“I . . .” He trailed off and then lifted his hands, gently clasping my cheeks. He kissed me, and it was sweet and tender, and so powerful. “Thank you for remembering my birthday.”

And then he was gone.

Out of the room and next door, probably already in the shower, while I was still standing there, staring at the spot where he’d stood, wondering if no one had ever remembered his birthday before.

Or cared enough to.

This year, this birthday would be different, though.

Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Seth

Iwas an idiot to trade spending a few hours in bed with Josie for watching her accidentally set shit on fire when she was supposed to be summoning the air element.

Which was why we were standing outside, far away from any of the buildings, back near the cemetery, even though there was still a brisk chill in the air. It was only in the fifties here. Place never seemed to get that warm. Hopefully, she didn’t start blowing up headstones and statues next, because I doubted that would go over well with Marcus, the current Dean of the University, who was also not a member of my fan club.

And it was also why getting our asses out of bed and training was so important. Knowing how to fight in hand-to-hand combat was important, but when it came down to facing the Titans, she was going to need to know how to use and control her demigod abilities.

Plus, Luke helped take over during the afternoon sessions, and the first time—the last time—Josie had used the elemental powers around him, she’d accidentally blown him into a wall, damn near through it.

Hilarious.

But painful for him.

Josie squinted as she stalked past me, heading for the straw dummy that Deacon had been way too overjoyed to help create. The thing looked like a rather fashionable scarecrow, decked out in a polo shirt and wearing a fedora.

No idea why it had a fedora on.

I didn’t ask.

Crossing my arms, I waited until Josie appeared ready. Twenty hours later. She wasn’t comfortable using the elements, so she paced a lot, shifted her weight, practically prancing around until she stilled.

“It’s in the head,” I reminded her. “You have all this power at your fingertips, but you need to fully understand that.”

“I understand that.”

“No, you don’t.”

Her hands closed into fists as she looked over at me. Her blue eyes were vibrant, very much like her father’s when he was rocking irises, but when she was frustrated or angry, they reminded me of the deep blue of the Aegean Sea that surrounded the Cyclades.

They went that deep when she was turned on, too.

“I know I have the power,” she argued. “Duh.”