Chapter Nineteen

"We're sticking to St. John's plan," Athena said after a long silence following St. John's disclosure of the artifact, "It's the only solid one we have that could work whether Atlan shows up or not." None of the other gods seemed to protest the idea, and with that, the meeting was adjourned, mostly.

Most of the gods vanished as soon as the meeting was over, probably desperate to escape the tension in the room from having so many gods who hated each other. However, a few stayed behind, including Aphrodite, Hera, Zeus, Hades, Athena, and Lucifer. Hannibal, Menoetius, Arikos, and I remained behind as well.

"Maybe you should return Anexius to Apollo," Lucifer said as we approached them, and Hades cast me a quick glance, then scoffed as if the idea was ludicrous, not that I disagreed. Apollo and I had gotten dangerously close recently and I wasn't sure where it was headed. I was sure, however, that I didn't want to know. It could be disastrous and it could be too difficult and right now, there were more important things to worry about than our relationship, whatever it may be now.

"No," Zeus spoke up, sounding surprisingly serious now as he shoved his seat in and gave Hades a begrudgingly grateful stare, "Apollo has gotten too close to the Atlantean. It's better this way." Hades frowned now. Hera nodded, putting her hands on her hips, her stern blue navy pinstripe suit and skirt a dead-set match to her personality.

"Zeus is right," she replied, "Apollo has to worry about more important things. And after his last attachment, it's best he remains as he is. The last thing we need is another dark day in Greece." I wasn't sure if they were honestly saying this out of worry for Apollo, or just that his relationships would be an inconvenience to them. Either way, it bothered me.

"Speaking of a dark day in Greece," Zeus said dryly, turning to Hades, who arched a brow, "You should stay until the mission is over. Just in case."

"Just in case," Hades echoed, obviously not intrigued by the idea. Lucifer narrowed his eyes on Zeus.

"If you think for one second you can--"

"Oh, please," Zeus scoffed, "I have no interest in Hades right now. I have more important things to worry about, like our impending doom and the fact that my fucking house was blown away by an Atlantean cunt. Find a place to stay for the night and we'll execute the plan tomorrow at dawn." Hades stared at him for the longest time, like he was trying to gauge the truth of Zeus's words and Zeus just shrugged.

"Or don't believe me. I couldn't care less. If you'll excuse me, I have a palace to rebuild." He vanished a second later. Hera cut Hades an irritated glare, then vanished after him.

"If I didn't know any better, I'd say she was jealous," St. John said dryly. Lucifer glared at him, but Hades didn't seem to hear him. He was too busy thinking about something else.

"Where would you like me to go?" I asked after a moment. Hades blinked, snapping out of his trance to look at me flatly.

"Stay here. To be honest, I didn't like taking custody of you. There's a reason I outlawed slavery, but since yours is bound by the Source, you have no choice. Besides, I rather you stay here and keep an eye on everything for me. Lucifer and I are going to stay the night, but we'll be at Ares's place. I have no doubt he'd welcome you there too," he explained. I nodded and St. John made a noise of supreme disgust.

"I'll have to stay too then. Great. Just what I wanted; spending a Saturday night on Mt. Fuck Up," he said dryly. Hades gave him a bored stare.

"Nobody invited you."

"Unfortunately, wherever Lucifer goes, I go," St. John returned. Hades looked less than pleased and Lucifer just sighed, running a hand through his hair before giving me an apologetic stare. I just offered him a smile until I noticed Hades was looking at me intently. I glanced at him as the others started to converse about the plan tomorrow.

Anexius, if you hear me, blink once. Hades's voice said in my head. I froze for a second, caught off guard by his voice. It was clear and crisp in my head, but his lips never moved. I blinked after a moment and Hades relaxed, but only to a degree.

First of all, yes. I can read everything going through that head of yours, and you thankfully provided me with plenty of information during the meeting. You overheard something between Aphrodite and St. John. Something's going on between them, but I'm not sure what it is. St. John is strong enough to block my powers, so I can't read what's going on in his head. Aphrodite seems pretty good at thinking of different things so I can't pick up on what she's planning with him. This is where you come in.

I raised an eyebrow at that. You want me to spy on them for you.

