Chapter Nine

"So let me get this straight, you've been hiding the most wanted dude in the underworld, in your house, for the past week and nobody knows about it?"

Abel stood in the middle of the living room, arms folded over his chest and eyes locked one me in a manner that reminded me of a sniper rifle ready to fire off. I swallowed hard, glancing past him at Alexion, who stood in the kitchen archway, still looking uncomfortable at being discovered. I don't know what possessed him to blow his cover for a pot boiling over, maybe to protect my house from exploding or the food itself or some weird instinct, but whatever it was, it had gotten us into trouble. I could only be thankful that it was Abel who'd discovered him and not Hades himself.

"Yes," I managed at last, "B-But it's not what you think. I haven't switched sides or anything, I swear. I just... I just..." I couldn't find a less pathetic way of saying I didn't want to be alone anymore, or I started to feel a strong connection with Alexion that I had yet to delve into. So I just went silent as Abel started at me intently. If he was as intuitive as he claimed to be, surely he'd pick up on my meaning. The last thing I needed was to be accused of treachery. I already walked a fine line between life and death in Hades's eyes. I didn't need to give him a reason to do it.

And where my sudden need for self-preservation came from, I had no idea.

Maybe it was because I felt there was something to live for.

"Okay," Abel said at last, his brow furrowing in a frown as he turned at an angle so he could look at both Alexion and I, obviously not trusting the Titan at his back, "All right, so, my brother has been shacking it up with a Titan. Okay."

"No," Alexion protested, angry and embarrassed as he came into the living room and Abel instantly stepped away from him, causing Alexion to stop a good few feet from him, eyes narrowed, "He's allowing me to stay here in exchange for my assistance in his work and life. I cook for him and clean for him and organize his work for him. That's it." Abel glared at him suspiciously, then looked at me for confirmation and I could only nod.

For some reason, Alexion's denial to Abel's suggestion of a relationship between us hurt. Of course there couldn't be anything between us, but he had denied it so strongly, as if he could think of several people far better than me. I pushed the thought away, hating myself for even thinking that way, because he obviously didn't mean it that way. It was just the way my screwed up mind interpreted it.

"Hades will kill you if he finds out." Abel stated, eyes locked on me.

"I know." I replied quietly.

"And I'll kill Hades," Alexion snapped, making Abel and I look at him in surprise, "Charon has done nothing wrong. If Hades finds out, I'll just tell him I threatened Charon into doing it for me." Abel snorted, putting a hand on his hip, cocking it to the side in a pose that questioned Alexion's intelligence.

"That wouldn't work. Charon can't be killed." He responded flatly. I glared at Abel for that little piece of information. Alexion shrugged.

"Let's pretend I know how." He replied dryly. Abel still didn't look like he approved. He kept passing a suspicious glare between Alexion and I, making me wonder if my assumption that he thought I switched sides was wrong or right.

"Say something." I said at last. Abel sighed, furrowing his brow in irritation, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"First Malachi, then Theo, then Zelios, Cain, Cerberus, now you? There are so many reasons why this relationship will piss Hades off. Like, I can't even come up with all the reasons. He'll fry your ass faster than Kentucky Fried Chicken. Even worse, and I would say no offense, Alexion, but you jumped me, so take all the offense you want. Charon, Alexion is a fugitive. He's dangerous. The fact that he hasn't actually tried to kill you is shocking." He explained bitterly. I glanced at Alexion, who glared at Abel.

"I only went after the Sons of Hades because they were in my way. I wanted to get to the Titans. Now that my powers are drained, and it'll take another several thousand years before they return to me. Right now, I'm the least of your problems, because Prometheus is out there and is coming after Charon, no doubt." Alexion said, folding his arms over his chest. Abel frowned at that.

"That may be so, but we still can't risk hiding you. Hades has already fucked us enough."

"You and me both."

"Yeah, well, when it comes to my brothers, they're always first. You're the last person on my list that I want to help. If you want to help Charon, which is what it sounds like you're trying to say, then you have to leave."

"No," I blurted, making Abel look at me in surprise, "I... I don't want him to leave, Abel. He's helping me."

"And so can a trustworthy servant," Abel replied dryly, "At least the servant won't stab you in the back."

"I seem to recall Cain's servant attacking you." Alexion told Abel, who pinned him with a merciless glare. I frowned, a little confused at that. I had a feeling he was referring to Hannibal, but I wasn't sure what incident he meant. Either way, it was one of Abel's buttons because I could practically see him shaking with fury, seconds away from ripping Alexion's throat out. I came forward to stand in front of Abel, blocking his view of Alexion, so he was now glaring at me incredulously.

