Her fear was short lived when she saw Hermes sneaking into her room. “Hermes! What are you doing?”
“What does it look like?”
He walked over. She could see his shit-eating grin in the dark, not to mention the fact he had no shirt on. Distracted, she didn’t refocus until he was climbing into bed with her.
“What are you doing? Get out!”
“No way. My room was cold and yours is much warmer.”
She crawled to the opposite end of the bed, raising an eyebrow. “Are you serious?”
“What?”
“That’s the line you’re using? Have you been taking advice from Apollo recently?”
He stalked across the mattress. “It must be working. You haven’t kicked me out yet.”
“Oh trust me, it isn’t. I’m just trying to think of how I want to kick you out.”
Hermes grabbed her leg and yanked her back across the bed. Shrieking, she tried to fight him off but he had her pinned beneath him before she could put up a decent fight. Her heart thudded as she rested her hands on his shoulders, thoughts of kicking him out evaporating.
“What? Giving up already?”
She leaned up and bit his shoulder.
“Ow!”
Grinning, she poked her tongue out.
“So you’re going to play it that way, huh?” He leaned closer and her breath quickened. His eyes were dark and she heard his breath sharpen. “You’re going to regret doing that, Peaches.”
She laughed as his mouth covered hers and she didn't regret anything.
* * * *
She slapped his arm and he chuckled. Rolling, he moved out of her and grabbed the covers, pulling it over them. He rolled on his side, taking her with him, and pressed into her back, his arms coming around her. He pressed his leg between hers and wrapped it around her bottom leg, trapping her against him. Pressing a kiss to her neck, his nose traced the line of her shoulder. “I’m serious. I’ve been missing out for weeks and until you make it up to me, we aren’t leaving.”
They fell into silence. Hermes continued to trace her shoulder and her hand stroked his arm lightly as her heartbeat returned to normal. Eyes heavy, she drifted off to sleep, unable to fight it off any longer, feeling safe in Hermes’ arms.
* * * *
Eyes opening, her heart sank when she saw her bedroom cupboard staring back at her.
“Not again,” she whispered. Sitting up, she tried to find a weapon and ended up grabbing her hair straightener from the floor. She opened her door, expecting Cronos to be waiting, and her breath caught in her throat. Josh sat tied to a kitchen chair, body slumped forward. She saw blood pooling from his mouth, dripping onto the floor, and she rushed over in a panic. “Josh!”
He didn’t respond to her voice and before she could reach him, she was yanked back by her hair. Shrieking, she came face to face with Cronos.
“Ah, my dear.” He gently pulled the hair straightener from her hand. “How adorable, thinking you could hurt me with this strange object.” She struggled to break free and his grip on her hair tightened, curling into the base of her neck. He pulled her closer, her head tipping up, and she winced, breathing heavily. “Now, you can only imagine my disappointment when I discovered my men missed you today.”
“Where’s Artemis?” she gasped.
“Oh, Artemis is in your apartment,” he smiled. “Still such a beauty too. You should know by now this isn’t your apartment. I’m not foolish enough to be caught there. No, I’m much closer to my true objective. I just let your dream take on the view of your apartment to give you a false sense of security, dear Lissandre.”
“My name is Thea,” she said automatically.
He pressed a kiss to the hand he held tightly in his left, and she tried to shrink away. “Forgive me, sweet Thea. I do hope my men got the right person today.” He turned her to face Josh. “You do know this man, do you not? And be warned, if you do not know him, we will have to dispose of him and simply try our luck again.”
Thea shut her mouth, stopping herself from saying she didn’t know him. “I know you do, sweet Thea,” he murmured in her ear. “You called his name.”
She slumped in defeat and heard him chuckle behind her. “I’m giving you seven days, my dear. If you haven’t appeared at Olympus in seven days, instead of killing you, I will kill your friend here. And I hope you believe me when I say, it will not be a fast death.”
“Josh,” she whispered.
“He cannot hear you. It is only you and me in this dream. See you in seven days, my sweet.” His hands wrapped around her head, fingers digging in painfully, and he twisted sharply. She felt a crack and a flash of light before she fell into darkness.
* * * * *
“Thea, wake up!”
Eyes flying open, she gasped, struggling to move. Hermes sat on top of her, pinning her down. Her breath frosted and she looked around. There was no ice this time but the room was freezing.
“Thea, calm down,” he said gently. “It was just a dream. He can’t hurt you.”
“He’s got Josh,” she cried, trying to sit up.
Hermes pulled her up but didn’t let go. “How can you be so sure? It was a dream.”
“No, he may not have been in my apartment but the part about Josh felt real.” Her body started shaking and it had nothing to do with the temperature of the room. She curled into a ball and let Hermes hold her. She told him what Cronos had said about being at Olympus in seven days and he cursed.
“We’ve run out of time.” Climbing off the bed, he pulled her up. “Get dressed. I’m going to go and talk to Hades and get him to send a message to Artemis. I’ll get her to check and make sure Josh has been taken and it’s not a trick.”
“It’s real –“
“Let’s just make sure first,” he said gently.
She bit her lip and nodded. Pressing a light kiss to her nose, he pushed in the direction of the bathroom and grabbed his clothes. “Be ready to go by the time I get back.”
Grabbing her clothes, she stumbled into the bathroom and decided to have a quick shower. Her body was covered in a cold sweat and she needed something to warm her up again. She didn’t feel the cold anymore but that dream had turned her insides frozen. Rushing through, she stayed under long enough to let the hot water seep through her body. Getting dressed, she wrung out her hair and tied it into a bun away from her face.
