Page 78 of Blood of Olympus

“Good. We didn’t lose her, at least.” I met his gaze, dreading what had to be asked next.

But I didn’t have to.

“No gods fell today,” he answered my unasked question — the one he could see hovering behind the green of my irises.

My shoulders dropped, the weight of that, at least, dissipating.

His palm reached up to cup my face; his thumb painting circles upon my cheek. Steady. Reassuring.

I know that look, Nightshade, he sent through our bond.

I frowned. What look?

The one that means you’re blaming yourself. He frowned pointedly right back.

I heaved a long sigh, my gaze darting between each of his strangely coloured eyes. The black ring surrounding the silver seemed thicker — like my darkness was trying its damndest to eclipse his light.

That was my fault, too.

Is it not? The fact that we’re here — that people have died, Caelus — is it not because of me? Because I fractured… something… and allowed Kronos to escape from what should have been his eternal prison?

He stepped closer, his head dipping so that our noses almost touched. I’ll try not to take offense to that question, because by doing what you did, you allowed me to live — to be here with you.

The severity in his gaze gave me pause.

I don’t regret even a second of it. And I’ll not let you regret it either.

His hand skated around to the back of my head as his lips met mine in a charged kiss — and for the first time today, I surrendered.

I opened to him, allowing him to lead this fervent declaration of his remorselessness; his gratitude; his love. A current passed between us — evidence that he was losing the battle of self-control — and I broke the kiss with a wicked smile.

“I know that look, too,” he murmured with a smirk.

“Oh?” My smile grew.

“Oh.” His teeth flashed. “And if you don’t stop, I’ll be forced to leave clean-up to the others whilst I whisk you away to tend to you.”

My heart raced to a staccato beat in my chest. His words ignited something within me that I was thus far unaware could be kindled on a battlefield. The temptation was almost too great to withstand.

And the expression upon his own face almost dared me to.

“Caelus, I⁠—”

Whatever I’d intended to say vanished like leaves in the wind when a scrap of darkness skirted the base of the Dayspire and disappeared down a ravaged road.

My brows scrunched together. It almost looked like⁠—

“Nyssa!” Caelus called after my bolting form. The thud of his boots echoed behind, though I was losing him. But I couldn’t afford to dwell on that when the shadow was losing me.

It led me down winding side streets and dirt lanes that bordered golden wheat fields. It steered me through a bustling market square, busy with the frenzy of late afternoon purchases despite the threat of monsters that had ravaged the eastern end of their idyllic city no more than an hour ago.

Then again, the shape had taken so long to guide me past them, that perhaps they did not yet know. Perhaps the morbid news had not yet reached their oblivious ears. And perhaps when it did, more than a few would crash to their knees at learning of the losses of loved ones.

Because many innocents had perished before we’d arrived to stem the tide of beasts.

Many more would still succumb to the whims of Kronos’ commands — unless we could find a way to stop him before he destroyed the mortal realm beyond repair.

But perhaps that was his intention all along.