"Because we were so wrapped around the Aphrodite anomaly," Phillip interjects, groaning just like Devin.

"Please tell me what's going on," I whine.

I feel something in me stirring, weakening me slightly before filling me with power.

I can feel my eyes shifting, but I no longer know the color they're turning. Devin's mouth gapes open, as does everyone else's, answering the question without words.

White. What does white mean?

Then I see something flashing through my mind, as an unexplainable pain brings me to my knees. I scream as the aching tries to split my head in half with its piercing slash.

Devin grabs me, but the whole ship seems to be wobbling beneath me as Jake's face enters my mind. The horrific image brings me into a fetal curl as I try to free myself from the grinding pain surging through me.

He's screaming in terror as a girl with swirling orange and black eyes mercilessly slits his throat, bearing the red stain of my brother's life very proudly on her hands.

A bloodcurdling scream erupts from me, and the ship begins sloshing against the waves as the anchor pulls too tight. The chain jerks free from its holding bay, and then dashes into the water. The other two anchors follow suit as the cracking of the ship warns us of their escape.

"Fuck! Someone do something!" Devin panics.

"What? What the hell do we do?" Kry stammers.

Their voices sound like faint, hollow echoes as the image keeps replaying, and I'm unable to break free from this painful hold.

"Hold her tight until it passes," Hale instructs.

Devin's arms wrap around me, but I'm thrashing against him in panic as my brother's throat is sliced repeatedly in front of my eyes.

I scream again, and the ship begins moving on its own, charging through the water with its deadly pace.

"Holy shit!" Deacon yelps. "What's happening?"

"Damn it! Hold her tighter. She has to come out of this or she'll completely control her," Hale shouts.

Devin's grip tightens, but I'm still screaming as the graphically terrorizing image stays stuck in replay mode.

"What's wrong with her?" Camara cries.

The boat moves faster, and I feel the wind stirring around us as thunder crackles and lightning crashes, electrifying the water we're racing through. I hear the suckling sound of water spinning with my cyclone beasts, and the rushing of the waves trying to retreat from their grasps.

"Aphrodite! Invoke Aphrodite," Hale yelps over the wind. "She may be strong enough to overcome her."

Devin's lips cover mine, pulling me into his arms in a different way. His hands graze against the skin hiding under the shirt I'm wearing, and his lips continue to beg me to come back.

The image halts, finally, and I feel my eyes shift again. His provoking lips release me as I emerge from the horrific trance.

I sob uncontrollably as the winds slowly fade from the deathly swirls, and the storm ceases to threaten us. My languid limbs fall with a pounding motion, and he has to support my exhausted body.

"Jake," I sob. "They've got Jake," I cry louder.

"Kry," Devin orders.

"Already on it. We'll be there in a couple of hours," he promises as he dashes to the controls.

"What's happening to her?" Deacon asks in disbelief.

"You saw what's happening," Devin whispers in panic.

"It's not possible it's her though. She never had children," Camara gasps.

"We don't have a fucking clue what's possible anymore. Her father was full titan - that was impossible. Her mother was Aphrodite's descendent - that was impossible. Prometheus is her grandfather - that was impossible. Every-fucking-thing about her is impossible. We need to find her brother right now. We'll sort out all this other shit later," Devin growls.

"What's wrong with me?" I whimper.

He coos against my face as he pulls me into his arms. His eyes soften, as does his voice when he speaks to me.

"You've just got way too much power, baby. I'm going to take care of you. Don't worry," he soothes.

"Please tell me who you're talking about," I whine.

He sighs out deeply as the boat continues its clashing with the waves. He stares at Theia, and she sits down to aide him in what ever horrible truth he's hesitant to share with me.

"Asteria," she murmurs vaguely, the word almost sounding blasphemous, given her tone.

"Who?" I bark while continuing my wailing cry.

"Asteria was the embodiment of the cosmos, but her power surpassed any cosmic release I've seen. She was very capricious; one minute she'd be perfectly content among the mortals, and the next she'd level towns. This power mixed with Aphrodite's is far more than I've ever heard of before. I really don't know how to even begin to tell you of the magnitude of this. Not to mention all of the other mingling powers mixed in. I'm amazed and terrified right now," she murmurs with more honesty than I was prepared for.

I look up at Devin, and his eyes are so angst-ridden.

"What else?" I fret.

He sighs loudly before answering. "I'm worried you can't withstand two awakened entities who bear so much power. Only one entity ever awakens to guide your powers. There's never been a time when two were awake at once," he murmurs with fear etching his eyes more profoundly.

Something strikes Theia, and her facial expression changes to relay the shift in the direction she has taken.

"Yes, why did she awaken?" Theia mumbles.

"To warn me about my brother," I cry, and Devin holds me tighter in his embrace.

Theia doesn't act convinced though.

"Asteria was anything but concerned about mortals. It's apparent now that she cared enough about her own son to hide him from the world that craved bloodshed, but that wouldn't explain her coming out of a necessary slumber to force a vision just to save a mortal. There's got to be another reason," she ponders aloud.

