From Titans Page 2

  Mason wanted to be close to his family. Being demigods made life unpredictable, and he knew we were all stronger and safer in greater numbers. He also helped Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades purchase a house to share on the same block.

  As soon as I opened the door, I ran to the backyard and opened a gate. A dozen dogs of different breeds greeted me with such love and happiness it was hard to be in a foul mood. With their tails wagging and tongues out ready to lick me, they piled on me. I sprawled out and surrendered on the grass as they greeted me like they hadn’t seen me all week.

  After the incident with the hell hounds from the underworld, Mason wanted to adopt dogs from the pound to replace the bad memory with a better one. We couldn’t choose. So instead of rescuing just one, we decided to take them all home. Having a big backyard gave us room to do so. Mason also hired a private dog trainer, dog walker, and a daily dog poop cleaner since we would be preoccupied with getting Bella Amore fixed up. He was thoughtful that way.

  I made sure to pet each one. They had been named after the gods. The hard-to-tame one with a black, thick coat we called Medusa. The Maltese with a silky white coat—Aphrodite. The domineering golden retriever—Zeus. The mixed breed with pretty blue eyes was named after Poseidon. One with lots of spunk and attitude—Hades. My favorite, a husky with a sharp sense of smell and keen eyes, I named Mason.

  Picking Mason out of the group, I cradled and snuggled him as if he were my Mason. “I miss you so much. Help me find you. Where are you?” My chest deflated as I released a long, painful breath. After rubbing Mason’s head and stroking his belly, I put him down and slid the door open that led to the family room.

  I allowed the dogs to follow me inside the house. Some left a trail of dirt on the hardwood floors, but I didn’t mind. It would be easy to clean. The dogs eagerly waited with their tails wagging as I poured kibble in their bowls. Watching them made me happy and temporarily took some pain away. After they finished, I let them out again, except for Mason. Before he was taken, Mason and I would play fetch with the dogs, but ever since he disappeared, I hadn’t been in the mood.

  Dog Mason followed me to the kitchen and watched as I cleaned up the mess. Then he followed me to the hallway to the garage, where I turned on the house alarm, and finally upstairs. He sat by the bathroom door while I showered and then watched me brush my teeth and slip under the covers.

  “Come on, Mason.” I tapped the bed.

  Mason jumped, licked my face, and lay next to me on our plush, king-sized bed. Reaching over to the bedside table, I picked up my phone and called Mom as I promised I would.

  “Skylar.” She answered on the first ring. “Are you in bed?”

  “Yes.” Without thinking I said, “Mason is with me.” While I stroked his belly, I realized Mom would have gotten the wrong idea. She must have thought I was crazy. “I meant Mason the dog. You remember, don’t you?” My eyes flew to the picture of Mason and me on the dresser and then to the large flat screen mounted adjacent to it.

  “Yes, of course. Dog Mason is cute. I’m glad he’s keeping you company.”

  My parents, the Grand family, and Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades had been over for a dinner party the week after I moved in. Mason had food catered from an Italian restaurant close to our place since Bella Amore was still remodeling. Everything had seemed so normal then. I drifted off thinking of that wonderful night.

  “Can you pass me the salad?” Mom asked.

  “Yes, mother.” Hades smirked, passing the bowl to her from across the table. It was still hard to get used to the fact that my mother was the gods’ mother, but regardless, she seemed much closer to me than to them. Perhaps because they were not just grownups but ancient, and in her eyes, I remained a teenager who needed guidance from her. Who knew?

  Mom scooped some salad onto my plate.

  “Thanks,” I said, gazing at her pregnant belly. My half-brother or half-sister would be born in less than six months. This was another issue I had yet to fully accept. Hephaestus, one of Zeus’s sons, had impregnated my mom by force. We all prayed the baby would turn out to be like my mother rather than the father.

  “Eat up, Mom.” Zeus passed her the plate of bread. “You’re eating for two.”

  “She’s fine.” My father stepped in. He had been quiet during the beginning of our dinner. He had to adjust to his wife turning out to be Rhea, too. But they loved each other, and because of that, they cleared the misunderstandings and the hurt for a better future.

  “Look what I learned to do. I learned this trick from Mason.” Nick used his light and raised the meatball from his dish. An electric sizzling light crackled around it as it paused in midair. “Pretty cool.” His grin shone as bright.

  “I’m still better at it,” Mason joked.

  “Show off,” Hades mumbled. “Just like Zeus.” He snickered and snapped his fingers. The meatball puffed up in flames and dropped on the table linen.

  Poseidon pointed where the fire grew and water from his cup flowed out like a fire extinguisher. Steam rose from the table.

  “Could we have a normal dinner?” Everett rolled his eyes and ran his hand down his face. As for everyone else, they had a good laugh and continued their dinner as if nothing had happened.