"Charon, you can't keep him here. Hades can return from Olympus any minute, and when he does, he'll destroy you. He'll torture Alexion for centuries more. You can't get in Hades's way when he hates someone. Besides, how can you even trust this cretin? He could just be putting up a whole fascade to try and figure out how to kill you so he can take your heart." Abel added angrily.

I already went over that assumption, and while Abel may not be confident in my immortality, I was. It was extremely difficult to kill me. I would know. The attempts were endless. Only Hades knew how to kill me and there was no way he would feed that information to anyone else, especially Alexion.

"He can't," I stated, making Abel narrow his eyes, "Nobody knows how to kill me, except Hades. Alexion would be here for eons before he could figure out how to do it, if he wanted to, but, Abel, he doesn't--"

"Because he told you," Abel snapped angrily, making me wince, "Did he say he wouldn't do it? Because I've gotten that sap story plenty of times and it seems to always come back to stab me in the chest." I glared at him.

"So why are you with Cain now?" I demanded challengingly. Abel held his breath for a moment, like he was trying to come up with an excuse for that, but I knew full well he couldn't. He lived every day, expecting Cain to kill him, to gut him on the floor. It was a risk he was willing to take. It was a risk I was willing to take with Alexion.

"Charon," Abel tried again, "I don't want you to get hurt like that. It's a thousand times worse than being killed. Trust me, I know. You'll never be able to recover from that kind of pain."

"Nothing can be worse than losing Kyros," I said past clenched teeth, making Abel grimace, "Nothing. I don't trust Alexion, and he knows that. But if you and Cain can manage to live in harmony now... Then Alexion and I can do the same." Alexion looked at me, arching his brow as if surprised by my determination to keep him here. Abel was frustrated. I could see it coloring his cheeks and making him clench his teeth, a tic throbbing in his jaw. I knew this was dangerous. Incredibly so.

He was right. Hades would eventually return from Olympus and the first thing he would do is come to me to check up on how things had been fairing during his absence. He would randomly poof into my house, see Alexion, and go on a rampage that could very well kill more than just myself and Alexion, but the rest of the underworld. When Hades got angry, everyone suffered.

"Charon," Abel began again, testily this time, "Stop thinking about this with your heart. Start thinking with that brain of yours. You know as well as I do that this won't work. If you try to put up a barrier, Hades will destroy it and come inside, even more angry. I know you don't want to be alone, but you can't stay with him." Alexion gave him a droll stare.

"Gee, thanks. Your love for me is radiating like the sunlight from Apollo's ass." He replied. Abel wrinkled his nose at him, annoyed. I chewed on my bottom lip, lowering my arms to my sides. I didn't want Alexion to go, but I didn't want him to suffer because of me. Abel was right, again. Hades would torment Alexion for eternity... and it would be my fault.

"Charon," Abel said gently, coming forward and touching my arm, startling me from a thought process I didn't want to continue, "He can't stay here... and I won't turn him over to Hades. We'll just take him into Styx. I have a friend who might be willing to let him stay there for a while." Alexion frowned instantly at the idea, but he said nothing. I looked at him helplessly. I didn't want him to go, but I didn't want him to die because of my selfishness either. I looked down at my feet and reluctantly nodded. Abel sighed in relief.

"All right. We'll have to move quickly. Hades could be back any time now. Alexion, grab your things. We'll have to go now, before anyone else decides to randomly show up." He added under his breath. Alexion just nodded and left the living room. I looked at Abel, curious.

"Who else would show up? Aside from Hades."

"Uh, probably Cerberus. Malachi. Adrian. You scared the crap out of us with your outburst." Abel pointed out, making me frown uncomfortably. I went to the kitchen to grab my cloak, shaking it out before throwing it over my shoulders and pulling the hood up.

"I'm sure you're exaggerating. I'd be surprised if any of them even heard me." I muttered bitterly. I was mostly upset that I was going to have to live alone again. Abel frowned, folding his arms over his chest.

"Ah, yeah, well, nobody wanted to continue the meeting after you left. Even Theo looked kind of awkward and it takes a lot to make him uncomfortable."

"If you're trying to comfort me, stop. It's not working."

"How would that comfort you? You just made everyone upset. We need you to help us with the--"

"You don't," I cut him off sharply, shooting him a glare, "If you did, you would have asked what I thought about all of your plans before, but you all went ahead with them as if I didn't exist. Just stop trying to pretend you care. It's worse than not caring at all." Abel twitched, but he didn't say anything, much to my relief. We just stood in an uncomfortable silence until Alexion came out, looking very annoyed. I had a feeling he didn't want to leave either. Why? I wasn't sure.

