Avenging Heart (Ignited Series, #4) *CHAPTERS 1-2*

Chapter 2

As we climbed the mountain, Nathan reminded me again to steer clear of Zeus and Poseidon—especially Poseidon. Apparently, when he and Jared had talked with him before, Nathan had gotten a not-so-good vibe from him.

"Hera seems to be on your side," he said.

"Uh-huh."

"Don't go anywhere alone with any of the others," he continued.

"Nathan, I know," I puffed as I struggled up a particularly steep part in the trail. Damn, this mountain is a bitch. "Don't tell them anymore than I have to, don't be too trusting, don't . . ."

"Don't let them know you're the one Circe needs to complete the curse," he finished. He offered me a hand to help me up the final few steps to slightly more level ground.

"Right." How could I have forgotten? It was only the hundredth time he had warned me. I blamed the intense heat for my momentary lapse. "How much farther is it?"

"Seriously," Alec grumbled from behind me. "I really shouldn't have smoked that last cigarette before we left."

I shot Alec a grin. "Last one?"

He shrugged noncommittally as he hoisted himself up to a stand beside me.

Alec had quit smoking this morning . . . again. He had enjoyed several 'last cigarettes' this week. The longest he had made it without one was twelve hours. The rest of us had suffered that day just as much as he had, and we were all pretty relieved when he finally gave in to his cravings.

"This is it," Jared announced. He turned to Nathan. "Isn't that the tree?"

"Oh, thank God for shade!" Alec dropped to the ground under a single tree off the side of the path, and the rest of us followed him, eager for the break from the relentless sun.

"Where is the entrance?" Bruce asked as he brought a bottle of water to his lips.

Nathan pointed to the trail, where it narrowed between two rock walls. "Through there."

A warm buzzing sensation prickled my skin the moment my gaze landed on the spot he indicated. My feet took involuntary steps toward the gap in the rocks. With each step, the buzzing intensified. Unlike the strange pull I had felt toward the army of Skotadi that had invaded the Kala base the week prior, this sensation was a welcomed one. It filled me with a sense of longing.

Of hope. Joy. Family.

Someone behind me asked me what I was doing, but I didn't know who, nor did I know how to answer that question. I let my feet take me in the direction I instinctively wanted to go. I passed through the narrow gap, and approached a vertical rock wall. Though my eyes told me this was the end of the trail, I knew better.

I pressed my hand to the sun-warmed rock . . . and my arm slipped through like the wall was made of pudding. Though a blurry remnant of the wall remained, I could see my arm clearly on the other side. I found myself laughing softly as I wiggled my fingers.

"Holy shit," somebody muttered behind me, and I turned to find the others gaping at me.

I found Nathan's eyes. "This way?"

He nodded, confirming what I already knew. I didn't know how . . . but I knew.

"I guess we won't need one of the gods to lead us after all," Jared concluded with a chuckle.

The buzzing intensified as I stepped through the rock wall, passing into another realm. Once the rest of the group had joined me, I led them up a narrow flight of stairs. Though I had been winded and tired from the hike up the mountain only a few moments ago, I suddenly found myself full of energy. Perhaps it was excitement over what awaited me at the top. Maybe it was some previously unknown demigod superpower that I had suddenly channeled. Whatever it was, I was grateful. Not even the thick fog that blanketed us hampered me.