Kato doesn’t let go of my wrist. His grip loosens, but the way his strong fingers curve around my bones makes me think I’m grounding him, when really, he’s grounding me.
His throat bobs. “How?”
The almost imperceptible catch in his voice punches a hole between my ribs. “I’ve seen it done in Fisa. We have lots of venomous snakes. I know how to suck it out.”
There’s an immediate, fierce rumble of denial from behind me. “No poisonanywherenear your lips.”
“I won’t swallow anything.” I glare over my shoulder at Griffin, my tone promising fury and savage retribution if he tries to stop me again.
A muscle pops in Griffin’s jaw. His eyes are frightening, but he doesn’t move.
I turn back to Kato, shifting forward and angling my head toward his neck. “Hold still.”
The moment my lips touch his skin, a blast of magic knocks me on my ass.That bloody wizard thumped his staff and sent me flying!The boom rattles my brain and leaves it ringing so hard I have to curl up on the ground and cover my ears again. Then Griffin is beside me, and I roll into him as he buffers me against the magic and the torturous pounding in my ears.
“If he thumps his staff again,” I gasp out, “I’m going to grab it and whack him over the head.”
“No, you won’t,” Griffin says flatly. “Let’s not give Zeus a reason to smite us where we stand. And I think he did that for your protection.”
I glare up at him. It’s annoying that he makes sense—constantly.But I suppose I wouldn’t be wildly and irrevocably in love with him if he were an idiot.
“The Drakon Titos’s venom is incompatible with the Harbinger,” the Chaos Wizard thunders.
I lurch back up, gripping Griffin’s arm for balance. “Now you’re just ganging up on me.”
Griffin smiles tightly. It doesn’t reach his eyes. “You’re too rash by half. You terrify me. If I had a staff that could stop you in your tracks, I’d be thumping it all the time.”
“Then it’s a good thing you don’t,” I say acerbically. Narrowing my eyes, I look around me. “Now, which one of you is going to suck the venom out?”
The wizard’s deeply resonating voice crushes any response. “Seek the Ipotane along the Phthian Gap.”
I must look like a Centaur just kicked me in the face because Griffin’s eyebrows slam down. “What? What is it?”
“That’s the last mountain pass before Olympus. Deep, deep into the Ice Plains. There’s a lake at the mouth of the gap. According to legend, it’s guarded by the Hydra.”
Griffin’s eyes widen. “The Hydra is real?”
Gods, I hope not.I turn back to the wizard. “How do we get past the Hydra? Is it really there?”
“Poseidon has spoken.” The Chaos Wizard turns, his worn robes swirling, and then the door to his hovel closes behind him with a hard click. I hear him throw a heavy lock.
My mouth snaps shut. I stare in shock. At least Poseidon finally showed up, albeit with a parasitic snake and a casualBy the way, why don’t you head on over to the Phthian Gap!
Kato stiffly regains his feet. Turning, I reach for him, grip his arm, and perch on my toes to inspect the snakebite. The twin holes have closed over, leaving two red, raised bumps on his tanned skin.
“They’ve closed,” I say. “We can’t draw the venom out.”
Kato touches his neck, wincing. The whole left side of his throat is enflamed, and I can feel the heat radiating off the bite like a fire in front of my face.
“I’m not sure we’re supposed to,” he answers.
Maybe he’s right. I let go of his arm and drop back onto my heels. “If this was Poseidon’s gift, why would it go to you?”
Kato shrugs. “You’re incompatible.”
“I’ve never been incompatible before.”
“Maybe it’s because you were yelling ‘Kill it! Kill it!’” Carver suggests, a wry arch to his brows.
