Chapter Twenty-Two #2
“Stop.” Her cousin, eyes blank, cheeks tear stained, made as if to step around them, almost as if she didn’t see Gigi.
Hmmm, but what about Nico? “Riordan, Nico is right here, standing right in front of you.” Sending Nico a forceful encouraging - step the hell up - look.
He did so, stopping only inches away from Riordan.
“Isn’t he the reason this all started? What’s more important here, the baby, or kissing Nico?
” Gigi ignored his shocked glare. “Wasn’t that what you were promised, Nico?
And here he is, standing right in front of you, yours for the taking. That’s if you still want him?”
“Pet…” Hathor’s chiding endearment had a tinge of annoyance edging it.
Nico reached down, tipping Riordan’s face upwards, she was beautiful, an icy princess, but the blonde hair colour and shimmering gold gilding her normally blue eyes were an excellent reminder that she was a helpless victim in all this.
And once it was all over the discovery of her part in helping Hathor kidnap Sunny would destroy her, so Nico was willing to do whatever it took to snap her out of this fugue state, and if Gigi thought kissing her cousin would do it, then count him in.
“Ni-Nico?”
“Hey there, kiddo.”
A glimmer of Riordan forced its way to the fore as the gold disappeared from her eyes. “I-I don’t understand.”
“Just put the baby down.” Nico reached over, helping her place the car seat on the ground, his hand travelling back up her icy arm to her chin again.
Staring down into her eyes, ignoring Hathor’s snort of annoyance and Qetesh’s outraged squawk.
“None of this is your fault you know.” Leaning down and kissing her, Riordan’s icy lips turning warm and heated within a split second as she sighed and pressed herself against him.
Nico wasn’t sure how long he was supposed to kiss her? Would a minute be enough? Two?
The clapping of Hathor’s hands finally broke them apart. Nico frowning as a wave of gold flooded back into Riordan’s eyes and she stared up at him blankly once more.
“Did you seriously think you were going to wake the ice princess up with a kiss? Pick the baby up, Pet.” Hathor instructed smugly.
The wonderful thing about the last two minutes was that no one had been paying any attention to Gigi. She’d never thought a kiss from Nico would have any effect on Riordan. But it was an excellent delaying tactic, giving her enough time to identify the nearest heaviest book.
One blow had her young cousin falling to the carpet with a crackle of breaking ice. Hah, out cold. Thank Heavens, for the Big Book of Dinosaur Facts.
Nico’s shocked look was priceless. Though Gigi didn’t have a chance to savour it. They still had a Goddess and two demi-goddesses in play.
Hathor clapped her hands together again, a warm smile on her face. “Well played, pure one, well played.”
“It’s okay, Mother.” Qetesh sounded desperately eager to please Hathor. “I’ve got this.” Staring hard at Nico, Qetesh smiled gently, her face suddenly glowing with kindness, love emoting from her eyes. “Nico, bring me the baby.”
Saint Medard, Qetesh was still flogging that dead horse? Nico shared an incredulous look with Gigi before they both laughed in amusement. Surprisingly Hathor joined in.
“Seriously? Darling? That was your plan? With the pure standing right beside him?”
Gigi was really beginning to dislike that title, Hathor made it sound like an insult and she was getting very tired of it.
“There’s more.” Qetesh looked triumphant, holding up a small silver ring.
Nico recognised it instantly, he couldn’t hear its demanding call, but its age and silver content were hauntingly familiar.
Riordan must have found it at the bar and brought it here for Qetesh.
Did she think its proximity would affect him?
Staring at Qetesh, at the ring, he shrugged. “And…?”
Surprisingly Qetesh tossed the ring at him.
By All The Saints, he hated that tiny cursed thing.
Intending to let it just fall to the ground.
However, he was forgetting the connection he had with it, as it shot straight towards him, almost like a bullet.
He attempted to dodge it, but the bloody thing swerved, acting like he was a magnet.
Slapping against him high on the chest, and weirdly sticking to him.
Nico grabbing at it, the ring sitting right next to the antique silver coin he wore on a string of leather tied around his neck.
It refused to budge. Mierda. Plucking at it again, he felt it move, wriggle, like it was alive. Pulling his hand away he noted the cursed thing was now wedged tightly down on the smallest finger of his left hand, though it couldn’t get past the first knuckle.
