This time, Thorn gaped. He looked at Cadegan. "Did you know they could do that?"
"Of course. Didn't you?"
Thorn appeared a bit embarrassed. "I need to renew my Mythology Today subscription."
Talfryn ignored that. "So we can stay?"
Thorn nodded. "So long as you blend."
"Awesome sauce!" Talfryn high-fived Ioan. "Now I just need to get laid, and it'll be a perfect day."
Ioan rolled his eyes. "How did I end up as your babysitter?"
"Stop, bitching. I want to learn how to drive. Do you think..." Their voices trailed off as they wandered out of the house and onto the street, with Max and Illarion following at a discreet distance that said they didn't want to be mistaken for friends.
Mama Lisa and Karma surveyed the mess they'd made in the room. Artifacts and furniture were busted and scattered all over. Even one window had been broken out. She glanced to Cal's unconscious body. "Think we'll get paid?"
Karma scoffed. "Honestly? We'll probably be sued ... again."
Selena slapped Karma on the back. "Good thing I married a lawyer, eh?"
As they continued to worry over the pending suit, Jo pulled Cadegan out of the room to speak to him privately in the foyer. "So how did it go with Grace?"
"We were interrupted when you summoned the Shield's power and alerted me that you were in danger, but ... she said that I have potential. She sees no reason why I can't learn to fit in here, in this strange world you call home."
"Good. Is that all she said?"
"She also asked me what it would take to make this place home and to make me happy."
"So what did you say?"
"You know what I said."
"But I want to hear you say it."
"I don't want to say it." He placed his hand to his shield around her neck. "I'd much rather show it ... and speaking of..." He took her hand in his and led her toward the door.
"What are you doing?"
"You have a promise to fulfill, me lady. One I intend to hold you to, as I was a most good boy for Dr. Alexander."
Thorn watched as they vanished into thin air, no doubt returning to Katateros.
But as they left, the news slammed into him like a fist.
Cadegan had fathered a child with a woman whose bloodline ran straight back to Zeus, himself.
Neither of them understood the importance or strength of that child. Forget Acheron's progeny.
Theirs would be much more devastating in the right or wrong hands.
Shit. The war he feared most, was fast approaching and there would be no way to stop it.
20
Thorn froze the moment he returned home to his bleak, dark castle in the Nether Realm of absolute evil. At one time, this had been his father's home.
Until he'd banished the bastard and taken his place.
As he entered his study to drink what he needed for nourishment, he felt a powerful presence in the room.
Thorn glared at the last bastard he wanted to deal with. "What are you doing here?"
With long dark hair and mismatched eyes, Jaden stepped out of the shadows. "I felt that which should not have been done. Valac is dead?"
Thorn sighed wearily. "He is."
Absolute horror darkened Jaden's eyes. "Only the Sephiroth has that power."
"Apparently, Jared has a friend." Thorn moved to his crystal decanter and poured himself his libation. "As the Chthonians rose from the Source as a counterbalance to the gods who were abusing their powers to prey on humankind, it seems we have a new species born to balance the demon races."
Jaden cursed under his breath. "Forneus--"
"What would you have me do? Tell me what power can destroy this one?"
"The Malachai."
"You want to pit the Malachai against him and make the Malachai all the more powerful? Is that really your plan?" He laughed. "Good one. Let's set off nukes, while we're at it. At least then, the planet would be habitable again ... eventually."
Jaden rubbed his hands over his eyes. "You're insane. You should have killed him at birth."
"As you should have killed your progeny?"
Jaden's eyes flared with his hatred. "We don't speak of that. Ever."
Narrowing his eyes on the beast he hated most--the bastard who was solely responsible for Thorn's regrettable birth--he swallowed his drink. "Ditto. What do you think would happen if your boss, my grandfather, ever learned of his great-grandchild's existence?"
Well aware of that nightmare, Jaden glanced away. "What game are you playing?"
"The same game you are."
"No," Jaden growled, "I know who and what I am. What side of this conflict I clearly fall on. You dance with a darkness that will one day swallow you whole."
