I thought back, trying to recall any conversations I'd overheard that seemed strange. “I can't think of anything right now. Maybe something will come to me later.”
Gage huffed and sat back.
“I have seen him play with light, though,” I went on.
“Play with light?” Garret asked. “How?”
“He sort of waggles his fingers and they glow. He loves that. He always smiles when he does it. It's unnerving.”
“Apollo,” Garret said to the others. “Hades is right.”
“He suspected Apollo because a light shield protected Silas from Amélie,” Gideon said.
“Amélie?” I asked, jerking forward. “Not Amélie Chenier?”
“Yes,” Gideon said. “She's the reason we know about you. Amélie is the Spokane Cerberus's mate. Jake's sister betrayed her and delivered her to the Host. But Amélie's a powerful witch. She escaped Silas and helped her mates defeat the Host in Spokane. Then—”
“Amélie's awitch?!” I shrieked. “Witches are real?”
“Remember the Isle of the Blessed we mentioned?” Garret asked. “When you go there, you're given a choice. You can stay or you can return to Earth for another go at life with a bonus. You get magic or, if requested, another type of boon. And that's how witches are born. They're the only ones good enough to be trusted with magic.”
“I always knew she was a good soul,” I whispered. “So kind. You could see it in her eyes.”
“Yes. And she cares about you, Indie,” Gideon said. “Jackie betrayed her for Jake. It was in exchange for Jake's healing.”
“But Jake is paying for his healing himself,” I said. “Silas healed him in exchange for Jake hosting Michael.”
“Jackie didn't know that Silas would insist on that. She didn't even know it happened. When Jake left the hospital with you, she turned to Amélie for help.”
“And Amélie helped her despite what Jackie did,” I concluded.
“Yes, Amélie forgave Jackie because she understood her motivations. Jackie told her about Jake leaving the hospital with you, and the Spokane Cerberus tracked you here. Once you crossed state lines, they had to hand you over to us. Hades had already passed on the Silas/Michael mission.”
“And you've been watching us, waiting for a chance to get to us,” I said.
“Yes, Indie,” Garret said. “As I told you earlier, I bumped into you on purpose. But only so I could get the chance to check on you and tell you the truth about Michael and Silas. We suspected Jake might be Michael's new host, but weren't certain until you confirmed it.”
“You're the good guys,” I whispered, remembering his words. “You protect the world.”
“Yes,” they said in unison.
Then Garret added, “Whichever god is backing Silas, he's an idiot. We have the support of all the Greek Olympians because they know how important it is to keep the world free of wandering souls. Without us, they'd wreak havoc here.”
“Maybe that's what he wants,” I said.
“Maybe,” Gage said. “But Apollo? It just doesn't make sense. He enjoys coming here as much as any of the gods.”
“They come here?” I asked. “Like, a lot?”
All three of them burst out laughing.
I grimaced at them. “Hey! I'm still processing. I've gone from nearly getting raped by an angel to learning about Greek Gods!”
All three hounds growled.
“Oh, shit,” I whispered.
Chapter Fourteen
