Chapter 74

“Hurricane,” Dion said, shaking his head. “That’s genius.”

Heat filled my chest at his praise. “I figure it would be either a stationary one or one moving slower than a normal storm.”

“So how do we track a storm?” Heph stepped back from a duck pecking at his boots. “We aren’t Hermes with air power to float over the whole ocean.”

“This is where human technology comes in handy.” I winked and pulled out my cell phone. After scrolling through various weather satellite sites, I found one that showed a gathering storm about twenty miles off the coast of Crete.

“What do you think about this one?” I showed the screen to Dion and Heph.

“Looks promising.” Dion nodded. “Let’s rent a boat instead of using magic to fly there. Less chance of alerting Zeus that we’ve found out where he’s keeping Hermes.”

“And Poseidon too,” I added. A chill swept through me at the thought of seeing the god again. I still hadn’t figured out how to get the mind hex spell off him. Or how to keep him from killing me as soon as he saw me.

I forced out an exhale. One thing at a time, Paige.

“All right, let’s go.” Heph walked off without us and a soft laugh bubbled from my lips.

“He really doesn’t like water, does he?”

“Nope.” Dion pressed his hand to my lower back, guiding me up the path after Heph.

I chewed on my lower lip, wondering how he would feel if I ever got Poseidon back on our side. Would they hate each other?

Unless I was blowing this all out of proportion. After all, I hadn’t spent a whole lot of time with Poseidon, and I could totally be crushing on him rather than both of us feeling the attraction for each other. He could have just been nice when he offered to help me with Dion was with Hades.

“So where are we going to rent a boat?” I asked as we exited the park.

“I have a few ideas.” Dion tucked me closer to his side. “But we’re going to be exposed out in the middle of the ocean, Paige. I don’t want you taking unnecessary risks.”

“But Herm—”

Dion stopped and placed a finger against my lips briefly. “We will do everything we can to help him, but you cannot risk your own life. Do you understand?”

When I only nodded, he sighed and traced my jaw with his knuckle.

“This I promise you, Paige, if you die, I will seek out Zeus. I will do everything in my power to exact revenge.”

Tears pricked the back of my eyes. “No. I don’t want anything bad happening to you.”

“Then don’t get hurt.” He kissed my forehead. “Simple. In fact, maybe you should stay here with Hephaestus, and I’ll go hunt for Hermes.”

“Absolutely not.” I pushed him back a step so I could look into his emerald eyes. “There’s no way I’m going to let you do something so dangerous without me—without Heph. We all need to stick together if this is going to work.”

“Why do I get the feeling you’re talking about more than the fight against Zeus or saving Hermes,” Heph said joining us on the walkway.

Though I didn’t think he would abandon me if I told him everything, it wasn’t right to have that conversation yet.

“Let’s just concentrate on getting Hermes and breaking Zeus’ mind control on Poseidon.” I gave him a watery smile and grabbed his hand.

“Follow me.” Dion bowed his head slightly.

“Wait.” I stopped. “We’re not going to walk all the way to the beach, are we?”

“Nah.”

I sighed in relief. “Thank goodness, ‘cause I didn’t think walking miles before we have a faceoff would be a good idea. I’ll get us a ride.”

“No need. Magic will zip us along the path without humans even noticing us.”

“Unless the human is a Pandora reincarnation,” I teased, remembering my first encounter with Dion. He was the first god I’d ever met—back when I didn’t believe in any of this stuff.

“Exactly.” We closed his eyes, holding his hands out to me and Heph then opened his eyes. “Let’s go.”

Dion led us through the edge of town to a pier along the shoreline. Boats dotted the water and along the dock. We reached a small, blue boat with grape vines painted on the side.

“This is your boat?” I had expected a lavish ship...possibly even a yacht, not this small speeder. I doubt it could hold more than five or six people.

“I’m not getting on that,” Heph said.

“It’s fine.” Dion jumped onboard the boat, looking back at us with a wide grin like he was showing off a fancy cruiser rather than a rundown-looking boat.

“We are not taking this out across the ocean against Poseidon.” Heph crossed his arms and glared at Dion like he wanted to toss him into an active volcano. “The thing won’t even keep water out if we hit a good wave.”

