I sent a glaring glance his way while I assessed the situation, but I wouldn’t say anything to him.
None of the demigods cowered before the god. They weren’t afraid of him, yet I sensed that they were anxious. Then it dawned on me that they were worried about me.
“Whatever you want, Ares,” Héctor said with a shrug. “Discuss it with my cousins. I have to go.”
The other demigods nodded eagerly, and Héctor was about to take off with me again.
“Marigold is going nowhere,” Ares said. “She’s the new situation.”
“Like hell, I’ll let you retain my mate while she’s exhausted,” Héctor hissed, propelling his wings forward aggressively.
The Demigod of Death was going to fight the god, but I doubted he would win. I doubted all four of them would win contending with the God of War. They were formidable warriors, but Ares was a power-ten god.
The god narrowed his fiery eyes. “Really, Héctor? You will go against me for a woman?”
“Anytime, for my woman,” Héctor said softly, yet dangerously.
“Marigold is a first-year Academy student.” Ares raised his voice. “You don’t have my blessing or permission to take her as a mate.”
“Like it or not, I’ve claimed her as my mate,” Héctor said, death light twirling on the tips of his feathers. “And she’s mine to protect. I won’t allow any harm to come to her.”
“I don’t think Ares intends to harm our Marigold,” Zak said. “He wouldn’t be that petty.”
Héctor glared at him, but the sky demigod looked unfazed as he continued. “Ares just got here. He barely knows who Marigold is. She’s a nobody who was unfortunate enough to be in the wrong place at the wrong time when the archdemon followed Paxton, hoping to take out one of us. Marigold’s friend, the first-year on the ground over there, was caught in the crossfire and didn’t survive.”
I hadn’t expected the Demigod of Sky—also the Demigod of Justice—to lie so smoothly.
“You all know Marigold’s name,” Ares said. “What’s her friend’s name?”
I doubted that any of the demigods had learned Demetra’s wing woman’s name.
“Brittney,” I offered.
Ares laughed.
“What’s so funny about the name?” I challenged him.
The Dominions around us gasped. Well, I’d just challenged a god. But many of them had seen me stand up to the demigods, so what was the big deal? No matter what I did, Ares had fixed his eyes on me. I might just get mouthy, especially when I had this pent-up angst inside.
Héctor squeezed me to him, and Esme subtly shook her head at me, a worried look on her face. The rest of the demigods had a blank mask in place.
“They don’t knowyour friend’sname, Marigold,” Ares said. “She’s nothing to them. You, however, are a different case.”
I swallowed a retort.
His full attention snagged on me as if I was the newest squeeze toy he’d just found. “You’ve caused quite a stir in the Academy since the day you arrived,” he said. “In a short time, you’ve had all my demigods wrapped around your little finger. None of them have reacted to any woman as they do to you. And all four of them are infatuated with you.”
I narrowed my eyes at him. “They aren’t the teenagers that you depict.”
And my demigods were mine, not his!
The God of War caught the predatory, possessive light flashing by my eyes.
“How interesting,” he said, smiling like a knife. “No one can stand in a god’s presence without kneeling, except for the demigods. But you don’t even blink an eye in front of me.”
“Pardon me if I don’t want to dirty my pretty gown,” I said.
I knew I shouldn’t mouth off to a god, but I just couldn’t help it when facing an arrogant asshole.