Chapter 6 #2
“We can’t forget the Stymp…” Draven starts.
“Do not invoke the demon pigeons,” I yell. “We’ve already been over this.”
“Sorry, I forgot about that.” Draven glances away.
“It’s easy to forget if you’ve never faced them before.” Jayden nods. “Once you’ve been burned by the acid though, you never forget, and I promise once you face them in Arcadia, it will be an unforgettable experience.”
“So, we are seeing the demon pigeons as a foregone conclusion?” I ask.
“We’re going to their home, baby. I think it’s safe to say we are going to come across them at some point.” Jayden squeezes me closer.
“They won’t fall for our go-to tricks a second time either. We found that out when we were in Arizona the first time.” I tap a finger to my lips.
“There are a lot of giants in Hermes’ history. I wonder how many of them we will have to face?” Adrian frowns.
“We should be prepared to face them all if necessary.” I flip the page.
The story of Hermes’ birth and subsequent mischief fills the page. It’s absolutely fascinating, the complete chaos he caused stealing Apollo’s cattle and creating the Lyre out of a tortoise shell. Then when Apollo caught up to him and brought him before Zeus for his punishment.
“He was a little trickster as a baby,” I say.
“He is the god of trickery and mischief.” Draven nods. “Why do you think everyone goes to my brothers and sisters for pranks?”
“They are the best pranksters.” Raven leans forward. “How did they clear the air? Hermes and Apollo, I mean.”
“Hermes and Apollo appear to have bonded over music. Almost immediately after this. Men of any species are weird.” I shake my head.
Raven and Kira nod solemnly in agreement.
“Hey, that’s mean,” Jayden says with a pout.
“There was a point over the last few months that you couldn’t stand more than half of the men in this room.” I glance over my shoulder with a raised brow.
“It wasn’t that I didn’t like them. They were after my girl and I was territorial.” Jayden kisses my cheek.
“I stand by my earlier statement. Weird.”
“You’re going to pay for that later,” he whispers in my ear.
Promises, promises, I say into his mind.
Oh, we’re playing that game, are we?
Definitely.
“What’s going on there?” Raven asks Greyson.
“Looks like they are having a conversation in their minds. I’m glad to see that can still happen for demigods mated because I was concerned we wouldn’t be able to.” Greyson grins.
“Is it always like this?” Raven asks. “Their eyes are flashing with their magic.”
“What?” I ask, turning to Raven even as Jayden keeps whispering dirty things into my mind.
“Your eyes give you away, bestie.” Raven giggles.
“Well, that’s just great. I didn’t think I could be even more of a freak. Turns out I was wrong.” My shoulders slump.
“That connection you guys have was gifted to you by the fates,” Greyson says. “It doesn’t make you a freak. You’re stronger together and always have been.”
“Thank you.”
“I think things are changing,” Kira says. “I’m wondering if everyone isn’t getting a bit of a boost and maybe the fates are gifting us mates for the first time?”
“Honestly, I think if there had been more fated mates during ancient history, then a lot of the crazy shit wouldn’t have happened,” I say.
“That was a major oversight on the fates part,” Raven agrees.
“Maybe we shouldn’t speak of the fates like that,” Adrian says.
“You’re probably right. At least they are getting it right now, possibly.” I shake my head. “We’re getting off track.”
“Does it really matter what Hermes’ story is from ancient times?” Dax asks. “Don’t you kind of just go in blind and then figure it out as you go?”
“Not by choice. There are so many myths dealing with the different gods and their children, it’s impossible to know which we’ll face so we try to be as prepared as much as we can.”
“Got it. So this research is possibly pointless and important at the same time.” Dax nods.
A knife flies at his head and he ducks it at the last second, turning to glare at Raven.
“Lay off, asshole. We have been doing this a lot more than you have and your whining about everything is getting really fucking annoying,” Raven snarls.
“Fine, I’m sorry. I just think we should be training with the rest of the academy instead of staying locked up in here, theorizing things that may not even happen.” Dax shrugs.
I catch Raven’s wrist before she lets loose another dagger at his head that won’t miss this time.
“I’m not gonna kill him. He will live without an ear or an eye,” Raven says.
“Chill. In his weird guy way, he’s trying to understand, but it’s coming out in Dax speak and not really making a ton of sense.” I squeeze her wrist and the dagger disappears. “Good.”
“Thanks, Beth. I’m kind of partial to seeing and hearing things.” Dax bows his head slightly.
“This is breaking news.” The announcer’s voice on the radio catches our attention. “The peace talks have devolved. The president announced to the press only minutes ago that the communication broke down rather quickly and we are unsure when either side will come back to the bargaining table.”
“What this means is that a treaty that was almost a guarantee before this ceremony has been put on hold and we don’t know when it will be reinstated. Both sides are blaming the other for being too ridged in their demands for this treaty,” the male announcer adds.
“What does this mean for our listeners?” the original announcer asks.
“Not a lot as of right now because there will be other peace talks and attempts to renew this treaty that has been in effect since the end of the Cold War. How allies can turn into enemies overnight is absolutely astounding, though.”
“What in Hades?” I slump back against Jayden’s hard chest. “It’s happening again? We played this game and won already. I don’t want to play anymore.”
“I thought it was over too.” A voice startles me from behind.
I turn to find Ares standing with his huge biceps bulging as he glances around the war room.
“Lord Ares, please tell me the shield is safe. We have enough on our plates without having to go through that again.” I rub my temples.
“The shield is safe. This isn’t because of me, but it could end so much worse for all of us.” Ares shakes his head.
Well, shit. If Ares thinks it’s bad, we are totally fucked.