Chapter Twelve

"And the ocean! We're gonna go see the ocean soon and I can't wait! I wanna see all the fishies and merpeople too!"

Lea's smile couldn't get any bigger as she listened to Thirteen going on and on about his planned adventures with his leopard, Lexi. She never interrupted him, never said his hopes and dreams were silly, just admired him and gushed about how amazing he was. He was drinking it up.

I, on the other hand, didn't talk much. Didn't share much, didn't need to. With the King clear about his feelings regarding me, I didn't think we were going to get to know Lea as well as she had hoped and I didn't want her getting her hopes up either, so my answers to her questions were pretty vague and flat.

It was honestly a little disappointing, though. She seemed like a great female.

She seemed like... a real mother, actually. She loved talking about Hannibal, and her daughter, Havalia, Hannibal's sister and the Atlantean goddess of treasure and wealth, and Hannibal's stepfather, Zetnos, the Atlantean god of the underworld. She gushed and preened about them all like they were the only jewels in the world and I loved that about her. I loved that she loved her kids, her husband. And she didn't just say she loved them; it showed in the way her eyes lit up, the way she looked at the King as if he were the moon and stars, her cheeks flushed, her smiles sparkling.

She truly loved her family.

And I just found that... incredible.

"Ugh, I could just stay here all day," Lea sighed as she rose to her feet, "Unfortunately, I've got some work to attend to. It's busy being a goddess sometimes." Akin smiled understandingly.

"Of course. You know you're always welcome to visit, Lea," he said, making the goddess beam from ear to ear. She threw her arms around Akin for a hug, then released him so she could turn to Thirteen, who threw his hands up and made grabbing motions for a hug too, much to my surprise. Lea looked thrilled and hugged him back.

"I'm really looking forward to getting to know you both," she paused when she got to me, and I just offered her an uncomfortable smile and she seemed to know I wasn't into the hugging thing, so she simply nodded, "And if you need anything, either of you, anything at all, let me know and I'll be right here for you." We nodded as Lea turned to Hannibal.

"And you. Call your sister. She's getting a little out of hand with the bloodletting over in Vitinis."

"The way I hear it, the Vitali deserved it," the King said flatly, "But I'll see what I can do." Lea smiled at that, then leaned in to kiss him on the cheek before she stepped back and vanished on the spot. Something I once again had to adjust to because it just happened so fast. In the blink of an eye, she was gone.

"Alright," Akin declared, "I'm starving. How about some lunch?"

"Actually," Keros said, glancing at me, "I was hoping you'd let me steal Seven. I made some reservations at Titi's Oyster House." Akin's eyes widened, his smile growing.

"Really? That's wonderful, I love that place," he tacked on, giving me a wink, making me look at him curiously. Meanwhile, the King was frowning quite deeply, like he did not approve of this plan at all, which made no sense to me. You'd think he'd love any excuse to get me out of his house. I was starting to think the guy just didn't like anything ever all the time.

What a miserable existence.

"Well, we won't keep you guys," Akin started.

"Don't spend too much time out," the King said, making Akin blink and look at him in distress, "There's still a cult out there looking for you. It's dangerous to spend so much time out and about."

"Of course," Keros agreed, "Just a quick trip for lunch and I'll bring him right back. Couple hours tops." The King studied Keros for a moment, like he wasn't so sure he believed him, but Akin elbowed him in the ribs, much to my surprise. The King didn't retaliate against it at all, just rubbed his ribs while Akin smiled at us.

"Sounds good, take your time, enjoy yourselves, just be vigilant," Akin said, making the King scowl.

"Absolutely," Keros agreed, then turned to me, "Ready?" I nodded. I expected him to touch my arm and teleport us out of there, but much to my relief, he gestured toward the front door and I led the way to the exit. Of course, I could clearly hear the conversation behind me.

"It's not safe," the King's voice rumbled.

"And I understand that," Akin agreed, his tone stern now, "But Keros will protect him. You and I both know he's perfectly capable of doing so. And maybe next time you can watch your tone." There was a short pause.

"Are you mad at me?" The King asked softly.

