Until she saw it.
Then she was even more befuddled by a sight that made no sense whatsoever. Before them stood a man almost seven feet in height. With blond curls and a face that had been carved to perfection, he wore the ancient battle armor of a Greek god and was covered in …
Baby vomit.
And children. A lot of children, who clung to him and climbed on him and did everything they could to get his attention.
Well, on second thought, she could see where that might be rather horrifying, after all. Come to think of it, she’d probably start screaming too.
There were a lot of cloying children. And they weren’t exactly in a pristine, unleaking condition. Indeed, they seemed to be having an excess of mucus. Even for small children.
“Sing to me!”
“I need food!”
“Help! Help! I needs go potty!”
There were dozens of children around him, all vying for his attention as they tugged on him. Several pummeled him with their small fists and one …
One bit his shin.
“Damn you! Get off me!” He tried to escape them, but they were after him with a tenacity that was as impressive as it was terrifying.
A little angelic girl tripped him, and the moment he was on the ground, the children swarmed him like ants running over a sweetmeat.
“Give me a story! Give me! Give me!”
Another began bouncing on his belly and clapping her hands. “More bounce! More bounce!”
“By Hera’s hairy armpits, get off me, you little demonspawn brats!” He screamed even louder as a boy bit his thigh and a girl clamped down on his wrist.
“Oh,” Valynda said slowly. “I see.”
Nibo chuckled. “Now you know why I’m so glad we don’t have a hell in Vilokan.” A shadow passed over his face. “Then again, living a mortal life is its own form of torture. Reincarnation back into mortality is as bad a punishment as any hell ever conceived by any god.”
He had a point there. One she didn’t want to think about.
Cupping his hand around his mouth, Nibo gave a shout. “Agrios!”
He froze, then turned toward them. “Help! For the love of Zeus, help me!”
“Not for the love of Zeus, but …” Xuri pulled out his crook and enlarged it. “Demons, demons all around. Careful whose joy you come to drown. Day in and day without, you will learn not to strike out.” And with that, he struck the ground.
A shock wave ran over them and sent the “children” flying in all directions. They spun and hissed like a glaring of wild cats. Some even arched their backs.
“Nibo!” One of the larger children bared a mouth full of razor-sharp, serrated teeth.
“You don’t belong!”
“What are you doing here?”
“Well, it wasn’t for the company, that’s for sure.” He held the end of his crook out toward Agrios, who gratefully seized it and allowed Nibo to help him to his feet.
“I’m hoping you’re more friend than foe.”
“To you. For the moment.” Nibo cast his gaze around at the others as they nipped and clawed at Agrios, who kicked them back. “Really? Your personal hell is children? Out of all the things you could have picked in the world that are terrifying, you fear small children?”
Agrios passed him a stare that not only questioned his parentage, but also his sanity. “You ever been around any? Not only do they smell, they drool. Some part of them is forever leaking some kind of disgusting gelatinous goo. They ask too many questions that are none of their business. Have no tact. Eat things that make you shudder. Have no sense of boundaries. And the selfish little bastards take you for granted and stab you in the heart when you least expect it.”