  “Boys will be boys.” Kayla shook her head.

  Amanda rolled her eyes. “I believe you mean gods will be gods.”

  “Anyway, honey. I’m glad you called,” Mom continued. “I just want to make sure you’re okay. The Oracles are doing all they can to find Mason and so are your father and I. Hang in there.”

  I snuggled closer to dog Mason. At that point, nothing else comforted me.

  “I know, Mom.”

  Mom was being a mom, trying to make things better. Truthfully, everyone telling me something would turn up frustrated me. Those words were not the ones I wanted to hear. I aggravated even myself. Having no leads to follow or clues to where Mason had been taken, I was simply lost, and I didn’t know where to search for him.

  “Will you come visit me, or shall I visit you? Mason did well finding your new home. It’s beautiful.”

  “He did, didn’t he?” I smiled briefly. “Will you be attending the meeting with the Oracles tomorrow?”

  “Yes, your father and I will be there. We wouldn’t miss it for anything.”

  “Then maybe we can have dinner together afterward.”

  “Sounds like a plan. Try to get some sleep. It won’t do Mason any good if you’re not well when the time comes to be there for him.”

  “Okay.” I sighed. I didn’t mean to sound like a downer, but I couldn’t help myself. A heavy brick had fallen on my shoulders, pressing harder, weighing me down every day without Mason. But when I thought about our happy days, it put a smile on my face. Like the day when he first showed me our new home.

  “You passed your house, Mason.” I laughed. “Did you forget where you live?”

  Mason threw a quick smirk my way before looking back to the road ahead. “I don’t live there anymore.”

  “What? What are you talking about?” I paused. “Wait. You and Nick didn’t—”

  “No.” He cut me off softly. “Nick and I are like brothers. He would never kick me out. There might be times when he wanted to and I the same, but we would never.”

  Mason pulled into the driveway of a new home I had admired every time I drove by. The builder had torn down a block of old homes and built bigger, new ones. The house was exquisite. Cobblestones paved the driveway. A three-car garage was attached to the house. The front yard looked bare, but I imagined it filled with rose bushes and various colorful flowers. The beige façade appealed to me, with brown trim around the windows, making them stand out.

  “You live here?” I squealed.

  Mason got out of the car. Using gods’ speed, he opened my door just as my hand touched the handle. “No, we live here.”

  He guided me out of the car and led me to the front double wooden door with frosted-glass windows.

  “I can�
��t believe you bought a new house. When? You never told me.”

  “I wanted it to be a surprise. So…surprise.” Mason reached inside his jeans pocket, took out a key, and opened the door. “We can’t live with my family forever. When we get married—” he glanced at my diamond engagement ring “—which should be soon, we’ll need to start our family. And I would like to provide a nice house for my wife and kids.” He kissed my forehead. “But don’t worry. I’m not in a rush to have kids. I’m going to be selfish and make sure we have plenty of fun, just the two of us. So, soon-to-be Mrs. Grand.” Mason scooped me off my feet. “Welcome to our humble home.”

  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 peephole, 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 b
reeze 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.

  Sarah, Athena’s descendant; Aaron, Apollo’s descendant; and Colin, Ares’s descendant, stepped forward with smiles and waves.

  Persephone smiled. Her braided hair dangled over one shoulder, and her long dress flowed with the breeze. She jumped into Hades’s arms.

  Noah and Amanda had officially become a couple. They had announced it when Amanda told us she was moving to New Olympus. Amanda had a rough past, and I was happy things were finally going her way.

  “We have a meeting with the Oracles,” Zeus said.

  “Yes, we know.” Noah smiled. “Please, follow me.”

  We followed Noah while the others left to attend their duties. Apparently, they were not invited to the meeting.

  The last time I had been there, we celebrated our victory over Hephaestus. As we passed the long walkway to the castle, it reminded me of the time Mason had lit up all the trees, making the New Olympus night more enchanting. Zara had caught us red handed and lightly scolded us for showing off.

  The giant double door opened as if it sensed our presence. Light penetrated the crystal castle, providing a warm illuminating glow. Noah and Amanda led us to the meeting room. We took our seats and waited for the Oracles. As I learned, the Oracles liked to be the last ones at the meeting and had to make grand appearances.

  Three women dressed in magically fairy-like dresses, with glitter on their gowns, hair, and faces, glided toward the meeting table. They sat on thrones I hadn’t seen the last time I’d been there. Each white, pristine throne, made from marble, had been decorated with swirls and intricate designs.

  Out of respect, we stood.

  “Good afternoon, everyone,” Zara said. Being the eldest, she conducted the meeting and always spoke first, while Tara and Cara radiated warm smiles and spoke when asked for their opinion. “Thank you for coming. Please, have a seat.”