Warrior Rising (Goddess Summoning #6)(57)

“Thankfully, no, because your breath is really nasty right now.” Jacky turned to the side table and poured water from a pitcher into a cup, then helped Kat drink from it.

“No wonder. Man, I so feel like shit.”

“Well, for a woman who’s been in a coma for four days, you’re lookin’ remarkably and surprisingly alive.”

“Four days!” She gasped between long gulps of water.

“Easy. It’ll make you feel sick if you drink too much.”

“I already feel sick.”

“You’ll feel worse. And you may puke.”

She took one more drink and then reluctantly gave Jacky the cup and lay back on her pillow. “Four days, Jacky? Why? Achilles’ mom healed me from the poison. Well, at least I thought she did.”

“She did. Or rather Thetis did what she could despite your ‘remarkably breakable human shell’ as Athena put it. You had to do the rest of the recovery by yourself.”

“Athena was here?”

“Yep. All three of them have been. Well, four actually, if you count Achilles’ mom, who was with him when he carried you—half dead and totally freaking me out—into camp four days ago.”

“Huh. I feel special.”

Jacky rolled her eyes. “You are special,” Jacky used air quotes around the word. “When we get home I’ll send the short bus for you.”

“Hey wait. If all of the goddesses were here why didn’t they just use their powers to zap me awake?”

“I did mention that. And perhaps not in the nicest of tones.”

“You? Being short and crabby with someone? I’m so shocked. Imagine that not going over well with goddesses.”

“Nevertheless, apparently the bogey monster that grabbed you had more than a touch of magic behind it. The goddesses couldn’t negate all of it. Your humanity had to fight it off by your own damn self.”

“Bet that made you grumpy.” Kat grinned at her best friend.

“Perhaps a little.” She took Kat’s hand and squeezed it. “I am so glad you didn’t die on me.”

“Me too.” Kat squeezed back. “Sorry I scared you.”

“That’s okay. I’ve decided you owe me shoes.”

“Shoes?”

“Remember your gorgeous pair of red patent leather stiletto pumps I’ve lusted after?”

“Yeah.”

“I’m through lusting.”

“Jeesh, you are a mean nurse.”

“Thank you. Now tell me what the hell bit you.”

“I have no clue. One second I was walking along the beach trying to find Achilles, the next I saw something in the water so I stopped to look. Then this tentacle thing grabbed me and stung me, which paralyzed my leg. Then I got grabbed and stung again and again, which is when I pushed the panic button and yelled for Venus.” Remembering, Kat touched the locket that still hung between her breasts and shivered. “Those things were seriously gross. All undulating and rat-tail-like, and there were literally hundreds of them swarming me.”

Jacky’s face looked like she’d just eaten a lemon. “Jesus god! Rat-tail-like? That is so vile!”

“Yeah, and they were pulling me out into deep water to feed me to what looked like their gigantic mama when Achilles materialized, changed into the berserker and kicked ass. Then his mom touched me and I passed out. The end. But didn’t Achilles tell you most of that already?”

“Uh, no. Achilles has been Mr. Big and Broody since he brought you back and has barely spoken two words to anyone. Even Patroklos can’t talk to him. Actually Patroklos has had a lot on his mind and I think he’s tired of tryin’ to get Achilles to do more than grunt and growl.”

“Jacky, are you making the boy crazy?”

“No. Patroklos and I are fine. Better than fine. It’s the battle he’s not fighting and stuff like that getting to him. But as long as Achilles doesn’t fight—Patroklos doesn’t fight, so I’m not really worried about it.” Jacky made a dismissive gesture. “Anyway, my woman’s intuition, which is quite good, says Achilles is brooding because you saw him turn into the Big Bad and he thinks you’re gonna run shriekin’ from him now. Of course you don’t have enough sense to do that, which I tried to explain to him, but he wasn’t listenin’. Actually that night I think he might have been drinking heavily. But whatever.”

“Maybe you should go get him and I’ll explain to him myself how little sense I have.”

“That’s a good idea,” Jacky said. Then she added. “Kat, he did change into that berserker thing completely, didn’t he?”

“Yes,” Kat said softly.

“It was awful.”

Jacky didn’t phrase it like a question, but Kat nodded her head. “It was absolutely awful. It wasn’t him anymore. Whatever it is that possesses him isn’t even human. It can’t be.”

“But he was himself when he brought you back to camp,” Jacky said.

“His mom called to him, and then did something with the water and it was like it washed the berserker away.”

“Which you’re interpreting to mean that the thing can actually be controlled. Am I right?”

“Aren’t you always right?”