"I'm taking Thirteen to the park," Akin said instead of answering, "You can go back to doing what you do best." The conversation ended abruptly, so I assumed Akin teleported away with Thirteen, leaving the King to probably stand there feeling like shit. I almost felt sorry for him.

Almost.

Keros and I left the house and headed down the path back toward town. The day was warm, but there was a nice breeze that rustled the trees and petals on the flowers. It felt amazing on my face as we walked. And as we walked, we started talking. About anything and everything.

"So it sounds like you have a big family, especially if you're related to the King," I said. Keros nodded.

"Pretty big, yeah," he agreed, "You'll probably end up meeting quite a few of them while you're here considering they all come to town for Akin's birthday."

"I heard your dad mention someone named Ambrosius?"

"My older brother," Keros replied, "He's coming into town with his family; his husband, Thorn, and his kids, Lumen and Hadrian; they're my cousins."

"How many cousins do you have?" I asked. Keros stopped to stare off into space before he shook his head.

"Too many to count. Let's just stick to the ones I spend the most time with, which would be Lumen, Hadrian, Amenti, Wren, Daphne May. I'm sure I'm missing some others, but they're the ones I tend to spend the most time with."

"That's more than I can say for myself," I said, then paused, "Then again... If I'm really related to the King, I guess I have more cousins than I thought." Keros smiled.

"Yeah, most likely. Especially since there's over a thousand gods in the Atlantean pantheon alone. Then you consider everyone who is married to whoever and their kids. It's one big tree that makes no sense. Don't try and look into it too hard. Just accept that you're probably related to everyone one way or another." His words struck something in me. A sense of surprise, of surrealness. Because I didn't consider who else I would be related to around here, how big the King's family really was, how many new people I'd meet. And so far, I'd only met his mother. What was his sister like? She'd be my aunt, right? I had an aunt? I had cousins?

I still couldn't wrap my mind around the concept of parents. That seemed weird enough. It even felt weird calling Akin and Hannibal my parents, but I guess that was true. We had the same genetics. I looked just like the King, something that still wigged me out when I looked in the mirror.

Gods, no wonder the Mother kept us from calling them our parents. It was so overwhelming. I wasn't sure I'd ever be able to refer to Akin and the King as my parents. Hell, I couldn't even say the King's name. It felt odd.

"You alright?" Keros asked. I blinked and looked at him.

"Yeah, why?"

"You just got this faraway look on your face. Like maybe you were overwhelmed with something," he admitted. I had no idea how he did that. How he read me so easily. Was it really that obvious? Or was he just good at reading me in particular? I wasn't sure. It brought me back to what Keros had said before, back when he kissed me. He had asked me about soulmates.

"Soulmates," I said, making Keros look at me in surprise, "You mentioned something about soulmates, before. Is that... Something you still think about?" Keros was silent for a moment, studying me, before his lips twitched a little, like he was suppressing a smile.

"Yes."

"What does it mean? Exactly. I think I get the idea, but I just... It's not that romance wasn't a thing where I'm from," I found myself explaining, "It just never happened with me." Keros frowned.

"I don't see how it couldn't."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, first of all, you're incredibly brave," Keros drawled, making my cheeks heat at the compliment, something I wasn't used to at all, "You left a terrifying place, risked everything, to come find your brother. Second, you're absolutely the most beautiful person I've ever seen in my life."

"Don't say that," I blurted, making Keros look at me bewildered.

"Why? It's the truth."

"I'm just not used to it," I admitted uncomfortably, tucking my hands in my pockets, "I didn't... say anything before, because... I don't know. I was afraid of what you'd say, but the reason I don't do well with teleporting, the reason it makes me sick, is that I can't use magic. Like, at all. Whatsoever. I'm kinda useless." Keros stared at me for a second, then scowled.

"I don't see you as useless at all."

"Don't you think it's at least weird? An artificial with no magic?"

"I'm definitely curious," Keros admitted, "But I certainly don't think you're weird or useless. If anyone is weird, it's the person who can see the future and can't do shit about it." I frowned.

"I don't think that's weird."

