Daedalus only grinned.
Minos fisted his hands, his flushed cheeks mottled. “What do you want?”
It was Theseus who spoke. “You saw the fighters we have at our disposal. Imagine those numbers coming at your city all at once. You wouldn’t stand a chance.”
“We could have brought them with us today,” Scylla interjected, “but we did not. Though we can take Deimos effortlessly, we would prefer to do it peacefully.”
“A month,” Theseus tossed out. “We will give you a month of no attacks while you gather your belongings, evacuate your people, and safely relocate. Then we will return to claim Deimos.”
Silence fell at the verbal bomb. I’d expected threats, taunts, and maybe even a sneak attack. But not such a warning.
The worrying thing? Their combined armies would be too much for the Tapestry to take on. Especially when it was believed that one or more of the half-bloods were responsible for freeing the Watchers from Tartarus.
Minos’ face flushed with anger. “You truly believe we will tuck tail and run?”
Medea gave him a foul look. “You will if you wish for you and your people to live. You have kept us at bay successfully only because we were divided. That no longer stands.”
“We have allies of our own,” said Eacus.
Theseus’ lips quirked. “Are you sure? For years you have subjugated the Archdukes, demanding proof of their loyalty; insisting on god-like devotion. Can you be certain that they will put their lives on the line for you?”
Unease pricked at my skin. Because it wasn’t a mere query. It was a taunt. He’d either somehow already secured the support of the Archdukes or he felt fairly certain that he could.
“They would come at our call,” Rhad stubbornly upheld.
Scylla pursed her lips. “Perhaps, but they would die if they did. Even with their armies in your pocket you’d be no match for the collective force we possess.”
Honestly, she could be right.
“Deimos is just a place,” said Eacus. “Claiming it won’t make you Sovereigns.”
“No,” allowed Daedalus, “but dethroning you three will make the dominions bow to us.”
“Us,” Minos echoed. “The four of you intend to rule as one?” He let out a derisive snort. “That would never happen. You would kill each …”
The rest of his words got lost as a ringing sound built in my ears. It got louder and louder, until it was all I could hear. A crazy energy surged through me out of nowhere, flooding everypart of me; awakening every nerve-ending; making my heart beat fast and erratically.
The energy kept building and building. My scalp tingled. The pads of my fingers buzzed. Vibrations ran through my teeth. My veins felt as though they werecloggedby thick heat.
The sensations repeatedly stabbed at me—foreign and frightening andother.
I was distantly conscious of the sky turning black, of a breeze picking up, of a sense of static snapping the air taut. But I had no mental room to ponder on it. Not now, when I felt overloaded with energy that threatened to split me in half. It made my head feel heavy and full and overstretched.
Lightning flashed, zigzagging across the sky. Cracks of thunder boomed so loud I thought something had exploded. A howling wind abruptly picked up,whooshingover my skin and tossing my curls everywhere.
Then it happened.
Somethingslippedinto my mind. Something powerful and timeless and ethereal. Something that pushed my own consciousness aside as it lowered my bow and arrow. “You would disregard what was declared by us?” The female voice was deep, cold, and echoed with a dozen other muted voices.
The robed figures stared up at me, their lips parted, their expressions various degrees of shocked.
Yeah, well, their shock had nothing on mine. Because the being currently wearing my skin was an actual goddess. Hellyne, Goddess of Fate and Rebirth.
I sensed the officiates near me begin to edge away, and I couldn’t say I blamed them.
She lifted a brow imperiously. “No one will speak?” A mocking huff. “You had plenty to say mere moments ago.”
Theseus cleared his throat. “Hellyne,” he realized, a combination of awe and fear in his tone.
