From Titans (Book 4) (4 page)

Luckily I was already in
Mason
’
s arms. I wanted to utterly swoon.

Chapter
4

Mason

I imagined my prison as a
ginormous box. A small stream of light entered from the crack above
on the right corner, another indication my jail was cube shaped,
and the scent of apples filled my nose as it always did when she
appeared. I lost count of how many days since I
’
d been captured and
how many days I refused to eat and drink.

My stomach roared with
hunger, and my throat begged me to replenish my thirst. I found out
through an experiment on my own body that gods
’
descendants could go
days without food and water, one benefit of being semi-divine. But
eventually my body would give out. I hoped when it did, she would
take me to the hospital or at least out of that hell
hole.

“
Are you going to be a
good boy?” The same irritating voice asked me. She always spoke
tenderly, but it sounded horrendous to me. It screeched in my ear
as if she stood next to me.

When I
didn
’
t answer, she spoke again.

“
If you behave and eat
what I have prepared for you, I
’
ll let you see
Skylar.”

My heart jumped in
elation, but the feeling died as fast as it came. Sky
wasn
’
t there. How could my captor promise that? I
didn
’
t want her to imprison Sky, but at the same time, I wanted to
see her, to replace the memory of her terrified expression with her
hypnotic smile. Despite how long I
’
d been locked up, her expression
never left me, staying in the forefront of my mind, reminding me I
needed to stay alive for her.

“
I
don’
t want to see her,” I lied. “She means
nothing to me.” Saying those words hurt, even though it
wasn
’
t the truth.

“
I see.
That
’
s too bad. But you
’
ll see her soon enough. And when
you do, you won
’
t want to be with her
anymore.”

What did she mean by that?
I stiffened and anger blasted through me. “Leave her out of this.
I
’
m
the one you want, not her.”

“
But I already have you.
There
’
s something else I want.”

“
What?” I wanted to punch
anything, but nothing existed there, not even a wall.

“
You
’
ll see. Now be a good
boy and eat your applesauce.”

I hated when she used a motherly voice. The
smell of the sweet apple filled my nostrils. It appeared out of
thin air on the ground. How badly I wanted to scarf it down.
Another spotlight illuminated the large bowl of sweet-smelling
beige mush.

“
I
’
m not going to eat
it,”
I huffed.

“
Then I guess
I
’
ll
have to feed it to you myself.”

What the hell was she
talking about? “You come any closer, and I
’
ll zap you with my powers.
Stay away from me.”

“
Now, now, Mason. You need
to gain your strength. We
’
ll be having visitors soon.
I
’
ve
already sent out invitations. I can
’
t wait for this party. I
can
’
t wait to announce my surprise.”

Then she was gone.

Skylar

Mason
’
s barking startled me
awake. The tears had stopped, but my heart was still broken and
bleeding. Taking a semester off was a great idea. Mason encouraged
it so I
’
d spend more time with him and learn how to run Bella
Amore.

A knock on the door had Mason barking
louder. When I opened the bedroom door, he dashed downstairs.
Putting on my white robe, I sped after Mason to find him waiting by
the front door. His tail wagging told me it was someone we
knew.

When I looked through
the
peep
hole, Kayla flashed her white teeth and waved a
hand.

I opened the door and squinted in the
brightness. “Kayla, come in. Were we supposed to meet today?”

As soon as Kayla closed
the door, Mason jumped on her. Kayla bent down to pet him. “Nope,
but since it
’
s Saturday I figured
you
’
d be home. I would
’
ve come earlier but I
didn
’
t know what time you
’
d be up. Judging from what
you
’
re wearing, you just woke up?”

“
What time is
it?”

“
Almost noon. I brought
something for us to eat.”

I hadn
’
t noticed the bag in
her hand until she mentioned it. “Oh, thank you.”

“
I
’
m starving.
Let
’
s eat.” Kayla headed to the kitchen, and I followed. “So,
Nick reminded me you
’
re meeting the Oracles today. I
hope they have some great news.” She peeled open a paper and laid
out sandwiches. “I got you pastrami or turkey and avocado. I
didn
’
t know which one you
’
d want.
I
’
m
sure you don
’
t feel like eating at all, but
you have to keep up your strength. Nick wanted to come, but I
wanted to come alone. It
’
s been so long since we had some
time together. We text each other, but it
’
s not the same.”

I placed a hand on her arm
across the island. “Thanks, Kayla. You didn
’
t have to do this for me,
but I appreciate it. Everyone has been so supportive, and
you
’
ve all taken care of me. It
’s just
…it
’
s…it
’
s like
Mason…
died.
” The last word was difficult
to say as my lips quivered. Tears dampened my eyes.
“
I don’
t know if he
’
s in pain or if
he
’
s
even alive.”

For the longest time, I
couldn
’
t share anything about the gods with Kayla. I had to keep it
all to myself. It felt good to be able to talk to her about all the
crazy things that happened. Kayla was a good sport. She took it in
stride and accepted our specialness.

Kayla came around to my
side and embraced me. “He
’
s alive. You have to believe
that. I know you
’
ll find him and bring him home.
Is that the reason you don
’
t wear your engagement
ring?”

I pulled away to wipe my
tears, wanting to believe her. “I put it away for safekeeping. I
didn
’
t want to lose it. My mind isn
’
t functioning correctly. I know I
should stay positive, but it
’
s hard when
there
’
s nothing I can do. What good are superpowers when I
can
’
t even locate Mason?”

Kayla stroked my back,
trying to give me comfort. “Hey, you
’
re not a god. Even Zeus,
Poseidon, and Hades can
’
t do anything about it, so stop
beating yourself up over this. Mason knows you
’
re doing everything
you can to find him. He has faith in you, so you need to have faith
in others who are doing their best.”

I smiled. Hearing her words out loud jolted
me awake. She was right. Mason had faith in me, so I needed to have
faith in those trying to help me. “When did you get so wise?”

She shrugged, snickering. “I only show my
smartness when necessary. The rest of the time I act stupid, so
when I do say something intelligent, everyone is impressed. Come
on, eat with me before it gets too cold.”

“
It
’
s a
sandwich.
” I turned my attention to Mason,
who stared at me. “We
’
re supposed to eat it
cold.”

She winked. “I knew that. Just trying to get
you to eat with me.”

“
Thank you for being here.
I
’
m
so glad you know about the gods and descendants and all the crazy
stuff that comes with knowing them. I would go crazy if I
couldn
’
t talk to you about it.”

Kayla nodded and took a
bite of her sandwich. “Sometimes, I can
’
t believe
it
’
s
real. I have to pinch myself to wake up. But I
’
m glad you can talk to
me about it. To tell you the truth, sometimes I wish I had your
powers.”

I unwrapped the sandwich
and attempted to take a bite. “I
’
m not sure if
it
’
s
a curse or a blessing sometimes.”

“
Maybe both. Why
can
’
t it be both?”

We both shrugged in agreement.

After we ate, Kayla helped
me feed the dogs. After she left, I got ready to meet the others by
New Olympus
’
s portal.

Chapter
5

Skylar

New Olympus felt like my
version of Heaven. A sense of serenity washed over me as soon as I
stepped through the portal. The gentle breeze tousled my hair, and
a floral scent wafted through my nose. Children
’
s laughter filled my
ears as they played around the softly murmuring stream and trees
bearing the most vibrant, colorful leaves.

“
Welcome,” Noah greeted
us, Amanda and Tim by his side.