and break my neck. He didn’t let go until he felt Cerberus’s teeth snapping at it.
That wasn’t all. Pavlina locked me in my room. Well, she had created a massive web on my door around Tryphon’s invading tentacle. I touched the web to try to pull it down, and her web was sharp. I cut my finger and yanked it away pretty quickly. Now what?
I went to the kitchen and tried to find a pair of scissors. The most I could find was a huge butcher knife. I was sure it was much duller after I hacked my way through that thick web.
I set the knife on the end table and tried to exit my bedroom. I tripped over Kimon, who was sleeping up against the wall with his two swords.
“Baby bird, did you sleep well?”
“Why was there a web on my door, and why are you sleeping out here?”
“Because you didn’t want to snuggle, and we were trying to put barriers in the way if Demeter made a surprise visit.”
“Yes, well, Pavlina’s web is a little sharp.”
“Why did you touch it? I could have cut it down?”
“Well, none of you warned me you would do this. I didn’t know you were sleeping out here.”
Kimon jumped to his feet and pulled me into a giant monster hug.
“It’s our job to protect you, baby bird. We haven’t figured out how to save Persephone from her mother, but she’s not taking you too.”
Okay, it was now official. Minotaurs gave the best hugs. He was so snuggly for a monster. Maybe if I got to know him better and could convince Cerberus not to bite his dick off, I’d take him up on his cuddle offer.
Tryphon apparently wasn’t one to be left out. I felt his tentacle creeping up my ankle.
“You’re hugging my pet a little longer than I would like, Kimon.”
“Knock it off, you two. I need to send for breakfast. You aren’t skipping meals to be dicks to each other over me.”
“I’m fully satisfied with the man I ate last night. Pavlina has a wicked man burrito in her cell to snack on.”
“Yes, but I’m hungry, and Kimon and Demos need to eat.”
“I suppose the bull and the bird do need sustenance.”
I needed to get Cerberus food too, but that was also being prepared by the kitchens now that Hades actually Googled how to feed his dog a raw diet. Was Google a thing in the Underworld, or did they have their own search engine?
I walked back into the jail, and sure enough, Pavlina had a man burrito wrapped up in her web and blood all over the place. She looked quite pleased with herself, too, if a giant spider could look smug.
“Breakfast call. What does everyone want?”
“I still have leftovers,” Pavlina purred.
“I want seven oatcakes and a leg of venison,” Kimon said.
“What about you, Demos?”
“I want a Croque monsieur and a cappuccino if you’re taking orders.”
“How are you going to eat a sandwich with no hands, you silly pigeon?” Pavlina said.
“Stop it, Pavlina. That’s what I’m here for. I’ll cut it up if I need to.”
“You aren’t touching my food until we find out what you are,” Demos growled.
Did I seriously threaten Demos because he couldn’t burn me? It wasn’t like it was something I was actively trying to do all the time. It just always happened around fire and keeping it a secret had been this tremendous burden.
“Stop being an asshole, Demos. She got you that gigantic bed of sunlight, and she’s getting your favorite breakfast,” Kimon said.
“I still think she’s dangerous. I’ve got my eye on you, River.”
Clearly, food and trying to make his rebirth less painful would not win this phoenix over. I didn’t know what else to try. I had a feeling this would keep going on until I found out what I was. He could probably help me.
“Actually, Demos, you could help me. Apparently, I’m not just immune to fire. I’m supposed to be able to call it too, but I don’t know how. My father is trying to get permission to come here and tell me exactly what I am, but you could be my fire tutor.”
“Oh, great. It makes fire too. I’m not teaching you how to kill us, River.”
“She will not kill us, Demos. Wouldn’t you rather teach her to do it safely instead of leaving her to figure it out on her own and accidentally set something on fire and killing us all?” Kimon said.
“You know she will try, pigeon. She’s