Page 54 of The Shadow Gods

Leo

“Yeah,” I replied nervously, even though I was certain the admission wouldn't send them running.

Sure enough, Orestes kept his arm around my waist and didn't flinch at all. He just asked, like he wasn't sure he'd heard what I said, “Snakes?”

I remembered their silky scales and the delicate touch of their tongues. Their weight and presence hadn't freaked me out. It had comforted and kind of...bolstered me. They were in my corner, in a way. I liked them.

Pollux dropped my hand and came to face me. He kept his eyes on mine as his fingers dove into my hair, spearing through the strands. “I don't feel any snakes.” The corner of his mouth twitched the teeniest, tiniest bit.

Knocking his hand away, I rolled my eyes.

Gaze going serious, he moved one hand to the back of my head. “I hate that I couldn't help you. Achilles is right. It's not insurmountable, but we need a solution. There's no way I'm ever standing by with my eyes closed while you fight a god.”

There might not be a way to solve this problem. Then again, in my other life, I couldn't turn the power on and off the way I did in this one. I had to think about it some more.

Ahead, I caught sight of the van. “What's our next stop?” I asked, aware I was ignoring Pollux's statement.

Orestes put his arm around my waist again. I loved being surrounded by them, and I didn't care that, with Pollux now holding my hand and Orestes next to me, we were getting a couple of sideways glances from other people. They could think whatever they wanted. I wasn't about to deny myself affection. I'd been starved for it and didn't take it for granted.

Orestes only let me go when Achilles unlocked the van and opened the door for me. Heat blasted out of the enclosed car. We had a long way to go, but I wasn't going to complain about being squeezed in close to these guys. I loved it, loved it, loved it.

Paris got in after me, groaning as he fit his body next to mine.

“I was sitting there,” Hector complained.

“Too bloody bad,” he replied. “You had the first leg of the journey, and I get this one. I watched you snuggle for five hours. It's my turn.” He winked at me, crystal blue eyes flashing. “Any objections?”

I pretended to zip my lips. He wouldn't get a peep out of me. It warmed me from head to toes the way they fought over spending time with me. Their voices were drowning out my parents' and beginning to counter the negative self-talk that popped into my head constantly.

Rather than argue, Hector held his hands out for the shard. I hesitated, glancing down at the image of Pollux.

“I'm reaching toward the sky,” Pollux said. “For my twin. For Castor.” His green eyes were trained on the obsidian. “I think it represents that moment when I realized he was truly gone. All I wanted was for him to live, but I damned him to be alone.”

He reached over Hector to grab the shard and drop it into the container. “So?” he asked as Orestes buckled in. “Where to next? Rome?”

I recognized a desperate change of subject when I heard one.

“Too soon,” Orestes growled, which made Pollux grin and shrug. There were more temples in Rome than in Greece.

My backpack sat at my feet. I dug through the front pouch for my toiletry kit and the little package of disposable toothbrushes. I bit the gel pod in the center, then brushed. As I took a sip of water, I found the guys watching me. I held out the toothbrushes. “I really am okay.”

Achilles started the van, pulling into traffic smoothly. “He didn't hurt you?”

“He threatened, but he didn't hurt me.” I could feel Paris's gaze on me. “I promise.”

“What do we know?” Hector asked. “Two gods have shown themselves. What did they have in common?”

His tone reminded me of the one I used with students, but with a hint of royalty and a dash of general. It was a hard balance, but he nailed it.

“You injured Athena,” I started. “Maybe they can be killed.”

“Maybe,” Hector said. “Or maybe they're like us and heal quickly from injuries that should kill them.”

“You can't die.” Didn't that solve the problem of my killing them? I could go full-on snakehead, and they'd be fine. A weight dropped off my shoulders.

“We've never pushed it that far,” Achilles said. We were on a highway again, cars zipping by us. “We've had some horrific injuries that would have killed humans, and while it took us a while to recover, we did. We could always test it out.”

“No!” Hector and I burst out at the same time.

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