"For your sake ... for the sake of the human world you love so much, you better pray that never happens."
Jaden winced as he was summoned home by his masters. His gaze dark and filled with foreboding, he paused before he left with one parting shot. "I had this very conversation with your father, once. Let us pray, that when history repeats itself, your conqueror is kinder to you."
Thorn set his drink down as those words echoed in his ears. Centuries ago, the Chthonian, Savitar, had warned him of the same thing. Savitar condemned the union that had brought him into being.
They both walked a tenuous line between opposing forces that constantly sought their very souls. Like him, Savitar had chosen to abandon the mortal realm for solitude. It was much easier to avoid temptation when it wasn't near.
We are all the architects of our own downfall. Acheron's words haunted him now.
Yet, on the other side, everyone was also the architect of their own salvation and redemption.
Sadly, there was only one creature who could tell the final outcome of it all. And thankfully the one still remained dormant.
Sleeping.
For the sake of them all, no one needed to disturb that beast.
Sighing, Thorn moved to sit before his fire and stare into flames that spoke to him in the quiet solitude of his lonely home. He used his powers to pull his drink to him so that he could toast the noise. "Here's to the future. May it never bring to me what I deserve."
*
Kessar clutched the ancient disk in his hand as he entered the cave where he and the last of his brethren remained hidden from the Greek Daimons who sought their blood so that they could walk in daylight and thwart the ancient god, Apollo's curse against their kind.
The Daimons had almost hunted them to extinction. But with this ...
It was even better than the Shield of Dadga.
"What is that, my lord?" Namtar asked as Kessar walked past.
He smiled at his second-in-command. "Our salvation."
"You have the Shield?"
Kessar shook his head. "Something better."
"What would be better than..." His voice broke off as he read the inscription on the disk. "Is this real?"
"It is, indeed. Can you not feel it?"
Namtar grinned. "The Smaragdine Tablet," he breathed reverently.
Cupping the demon's cheek in his hand, Kessar nodded. "With this, we don't just rise. We dominate. 'Tis a new age coming. And we will be the overlords of all. Even the gods, themselves, will bow down to us."
Happiness fled Namtar's face as he fingered a part of the disk. "This has been worn down. Will we not need it to find the item?"
"A few months to repair it. That's all. Then we will leave this hole and take back our dominion from Stryker and his Spathi crew. They will weep for the day they crossed us. And we will have no mercy for them."
EPILOGUE
June 23, 2015
New Orleans
Cadegan stared down into the most precious face he'd ever beheld.
His son.
And he wasn't a tadpole. Or a demon. He was a perfect infant. Fully human in appearance.
Josette held him cradled to her bosom while he slept in total peace and security. Her cousin, Essie, w
They'd descended on their New Orleans condo like demon locusts to witness the event, and had forced Cadegan to put Simi on guard duty to keep them out of the bedroom until they knew for certain the baby wasn't a tadpole. Or something else that would terrify her family.
He'd even banned the Morrigan, Leucious, Talon and Sunshine from the room until after the babe was with them. He'd wanted this to be a private affair between him and his wife. After all, the nipper had been conceived without an audience. It was only fitting he get used to his parents before he was forced to endure more strangers.
Josette was right. Cadegan was still an extreme recluse, but he'd gladly learned to share his solitude with her and their furry babies. And he looked forward to their newest addition.
Kissing her cheek, he sat down beside her on the bed.
She leaned against his chest. "So what shall we name him? I know we've argued for months now, but we have to decide for sure, 'cause hey you will get him seriously mocked in school."
He laughed at her words. "I'm still partial to Guorthigirn, meself."
"Let us strive for something the poor boy can spell and pronounce before he reaches college, shall we?"
"Here, here," Acheron said as he and Styxx joined them. "Take it from someone who's experienced that. I think I found the only woman in existence who doesn't mind spelling and repeating Parthenopaeus a thousand times for every person she talks to."
Styxx laughed.
