“Never mind. Go on.”
“Michael knew he'd have to face a Cerberus eventually. So instead of waiting for one to attach him, he recruited humans to go on the defensive.”
“What do you mean? How did he recruit humans?”
“By posing as an angel. He told them he was fighting a holy war against all Cerberuses—hounds from hell.”
I snorted a laugh.
“Yeah, there's just enough truth in that for it to be damning.”
“Literally.”
Lex rolled his eyes. “Since Michael told everyone he was an angel—a fact he proved by jumping into the bodies of his recruits—he named his cult the Host.”
“Catchy.”
“We're not sure when the partnership between Silas and Michael began or if Michael even wanted a partner. But at some point, Silas stepped in and took over. He posed as God.”
“The Christian God?”
“Yes, and Silas used his magic to prove it—by killing his followers and bringing them back from the dead.”
“Wait. What?” I gaped at Lex. Then I remembered what Hades had said—that Silas had the power to bring back the dead and that he was raising armies to fight the Hounds.Raisingthem. “Why doesn't he just reanimate corpses?”
“He'd have to bring back their souls, and I imagine that would be more difficult with older bodies. The souls may be in new bodies by then. Plus, there's a lot more to heal.”
“Oh. Right. So, he kills people and immediately brings them back. Does he make them immortal?”
“No, just stronger. That's what I meant when I called them enhanced. There are very few gods who can grant immortality.”
“I see.” I mulled this over. “Hades said Silas has an Olympian backing . . .” I trailed off.
“Salina?” Lex called to me.
I didn't hear him at first. I was too busy staring at the monitor. As I said, there were several camera feeds playing on two monitors. One feed caught my eye. In it, a man stood on a balcony, leaning on an ornate iron railing while talking to a few other people. Nothing shocking there. Except that I knew that man. He was my first stalker. Mr. Average.
“Salina?”
“Huh?” I looked at Lex.
“What is it?” He peered at the screen. “Oh, shit! There he is.”
I wasn't surprised when Lex tapped the image of Mr. Average.
“That's Silas.” Lex hit a button on a device nearby and spoke into it. “Got him at the French Quarter house.”
“We're on it!” Cyrus's voice came through the little speaker on the device.
Lex looked at me, then at the speaker. He pushed the button again. “I'll stay here with Salina and monitor you guys.”
“Copy that.”
From somewhere outside came the sound of an engine starting, then of a car leaving.
“They're going after him?” I asked. “Just like that?”
“Of course.” Lex started typing. Several feeds changed.
