The male demon spat on the ground. "Death to the Sumerians and all their progeny."
Apollymi let out a deep breath before she released Kat's arms and walked her away from the Charontes. "The gallu were created by Enlil, the leader of the Sumerian gods, to fight and kill the Charonte demons back in the day when the Charontes roamed the earth freely." That explained the unexpected hostility. "Needless to say, the Charontes can't stand even the mention of those disgusting creatures. Now why do you ask of them?"
"Do you know what has become of them?"
Apollymi nodded. "After I destroyed Atlantis and the gallu no longer had the Charonte to fight, they turned on the humans and on their creators. Eventually, three of the Sumerian gods united and locked them away such as was done to me."
"And the Dimme? What are they?"
Apollymi gave her a suspicious frown. "Why do you ask of the Dimme?"
"I was told they're about to go free and destroy everything."
A peaceful, dreamy look appeared on Apollymi's face as if she was relishing the mere thought of the bloodbath to come. A slow smile curved her lips. "That would be a beautiful sight, truly."
"Grandma!"
"What?" she asked as if offended by Kat's tone. "I'm a goddess of destruction. Tell me honestly that you find nothing exciting about the idea of a billion people screaming out for mercy and help when there's no one left who cares what befalls them. Or the entire earth being rained on by all manner of demons bent on ultimate torture and sacrifice. Them ripping and shredding human flesh as they claw in a drunken frenzy fueled by their hatred of everything. Drinking blood in an orgy of terror... ahhh, the beauty of annihilation. There's nothing like it."
Kat would have been appalled had it not been a very typical thought for her grandmother. "And I'm, well, not technically a goddess since I don't belong to a single pantheon, but I follow after my father, who likes to protect mankind, and I really don't want to see a bunch of demons eating people. Call me sentimental."
Apollymi made a noise of extreme dissatisfaction. "That's the only thing I detest about your father. You two are, what is that human word you use... wimps."
"Hardly. Dad and I can more than hold our own."
Apollymi gave an uncharacteristic snort that Kat decided to ignore.
"And you still haven't answered my question," Kat pressed on in spite of her grandmother's ill mood. "What are the Dimme?"
Now the goddess was irritated, which was manifested in her grabbing one of the sweet black pears that grew on black-barked trees of her garden. She crushed it in her hand. "They're Anu and Enlil's final revenge on us all. While the gallu may be seen as the atom bomb that negated my Charontes, Anu created the Dimme as a nuclear holocaust."
Kat wasn't sure what she meant. "How so?"
"The Dimme are seven demons unlike anything you can imagine. They are uncontrollable, even for the gods. They're so dangerous that the Sumerians never even dared release them. From the moment they were created, they were put in a cell that has a time release. Every few millennia, whatever is holding them weakens. If the Sumerian gods are still alive, they reseal the seven demon sisters and life goes on as normal. But should something happen to the pantheon and there be no more Sumerian gods to reseal their tomb, the Dimme are unleashed on the world to destroy it and whatever pantheon is in charge. It's Anu's last laugh against whoever killed him and his children." So Sin hadn't been lying... It made Kat's stomach ache to think of what the seven demons could be capable of. She already knew what the typical monsters could do. And the Charonte. There was no telling what the Dimme would be like. "Don't you think that harsh?"
Apollymi gave her an arch look. "I only wish I'd thought of it myself."
Kat shook her head. She didn't know why Apollymi hated her mother so much, since the two of them were pretty darn close in personality-and thought similarly on most topics.
Apollymi licked the sweet juice from her fingertips. "But that doesn't explain why you're asking me all this, child. What about the Sumerians has you so curious when you've never asked about I them before?"
"Well, right now, I have their last survivor locked in my house."
Apollymi went rigid. "You what?"
"Sin's in my house, down the street."
Apollymi's swirling eyes began to glow-something they only did when she was highly agitated. "Have you lost your mind?"
Before Kat could defend her decision, Apollymi vanished.
Kat cursed. There was no doubt in her mind where her grandmother had gone. Aggravated, too, Kat flashed herself back to her house.
Sure enough, Apollymi was there and Sin was pinned to the wall.
"Grandma."
"Back off," Apollymi snarled.