Spy's such a dirty way of putting it, he said, the corner of his lips curving toward a wicked smile, call it an insurance policy. Find out what those two have going on. Find out what the key is, whatever it is. I nodded after a moment of hesitance, mostly because I wasn't sure I could do this without getting caught. What excuse could I possibly use to be around St. John and Aphrodite? I could conceal my powers a bit better than any other god, but for how long and would it even work with St. John given that he was a first?

I had no idea, and Hades seemed finished poking around in my head, giving me a terrible migraine.

"Come on," Hades said abruptly, making Lucifer look at him, "We're going to get our room and grab something to eat. I'm thinking wine tonight." Lucifer looked thrilled at the suggestion, then looked at St. John.

"We'll meet you at Ares's," he said, and Hades vanished first before Lucifer leaned closer to St. John, who grimaced, "And don't follow us." With that, he vanished with a pop and St. John narrowed his eyes at the spot where Hades had been standing. If that look didn't say extreme dislike, I wasn't sure what did.

"I'll probably go back to Apollo's," Arikos said, giving me a sympathetic stare and I just tried to offer him a smile, "I'll meet you at Ares's place in a couple hours to go over the plan one more time." He disappeared. Menoetius looked uncomfortable when I glanced at him, and he avoided my eyes to look in Hannibal's direction.

"I need to grab some things from the apartment. I'll be back tonight." He vanished and Hannibal frowned immediately. I cleared my throat awkwardly when I noticed Athena, Aphrodite, and St. John staring at us.

"We'll walk ourselves out," I said, gesturing to the hall. Aphrodite nodded and gave me a smile.

"Hope you guys show up in time for dinner! Ares is gonna help make it tonight and if anyone has a great palate, it's my baby," she pointed out. I returned her smile.

"Sounds great. See you for dinner then." I gave her a nod before Hannibal and I headed for the exit. As we walked down the hall outside the dining room, and rounded the corner, I caught Hannibal by the arm and pulled him to a stop. He looked at me curiously, but I held a finger to my lips and sent a warm shield of power around us to conceal our powers, which was made even more difficult considering Hannibal's power was like a nuclear power plant in comparison to my own.

I moved to the corner of the hall and peered around it to see Athena, Aphrodite, and St. John still in the dining hall, and I tuned in my hearing to listen in.

"If you'd like, I could give you a quick tour of the mountain," Athena offered St. John, but the demon shook his head and waved his hand at her in dismissal.

"I could probably give you a lengthy detailed tour of this place myself," he responded, and Athena raised an eyebrow at St. John's arrogant comment, "Besides, it doesn't matter. I won't stay here for long or be around enough to see the place." Athena inclined her head and vanished in a column of smoke.

St. John and Aphrodite stood in silence for a moment, and I could feel their power pulsing through the air as if double-checking to make sure no one was listening in. Thankfully, they didn't seem to feel Hannibal and I as Aphrodite spoke, her voice low and angry.

"You just sent every single important playing pieces we have to the field. Are you completely insane?" She folded her arms tight over her chest, fists clenching and a spark of fire lightning in her eyes and along her fingertips before vanishing. St. John didn't appear as angry as he approached one of the tall windows that looked out over the crystal lake, his pink eyes flickering over the landscape.

"You have to move the King at some point, Aphrodite. Even you know that," he said. Aphrodite clenched her teeth, took a deep breath, then came up beside him to study the landscape with him, but it was as if neither of them were actually seeing it.

"This isn't a game, Jo," she said grimly, "Lives are at stake here. Yours, mine, the universe. We're servants of the Source, and it's our job to protect it and its first borns." St. John glanced at her, then back out the window. His expression darkened and he put a hand on his hip, the other hand reaching up to stroke the space at the base of his throat.

"Don't you think I know that? Besides, it's easier to think of it as a game. Making smart moves is easier that way."

"Smart moves involves sending the hybrids? The key?" Aphrodite demanded. My eyes widened slightly at that and Hannibal's features twisted in confusion. We shared nervous glances.

"This mission will test them appropriately," St. John replied calmly, "It'll teach the hybrids the true extent of their powers and it'll teach the key its true purpose. Not to mention, we'd take that spell from Atlan. Right now, we're in check, Aphrodite. Atlan can move wherever he fucking wants. The question is why hasn't he done anything yet?"

"He attacked Anexius and stole from Zeus. I'd say that's something."

"You think a little poking with a stick and a theft makes a move? Did you learn nothing the first time Atlan unleashed Xiphrus on us?" St. John demanded, turning to face her. Aphrodite tensed.

