Hounded recap

Atticus O'Sullivan, an ancient Irish Druid living as a young bookseller in Tempe, has spent centuries hiding from Aenghus Og, the god who wants both him and the enchanted sword Fragarach. When Aenghus finally moves against him, Atticus survives attacks by supernatural agents while also contending with police attention, old obligations among the Irish gods, and a wary local coven. His allies include his telepathic hound Oberon, the Morrigan, the hunt goddess Flidais, vampire lawyer Leif Helgarson, werewolf attorney Hal Hauk, and the witches led by Malina. Their interests overlap without ever becoming simple trust. Atticus ultimately turns Aenghus's schemes against him and kills the god, ending the pursuit that shaped much of his life. He remains in Tempe, still owing favors across the supernatural world, and agrees to train his friend Granuaile as a Druid.

Atticus O'Sullivan appears to be a young Tempe shopkeeper, but he is an Irish Druid more than two thousand years old. He draws magic from the earth, carries the enchanted sword Fragarach, and shares a mental bond with his Irish wolfhound, Oberon. Aenghus Og, an Irish god who has hunted him for centuries, has at last found him. The Morrigan warns Atticus that the threat is immediate. Atticus would prefer to keep the independent life he has built around his shop, his elderly neighbor Mrs. MacDonagh, and his friends at the pub, but attacks by Aenghus's agents make flight a poor solution. The conflict also draws attention from local police, forcing Atticus to defend himself without exposing what he is.

Atticus begins calling on the network he has built in Arizona. Malina Sokolowski's Polish witches offer information and magical assistance, although neither side forgets their uneasy history. His legal protection comes through Leif Helgarson, a vampire, and Hal Hauk, a werewolf attorney, tying his immediate problem to the local supernatural balance. Brighid, ruler of the Irish Fae, must also consider the competing claims and offenses surrounding Aenghus and Fragarach. Atticus learns that his enemy is using layers of agents, law, and old divine grievances so that defeating any single attacker will not settle the matter. He chooses to remain on ground where his bond to the earth is strongest and to prepare for a direct confrontation.

Further attacks confirm that Aenghus intends to isolate Atticus before closing in. Atticus uses iron, protective bindings, and his knowledge of different supernatural weaknesses to survive, while Oberon helps him track danger and escape ambushes. The Morrigan's warnings remain useful but never free of her own designs. Granuaile, the perceptive bartender Atticus knows from Rula Bula, sees enough of the upheaval to realize that his public identity conceals something extraordinary. As pressure grows, Atticus works to keep uninvolved friends out of the conflict and to prevent mortal authorities from interpreting supernatural violence as an ordinary crime with him at its center.

Flidais, goddess of the hunt, arrives as divine schemes bring a dangerous pursuit into Atticus's territory. Atticus survives by identifying where the gods' goals diverge rather than treating them as a united enemy. At the same time, dealings with Malina's coven grow more complicated, especially where the formidable Radomila is concerned. Atticus accepts that he cannot defeat Aenghus alone, but every prospective ally has a separate grievance or desired payment. He assembles a temporary coalition while continuing to use the Arizona earth as both refuge and source of strength. The approaching battle will decide whether he can finally stop running with Fragarach.

Atticus's alliances hold long enough for him to dismantle the traps surrounding Aenghus's attack. The witches contribute their own forms of magic, while Flidais and the Morrigan bring divine power that Atticus could not match directly. He uses Fragarach and his earth-based bindings with care, knowing that a mistake could cut him off from the source of his strength. Aenghus is forced out from behind intermediaries and into the conflict himself. The old pursuit has become a final contest, but Atticus also recognizes that success will leave him owing favors to allies whose future requests may be nearly as dangerous as his present enemy.

In the final confrontation, Atticus and his temporary allies overcome Aenghus Og's forces, and Atticus kills the god who has hunted him for centuries. He retains Fragarach and returns to Tempe alive, but the network of bargains that made the victory possible remains in place. Leif, Hal, the witches, and the Irish gods all know that Atticus can be drawn into supernatural affairs, and some have favors still to collect. Granuaile now understands that Atticus is an ancient Druid rather than an unusually knowledgeable bookseller. She asks to learn his tradition, and Atticus accepts her as his apprentice. With Oberon beside him, he resumes his Arizona life free of Aenghus's pursuit but tied to a new responsibility and several unresolved debts.

Atticus joins forces with the Morrigan, Flidais, and the Tempe witches for the confrontation Aenghus Og has forced upon him. The battle destroys Aenghus's remaining advantage, and Atticus kills the god who has hunted him for centuries, ending the immediate pursuit over Fragarach. The victory does not make Atticus safe: his alliances with gods, witches, vampires, and werewolves all involve debts that can be called in later. He returns to his life in Tempe with Oberon and keeps the sword. Granuaile, having learned that the supernatural world is real and that Atticus is a genuine Druid, asks him to teach her. He agrees to take her as his apprentice, beginning the long process of training a new Druid while trying to preserve the ordinary life and community he has built.