“What?” Terena opened her mouth as she jerked forward. “You’re not?—”
“Terena!”
The ground shook when Hermes bellowed her name. Rydon’s hand moved to his sword.
This was not good.
Terena’s face darkened. When she turned back to Hermes, Rydon’s eyes darted between the two. She was unrecognizable. The expression on her face was one he hadn’t seen before but did not portend anything good.
“You raise your voice to me like I am a witless child but that cannot be. Because I am not witless, nor am I a child.”
Hermes puffed up, the swirling silver liquid in his eyes zinging back and forth like it was possessed.
“Youarea child, niece. I have lived for millennia. And youarewitless, if you think you can leave without my permission. Remind me again which circle we’re in? Ah, yes, the eighth and final circle. If you fail this time, it’s not just you that’s fucked.”
The cavernous hall became sweltering. Terena’s eyes were bright, glowing red, and her hands shook.
Rydon gripped his sword, his eyes wild as he took in everyone’s positions.
“What’s going on?”
Rydon cursed, swinging around to see Croak coming down the stairs with Gabriol, Orry and Migela. Gabriol immediately unsheathed his sword and Migela did the same with her daggers. The portly cleric clutched some books to his chest with one hand as he frantically batted his hand at Croak to pull him back.
“What’s going on,” Hermes said in a booming voice, “is your sister is about to learn a very valuable lesson.”
Closing the distance, Hermes held out his hand. A metallic sound rang out as his caduceus formed.
Terena snarled, and Rydon’s eyes almost popped out of his head when she held out her hands and the Twins materialized. The runes etched on the blades activated and red light pulsed up and down the blades once. Gone was the white light he’d seen several times when she’d used them.
“Put away your swords, niece,” Hermes whispered.
Rydon edged closer. Hermes’s men did the same.
“Hermes, what the fuck?” Rydon whispered.
The god shook his head, a look of confusion on his face before it melted away into a thunderous expression.
“Put away your staff,uncle.”
“I will not ask again.”
Terena laughed unpleasantly. “You seem to think you have power over me. I may not know as much about being a god, but Iamone. Nor am I as strong as you, but I am a daughter of Ares. I’m supposed to be here. This ismystory, old man. Not yours.”
There was a brief moment where Rydon thought his heart stopped.
No one moved. Even Croak’s gasp was cut off.
Before anyone snapped out of their shock, Hermes backhanded Terena with his caduceus.
Daris roared and leaped at the god, his arm pulled back, aiming his sword at Hermes’s neck.
But the sword stopped inches from his skin, and Daris dropped to the ground as if hitting an invisible force.
Two of Hermes’s assassins charged at him, hauling Daris up by his arms and holding him captive between them. Even that wasn’t enough to break Rydon from the sheer shock immobilizing him.
The god looked horrified for a brief moment, staring at his caduceus as if he’d never seen it before. The look was gone so fast, Rydon thought his eyes played tricks on him.
Hermes spared a glance at Daris, snarling something Rydon could not hear past the thundering in his ears.