"I'm glad we got that covered," Keros said with a smile, "I appreciate it. And I don't see you as anything less than perfect, Seven." I blushed hard, clearing my throat and looking down at my shoes as we finally made it into town. It was pretty busy with people bustling to and fro without a care in the world, mostly tourists gliding in and out of shops, all around kiosks in the street. Some street performers were set up here and there, music blaring from massive speakers. It was a little too much for me at once, but thankfully it didn't last long as we arrived at the restaurant.

It was a pretty place set right near the water, so the floor to ceiling windows looked out over the ocean and beach. It wasn't terribly crowded either, which was nice. There was a line when we arrived, but thanks to our reservations, we were able to skip ahead and get to our secluded table near a corner, a perfect view of the beach and the ocean waves crashing to shore.

As I sat down, watching Keros take his seat, I realized something that made me go still.

I'd never been on a date in my life.

And that's what this was, wasn't it? A date?

Dates happened back at the compound, but they weren't like restaurant dates, at least not for those of us still confined to the compound. Those dates consisted of visiting each others' rooms for long periods of time or sharing snacks at meal times. Nothing like going to a fancy restaurant with an ocean view.

Holy fuck, I thought as I sat there anxiously, watching Keros take a couple of menus from our server. A date. What did one do on a date in the outside world? A restaurant meant food, which meant eating, which-- okay. Understood. But would we go to a bedroom afterwards?

Heat flared up in my cheeks and I looked down to avoid anyone noticing as Keros started to look at the menu. I took mine and held it up to hide my face as I studied the names of foods I'd never heard of before, things I'd never tried before, but was eager to test out.

"I recommend their House Oyster platter," Keros said as we studied the menus, "It's got several different kinds of oysters to try, plus it comes with a side. I was thinking of getting the steak, though... Not big on oysters." I looked at him curiously.

"Then why did we come to an oyster house?" I asked. Keros shrugged, looking surprisingly embarrassed as he scratched the tip of his nose.

"Well, it's one of Atlantis's big things, oysters, and I know you wanted to try more Atlantean food, so I figured this was a good spot," he replied. I felt a smile spread across my face at that, the pink in my cheeks probably growing brighter.

"Ah, thank you. I'm excited to try them. I've never had them."

"They're good, according to my sister. She loves them."

"Holly?"

"Yeah. Ayo's not big on seafood as a whole. He likes land meat, as he calls it," Keros responded dryly, making me laugh a little. That sounded like him. I smiled at that.

"I don't think I'll ever get sick of you talking about your family," I admitted, making Keros blink and look up, "I've never been exposed to a family like yours before." Keros studied me for a moment, then shrugged and smiled faintly.

"I guess I never considered how lucky I am before. You've got a point... They're still annoying, though, every last one of them," he tacked on with a snort. I laughed at that. We talked a bit more about his family, about his cousins and his parents, his siblings, his grandfather, Hades. That was a topic that made me uncomfortable, and very confused.

I'd been raised to believe Hades was nothing more than a weak willed coward with no vision. The Mother specifically taught us that he was only deadly to our people because he could melt artificials on the spot if he really wanted to. But he'd probably try and brainwash us first, steal us away from the Mother, make us join his gang of weak willed pussies. That was how our teachers put it back at the compound, though.

But it clashed with everything Keros was telling me. According to Keros, Hades was a mega powerful scientist who loved his family more than anything and would do anything in his power to protect them. He'd fought hundreds of vile monsters to protect them and his people. But he was humble; he didn't want to be leader of the Greek pantheon. He loved his people, his place in the world, his family, his lover, science. He just sounded like a passionate person.

At the same time, it was so hard to reconcile that with what I'd been taught. I was so confused.

It only made me more confused when he talked about the King as someone who was also righteous and kind. That, I wasn't so sure about considering the King clearly did not want me around and he wasn't shy about it either. He was constantly watching me with obvious distrust and he didn't look happy to see me when I first arrived either. He just looked at me like an intruder, and frankly, I couldn't blame him. Some person shows up out of the blue and says you're his father. That's gotta be shocking as fuck. I couldn't imagine handling that well either.

