(This is the 5th Excerpt out of my book The Gods Defense, coming in TWO DAYS! Yes, I’m panicking 🙂
“You will keep your word,” Zeus continued, “or you will be called oath-breakers.”
Ravena spread his hands wide, staring Zeus straight in the eye. Even I knew that was an insult of the deepest kind, a demi-god staring a king in the eye like they were equals. His grin widened.
“So be it.”
I expected more whispers or for Zeus to answer or… something. Silence filled the room like clouds, making the world fuzzy around the edges. My ears buzzed like they needed something to do.
My eyes jerked around, looking for motion. No one else so much as blinked. It was like the room had been captured in a painting, and I was the only one aware time hadn’t stopped, or maybe time had and I was the only one who didn’t stop with it.
The air didn’t even move. If anyone else was breathing, I couldn’t tell.
Motion. Sound. Something!
There! My head moved with my eyes like a whip. The elephants on Ravena’s tie moved. The grey and white beasts, no bigger than a tablespoon each, crawled around the tie. They climbed over each other, disappeared at the ends, and came back. It was like they were looking for the world of sight and sound to pick up again, too.
My breaths were too loud and fast. I tried to move again.
I couldn’t.
My eyes inched up like a magnet captured them until I met Ravena’s eyes.
Black pits struck me like I fell into them and hit a granite bottom. An ache built between my eyes and I tried to move to rub it away.
The Hanged Man from my cards appeared upside down, dangling in each of the demon’s eyes.
His smile grew. It was almost too wide, like his lips were actually lengthening instead of just pulling up.
“Well, well, well,” he almost seemed to sing, but his mouth didn’t move. “The human has teeth. Hello, mongrel. This is your warning; stay out of this. You are dealing with forces beyond your ken.”
Huh?
“You know I can not let such an insult go,” Zeus said, the words a slap on my ears.
The world moved again. Breeze and breath filled the air. The centaur shifted on his hooves. Henry mopped his forehead. Apollo was rubbing my arm like he’d never let up. Artemis stroked her bow next to him, in the same rhythm as her twin.
And Ravena was still staring at Zeus.
What the hell just happened?
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