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And where was Apollo in all this? Because the sun god wasn't here and I wasn't sure if he knew that Hermes was.
“Just give us the oracle and we will leave,” the godling said, his voice projecting to all of us.
Lark leaned against the house, bolstering it as if something was trying to suck all the energy from it. I shook my head, wanting to help him but I needed to concentrate on the keeping the birds away right now. They added an element of chaos we just didn't need right now.
Where were Betta and the guardians? I wondered if they could exit the gate or if someone other than the Gatekeeper was controlling it. Fuck! Fuck! Fuck! How can we fight a god?
Holden appeared in the doorway and said something in a language that hurt my brain. The words were so beautiful while being so awful at the same time.
Hermes’ attention snapped up to her, his eyes widening. Tamerin, Shalen and Belesh pushed past her and stood in front of her on the porch and then the four repeated what she said.
They must be speaking the language of the gods, because Hermes appeared to understand them. His face grew dark, and he pointed one finger at them.
“Take them out.”
For a second, I wasn’t sure who he was talking to, as no one moved.
Then Sterling ran towards the house, his wings still held tight against his back. His bare feet had sharp, long talons he could use to fight with. And if he flew up into the air? He could kill with them.
Koran went a deeper route. He started to tunnel deep into the dirt, but Konner appeared suddenly next to Justin. The angel cocked his head, staring at the Naga. Koran came to an abrupt halt, his muscles straining as he was restrained by something none of us could see.
“Not in my ground. Not on my planet, Naga. We do not welcome you here. I am the Protector of Earth.” Konner shone brighter, forcing me to drop my gaze.
As I did so, I realized I was draining my powers, expending my energy on something we already knew. Hermes couldn't hide behind his ravens anymore. There had to be a better use of my magic. I stood, releasing my control over the wind so I could reserve my strength for later.
Lexi strolled from around one corner of the house and halted, standing there by herself. She was not only the woman she was meant to be, but the goddess she was the vessel for. Her red hair was braided back into a single braid and her green eyes were bright with Artemis' godly light.
“Leave now, Hermes. You are not welcomed here.” Her voice rang out.
That was not my sister’s voice.; the goddess was using her to get her point across to her brother.
“Artemis,” Hermes hissed, his vitriol strong. “This is not about you.”
She raised one eyebrow. “Oh, but it is. This is my world.” She spread her arms out. “As I have already told you, these are my people.” She peered over at him. “This is my territory and what happens to them happens to me. You fight them, you fight me.”
Hermes spat, the spittle falling several feet away from him. “But the oracle is Apollo’s, not yours. He is the oracular god.”
Lexi shrugged. “Then he should be here to retrieve what he lost. Except… You are not here with his knowledge, are you? You are here because you think she bested you. Because you hate her for something she has done. Such a petty reason, Hermes. Apollo doesn’t hate her, he just wants to use her. But you? You abhor her. Why?”
If it was possible, the god’s face grew even darker. “She is an impostor. Apollo thinks she is the one. The Oracle. She is not. I will show him the truth.”
Tamerin spoke out, this time in English. “She is one of three. The Gatekeeper. The Oracle. The Protector. They will keep the universes safe, along with the Spirit King and the Queen Omega.”
With those words, James flew over the house, an enormous dark shadow blotting out the sun as he roared his wrath. He wore his fire dragon form and breathed flames down around the intruders.
Hermes waved a hand in a simple pattern, putting up a barrier around himself, blocking the flames from reaching him. His two accomplices were not so lucky.
Sterling dodged the sparks, his wings pulled in even tighter and his feet dancing around on the ground. Flying at this point was useless, since he wouldn’t have stood a chance against the larger predator in the sky.
The Naga covered his fragile skin in fireproof scales. Dropping into the grass, he tried to slither closer to the house, looking for a way around Konner's barrier.
Konner and Lexi both drew runes in the air, thrusting them towards the snake man, forcing his shift back to human. Once he was human again, Konner called the dirt to cover his legs, trapping him in place. They left him lying on his belly, unable to move forward or stand up.
“What the fuck?” He yelled, his hands tearing at the grass in front of him, trying to pull his legs out of the ground.
They turned away from him, but I slipped a thin barrier over the man, just in case. He would not get away this time. Not until he faced his punishment.
Turning back to Sterling, I realized the man had shifted into his hawk form once James had flown away to circle over the house. He now hid amongst the ravens, flying in a black cloud in the sky.