At the same time, it made me worried. I really hoped he decided to take in Thirteen at the very least. He didn't have to take me, just let me visit Thirteen, that was all. I wondered if I could talk to him about it. If he'd come to an agreement of some kind.

"He's really not that bad," Keros assured me, making me raise an eyebrow, "Sometimes people build up defenses because of trauma and I'd say he has more than his fair share, if rumors I hear are true in Styx." I frowned.

"Rumors?" I asked. Keros wrinkled his nose.

"It's not really dinner appropriate, but... let's just say that the King has made mistakes and people made sure he suffered for it. Terribly," he muttered, making me frown, "But anyway. He'll warm up to you, I'm sure. Especially once he gets to know you. I've definitely come to like you more and more the more we talk." I felt heat rising into my cheeks again.

"I don't know how you can just say things like that."

"Like what?"

"Like... I don't know. Flirtatiously?"

"Cuz I am flirting," Keros replied with a shrug, making me clear my throat awkwardly and shift around in my seat, "I like you. A lot."

"Why, though?"

"Didn't you already ask me that?"

"I just can't wrap my head around it, sorry."

"Don't apologize. I just want you to see you as wonderfully as I do," Keros admitted. I couldn't stop myself from smiling and reached up to hide it, covering it up with an awkward cough. I just couldn't wrap my head around it. What did he like so much about me? What was so special about me? What did he see that no one at the compound saw?

Our server brought our food shortly after we ordered and we dug in. Of course, the oysters were fucking incredible and Keros had to show me how to eat them. Something about them was so fresh and salty and delicious. I absolutely loved it, but it didn't fill me up. I sat there, waiting to feel full, hoping Keros didn't notice.

"I'm going to order more," Keros said, surprising me a moment later, "That steak was good, but not nearly enough to fill me up. You still hungry?"

"Ah, yeah, actually."

"Great, let's get a couple menus and order more," Keros said, getting up to flag down our server. I smiled at that, watching him leave and come back with the menus. As we settled in to look things over again, I felt a strange tingling sensation on the back of my neck. I frowned slowly and looked up, meeting Keros's eyes.

"Someone's watching us," he said, keeping his voice low. I nodded at that, glancing around casually before looking back down at our menu.

"Doesn't feel like one of mine," I admitted, making Keros nod in agreement, "They'd have attacked by now. I think it's one of yours." Keros cracked a smile.

"Not mine. The King's," he said, making me blink and look up, "Guess the King doesn't trust me as much as I thought he did." I frowned.

"He sent one of his own to watch me?"
"Probably to make sure you're safe," Keros assured. I didn't believe that for a second. The King clearly didn't trust me personally and sent one of his little guys out to keep an eye on me.

"Third table back," Keros said without looking up, "Coke bottle glasses, short dark hair, drinking champagne." I flipped my hair back over my shoulder, at the same time glancing over and sure enough spotting the spy sitting at his own table three tables away, holding up a menu and looking at it innocently. He was very unassuming, but he looked up a couple times and caught my eye once, immediately looking back down and confirming he was indeed watching us.

I looked around, spotting our server and flagging him down. He hurried over. I picked up my napkin, wadded it up, and shoved it into my glass, handing it to the server.

"Could you do me a favor and pass that onto the gentleman sitting three tables that way? Yeah, him," I said with a smile. The server looked at me warily, but thankfully completed his mission, earning a dirty look from the spy, which I met with a smile before looking back down at my menu.

"Cute," Keros commented with a smirk, making me shrug.

"I can take care of myself," I answered, "I don't need anyone to watch me. Plus, I don't think he sent the guy to take care of me." Keros frowned.

"Why else would he send someone to keep an eye on you?"

"He doesn't trust me," I stated, looking up, "And I'm not blaming him for it. I get it. But I don't like to be spied on." Keros shrugged and nodded in agreement.

"Makes sense. But I hope you're wrong and he's just trying to protect you."

"I'd like to think that, but he already doesn't like me," I said, making Keros sigh, "Again, I'm not blaming him for it. I show up out of nowhere and throw off his routine and shit. I'd be pissed too." Keros shrugged a little.

