Jerry very calmly set the chalice back in its case, folded it all up, then drew his sword. The blade caught the light and gleamed, silencing the crowd. It was only blessed steel, but it would doubtless be mistaken for Excalibur. With a deft movement, he stabbed one of the guards in the chest.
The reporters gasped and cried out, but none of the guards reacted. Well, the one he stabbed shrieked and collapsed, but his friends did nothing. Jerry pulled his sword free and gestured at the guard. After a few ragged breaths, the man was able to get to his feet. He pulled open his jacket and the shirt beneath, displaying a cut in his chest that healed as we watched. Finally, the guard wiped away the blood to reveal unblemished skin.
“That's how he got them on his side,” Azrael said. “He hurt them, then healed them. Fuck me.”
“I am not a faerie!” Jerry shouted. “And I am not a god.”
“That's new,” Odin muttered.
“I am your true King, alive because of this sacred treasure, and I will share this sacred gift with all who give me their allegiance!”
Torrent clicked off the video. “I think you get the idea.”
“He's making a new army,” Trevor said.
“King Arthur?” I shook my head. “Damn, that's brilliant. The fucking Returned King come to save England as promised. A legend come to life. What a perfect cover for a god.”
“And with the holy grail no less,” Azrael said. “They'll be lining up for him in droves.”
“Oh, they are,” Torrent said. “If we don't do something soon, he'll have an army to rival the Host by nightfall.”
“What are we supposed to do?” Jesus asked.
“Call the God Squad,” I said.
“And the Devil,” Az added.
Chapter Thirty-Five
“Should I do another press release?” Azrael asked everyone fifteen minutes later.
The God Squad, Luke, and Holly had traced over as soon as we texted. Luke brought the Archangels and a few Demons with him—Lilith, Gello, and Cid. We sat at one of the large tables in Pride Palace's library. With the kids eating in the dining room, I thought the library would be a better choice. I kind of liked it better as a meeting place; it was more comfortable. The only downside was that it was on the second floor, and the kitchen was on the first. So we had to cart up drinks and snacks.
“I think this needs a more straightforward approach,” Hades said. “Go to Buckingham Palace and confront him.”
“Confront Jerry? If I go there, I'm going to kill him,” Azrael said.
“No, I mean confront him in front of the reporters. Call him a liar and a fraud, tell the world that he's a faerie and the chalice is a relic he stole from the Faerie Realm.”
“You want me to call Jerry a faerie?”
“I like the idea,” I said. “We can't tell the world who he really is, that would be bad for multiple reasons, not the least of which would be outing the Gods without their permission. But we can call him a big fat liar; that's the truth.”
“You could say that the story of King Arthur was based on faeries who helped an Irish king back before the Fey withdrew,” Odin suggested. “Say that this king knew of the holy grail and tried to steal it from the Fey, but never succeeded. It has always been in Fey hands, which proves that Jerry's a faerie.”
“Oh, I like that!” Persephone straightened from checking on Deme, who was playing with a toy on a blanket between her parents' chairs.
“If we go now, he won't have enough soldiers to fight us,” Jesus said. “He might come out and try to argue with you, but that's it. And what can he say? His only defense would be to call you a liar in return.”
“I don't know.” Azrael scowled in thought. “Honestly, I'm surprised he's come up with such a brilliant plan on his own.”
“He's off the sauce,” Luke said. “Angel liquor has been clouding his mind for centuries. Without it, he's a brilliant tactician.”
Viper perked up.“The Angels have liquor?”
Luke leaned toward him to whisper, “It's not as good as Hellbrew.”
“Jerry may be clear-headed, but he didn't think this one through,” Samael said. “Even with immortality, those humans are no match for us. We'll slice through his army like butter.”
