The Gatekeeper's Sons by Eva Pohler

  Chapter Thirty-Four: Battle Rising

  As soon as Therese was gone, Than clutched the hair on the heads of two men who had come to hide from his sister in the back of the warehouse in Peshawar. One of them stumbled and looked up in shock while the other shut his eyes as though waiting to be shot. Than pulled them to the center of the warehouse for their interrogation where Meg waited with her falcon.

  McAdams was bound by Tizzie’s serpent hair. The snakes twined around his neck and arms, hissing and flicking their tongues, dripping with the blood from his sister’s eyes.

  Alecto uttered a laugh of hysteria as she closed in on McAdams.

  Before the gods could take the mortals’ souls to the Underworld for further persecution in Tartarus, a flash of light washed over the building and the loud crack of a whip, as harsh as thunder, made Than flinch.

  In the middle of the room stood Ares, accompanied by his twin sons, Phobos, also known as Panic, and Deimos, also known as Fear.

  The Furies screamed a shrill, blood-curling shriek and disappeared, leaving Than alone to face the other gods.

  “Hades wants these men!” Than said, standing his ground. “They belong to him!”

  “You can have those two, but McAdams comes with me to Mount Olympus where I shall seek council with Zeus. Follow me if you wish.”

  Ares, his sons, and the mortal McAdams disappeared, leaving Than and his two terrified prisoners.