Dream Warrior Read Free Page A

another car.
    Phobos glanced at Delphine, who shrugged in response. She had no idea how to persuade him.
    Sighing, Phobos followed him. “C’mon, I—”
    Jericho spun on him so fast that Delphine didn’t even realized he’d moved until he had Phobos slung over the hood of a car and pinned in place by a tight hold on this throat. “Fuck off and die, you putrid bastard,” he snarled in the ancient Greek language of the gods as he banged Phobos’s head furiously against the hood.
    Every mechanic who heard his deep growl paused to stare at him.
    â€œBe damned,” a tall, lean African-American man said. “He can speak after all. Anybody know what language that was?”
    â€œRussian?”
    â€œNah, I think it’s German.”
    â€œDude,” a younger guy said, pulling at Cratus’s arm. “You’re going to dent the hood and when you do, that will come out of your paycheck.”
    Grimacing, Cratus slung Phobos off the hood like a rag doll. Phobos rolled halfway through the bay before he caught himself.
    His features looking shaken, Phobos pushed himself to his feet. When he spoke, he continued to use their language so that the humans wouldn’t understand them. “We need your help, Cratus.”
    As he moved past Phobos, Cratus drove his shoulder into Phobos’s, making Phobos grimace in pain and rub his arm. He went back to the Intrepid. “Cratus is dead.”
    â€œYou’re the only one—”
    Cratus growled at him. “You’re dead to me. All of you. Now get out.”
    Delphine projected her thoughts to Phobos. “Should I come in?”
    â€œNo. I don’t think it’ll help.” Phobos turned to Cratus. “The fate of the entire world is in your hands. Don’t you care?”
    The feral look Cratus gave him said no. Well, that, and for him to go to Tartarus and rot.
    Delphine sighed. What were they going to do now? They needed the god of strength. One who could pull power from the primal Source to combat the most evil of beings. Without Cratus, they didn’t stand a chance of winning against Noir and his army of Skoti.
    The older man walked over to Cratus. “So what country are you from, anyway?”
    Cratus ignored him as he returned to his work in silence.
    Phobos moved to stand by his side. “Zeus is willing to forgive you for what you did. He’s offering you your godhood back. We need you desperately.”
    When Cratus still refused to respond, Phobos let out a frustrated breath. “Look, I understand why you’re mad. But my brother’s life is on the line here. If you don’t help me, Noir will kill him.”
    Cratus didn’t even twitch as he worked.
    A muscle worked in Phobos’s jaw. “Fine. When the world ends and everyone here is dead, remember you’re the only one of us who could have stopped it.”
    Cratus continued ignoring him.
    Phobos turned and headed back to her.
    Delphine kept waiting for Cratus to reconsider and stop Phobos. But he really appeared to have meant what he’d said. He didn’t care.
    Even she, who had nothing save muted emotions, had more feelings than this man showed.
    â€œWe’re so dead,” Phobos said in a dire tone as he rejoined her. “Maybe we ought to join the other team before they pound us into hash.”
    Delphine cast a hopeless glance back at the man in the garage. “Maybe I should try.”
    He shook his head. “There’s no reaching him. He’s past help.”
    â€œI can try to contact him in his dreams tonight. He won’t be able to run from me then.”
    He didn’t tell her no, but his look reiterated the fact that he thought she was wasting her time. “You want backup?”
    â€œI think I’ll be more effective alone.”
    Phobos snorted. “Good luck. If you need me, I’ll be on standby.”
    Delphine glanced back at Cratus. He was working, but