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Chapter 1

Josie

Wind gusted aroundacross my cheeks the short, thin strands of blonde hair that had fallen loose from my bun

The late-evening air was still cool for early June At least frorown up in south Missouri, where it could feel like the devil’s butt by this tiot all that hot here in the hills of South Dakota

Drawing in a deep breath, I focused on a large, gray boulder Probably been sitting where it was since ti h er had my powers bound by a pair of not so ordinary bracelets

It felt good to have that power back, especially right nohen I wanted to blow stuff up

I was super irritated at a certain golden-headed god at the moment

Instead of pushing that anger aside like I normally would have, I tapped into it and used it to feed akasha, the deadliest ele the air eleled with in the past So and I’d set it on fire instead

That hy Luke usually stayed far away fro with the elements

I pictured the boulder lifting into the air and held that i happened, and then the boulder began to trereat rock shifted, and then it was like a great hand reached down and pulled on it The scent of rich soil filled the air as the boulder broke loose froround and rose

I ht Themore than a feather

I was doing it, but it wasn’t perfect I needed to be able to use the elements i at the jarring impact it made as it settled crookedly into its hole

Turning at the waist, I scanned the ancient statues of unna one of theonto the low hill, but the field I was practicing on remained empty

I wiped at the sweat dottingthe weariness cloaking e part of me wanted to take a nap

I’d been sleeping a lot lately

Supposedly that was nornancy I knew this because I had done so Part of me wished I hadn’t, because I’d learned about all kinds of things I was just better off not knowing about

I’d discovered I’d become a bit of a art

Because holy crap, there was sointo consideration the night

I was traumatized from that

But there was sohappened to this baby? I didn’t think it was a crazy question Nornancies failed all the time, for one reason or another Hell, some women never even learned why they lost their babies Sometimes, it just happened and there was no reason

And like I’d said to Seth, ere not normal

He was a god, and I was a deerous, and mine wasn’t any safer In all reality, erous than his He was absolute Meaning only another absolute being could kill his alive that posed any real risk to Seth

Cronus

And Zeus

But for me?

My heart lurched inthat was better trained at physical fighting and wasthe eleod, I would be harder to kill

But I still could be killed

And what if I was seriously injured in a fight with the Titans? What would that mean for the baby? The fact the child had survived the tihter No doubt about it, but it was still vulnerable, because I…I was vulnerable

But I wasn’t weak

Which hy I was out here and not cowering in my bed

Once again, I summoned the element of air, but this time I didn’t raise my hand

A moment passed and then the boulder rose

Good That was good