"Need I remind you that I was born during his attack. I know what he's capable of. I'm just wondering why you don't see his recent move as dangerous."

"Because Atlan can do a whole lot worse than stealing, intimidating, and lying," St. John replied bitterly, turning to look back out the window, "He's planning something really big, Ro. And I don't think it has anything to do with that spell." Aphrodite frowned. They were silent for the longest time before I decided to take my leave. My powers were dwindling fast trying to conceal mine and Hannibal's, so I took him by the arm and led him down the hallway, waiting until we were safely outside.

"The key. It's a person, isn't it?" Hannibal asked after a moment. I frowned, looking at him.

"It sounds like it. But who?" I asked. Hannibal stared at me.

"It'd make more sense if it were you."

"Are you saying that because you don't like Menoetius?" I asked. Hannibal frowned.

"My personal issues with Menoetius have no place in this war. I suggested you because it makes sense since Atlantis seems to be at the center of this all. What better key than an Atlantean?"

"I don't know, Hannibal. We can't say for sure. All we know is that St. John and Aphrodite aren't a threat. They seem to be on our side. They're just doing their own thing to stop this war... I think what bothers me most is that St. John seems to think Atlan has another plan aside from using that spell," I explained as we started walking toward the marketplace. Hannibal still wore a stern frown on his face. I probably shouldn't have brought up his relationship with Menoetius, but I couldn't help, but notice how much Hannibal singled him out, and the fact that he didn't seem to protest the idea of Menoetius dying again.

"Atlan has one main goal," Hannibal said as we walked, keeping our voices down so that the nearby faes didn't hear us, "He wants to rule the pantheons and he wants to destroy the Greeks." I nodded.

"And in order to do that, he needs you, Xiphrus, and Arikos. I get why he needs Xiphrus, and I get why he needs you. I'm still iffy on Arikos."

"There's more to Arikos than we know," Hannibal admitted quietly. He didn't elaborate, but he didn't need to.

"Atlan took a detour on his world domination plan to come after the Khalian," I said after a moment, "But that doesn't mean he's completely abandoned his original plan. He may have been planning the entire time he was hunting the Khalian. It probably hasn't been that hard to kill us off considering we were made with his blood. He can probably find us rather quickly. I'll bet you anything he let the Olympians capture Xeli, Kali, and Teslius, knowing they would die after he sent Drastia in to distract them from his theft. As far as he's concerned, Teslius is also dead. He might be safe for now."

"For now," Hannibal echoed grimly, "Hopefully we can get rid of Atlan before that changes." I nodded in agreement, then sighed and wiped my hands down my face, stressed beyond belief. Nothing would give me greater pleasure than a hot bath right now. And sex. And that last thought stung more than it should have, because my immediate go to was Apollo.

"Actually," I said, stopping on the path and Hannibal turned to look at me, "You go ahead. I have a quick errand to run." Hannibal studied me for a moment before he nodded. I teleported away from him and to Apollo's temple.

The moment I appeared in the main hall, I knew something was wrong. The air was stale and cold. The drapes that fell down on either side of Apollo's chaise were torn, the stuffing torn out of his chaise, tables overturned, food scattered and wine spilling in an eerie red river toward the hall. A chill crept through me and I followed the wine out into the hallway, and what I saw through the windows on the other side chilled me to the bone and a silent gasp parted my lips.

Hyacinth's garden was destroyed.

Flowers were torn up out of the soil, dirt tossed about carelessly, the fountain figure of Hyacinth smashed to rubble so that only the prince's feet remained and water sputtered helplessly from the broken pipes. Every last flower had been yanked out of the soil.

Apollo never would have done that. He loved that garden. He spent hours just laying amongst the flowers, sitting in the dirt and stroking the petals marked from his tears the day he lost his Hyacinth.

Suddenly terrified, I stole down the hallway toward Apollo's bedroom first. I barely made it down the hallway before Arikos came out of the room he'd been staying in, a dagger held up in preparation to stab me before he realized I wasn't an intruder.

"Anexius! You scared the piss out of me!" He snapped. I winced, my heart pounding like crazy in my chest as I held my hand over it for a moment before taking a step back.

"Arikos, what happened? What's going on here?" I demanded. Arikos shook his head, sheathing his dagger.

