This was nerve-racking. The huge marble palace was awe-inspiring, as one would expect the home of ancient gods to be. It had been built to impress, and she was definitely not immune to its austerity.
Acheron’s throne was set off to her right on a massive dais where several small little dragonlike creatures were currently curled around and napping with Acheron’s two sons. The way the creatures were entwined, she wasn’t even sure how many of them there were.
Simi and her Charonte sister were on the floor to her left, watching some shopping network channel on a massively huge monitor that was mounted to the wall on her left. Completely content, they were eating barbecue-drenched popcorn out of a bowl they shared that was perched between them while Acheron’s steward, Alexion, and his wife, Danger, kept it filled to capacity.
Urian’s father, Styxx, met her and Falcyn in the doorway. At almost seven feet in height, he was an impressively handsome beast. Dressed in a casual blue button-down shirt and jeans, he was a far cry from Ash’s preferred Goth style. “Yeah, we know. But it keeps them out of trouble and stops them from putting horns on the babies’ heads.”
Medea laughed as she saw that Urian’s birth mother, Bethany, was holding their youngest son in her arms and cooing to the toddler. “So this is the little Aricles I keep hearing about from big brother Urian.”
With her black spiral curls pulled away from her face in a ponytail, Bethany rubbed her son’s back. Her caramel skin was flawless over sharply chiseled features. “Would you like to hold him?”
“I might keep him if I do.”
Ari smiled as he looked up at her. “Mimi?”
Completely sunk, Medea took him and was lost the moment he wrapped his arms around her neck and hugged her with a giddy squeal and bounce. It’d been so long since she last held a baby that she’d forgotten just how wonderful it felt to have such unbounded affection.
That was the hardest part about being around Daimons; they couldn’t have children. Only Apollites could.
Falcyn brushed his hand through her hair. “You okay?”
She nodded. “You’re screwed, though. Word of warning. I want a bunch of these again.”
He wrinkled his nose as Aricles squeezed Falcyn’s finger and bit it. “I don’t know. He’s kind of smelly and leaking out both ends.”
Bethany laughed. “It doesn’t bother you when it’s yours who smells that way.”
“If you say so.” He met Styxx’s gaze doubtfully.
Styxx cleared his throat. “I’m agreeing with Beth. All the way.”
“That’s because my brother is not a fool.” Acheron came in and clapped his hands on Styxx’s shoulders.
Medea froze at the sight of them together. While she knew they were identical, except for their eye color and hair color—and that only because Acheron artificially colored his black and red—it was still shocking to see them side-by-side like this.
If the two of them put their minds to it, there would really be no way to tell them apart.
Spooky.
“Dear gods, who’s dead?”
They all froze as Urian came into the room to catch them gathered there.
“Please tell me it’s Stryker.” There was no missing the hopeful tone in Urian’s voice.
“Not funny.” Medea handed Aricles back to Bethany as she braced herself for the last thing she wanted to do. How in the world was she going to tell Urian about Phoebe …
Now she wished she’d taken Davyn up on his offer to be here for this confrontation. But then she wasn’t a coward and Urian was her brother.
I can do this.
Falcyn put his hand on her shoulder to let her know that he was with her. She took comfort in his presence. And with a deep breath, she braced herself for what was going to be a horrible reaction.
Real bad.
“There’s something I need to tell you, Urian. Something you’re not going to believe.”
“I’ve won the lottery?”
