Chapter 2

The disrespect boggled the mind.Here was a woman who'd been gifted part of his magic, who bore his mark—making her his to order around—and yet she ignored him. She sauntered off, her heart-shaped buttocks swinging, with that ridiculous poof ball she called a dog.

Walked away from a god.

He scowled before taking long strides to catch up. "Where do you think you're going?"

"To the park. Jinx needs her walk, don't you, baby?" She offered a sweet smile to the hairy rat on a leash.

"We were in the midst of a conversation."

"Which I ended because it bored me. Now run along."

She should count herself lucky he lacked his powers or, in that moment, he would have smote her. "We are not done. Far from it. You will assist me in dealing with Ariadne."

"I already did. Ariadne is gone from this world. Yay. And you're welcome."

"She took my power with her," he reminded her.

"Which I already said is a you problem," she countered.

"She will return which is why it's imperative we find and stop her."

That made the witch pause, and she cast him a sidelong glance. "Will she come back? I mean, she fled because my sisters and I were about to whoop her ass."

"Ariadne will want revenge."

"Ooh, sounds exciting."

He stared at her wondering about her sanity, liking her attitude while hating it at the same time.

She smiled. "What? I'm bored. Who knew fighting an evil twat would be so energizing? I kind of hope she comes back so I can really fuck her up."

"You might have taken Ariadne off guard, but she won't be so easy to defeat the next time," he warned.

"Again, assuming she returns. Could be the place she fled to is nice."

"Doubtful. The pleasant worlds would never allow someone like her to stay."

"But you have no way of knowing for sure. Could be she's stuck like you were."

A reminder that he'd been imprisoned in a barren dimension, a victim of betrayal, until recently.

"I highly doubt she went somewhere she can't escape."

"Says the guy who was stuck for… how long?"

"Only because she cursed the only exit." He felt a need to defend himself.

"Whatever. I don't know why you'd assume she went somewhere shitty."

"Because there are few dimensions closely aligned to ours that are easy to slip in out and out of."

"How many is a few?" she asked.

"Maybe five or six. But most of them she'd have ignored. Like Tartarus—"

"The prison for gods," she interrupted.

"Actually, it is the home of the titans, who happen to be the only ones who are any good at keeping gods incarcerated. I can't see her going there. Nor would she have gone to Elfenland."

"Never heard of it."

"It used to be the home of the fae."

"Why used to be?"

"The fae played with things best left alone, leading to their near extinction. The only ones that remain alive were those who fled."

"Okay, so she didn't go to Elfenland. You said there were a few. Surely not all of them are shit?"

"I doubt she went to Hades."

"Wait, there's an actual Hell?"

He snorted. "Yes, but it's not a place where souls go when they die but rather a hot cesspool for demons."

"Does this mean there's a Heaven too?"

"Heaven is a place of endless skies and clouds, with the only solid place being the Garden of Eden, a dangerous locale where even the most beautiful flower is deadly. Not a place Ariadne would go, just like Nullarcana, a dimension that hates magic and hunts those who have it. They're the ones who created this collar." He tapped it.

"Doesn't sound like she'd be staying in any of those places. But from the sounds of it, there are more."

"There are two planes similar to Earth, but they are very proactive about preventing intruders, so she'd have avoided those."

"Assuming she knew where she went."

"Oh, she knew," was his dark response. "She most likely planned her escape well in advance."

"I wonder if she knows what world she dumped my mom in."

"Most likely yes, since she can't just open a portal to nowhere," he remarked. He'd been there when Ariadne tried to thin those fighting against her by opening a doorway and shoving the triplets' mother through.

"What are the chances she sent my mom somewhere nice?"

"Doubtful, but I wouldn't worry about Apate," he murmured. Apate, the triplets' mother, being the goddess of deceit and powerful in her own right.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Just that your mother is very resourceful."

"You speak as if you know her."

"Before my incarceration, we were acquainted."

Deino's lip curled. "Oh gross, you slept together."

He couldn't help but laugh. "No. We are friends, nothing more."

"Seems like more than friends. After all, she had triplets for you and even had the balls to steal some of your magic from Ariadne to give to us."

"This is more a case of like sticking together. We are both gods. Ariadne is not. She is a thief. A pretender. She can't be allowed to succeed."

"I hate to break it to you, but hasn't she already? I mean you were imprisoned how long?"

His lips pressed flat. "I am aware of the shame. My weakness is no excuse."

"How much of your power does Ariadne have?"

"A good portion of it. But not all. I still have dribbles. You and your sisters have some too."

She eyed him before saying, "If we're carrying your magic, why haven't you taken it back to strengthen yourself?"

He put a hand to the collar at his throat. "So long as I wear this, Ariadne will just take anything you give me."

"Are you sure you don't want Frieda to try and remove it? Heck, I'll give it a shot if you want."

He gave a violent shake of his head. "No. Given Ariadne is no longer on this world, I don't know what will happen. Could be it severs my power permanently, kills me, or the snap of it could cause an explosion."

"Or is that what she wants you to think so you don't try to remove it?" she countered.

