Chapter 23
WREN
“ Y ou’re pledging to the wrong person,” was all that came out of my mouth. Given the amount of gaping mouths in our small group, I didn’t think I was the only one who was surprised.
Apollo looked up at me, and I realized that he and Cy shared the same eyes. “I wanted you to know that I was serious.”
Demke looked incredulous. “A false show of good faith before stabbing someone in the back. That isn’t in the Greek playbook at all. Excuse me if I’m less swayed by you dropping to a knee and making a vow that means nothing.”
Cy was chewing his lip, though his expression was hard to read. He looked at Delphos, maybe for a hint at his father’s real motivations. But Delphos gave nothing away, not that I could discover anyway. Cy, though, must have seen something in his expression. “You’ve had a prophecy.”
Anxiety tightened in my chest. No one prophesied about living a long, mundane life. When Delphos shook his head, relief rushed through me.
Prematurely, it would seem. “No, brother. I had a premonition.”
Stiffening, Cy looked between his father and me. He gave a tight nod, apparently deciding that answered all his questions. Well, fuck that, because it didn’t answer any of mine.
“Prophecy, premonition—what’s the difference?”
It was Apollo who answered, standing back up to his full height. I can imagine he would have looked otherworldly once upon a time, but now he looked like a male Tom Ford model. Tall, but not mystically so. Gorgeous, though. “A prophecy is meant for the listener. It isn’t set in stone, but it’s meant to guide the person who hears it. A premonition is a vision of the future, and Delphos can say no more unless he wants to alter the outcome.”
I frowned, wondering if he was talking to me in circles. “But he can tell you? Because I have no doubt that whatever his premonition was, it’s the reason you’re standing here, making grand oaths.”
Apollo’s smile was full of blindingly white teeth that seemed to glow in the Cretan sun. “Smart. I can see why the greater powers chose you to carry the new Fates. You’re wrong, but it was a solid guess.” His gaze bounced around our group. “Delphos wasn’t the only one who had the premonition. Oracles and seers all across the world had the same vision. It is why Mythics have been lining up at your door like this is the best little whorehouse on the prairie.”
No one spoke. That whole statement was a lot, and not just the prairie reference. Here I’d thought that all these bizarre Mythics had been showing up because they were tired of the status quo, but really, there was something bigger going on. A premonition of a future that was so abhorrent, they were flocking to our door.
Shaking my head, I looked at Delphos. “Your last prophecy was wrong.”
“Was it?” he asked lightly, but his eyes were full of forbidden knowledge.
“I didn’t die in childbirth, and the babies are all fine.” I waved my arms down my body, as if to show them I hadn’t kicked the bucket.
Delphos gave a soft smile. “You weren’t the mother that had to die. The prophecy was fulfilled before your babies were born, by the jaws of Typhon.”
Lachesis? She was the mother? It hit me then. The Moirai’s other names: The Maiden, The Mother, and the Crone. Lachesis was The Mother.
I narrowed my eyes at Delphos. “Oh, that’s tricky.”
He smirked. “I don’t create the prophecies, only share them occasionally.” Mirth fell from his face, and he was serious once more. “This premonition I can’t share, but it affects us all.”
I looked at Demke, then around at the rest of the guys. I wanted to be tough and independent, but this shit was way out of my realm of experience. So I asked the one bondmate who could advise me without giving away the fact I had no fucking idea what was going on. Although, that fact was already pretty obvious to everyone in a five-mile radius.
Do you believe him? I asked Griff.
He made a low noise in the back of his throat that wasn’t even close to human. I do not believe he has any reason to lie, and it certainly fits with our experience of the amount of Mythics that have arrived. I believe the sheer number has exceeded even Demke’s expectations.
Do we let him near the babies?
There was silence for a moment. I think we must. But if he even looks at our cubs wrong, I will bite off his head, immortal war be damned.
I swallowed down my laugh. That’s why I love you.
I looked at Demke and nodded. “One wrong move, and your head will roll across the courtyard.” I addressed both Apollo and Delphos, because while Apollo was the bigger, scarier God, that didn’t mean Delphos wasn’t also a threat. They both nodded their agreement, and I looked over at Cy. “Can you get Milo to bring out the babies?” He kissed my cheek, a very obvious sign of loyalty to me, and disappeared back into the house, past the protective wards.
“You certainly have my son smitten,” Apollo commented, watching him go. “And apparently, you’re wearing off on the others, because there was a time Demke would have run him through with a sword, rather than let him behind those hallowed walls.”
I was saved from responding when Demke himself did. “Cydon has proven his loyalty to Wren over and over. I trust him.”