"Perhaps it's because Adisia is so close to him. Maybe Asteria is playing off of Adisia's love," Phillip interjects with a hopeful explanation.

"Maybe," Theia murmurs distractedly. Then she turns her attention back to me. "What else happened in your vision?" she asks curiously, as if she's looking for the missing pieces to a jigsaw puzzle.

"That's all," I say through my sniffles. "It just kept replaying that girl slicing his throat."

Her eyes dim as if a dark realization has come to light. "What girl? Explain her," she demands.

I wipe my tears from my eyes as I steady my breath.

"Jet black hair with orange streaks. Orange and black swirls decorating her eyes. Small and petite but as vicious as the devil's pet. She was ruthless, and she even turned to smile at me after she sliced his throat open." My sobs kick back in without mercy.

Theia pales and I notice everyone else matches her ghostly hue.

"What?" I prompt, growing more and more agitated with their silent conversations.

"The vision wasn't to warn you about your brother, it was to warn you about the daughter of Rhea," Devin says with an ominous whisper.

"Who?" I beg, but my head becomes too heavy to hold up.

My arms fall from their poised position, and my head spins uncontrollably as the world around me fades from my mind. I've only felt this weak after Aphrodite introduced herself over and over.

I can't even fathom how I can deal with two of them competing for my attention. I can't imagine how I'll survive.

Chapter 16.

Awakened Power Dull voices construct incoherent conversations around me. My eyes try to flitter open, but the light is almost blinding when they do.

Devin's arms tighten around me as his troubled eyes stare into mine with relief flooding through them as they do.

"How do you feel?" he worries.

Like shit.

"Like I slapped my head against a wall for several days," I grumble, and then I remember why I feel like hell. Jake. "Where are we? Have you gotten a hold of Jake?" I whimper as I look around frantically, noticing the familiar scenery lining the roadsides outside the window of the moving vehicle.

"We're almost to your apartment," Devin murmurs gently.

"Why?"

"I finally picked him up in a vision and saw him in your living room. I've never met him before, so the images were weak, and I wasn't able to hold on for very long. He's alive though. Camara has kept eyes on him since I located his whereabouts," Devin soothes.

"That doesn't make any sense. Jake never comes to my apartment. He told Clara he was in Kuwait."

"Maybe he went to your apartment once he realized your parents were missing."

I look around the large SUV and find Camara's glowing eyes concentrating fiercely.

"Tell me what he's doing," I whisper in an effort not to disturb her too abruptly.

"He's eating ice cream and flipping through your albums. It looks like he's waiting for you to get home."

I sigh in relief. He's okay.

We turn onto my street, and I leap out of the car before it even slows down. Devin is right behind me as I flash into the building and up the stairs.

I burst through my door to see Jake lounging comfortably on my couch with his feet propped on my coffee table. I almost gush relief out of my breath. The small bird perched on the windowsill glows its blue eyes at me to let me know Camara is still watching.

"Hey, sis. I hope you don't mind that I used your in-case-of-an-emergency-only key," Jake says with complete indifference to the panic I've had to endure.

I want to rush him - throw my arms around him and hug him. I know that would freak him out though. I'm a ball of nerves right now.

Jake's eyes stare at me with odd amusement. "What's with the new wardrobe?" he asks casually as he continues assessing my attire made up of Devin's tee-shirt and boxers.

Devin smirks slightly as I roll my eyes.

"What are you doing here?" I breathlessly toil.

"I went to see Mom and Dad, but they weren't there since the house was flattened. They haven't even started repairs yet.

"I swung by the inn, and Eric said they had taken off on vacation. I saw I had like five million missed calls from random numbers, and Clara said they were from you. I came by to see what could possibly be so important," he says lazily, as if I'm some sort of crazy person.

Devin steps into view and Jake's eyes narrow when he sees him for the first time.

"Who's the new dude?" he blurts out with distaste.

Devin extends his hand in true gentlemanly fashion, and Jake warily shakes it, not bothering to get up.

"Devin Cole. I'm Adisia's-" He pauses as his eyes dart over to me.

I sigh slightly because I know how rude Jake can be to any guy I'm with.

"He's my fiance," I finish.

Jake's eyes show fierce disapproval, despite the fact that Devin is by far the sweetest, most considerate, hottest, richest, and most phenomenal guy I've ever been with. He'd shit if he knew all of Devin's secrets... and mine too.

"Why the hell don't I know about this guy?" Jake rudely remarks.

Here we go.

"Probably because you never answer your damn phone," I gripe, and then I stare like a scolding mother into his eyes.

"I spoke to you just about four or five weeks ago, and you didn't even have a boyfriend. How did you go from single to engaged in that snap?" he murmurs, sounding irritated.

"It's a long story," I mumble while squirming under his penetrating disapproval.

He props back again with scrutinizing eyes burning against me.

"Obviously it can't be that long," he criticizes.