“Now what?”
“Hold him like a gun.” There was some mumbled cursing from Nico but he managed to readjust his hold. Gigi deepened her connection with Canary, seeing things through his eyes for a moment. Shaking off the momentary disorientation Gigi clenched her fists, calling forth from the void what she needed.
Canary opened his mouth in readiness, but then Gigi had to wait, Nico was fighting for his life, Canary swinging about like a pinball in his hand. There. A rock hard pellet shot out of Canary’s mouth, landing on the chest of the Scarab on the left, clinging to his shirt. He ignored the strike, dismissing it. Unaware that a fist sized hole of material had already disappeared in a heartbeat, and now his black carapaceunderneath where the pellet had hit was looking dark grey, and the stain was spreading, eating its way through his shell.
Canary, under Gigi’s guidance, fired off two more pellets, one missing completely, the other hitting the same Scarab on the hip. Okay, he was toast, he just didn’t know it yet. Gigi conserved ammunition, or as the family had called them at the time, face eating peppermint gumballs. Waiting was hard, worse, everyone was moving so fast she often found herself missing windows of opportunity.
Off, in the distance, a loud whump sounded followed by sudden flames rocketing sky high. Darcy must had brought along her rocket launcher. Gigi distracted momentarily as a snowball the size of her head crashed against the barrier only a few inches from her nose. Crap, Great-Aunt Annabeth was on the loose and she wasn’t wearing her glasses.
Heavens, it was noisy. Someone was screaming in the distance, while Nell at her back, panted now in time with a pissed off but resigned sounding Devon coaching her. Blocking everyone out, Gigi had Canary spit out four more gumballs. Two landing. One on Nico’s other opponent, right at the base of his throat. The second ball hitting the shoulder of one of the four Scarabs fighting with Drum. Meanwhile, her first victim was just now noticing that his shell was disintegrating. Slapping ineffectually at his chest. The pain no doubt escalating as her confection - gone very, very wrong - began to eat away at everything underneath the carapace. The Scarab screaming now. His attention faltering as he realised his insides were liquifying.
Perhaps it was a mercy when Nico’s sword thrust through the large hole in his chest, piercing his heart.
Neith, who had been standing close to the invisible barrier, tapping her toe impatiently, huffed out an exasperated sigh, and then another one as Nico’s only still standing opponent began to claw at his throat. His eyes bulging as he attempted to swallow,impossible given the now gaping hole in his thorax. Nico didn’t even have to run him through, as he dropped to the ground, let out a wet rasping sound and abruptly died.
“Indestructible my ass.” Neith muttered darkly, before reaching up to lower the zipper of her jumpsuit a few more inches, plastering a seductive smile on her face as she sauntered in Nico’s direction. “Hello, pretty one. Let’s make beautiful music together.” She batted her eyelashes. “First though, I just need you to do one little favour for me. Take down this silly barrier for me, darling.”
It took everything Gigi had not to let another peppermint acid gumball fly.
“He’s mine, bitch, get away from him.” Qetesh stepped out of a tear in the world, six of her golden haired toga wearing guards surrounding her, swords out and at the ready. Vaia, the Fate, the last to step through, hanging back, giving Gigi a friendly wave and a wink.
“Ah, Q-tip, you’re too late I’m afraid. I was here first, that baby’s mine.”
“Oh, I don’t hear or see a squalling infant, Nit-wit, looks like it’s anyone’s for the taking still. Guards, grab him.” Pointing at Nico. “And drag him about fifteen feet in that direction.”
Nico didn’t look like he agreed with that plan, holding Canary up like a furry purple gun. “Gigi!”
The liquid that exploded out of Canary’s mouth smelt amazing; cinnamon, rum and ground ginger. But when it came in contact with skin, eyes, or any other sensitive part of the anatomy, it burned. It burned and itched like a thousand fire ants had just been dumped all over you. Nico managing to splash five of Qetesh’s guards. The demi-goddess herself releasing a high pitched screech and diving off to the side, her pure white clingy toga instantly picking up a number of grass stains. Only Vaia appeared unimpressed with Canary’s offering, taking a smallstep to the right, she confidently avoided the splash zone but only by mere inches.
Whilst five of Qetesh’s guards rolled on the ground howling, scratching, and rubbing ineffectually at their eyes, the last remaining guard standing eyed Nico.
“Ah, Demetrious, buddy. You really don’t want to mess with me today.”
Demetrious raised his sword, looking determined.
“Don’t kill him, Deme.” Qetesh, more interested in checking her hair for stray bits of debris, missed Nico stepping forward and with only three quick flashing strikes relieving Demetrious of his head.
“Gigi. Gigi!”
Frowning, not wanting to look away from Nico’s confrontation with the Lurve trollops Gigi couldn’t ignore the sharp tap on her back by one of Devon’s curls. “What? Oh.” Okay, it seems things were progressing a little faster on the labour front for Nell, whose hair was plastered to her skull with sweat, her lower lip bleeding from where she’d been biting down on it so she wouldn’t distract Drum with any sounds of pain or discomfort.
“We need to head to the hospital, and we need to go now.” Devon glaring down at Nell who glared right back at Devon with a foreign stubborn look in her eyes.
“I’m not going without Drum.”
“Rivers and Lakes.” Devon rolled her eyes, before glancing Gigi’s way. “Thoughts?”
She was supposed to fix this? They could haul Nell inside the ice sculpting shed, she knew for a fact there was a Transportal in there as her Uncle moved large pieces via it. But Gigi had the distinct impression Nell wouldn’t go without a fight. Bloody Hell. Meeting the gazes of the smug demi-goddesses who couldn’t have looked happier that Nell was in advanced labour. Bitches.
Damn, Nico had moved over to help Drum with the three remaining Scarabs that he hadn’t yet managed to dispatch. Whilst off in the distance the long limbed invaders were down numbers, but since they seemed to heal instantly they were still proving a distinct threat.
Threat?
Of course. Gigi snatched up Nell’s phone, opening the contacts and hitting the dial button. “I need help with an evac, stat. Code – Ball of Sunshine.”
“Who did you call?” Devon wanted to know.
“Darcy. Get ready. And let’s get Nell on her feet.”