Cadegan rolled his eyes. "Happy birthday, by the way."
"And to you and baby ... name to be determined. Styxx and I consider it an honor to share our birthday with him."
"That we do."
Acheron and Styxx approached them slowly so that they could see the baby.
"He's beautiful," Styxx said.
"Like an angel," Acheron added.
Josette smiled at them. "Thank you."
Simi trounced in behind them. "Can the Simi make a suggestion on the baby akri-boy name?"
Jo smiled at the demon who'd been pacing the floors, waiting to be a big sissy again. "Sure, Simi. What do you like for a name?"
"Drystan Eurig Maboddimun!"
Jo grinned. "I like that." She looked at Cadegan. "What about you?"
"I could go with Drystan Eurig, for sure. But never Maboddimun. He is Drystan Eurig ap Cadegan a Josette. No one will ever doubt his parentage. He is our son. Proudly so."
Jo rubbed her nose against her son's. "You will never fit all of that on a driver's license, little one."
Acheron folded his arms over his chest. "Then how about Drystan Eurig Cadox? A Welsh shortening of Cadegan's son?"
She nodded. "I like it! I say we go for it." She smiled at Cadegan. "What say you?"
"Aye, lass. But it doesn't seem quite fair to you as you did the hardest part of the birthing. And the saints know, you disavowed me and my skeptical parentage quite a bit as you struggled to birth him."
Laughing, she kissed his cheek. "All forgiven now that we have little Drystan with us."
"Yippee!" Simi jumped up and down and clapped her hands. "The Simi finally gots to name a baby demon! Now can I give him hornays?"
"Please don't," Jo said with a laugh as she cupped the baby's head to protect it. "If you do that, the hats my mom crocheted for him won't fit."
"Well, poo. That no fun."
A knock sounded on the door.
Styxx opened it to show Thorn and Karma on the other side. "Mind more visitors?"
"Not at all," Jo said. "Grand Central Station and them some. Come in, guys. Join the party!"
By the hesitant way they walked in, she knew it couldn't be good.
Cadegan slid from the bed. "What is it?"
Thorn ignored him as he moved to touch the baby's cheek. "Have you named him yet?"
"Drystan Eurig."
The moment Thorn's hand touched his skin, the baby opened his dark blue eyes to stare up at him as if he recognized him as family.
Thorn smiled. "He's intelligent and beautiful. Hi, little Drystan. 'Tis a pleasure to finally meet you." He stepped back from the bed while Karma scooted in beside Jo so that she could hold him for a minute.
Turning to the men, Thorn moved away. "Am I the only one who finds it very odd that he was born on the Atlantean Day of Fire and shares the date with you two?"
Acheron met Styxx's gaze. "It'd ... crossed our minds."
"And you know what this year is?"
"Blood Moon," Styxx whispered. "September 28. We're very much aware of the signs and the prophecy."
Thorn lowered his voice. "Have any of you spoken to Savitar in the last two days?"
They each shook their heads.
Acheron frowned. "Why?"
"Because your friend, Kessar, has released the Scythian Guard from their slumber."
Styxx and Acheron sucked their breath in sharply.
Cadegan scowled at Thorn. "What's the Scythian Guard?"
It was Acheron who answered. "A race of Drakaina--female dragons who were a sister tribe of the Amazons. They were so fierce, they almost brought down both the Sumerian and Greek pantheons. When they were finally defeated, Zeus had their survivors turned to stone."
Thorn swallowed hard. "On the rise of the Blood Moon, they will be able to free their queen, Echidna."
Cadegan could tell from their faces that she wasn't an easy adversary, but he'd never heard of her before. "Echidna?"
"The mother of all monsters," Styxx breathed. "One of the fiercest of the Titans." He laughed bitterly. "We are so screwed if we don't stop them."
Acheron let out a tired breath. "It's the Rise of the Dragons, we've known this day would come. The Scythians were put down before. We'll do so again. Simple."
Styxx snorted. "This is not simple, brother. Simple slaughter for us, maybe. But not a simple fix for them."
