Page 14 of The Shadow Gods

“You saw her?” Leo asked. “Next to you?” Her voice trembled, and she wouldn’t meet my stare. In fact, she wouldn't look at any of us.

“But you didn't see her?” Hector asked.

“I—” Whatever it was, she didn't want to share it.

I opened my mouth, ready to drag it out of her but caught Orestes shaking his head.Wait,he mouthed.

Sure enough, she went on. “I didn't see her, but I think I was her. I could feel everything you felt.” This time she flushed, afraid, maybe, that I'd be upset she'd seen more than I shared with my friends right now. “But I felt things too. I was part of the excitement and observing it all. The other times—” She hesitated again but found her strength and added, “I was you.”

Fuck.

I hated that. I really,reallyhated that. All my thoughts? My pride and cruelty? I didn't want her to know I was capable of that.

Then again, was it really a surprise to her? After all, when I’d believed she was a threat, I'd tried to kill her.

She knew firsthand what I was capable of, and she still let me close to her.

“You're changing,” Hector said, “and I don't know if it's a good thing.”

I thought he was talking to me and was ready to argue, but it was Leo he studied. Leo who nodded but looked a little green as she agreed.

Gods, the man could be dense. This wasn't the time to get into that. Leo's healingwasa good thing. She was a little less breakable than before, and I was all for it. The tiny mortal woman, with her wild hair and bravery, was fragile.

And there were about a hundred other things taking precedence right now that Hector and I should be arguing about, worrying about, and it wasn't this. The lights of Calais were coming up on the horizon, and in moments, we were going to dock.

We'd missed our opportunity to toss the seal overboard, so we really needed to decide what to do next.

Leo

Iturned away from Hector before he could see how much his comment hurt. Being fragile meant being a weakness, and they had enough to worry about.

Everything in my life had changed in the blink of an eye. My former advisor, Diana Regan, had turned out to be the goddess Athena. If that wasn't enough, she’d revealed that she'd turned me into a woman with snakes for hair in a previous life, and for some unknown reason—probably to torture me all over again—she'd given me a second life.

Albeit, instead of being reborn a beautiful priestess, I was a five-foot-two, red-headed super nerd.

But being able to heal faster than other humans? This was new. And if this was the one cool trick I got, I'd take it.

Okay. Mental sarcasm meant I was overtired and sensitive.

Achilles opened his mouth, ready to argue with Hector, when something else caught his attention. Turning to stare out the van window, I made out the lights on shore.

Calais. We'd arrived in France. We'd discussed not throwing the seal overboard but hadn't come to any agreement. It seemed like that crazy storm had made the decision for us.

“Get in the van,” Hector directed, his tone commanding. Something about it set me off. I was done with it.

“How about asking?” In the ride from the cottage to the ferry, he’d seemed to fall back into old habits. Bossy, grumpy habits.

I liked the Hector who held my hand. This one stared at me like I was a problem to solve, not a partner.

Which I was. I might not have their strength, but I was smart, and I could figure things out.

Hector didn't answer me. Instead, he raised his eyebrows and crossed his arms, waiting for me to be a good little soldier.

I crossed my own arms, lifted my eyebrows, and glared.

A full minute must have passed before he gave in. “If you get in the van—” Every word sounded like it was being dragged out of his mouth. “Then we can talk about what to do next.”

“That sounds like an explanation and not a request,” Pollux noted. A quick peek at him showed he was smiling, enjoying the show.

---