I step onto Bear Island again without issue, though my spine tingles with awareness of the fate magic surrounding the place as I pass through the barrier. This side of the island is far enough from the school that I doubt I’ll be seen. Still, I opt to obscure myself from sight. I don’t want to catch the eye of any of those Shadows I saw patrolling.
On my last visit a few days ago, I didn’t have time to fuck around; I flew straight to the cabin where Pan and Nemea were fucking. This time I pause on the beach, when the sun glints off several small shards of void glass delivered by the tide. Any signs of footsteps have been washed away by a recent rain, but the rain couldn’t wash away the evidence of the magic that lingers. Brighter on this spot in particular, right at the edge of the water where the splinters of void glass darken the sand to black.
I stretch a hand out toward that spot, drawing the pieces into me with a thought. It won’t do to let the pieces remain here. Any evidence that I’ve been here could act as a beacon to the escaped Titans if they’re at all set on retribution.
Despite the fate magic protecting the place, I can’t count on that holding up to them either. They managed to get through my doors, after all. Doors that should have been impenetrable to anyone, no matter their status.
My gut twists with urgency, even though I know this is still the second safest place for Nemea to be right now. I will retrieve her later, after I tidy up.
I amplify my power by degrees, closing my eyes to reach out to any other fragments that have been left behind in this place. When Typhon lost his heads, they fell into the water, shattering against the ocean floor into larger chunks of void glass. Other pieces of my clones that Pan’s magic created still remain at the site of that battle. I don’t dare visit that site personally, though, since it’s within sight of the buildings. I can cloak myself well enough, but now that this place is a school for Bloodline humans, I can’t take the risk that any of the students or teachers possess powers that can detect me.
My focus submerges beneath the water instead, taking the scenic route to find those other pieces. The shards on the shore creep beneath the sand toward the water like burrowing crabs, meeting up with the larger pieces in the deeps. Then in a solid mass, they shoot like a torpedo around the edge of the island, emerging and hurtling toward me through the air. I hold my hand overhead, summoning a churning vortex of my magic that sucks the remaining void glass back into me. The return of the lost matter will help fortify my walls even more.
The task complete, I turn and walk up the beach toward the rubble that was once a cabin. I doubt she’s here—if she were, I would sense her. But I want to indulge for a moment in the memory.
When I step onto the porch, I can see the signs of passage; someone did come after the place fell. A faint path has been cleared through the mess, and a rudimentary small shelter made of the rubble rests over the ruined sofa. I follow it and peek beneath a slab of splintered roof leaning on a broken beam. A tiny gray mouse peers out at me, whiskers quivering around her pink nose as her babies squirm against her belly.
I can’t help but smile. Life persists amid chaos. The argument could be made that life is chaos and that Fate’s designs are the artificial part. Left to its own devices, life would find its own patterns, but none of them would be the least bit predictable.
“What did you do here after I left, naughty Nemea?” I muse, following the path toward the still-standing door frame. The ruined bed is the only clear area in what remains of the bedroom.
The sense of her is strongest in this room. Her magic and her scent permeate the air, vying for attention against the earthy aromas of the forest that will overtake these ruins if no one comes to rebuild. Chaos at work.
Insistent pressure pokes at the back of my mind. Irritated by the intrusion, I push back, only to have a second consciousness flare brighter, a face beyond glass, seen but not heard until I open the window to the world inside my head.
It’s Pan’s face, and his voice interrupting my thoughts.
“You couldn’t resist revisiting the scene of the crime, could you?”
“I didn’t invite you to join me,” I mutter.
“I was there the first time, asshole. You don’t think your memories called to me? We’re both equally bound to her now. I can sense her even more than you, I bet. Which means she tasted me after we left.”
My head lifts and turns, moving despite my desire to keep envisioning the sight of her on the bed, riding Pan’s cock. But his singular focus won’t be denied, and when one of my guards wants something badly enough, it’s tricky to keep them from invading. Despite the impenetrability of the prison, I’m still at their mercy far too often. They can’t get out without the help of outside forces, but that doesn’t stop them from taking the wheel when I’m distracted.
“She’s to the north now,” he says. “You’re planning to bring her here, aren’t you?”
“That’s the idea. This place is protected by fate magic, but I don’t want to take the chance that either the Titans or Chaos can get through. I want her close.”
A shiver of excitement telegraphs from his consciousness through my body, and my cock goes stiff. I let out a sigh. “She will be under our protection. She won’t be there for your entertainment, or any of the others’, for that matter. I forbid all of you from taking advantage of her. We need to focus on finding the Titans.”
“You know at some point we’re going to have to stop talking about it and actually do the thing.”
“I don’t have a fucking window into their minds.” That’s an understatement; as the manifestation of the realm itself, I have always been able to sense every last prisoner locked inside me—except for those four. Every day, I relied on the other guards to confirm whether those prisoners were still in residence, meaning I’m the last person Pan should be grilling about this. “Tell me where you think four Titans would go after escaping from prison and we’ll go there first.”
A second presence perks up with a rude chuckle.
“I already know your opinion, Chrysaor,” I snap, cutting him off. “It still doesn’t help us locate them. Until they make themselves known, it’s a waste of energy to start searching. My concern is for Nemea right now. Keeping her out of Chaos’ clutches is paramount. I won’t allow her to be used as a pawn in his pissing match with Fate.”
“Fair enough, boss. So, is this the place where you two did the deed?”
My head swivels, compelled by Chrysaor’s curiosity now. He lets out a low whistle as he takes in the rubble surrounding the bed. Something catches my eye and I reclaim control, stepping toward the bed and crouching down at its edge. I lift the rumpled bedsheet and peer through a jagged hole that has been cut into the center.
My nose twitches, and Chrysaor’s interest piques. “Hold it closer so I can smell her.”
I bring the fabric to my nose and inhale. My own sense of smell is average for a god, but Chrysaor’s is far more sensitive. He emits a hungry rumble, and my dick hardens again.
“You guys are making me doubt the wisdom of bringing her inside,” I mutter, nose filled with the pungent scents of all our juices intermingling on the edges of the cloth.
“We can control ourselves,” Pan insists. “It’s safer for her to be with us.”
I frown at the hole. What would compel her to keep this particular patch of cloth? I erased her memory of our encounter.
Campe chimes in this time. “But did you fill in the blanks?”
“What do you mean?”
She gives an exasperated huff, forcing an involuntary breath through my own lips. “You erased her memory of her entire encounter, which must have spanned from the moment she found Pan to after the pair of you disappeared. Did you replace those hours with something plausible to fill in the blanks?”
“Fuck.”
A chorus of laughter and taunts echoes in my head. I slam the window shut.
I should have been more careful, but what’s done is done. I’m planning to retrieve her anyway, so she’ll need her memories returned to some degree. The fact that she saved a piece of fabric soaked with evidence of our joining is troubling, though. Pan’s spunk was powerful enough to help four Titans escape their prison; there’s no telling what kind of trouble a curious young woman might get into with a sample of it, especially one brimming with as much power as Nemea.
I step out of the cabin again to the sight of several enormous shadows flying overhead: a black dragon followed by three white ones, and with passengers on their backs. Shit. She’s going to have an army of Shadows and Guardians around her. I’ll have to think about the best way to approach.
“Plan on groveling, boss—that’s the only way I see you getting her out of there without a fight.” Alcides’ reasoned tone breaks through.
“Not that we won’t come if Typhon’s up to it.”
“I’m not dragging him into another fight so soon—or any of you. With luck, this can be handled peacefully.” I take a breath, coming to a decision. “And if anything, we’re going to need more allies to deal with the Titans. I’m going to view this as an opportunity.”