"I have no idea. I just showed up here and everything was torn apart. I thought maybe your sun god had a temper tantrum, but he's not anywhere. I couldn't find Ares either," he explained. More panic flooded through my veins and I rushed past him to check Apollo's room anyway, and I almost fell to my knees when I saw the destruction inside.

The canopy bed had been smashed to pieces, mattress overturned, clothes strewn everywhere, almost as if someone were looking for something, or just wanted to make a general hellish mess out of everything. Drawers yanked out of dressers, the vanity mirror shattered, and worse was the splatter of blood across the headboard of the bed. My heart surged into my throat and I clasped a hand over my mouth.

"We need to tell the others," Arikos said, coming up beside me, "This isn't normal. This has Atlan written all over it." The blood in my veins ran cold as I remembered Atlan's threat to destroy everyone close to me and I suddenly felt sick to my stomach as I stepped back and slid down the door frame. Arikos winced.

"Anexius, we can't stay here. We have to tell Hades." His words barely registered.

My fault.

Again. This was one of the reasons I didn't want to get too close to Apollo. He was going to end up like Dexius. If he hadn't already. I trembled at the thought of the horrible things Atlan could do to him. I'd already seen what he'd done to Dexius, to Arikos and Hannibal. Atlan wasn't going to just kill him; he was going to torture him.

"Anexius." Arikos's voice called out to me at the same time a faint breeze swept through the room, ruffling my clothes and hair. I froze as I recognized that breeze and shot to my feet, looking around the room.

"Hyacinth! Hyacinth, where are you?" I demanded. Arikos looked at me like I was crazy and reached for his cell phone, probably to dial Hannibal or Hades, but I didn't care so much as I moved into the middle of the room, trying to reach out to Hyacinth. I could feel him struggling to form himself, to form some kind of response.

Then I felt a strange tickle against the back of my neck, someone pressing themselves up against me from behind, stealing my breath away. A strange coldness settled inside me, an eerie sensation of someone taking over.

And suddenly everything around me changed. The room was no longer destroyed, no blood, nothing. At least, not until a door flew up and smashed against the bedpost, making me jump and turn to see Apollo coming into the bedroom, having knocked the door off its hinges. He was breathing ragged, dark blue eyes welled with tears. He stormed into the room and smashed the dresser, the bed, a few more things until he ended up sitting at the end of the bed on the floor, his knees drawn to his chest, his arms over his head.

"You can't control him," a voice said quietly from the doorway. I turned to see Ares come inside, frowning down at Apollo, who jerked his head up to glare at him.

"Shut up! Get out!"

"Anexius isn't a toy, Apollo," Ares said calmly, and Apollo winced, "You can't keep trying to control him. He's a god, just like you and just like me. He wants to save his family, what's left of it. He has other people he cares about." Apollo clenched his teeth in frustration, fists balling up against his legs.

"He's going to get himself killed," he seethed. Ares frowned.

"Anexius is stronger in that. You have to have faith in that, in him."

"The last time I had faith in someone he fucking died! Hyacinth was the same way," Apollo shouted, but Ares didn't react as Apollo shot to his feet and smashed the bedpost, cutting his palm open so blood spattered across the wall, and he cursed, clenching his fist and pressing it against his chest, "Hyacinth was supposed to be strong too. He wasn't supposed to die. I was supposed to make him mine. He was going to be my consort and...! And now Anexius? I'm done! I can't do this anymore!" Ares tilted his head slightly, leaning casually back against the door frame, arms folded over his chest.

"Can't do what?" He asked. Breathlessly, Apollo looked around the room, like he wasn't sure what he wanted to smash next. When he couldn't find anything, he slumped down on the floor on his knees, tears welling up in his eyes again. Ares seemed to understand and he pushed off the door frame. He didn't approach Apollo, just watched him have his meltdown.

"Apollo, it's not easy once you find someone like Anexius, or Hyacinth. Especially now with everything going on with the Atlanteans. But Anexius is strong and he knows what it's like to lose someone close to him. It's why he's so desperate to fight for his family and friends. He won't go down easily. And you know, it might help if you showed him that you think of him as more than just a slave," he pointed out. Apollo winced and put his arms around himself tightly.

"Why are you here? Are you trying to con me into something?" He asked without looking up. Ares shook his head.

