I thought about walking nineteen miles and almost wished Herc was talking about himself. The conversation shifted, though, to what it was like in Tartarus for Alex and Aiden, and we lingered well after the food arrived and was consumed. All of us listened to them, even Herc, and I wondered if it was possible to get a tour of Tartarus without being, well, you know, dead. I’d kind of like to see the ball of fire that turned into a dragon that Alex described.

The vibe was good as we headed back to the Motel. Herc was chill, which helped everyone in terms of patience and happiness, but as we neared the Motel a strange feeling hit me as I stared out the window, focused on the dark waters of the ocean.

The roof of my mouth dried. Tiny balls of dread formed in my stomach. A great sense of foreboding washed over me, so strong and insistent that I tensed in my seat. I glanced at Seth. He was focused on the road. Herc and Solos were quiet in the backseat.

My temples pounded as I faced forward in the seat. Nothing was going on, but I couldn’t shake the feeling that the peacefulness felt by everyone wasn’t going to last.

The dry spell when it came to nightmares ended that night.

I’d had another one.

The same as before. The unfamiliar Titan was there, this time in the car Seth had been driving. He’d appeared in the backseat and this time he told me something that chilled me to the very core, three words that followed me as I showered and got ready for the day.

Dig a grave.

That’s what the unknown Titan had whispered in my nightmare. Dig a grave.

Needless to say, that sort of freaked me out.

We hit up Paradise Cove again; this time Aiden, Deacon, Luke, and Solos stayed back, which left the rest of us to start the needle in the haystack search. I wasn’t so confident that we’d find him as we drove along Cliffside Drive.

Hercules was confident, though. “He’s here. I can sense him.”

“Is it like a disturbance in the force?” Seth quipped, glancing into the rearview mirror.

I grinned. Star Wars reference for the win.

“Actually, yes.” Hercules nodded seriously.

Seth looked like he was going to gouge his own eyeballs out.

“He’s here. I can feel him.” Herc shifted in the seat. “You need to pull over. Now.”

“Give me a second.” Finding a place wasn’t easy. It took several minutes, and Seth ended up parking near some overlook. “All right. Let’s do this.”

Seth opened his door, and I hopped out, stretching as I walked over. “Whoa. The view . . .”

“It’s amazing.” Alex joined me. Near an edge of a bluff stood an overlook obviously created for the view.