Chapter Twenty-Two
Mierda. Hathor’s guards had thousands of years of training under their rope belts. If it hadn’t been for his superstrength, Nico doubted he’d still be standing. Even so, he had a cut across his right hip and the back of his left wrist that were sluggishly but steadily bleeding.
He thanked the Saints above for Gigi’s magic and all those self-defence lessons she’d been taking. That staff she’d created was keeping her opponent engaged but also at arm’s length. Handily blocking each of his attempted thrusts and strikes.
Unfortunately, it meant that their two buddies and Riordan could slip around behind them and head for baby Sunny. He was just about to do something insanely desperate when one of those guards abruptly screamed and began hopping about on one foot, only to scream again, and hop some more.
What the…? Nico kicked away his opponent, glancing back.
The carpet surrounding the two babies still in their car seats was littered with sharply pointed, spiny, thorny prickles the size of a baby’s fist. Nico ducking beneath the sword swinging for his head, trying to keep his attention on both his opponent and the two guards heading in Sunny’s direction.
Watching out the corner of his eye as the second guard bent and swiped his sword back and forth across the carpet, clearing the way so they could walk freely.
Bloody Hell, why wasn’t the bunny doing anything?
Oh, of course, it needed specific instructions from Gigi to attack and she was too darn busy fighting for her life to give him any. Probably she’d set Canary to protect mode and unless someone actively tried to hurt Sunny, he was basically inert. Fuck.
Ducking another sword swipe and then side stepping a thrust. Hell, Nico needed a proper weapon, this guy’s training was too good.
Contemplating for a brief moment throwing his knife.
But it was a fight knife, the balance weighted for hand to hand.
It was official though, after today Nico would start wearing a bandolier of throwing knives.
He just needed this guy to flinch, just once.
They were running out of time. The other two guards were mere steps away from Sunny.
With his back to them, Nico had no idea why one of them yelled out in pain again.
More cacti? Something whizzing through the air, too fast for Nico to tell what it was, but it made his opponent jump, flinch abruptly, and gasp in pain.
Spreading blood staining his toga just below the right shoulder.
Was that a crystal pendant from one of the overhead chandeliers embedded in his opponent’s body? Yes!
“Down.” Relieved Gigi followed his instructions as suddenly the cavernous space was criss-crossed by sparkling projectiles.
Asher, it had to be. Somehow the genius little fiend had managed to put together two makeshift cannons that were spitting out sharply pointed crystal chandelier pendants.
Hah, just goes to show the little fellow hadn’t been idle in here all these months, strapped in his car seat. He’d been strategizing.
Confusion reigned. The guards and deities not seeming to know what was happening or where the threat was emanating from. Neith and Qetesh cowering behind their mother, who’d raised some kind of personal shield for protection.
Nico rolling forward in the confusion, coming up and under his opponent’s defence, stabbing him in the belly, dragging his knife up past the man’s stomach and into his chest. Pow.
Flinching as a pendant clipped his left arm, leaving a bloody trail, Nico ducking down once more, following the collapsing body of the guard to the floor.
Swivelling on his knees, Nico was glad to see one of the guards near the babies was lying motionless on the ground, a pendant protruding from his eye.
Horror taking hold though as he realised Riordan was just standing there in the open, blank eyed.
She hadn’t been hit, yet, but even as he watched, a pendant came so close to her that it sheared off a lock of hair.
The moment it detached from her the lock returned to the vibrant red of Riordan’s normal hair colour and fluttered to the ground.
Nico biting back on the urge to yell at her to duck, knowing she wouldn’t follow his instructions.
He could tackle her, but that would probably result in him taking friendly fire.
A gasp of pain followed by a gurgle only a few feet away pulled his attention away from Riordan.
Hah, his faux girlfriend had just used the end of her cobbled together staff to stab her opponent in the throat.
Clearly having waited for a distraction to magic the end of her book staff into a hardened wicked pointed shaft.
Abruptly everything went deathly quiet. Asher’s cannons had finally run out of ammunition.
