"Like hell!" Talon roared.
"Trust me, Talon. I believe in Zarek to do the right thing.
"
Talon's response was emphatic. "I don't trust him. At all. And after this, I'm not sure if I trust you.
"
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"Enough of the bickering," Ash said. "Just do as I told you and everything should work out.
"
"Should?" Talon asked.
When Ash spoke, there was an odd note in his voice that made Talon wonder how much more Ash knew than he was telling them. "We have predestinies, Talon, but human will can circumvent them. If everyone does as I've instructed, then things should work out the way they're meant to."
Talon clenched his teeth. "And if we don't?"
"We're all screwed."
"Gee, Ash," Nick said sarcastically, "you're just so damn comforting."
Ash gave him a wry look. "I try to be anyway."
Nick's answer was flat. "You fail admirably."
Talon was still stewing.
Ash spoke to all of them. "What I need everyone to know is that we have a truly sinister night ahead of us. It seems Dionysus and Camulus have combined their forces to try and get themselves reinstated to their full godhoods.
"
"How are they planning on doing that?" Valerius asked.
"The two of them aren't strong enough to do it on their own. They need the power of a third god to aid them.
"
"What god?" they all asked simultaneously.
"Apollymi.
"
"Who the hell is Apollymi?" Talon asked. "I've never even heard of her.
"
One corner of Ash's mouth turned up wryly. "She's an old god who dates back to my time. One who has powers over life, vengeance, and death. The Atlanteans affectionately referred to her as the Destroyer."
"Is she like Hades?" Valerius asked.
"Oh no," Ash said ominously, "this god makes Hades look like a Boy Scout. Apollymi finishes off her victims with an iron hammer and commands an army of malformed demons.
"The last time someone freed her, plagues and suffering permeated the world and she sent Atlantis straight to the bottom of the sea. She headed across Greece, laying waste to the entire country, and setting them back culturally thousands of years before she was finally returned to her holding cell. The Destroyer will unleash holy hell on this earth. Starting with New Orleans."
"Oh goodie," Nick said sarcastically. "I just love knowing about these things.
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"
Ash ignored him.
"So how do they intend to free the Destroyer?" Talon asked.
Ash took a deep breath. "The only way to do that is with the blood of an Atlantean.
"
"Your blood," Talon said. It was a given, since Ash was the only Atlantean left alive.
Ash nodded. "At midnight, the threshold between this plane and the one where she lives will be thin enough to breach. If they unleash her…
"
"Anyone else have an ulcer?" Nick asked.
Talon ignored his question. "How do we stop them?
"
"With a lot of faith and by doing exactly what I tell you to do.
"
Nick snorted at that. "Does anyone other than me think that Ash is being just a little too vague about all this?
"
Everyone except Ash raised their hands.
"You're not funny," Ash said to them.
Ash looked to Valerius. "I need you on the streets with the Peltiers. At eleven-thirty, Dionysus is planning to unleash his Daimons on the population in order to distract us. Slay any of them you find.
"Nick," Ash said, "I want you and Eric ready to mobilize if you're needed.
"
The Squires nodded.
Ash put his sunglasses on. "Talon, you stay with me. You and I are going after Dionysus and his crew.
"
"Just out of curiosity," Talon said, "how do you know all this?
"
Ash ignored him.
"All right, children," Ash said, "head out and guard the streets.
"
"Just one question?" Eric asked him.
"Sure.
"
"Maybe I'm being dense but why are these guys after power now? Why didn't they do this last year or at some other time? Why wait?
"
Ash's answer wasn't comforting in the least. "This isn't the first time they've tried to take their powers back. This is just the best shot they've had at succeeding.
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"
"Okay," Eric said slowly. "So what happened to their powers to begin with?
"
Talon answered for Ash. "When a god ceases to be worshiped, their powers diminish. If a god is defeated by another god, then a chunk of his powers is absorbed by the victor and he loses his ability to regain his former position.
"
Eric nodded. "Okay, one last thing. What happens if they do regain their powers?
"
Ash looked away. "Let us hope we don't find out.
"