"Sorry we're late to the party," I replied, dusting off my shirt. "Not all of us got the benefit of a head start."
Constantine smirked as he paced forward slowly, gesturing to a pedestal off to the side. "The exit is right there. Press the button, and the door opens. I could've done it, you know. Could've opened the door and climbed out, leaving you two scampering around down here in the dark. I was, after all, waiting quite a while."
"Why didn't you?" Rafael spat.
Constantine shrugged. "Where would be the fun in that? Victory without sportsmanship is hardly a victory worth having, wouldn't you agree?"
"Besides," Constantine continued, "Zeus doesn't need me to finish what we started. Kill me, and someone else takes my seat. Someoneless inclined toward these courtesies." He picked up his bludgeon and rolled his shoulders.
"I'm sure when Zeus comes for us—"
"Comes for you?" Constantine's eyebrows shot up. "Oh, no, mein süßes Kindchen. You're mistaken. He won't come for you. He'll come for your families. For your friends. For everyone who helped you get here and everyone who ever helped them. You see, that's why he needed me. I was his scalpel. My way only necessitated a handful of deaths. Should I fall here today?" He gestured widely. "Well, I'm afraid you'll be looking at a massacre in the near future."
Caesar's wings snapped open.
"Such a shame, really," Constantine said. "I've always detested unnecessary bloodshed, but… As they say. When in Rome…" He lowered his hands. "Caesar, Greif an!"
The eagle launched from Constantine's shoulder, wings beating hard. But the chain jerked tight after a few feet, and Caesar had to pull up sharp, screeching his frustration. He wheeled back toward Constantine, circling overhead in tight arcs limited by the length of chain.
Not the aerial nightmare I'd been expecting.
Constantine stepped forward, and Caesar dove with him, talons extended. The bird came at Rafael's head from the right, his blind side.
"Down!" I yanked Rafael left, and we both dropped. Caesar's talons raked empty air where Rafael's face had been.
The eagle pulled up, wings straining against the chain's length. Constantine had to step back to give Caesar room to recover altitude.
Rafael squeezed my hand twice. I squeezed back once.
Constantine moved right, and Caesar banked with him, circling for another pass. The chain between them stayed taut, limiting the bird's range to roughly ten feet in any direction from Constantine's position.
Constantine's bludgeon came up, and he advanced, forcing us back. Caesar dove simultaneously. Talons from above, wood from the front.
Rafael swung his bludgeon up at Caesar while I blocked Constantine's strike. Wood cracked against wood. The impact jarred up my arms, but I held.
Caesar pulled up short, unable to commit fully to the dive because Constantine was engaged with us. The bird screeched and circled back.
Constantine pressed forward, swinging hard at Rafael's ribs. Rafael twisted, and the blow glanced off his side instead of crushing bone. He grunted but stayed on his feet.
I swung at Constantine's head. He ducked, and the bludgeon whistled over him. I had to pull back before our chain tangled with Constantine's.
Caesar dove again, this time at me. I threw myself backward, and Rafael came with me, the chain between our ankles pulling us into a coordinated retreat.
The eagle's talons grazed my upper arm, but it was enough to tear open the skin and muscle. I didn't want to think about how bad it'd be if he got his talons on my head.
Constantine moved left to give Caesar a better angle, and we shifted right, keeping distance. The chamber was huge, but we were running out of room. Our backs would hit the wall soon.
"We need to split them up," I said.
"Can't. Chain won't reach."
"Not split. Separate." I met Rafael's eye. "You take Constantine; I'll handle the bird."
"Your arm—"
"Is fine." My hand clamped over the wound. Blood soaked between my fingers. "It's just a scratch. And we'll both be dead if we don't finish this quickly."
Rafael's jaw clenched. Then he nodded once.
