By draining Alex of her power, I argued. Without her near, he cant tap into that.
We wont take the risk. Apollo leaned against the seat. He can put us out of commission. If one of us is weakened, so are we all.
The family that
Anyway, Apollo cut Dionysus off. According to what he has learned, theyre planning a full assault on all the Covenants. We cannot allow that.
So what does Olympus plan? Marcus asked, shoulders bending as if the weight of this conflict rested on them.
See, theres the pickle. Hearing the word pickle come out of Dionysus mouth just seemed wrong. We plan to go to war, but there is dissension among the fearless leaders.
What kind of dissension? I rubbed the heel of my palm over my temple, pressing against a dull ache no doubt brought on by lack of food.
Six want to annihilate the problem, Dionysus said casually, as if he were discussing where he got his gaudy-ass shirt from.
Go after Lucian and those supporting him? Solos asked. Take as many out as possible?
Apollo nodded. The rest of us believe there is still hope that a full-scale war can be avoided, because if we do go to war, what happened with the Titans will have nothing on this. The body count will include mortalspossibly millions of them. There is no way that can be avoided.
There is still hope . Those four words brought forth images of Alex cradled against my chest,
talking about Seth just a few short weeks ago. Shed had hope for himright up to the moment hed connected with her.
Not to mention the risk of exposure, added Marcus. Gods, this is
There were no words.
It sort of struck me then. None of usnot even the two godsreally had foreseen this a year ago. The prophecies hadnt predicted that the world would be on the verge of a war the likes of which had never been seen beforea war that would rip this world apart.
We believe that the war can be stopped, Apollo continued, but the others are doubtful, especially with the most recent events.
Alex, I whispered, now accustomed to the pang that shot across my chest.
Dionysus stood. Many were willing to stay out of it, even after what the First did to the North Carolina Council. Only Poseidon and Hades were quick to respond, but now that shes connected, they have no hope. And they are searching
Unease stirred and spread like a weed. Searching for what?
With a sigh, Apollo said, A way to kill the Apollyons.
CHAPTER 3
I WORKED AT KEEPING MY EXPRESSION BLANK AND MY temper in check, but anger was tearing through me, shredding my control. It took everything in me not to leave the room and go downstairs to keep vigil over Alex.
Solos eyed me and cleared his throat. I was under the impression that only the Apollyons can kill one another.
My hands balled into fists as Apollo turned to me. You know.
Now Marcus and Solos stared at me, and I wanted to shove my hand through a wall. The Order of Thanatos killed Solaris and the First. Somehow they know how to do it, which means wouldnt the gods?
Dionysus laughed. Thanatos gifted the Order with the abilitya code or somethingbut even Thanatos cant recall what it was. There were never supposed to be two Apollyonsnever the possibility of a God Killer. Thinking it wouldnt be needed again, he didnt write it down. Idiot.
Should I feel bad for being relieved?
The Order knows, but with Tellys death, theyve scattered. Not to mention that some of the Sentinels under Lucian arent hunting daimons anymore. Apollo paused and glanced at the door. Theyve begun hunting members of the Order.
Good gods. Marcus strode to the window. Stopping, he dragged his fingers through his hair. I dont even know which is worse.
There was the distinct impression that there was more. After a few more barbs directed at Apollo, Dionysus vanished, and a little bit of the pressure seeped from the room. Is he on our side? I asked.
Apollo laughed dryly. Yes, but not because he feels the way we do. Only because hes too lazy to engage in battle.
Well, that was good for something. I sighed. There is more, isnt there? And it has to do with Alex.
Yes. He looked toward the door again, eyes narrowing. Turning back to me, he nodded. The message was clearthe same one look wed shared a dozen times over the years, when hed been known as Leon. We had spies. Hands fisting at my sides, I stalked toward the door while Solos continued to gain information from Apollo about the Sentinels hunting the Order.
Two narrow shadows crept along the wall of the hallway, and I was sure the two thought they had James Bond stealth. More like two of the Three Stooges. How long had they been standing outside the room, and was I going to strangle them both? Possibly. I stepped out.
Deacon jumped back, knocking into an equally unprepared Luke. One would think, after all Lukes training, he wouldve recovered a lot quicker, but things were different now. The Covenant hadnt trained their students to face what was coming.
A sheepish look crossed my brothers face as he straightened and ran a hand through the mess of blond curls. Instead of being angry over him eavesdropping, I was just relieved that he was here with me, when things seemed to be crashing down around us.