Nico clambering to his feet, Gigi beside him, he was aware of the last remaining guard doing the same.
Problem being, he was less than two feet from Sunny.
Nico tensing, getting ready to dart forward, knowing Canary at least would buy him some time.
Grateful the purple bunny was in the process of opening his mouth.
Something liquid and vile about to be vomited out into the world.
But unfortunately Riordan was faster. A stream of glittering ice particles hitting Canary’s offering and freezing it solid, and from the looks of it, the entire bunny as well. Unable to move, blink, or even twitch his tail.
“Canary!” Gigi horrified as the connection between her and her pet and faithful treat tester was cut abruptly.
Praying, as she’d never prayed before. Canary wasn’t immortal, what if being flash frozen snuffed out whatever magics were holding him together?
Unfortunately there was no time to check on him, things having just taken a more dire turn, as Hathor’s guard bent over Sunny, scooping up her car seat.
The baby reaching out, brushing the tips of her fingers against his bare shin.
A bright flash followed. Behind closed eyelids Nico could still see the outline of the guard but when he opened his eyes again the guard was gone.
Nothing but two burnt footprints left to mark his passing on the carpet.
Sunny’s car seat on the ground, rocking slightly in place, the baby looking unharmed and weirdly calm.
Sunny’s gaze shifting to Riordan, who was now approaching her.
Hathor’s delighted smug laugh at this display of Sunny’s powers echoed around the cavernous enclosed space.
“Riordan, don’t.” Gigi pleaded. She didn’t want to see either the baby or her cousin hurt.
Gathering her elemental powers, reaching out, only to have them slide off Riordan.
Hathor’s doing somehow. Oh, Merciful Lady, her cousin was bending over, did Sunny recognise her as family or foe?
Either way, Riordan was prepared, a thick layer of ice encasing every bit of her suddenly.
Question was, would Sunny’s power bounce off all that ice or just burn it out of existence along with Riordan?
“Hurry along, Pet.” Hathor drawled. “I have places to be, and a nursery to decorate for my new baby girl. She and I are going to have such adventures and fun together. Taking over the world. Ensuring I get my fair share. I like Europe, but there’s something to be said for the tropics.
I suppose it’ll all depend on what land masses are left and in what state once the smoke clears. ”
Time seemed to slow down, it often does when something horrible is about to happen.
Nico too far away to body tackle Riordan aside.
All he could do was watch as she bent, scooping up the baby carrier with an icy slab of a hand.
Sunny reaching out to touch Riordan’s ice and jean covered leg, but before she could do so, one of Riordan’s silent tears splashed down on the back of the baby’s hand, leaving a splatter of glittering tiny snowflakes behind.
The baby stared down at the sparkles, a frown for the first time fleetingly passing over Sunny’s features, before she sighed softly and leant back, dropping her hand.
Nico didn’t know if that made things better or worse. Sunny wasn’t going to wipe Riordan from existence, good. Unfortunately, Riordan now had Sunny and was turning, car seat in hand, heading towards the fucked up Goddess of Love and Fertility, Hathor, which was very, very bad.
A drumming sound pulled Nico’s attention abruptly upwards, to the top of the nearest bookcase. Asher. He’d forgotten the baby was still in play, and he was on the move. Saint Medard, maybe Riordan’s life still hung in the balance.
“What’s that soun—” Qetesh was in the process of querying the noise when a large white net spun out across the space, dropping neatly over Riordan’s head, encasing her and the baby seat.
“Gigi!” Nico recognised the webbing, it was the string used to hold several of the window blinds together. That stuff wouldn’t be strong enough unless…
“I’ve got it.” With a recalibration of the string’s elements, Gigi teased out the glue that bound it together, freshening it.
So even as Riordan tried to fling the netting off, it proved an impossible task as the sticky strings were stuck to the carpet, the baby seat, and momentarily to Riordan’s icy frame.
It didn’t accomplish much, but it gave them at least enough time to make their way across the room to physically block her just as Riordan froze the strings and shattered them with a forceful tug.