“You both worry too much.” Dion patted the sail. “She’s never once let me down.”

“I worry that you’ve been sipping your wine rather than seeing the truth that we’ll drown in the middle of the sea on this tiny slip of a boat.”

“Paige?” Dion asked me with his eyebrows raised. “What do you think?”

“I hate being in the middle like this.” Then my face heated cause my mind jumped into a sexual innuendo. I cleared my throat. “But I have to side with Heph. Dion, your boat looks like it might sink with just you in it. Never mind that we have to fight against the god of the sea and Zeus.”

“If we sail in on a big boat, we’ll be more noticeable.” Dion untied the anchor but didn’t push it off yet. “This way we can sneak in and figure out our next step. Hopefully, before Poseidon or any other god realizes we are there.”

“It’s risky,” I said. “Are you sure this is safe? What about lifejackets?”

“Both of you are insane,” Heph grumbled, but he leapt onto the boat after I did.

Dion shoved us away from the pier and the wind puffed out the sails. The boat cut through the water like it was specially made for racing across the waves. Still didn’t make me feel any less uneasy though.

“What about lifejackets?” I shouted over the noise of the boat.

“Don’t have any.” Dion shook his head.

“None?” My voice squeaked and I felt queasy.

“Trust me.” Dion pulled on a line. “If you fall overboard and Poseidon or Zeus are there, you’ll be luckier to get to drown before they kill you.”

“That’s not comforting at all.” I crossed my arms and sat on a small, wooden barrel inside the boat.

Every hitch that the boat dipped in the waves had my stomach rolling. I had to think of Hermes and Poseidon and how the hell I was going to get them back. Anything to think about us drowning and being eaten by sharks. I used to be petrified of flying since my parents died in an airplane crash. Now my new phobia was having to deal with the sea and not being able to rescue my men.

“So what’s our plan?” Heph asked and I nodded in agreement, but then stopped as bile rushed into the back of my throat.

“As Hermes likes to say,” Dion said, “Wing it.”

“That’s all the prep work you’ve done for this?” Heph paled. “Paige?”

I shrugged. “No idea. There hasn’t been time to do much of anything except hustle out here. I don’t even know if my theory about the hurricane is accurate or not.” Or if we were going on a wild goose chase for nothing. I wrapped my arms around myself, sinking further onto the barrel. This had to work...it just had to. There wasn’t any other way I could think of, without being able to harness the power of water.

“Then we hit Poseidon with everything we have.” Heph hit his fist against the palm of his hand. “And Paige gets Hermes.”

“And after that?” Dion covered his eyes with his hand, shielding them from the sun.

“What do you mean?” Heph looked at Dion like he’d gone crazy. “We run like hell back to fucking land, that’s what. Away from Poseidon’s stronghold.”

I swallowed hard against the pain of his words. “W-We need to save Poseidon too.”

“What are you talking about?” Heph spun to me with his eyes wide.

If he didn’t like water or the ocean, I was certain he was going to hate what I had to say. But I couldn’t let him be in the dark any longer. I had to tell him the truth. Pain pinched my chest and I let out a shaky breath.

“Zeus has Poseidon under some kind of spell, and I want to break it.”

“Why?” He narrowed his eyes. “So the god of the sea can be on our side? It’s too risky. We need to use what we have after we get Hermes and fight Zeus ourselves.”

“No. I need to have him to teach me the element of water.” I took a deep breath because I dreaded his reaction. “And I care for him, Heph.”

He frowned, but there was no recognition in his face that he understood me.

“Like I care for you and Dion and Hermes. You four complete my circle.”

For a split second, he didn’t move, didn’t say anything. I couldn’t even tell if he was breathing or not. Even though I knew he wouldn’t like the idea, I had hoped that he would be able to discuss it with me. Not this.

“Heph?” I asked in a voice loud enough to be heard over the waves.

Oh god, I think I put him into panic mode.

“Shit,” Dion shouted and jumped away from Heph.

“What—what is it?” I asked.

White smoke billowed from underneath Heph’s boots.

Dion grabbed me off the barrel, setting me to the side. Then he opened the barrel, splashing the floor with water. It sizzled across the planks. “He’s burning the fucking boat from underneath us.”