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“It’s sculpted like a man’s muscular chest. It felt like metal when I hit it, but it looks more like leather,” I told her, “with clasps over the shoulders.”

He swung again and this time I jumped over the blade, swinging for his neck. He dropped low and I missed.

“Any symbol on it?” she asked.

“Uh, give me a minute.” I was up and circling again. “There’s a lightning bolt in the middle.”

Stheno made a sound of annoyance. “I bet it’s that little shit Perseus.”

That did it. His head swung to the side, glaring at Stheno. Apparently, he’d recognized his name. His sword arced through the air toward her and my stomach lodged into my throat. The ghost sword slid right through her torso, leaving her none the wiser to the attack.

Damn, that was one fear off my list.

“Given his reaction, I’d say that’s a big yes.” I moved to the side. “Everybody else, close your eyes. Stheno, flip up your patch and shit talk him in Ancient Greek. I need a minute to overpower him.”

Stheno didn’t need to be asked twice. Her eye patch went up and she high beamed him. “Who is this little girl wearing a man’s armor? His cock is so small, he has to be a little girl. Poor little warrior pissed himself and ran from my sister. Did you go crying to Daddy about the big, mean gorgon who scared you?” She shook her head in disgust as he hacked his sword through her body, over and over again. He was in a frenzy.

“It’s working,” I told her, closing my eyes and finding his ghostly form in my head.

“You can’t make up for being a pansy-ass loser by attacking me now. The world, and Daddy, all know you’re a coward…”

While she continued, I dug my necromantic claws into him and began to pull. In my mind, I saw him turn from Stheno and raise his sword at me. Fuuuuuuuck. I shoved my magic into my claws and ripped.

I ducked out of the path of the sword as I felt him pop out of existence. When I hit the ground, I almost opened my eyes. Thankfully, a flash of Clive in my mind, holding up a hand, stopped me. Right. “Stheno, cover your eye, please. He’s gone.”

“All clear,” she said.

“English,” Coco reminded us.

I sheathed my axe and then leaned back against the wall of the tunnel. “Damn. I hope we don’t have more of those guys gunning for us.”

Stheno waved a hand. “He’s just pissed off that he couldn’t best Medusa and looked bad in front of Daddy.”

“I didn’t catch all of it,” Bracken said, “but is that why your taunts seemed to be focused on his penis?”

Chuckling, she nodded. “Yeah. The fastest way to get under an ancient’s skin is to call him a coward or say he’s a tiny-dicked catcher, rather than a pitcher. They’re simple creatures.”

Bracken looked confused for a moment and then nodded, his lips curling up.

“Given the lightning bolt,” I began, “do I need to worry about his dad?” I did not need Zeus as an enemy. This journey was already taking forever.

“You never know what will set any of them off,” she said. “Given how many children he has, though, and that this one was already dead, I’d assume not.”

When dealing with gods and goddesses, it was best not to use names. We didn’t want to draw their attention if we could avoid it.

“Shall we continue?” Bracken sent his lights down the tunnel. “Anything we need to brace for?”

When nothing jumped out, I shook my head.

Coco nudged me and we began walking together. “Watching half a fight was strange, but you were wicked fast. And that flip you did?” She shook her head. “Very nice.”

Grinning, I pulled my canteen out of my pack. “Thanks.” After drinking it all down, I replaced it and shouldered my pack again. “Clive has spent a lot of time training me. It’s the only way I’m able to stand by his side in a fight instead of being left at home.”

She chuffed a laugh devoid of humor. “Trust me; I know all about being left at home.”

I glanced over as we kept walking. “I imagine your grandmother was probably pretty protective of you and George growing up.”

“You have no idea,” she muttered. “George, at least, got to go away to school, Stanford for his undergrad and UC Davis for his Doctor of Veterinary Medicine. He stayed in state, but he was on his own, out from under Gran’s watchful eye.”