Tory gave them a sullen look. "My money's on Artemis."
Savitar made a buzzer sound. "I'll take that bet, because you lose. Word from Artipou herself. She didn't do this, which is more good news for you two since it seems she's acclimating to the idea of not being Ash's girl anymore. Not happy about it, but she's not issuing death warrants on you two, either. Small victory, true. But better than none at all."
Tory frowned. "Then who—"
"Our boy Stryker unleashed him."
Ash cursed. "Figures. Where is War now?"
"Off the grid, which means he's probably back in Kalosis to report his spectacular failure to Stryker." Ash's eyes narrowed with concern. "Is my mother safe?"
"Judging by the noise in my head over you, that's a definite affirmative. But don't worry. I had the Charonte rally around her. She's not happy about it, but for once she's being reasonable. Her main concern is your safety. And she said for you to do what you have to do keep yourself healthy. Her life be damned."
Ash snorted. "I'm not going to kill Stryker and then bury my mother. Why the hell did she tie their life forces together?"
Savitar shrugged. "She lacks our ability to see the future. Her powers are destruction, not prophecy. I'm sure had she known he would one day threaten you, she'd have killed him herself. And now you know why I take pity on no one. All compassion does is come back and bite the fat of your arse."
Ash pulled the covers back from the bed and started to rise. Tory caught him and pushed him back toward the pillows. "You should rest."
He kissed her hand. "I can't. There's a lunatic on the loose and probably hiding in my mother's home." Closing his eyes, he manifested clothes on his body. "We have to prepare. Find a place where we can face War without a high bystander body count."
Savitar rolled his eyes. "Little brother, I don't mean to be a downer, but we're talking about War here. There's no way to mitigate damages. He won't let us. I was there with twenty-five Chthonians to fight him and he spanked our hides like we were Lemurian slave women. Two of us had our hearts ripped out and shoved down our throats while he laughed, then he licked the blood clean from his fingers and came at the rest of us. I barely survived and it took me two decades of human time to recuperate from those wounds. Don't think I fear the bastard, I don't. I just want you to fully understand what it is we're dealing with."
Ash frowned at his words, but his resolve was set. They had to defeat War one way or another. "How did you trap him last time?"
"Ishtar, Eirene, Bia, and the Gigantes came to our rescue. Out of that list, the goddess Eirene is the only one left alive. And we're down to only eight surviving Chthonians. That number includes you."
Even so, Ash refused to believe it was hopeless. "There's always an off-switch. We have to find it."
"We will try. In the meantime, you should know that your boy Urian got word from the other side. Stryker is pulling in Daimons from all over the world, amassing numbers that would make Cecil B. DeMille proud."
"Why?"
"Stryker's planning to rain hell on the humans come Christmas day. Of course Urian said you could probably offset that by offering yourself up as a sacrifice. Stryker might be willing to call the attack off if you surrender yourself to War and die a painful death."
Tory's gaze narrowed angrily on Ash. "Don't you dare. I swear, Acheron Parthenopaeus, if you even think about it, I'll beat you down until you beg me for mercy."
Ash tightened his grip on her hand. "Don't worry. Even if I turned myself in, he'd still go after the humans. It's his nature, and I'm not stupid enough to think he'd ever show mercy. What is it you're always saying? It's not the hand you're dealt that matters. It's how you play the cards you hold." He rose from the bed. "Sav, I need you to take up residence with my mother."
He choked at the suggestion. "Are you insane? That woman hates my guts. No, she doesn't hate me. Hatred for her would be a step up toward possibly liking me someday."
Which was something Ash had never understood, but it didn't change the fact that he couldn't leave her alone with Stryker and War. "Take Alexion and Danger with you and stand by her side to make sure they don't hurt her." She'd tolerate them around her a lot easier than she would Savitar. "Otherwise I'll have to do it, and since the point of this is to avoid the apocalypse, my presence in her home would be extremely counterproductive."
If Ash were to ever step foot in Kalosis, his mother would destroy the earth even faster than Stryker and War. "You're the only one I trust to keep her safe from Stryker, War, and Kessar. Even though my mother and I don't always get along and we're on opposite sides of this war, she is my mother and I don't want her hurt."