[JULIAN]

I watched from Zeus' laptop as the court settled down for another hearing. I could spot Linda close by she looked a bit happier than before. She was wearing a dark blue two-piece suit, her chestnut hair was done up in a loose bun. Beside her sat Zeus' mother in another gorgeous gown. She looked irritated and leaned into the woman at her other side to talk from time to time.

"Order!" the judge from before said as she hammered her gravel on the table. The court fell silent a few people that were standing scattered to find seats. The camera turned to face the media holding up their cameras or moving them to place.

"We are here to continue the hearing regarding the case of Zeus Darcanius. He has been accused of living under a fake identity to which he pleads guilty. However, he wishes to have all charges removed on counts of a desperate cause. The case can now proceed," the person reading the order said.

"Diablo Devalie, please proceed to the stand," the person reading the order said before returning to her seat.

The camera turned giving me a good view of Zeus' mother's surprised face, and then to Diablo who was now proceeding the stand. He was dressed in a simple black suit. His dark hair and dark skin not making much of a contrast with his suit.

As he reached the witness stand and faced the court I could see how worried and fidgety he actually was.

"Are you religious?" the judge asked, carrying out the proceedings. Diablo let out a small 'no.'

"Diablo Devalie, do you swear that everything you are about to say is the truth and nothing but the truth?" The judge asked.

"I swear."

"You may begin." The judge said, taking her seat.

"What is your connection to Zeus Darcanius?" Vera's lawyer asked.

"I was serving at the mansion at the time of the disappearance," Diablo answered.

"Did he offer you any amount to stand in his defense? if you were in Greece at the time of the disappearance, meaning you were called from Greece—"

"I'm standing here because I want to, and no I moved to my home in Mexico before I moved here two years ago, I've been here before the case even unraveled," Diablo said, looking straight at her.

"Are you done?" the judge asked Vera's lawyer. She nodded, heading back to her seat.

"Can you explain the happening of that night?" the judge asked Diablo directly. Diablo nodded.

"I was about seven in the evening when I went to the young master's room to call him for dinner. I realized something was wrong because the door was open. Walking in I couldn't find him, and some of his possessions were gone. I searched on until I found a note on the side table," Diablo said, pausing.

"I didn't read it, considering that would be tagged rude, so I went to meet the master's parents and handed it to Mrs. Parthoropeons—"

"So, there was a note?" the judge asked, cutting Diablo short. He nodded in response.

"Carry on," she said, noting something down.

"She had read the note and discussed it with his father; they told me to get Santos and Gregory, the two drivers. She then handed me the note to burn in the furnace" Diablo continued. The jury fell into a quiet argument, making the judge hit the table with her gravel.

"Carry on," she urged.

"I called the two of them then headed to burn the note, but I was curious, so I opened it. It was a note from Zeus stating he was leaving, that he was tired of his parents own doing affecting his life- that he didn't want to be a Parthoropeons anymore. I burned the letter like they asked me, then headed to the garage out of curiosity." Diablo paused rubbing his eyes.

"Santos had asked me for Zeus' car. None of us knew which one it was considering he never used it. They ended up deciding on the red Ferrari and they took it out. The next morning I overheard Zeus' father shouting at Santos and how he had drowned his car. It didn't take up to a week before the staged incidence was up on the news, and an empty casket was buried months after." Diablo finished.

"Are you done?" the judge asked. Diablo nodded.

"You can leave the stand, Lambert Darcanius please take the stand," the judge said. Diablo left the witness stand as Lambert approached, I watched as he gave Diablo an approving smile as he passed. His blue eyes shone as he approached the witness stand.

"Are you religious?" the judge asked.

"No, I swear on my own head," Lambert answered, brushing back his blond hair.

"Do you swear that everything you are about to say is the truth and nothing but the truth?" the judge asked.

"Yes I do," Lambert said.

"You may begin," the judge urged.

"Who are you and what are you to Zeus Darcanius?" Vera's Lawyer asked with a tired voice.

