Myths and Gargoyles by Jamie Hawke (interesting books to read in english txt) 📕

More witches and gods were coming our way, some flying, and I realized this wasn’t the time for Roar to be resting. I called him out and he soared up, immediately swooping down again and tackling a man with wild, silvery hair, so that he slammed into the ground while Roar took on what looked like a flying rat as large as himself.

I rose up and brought my sword down to cleave the man’s head in two, then was sent flying sideways by a spell from a woman with lizard features. My team was fighting all around me, Red at my side a second later to help me back up and counter the next spell before it hit me. Elisa was busy throwing up shields of light to keep Persephone’s attacks off of us. The goddess would dart around in bursts of darkness, sending attack after attack at us, none of what we sent her way landing.

With this force against ours, it was clear we needed to get out of there if we didn’t want to get pinned down in a long battle.

“This way,” Red shouted, pulling me toward Hekate. We found three witches trying to take her down with binding and freezing spells, but Red took out two with quick dashing movements and slicing open their necks, while I sent a blast from my sword that took the next one out of commission.

Soon we had the others from our team, huddled up while Elisa made shields and Hekate sent counter spells.

“What do we need to get out of here?” Pucky shouted over the chaos.

“We’ve got the feather and I’ve started the first steps of the locator spell, but it takes time.” Hekate took Chris’s arm in hers, looking over the group. “So… next step is finding Goldilocks, then?”

“I know exactly where she is,” Red said. “But it’s not going to be fun.”

“Why?” I asked.

“Last I heard—and this wasn’t so long ago—she’s heavy in the underground network. Those neutrals who don’t want to be messed with.”

“That sounds like a lot of fun,” I countered with a chuckle.

She arched an eyebrow, shook her head, and waited while Hekate made the portal per her instructions.

As we entered the portal, I chanced a glance back and was amazed at what I saw. Not only nearby, but as far as I could see there were what looked like Pyramids descending toward the ground—upside-down pyramids. In some places it was more like pagodas, but no matter the shape they all shared the fact that they were descending, light blaring and flashing between them. No, not descending, I realized. Becoming visible.

“Only visible to us,” Hekate said, seeing the look on my face. “Because we have this now.” She held up the golden feather, and I got it.

The Golden Goose was on one of those crazy sky pyramids. Where, I imagined, the gods were coming from. First, we were going after Goldilocks, yes, but then our mission would be taking us up there, and that was terrifying.

63

While crazy pyramids of gods and Legends were making their assault on the world above, we were, apparently, moving into the underbelly of some city. Hekate took us via portal to an underground network of caves and old military tunnels in the mountains of Montana.

“Not many people know about this place,” Hekate explained, “because the military abandoned it and ordered it closed quite a while back.”

“Since then it’s been the rumored hideout of the all the black-market handlers, thugs, and all manner of assholes that refuse to side with the Legends or Myths,” Red explained. “But since you know about it, I’d say it tends more toward the side of Legends.”

Hekate grunted in the affirmative.

The current tunnel had bunks built into the sides, several strange fairy tale characters watching us with furrowed brows. One had little deer horns growing form his head, another a face that was somewhere between human and dragon—it was almost hot, in a weird, reptilian sort of way. I had to smile at that thought, humored by how far I’d come since becoming part of this world. Sure, I’d enjoyed such stories as Monster Musume, but never actually been able to see myself with any sort of odd creature. Since getting involved with Pucky, her horns had kind of acted as a gateway drug for me, opening my mind to all manner of oddities.

We left the main tunnel to climb down a ladder and find ourselves in what looked like an old bunker, but had the smell of a sewer. It was hot down there, making the stench even worse. At the far end, a door opened and about half a dozen thugs entered. Some carried batons, others baseball bats, crowbars, and one even had a large shotgun over his shoulder.

“Word is you’ve gone over,” the one with the shotgun said.

“Who’s he talking to?” I asked, but Hekate stepped ahead of us, motioning for us to stay put.

“That’s what they’re saying?” Hekate asked. “Well, they’re fucking right. The line has been drawn, and it’s time everyone here chose a side.”

“Fuck that.” The guy lowered the shotgun our way.

“Keep pointing that thing at me,” Red said, “and you won’t see tomorrow.”

The man’s eyes went to her and he hesitated, lifting the shotgun. “Fucking Red Riding Hood?” His eyes kept moving as we drew closer, and he froze, blinking. “What the fuck kind of group have you all put together? This is some Suicide Squad shit going on, or what?”

“Wait, from the comics, or the movie?” I asked, ignoring the confused looks from around me.

He chuckled. “Fucked if I know what you’re talking about—there was a movie? Nah, I mean from the comics.”

“Ah, man, you missed a damn-good Harley Quinn, but…” I stopped there, not wanting to trash talk the movie, and realizing everyone was still staring at me. “What, I mean—shared interests, right? It’s a good thing.”

A tense moment was broken by the man chuckling. “Who the fuck’s this kid?”

“Jack,” I answered.