eyes swirled violently as she stared at him. "Tear his worthless Sumerian hide to shreds."
"Sumerian?" the adult male snarled.
Sin cursed. Yeah—his being Sumerian to this group would go over like an Ozzy Osbourne/Marilyn
Manson duet at the Southern Baptist Convention's annual meeting. He might as well be wearing a shirt
that said "Kibbles and Bits", with a heavy emphasis on the "bits" part.
Sin pushed himself to his feet in expectation of the death that was about to run him over. "Look.
Can't we all just get along?"
"Ekeira danyaha," a female spat, which was the obscene version of "screw you" in Charonte.
Suddenly a male Charonte came at his back. Sin caught the demon and flipped him to the ground.
But before he could punch him, another demon bit Sin in the shoulder. Hissing in pain, he head-butted the
demon, knocking him back. Sin's shoulder was ripped open as the demon fell away.
A woman ran at Sin then. He picked her up and tossed her at the next two men who were coming
for him. "Where's a damn can of Raid when you need it," he growled as another demon caught him from
behind.
He dropped all of his weight, which didn't do a damn thing, since the demon was so strong.
Changing strategies, Sin kicked his legs back against the demon's knees. The demon shrieked in pain
before he released Sin. He swung around and caught the demon a blow to the rib cage.
"Stop!"
Sin staggered back as the demons actually obeyed the order. He saw Kat standing to his right,
staring in horror at what had happened.
"Do not interfere in this," Apollymi snarled.
Kat shook her head. "I won't let him die. Not like this and not without an explanation."
"Explanation?" Apollymi pushed past the male demon before her to approach her granddaughter.
"I went to his pantheon and asked them to help me hide your father so that my pantheon wouldn't kill
him. Do you know what they did?"
"They laughed," Sin said, remembering the tales of that event clearly in his mind.
Apollymi turned on him with her nostrils flared. He was amazed she didn't use her powers to
splinter him against the far wall. Obviously a quick death wasn't what she had in mind—she wanted
long-term pain. "My son suffered as no one should ever suffer and I want to return that to you... tenfold."
He could understand that. Hell, he could even respect her sentiment, but it didn't change the fact
that he was innocent in this. "I didn't turn you away, Apollymi. I wasn't there that day. I swear, I would
have helped you had I known. By the time I heard about it, it was too late."
"Liar!"
"It's not a lie," he said calmly as another demon inched closer to him. He swallowed as he
remembered his own bitter childhood. He'd been one of triplets. Within an hour of his birth, it'd been
foretold that he and his brothers would cause the end of their pantheon.
The sad thing was, the prophecy had been correct. But it hadn't been what his father had feared.
It'd been the jealousy and hatred of his own family that had ultimately killed them. Their own actions had
caused Sin to be the weak link that had allowed Artemis in so that the Greek gods could turn the
Sumerians against one another and defeat them.
His pantheon had fallen only after he'd ceased to be a god, and his surviving brother had gone into
hiding.
And when Sin spoke, his voice was thick with that grief. "My father killed my own brother over
prophecy and he damn near killed me. I would never have allowed another child to suffer for such
stupidity. That is not in me."
Kat frowned at his words as she saw the pain on her grandmother's face and heard the sincere
emotion in Sin's voice. He really meant what he said.
"And how do I know you're not lying to me now?" Apollymi demanded.
"Because I've lost my children, too, and I know the ache that lives inside the heart that no amount
of solace or alcohol will squelch. I know what it's like to have the powers of a god and to not be able to
hold the one thing that means
"Sumerian?" the adult male snarled.
Sin cursed. Yeah—his being Sumerian to this group would go over like an Ozzy Osbourne/Marilyn
Manson duet at the Southern Baptist Convention's annual meeting. He might as well be wearing a shirt
that said "Kibbles and Bits", with a heavy emphasis on the "bits" part.
Sin pushed himself to his feet in expectation of the death that was about to run him over. "Look.
Can't we all just get along?"
"Ekeira danyaha," a female spat, which was the obscene version of "screw you" in Charonte.
Suddenly a male Charonte came at his back. Sin caught the demon and flipped him to the ground.
But before he could punch him, another demon bit Sin in the shoulder. Hissing in pain, he head-butted the
demon, knocking him back. Sin's shoulder was ripped open as the demon fell away.
A woman ran at Sin then. He picked her up and tossed her at the next two men who were coming
for him. "Where's a damn can of Raid when you need it," he growled as another demon caught him from
behind.
He dropped all of his weight, which didn't do a damn thing, since the demon was so strong.
Changing strategies, Sin kicked his legs back against the demon's knees. The demon shrieked in pain
before he released Sin. He swung around and caught the demon a blow to the rib cage.
"Stop!"
Sin staggered back as the demons actually obeyed the order. He saw Kat standing to his right,
staring in horror at what had happened.
"Do not interfere in this," Apollymi snarled.
Kat shook her head. "I won't let him die. Not like this and not without an explanation."
"Explanation?" Apollymi pushed past the male demon before her to approach her granddaughter.
"I went to his pantheon and asked them to help me hide your father so that my pantheon wouldn't kill
him. Do you know what they did?"
"They laughed," Sin said, remembering the tales of that event clearly in his mind.
Apollymi turned on him with her nostrils flared. He was amazed she didn't use her powers to
splinter him against the far wall. Obviously a quick death wasn't what she had in mind—she wanted
long-term pain. "My son suffered as no one should ever suffer and I want to return that to you... tenfold."
He could understand that. Hell, he could even respect her sentiment, but it didn't change the fact
that he was innocent in this. "I didn't turn you away, Apollymi. I wasn't there that day. I swear, I would
have helped you had I known. By the time I heard about it, it was too late."
"Liar!"
"It's not a lie," he said calmly as another demon inched closer to him. He swallowed as he
remembered his own bitter childhood. He'd been one of triplets. Within an hour of his birth, it'd been
foretold that he and his brothers would cause the end of their pantheon.
The sad thing was, the prophecy had been correct. But it hadn't been what his father had feared.
It'd been the jealousy and hatred of his own family that had ultimately killed them. Their own actions had
caused Sin to be the weak link that had allowed Artemis in so that the Greek gods could turn the
Sumerians against one another and defeat them.
His pantheon had fallen only after he'd ceased to be a god, and his surviving brother had gone into
hiding.
And when Sin spoke, his voice was thick with that grief. "My father killed my own brother over
prophecy and he damn near killed me. I would never have allowed another child to suffer for such
stupidity. That is not in me."
Kat frowned at his words as she saw the pain on her grandmother's face and heard the sincere
emotion in Sin's voice. He really meant what he said.
"And how do I know you're not lying to me now?" Apollymi demanded.
"Because I've lost my children, too, and I know the ache that lives inside the heart that no amount
of solace or alcohol will squelch. I know what it's like to have the powers of a god and to not be able to
hold the one thing that means
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