“I never wanted children,” Leo went on, “because I only know what not to do. I don't have any instincts.” She glanced up at me and then down to the blanket. “I'd be a horrible mother. I should probably keep my opinions about families to myself.”
I wanted to know more. To know everything. And the dead last thing I wanted was her to keep her opinions to herself. I wanted to know every thought and question in her head, even if it hurt me.
“So, no one will come looking for you if you disappear?” Hector asked.
Leo gave a half smile, but I glared at him. “No. Maybe Dr. St. John at Oxford. He'd notice, at first. But I haven't spoken to my parents in...” She glanced out the window. “Months. No. Almost a year, actually.”
The way she finished the sentence, like it was hanging in the air with more to be said, had me leaning forward.
“Why?” I asked.
“Why haven't I spoken to them?” she asked, and then went on slowly like it was the most obvious thing in the world, “Because they don't want to talk to me.”
Unbelievable. “Then they're the most—” There were no words to describe people who didn't see who Leo was. Who didn't appreciate her. “They don't know what they've missed.”
Her skin pinked. “That's kind of you.”
She didn't believe me, but she would.
Leo
Orestes shook his head, the dark curls on his head catching the light from the deck. He blew out a breath and glanced up at me through his long, dark lashes.
I couldn't figure out what to say to him when he'd just given me one of the most beautiful compliments of my life. He had no idea what ran through my head, and I didn't want him to.
It wasn't fair that I wanted to know everything about them and not share the darker, pathetic aspects of my life.
They won't think I'm pathetic.Some part of my mind acknowledged that my fear was unjustified. Athena showed them my life and death as Medusa, and they hadn't run screaming. None of the guys were disgusted. They were angry, but not once did I catch a pitying stare.
So, sharing that my self-centered parents had ignored me wasn't going to make them blink.
I sighed. Paris leaned back, shifting so his body was at more of a diagonal on the seat. With one hand, he stroked my arm while the other curled over my legs, holding me close to him. I had taken a short nap, but exhaustion pulled at me. I didn't want to shut my eyes, though, when Orestes was talking to me.
Anything he said, I wanted to hear.
Our gazes held when there was a sudden jerk, and the van tilted sideways. Paris immediately moved me off him, securing me with the seat belt, while Achilles and Pollux leapt outside. The ferry listed to one side, filling the air with the sound of screeching car brakes and confused screams.
“What happened?”
No one answered me. Hector fixed a glare out the window, watching Achilles and Pollux closely.
The crew had directed us to the lowest level of the ferry, and we ended up parked between two lines of vehicles on either side of us. Those cars and trucks had shifted when the ferry moved so suddenly, the force dragging automobiles from their parked positions along the concrete surface.
All at once, the van seemed to nosedive. Achilles and Pollux flew into the air, slamming hard into the ground as a huge spray of water swamped the boat.
The ferry went from one extreme to another. Nose-diving to jutting up at the blackness and tiny pricks of light from the stars. This was no gentle rocking, but a jarring up and down.
“Stay in here.” Hector slid the door open, and another wave drenched us. The scent of the ocean mixed with diesel. Slamming the door shut, Hector ran to help Achilles and Pollux. Together, they grabbed onto other passengers who, in their panic, had left their cars.
Unclipping my belt, I moved to get out. Hector saw me and yelled, “Get back in!”
Paris grabbed me around the waist, tossing my back into my seat before leaping out of the van.
“I can help.” I said, but he didn't hear me.
Orestes had, though, and frowned. “You're mortal, Leo. We won't be able to concentrate if you're out there.”
I couldn't argue with his reasoning, even if I didn't like it. Holding back a growl of frustration, I nodded. He was out the door in seconds. The ship dipped again, and I flew forward, tumbling into the boxes and bags. I barely managed not to slam my head on the window.