Hathor’s delighted smug laugh at this display of Sunny’s powers echoed around the cavernous enclosed space.
“Riordan, don’t.” Gigi pleaded. She didn’t want to see either the baby or her cousin hurt. Gathering her elemental powers, reaching out, only to have them slide off Riordan. Hathor’s doing somehow. Oh, Merciful Lady, her cousin was bending over, did Sunny recognise her as family or foe? Either way, Riordan was prepared, a thick layer of ice encasing every bit of her suddenly. Question was, would Sunny’s power bounce off all that ice or just burn it out of existence along with Riordan?
“Hurry along, Pet.” Hathor drawled. “I have places to be, and a nursery to decorate for my new baby girl. She and I are going to have such adventures and fun together. Taking over the world. Ensuring I get my fair share. I like Europe, but there’s something to be said for the tropics. I suppose it’ll all depend on what land masses are left and in what state once the smoke clears.”
Time seemed to slow down, it often does when something horrible is about to happen. Nico too far away to body tackle Riordan aside. All he could do was watch as she bent, scooping up the baby carrier with an icy slab of a hand. Sunny reaching out to touch Riordan’s ice and jean covered leg, but before she could do so, one of Riordan’s silent tears splashed down onthe back of the baby’s hand, leaving a splatter of glittering tiny snowflakes behind.
The baby stared down at the sparkles, a frown for the first time fleetingly passing over Sunny’s features, before she sighed softly and leant back, dropping her hand.
Nico didn’t know if that made things better or worse. Sunny wasn’t going to wipe Riordan from existence, good. Unfortunately, Riordan now had Sunny and was turning, car seat in hand, heading towards the fucked up Goddess of Love and Fertility, Hathor, which was very, very bad.
A drumming sound pulled Nico’s attention abruptly upwards, to the top of the nearest bookcase. Asher. He’d forgotten the baby was still in play, and he was on the move. Saint Medard, maybe Riordan’s life still hung in the balance.
“What’s that soun—” Qetesh was in the process of querying the noise when a large white net spun out across the space, dropping neatly over Riordan’s head, encasing her and the baby seat.
“Gigi!” Nico recognised the webbing, it was the string used to hold several of the window blinds together. That stuff wouldn’t be strong enough unless…
“I’ve got it.” With a recalibration of the string’s elements, Gigi teased out the glue that bound it together, freshening it. So even as Riordan tried to fling the netting off, it proved an impossible task as the sticky strings were stuck to the carpet, the baby seat, and momentarily to Riordan’s icy frame.
It didn’t accomplish much, but it gave them at least enough time to make their way across the room to physically block her just as Riordan froze the strings and shattered them with a forceful tug.
“Stop.” Her cousin, eyes blank, cheeks tear stained, made as if to step around them, almost as if she didn’t see Gigi. Hmmm, but what about Nico? “Riordan, Nico is right here, standing right in front of you.” Sending Nico a forceful encouraging -step the hell up - look. He did so, stopping only inches away from Riordan. “Isn’t he the reason this all started? What’s more important here, the baby, or kissing Nico?” Gigi ignored his shocked glare. “Wasn’t that what you were promised, Nico? And here he is, standing right in front of you, yours for the taking. That’s if you still want him?”
“Pet…” Hathor’s chiding endearment had a tinge of annoyance edging it.
Nico reached down, tipping Riordan’s face upwards, she was beautiful, an icy princess, but the blonde hair colour and shimmering gold gilding her normally blue eyes were an excellent reminder that she was a helpless victim in all this. And once it was all over the discovery of her part in helping Hathor kidnap Sunny would destroy her, so Nico was willing to do whatever it took to snap her out of this fugue state, and if Gigi thought kissing her cousin would do it, then count him in.
“Ni-Nico?”
“Hey there, kiddo.”
A glimmer of Riordan forced its way to the fore as the gold disappeared from her eyes. “I-I don’t understand.”
“Just put the baby down.” Nico reached over, helping her place the car seat on the ground, his hand travelling back up her icy arm to her chin again. Staring down into her eyes, ignoring Hathor’s snort of annoyance and Qetesh’s outraged squawk. “None of this is your fault you know.” Leaning down and kissing her, Riordan’s icy lips turning warm and heated within a split second as she sighed and pressed herself against him. Nico wasn’t sure how long he was supposed to kiss her? Would a minute be enough? Two?
The clapping of Hathor’s hands finally broke them apart. Nico frowning as a wave of gold flooded back into Riordan’s eyes and she stared up at him blankly once more.
“Did you seriously think you were going to wake the ice princess up with a kiss? Pick the baby up, Pet.” Hathor instructed smugly.
The wonderful thing about the last two minutes was that no one had been paying any attention to Gigi. She’d never thought a kiss from Nico would have any effect on Riordan. But it was an excellent delaying tactic, giving her enough time to identify the nearest heaviest book.
One blow had her young cousin falling to the carpet with a crackle of breaking ice. Hah, out cold. Thank Heavens, for the Big Book of Dinosaur Facts.
Nico’s shocked look was priceless. Though Gigi didn’t have a chance to savour it. They still had a Goddess and two demi-goddesses in play.
Hathor clapped her hands together again, a warm smile on her face. “Well played, pure one, well played.”
“It’s okay, Mother.” Qetesh sounded desperately eager to please Hathor. “I’ve got this.” Staring hard at Nico, Qetesh smiled gently, her face suddenly glowing with kindness, love emoting from her eyes. “Nico, bring me the baby.”
Saint Medard, Qetesh was still flogging that dead horse? Nico shared an incredulous look with Gigi before they both laughed in amusement. Surprisingly Hathor joined in.
“Seriously? Darling? That was your plan? With the pure standing right beside him?”
Gigi was really beginning to dislike that title, Hathor made it sound like an insult and she was getting very tired of it.
“There’s more.” Qetesh looked triumphant, holding up a small silver ring. Nico recognised it instantly, he couldn’t hear its demanding call, but its age and silver content were hauntingly familiar. Riordan must have found it at the bar and brought it here for Qetesh. Did she think its proximity would affect him?
Staring at Qetesh, at the ring, he shrugged. “And…?”