"The Simi gots her barbecue sauce and a whole passel of Brother Xeddy's Charonte. Will that help?"
Styxx arched his brow as he turned back toward Acheron. "Have the Charonte ever fought dragons?"
Acheron nodded. "And had their wings handed to them." He pulled Simi against him. "This is one enemy, Sim, you can't win against. They have all the powers you do and many you don't."
Her mouth formed a small O. "Then what do we do, akri?"
"What we always do. We stand and we fight for our families."
Cadegan looked past them to where Jo and Karma sat with his son.
Family. The one thing he'd never thought to have. But now having found it, he wasn't about to let it go. Not without a brutal fight. And brutal fighting was what he knew best.
Let the evil unleash their dragons all they wanted. They were in for one hell of a battle.
"Hey, guys?" Jo called from the bed. "Don't look so stern and serious. C'mon, you remember when we all died in 2012? And the world came to an end in 1999?"
Cadegan scowled at her. "I missed the end of the world?"
"And all the chaos that went with it." She wrinkled her nose playfully. "We'll get through this. One shiny, scary Apocalypse at a time. After all, that's what life is. Seldom do we get to ride the merry-go-round. More often than not, we're thrown on the back of the bull right as they open the gate. All you can do, is take a deep breath, close your eyes and hold on with both hands. Either you'll tame the beast or it'll break you. But it'll only break you if you let it."
Cadegan returned to her side as Karma left the bed to make room for him. "She's right. Besides, she's already done the impossible. If she gave me back my soul, what's a few Drakaina?"
"Few dozen," Thorn said under his breath as Karma moved to stand by his side. "But who's counting?" Yet for the first time since he entered the room, he smiled at Karma. "We will get through this. After all, we have the only thing that's worth fighting for."
"Barbecue?" Simi asked.
Cadegan shook his head. "Family, Simi. It's what we put ourselves to the hazard for. And to me precious Josette and Drystan, I gladly pledge myself against any challenge." He glanced to the others. "I'm not forgetting the extended family. We will survive."
"No," Styxx said earnestly. "We will thrive, and in spite of our enemies, we will treasure what we love and be happy for the ones we have. For as long as we have them."
Jo took Cadegan's hand in hers and smiled up at him. "Here, here. As Tabby so often says, get thee behind me, bitches. Or I'm going Cajun on you. And if you think medieval is bad ... just wait. You ain't seen nothing yet."
Son of No One
BONUS SCENE
"You bastard!"
Entering his war tent, Thorn froze as he heard Brigid's furious tone. It was nothing compared to the slap she delivered to him as soon as she closed the distance between them.
The demon in him rose up, demanding her blood for the assault. But he stamped it down, for one reason only.
He deserved it.
Her dark eyes flashed as she glared at him with the fury of her entire pantheon. Her breathing ragged, she struggled to control herself.
He licked at the blood on his lips from her blow. "I take it that you're upset with me, love?"
"Don't you even," she snarled in warning as she walked a circle around him, dragging her heavy brocade skirts in her tightly clenched fists.
Thorn arched a brow, still stunned that she was in his tent in the middle of the war that was raging outside. More than that ... "I thought you swore that you'd never breathe the same air as I again." That was the polite version of her words, at any rate.
Two months ago, after she'd found out who and what he really was, she'd broken his heart, kicked him from her bed, and banished him from the only happiness he'd ever really known.
"I'm pregnant!"
Thorn felt the color drain from his face as those words hit him even hard than her hand. "What?"
"You heard me well enough!"
For one incredibly stupid heartbeat, he almost asked who the father was, but her fury answered that well enough. It was his issue, she carried. Joy tore through him at the prospect. Never once had he considered the possibility of fatherhood.
But that happiness was cut short the moment she spoke again. "You did this on purpose! What? Do you plan to offer him to your father as a gift?"
He gaped at her insinuation. "You don't honestly believe that, do you?"
"You're a demon! What else am I to believe? The whole reason you slept with me was to get to my father's shield."
-->
