Cameron groaned as he pointed to the apartment complex across the street. “If Huitzilopochtli is here again, I’m burning this one down, too.”
“You need to stop burning buildings down,” Selena told him. “People live here.”
“Yeah,” he retorted. “Quinn lives here.”
Selena just waved him off and motioned for Jasper and Doug to follow her across the street. Cameron could stand there pouting: she was looking for Badb and Nemain, and hopefully, finding Morgan in the process.
“Your boyfriend’s an obnoxious asshole,” Jasper reminded her.
“My boyfriend is the most powerful god in the world, so watch it,” Selena reminded him.
Jasper snorted and asked, “If he’s the most powerful god in the world, then why did Huitzilopochtli kick his ass last time he was here?”
“Hey!” Cameron called. “He didn’t kick my ass. He threw me across the complex grounds. And he couldn’t touch me in Houston, but the bastard disappeared on me. As soon as I figure out how to keep him in one place, I’m totally throwing a spear through his heart.”
“That’s… graphic,” Selena grimaced.
Cameron just shrugged as he caught up to them and continued as if she hadn’t interrupted him with the obvious. “Think he has only one heart? I mean, if he’s been harvesting them for years, maybe he has like a dozen now.”
“That is literally the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard you say,” Jasper interjected. “And coming from you, that must mean it’s pretty damn dumb.”
“What do you know? You’re a demigod. You’re basically human with a few upgrades.”
Jasper stopped as he reached the sidewalk and gaped at the young sun god, who was clearly just messing with his Greek rival, but it always seemed to work. “Selena, can’t you make him stop talking? Please?”
Doug shook his head. “He’s entertaining. I say let him keep going. Though I’m curious to know what other body parts he thinks gods can grow by consuming them from others.”
Cameron lifted a finger at him and warned, “I’ll totally find out. Be careful what you wish for.”
“By eating people?” Jasper asked.
“Yes, dumbass,” Cameron snapped. “Starting with you.”
“If he is dumber than you,” Doug pretended to argue, “don’t eat his brain.”
Cameron nodded then headed toward the apartment complex. “Nobody should be forced to live with any part of his personality or intelligence resurrected within them. Except maybe Fúamnach.”
“She probably ate people,” Selena mumbled.
“What is wrong with you people?” Badb asked.
Selena put her hands on her hips and turned around to face the war goddesses. “First of all, stop asking us that. We’ll never know. Secondly, stop sneaking up on me and scaring the shit out of me. And thirdly…”
“Thirdly?” Cameron interrupted. “Are you sure that’s the right word?”
“Yes,” Selena sighed. “Badb, what are you and Nemain doing back in Baton Rouge? At Quinn’s apartment?”
Jasper crossed his arms angrily and muttered, “Giving us the chance to kill that backstabbing bastard?”
In one of those rare moments of agreement, Cameron just nodded.
Badb shook her head at them both then turned to Doug with a serious expression, but Selena doubted how serious the goddess could be, not with this group around. “With Anita gone, you don’t have to put up with them, you know. I doubt any god will be dragging you back if you try to run away.”
Doug put a finger against his chin as if he were really contemplating the merits of running away versus sticking around to look for a sword. Again.
“These kids have a knack for getting themselves into trouble,” he said. “I’d probably better stick around for a while longer.”
Badb nodded conspiratorially and patted his shoulder. “You’re a brave man, Doug. I take back everything I originally said about you.”
Doug squinted at her and asked, “What did you originally say about me?”
“Morgan’s here,” Badb said quickly. “We should probably go confront our traitor and hope she still has the Sword.”
“Question,” Cameron said.
Everyone around him sighed.
“If she isn’t really Nuada’s heir, then she’s not a goddess, right? She’s still a demigoddess.”
“Right,” Nemain answered. “But if she has Fúamnach’s power, then she’s obviously capable of deceiving us and what we think we sense.”
“Makes sense,” Cameron responded.
