"Tell me I'm not right," Adonis challenged.
His brother's lips formed a hard line, and he didn't respond.
"That's what I thought. I'm the easy outlet for your anger, and I deserve it, but stop acting like I was the only one who acted badly in the past." He started down a side street and into a parking garage, wanting this argument to be less public than it already was. People were starting to stare more than before, but here they had some privacy. The parking garage had been closed off for new entries even though the bottom of the lot was mostly empty aside from a group of vans in the middle. No attendants manned the payment booth.
"Adonis, what are you—"
"How many times do I need to apologize?" He whirled around to face him. "I can say I am sorry until I'm blue in the face, until you die an old mortal man who has lived out a fulfilling human life, and you still won't hear it." He combed his hands through his hair, tugging at the ends, and kicked at a pinecone on the sidewalk. "Enough is enough."
"You cannot possibly expect me to forgive you on the spot." He ran a hand through his hair then waved it about. "Just like that."
Adonis ground his teeth together. "No, I don't. I am asking you to consider it. Stop being an asshole because you feel justified." He waved his arms around at the open space of the garage. "Why are you even here, Ariston? Hmm? You wanted so badly to be human, but here you are in the middle of a Satyroi problem."
Ariston stepped forward and poked a finger at his chest. "I'm still one of you, even though my curse is gone."
"You're an idiot." Adonis would do anything to be rid of the lot of them. None of them gave a damn about him, so why should he care either way about them in return? "What happens if Theron kills you? You're mortal now."
Ariston sniffed indignantly. "I can take Theron."
He laughed. "I can't even take Theron, and I am still harder to kill."
"Gentlemen, you'll both have your chance."
He and Ariston turned as one toward the new arrival. Theron grinned at them as he stood with his arms crossed, leaning against the corner of the stairwell leading to the elevator. He must have been stalking them and followed them in. He was also glamoured, which meant he had Jacen's panpipes on him. If anything, Adonis wanted to wrest those away from him should they come to blows. He needed to keep him away from his brother at all costs. He wouldn't see his twin die because he was foolish enough to come looking for a fight with this sadist.
"For fuck's sake, Theron. Why are you lurking about, jumping Arcadians?" Adonis wasn't in the mood, but maybe a fight would help.
"What are you doing?" Ariston moved closer and whispered, "Don't egg him on." Now he was worried about starting a fight with the Boeotians? Unbelievable.
Theron pushed away from the wall, dressed in jeans and a red Henley. His brown hair was pulled back into a ponytail, and that crooked nose that had been broken too many times before his immortality begged for a new break. Adonis would be happy to oblige.
"I was looking for Calix. You see, without Dion around to keep him alive, I finally get my vengeance." He cracked his knuckles. "Jacen was supposed to draw him out of that little hole you lot like to hide in. Unfortunately, it doesn't seem like Calix has come running home yet, which means I can't be bothered with the likes of you."
"If that were true, you wouldn't still be in town bothering to taunt us."
"Adonis," Ariston snapped. "Enough."
"Yeah, Adonis," Theron mocked, crossing the street toward them. Adonis edged himself subtly between his brother and the other Boeotian. "Enough. By the way, I heard the Arcadians didn't bother to tell you they had found some miracle pill or even so much as give you a set of panpipes—though it seems you found some now. As I have. Good for you."
God, Theron was a dick. Always had been. "Why do you care?"
"You could join my group, and we'd have your back. The Arcadians don't want you around. We do."
Bullshit. Adonis wasn't stupid enough to fall for that lie. He glanced back at Ariston to see if his brother thought he would be tempted. Ariston looked pissed as hell, but it was hard to say what about, if not all of it.
"I'll pass," he said as he faced Theron once more. The smile faltered on his face as though he honestly didn't think Adonis would turn him down. "But you won't be leaving here with Jacen's panpipes."
"If you want them, try to take them."
"Fuck," Ariston muttered under his breath as Adonis charged at Theron.
Chrys followed the river as directed but started to question everything. What had she said—wait until he heard roars? What if he'd already gone too far? The only things he'd heard along the way were flowing water, bugs, and the occasional squawks of birds or some other small animal. The dense trees on either side of the river formed a veritable wall of green in any direction he turned.
He stopped, not for the first time since he had begun his trek toward the river, to contemplate if he was too eager for whatever altercation awaited with Destroyer or if he'd been too gullible too easily. Myrine could have told him what he wanted to hear, to get him far away from the fight without further complaint. Was she laughing at him, even now, as she faced off against the beast without his help?
"Get ahold of yourself," he mumbled under his breath and put his