Delphos smiled slightly, but I thought it was a private smile. What would it be like to be a puppet master like that? Knowing all the pieces of the puzzle and just watching mortals flail around, trying to make sense of the world. It sounded lonely.
I was glad my babies had each other. They wouldn’t be lonely Gods on a mountain, hiding from being bombarded by prophecies and premonitions.
Moving my gaze to Apollo, I nodded my agreement. “I’m smitten with him too.”
Further mundane small talk stalled when a giant Minotaur appeared. For once, he wasn’t holding a baby, as Erus and Tryp followed behind, holding Bran, Emeric and Zale. No, Milo was holding an enormous sword, almost as tall as me.
Apollo just smiled. “Hello, Milonos.”
“One wrong move, and I’ll cleave your smirking face in two.”
Apollo raised an eyebrow. “Fair. I promise, I mean no harm here.” His voice dropped low. “I meant no harm then either.”
I was obviously missing something in their history, but now wasn’t the time for a lesson. I’d sit with Milo and tease out the sordid details later. Right now, I wanted their pledge and then I wanted them gone.
Erus and Tryp stepped forward, each of them eyeing the Greek Mythics suspiciously. The babies in their arms were alert and awake, like they somehow knew this was a monumental moment.
Maybe they did. Were they not sort of Oracles too?
Apollo frowned down at the babies. “They are very small.”
Cy stepped up close to them, like he was ready to throw down with his family for them. Man, I was definitely falling for that man. “They were premature. That’s what happens when an expectant mother is bombarded with monsters trying to kill her.”
Apollo held up his hands, palms out. “I had nothing to do with that. From what I know, the Moirai were acting alone.”
Demke snorted, looking like he wanted to rip Apollo’s head off too. “They’re never acting alone. Zeus knows, at the very least. Let’s not pretend they do anything without it being sanctioned by Olympus.”
Apollo shrugged. “Like I said, I’m on his shit list. What he does or doesn’t want isn’t passed on to me.”
“I’m not an expert on Olympus, but I don’t think you pledging to the new Fates is going to get you off that list,” Nate muttered.
He had a point. Would this bring down more war on our heads? Why did everything with Mythics have to have such dire consequences?
As if Delphos saw the look on my face, he shook his head imperceptibly. Could he read my mind, or was it just an obvious question we were all thinking about?
Cy trusted Delphos. It was why he’d spent all these years locked inside the invisible wards of the island waiting for me. His Oracle had saved my life, and those of my babies. I didn’t completely trust his motivations, but this was one of those leap-of-faith moments, and I just had to pray that this was the right choice.
Did parenthood ever get any easier?
Milo went through the ward first, then Tryp and Erus. Erus was holding Zale and Bran, while Tryp had Emeric bundled in his arms. I hated this. I knew they weren’t really vulnerable. They were one stumble backwards away from safety. All of us were here, watching for threats, for one wrong move, but it still felt way too vulnerable.
Not wanting to be out of the wards longer than necessary, I waved a hand at Apollo. “This is the part where you drop to your knees again.”
He chuckled. “So impatient.” He lowered himself theatrically back to one knee. “I vow my adherence to the new Fates, known as the Kuningilin, born from the seeds of destiny. I will accept my fate.” He reached up and touched the foreheads of each of the babies while I held my breath, but then he got to his feet and stepped away.
Delphos quickly took his position. “I vow my adherence to the new Fates, known as the Kuningilin, born from the seeds of destiny and from the womb of the Maker’s chosen. I am a faithful servant of the Fates and will undertake their will. I will accept my fate.” He stood, stroking a finger down each of their heads, then stepped back. The babies eyed him in that baby way, like they were trying to figure out what he was.
The air around us felt tense, like the universe was holding its breath. Finally, it was like a pop, all the sound rushing back into the courtyard. Emeric gurgled and flailed his arms around, and Tryp shifted him to his shoulder.
Apollo shook his head. “So small. You know, once upon a time, they would have been put in clay urns on a hill and sacrificed in my name. Too small to live.”
I narrowed my eyes. “Once upon a time, you would have had a baby with your sister, so I’m not sure the old ways are the best ways.” Tension flooded the courtyard, and Erus and Tryp subtly stepped back into the wards. Whoops.
But Apollo just laughed, a sweet, loud sound that sounded like music. “That is very true, Wren Mahone. Modern medicine and a choice of fuckable women is definitely a boon of this new age.” He stretched, showing off golden abs. Man, he was beautiful, but he was definitely not for me. I could appreciate it, though, right? Like fine art. Literally fine art. There were dozens of statues of this man in museums all over the world.
