“Oh, everything is fun when I’m around.” Hercules’s knees knocked into the back of my seat as he leaned back. “This one time, when I was ordered by the gods to . . .”

I could only think of three words.

Fuck. My. Life.

Chapter 26

Chapter 26

“You should drive, because I’m going to end it all. Once we’re on the freeway, I’m going to jump out of this vehicle and throw myself in front of a Mack truck.”

Josie’s laugh cut off her yawn. “That’s a little excessive.”

Adjusting the sunglasses I’d stolen from Aiden yesterday morning, I smirked. “I do not think anything is excessive when it comes to him.”

“But that won’t even kill you.”

I sighed. “Yeah, but I’m pretty sure it’ll knock me unconscious for the time being.”

She laughed again and glanced out the window. Heat rolled off the cracked asphalt. The temps were nothing like South Dakota. “Oh, geez.”

“He’s still with that woman, isn’t he?”

“Yep.”

We’d arrived in Vegas last night, about an hour or so before midnight, picking a hotel far from the strip, where only the dazzling and flashing lights could reach us. Of course, the moment Hercules’s feet touched the pavement, he was off. Kind of couldn’t blame him. The last time I’d been in Vegas had been with the Titan Perses, and if you looked up the definition of drunken debauchery, there would be a picture of Perses and me.

This time was different.

The flashing neon lights, the alcohol, the girls and the hyped-up atmosphere held no allure. Once I’d closed the hotel door behind Josie and me, I didn’t reopen it until this morning.

Like an old man, ball and chain included, and I was fucking a-okay with that.

But Hercules obviously had had a rough and interesting night.

He showed up this morning smelling like a distillery, wearing the same clothes as yesterday, except the Henley was torn and he must’ve forgotten to button his pants. And he wasn’t alone.

Hercules literally tried to convince us to allow some chick who was wearing cut-off jean shorts and a bra to come with us. Not going to happen. I looked over, past Josie. Now he was impregnating the chick’s mouth with his tongue.

Gods.

“Huh,” Solos said, tipping his head onto the back of the seat. “Good thing demigods can’t get STDs.”

“I’d be more worried about what he’d give her,” Josie commented.

True dat.

Finally, he hauled his huge ass into the SUV and, thank the gods and all their screwed-up glory, he passed out the moment we hit the freeway that fed into southern California and stayed that way the rest of the trip, proving that the gods sometimes smiled down on us.

Josie

California was shiny.