His father gave him a droll grimace that said he didn’t appreciate Urian’s blaming his outburst on the goddesses of compulsion and rage.
“You’re not funny,pido!And I’m not amused. This is twice tonight that you’ve sorely tried my patience. Were I you, I wouldn’t press me for a third.”
Urian had to force himself not to reply to something that would only get him beaten again. But it was hard when sarcasm was his native tongue. And salty barbs were his most favored nutrient.
Worse, with his elevated acute Apollite senses, he could actually hear his father grinding his fangs.
Their father cast his sneer around every Daimon in the room and saved the worst of his censuring for Paris and Urian. “Now will one of you please, in the name of Apollymi, explain this outburst to me?”
“Urian started it, Solren.”
His father let out a long, exasperated breath. “Am I insane or is that not the most uttered phrase by my sons?”
Urian scoffed. “What can I say, Solren? I am the grandson of Apollo. I spread sunshine in my wake everywhere I go.”
With a deeply vexed growl, his father pressed his fingers to the bridge of his nose as if trying to suppress a massive headache. “By the gods, boy … Forget Lyssa and Ananke. It’s Koros you make sacrifices to, and serve with your every breath. If I didn’t know better, I’d swear you were the god of insolence incarnate. Are we sure Hybris didn’t swap you out at birth with my real and true son?”
“Perhaps she did. It would explain so much.”Damn it, Uri. Keep your mouth shut!He didn’t know why he had such a hard time riding herd on his tongue.
It was a reckless beast, and traitorous to boot. Worse even than his brothers when it came to getting him into trouble. And even less help when it came to getting him out of it.
If he was smart, he’d cut the thing out before it did any worse damage.
And the look on his father’s face said he was about one syllable away from losing a tooth or vital organ.
“Paris … I think you should take Davyn and retire for the coming day. You’ve both had a long night. No doubt you can use the rest.” He lowered him to the ground.
“Aye, Solren.” He saluted their father, gathered Davyn, and left.
Irritated, Urian let out a deep breath and boldly folded his arms over his chest, as if bored by it all.
His father shook his head slowly. He dropped Urian without warning.
Instead of sprawling, Urian caught himself with his powers and landed in a predator’s crouch. That caused an audible gasp to go through the crowd around him and his father’s jaw fell open.
Head up and alert, in a perfect pose, Urian rose to his feet and swept a challenging stare around the room.
Bring it on, bitches.
All of them underestimated him. They always had. Because of his age, they tended to forget that he was the son of a demigod and a priestess. So while his mother was human, she’d been gifted with her own set of powers by Apollo. For whatever reason, Urian seemed to have inherited more of those abilities than any of his brothers.
So be it.
As his father had noted, he was an insolent bastard who’d suckled venom from the teats of Hybris and the Neikea and had been raised here in this Stygian pit on the knee of Apollymi with demons for friends.
Really? What had he expected? A well-adjusted, happy child? That ship hadn’t just sailed, it’d sunk in the harbor, never to be seen again.
“What am I to do with you?”
Urian shrugged. “Take me out and leave me for the dawn?”
“Don’t tempt me.” A tic started in his jaw.
Of all my sons, you are my greatest pride and the one who scares me most. I pray whatever it is that drives you to such courage and madness doesn’t one day drive you to suicidal stupidity.
Urian scowled as he heard his father’s voice in his head. “Pardon?”
“What?”
