Melancton slid daggers into the side of both of his boots and hid another in his inner jacket pocket. Both he and Pan were dressed in all black. Adonis looked down. He was wearing a Nirvana shirt and ripped blue jeans. The sneakers he'd brought along with him for when he could use glamor again had seen some better days as well. Ugh. He had nowhere to stash any weapons that weren't pocketknives or a gun. Immortals generally avoided firearms though, as they seemed too easy after training so long and hard in ancient times with blades, bows and other shorter-range weaponry. He wasn't asking to borrow a jacket.
Pan sighed, as though reading Adonis' thoughts from his expression. He disappeared, then flashed back in a few minutes later holding a leather jacket. "Don't be so stubborn. If you need something, ask. I know I can be a dick, but this is bigger than personal grievances and anything that occurred between you and my friend."
Adonis didn't know what to say about that. He'd spent so long feeling like the thorn in everyone's side that asking still seemed like they'd be angry he'd had the audacity to do so. On the other hand, he was now woefully ignorant of any new developments. Like, he hadn't realized Pan had managed to regain the ability to flash from place to place. Gods, it was like he'd been away from other satyrs for years rather than months.
He accepted the jacket and slid it on, finding two deep pockets in the inner linings. Then he slipped the panpipes into one and walked over to the weapons. "How is my brother, by the way?" Adonis didn't look up when he asked. The enormity of what he'd done to Ariston and Lily, almost done, made it feel as though he had no right to ask.
"Ask him yourself," Pan said, but his tone wasn't harsh. When Adonis glanced up, Pan nodded his head toward the door where Daphne was ushering in Zale and Ariston. His twin stopped dead in his tracks, eyes locked on him, jaw tightening.
"Hey," Adonis said stupidly. He hadn't seen or spoken to his brother since that night. Part of him wanted to run from the room while the other wanted to beg forgiveness. Instead, he stood there looking like a dumbass and sounding like one too.
Ariston turned his scowl onto Pan and then Melancton. Daphne clutched the door frame, almost like she debated interfering or staying silent by the way she worried her bottom lip. "What. The. Fuck?" was all Ariston said once he finally found his voice.
"We need all available hands right now," Pan bit out. To Adonis, he said, "I left him with Zale for as long as I was able." To Ariston, "He came to help find Jacen. He wants to make amends."
Ariston shook his head, eyes narrowed. "He's lost my trust. How do we know he's not helping Theron by infiltrating us?"
Beneath the surface, Adonis's temper began to boil. More was at stake here than their feelings. "First of all, I hate Theron, so I would rather eat nails. Second, I didn't bother any of the Arcadians until Hermes stopped answering his phone." He turned to Pan. "Any idea why? And don't give me some bullshit about an errand for Olympus. Is he in Tartarus?"
Pan plucked at a loose thread on his jacket sleeve. "Not Tartarus…exactly. I'm sure he'll be back soon, driving us all crazy." His tone tried to remain aloof, but there was a strain around his mouth that said otherwise. Something was going on with Hermes, something that kept him from so much as answering a simple text. He couldn't be dead, because why would Pan hide it? Adonis wasn't sure if he should be concerned or not. Hermes was the only one who stood by him in the aftermath of his disgrace…until Sage.
He wasn't given the opportunity to linger much longer before Pan cleared his throat. "Okay, we have time to catch up and bicker later. Right now, we must deal with the situation. Theron, Maron, and Elek are in Savannah, probably still here in the downtown historical district because they know we're here, and this is where Calix has been living until recently. They may not have come to the conclusion that Calix isn't here, but they will soon when he doesn't go storming out looking for Theron. Which means they'll probably leave town and disappear to who knows where."
Ariston crossed his arms. "You said he poisoned humans?"
Pan nodded. "Could be coincidence, but how many people die hours after being at the bar? I am convinced it's connected. And they took Jacen's panpipes, so at least one of them may be in human glamour."
"And gods know what else they do with them," Zale said as he palmed the large hunting knife strapped to his belt. The Arcadian had been growing his dark hair back out after having shaved it off. It was in some weird stage of growth that was neither closely cut or long. "What do we do when we find them?"
"What you must. Subdue them if possible. If it comes down to your life or theirs, do what has to be done." Pan leaned against the wall. "Oh, and Theron has the axe, though I doubt he'll bring that out until he finds Calix. So keep your eyes open and don't—" He looked at Ariston and then Adonis. "—get distracted."
Ariston made a rude noise, and Adonis chose to ignore the comment. He needed to go get his shoes and one of those pills since it was too dangerous to take Sage with him. He hated leaving her behind, but she should be safe