Nemain squinted at him. “Are you mocking me?”
“I don’t mock,” Cameron responded solemnly. “I sometimes speak in a jovial manner which is misunderstood by the listener.”
“Obnoxious asshole,” Jasper reminded him.
“I take it back,” Doug said. “I am going home.”
“Too late,” Cameron told him. “You’re practically one of us now.”
“No one warned me this could be the ramifications of disowning the Norse,” Doug retorted.
Cameron smiled at him and jerked a thumb toward Jasper. “Could be worse. You could be Greek.”
“Obnoxious…” Jasper started, but Nemain groaned, “Oh, for God’s sake. Shut up and go knock on Quinn’s door. At this point, I don’t even care what demigod dies.”
“I would ask which god, but damn, Nemain… that’s heartless,” Cameron said.
Nemain grunted at him and shouted, “You threatened to eat him!”
“Sh!” five voices hissed.
“And don’t ever say that again,” Cameron added. “You’re such a perv.”
Nemain opened her mouth but only a small croaking sound came out as Cameron walked past her toward Quinn’s apartment. She shot Selena a “How do you put up with him?” look so Selena gestured toward her boyfriend’s back and shot her an “I think you already know how” look.
Selena hurried to catch up to Cameron and grabbed his arm to prevent him from reaching Quinn’s door. She took a deep breath to steady her own nerves because she seemed to be the only one among them who was nervous about confronting an evil demigoddess reincarnated, two backstabbing Norse demigods, and quite possibly, Alan and Huitzilopochtli again.
Cameron slipped his fingers below her chin and tilted her face toward him so he could kiss her then promised her, “No matter who’s inside that apartment, they aren’t escaping from me. If I had to follow them to the Norwegian Sea and fight Jörmungandr myself, I’d do it. She’s not taking you away from me again.”
“Cameron,” Selena whispered. “Do you feel that? It is her.”
Cameron’s eyes clouded as his gaze shifted to Quinn’s apartment door, and he nodded. “She remembered, just like we did. She’s not just Morgan Honeywell anymore.”
“But Fúamnach can’t have been reincarnated!” Badb protested. “It’s a favor granted to those who deserve it.”
Selena stepped back as the bright blue flames by Cameron’s hand tore her attention away from Quinn’s apartment and back to her boyfriend who had come to Baton Rouge to end Fúamnach’s obsessive jealousy once and for all. “You know as well as I do she was no ordinary demigoddess. She figured out how to preserve herself in future generations until she met us. She killed Morgan Honeywell just so she could try to separate us one last time.”
The door to Quinn’s apartment opened, and Morgan stood in the doorway, scowling at Cameron and seemingly unafraid of the Spear in his hand or the rumors of his power. Selena gasped and backed away from her. How much she’d changed in such a short amount of time. There was something in her stance, the arrogant and defiant way she challenged the world’s most powerful god, that made Selena shudder.
She would never be able to forget waking in the middle of the night and seeing Fúamnach’s face inches above hers or the pain as the knife she held in her hand sliced through her throat. She would never be able to forget the fearsome demigoddess as she leapt from the rafters of the castle in Tara and drove her knife through Midir’s heart then yanked it free and turned on her, pushing the blade beneath her sternum and upward to her own heart.
Even as she stood there dying, she watched the evil demigoddess aging before her eyes, and as darkness washed over, ushering her into a new world, Fúamnach’s body had disintegrated into a pile of old bones blanketed by new clothing.
And here she was before them again. Her presence in Baton Rouge was unmistakable, and even Badb no longer tried to insist it was impossible.
Badb drew her sword and stepped toward the demigoddess, hissing, “Is there no getting rid of you?”
Morgan clicked her tongue at the war goddess and tilted her head as she reached behind her and produced the Unbreakable Sword. “This is clearly the work of the gods. What is the legend again? No god or mortal can escape its path once it’s drawn?”
Cameron snorted and shook his head. “Try it then. See if you can kill me again.”
