Return of the Titans

CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

I didn't have the chance to spread out my arms before Lion literally threw me at Father's feet.

Course gravel scraped my chin, and I thought as I slowly stood up, Oh yeah, that's another scar. I already had a bazillion, what was one more going to do?

"Thanks for dropping in," Father mused.

He was sitting on his decorative rug, legs crossed like the "gentleman" that he was. With one hand, he stirred a cup of fine China, whose contents were too dark for me to see against the frail moonlight. With the other, he picked up piece after piece of a nice fruit salad, resting on the strawberries and sucking up the juices of a triangular watermelon.

Perhaps he wasn't one for the Lion-men's ravenous eating. Neither would I after watching the way Jay, alone, chowed down. They were neck-and-neck, it looked like.

Lion took his place beside his master, standing guard. His back might have been to us, his face toward the dark forest, but I could see his small round ears angled in our direction. That, and he held a firm grip on his ax, just in case things ever decided to go south.

Not by me, it wouldn't. I was eighty percent sure that I was the only person here with a sound mind.

Father broke the silence by lightly tapping his cup with his silver spoon, having brought it to his lips to taste. "Nectar tastes so sweet when it's pure, like honey straight from the comb. Can't really drink too much of it raw, now, can you?"

"Nectar?" Was he drinking the healing juice? But that didn't make sense. I always thought that it resembled tea because of its sweetness, as I always did get a little tipsy whenever I had a cup. But his drink was so dark and stuck to his spoon so, where it might as well have been molasses. Could there be different kinds of the drink, altered to the taster's desire?

Whatever the case, I wanted it. My ears still throbbed from when Lion boxed them, and I was pretty sure that my right eye was swollen when he punched me. I could heal on my own without magical drinks but that only worked when I was either unconscious or close to it. No way was I going to sit through an eternity of torture while a guy who was perfectly fine wasted such an important drink.

Father motioned toward the platter of fruity delicacies. "You look hungry. Come, have a strawberry. They're at their peak this season."

My mouth suddenly felt wetter as I stared at the large pieces of fruit. One squeeze and their sugary juices spilled down their sides. If it wasn't for my strong will, I would have taken the entire plate.

But even with that, I could sense it wain. Hunger and exhaustion commingled together in a ruthless fight against my person. My lack of thirst was the excruciatingly painful cherry on top.

Father spread his lips in a wide smile. "There is no reason not to trust me, Francine. I'm on your side."

At that, my head snapped to attention. "You're with the monsters," I said.

"Giants, actually," Father explained plainly. He and Lion shared a knowing look as if I had just asked why the sky was blue. Isn't she adorably stupid? the look read. Condescending asshole. "And for that, there hasn't been a Giant residing in these lands since my grandfather ruled."

"Nor shall there be in the future," Lion added.

Father nodded. "Right. And do you know why, Francine?"

He said it again! My eye twitched as I pulled my legs against me. "I'd rather you not call me that, sir."

"But that's your name, isn't it?"

"My name is Frankie. It's the one I've been called for years, and it's the one that I'm going to keep. Is that going to be a problem?"

Father glanced at Lion. "You didn't tell me that she has a mouth on her."