Chapter Twenty-Seven

"You're pretty self-sacrificing for a piece of shit you just created." Julius sneered in my ear as I was pressed hard against the cold steel desk of my new prison cell. One of the guest rooms upstairs, but it was made awful with the soldiers Julius had ordered to punish me for not making a hundred artificials at once. It didn't matter what I did, I was still fucked.

Literally.

I said nothing to Julius's comment about Nikias. I'd seen a couple of the guards eyeing him after I'd gotten him a decent pair of clothing from one of the closets upstairs and, of course, had to rampage to Julius about it, and this was the solution they'd come up with. Throwing me to the dogs while Nikias ate his dinner in the kitchen just three doors down.

But he had a point. Why was I so intent on protecting Nikias? The only connection we had was DNA. I'd only known him for less than twenty-four hours. It made sense to protect my other sons, because I'd known them since they were small, for centuries upon centuries. And yet, I couldn't shake that damned parental need to keep him safe. I knew what it was like to be pinned down against your will, knowing you were powerful, but not enough to stop these sick bastards. Just because I'd become a bitter bastard didn't mean Nikias had to.

I should've let Julius kill him, though. Thinking that made me feel guilty and I loathed that gnawing emotion at my gut. But wouldn't death be a much more appealing result than what we were forced to endure here?

Sooner or later, Rhea was going to find out about Nikias and she was going to force him to join her army and fight, whether he was a teenager or not. I'd been forced to battle at his age, and I had hated it at the time. The bloodshed, fragile lives being taken away so swiftly, family blood soaking my boots and sword. It made my skin crawl.

But that was back when family had meant something.

Now, family was nothing. At least, that's what I tried to convince myself, but I suppose there was still a modicum of familial ties left considering how stupid I was to give a shit about my sons.

"Enough," Julius commanded his men, "I believe he's learned his lesson." The soldiers stepped back and I slipped right off the desk onto the floor, breathing hard as agony spread through every fiber of my being. The pain was so intense that I honestly debated just killing myself to rupture the balance, but I didn't. Just laid on the floor, bleeding and struggling to pick myself up onto my elbows at the very least. Julius's men chuckled and zipped up their pants, making their way out and bragging about how they'd fucked the almighty Hades. I curled my lip, peering up through my hair at Julius, who stood over me with his arms folded over his chest, eyes narrowed down at me.

"Don't make me do this to you again, Hades. Next time, we won't be charitable enough to send the boy from the room as we do it," He warned venomously, then reached down and grabbed my jaw, forcing me to meet his eyes, "Create the artificials and no one will get hurt."

Liar, I wanted to spit in his face. But I withheld it as Julius roughly released me and stepped over me, heading to the door and slamming it shut behind him.

I took a deep breath and dragged myself to my feet. I stumbled and caught myself on the desk, my breathing ragged as I made my way to the bathroom to shower quickly before Nikias arrived at the room. Nikias didn't know the extent of their punishment, and he didn't need to know. To him, unfortunately, I was his super cool dad. I couldn't wait until his brothers destroyed that image of me in his eyes. I was too used to being the bad guy to dare be thought of as a good guy.

I stood in the shower, seething in rage as I clenched my fists against the wall in front of me. The hot water soothed the aches in my muscles, but burned the fresh cuts I was no longer allowed to heal.

Gods, I still couldn't believe how stupid I'd been to create that god-restraint gas. How could I have been so stupid? Oh sure, I didn't know the Titans would get a hold of it and use it on me, but anyone could have gotten a hold of it to use it on me. If not the Titans, probably one of my sons or even Persephone. I had only wanted it to protect myself, but in the end, it was my downfall. Now I was trapped in Lucifer's palace in Hell, wasting away because of my own stupid invention, with yet another son I couldn't protect.

I needed to get Nikias out of here.

But what then? Rhea would just force me to create more artificials. Then I'd have more idiots I couldn't help, but want to keep safe. Maybe that was Rhea's plan all along. She knew how attached to my own creations I was. Artificial or natural, it didn't matter. My sons were my sons. I'd be forced to give a shit about them.

However, even if I refused to create her artificials, she'd hook me up to Mnemosyne and my worst memories would be broadcast to several realms. Then I'd really have to off myself... except I couldn't, because I was a damn coward and didn't want to destroy the futures of my sons. Not that they would have any futures anymore with the Titans ruling.

And if I tried to create artificials to fight against the Titans, well, shit. We'd all be fucked. Artificials, while powerful, wouldn't be able to stand for long against the Titans. And the artificials would be under my command and Rhea would be furious and probably just wipe them all out at once.

Which goes right back to me giving a shit.

I grabbed the sides of my head, growling in frustration before bashing my head against the shower wall a couple times. I only succeeded in giving myself a massive headache and denting the wall in. I shut the shower off and dried off, changing into the clothes Julius allowed me to have. A loose pair of silky navy pants and a sleeveless gray turtleneck. I was just coming out as a guard was bringing Nikias in.

It was the guard that wasn't as shitty as the others. Tall and buff with a mechanical right arm and curly dark hair that he kept slicked back from a handsome masculine face, gold eyes set under dark brows. He didn't attack me or creep on Nikias, and from the way he came inside and shut the door and stood beside it, he was our guard for the night and I was relieved it wasn't one of the other ones.

