Page 68 of The New Gods

Hector lingered by the hall, waiting for me to follow him. Shifting the stone in my arms, I followed him upstairs. There were three floors to the cottage, apparently, because that was where he led me.

“This is beautiful.” It was an open space, with light pouring in from windows at either end of the long room. He had it broken up with shelves and comfortable seats, and at one end, close to a window, was a desk and chair.

Hector didn’t answer, but led me to the desk. I followed, and looked out the window. Green rolling moors, stonewalls, and what I thought were hedgerows went as far as I could see.

It was a perfect spot for working with the natural light.

“I’ll get the tools you asked for. In the meantime, you can use mine.” He opened the desk drawer and withdrew a roll of leather. Placing it on the surface, he rolled it open to reveal a set of picks, brushes, and a trowel.

Narrowing my eyes, I studied him. “Are you an archaeologist?” I asked.

“It’s a hobby. Not a profession.” His voice was distant and cold. Turning his back on me, he started back to the stairs.

I watched him go, taking in the tension in his shoulders. “Hector, wait.”

He paused, but he didn’t look at me. Gripping the banister, he waited. The muscles in his forearms flexed as if he was squeezing the shit out of the wood.

“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have done that.”

“No,” he replied. “You shouldn’t have. But I’m not going to accept your apology just to make you feel better. How you feel isn’t my concern.” As he spoke, his tone morphed, going from cold to irritated, and finally ending up at quietly furious.

“Fair enough.” I didn’t like it, but I’d live with it. I’d acted impulsively, and if these were the consequences, I’d have to live with them.

Spinning on my heel, I strode back to the desk. “Do you have any old newspapers? Or butcher paper? I don’t want to scratch the surface of your desk.

There was a deep sigh, then heavy footfalls as he walked around the room. I didn’t watch him, and I didn’t speak to him. My throat was tight, and I was afraid I’d only further embarrass myself by crying.

“Here.” He slapped down a roll of brown paper.

“Thank you.” I whispered it because of the whole crying thing, and listened to him walk away. He didn’t stop, and in seconds, was gone.

Hector

Fuck.

We were fucked.

Three pieces of the seal found, and a too-clever-for-her-own—scratch that—too clever formyown good girl who I was keeping very much like prisoner.

I went immediately to the living room where I’d left everyone. They were still there, which shocked me. Paris should have run off by now. Pollux had taken the car back to Oxford. Orestes should be gone to wherever he went to brood, and Achilles…

I never knew what to expect from Achilles, so if he was here, it was because he wanted to stay.

“What the fuck are we going to do?” I asked, running my hands down my beard. I felt old. And I recognized the irony of an immortal saying they felt old, but today, I really truly feltold.And tired.

It was Paris who spoke, his words measured and thought-out. “She’ll be able to tell how much of the seal is embedded in that rock, then we’ll at least have the peace of mind of knowing what is left out there. Two pieces are found, and there’s nothing we can do about it. When she’s finished, we’ll do what Achilles suggested, dropping it into the ocean. We’ll have another hundred thousand years before the oceans dry up and we have to worry about it again. We’re lucky she found it, and not some stranger.”

It was on the tip of my tongue to argue, but I believed what Leo said about her former advisor.Leo.When had she become Leo and not Dr. Ophidia? The switch in my head seemed to have happened without me realizing it.

Her title had helped keep us distant, but all that had flown out the window the second she touched the seal, and then me.

“Hector?” Paris touched my shoulder.

Shaking my head, I waved him off. “I’m fine.”

“What did she see?” Orestes asked. How things had changed. Usually, he was the one with visions thrust into his head, not me.

“It must have been her question that prompted it, but she saw me come back to life.”

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