Morgan narrowed her eyes at the young sun god and gripped the Sword tighter in her hands. “You’ve had a long time to become cocky and bitter, Midir. It doesn’t suit you.”
Selena heard Quinn’s laughter from inside his apartment and his large frame appeared behind Morgan Honeywell. “Actually, it suits Cameron. Believe me.”
Jasper exhaled a heavy, exasperated breath and muttered, “This is ridiculous.”
He pulled the .357 he always carried with him from its holster and fired it at Morgan, but the bullets didn’t touch her.
“What the hell?” he breathed. “Is Huitzilopochtli back?”
“No,” Selena whispered. “It’s Fúamnach. She knows…” Selena shook her head, not really sure how the demigoddess seemed to defy the laws of both humans and gods. “It’s not magic… it’s more like ways to bend the rules so they don’t apply to her.”
Doug grunted at the demigoddess who watched them with a smug smile. “Sounds like magic to me.”
Morgan shrugged and Selena desperately wished she could walk over to the demigoddess and knock that self-assured smile off her face. Cameron snickered, apparently sensing Selena’s desire, and held up his Spear. “Quinn, how do you keep getting involved with the biggest assholes in supernatural history?”
“Because he’s one of the biggest assholes in supernatural history,” Jasper retorted.
Cameron nodded and looked over Quinn’s shoulder at the petite brunette with freckles. “Avery, I expected you to be less of an asshole though.”
“Well, I always knew you weren’t terribly bright,” Avery shot back.
Selena’s fists clenched by her sides because she wanted to defend her boyfriend and remind them all that he’d been smart enough not to trust any of them, and he’d made his own mask once that had allowed him to keep his anonymity while still helping them. But the demigods were clearly just trying to piss him off so she waited quietly beside him.
Cameron didn’t seem ruffled at all. He never took his eyes off of Morgan but told Badb and Nemain, “It’s not magic. It’s just physics. You know that whole law that says an object in motion will stay in motion on its current trajectory and at its current speed unless an outside force acts on it?”
Selena shot Avery a “Who’s a dumbass now?” look then told her boyfriend, “Yes, that’s Newton’s first law of physics.”
Cameron nodded and pointed his Spear at Morgan. “She’s acting on objects around her. She may not be a goddess, but some demigoddesses are close enough.”
Selena smiled to herself because she’d been hearing that for two months now. And perhaps there had been some truth to it all along.
Morgan lifted her chin in the air and challenged him, “Go ahead, Sun God. Throw your Spear.”
Quinn backed away from her, casting nervous glances between Cameron and Morgan as he seemed to think twice about the alliances he’d been making. “Now wait a minute,” Quinn stammered. “You said you were confident you could defeat Badb and her sisters if they showed up, but you never said anything about this many gods.”
Badb laughed and sheathed her sword. “You want to challenge me, Fúamnach? Just us. Neither Nemain nor Cameron will touch your… friends.”
“Oh, come on,” Cameron complained. “This is the second time I’ve shown up to Quinn’s apartment in like a week. You have to let me smite him at least.”
Jasper crossed his arms angrily and nodded. “And his girlfriend. Show them both what happens when they double cross us.”
“Aw,” Selena teased. “You’re finally admitting there’s an us!”
Jasper grimaced and added, “Pretend I didn’t say that part.”
“No way,” Selena insisted. “You’re one of us now, my friend.”
“God, you’re annoying. This is exactly why I wish I’d been able to kill you both in your sleep,” Morgan mumbled.
Badb reached for her sword again, but Cameron stopped her. “First of all, which god?” he demanded. “There are an awful lot of us, and this drives me crazy. You should make sure you’re invoking the right god.”
“Pretty sure she means you,” Badb said.
“And secondly,” Cameron continued as if Badb hadn’t interrupted him, “what do you mean you wish you’d killed us in our sleep?”
