“Fascinating,” Gish drawled.
“Shut up,” Qaus growled at him before nodding at me to continue.
“My daughter came to me from the future; a future that had gone very wrong,” I said. “I won't tell you how she was able to time travel, that's too much to share, but I will tell you that when I went with her to that future, I saw and experienced things that will never happen. I came back to this time and altered the choice I'd made that had set the realms down the wrong path.”
“You're saying that your decision altered both the God and the Human Realms?” Disani scoffed.
“And the Faerie Realm.” I nodded serenely. “I'm not trying to be arrogant; it is what it is. You know; a butterfly flaps its wings and all that. I guess I was the butterfly. Huh; that's oddly appropriate.”
Disani gaped at me.
“Anyway, I had to change the future,” I went on. “And I did. One of the things that changed was a fight I had with the three of you. You abducted me and chained me up with rainbows. I tried to cut them with my dragon claws, and you told me that rainbows can't be cut.”
Qaus' face went still as he stared intently at me.
“My husbands rescued me,” I continued. “They killed you; all of you. But you, Qaus, died horribly. Burned by Re, boiled by your own water when you tried to put out the flames, and then torn apart by my lion and werewolf husbands. I didn't kill you personally, but you died because you took me.”
“That's closer to the prophecy,” Qaus whispered. “'The hunter of gods will watch you die screaming,' was what I was told.”
“Holy Holly Hobby,” I murmured. “When were you given that prophecy?”
“Five years ago.”
“Five years?” I asked in surprise.
“It's taken awhile to plan your death.” He smirked.
“Long enough that things have changed,” I said.
I shared a heavy look with Qaus.
“This is bullshit!” Disani waved her hand at me. “She's playing us; trying to get us to back off.”
“I don't have to get you to back off,” I said confidently. “Narcissus won't let you touch me here, and outside of his territory, I'm strong enough to kill all three of you.”
Qaus sat back in his chair and considered me. “But you won't.”
“Silenus is good at what he does.” I shrugged. “So, I've been told. I had no intention of ever hunting you unless I was forced to.”
“Ironic that I may have pushed the prophecy along by trying to circumvent it,” Qaus murmured.
“How were you to know that the future had changed?” I offered.
“You are rather pleasant for a killer of gods,” Qaus noted.
“I only kill gods who hurt humans,” I said.
“Fair enough.” Qaus nodded.
“Fair enough?” Gish huffed. “Are you actually falling for this?”
“What does it hurt for us to walk away?” Qaus asked. “She's trapped here; there's no escape from Narcissus' territory, and he'll sooner kill her than free her. The Godhunter is effectively hobbled.”
“I want her dead,” Disani growled.
“What the hell did I do to you; beyond saying that your name sounds like bottled water?” I huffed at her.
“You consort with demons,” she hissed.
