Page 77 of The Shadow Gods

“But you've never been in real physical danger before, have you?” Pollux asked me.

I glanced at Achilles. “Only once.” I half-smiled at him. “The day we met.”

The huge man shook his head, but he grinned. “You forgave me, remember?”

I went to him, wrapped my arms around his waist, and squeezed. He was quick to respond, holding me tight and kissing my neck. “Of course, I did.”

“I don't deserve your forgiveness, but I'll take it.”

I wasn't going to argue with him. All of that was done and dusted. “But you're right.” I changed the subject back to Pollux's topic. “If the ferry was in danger of sinking, then that was the first time my life had ever been in danger.”

“It was,” Achilles replied. “Paris and I saw how close we came to being swamped. If it hadn't been for you, the boat would have gone down.”

“And then you'd have been in Poseidon's realm,” Orestes said.

“It was a test,” Achilles said, sounding sure of himself. “You would reveal whatever it was she was waiting for, or you would die. If you managed to survive, then you were at Poseidon's mercy. She really couldn't fail.”

“But why bring her back at all?” Pollux asked. “I don't understand that part. I know why they brought us back, but why Medusa? It doesn't make sense.”

Hector glared at him, insulted by the question, but it didn't hurt my feelings. It was a good one. I'd like the answer as well.

“Because, maybe, power only goes one way,” Paris replied, gazing at the ocean.

A breeze kicked up off the water, cutting right through my clothes. I shivered and wrapped my arms around myself. Achilles pulled me against him and turned as a wall against the wind. “We should find those berth rooms Orestes booked us. It's going to be too cold out here soon.”

I nodded my agreement. Living through those events had left me with a chill that went right into my blood and bones.

Orestes knew just where to go, and he led us through the ship, down a dingy hall with bad lighting and a moldy smell to the berths.

The inside wasn't much better than the outside. The room was tiny, and the two beds inside made it so cramped we could barely fit inside.

“I got two and two.” Orestes's voice was apologetic. “There weren't many choices. We booked late enough that we were lucky to get this.”

“It's fine,” I said, letting myself collapse on the bed. The duvet was scratchy beneath my hands, but it would be better than squeezing into the van for the night. The beds were just about as long as the guys, so I had a feeling I would be the only one whose feet didn't hang off the bed.

“I didn't take my bag with me,” I said, realizing I'd followed Orestes here in a bit of a daze.

“We'll get it later,” Hector said. “We still have things to discuss. What did you mean, Paris, about power going one way?”

Achilles sat next to me, drew up a leg, and pulled me against him so I rested back to his front. “Like it did with us.” His voice rumbled in his chest. “The gods gave us power when they brought us back, and we were able to use it to trap them. They didn't know it would happen, and they couldn't steal it back from us.”

“So, Athena tried to punish me, and instead, managed to give me the one power she'd need down the road?” There was something beautiful about that. My lips twitched, and I didn't fight my smile. “I fucking love that. Makes me feel like I'm sticking it to her.” I poked the air, pretending it was Athena.Ha.

Haha.

“It was a power that stayed with you when you died,” Hector added. “Perseus used it to kill the Cetus. How many other god-made creatures were just as powerful in death as in life?”

“None,” I replied. There wasn't a single monster in Greek mythology that, after death, kept its power.

“Except for us,” Orestes replied. “Whatever we are. We have held onto the power we had in life and the power the gods gave us to bring us back. But you would have been the first one, Leo. A new god among gods.”

“I don't want to be a god,” I replied. “I don't want power or control. All I want is for the gods to not have those things, either.” A shiver ran down my spine and Achilles hugged me tighter. “A nice, boring life. That's the goal.”

“A nice, boring world,” Achilles amended. He kissed the top of my head and then my cheek. “I think that's a better goal.”

I could get on board with that. “And why would Athena put my head on a shield?” I asked. “It had to be more than to scare people.” As the words came out of my mouth, I paused, thinking hard about what I’d said. She put my head on a shield.

There was something more there. I only had more questions after this discussion. I could only hope I'd finally find some answers on Corfu. “I should do more research before we get to the island.” Pulling away from Achilles, I gestured to the car. “Just let me know if there's an emergency.”

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