"You could say I'm his adoptive father," Lambert said.

"Where did you meet him?" The lawyer asked, walking about in front of the court.

"In France, battered up and on the streets. I let him stay with me and he grew on me, that's why he's using my surname," Lambert answered.

"Did you adopt him officially?" she asked, playing with a stray strand of her blonde hair.

"No, he was already eighteen, an adult by constitution I saw no reason to do so," Lambert said.

"Vera Parthoropeons claims He took a check worth millions with him," the judge said.

"I find that very unlikely since I found him on the streets, the money he used to start his business is all from my origin," Lambert said.

"What is your proof?" Vera's lawyer asked.

"Bank records," Lambert said flatly.

"We'll end here for now. Court adjourned, the next hearing and verdict will be carried out in a weeks' time," The judge said. The camera turned to Vera who was now speaking rapidly in Spanish until the screen went blank.

I sighed in happiness at the turn of events. I was glad Zeus had got the help he had needed. I got down from the bed and headed to the kitchen to prepare dinner, I was expecting Zeus back in a better mode than the last time.

Two hours passed before I heard the doorbell. I said an "I'm coming!" as I dried my hands quickly, before heading for the door.

"Zeus," I said, smiling up at him as I opened the door. He looked the happiest he'd been in a very long time. His green eyes were shining again, and he was wearing a real smile for the first time in forever.

"Julian," Zeus muttered, pulling me into a hug.

"Thanks," he muttered into my blond locks.

"For what?" I asked, pulling away from his hug to look up at him.

"For being with me, standing by me," Zeus said, running a hand through my hair. I smiled taking it away.

"Now that I assume you have an appetite let's eat," I said, closing the door behind us and dragging him by the arm to the kitchen.

[LINDA]

"What should we do?" the Lawyer asked as she made a turn on the road. I looked up from the book I was reading.

"You're the Lawyer why ask me," I said, looking back down at my book.

I can't come up with anything they have such a solid case," she sighed, pressing the horn as some hooligan made a ridiculous turn in front of her.

"I agree," I sighed, thinking to how Julian might be laughing at my threat that was becoming to sound more and more like an empty one.

"We need something weak in their case, definitely not another lie..." She said, continuing down the road. I squinted looking at her. She looked ridiculously beautiful when she was stressed. I could never look that way even when I tried.

"Did you do something to yourself?" I asked.

"Do what?" she asked back.

"Like to your body, you look unnaturally beautiful," I said, turning away.

"Err, no I didn't, thank you?" she said. Her voice was shaky and she seemed nervous.

"Don't fret, I'm not a lesbian," I said, opening the pigeon hole to look for some good CDs, and then it came to me.

"I know what can help with the case."

"What?"

"Since he has such a solid case let's play with reputation," I said, picking out a CD and examining the package.

"What exactly do you mean?" she asked, stopping at a red light.

"We flaw his reputation, and that unconsciously affects the judgment of the judges," I said.

"And how are we going to do that in just a week?" she asked, driving on as the light turned green.

"We need a story that spreads like wildfire," I said, replacing the cassette in the DVD player with the one I selected.

"And you have one?"

"Surprisingly yes, Zeus Darcanius has my husband," I said, settling back down to continue my book.

"He's gay?" she said, frowning.

"Yes," I said, biting my lip at the thought of Zeus and Julian together.

"How are we going to prove it?" she asked, glancing at me from the side of her eye.

"We don't, we bring the press to them," I said, nodding my head to the beat of the classical music.

"You're a genius you know that? What do you do for a living?" she asked.

"I'm a fucking real estate agent, I fucking hate my job," I groaned, making her fall into a fit of laughter.

"Maybe you should consider being a comedian," she said, wiping the tears from her eyes with her index finger.

I didn't answer just continued reading my book. I frowned at myself as I clearly laid out my plot in my head, Julian has become a petty obsession and I don't like it. It was time to end things once and for all.