“Still you,” Horus drawled.
Ignoring his best friend, Pan pulled out his phone. “So, do we tell them everything or just the basics?”
“Tell them everything,” Odin said. “They have a right to know.”
Smirking, Trevor said, “Let's see if her god can save her from the fury of the entire God Realm.”
Chapter Twenty-Three
Several hours later, Azrael returned from making his announcement.
“How'd it go?” Trevor asked as Az walked into our suite.
We had put the kids to bed and were gathered around an issue of the Hermes Herald. Newspapers and god devices had spread the news about Agwusi. The paper even had a picture of her and Ty. I had no idea how Hermes had gotten the images. Which is what we'd been discussing when Az walked in.
Azrael sat down at the table, and Viper fetched him a beer. “Thanks.” He took a swig. “It's been a long day. I hope I did the right thing.”
Odin leaned forward, eyeing Az warily. “What did you say?”
Az looked around the table. “I decided to use it as an opportunity to strengthen my position.”
“You took responsibility for the weather,” I guessed.
Azrael nodded. “I needed to reel the humans back in. After that thing with Amisk, I've been trying to keep a tighter rein on things. But there's only so much the authorities can do. It makes me look weak, and that only leads to more crimes beingcommitted. I saw this as the perfect opportunity to remind the world of what I'm capable of.”
“So, you told them the weather was a warning?” Viper had remained standing, leaning against the kitchen counter near Az.
“I did.” Azrael lifted his chin. “I recorded a message as the Faerie God and had it distributed to every news station in the world.”
“What exactly did you say, Azrael?” Odin asked.
“I warned them that this was just the beginning. A shot fired over the prow. I said if they continued to break my laws, I would escalate the attacks until they stopped. If they failed to stop, I would reclaim the world.”
“Motherfucker,” Odin hissed.
We all went still. Beyond our whole creative swearing thing, Odin didn't curse often.
“It was my decision to make.” Azrael took another sip, acting as if it wasn't a big deal, but I could sense his worry.
“It was not your decision!” Odin slammed his fist on the table.
“Stop it!” I stood up and leaned on the table to glare at Odin. “You're not the one who has to deal with the world leaders. You don't know and can't possibly understand what he goes through. And I trust him, Odin. I thought you did too.”
Odin grimaced. “I do.” He looked at Azrael. “I do trust you. I'm just worried what will come of this.”
“I think he did the right thing.” I met Azrael's wide, pale blue gaze. “You did the right thing. Your control has beenslipping. Why not get some good from this? You can tell the world leaders that this was a power play to help them gain control as well.”
Azrael grinned. “What do you think took me so long? I had to call them all and explain things.”
Odin sighed. “All right. That makes it a little better.”
“Better?” I sat back down. “It's brilliant. With the world leaders backing you, you don't have to worry about retaliation. This could work.”
“There's just one problem,” Trevor said. “That machine. We don't know what it will do next. What if it's something really horrible? People might riot. They could storm the Golden Citadel.”
“The Citadel is under lockdown. I've shut down the gate and warded it. Our people are safe.” Azrael leaned back. “Things could go very wrong, but I took the risk, and it's I who will face the consequences.” He motioned at the paper. “Is that the Herald?”
“Yes.” I slid it over to him. “Hermes has gotten the word out. Now we wait.”
