I pondered my options as Paxton and Héctor argued.
CHAPTER 12
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Days passed withoutincident from the God of War or any of our other enemies. Ares wasn’t at the Academy in North America, which was good, but he wasn’t at his base in Paris either.
“We’ve lost the track of him,” Zak said in frustration as he leaned back against the chair.
“Even I can’t feel him, despite my blood bond to him,” Axel said. “It’s the first time he’s blocked me like this.”
“Don’t let our guards down,” Héctor said, cutting steak into small cubes for me. “From what I learned about Ares, he’s as persistent as hell. He might disappear for a short period to modify his plan, but he always returns for the end game.”
All the demigods tensed at the dinner table.
I still insisted on having breakfast and lunch with my friends, but as soon as my last class ended and the sun went down, the demigods whisked me away. They wouldn’t take any chances that an enemy might snatch me away.
Axel poured another glass of red wine for me. He was most competitive when it came to Héctor. The death demigod gave him a harsh look.
“You need to watch the portion size for alcohol, Axel,” Héctor said. “Getting our mate drunk isn’t the way to take care of her properly.”
I grabbed my full glass of wine immediately, afraid that Héctor would take it away. “I’m okay. I won’t get drunk. I’m stronger than that.”
“Cookie is as powerful as us,” Axel said, rolling his eyes at Héctor. “You were never in a relationship before, so stop acting like an expert.”
The death demigod glared murderously at the war demigod.
Héctor was the most protective of me, sometimes overbearing, but I could take anything he threw at me. I had never told him this, but my love for him was without limit, even though he might have a dark side I hadn’t explored. I had glimpsed the depth of the iceberg beneath his cool waters.
The demigods carried the heaviness of time with them. No matter how harsh and cruel they could be sometimes, they cared for Earth, or they wouldn’t have given their all to defend it.
Unlike Ares, they were Earth’s true defenders.
“Can we focus on Ares, gentlemen?” Paxton said from across the table, his voice cool and concerned. “We need to carry out the perfect plan and assign roles.”
“Paxton and I will go to Paris tomorrow,” Zak said. “We’ll cause havoc in the city to draw Ares back to France.”
“Will you be safe?” I asked, my stomach flipping with worry. “What if Ares finds out it’s you and retaliates?”
“We’ve done this before,” Paxton said, a sexy smile ghosting his lips as he gazed at me. A butterfly fluttered in my stomach. “He won’t know it’s us.”
Zak stretched his hand over and touched mine. “You don’t need to worry about us, Rosebud.”