Nick rubbed at his throbbing temples as he watched Xev and Dagon crash into his mother’s prized curio and shatter it. Ugh, he was in so much trouble for this. He was going to be grounded for all eternity.

And given the fact he could conceivably live that long, the threat actually had merit.

“How do we break this up before they destroy my mom’s entire house and I get grounded until I’m decrepit?”

Menyara sighed. “Not sure.”

Mazel tov! His ulcer just had a baby. And it was quickly mutating to the size of nuclear Godzilla. “Do they even know why they’re fighting?”

“I don’t think it matters.”

Simi let out an ear-splitting whistle. Xev and Dagon paused to frown at her. “Hello? Ancient annoying ones? You are stressing out the Simi’s good quality friend and making Akri-Nick very sad, and that makes the Simi very sad. Could you please find an old field to fight in where you don’t break his mama’s things and get him grounded? He don’t like when that happens. And it make Akra-Kody sad, too, ’cause then she has to sneak in to see him and risk getting into trouble if his mama be hearing them in his room, and they shouldn’t be doing that, and they both know it. Bad, bad, bad.”

His breathing ragged, Dagon wiped at the blood on his lips as he finally noticed their small group. He scowled in disbelief. “Is that a Charonte?” he asked Xev.

“It is.”

“Alone?”

“Not exactly.”

He arched a brow at that before he looked to Menyara. “Apollymi’s free?”

She shook her head. “She’s still in captivity, but her son remains alive and free, and protects Simi as his child.”

His gaze went to Kody before his jaw dropped. “Bethany?” She was the Atlantean goddess of wrath.

“No. I’m her daughter.”

Appearing even more confused, Dagon sheathed his sword and straightened his clothes. His expression said he was struggling to make sense of everything, and not quite able to do so.

Xev sheathed his sword and wiped at the blood on his own face. “How long have you been held, brother?”

Dagon rubbed at his scarred wrist. “Since the reign of Etana.”

Menyara sucked her breath in sharply.

By her reaction, Nick knew it had to be a long time ago, but unfortunately, history wasn’t one of his better subjects. Though, to be honest, he was quickly learning. “When was that?”

Menyara sighed heavily. “Almost five thousand years ago.”

Wow! Nick wheezed at the realization while Dagon winced. “Dude! What’d you do? That takes being grounded to a whole new level! Jeez, I’m so glad my mama can’t hear that one. She might get ideas I don’t need her to.”