twitched,
wanting to smile, but it never came.

“
Wow, so quickly,” Amanda
said sarcastically with a mouthful of beans.

“
It
’
s about
freakin
’
time,” Everett grumbled.

Nick frowned. “They
think
?” His nostrils
flared. “They
’
ve had a month. They asked us to
stay low so we wouldn
’
t disrupt or scare the shit out
of whatever energy they
’
re feeling. We
could
’
ve found Mason by now if they let us handle it.” Nick ran his
hand down his face and grunted. “I shouldn
’
t have listened to them. I
should
’
ve searched for him.”

Poseidon rested his hand
on Nick
’
s shoulder and so did Kayla. “Don
’
t be hard on yourself.
Finding Cronus or Eris is like finding…what
’
s that phrase? Finding a
needle in a haystack. You have to give us time.
We
’
re finally back from a long slumber, and
we
’
re adjusting to our limited powers that are getting stronger
every day. And you have no idea who you
’
re up against. You
think
Hephaestus
was bad? You haven
’
t seen anything yet. Our own
father, Cronus, tried to kill us. He
ate
us. If it
hadn
’
t been for our mother, Rhea, we would
’
ve been dead. What crazy
father would try to kill his own children? Now you understand what
we
’
re dealing with.”

“
Any news is better than
no news,” I said sheepishly, staring at the bowl of soup in front
of me.

I still
couldn
’
t comprehend Rhea was my mother, too. Strange enough that the
three gods at the table were my half-brothers. And the fact my
mother was pregnant with
Hephaestus
’
s child? That threw everything
normal out the door.

Nick nodded in
understanding, but frustration showed in his expression. He gazed
at Everett, Amanda, and then me. I wondered what he thought.
“Skylar is right. We
’
ll be there,” he said finally. “I
should be grateful for their help. You
’
re right.
I
’
ve
heard what a monster Cronus can be, but I have no clue about
Eris.”

Zeus licked his finger and
took another bite of chicken. “Eris is a bitch. Excuse my language.
I shouldn
’
t be talking about a woman like that, but she has no heart
for anyone. I can
’
t believe she
’
s
Ares
’
s sister.” He stopped talking and stared at the wall. It had
been reconstructed after the fire when the vultures found us there
with my dad
’
s group. Then Zeus turned back to
us. “Even he doesn
’
t want anything to do with
her.”

Amanda wrung a strand of
her hair behind her ear and then reached down to break her bread in
half. “When
’
s the last time you saw
her?”

Zeus gazed distantly at
the high ceiling. He took a breath and turned to us. “I last saw
Eris at King Peleus and Thetis
’
s wedding. She was furious she
wasn
’
t invited. She even dressed for the wedding.
That
’
s how dramatic she is. As if her appearance
wasn
’
t disruption enough, she threw out a golden apple
marked
For the fairest
, tempting Hera, Aphrodite, and Athena. The goddesses fell
right into the trap. From that chaos came the Trojan War. Her evil
ways had a ripple effect on all of us. I think
she
’
s not just after us. She wants it all.”

“
You mean
the…
humans?
” Everett swallowed
audibly.

“
I
’
m afraid so,” Poseidon
chimed in. “
I hope
we
’
re wrong, but something isn
’
t right with the
weather.”

I
’
d been in my cave moping and
hadn
’
t noticed. I
’
d worn the same pair of jeans,
shirt, and cardigan for several days. I didn
’
t even know if the sun
was out or not.

Nick took a bite of potato
and shook his head. “The gods are crazy. No offense. But
you
’
re all screwed in the head.”

Zeus
didn
’
t say a word as he finished off his plate. Poseidon simply
nodded. Hades lifted his glass in the air. “I
’
ll toast to that.”
Then he gulped down

his second glass of wine.

Chapter
3