"I suppose. I still like to think things will get better between you two, though." I smiled, but I wasn't so sure about that.

Our next order came and we polished it off pretty quick before we headed out of the restaurant and back toward the palace. We took a long, roundabout way to get back to the palace too, so we had more time to talk. It was pleasant and relaxing. We ended up where there were less people, and as we walked, I noticed Keros was getting closer, and noticed his hand brushing mine. I swallowed at that, glanced down, looked back up. A second later, I felt his hands encompass mine and I tried not to smile like a complete moron at how excited that made me.

As we approached the palace, I found myself wishing we could spend more time together, spend more time outside the house, but I knew it was getting late and Keros would probably have to get back to his family and I'd feel shitty if I kept him from his family.

"I appreciate this," I said, looking at Keros as we stood outside the front door, "Taking me out. Talking to me. Everything. Hopefully someday I can pay you back." Keros smiled at that, releasing my hand, lifting his hands to cup my face.

"Maybe you can," he murmured, then leaned down and captured my lips in a kiss. I moaned, savoring the sensation of his lips against mine, lifting my hands to place over his on my face. He parted his lips against mine, and I did the same, following his lead. I wanted to kiss him forever, but the kiss was cut short when the front door opened and the King filled the doorway like a massive shadow. Keros stepped back immediately and I pulled away to glare at the King, who frowned at me, then at Keros.

"It's been three hours," the King said. Keros nodded.

"My apologies. It took a while to get our food. I'll make sure next time it's closer to home too," he added. The King's expression said he wasn't so sure if there was a next time, which irritated me. What business was it of his whether I went out with Keros again or not?

"Maybe tomorrow," I said, turning to look at Keros, who looked at me in surprise, "Except we can go for dinner instead." Keros glanced at the King, then back at me and nodded.

"Sure. Whatever you want. How about eight?" He asked. I nodded and Keros smiled a little, then quickly wiped it off his face when he looked back at the King, who continued this weird death stare. Keros vanished a second later and I turned and shoved past the King to get into the house.

"Oh," I said, pausing and turning to look at the King as he closed the door and turned to face me, "And don't ever send one of your lackeys behind me again. I don't appreciate being followed." The King frowned, folding his arms over his chest.

"It was for your safety," he responded. I glared.

"I'm not an invalid. I can take care of myself," I snapped. The King's eyes flickered and darkened. He clearly didn't like being sassed, not that I gave a shit.

"Fine," he said, "I'll remember that."

"Do so," I threw back, unable to resist having the last word before I turned and headed back toward my bedroom. I slammed the door shut, unintentionally to be honest, and went to sit on my bed, glaring at the floor.

What business was it of his anyway that I hung out with Keros or went out on my own? He wasn't my father. Genetics, sure, whatever, but he wasn't in charge of me. He couldn't dictate where I could and couldn't go. I was a fucking adult.

Shit. I didn't even want to be here. I was only here for Thirteen. I'd have to remember to talk to Akin about that in the morning.

No sooner did the thought cross my mind did I feel a strange tingling sensation climb up my back. Scowling, I shot to my feet and spun around, doing a slow scan of the room. I didn't see anything out of place. I frowned, heading to the bathroom and poking my head inside to see if anyone was in there, but it was empty. I came back out into the bedroom for a moment before I narrowed my eyes.

"Six," I stated.

There was a ripple in the room, very subtle. I turned to face the intruder in my room as he materialized in the corner of the room. Six was different from the others at the compound. Not just because he could hide any trace of himself due to a fuck up in his genetics, but he wasn't nearly as shitty as the other people I had worked with. He was one of the rare ones that didn't fuck with me, or hold company with those who did.

Six was taller than me, wider, built like a bodybuilder with thick muscles. His short wavy black hair was tousled by the breeze created by his materialization, his hazel eyes sharp and shrewd. He was decked out in the all black uniform of our people. He appeared with a grim expression.

"You've caused quite a shitstorm, Seven," he greeted.

"Tell me about it," I muttered.