“Well, speaking of fuckable women, we should be off. Until we meet again, Wren Mahone.” He dipped his chin at the infants, like they cared about genuflection at this point in their lives, and then surprised us all by hugging Cy. “Son. It’s good to see you again. I missed you.”
In that moment, I believed him. He was a manwhore—that much was obvious—but the fact that he’d gone against Zeus for both Cy and Asclepius, the fact that not one of them had anything bad to say about him, meant he was probably a decent father. I mean, when it came to the Greeks, the bar was on the floor, but still.
He slapped Delphos on the back. “Let’s go down to one of the bars in Heraklion and get you laid, son. I can’t even imagine how long it’s been.” He waggled his eyebrows at Nate. “I hear that the Morrigan herself is in town, and that she’s as beautiful as she is deadly.”
I watched Nate’s face for jealousy, for any hint that his feelings for Morrigan might still exist, but all I saw was mirth. “She will eat you alive, but try your best.”
Tipping an imaginary hat at us, Apollo winked, dragging Delphos away. “Oh, I will.”
We watched until they were no more than a speck in the distance. “What are the odds she stabs him?” I asked Nate, and he chuckled.
“I give it seven minutes before she tries to gut him. Badb can take care of herself, and Apollo is a big boy. Let them entertain themselves.” Kissing my temple, he led us all back into the compound.
I looked around at the group we made. “What did he call the babies? The Klingon?”
It was one of the Valkyries who answered. “The Kuningilin. It’s an old Germanic word for wrens. But it also means kinglet. Wrens were considered the king of the birds. The last three powerful brothers born into mythology ended up ruling the sea, the sky, and the Underworld.”
Well, great. That isn’t ominous at all.
“Child, wake up. There are spiders in your bed.” Mrs. Byrne poked me with the cane she sometimes used, and I grumbled, pushing my head under my pillow. “Wren Eloise Mahone, wake up . There are spiders in your bed, and if you don’t hurry up, they’ll pull you into the web.”
Is Mrs. Byrne having a stroke? Should I call 911?
“Mrs. B, there are no spiders. We just had the place sprayed for bugs, remember? You flirted with the fumigator guy.”
Mrs. B would normally laugh, but this time, she just shoved at me harder. “Get up, child. Your babies need you.”
Consciousness hit me like a baseball bat to the face. I was awake and out of bed before I even realized that I wasn’t home in Boston, in my apartment. I was moving toward the nursery before I remembered that I was in Crete and the murkiness of my dream had fully dissipated. The silence of the house was peaceful, and my heart rate started to calm. It was just a night terror.
Still, I was up, so it wouldn’t hurt to just check on the boys. A night light cast the room in a gentle glow, shadows still lurking on the edges.
Except the one in front of the crib. That shadow had a knife in its hand, its golden blade flashing ethereally in the low light of the room.
I screamed even as I leapt toward the shadow.
I screamed even as another shadow detached from the darkness to join the one in front of the crib, another knife in its hand, though this one was an average silver.
I screamed as I hit them like a linebacker, and we all went down in a heap, a sliver of light revealing their faces. Clotho and Atropos, the remaining Moirai, though they’d become something haggard and ugly since the death of their sister, the weathering of age catching up to them finally.
My scream turned into something filled with rage. White-hot, burning rage boiled in my chest. Incomprehensible words echoed around the room as we wrestled for the knife, spittle flying from Clotho’s lips as she cursed me in ancient Greek. I scratched at their faces, legs, arms as I tried to kill them. I kicked and fought for my babies. For their lives and mine.
Nate was suddenly there, his ax flying through the air, beheading Clotho. Her head thumped to the floor beside mine, her eyes wide open and her face in an eternal grimace. He spun quickly and buried his ax in Atropos’s back, and she fell beside her sister.
The Moirai were no more.
Nate slumped to his knees beside me. “Wren,” he breathed, horror etched across his pale face.
The room was getting foggy at the edges. Were there more shadows? Had they brought reinforcements? I looked down and realized that rage wasn’t the only thing burning in my chest.
The golden knife was also there, buried to the hilt.
I tried to speak, but pained gasps and wet sounds were the only thing that bubbled out. Nate was shouting, and I could hear the vibration of feet running, but it was too late. Everything was fading faster now. Then the room was gone, and the only thing left was the light, someone silhouetted there. I knew the curve of those shoulders. The cockiness of that stance.
Mrs. Byrne.
“I tried to warn you, child,” she chastised gently. “Come now, let’s walk. It’ll be all better soon.” Looking behind me, a small smile curled her lips at the person there. “Well, you’re a surprise, but I’m glad you're here too.”
Looking over my shoulder, I saw the blocky head of Cy’s dog form, and then the darkness was absolute.