"This parasite metal isn't from this world. I don't know how it will react and, as such, would prefer to not take a chance. I didn't survive my incarceration to die from being rash." He noticed during their conversation and stroll they'd reached a park. The dog didn't seem impressed by the other canines or the grass.

"So you want to find Ariadne to sever the contact between you hopefully without rebound."

He inclined his head. "When your sister released Bacchus from his collar, he didn't seem to suffer ill effect, so I am hopeful." Bacchus being Ariadne's husband, a god who'd also had his power stolen.

"I still can't believe he jumped into that portal after my mom." Her nose wrinkled.

"They were lovers before he met Ariadne."

"Frieda says you banged Ariadne too." Deino glanced at him from under lashes.

He winced. "Not one of my finer moments. Blame a weakness of the flesh."

"Fair enough. I get it." She crouched to talk with her dog in the stupidest voice. "Okay, little sweet baby, you go do a tinkle, and if you do a number two, I've got a treat for you."

"What are you doing?" he asked with a hint of incredulity.

"Cheering on my favorite girl so she'll do her business outside instead of on my shag." She continued singing in that strange, high-pitched voice.

"You let your dog rule you." His mouth rounded. "A thing not even the size of your head."

"Excuse me? My head is not that big."

He glared at the dog. "You." He pointed. "Defecate."

The fluffy creature stared at him.

He stared back.

This was embarrassing. The god of monsters shouldn't be losing a battle of wills with a dog.

"We are wasting time. We need to find Ariadne," he growled.

"What's with this ‘we' shit?" she grumbled.

"You're going to help."

"Pretty sure I'm not."

"Your mother owes me."

"And? That's her. Not me, or my sisters."

"She had you for that express purpose."

Her expression tightened, and a hard glint entered her gaze. "I am aware Mother didn't have us out of some maternal instinct. I don't need you shoving it in my face. And it also changes nothing. I don't owe you shit."

Frustration built inside him. There was a time when no one dared speak to him so disrespectfully. The witch saw him as weak. Less than a man. She wouldn't help without the right motivation.

He couldn't think of many things that would get her to change her mind. Threatening her sisters would be the quickest but could also backfire, as she was the type to plot vengeance. So what else might sway her?

"Help me and I will give you even more power."

She eyed him. "I already have quite a bit."

"But not enough to be immortal."

He knew he'd surprised her by the slight stiffening of her body. She was careful not to show too much interest. "Immortality won't help if I'm dead before I get it."

"But if you succeed…" he teased.

"What are the odds of that?"

"I don't know. However, the fact Ariadne fled rather than fought indicates she's fearful we'll manage to defeat her."

"Or she's gone somewhere she can shore up her defense and pick us off if we come for her."

"The quest will be dangerous." He wouldn't lie about that.

"Not exactly a selling point."

"If Ariadne returns before we find her, she will want vengeance on those who thwarted her," he warned.

"Meaning me and my sisters." She looked away before asking, "How are we supposed to handle her if you don't know where she went?"

"There are ways of finding out."

"Let's say we do find her. She still has your magic, and while she might not be able to blast you to kingdom come, she won't have a problem eradicating me."

"If we can separate her from the armband that is linked to my collar—"

"Oh, just that?" she sarcastically retorted. "Easy peasy. Let me get right on that."

"It won't be simple, but your sister achieved it with ease for Bacchus."

"Then why aren't you asking her for help?"

"Alas, the journey we must embark upon is better suited for someone of your skills."

Her gaze narrowed. "Who says I want to travel? Not to mention, you're assuming I can replicate what Frieda did. Need I remind you that my sister acted in a moment of panic with no clue what she was doing?"

"A good thing you are the levelheaded sister who will practice ahead of time."

She stared at him. "Practice how? You told me I couldn't take off your collar."

"There are other objects of magic you can attempt to drain." The armband his collar controlled could only be removed by siphoning the magic holding it in place.

"You've got an answer for everything."

"Of course, I do. I am a god after all."

Her laughter rang out bright and cheerful and oddly pleasant despite the situation.

She shook her head. "You are something, Typhon. Let's say I agree, how do I know you won't go back on your word once you're the monster god again? Who's to stop you from killing me instead of paying up?"

At times he wished he had that kind of dishonor. "I can only give my word."

"Trust isn't something I give to just anyone."

"Understandable, but I will mention, as someone who was betrayed, I would not ever do the same. If I want you dead, I will tell you so."

"Gonna warn me before the smiting?"

His lips twitched. Surely, he wasn't amused by this witch. "I always warn because the chase is part of the fun."

Once more her laughter rang out. "Better be careful, or I might start liking you."

"Does this mean you'll help?"

Deino crouched to grab her dog and tuck it under her arm. "I'll get back to you about it. I want to talk to Frieda about my future first."

"She might not be able to see it if it requires you to travel to another dimension."

"Perhaps not, but she can tell if I'll come back."

"When will you have an answer?" he asked as she once more dared to walk away.

She cast him a coy glance over her shoulder. "I'll call you."

Should he point out he didn't have a phone? In his day, prayer was enough to get his attention. In his day, she would have never refused.

And even more disrespectfully, she made him wait.