Zephyra laughed sarcastically. "The man's name is War. Did that not clue you in about his personality? This would be tantamount to meeting Peone and expecting the goddess of retaliation to forgive you and blithely walk away to let you live a happy life."
Medea frowned. "I thought that was Nemesis."
Zephyra gave her a droll stare. "Keep to your Atlantean gods, sweetie. Peone is retribution for murder. Nemesis is a goddess of balance. She punishes those who have too much happiness or who get away with screwing people over. Big difference between the two."
"Oh. Never mind." Medea stepped back.
Stryker inclined his head to Zephyra. "I'm impressed you still remember the old gods. But it doesn't change the fact that I need to get back to Kalosis and kick those assholes out."
"Why are you so suicidal?"
"I'm not suicidal. Those are my people down there and I'm not going to leave them to die without my leadership." He vanished.
Zephyra stiffened at his abrupt departure. "Did he just go back?" she asked Davyn.
He nodded. "My lord plays games, but not when it comes to invaders. He brought the demons in and no doubt feels responsible."
She tried to flash herself to Kalosis, but since she didn't have a standing invitation, she couldn't. "Davyn, can you open a bolt hole?"
He closed his eyes, then shook his head. "Stryker must have locked me out."
"Damn him. Jared!" she shouted, calling him back from his quest to find and kill Nick.
He appeared before her instantly. "Akra?" he asked, using the Atlantean word for own er and mistress.
"I need you to go to Kalosis and keep Stryker from dying. Help him drive the demons out."
"Your will is mine," he said in the most sarcastic of tones. She was actually amazed he was willing to obey without argument. But an instant later, he was gone.
Medea scowled in confusion. "I thought your intent was to kill Stryker?"
"Oh, honey, after all that man has put me through, I alone deserve the honor. Be damned if some demon by-blow is going to rob me of that plea sure."
STRYKER USED A FIRE BLAST TO SEAR THE demons closest to him as he joined his men and women who were holding them off. "Where's Apollymi?"
"Behind you."
He turned to see her there with her eyes blazing red. "We need to get you to safety," he told her, not wanting either of them to die until he took care of this.
She arched a brow at that. "Since when does my safety concern you? I thought you wanted me dead."
It was true, he had. But not right now. "I want to renew my lease on life. At least for two more weeks."
"In that case . . ." She slung her arms out and formed a whirlwind around the demons. They shrieked and screamed as it enveloped them and lifted them from the ground.
A hole appeared in the room, sucking them into the center of it. An instant later, they were all gone.
Now that was one seriously handy skill. "And that, my friends, is the difference between a full-fledged goddess and a demigod," he said under his breath.
Her expression unamused, she turned to Stryker. "And that, unfortunately, won't last because someone"-she pinned him with an angry glare-"gave them access to my realm. Perhaps I should feed you to them after all."
"Give me a couple of hours before you do. Right now, I need to take inventory of the damage done to my men."
"Since when do you care what happens to them?"
He didn't answer. It was true he liked to pretend he had no feelings whatsoever. That he was above anything as petty as emotions. But he knew the truth.
He ached and he cared even when he didn't want to. No matter how hard he tried, he was still a man.