“Of course,” Hermes muttered. He bent closer as if to speak privately in the god’s ear, he instead added in a loud voice that carried through the room, “I remember how you fled the battle in Thuria. I wonder if you’ve told your nymph you’re the reason she was cursed. As punishment for your cowardice.”
Melanos shot up from the table, knocking over plates and spilling water as the monks scrambled to save what they could. Hermes jumped back with a laugh.
Croak watched the gods as they faced off, Melanos’s bulky form twice the size of Hermes. In a battle between the two, Croak would still bet on Hermes because the fucker fought dirty.
“Calm down,” Hermes said after one of the most tense moments of Croak’s young life. Hermes had the gall to clap Melanos on the shoulder before turning away. “I was only kidding.”
The look on Hermes’s face belied his words. Melanos fumed as he dropped his gaze to the floor. Croak wasn’t sure what to think about any of this shit. Clearly, there was more to Melanos than they knew.
And bad blood between him and Hermes.
“I wish Melanos and Bethana to remain behind with me,” Sonah said, quickly jumping to her feet. Croak was surprised at Leander’s hand coming out to rest on her forearm.
What the fuck was going on between these two? She hadn’t been gone long enough to form any real attachment to this man—and a Riverman, to boot!—so what the fuck was going on?
Croak reminded himself to have a conversation with her and Terena when they returned.
“You’re coming with us,” Hermes said.
Croak rose from his seat slowly, motioning to Orry to do the same. His friend stared at him a beat before he grudgingly rose as well.
“No, I am not,” Sonah said, steel edging her voice, “And you will inform my sister I am here and await her arrival.”
Croak froze. Holy fucks. He should’ve warned Sonah about Hermes. To be fair, he’d thought they’d have more time and honestly, that was clearly Terena’s domain. Because she’s a god.
Swinging his eyes to Hermes, Croak felt his heart wither at the cruel smile wreathing his face.
“Child,” Hermes started in a syrupy voice that fooled no one, “I did not ask.”
“Hermes,” Croak interjected as soon as Sonah opened her mouth again. “Let’s leave her here. She won’t be able to help; she doesn’t have powers. I’ll be useless too, thinking about her out there. You know Ren won’t be any help either once she finds out her sister is there.”
“She’s a lot more powerful than she should be at her age. I can feel it,” Hermes said, eyeballing Sonah like he was sizing up a lamb for slaughter. “Powerful enough to break not one curse but two. What else can you do, I wonder?”
“It matters not because she’s still mortal,” Melanos seethed, rising to his full height, which placed him only inches taller than Hermes.
“And so I will remain here and await my eudaemon and my sister,” Sonah added.
Hermes stared at Sonah as if he wanted to gouge her eyes out. Croak wiped sweat from his brow as he waited. The glare Sonah was sending Hermes’s way was not helping.
“All right then!” Croak said with a clap of his hands. “Let’s… all right, Hermes, we—Orry and I—will come with you and then… Sonah, you just wait here. That’s a good girl.”
Sonah swatted his hand away when he patted her head, and Croak slouched behind Leander.
He plowed into Orry, who was clutching some papers to his chest. Scowling at his friend, Croak looked over his shoulder at the gods glaring daggers at one another.
“Gods save us from… gods,” he muttered as he followed Orry out of the refectory.
Chapter 33
COLINAS, RAVOS
“You’ve… changed since I last saw you.”
Terena pulled up short when Lerek spoke, her beautiful eyes widening, reminding him of the many times he would gaze into them in the past, wishing those moments would last forever.
Pulling himself up straighter in the saddle, he looked away.
No. She was not the same person he’d fallen in love with. This woman, this god, was someone else entirely.
