Quentin was angry with me. She was upset with how things played out. I only pointed out that our end goal was achieved even if the execution was messier than expected. Holden was a big boy — he'd get over it. It wasn't like they were soulbound.
Quen called me a selfish prick. I was selfish. I was extremely selfish when it came to her. That would remain the case for my entire existence, but I didn't like the way she'd pointed it out. As if it made me the bad guy.
"Gray," Erik said. "I suggest whatever was going on with you and Scott, you leave it back down there. Full attention here."
I looked at my little brother. We needed to talk, but now wasn't the time. Erik had a point; I needed to focus.
We took off across Elysia to cover our respective grounds. Upper Elysia was not off-limits to the minor Gods, but there were many who chose not to walk the highest heavens if they had no business there. They seemed content in the middle heavens, thriving in their own way. But without the elite in position, and with no answer when we’d return permanently, they’d run riot.
Although they outnumbered us, they were less cohesive than the elite, making them easier to overpower.
It took most of the day to talk them down and tidy up the mess they'd caused. By the evening, we'd convened in the council chambers. As I walked down the halls, my crown weighed heavily on my head.
Twelve thrones sat in a semicircle in a stone chamber. Hunter was sitting in the centre, and we all made our way to our seats. Erik sat to the left of Hunter, and I sat on the right. It was clear who was in charge.
Archer strolled into the room, looking bored, and stood before us. Despite his nonchalant facade, I sensed the anger that rolled from him at being summoned.
"You requested my presence," he said shortly.
"Would you like to explain what exactly the minor Gods believe they're playing at?" Hunter asked.
He stood with an expression like butter wouldn't melt. "They have a tendency to get restless. You haven't instilled faith in them the way you're all spending your time with mortals."
I tensed. "You speak as if you aren't there yourself."
Archer's green eyes flicked to me, and he raised an eyebrow.
"Well," he said. "That was the whole reason me and some others chose to go down. Checks and balances and all that. I haven't had time to report to them."
Bullshit. He hadn't reported to them because he wanted to cause unrest and unease.
"Ensure it doesn't happen again, Archer. I would hate to have to put Gods on trial for treason," Hunter said.
He paled but recovered quickly. "Of course not, Hunter. I'll speak to them. Was there anything else you required?"
"You're dismissed."
Archer shot me another look before turning on his heels and leaving us.
"I suggest you all return to your estates. We can head back down in the morning," Hunter said.
He got up from his throne without another word and strode out of the room as everyone began to stir.
I couldn't stay here. I needed to get back down to Quentin. There was nothing else that required my attention. As I went to take steps towards the doors of the chamber, a hand landed on my arm.
"You need to listen to him," Sloan said as Erik joined her side.
"You're going to get caught or found out before you're prepared, if you keep behaving like this," Erik warned me quietly.
"Come and stay at ours tonight, Gray,” Sloan coaxed gently. “The children will be thrilled to see you.”
"You can tell us what happened,” Erik added.
I didn't want to stay. I didn't want to be here, but I sighed and relented. The more I tried to push, the more it was going to look strange to the others, especially Hunter.
The truth was that I wasn't ready to have that conversation just yet. I wanted to enjoy Quen and keep her to myself before contemplating complicating everything further. Although, after the showdown with Holden, we were probably past the stage of keeping a lid on it all.
“She didn’t mean anything by it,” Sloan assured me.
