Page 13 of The Shadow Gods

Without thinking, I reached for a piece at the same time Achilles did. Our fingers grazed each other’s and then the sharp edge of the obsidian seal.

The god-given wind pushed the ship across the ocean with more strength and speed than Achilles had ever felt. He laughed, tossed his head back, and relished the sting of salt water and wind. After weeks of heavy, unmoving air, this was like taking a deep, cleansing breath. But more exciting was what waited for him at the end of this journey.

Battle.

A deep laugh and clap on his shoulder had him turning around. Behind him stood his best friend and mentor, Patroclus. Hair whipping into his face, Achilles faced the ocean again.Thiswas what he lived for. War. Lifting a fist, he pounded his chest and the armor given to him by his father. Nothing could touch them with the gods on their side. All that waited for them was glory.

My breath caught as the memory disappeared. Unlike other visions, in this one, I was an observer. I had been on the prow of the Greek ship, watching the joy and excitement on Achilles’s face. But there had been more, because I hadfeltwhat Achilles felt. I had been part of it.

Achilles shut down. Gone was the concern, leaving only a blankness.

“I'm sorry!” I didn't want to steal anything from him. “I didn't mean to.”

“I know.” The words were toneless. “It took me by surprise. I wasn't careful.”

I wasn't either. I had just wanted to get a closer look.

Achilles

Something was different, and I didn't just mean Leo's sudden ability to heal in record time. The memory evoked by our touch on the seal was different.

This had been more than a memory. I’dfelteverything. The sea, the wind, my best friend's hand on my shoulder. The anticipation of battle.

But there was more. It hadn't just been me, Patroclus, and a dozen Greek soldiers on the ship. Someone else was with me, standing with me on the prow, watching the shore of Troy turn from an amber dot on the horizon to a wide beach topped with a glittering palace.

Wings tucked against her back, golden helmet adorned with entwined vipers on her head, the goddess Athena had regarded our destination. The emotions on her face had been mine—excitement, focus.

Leo's hand on the seal had invoked a core memory, but I swore, thousands of years ago, Athena hadn't been there.

Confused, I racked my brain. Only Leo's apology cut through my thoughts.

The shared memory had been my fault. I was so caught up in how Leo could have healed so quickly, I hadn't remembered the danger of acting impulsively near the seal.

“Did you see what I did?” I asked her. Waiting for her to confirm or deny the existence of the goddess, I studied her.

“I saw you on the prow of a ship, going to Troy,” she replied, her gaze going distant. “I saw your friend, Patroclus—”

Behind me, Hector sucked in a breath. The sound caught Leo's attention and she paled. After everything that happened tonight, it was her worry for me and Hector that frightened her most. She had processed and dismissed the fact that we'd nearly drowned and didn't seem overly concerned with the way we traveled now, shielded by some unknown power.

But bringing up the death of my friend at the hands of my other friend—that made the blood drain from her face.

Gods. She undid me.

Ignoring Hector and the worry in my gut, I enfolded her in my arms. It was the first time since our all-too-brief lovemaking the night before that I'd held her as I wanted.

The curve of her body fit me perfectly, despite our size difference. I loved the way I could rest my cheek on the top of her head and how tight her arms were when she wrapped them around my waist. Her softness yielded to me, and she was perfect.

“Speaking of him doesn't hurt me,” I whispered in her ear. She shivered as my breath teased her skin, so I ran my hands down her back. “Not anymore.” I kissed her soft cheek and tasted salt on her skin. Later, I hoped to taste everywhere.

But when I lifted my head and met Hector's gaze, I realized it was going to be a long time before I got to do what I wanted. There wouldn't be a lot of privacy on the long journey ahead of us. It had been Orestes’s idea to travel and get rid of the seal, and mine to consider the Balkan Peninsula as our destination.

Clearing my throat, I stepped away from Leo. I had let my need distract me and was losing my mind to it. “I saw Athena.”

My bluntness made Leo lose her balance. She gripped the edge of the van door and lowered herself to the floor.

“What, exactly, did you see?” Hector asked. He was lucky I respected him as my equal, or his tone would have made me punch him.

“We were sailing to Troy. I could see the palace. Next to me, staring at the land, was Athena.” I left out the emotions I'd felt. Those were unnecessary. No one needed to know how I'd felt about heading into war.

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