Morgan rolled her eyes and held the Unbreakable Sword up, pretending to study its blade in the sunlight. “What do you think I mean? When I went to your room in the Dagda’s palace, your bed was empty. Just like you to run away. Always were a bit of a scared child at heart, weren’t you?”
“Funny,” Cameron retorted. “Seems like the one who’s scared is the one who’s always trying to kill people in their sleep.”
“I didn’t make it this far by being stupid,” she snapped.
“Hey, Badb,” Cameron called to the war goddess. “Where do gods and demigods who aren’t allowed into Findias go?”
“Nowhere,” Badb answered. “They cease to exist.”
“So I guess I can’t tell her to go to Hell?”
Badb shrugged. “You can tell her, but I doubt it will work.”
“In that case,” Cameron said to Morgan, “go to Hell.” He lifted his Spear and threw it, the blue flames arcing behind its tip. Selena held her breath, anticipating the invisible wall the Spear would hit, but it sank into Morgan’s chest and she dropped the Sword, her eyes lowering to the handle of the Spear that protruded from her body. Her hands rose and paused near the Spear as if unable to suspend her disbelief then she fell back into Quinn’s apartment.
With Morgan dead, Quinn and Avery had no protection from the angry gods and demigods outside. Quinn tried to push the door closed, but Badb was standing in front of him before he could step over the body blocking his path. Her sword ran through his stomach and she pushed him away from her as she freed her blade. Selena heard Avery screaming as Nemain descended upon her then the apartment complex fell silent.
Cameron approached Morgan’s body and grabbed his Spear, that anger so foreign in his beautiful dark brown eyes momentarily returning, but he pulled his Spear free and turned back to Selena. She whispered his name when she saw only the man, the god, she had loved through three lifetimes.
“How did you do that?” she asked.
Cameron looked over his shoulder at Morgan’s body and shrugged. “She thinks way too highly of herself. I’m more powerful than she is.”
“I always knew that,” Selena said. “I meant how did you regain control of your anger so quickly?”
Cameron’s Spear disappeared and he put his arms around Selena. “Apparently, I found a way to ground myself. I just need to think of you and the future you always wanted and how I’d do anything to finally make it happen.”
Badb knelt beside Morgan’s body and picked up the Unbreakable Sword, smiling up at the Children of Danu, their future and their salvation.
“We’ve got the Sword back,” she said. “Let’s find our rightful ruler.”
Doug held out his hand and took the Sword, admiring its beauty as he flipped it in his open palms. “This time, perhaps we should make sure we’ve found the actual heir. At some point, I’d like to go home.”
Cameron snorted and pulled his phone out of his pocket so they could pick up where they’d left off on the list of Anita’s relatives. “I’m starting to think there’s no out for you, Doug. You’re one of us now, too. We’ll just follow you around forever until you adopt us.”
Doug handed the Sword back to Badb and laughed, “Well, I can’t say I ever thought I’d be Irish. But you’re admittedly not such a bad bunch.”
“Speak for yourself,” Jasper grumbled.
Selena nodded toward Morgan’s body and touched Badb’s arm. “Are you sure she can’t come back again? She’s gone now?”
“Nothing is ever certain, Selena. But she isn’t a threat to you now, and sometimes, that’s the best we can hope for,” Badb answered.
Cameron took a deep breath and grabbed Selena’s hand. “I guess we’re not as alone as we thought we were.”
“Haven’t I told you before,” Badb said to Selena, “that you’re never alone? Even at your loneliest, you were never alone.”
“If we don’t get out of Baton Rouge and find the person who’s supposed to own this Sword, we’ll all be dead,” Jasper interjected. “The Norse are supposed to invade the Otherworld soon, so I suggest we get the hell out of here.”
“Yes,” Nemain sighed. “I have this terrible feeling we’re already too late.”
Selena and Cameron looked at each other, afraid to give voice to the same fear, but if Semias were correct, then the Norse would be invading the Otherworld in three days, and the Tuatha Dé were running out of time to find Nuada’s heir so they could prepare for the Battle of the Gods.