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"The islands," Luke explained "Josie thought you rew up in That’s what she was planning to do She--"

"She went to Andros?" Surprise stowed ure out that here I was going? I’d mentioned the islands only a few times

Because she loves you, whispered that sahts, and it was one hundred percent right Because she loved ure out whatto coet back there Gods, if she showed up and Basil found her--if she saw the te to flicker out

"Seth, wait" Deacon’s eyes ide as he called out to s Everything stopped, except for the earth, because it felt like it had shifted under my feet "What do you htened "We’d left Gable’s house and moved to one of his relative’s houses so we could have ti to do Josie was outside with Alex They fought Hyperion--Aiden went out there, but he got her"

The edges of the room started to blur and turn white "Hyperion has her?"

Deacon lifted his chin "He got her and he’she’s had her for about nine days now"

Nine days

Hyperion had had Josie for nine days

Terror exploded in h ain "Alex and Aiden left to find you, Seth They’ve headed to the islands"

I was already halfway gone when I heard Deacon say, "You should’ve been there"

~

Nothing

I couldn’t feel a da

There was no trace of Josie, just like there had been no trace of the Titans Panic clawed deep into in

He’d had her for nine days

My stoht be sick as I stood in the sand, several feet fro the steady strea every second They had her, and I knehat they were doing to her

Nine days

You weren’t there for her

I hadn’t been

Not when she learned that her mother was dead, and not when Hyperion had come for her If I had been, I could’ve coet all the heartache and pain If I had been there, I could’ve stopped Hyperion

If I had stayed a few days, Josie would be safely stoay here, because nohen it no longer ht The only place Josie would’ve been safe from the Titans would’ve been here, with, and there was still nothing

Spinning around, fury pounded through me I roared as a bolt of akasha sla the tree had been rooted precariously to the rocky slope? Probably centuries, if not longer, withstanding high winds and downpours and mudslides

Akasha obliterated the tree in a second

This couldn’t be happening

I was a god--I was the God Killer, and according to Ewan the nymph, Basil, and Karina, I was the Appointed God of Death and Life

I was fucking absolute

And I was standing here, blowing up trees, and I could do nothing to help Josie