Abel held his hands out and touched our shoulders, teleporting us from my house to a very nice apartment building in Styx. It was a beautiful building. Sleek and modern, made of black and white stones, seven stories high. We stood outside the door of a penthouse and Abel knocked before stepping back. We waited a moment before the door opened and my eyes widened.

"Akin?" I asked in disbelief. Akin's face instantly brightened when he saw me. He looked so out of character in a pair of black sweatpants and a matching long-sleeved V-neck. His long white-blonde hair was tied up in a loose bun, bangs swept haphazardly across his face.

"Charon! Oh," He paused to glance at Abel, "And you. And... A friend?" Abel rolled his eyes.

"How come Charon got the whole yay happy to see you greeting and I got oh."

"Because you're actually kind of a butthead. Charon's a sugar sweet lollipop. Now tell me who your friend is before I send his ass to Antartica. You know how I feel about strangers knowing where I live." He added in irritation, glancing at Alexion and giving him a scathing once over. Abel pouted, so I decided to speak instead.

"His name is Alexion, Akin. He's a dear friend of mine, but..." My voice trailed as Akin grimaced instantly. He looked up and down the hallways quickly, then gestured us inside. We came into a short hallway that opened up into a very large and luxerious living room. It was a wide open space with two black leather sofas facing a flat screen television and just a few feet away from that was a giant grand piano. Not far from that was a sleek white and black marble designed bar that stood between the main living room and the stylish, modern kitchen. A small staircase led up to the second floor that could be seen from where we were, said second floor only consisting of a bedroom and bathroom.

I had never expected Akin to live so stylishly considering his... disposition and strange hobbies.

"Welcome to mi casa," Akin said wistfully, "Big, empty, and pissing me off. I need to have someone come in and redesign this whole place. I hate having the maid walk in while I'm whipping someone. You have any idea how awkward that is to explain to my landlord? Oh, yeh, it's no problem, sir, I was just whipping my submissive because he asked me to. Which reminds me, I need to change my locks." Alexion flinched as Akin went to the kitchen, leaving us to stand in the living room.

"I don't want to be here." He stated under his breath. I looked at him, frowning.

"Why not?"

"I don't like his hobbies."

"He won't hurt you."

"He tried to jump you."

"Akin's not usually like that. He was just intoxicated."

"And what if he does it again? I don't want to be here." Alexion repeated again, glancing around the room in obvious discomfort. It kind of hurt that Alexion didn't trust Akin. Akin had made a mistake, and he apologied for it. Akin, despite what he said about being a bad person, was actually quite friendly and polite. I was grateful to have run into someone like him. Abel pretended not to hear our exchange as he led us over to the bar.

"What happened to your last sub? I thought you said you found a really cute one... Aside from my brother." He added with an edge to his voice. My cheeks colored in embarrassment. Akin smirked as he poured a couple of glasses, scooting them across the bar to us. I noticed he hadn't made my alcoholic like he had the others. I was actually quite thankful for that as I sipped at the sweet juice.

"I had to kick him out," Akin informed Abel, sounding quite annoyed, "He was incredibly disobedient. He just kept trying to piss me off, because apparently I didn't hit him hard enough when I wasn't mad, so by making me mad, I'd hit harder. Ridiculous. I hate subs like that." Abel shrugged.

"You'll find someone," He assured, then cleared his throat, "Anyway, I need to talk to you about accepting a roommate." Akin choked on his drink, then coughed and cleared his throat as he shot Alexion a look. Alexion just stared at him blankly, not even touching his drink.

"You want me to open my arms to a war criminal? Why don't you just ask me to take Hitler in while you're at it? At least we'd have the piss fetish in common," Akin snorted, then shook his head, "You've asked me for enough favors as it is, Abel. You can't ask me to do this." Abel scowled. I grimaced, putting down my drink to look at Akin.

"Akin, please. I don't want Hades to find him and hurt him because of me. I would keep him at my place, but Hades comes in unexpectedly all the time. He'll catch Alexion and hurt him and probably kill me for hiding him." I pleaded softly. Akin pursed his lips, averting his eyes to look at Alexion, who still didn't say a word in his defense, then Akin looked back at me and groaned.

"You brought him on purpose, Abel. Dang it, it's really hard to say no when he looks at me like that and I'm a huge sucker for begging. Man, this really sucks. I finally get my place to myself for a while and now I have to babysit a fugitive." He grumbled. I almost sighed in relief, but Alexion finally spoke in a tone that made me wince.

"I'm not asking you to watch me," Alexion said icily, making Akin shoot him a look that dared him to get angry, "I just need somewhere to sleep. That's it. Otherwise, most of my time will be spent at Charon's. I may not be able to live there, but I will spend most of my time there. I will cook, but that's all I will do. You won't see me aside from that." Akin studied him intensely, obviously still not keen on the idea of accepting him into his household before he looked at me.