"That's not my job. I'm here on behalf of Anexius," he answered, and at Apollo's confused stare, Ares sighed, "You stormed out of Poseidon's place like a mad man. You scared him. He's worried about you and the moment you left, he prayed that I help you and that's what I'm doing here." Apollo still looked confused as he lowered his gaze to the floor. Ares frowned.

"You know you can't control someone you love, Apollo. That's not what love is. Love is, however, being scared to lose someone. And sometimes fear can make us act crazy. Trust me, my son is the embodiment of it," he tacked on, referring to Phobos. There was a long silence and Apollo turned away from him.

"Think about it." With that, Ares vanished. Apollo stayed quiet, seated on the floor, staring at it like he hoped it had all the answers. I felt the air around me stir suddenly and Apollo cursed, getting to his feet and moving to his nightstand, probably for his emergency stash of alcohol there.

"Go away, Ares. I'm done with your oracle bullshit," he snapped. A low chuckle followed and Apollo froze and my eyes shot to the door where Atlan stood, my breath coming out in a sharp gasp. Atlan pulled the hood down from his burgundy cloak and Apollo whirled around, baring his fangs.

"Too bad your brother's oracle bullshit couldn't predict this," Atlan said smugly. Apollo curled his lip and flung his hand out, sending a ball of flames at him, but Atlan caught it and threw it back. Apollo cursed and sidestepped it, using his powers to put it out before he turned back to Atlan.

"What the hell are you doing here?" He demanded. Atlan wore that plastic smile of his as he moved a few steps closer and Apollo moved back a few more.

"I'm here to teach my son a lesson. I've already gotten rid of all his siblings-- well, save for one, who's here to help me," he admitted with a shrug. Another pulse in the air and Apollo snapped around just in time for Ulenon to appear near the windows, throwing his palm out and sending a blast of power that smashed Apollo into the wall. Apollo hit the floor, breathing hard and jerking his head up as blood oozed from a cut in his mouth and near his temple.

"Now, hold still while I have fun destroying your palace," Atlan said with a calm I certainly didn't feel, "Anexius will have a fit when he returns to find his lover's home in shambles." This time, Apollo laughed and Atlan frowned.

"I'm not his lover, you friggin' psychopath. I was his master. Hades owns him now." Apollo spit blood from his mouth, propping himself up, then hissing when Ulenon appeared beside him to grab a handful of his hair, yanking his head back in a way that made me wince and rub my own neck. Atlan's frown deepened.

"Hades again," he muttered after a moment, "It seems everywhere I go, his name is in someone's mouth. He'll certainly be one of the first Greeks to go, after you anyway... Just because Hades owns him doesn't mean Hades will have his heart the way you do. I haven't seen Anexius this rebellious and opinionated since Dexius. And I can't have that happen again." He nodded to Ulenon, who inclined his head before smashing his fist against Apollo's jaw, sending him sprawling to the floor.

Apollo panted hard and swung his leg around, knocking Ulenon's out from under him. Apollo caught him and threw him at Atlan's feet before he standing up slowly. Ulenon growled, rising to his feet as Atlan smirked.

"You fight harder than Dexius did. Dexius just screamed the entire time. Let's see how long before you start screaming," he said. Apollo's eyes glowed menacingly and he bared his fangs again.

"Bring it on, bitch. I'd like to see you try." His challenge was noted and Ulenon rushed him. I winced and I felt Hyacinth's presence in me tremble and his voice break into a wail of agony. He twisted and the image in front of me melted slowly in streams, vanishing completely just as Ulenon caught Apollo around the neck and a sickening crack rang out.

I gasped as Hyacinth pulled away from me and I felt the cold air around me stir as his spirit moved around me. I could hear his soft sobs, and his final whisper,

Please, Anexius, please save him. Please don't let that bastard hurt him. Please. I'm begging you. My heart broke at his desperation and fear washed over me as I felt Hyacinth fade away, having used up all his energy for the day on showing me what happened to Apollo.

"Anexius, are you alright?" Arikos approached me, looking concerned. I blinked and looked at him.

"What?" I asked for confirmation. He frowned.

"Are you alright? You just froze up there for a second and I thought you had finally snapped," he answered. I turned to face him fully and he took a step back, like he was uneasy around me. I frowned.

"Call the others back," I stated, and Arikos raised an eyebrow.

"Why?"

"Because we're going to Atlantis. Tonight."