Page 99 of The New Gods

My disappointment must have been evident because he kissed me once more. “We have all the time in the world, Leo.”

The logical part of my brain said he was right, but the other part reminded me I couldn’t count on anything.

* * *

Pollux left after making sure I got safely into my apartments. I hoped he’d change his mind, but he didn’t, and I wasn’t going to beg.

Despite the familiarity of my rooms, and being surrounded by my stuff, something was off. In just a couple days, everything I knew about the world had changed, but nothing here was different.

I showered, put on my coziest pajamas and slid between the sheets of my bed. Relaxing into the comfortable mattress, my eyes got heavier and heavier, until I drifted to sleep.

I was hiding again. My dress was tight around my legs, constraining me, and I knew if I tried to run, I wouldn’t get far.

There was no outrunning a god.

And there he was. Flame haired, pale, strong.

I hid behind the altar, but he saw me. And smiled.

A chill raced through my body, because I knew what that smile meant.

I tried to run anyway.

It took him a breath to catch up to me and throw me to the temple floor. I screamed and begged for the goddess I worshipped to help me.

Letting out a scream that came from my chest, I sat up straight. My dream clung to me like cobwebs as I attempted to catch my breath.

Wrapping my arms around my body, I rocked, trying to think of anything to replace the images in my head.

There was a slam that seemed to rock my entire apartment, and the door splintered inward. In a flash, a giant stood at my side. His hands were fists, gaze traveling to every corner of the room, searching for danger.

“What happened? Are you hurt?” Achilles put one hand on my shoulder and turned, placing his body between me and the rest of the room.

“I—”

“Stay right here.” He didn’t let me finish. Shocked into listening, I watched him explore my apartments, searching the kitchen, bathroom, and living area. He rehung the door, which he’d popped off its hinges. He even looked under the bed.

“I had a dream.”

He lifted his head from the floor slowly. His long hair fell around his shoulders, his dark scruff shadowing his face so much more than in the daylight. “A dream?”

A horrible, awful dream. A dream that didn’t feel like a dream, but like a memory.

I ran my hands down my arms, trying to replace the sensation of other hands on my skin. Resting my forehead on my knees, I breathed deep. “A nightmare.”

The bed dipped as Achilles perched on the edge. His huge hand touched my shoulder, skimmed my neck, and lifted my face from where I’d hidden. “Just a dream.”

I nodded. He swept his thumb over my cheeks, and I realized I was crying.

“How embarrassing.” Looking away, I wiped my face on my sleeves. He didn’t move. Drawing up one knee so he could face me, he waited.

“What are you doing here?” I asked.

“Paris and Pollux are doing some kind of secret spy shit and left me here.”

“Why?” I asked, sniffing. I was grateful for the dark, and that he wouldn’t see how red the tip of my nose was or how my eyes got puffy, and I flushed from the tips of my ears down to my chest.

At least there was that.

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