"I'm only doing this because you're my new best friend, Charon," He said, making me nod quickly, "Otherwise, I would tell you guys to get out of my house. I don't trust people easily, especially people who are criminals... But if Charon trusts Alexion, fine. One slip up, however, and I will slit his throat."

"I'd like to see you try." Alexion challenged, making me wince. Abel grimaced.

"Oh, don't start in, Alexion--"

"You think because you're a Titan," Akin started, his voice dangerous, "That you have one up on me? You have no idea what I am and what I can do to you. I'm the creature that visits you in your nightmares and fucks you raw. So watch who you're threatening, sweetheart. Like I said before, Charon's my favorite. That's the only reason I haven't gutted you on the floor right here, right now. So you'd do well to remember that you're dealing with the unknown here." Alexion scowled.

"What are you that makes you think you can take me on?" He demanded. Akin grinned wickedly.

"Your worst nightmare." He replied. Alexion stiffened.

I had a bad feeling about these two sharing living space together... But Alexion was safer here than he was at my home. Hades would do things to Alexion that were six times worse than what Akin could even begin to imagine. It made my heart ache that I had to leave Alexion here, though. I wanted him back at my home, so he could keep me company. I wanted to hear him talk. I wanted him to teach me new things... But even though he said most of his time would be spent at my home, I knew that was impossible. He'd be risking too much to come stay at my home. I knew most of his time would be spent here.

"All right," Akin said at last, shrugging us off as he took another swig of his drink, "I have a spare room down here, but I need to clean out all of my toys first and probably disinfect the place."

"That is disgusting." Alexion spat. Akin gave him a droll stare.

"Baby, I don't tell you how to have sex. You ain't tellin' me how to have sex," He drawled, making Alexion curl his lip in repungence, before Akin sighed wistfully, "Not that it matters now. I think I'm gonna take a break from prowling the clubs for a good submissive. I'm gonna get me some me time. Treat myself to candies and cakes and gain a couple pounds. I feel like a Victoria's Secret model." Alexion just grimaced and looked at me with eyes that pleaded for me to bring him back home to risk him getting caught by Hades. I just lowered my eyes guiltily.

I could tell Alexion was uncomfortable around Akin, but I wasn't sure I could trust anyone else. Abel seemed to trust Akin too. So what better place to be, right? I hope...

"I'll be back," Akin said, heading across the living room to the spare bedroom door, "It shouldn't take long. You guys can just chillax here... and, Abel, hands off my vodka. I need that for lonely nights watching Vampire Diaries." Abel made a gagging sound and Akin rolled his eyes before disappearing into the spare room. As soon as he was gone, Alexion turned to me.

"I think I'd rather risk Hades getting his hands on me. At least Hades doesn't have any weird fetishes." He muttered. I frowned.

"Akin won't do anything to you."

"Like he did to you?" Alexion returned. A pang of pain hit me in the chest at that. I wasn't sure why what he said had offended me, but it did. I didn't say anything, but Abel did as he got up from the bar, giving Alexion a warning glare.

"Don't get mad at him. He's the one saving your ass. If it wasn't for Charon, I would've tossed you all wrapped up at Hades's feet." Abel warned. Alexion glared at him, but said nothing. Abel averted his eyes, picking up Alexion's drink and tossing it back with huge gulps before placing it on the bar, wiping his mouth on the back of his hand quite daintily before running his thumb down the side of his mouth.

"This is so dangerous," He muttered, "I can't even believe I'm asking Akin to do this."

"Thank you." I said quietly. Abel hesitated, glancing at me, then looking away, his cheeks pinkening.

"Yeah. Well. I meant what I said before, Charon. You're my brother. I don't want you to be hurt, and if hurting you means hurting Alexion... I won't do it. But just know that by protecting Alexion, you've basically started a war against Hades and the last war that was fought against Hades resulted in everyone going to Tartarus." He explained. I didn't know what to say to that.

Again, Abel was right. It was odd how he could be so wise sometimes. Maybe he wasn't as insane as everyone thought him to be.

I was nervous now, however. It was more than just having Alexion leave my home now. It was the fact that, indeed, if Hades discovered this, he would treat it as treason and I would be killed; Alexion tortured for eternity. Persephone would never step in to assist because she didn't like me, and my brothers, as much as they pretended to care, wouldn't risk themselves and their lovers. I probably wouldn't either.

I had waged war on the god of the underworld. My "adoptive father".

And the only person in the world that knew how to kill me.