"What're you doing?" Darian asked in a hushed voice.
"I believe in you, Darian. Always have," Dusty said, slapping him on the shoulder. "Don't fuck up."
"Dusty, we can just blow everything up," Darian said, a note of panic in his voice.
"We will. You've got twenty-seven minutes to get out of here before Jimmy levels this place." Dusty walked away, drawing his weapons. He strode through the vacant hallways to the verandah doors. Rain and wind battered him. The vamps around Bianca whirled, and he raised the hand cannons, blasting all four before they reached the door.
Bianca gasped as he strode by. Talon drew his weapons, but the Black God smiled.
"Damian's assassin," Czerno purred.
"My beef isn't with you, Czerno, but with your pet," Dusty said. Talon's nostrils flared.
"Pop, blast this idiot!" Talon snarled.
"Looks like a convenient match-up between demigods," Czerno responded. "Do your own dirty work, son."
Talon's sneer faded. The Black God held out his hands. Talon took one and Dusty the other, feeling the coldness of Traveling from one place to another. They appeared in the conference hall, whose seats were filling with vamps eager to see Talon's show. Czerno had left Bianca, giving Darian the opportunity he needed to snatch her and run.
At least, Dusty hoped that's what Darian did. He glanced at his watch. Twenty-four minutes. He needed to draw this out as long as possible, so Jimmy's explosions took out Talon and all the vamps if he couldn't.
"You're too young to remember, but in my time, we didn't have guns," Dusty said to the bastard son.
"I don't give a shit how I have to kill you!" Talon replied. "You want knives, I got knives. You want swords, I got swords. Either way, you're dead."
Dusty stripped off the clunky modern weaponry, keeping his sword and knives. He removed the bulletproof vest and the body armor on his arms and legs to help free his movement.
Czerno was gone. He looked around, bristling, and then saw the Black God reappear with Bianca.
"Dammit, Darian!" he muttered.
"It's cool, Dusty, I promise," Darian said from nearby. "I'm here to make sure you don't fuck up the universe."
"I don't give two shits about the universe!" he said, turning to face the Grey God. Darian's eyes glowed and swirled. They were pinned on Czerno, his power once again bending light and dark around him.
"Just fight, Dustin," the Grey God said in a hushed voice. "I'll take care of everything else, I promise." The Grey God looked possessed. Dusty studied him a moment longer, recalling his conversation with the Watcher. Czerno gave Darian a warning look, and Dusty stepped onto the dais, where Talon awaited him. At this point, he had no choice but to trust Darian.