He was back minutes later, driving a Jeep wrangler into the parking lot on the edge of the beach. We all crossed to where it was parked. I was so excited not to be hiking.
My Titan knew me well.
When I awkwardly hauled my pregnant ass into the passenger side, I grinned at the sight of snacks and water on the seat. He knew mereallywell.
Hyperion and Theia got in the back, settling the trunk awkwardly between them.
“Grab cars and follow us up,” Cronus told the others through his open window. “You know we can’t risk going in our normal way. The energy of the volcano doesn’t like us to pop in.”
They all nodded, and it was clear Hawaii was about to experience some carjacking.
When we started our road trip, I had my face fixed to my side of the car so I didn't miss a thing. It hadn't taken me long to figure out that I was a beach, island, sunshine and sand sort of woman. It was where I felt calm and relaxed. Where I felt most at home.
Cronus seemed to feel the same, the warm winds brushing through his hair as he easily controlled the Jeep, getting it onto the right path. “You look happy,” I told him, briefly taking my eyes off the beauty of Hawaii for the beauty of my Titan.
He removed his eyes from the road for far too long, staring into my eyes. Somehow we didn't crash and die, even though the road was slowly getting rougher and narrower.
“I'll be happier once we deal with the sins and the gods,” he said, his face softening, still not looking at the road.
“We're back here,” Hyperion said drily. “Seems like a good time to remind you of that.”
“Stop it,” Theia said, smacking her mate on the arm. “Let them be young and in love. Life is short.”
Cronus shook his head as Hyperion snorted out some laughter. “Cronus, young? I don't think so, love.”
He did shut up though when she smacked him again. Cronus returned his eyes to the road, and I went back to cataloging all the flora and fauna that I hadn't seen before. Giant flowers were definitely a theme, and I was amazed by the plethora of color. I also loved the birds, calling and zooming around; the bright red ones were my favorite.
“It’s so green here,” I sighed, feeling content for the first time in … way too long. “To think, just a few hours ago I was racing across a world that was trying to kill me, and now I could almost take a nap.”
A warm hand landed on my shoulder, rubbing gently at the muscles, relaxing me even further. A sigh escaped and I closed my eyes, letting the sun warm me and Cronus soothe me. Even our baby seemed content, rolling gently in my stomach, not kicking the crap out of me like she occasionally liked to.
A human housing a Titan progeny was probably not the best idea, but outside of a few bruises I'd noticed on the side of my stomach, so far it had been no issue. She was Mommy's good girl. It probably helped that I was sort of a demi-god, thanks to Selene. Something I often forgot around these powerful Titans.
I must have drifted off at some point, only waking when the road started to get hectic, bumping us all over the place. Shaking my head, I blinked and tried to orientate myself with what was happening.
“We're almost there,” Cronus said softly.
I cleared my throat and wiped at my face, feeling extra exhausted all of a sudden. Why did naps betray you like that? You should wake feeling refreshed, but I felt worse than ever. Guess it just hadn't been long enough.
The bottle of water sailed up from the floor to land in my lap, followed by some fruit and a bag of crackers. “Eat up, love,” Cronus said. “You need to stay strong for me and our baby.”
I wrinkled my nose at his overprotective worrying, but to be fair, I did the same over him, so it was probably just the sign of a healthy relationship that we gave a shit.
I hadn’t realized how hungry and thirsty I was until I bit into the apple, and then when that sweet flesh crossed my tongue, I could have groaned at how damn good it tasted.
Hawaii food was nice. Whatever they were growing their produce with, the rest of America needed to get the same. Maybe it was all the greenery and fresh air? Bet they had more oxygen here.
“It's actually truly fascinating,” Hyperion said to me from where he sat behind Cronus. “The way you go into your own world like that.”
Narrowing my eyes on him, I tried to figure out if he was being sarcastic or not.
“I'm serious. You're different to other humans we've known, and I think the combination of your genetics from Selene while still being raised human has given you a truly unique way to view the world.”
“Uh, look, I'm mostly just a scatterbrain with a great imagination. But I'd like to think that occasionally I have a moment where I'm very observant, noticing facts that others miss.”
I was definitely the reigning Clue champion from years back. Take that, Narida.
Hyperion chuckled, and I didn't miss the slow smile lifting Cronus’ lips. At least I entertained them. Honestly, I didn't want to be the next Marie Curie, discovering the science behind radioactivity, or Amelia Earhart, first female to fly solo across the Atlantic. I'd never wanted that, not even in school when all the other girls were trying to change the world.
