A slight ache spread up her back as she walked to the small room where she typically held council meetings, but she ignoredit. It was probably just one of the many daily reminders from the embers of their presence.
Despite telling Morgen not to worry, her pulse sped up, and cold fear washed over her when she entered the room to see Sol sitting at the table next to Bella and across from Janis. It was nearing eight years since the last time she had been this close to him, but Vulcan had recently informed her Sol had been pushing his luck when it came to his network of spies and personal guards. The last thing she needed was for him to feel like he could get away with any sort of insubordination. The council usually ran more like a democracy, but that courtesy did not extend to him after what he’d done.
“Hello, Nya,” he said in that same deep, smooth voice she remembered as soon as he saw her. “You’ve made quite the name for yourself, all while producing a whole brood of heirs, it seems.”
Bella slapped a hand over her face and muttered, “Great start, Sol.”
Nya merely smiled and replied coolly, “It’s amazing, isn’t it? Although, I must say, being a capable, level-headed ruler has been surprisingly easy for me. Perhaps it’s because I don’t have bull-headed gods like you breathing threats down my neck all the time, or maybe it’s even just my lack of a cock. Unfortunately, the world may never know.”
Thanatos grinned—a rather terrifying expression—and both Vulcan and Janis choked as they tried to suppress laughs. Nyx and Juno merely sat down, as if she had commented on the weather or the choice of wine at the table, and Bella still hadn’t removed her hands from her face.
Sol, on the other hand, looked furious. Nya ignored him, settling with minor difficulty at the head of the table.
“On that note, Sol, I called you here to remind you—” She cleared her throat but plowed on despite the sudden telltale startof labor pains. “To remind you staying in line is not optional. You still have a place on this council and your life, both of which I am sure Morgen and I would be happy to rescind if you cannot manage to keep from meddling and sending your spies here.”
Sol sneered at her. “And where is Morgen? Playing house, as usual, I imagine. Bella informed me he’s often absent from these meetings.”
“Some of us have a better head for diplomacy,” she said, subtly pressing a hand to her belly beneath the table. “But I would be happy to ask him here if you’d like, though I will warn you, he’s still quite angry about your prior actions, and I can’t guarantee he won’t harm you.”
“Are you insinuating he could not even keep himself from, say, ripping my heart out? And you all say he isn’t like Kronos.”
“Spine,” Vulcan supplied.
Sol balked. “What?”
Vulcan smirked. “I said, ‘spine’, which is probably more likely to be the body part you’d be missing if Morgen came down here and saw you insulting Nya.”
“Alright, enough,” Nya cut in. “Does anything have any pressing issues they would like to bring forward?”
Janis rested his chin on steepled fingers. “Don’t we usually end with that?”
“Yes,” Nya said, swallowing a groan. “But this meeting will be rather short, so I want to make sure no one has any immediate concerns.”
Bella scowled. “The last time we had a ‘short’ meeting, it was a complete waste of time. Could you perhaps just reschedule it next time if that’s going to be the case?”
“I was not planning on…” She gripped the edge of the table, hissing through her teeth. “Planning on cutting it—short.”
“Nya, are you alright?” Juno asked, her brow creased.
“Fine,” she bit out. “Any concerns?”
Thanatos raised a hand. “Just one question: shall I kick Sol out now, or would you prefer I wait?”
Sol gaped. “I haven’t even been here for five minutes!”
Morgen.
Less than ten seconds passed before he replied.What’s wrong?
I need you to come here right now, and I need you to stay calm.
“I demand an explanation!” Sol shouted, standing in his chair at the same moment Morgen materialized through a portal next to her.
She grabbed his arm and hissed, “Calm,” before he could move towards Sol.
He realized what was happening before she even needed to say it and barked, “The meeting is over, everyone out. Now!”
She was fairly certain most of the principals understood the reason for the sudden end to the meeting, but Sol, unsurprisingly, did not. Thankfully, before he could say or do anything else that might stoke Morgen’s temper, Bella said, “You really want to leave now, Sol, unless you’d like to learn what happens when you try to push Morgen’s buttons while his wife is in labor.”