That can’t be good. He waited for a moment, expecting Qetesh to batter her way into his thoughts, for a wave of glittering gold to encase and squeeze him down so she could take on puppet master duties. Except he felt absolutely no different.
A loud thump had everyone looking towards the steel shutter doors blocking the entrance. A large dent in the thick metal. And even as everyone watched another thump sounded, the doors reverberating and buckling a little bit more. Drum and the Maat cavalry were determined to tear down those doors.
Hathor hissed out an annoyed sigh. “You never listen, do you? See, this is why I need a do-over baby. You’re a Love Goddess, for Aaru’s sake.
You probably had the tiniest of windows to capture him back when he first picked up the ring, but honestly, just look at that handsome stubborn scowly face.
You should have moved on the moment he turned down your overtures at the Mount Olympus Party.
But no, you’re too obsessive. Neither of you seem to have a clue how to seduce and when to cut bait on a no-hoper. ”
“Hey.” Neith whined, shuffling away from the entrance doors as they clanged again, this time lifting off the floor several inches before thumping back down in place.
“I was perfectly content running my sex cult. You were the one who called me five years ago, insisting I join your take over the world cause. And I seduced Fred Forrester just fine, thank you very much. He married me, didn’t he? ”
“Please, your entire plan was a debacle from start to finish. You didn’t even make sure he’d put you in his will before you killed him. That’s like the first lesson of Black Widow 101.”
“That was not my fault.” Neith screeched.
“You were the one who saddled me with Heath Gammon, who had a bucket load of Daddy issues, and wanted to prove to his Godfather that he was nothing like Sopdu. I’m pretty sure he intended to kill me once we got our hands on the Forrest Media Empire officially. ”
“Of course he did, demi-gods descended from a War lineage are always major dicks. I expected you to manage the situation. But look where we are now.” Hathor glanced at the doors that jumped at least a foot this time as the determined battering ram thumped against them.
“We’ll have to try for the baby another day. Come—”
“No. I’ll get her.” Qetesh raised the sword she was holding, rushing towards Nico.
This time when the steel doors were hit, at least a gap of three feet appeared beneath them for a moment before they thumped back down with a loud thud.
Qetesh, loathing in her eyes, sword raised, raced towards Nico.
Nico scooped up the closest weapon available, the large book Gigi had used to clock Riordan.
Holding it up like a shield as Qetesh brought her sword swinging towards his throat.
Miraculously the book held, for more than three seconds, before coming apart in two equal pieces in his hands.
But at least it had provided him enough time to duck to the side.
Wincing as Qetesh’s sword sliced off a piece of his forearm.
Throwing the pieces of the book in her face he dodged to the left. Ducking again as something, a projectile of some kind, whizzed past his eyes with only inches to spare. He heard Qetesh squeal in pain and swear, even as Gigi gasped Asher’s name.
Mierda. Asher was playing loose cannon baby Rambo again and didn’t seem to understand the concept of friendly fire and foe.
Gigi grabbed Sunny’s carrier, praying the baby recognised her, racing away from the action, grabbing Theo at the same time.
Plonking the two car seats on the stage before turning to see what she could do to help.
Wincing as several more projectiles headed towards Qetesh.
Nico still dodging her swiping sword, unfortunately in the way, hissing in pain as something slammed into him just below the right scapula.
Qetesh meanwhile had a gash across her forehead, blood dripping into her eyes, and a spreading stain just below her hip. Uncaring of the pain, she was motivated. Blaming Nico for resisting her seductive powers, and she clearly had a deep seated need to impress her mother.
Searching around for something that might help, Gigi’s gaze shifted to Canary, lying a few feet away, who suddenly shuddered, the ice encasing him shattering.
Oh, thank the Blessed Lady. Scooping him up, cuddling him close to her chest. Yes, he might only be a magical construct but he’d been her faithful ready to die for her again and again companion for over sixteen years, she was more than a little attached to his cute furry purple butt.
Ideally, she could have used him to somehow incapacitate Qetesh, but the demi-goddess and Nico were sparring too closely, there was more than a good chance she’d hit Nico.
Which left Hathor and Neith. But to do anything to them she’d need to get closer, leaving Sunny and Theo unprotected, and that didn’t seem like a good idea either.