Walking out into her room, she grabbed her backpack and shoved her belongings inside. Persephone burst through the door as she finished packing, barrelling into her and sending her three steps back.
“Hermes just told me what happened,” she said fiercely. “I hope your friend is okay.”
“Thanks, Persephone,” she said quietly. “Sorry we have to leave so suddenly.”
“Oh, don’t apologise, Thea. We understand, I just wish I could come with you.”
“It’s okay, we’ll be fine.”
“Seven days is a short time,” Persephone said softly. “It’s a lot of pressure even for us to deal with.”
“It will be fine.” Trying hard to reassure herself, she hugged Persephone harder. “I have Hermes, and the other Gods will help me. Soon it will be all be over.”
“Ready?”
Hermes stood at the door with Hades. Thea stepped away and nodded. “I’m ready.”
She stepped over to Hermes and he grabbed her hand. Hades touched her shoulder briefly. “I know time is of the importance so I’m allowing Hermes to fly out of here. Good luck, Thea. I will see you in seven days.”
She nodded, trying to smile, but it felt twisted and forced. Persephone struggled to hold it together and waved her off with her hanky like a lady might while watching her man go off to war. It was kind of funny and she laughed as her stomach lurched. She didn’t get a chance to apologise before they left and Hermes pulled her closer.
“Are you all right?”
She started to nod but stopped. “No, not really.”
He wrapped his arm around her waist as they appeared in a large field, the moon lighting up the night sky. “Everything will work out.”
“Have you sent the message to Artemis yet?”
“Once I get you settled in I’ll go and talk to her in person. It will be quicker with the two of us searching.”
“Okay.” Turning around, she laughed in shock. A large white building stood behind them. Four large windows lined the front of the house and they were all open, the white curtains blowing gently in the soft breeze. “Where are we?”
Hermes led her through the front doors. “This extravagance is Apollo’s abode. He likes to live in luxury.”
She looked around the main foyer. The steps leading up to the second floor were made of white marble, black railings with an intricate design lining the sides. A chandelier hung from the ceiling, candles burning and creating a dim light. There was even two small balconies looking over the foyer.
“This place feels like the home of a Columbian drug lord,” she commented.
“That could be where he got the inspiration.”
A voice drifted down from one of the balconies above. “I’ll have you know it was inspired by the home of Al Capone.”
“Not exactly better – oh my God!” Thea looked up to where the voice had come from and spun around, cheeks flaming.
Apollo stood in one of the balconies, completely naked. He scratched his head, looking at them bleary eyed. “What are you guys doing here?”
Hermes cupped Thea’s head, protecting her from the sight above. “I’ll tell you once you put some pants on.”
“No deal. In my home pants are optional.”
“If you don’t wear pants while Thea is here, I’ll ask Artemis to Ken-doll you so your nudity won’t offend her.”
The response was immediate. “I’ll be right back.”
Hermes sighed, stroking her hair. “Try to look at eye level at all times when he’s around. I wouldn’t put it past him to walk around naked when I’m not here.”
“Can’t Artemis stay while I’m here?”
He laughed and pulled her away so he could kiss her. “I’ll ask her after we check out where Josh is.”
“What was that?”
They both looked up and thankfully Apollo had some pants on. “What was what?” Hermes asked.
“That kiss. Did something happen that I’ve missed?”
“Yes, she’s mine. So try anything and I will hurt you. Then I’ll let Artemis hurt you and then I’ll hurt you again.”
Apollo leaned over the railing. “Ah, so it finally happened. About time you got back out there, Hermes. Damn, another opportunity missed to sleep with her. Oh well, maybe in her next life. So what’s going on now?”
Hermes growled and she felt his hold tighten at the mention of her next life. She wasn’t sure how to respond to that so she kept quiet. Hermes quickly explained about her dream and Cronos.
Apollo seemed to wake instantly. “Seven days? We’ve got a lot to go through then. We’ll start in the morning though. I’m in no state to start training now.”
Hermes turned Thea around to face him. “I’ll head off now to find Artemis. Don’t worry about Apollo. He may come off as a player but he has a good heart. He’ll take care of you.”
She grabbed his arm. “When will you be back?”
“Tomorrow. We’ll do a thorough sweep of the town and head back here when we’re finished. Don’t worry, I’ll try to find Josh.”
“He’s not the one I’m worrying over the most.”
He smiled and kissed her softly. “Apollo will show you your room. Try and get some sleep and I’ll see you tomorrow.”
She nodded and gave him a quick hug. “Don’t leave me alone with Apollo for too long.”
Hermes grinned. “Good night, Thea.”
“Good night, be safe.”
She watched him disappear and released a shaky breath. Apollo motioned for her to come upstairs and she walked up the spiralling staircase, meeting him at the top. “Which room is mine?” she asked awkwardly, suddenly feeling shy.
He pointed to the room closest to the stairs. “Hermes usually stays in there when he visits, so take that one. I’ll wake you in the morning to start training.”
“Can’t a nymph wake me?”
“It’s only me staying here.” He shrugged. “No nymph will live here. No idea why.”
Thea thought she knew why but kept her mouth shut. She walked inside the room, saying goodnight to Apollo. She looked for a lock when she shut the door but there was none.
“Not comforting at all,” she muttered.
Dropping her bag on the edge of the bed, she didn’t bother getting changed. Still tired after having little sleep, she curled onto her side. The pillow smelled faintly of Hermes and her body began to relax. Drifting into a restless sleep, she worried about the last seven days she had before she came face to face with the Titan in her nightmares.
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A/N: After some consideration I have decided to remove the smut chapter for this book. It will no longer be up on Wattpad. Rest assured, it does not alter the story in anyway :-)