"Did you enjoy dinner?" I asked Nikias, not that I really cared. I just wanted to act like I hadn't just had my ass split open. Nikias brightened at my attention and smiled, reaching up to tuck his dark hair behind his ear as he came over to sit on one of the ottomans near the balcony, pulling his legs up to sit criss-cross.

"It was a really good! Demetrius made something with chicken. I liked it. Did your meeting go all right?" He asked, sitting back on his hands. I frowned at that, glancing over at Demetrius near the door, who kept his eyes locked on the floor. I looked back at Nikias, folding my arms over my chest.

"Yeah. But I'm still fucked." I replied. Demetrius frowned and looked up. Nikias didn't catch onto my hidden meaning and just tilted his head.

"Are you sure we can't just leave?" He asked, glancing around the room with a wary stare. I said nothing to that. I didn't like repeating myself. I'd already explained the situation to Nikias, but he still held the naive hope of someone who'd yet to be broken. Of course, I was going to hold off on his innocence being shattered as long as I possibly could.

I needed Nikias out of here, but how? Sure, I'd suffer untold agony over it, but as long as he was safe, it didn't matter much to me. I just needed to think of a sure fire way to get him somewhere safe, preferably with my other sons, because apparently they were so well hidden that not even the Titan army could find them. Although, I had an itching sensation where they were now and prayed to the gods that the gods shielding them continued their assistance.

"You've got a weird look on your face." Nikias said after a while. I rolled my eyes and glanced over my shoulder at him, frowning to see him staring up at me with those wide green eyes. God, he reminded me of Ambrosius too much for comfort. I cleared my throat and went to the desk to straight the papers and scattered files.

"Just thinking of new ways to make a bazillion artificials in one day," I said sarcastically, then pinned Demetrius with a murderous glare, "Because apparently you guys like shoving the fact that my awesomeness has limits, right in my face." Demetrius just frowned and watched me. God, there was something about him that was eerily familiar. I just couldn't place my finger on it. I shook it off, before I took my files and went to the bed to lay on my stomach. There was no way I could sit down with the pain throbbing in my backside.

I set the papers out and started to find a way to shorten the artificial creation process as well as finding a way to add more science than magic. Science was unlimited, magic could only go so far. It wasn't bibbity, bobbity, boo and everything's all better. It required incredible knowledge, concentration, and energy. And while science was similiar, it didn't use up enough energy to make me pass out.

Not that I was allowed to use magic anyway. But just Nikias had completely wiped Julius out. The only reason he'd set my punishment as being attacked by four of his men was because he was so tired and pissed at me.

They wanted a way to create multiple artificials in a short amount of time.

All adults, all skilled and intelligent warriors with untold amounts of loyalty and determination.

Yeah, that was so easy... not. Friggin' assholes.

"Can I watch?" I blinked, then looked up from my work to see Nikias standing at the end of the bedpost, peering down at my work. I frowned a bit, glancing out the corner of my eye at Demetrius, but he stood stone still near the door, hands folded behind his back, body straight. I looked back at Nikias and merely gave him a shrug. He appeared pleased with that and climbed on the bed, sitting cross-legged so he could watch, elbows on his knees, chin in his hands.

I tried to ignore him, but honestly, it was making me uncomfortable. I wasn't accustomed to anyone being truly interested in my work. Most people had no idea how much work went into it. They told themselves it was mostly based on magic, to avoid the complicated explanations behind science. But it was equal parts, and trying to tell that to a bunch of morons was impossible.

Although, now I was forced to uneven the balance. I had to find a way to scientifically urge the artificials to grow, and I loathed using too growth hormones to assist with muscle and bone mass. It was extremely harmful to the artificials and eventually could lead to an early death. It was why I relied on the magical aspect to do so. Science created, magic was the boost, and very rarely caused negative long-lasting effects.

So what could I do without magic?

"Is this how you created me?" Nikias asked, tilting his head to look down at the notes. I nodded subconsciously as I pulled out a few more files, studying the notes I'd taken from Lucifer's office in the laboratory. His notes, while somewhat helpful, weren't detailed enough and there were a lot of blank spaces that I had filled up in my own. If I could just get back to my cozy home-- except now it was surrounded by a wall of bodies.

The bodies of my people.

"Do I have any brothers made like this too?" Nikias asked, dragging me from my thought process. I blinked, then turned to frown at him.

"Yes. Cerberus is made this way."

"That's amazing," Nikias breathed, making me avert my eyes awkwardly, "What about my other brothers? Can you tell me more about them? Please?" I didn't want to. Talking about it gave me a headache. At the same time, I couldn't resist doing what all parents had the urge to do.

"Charon's the oldest. In a weird way, I adopted him when I was sent to live in the Underworld. It took me about two months to finally approach him. He's the ferryman; his job is to ferry the souls to their final resting place. The Fields of Asphodel. Elysium. Tartarus. He's currently dating some half-wit piece of shit primordial god, Alexion. His oh-so-wonderful creation is the reason I can't use my magic, because I was dumb enough to crush it down into dust that I stupidly inhaled earlier."

"Oh," Nikias said, then shrugged thoughtfully and scooted closer, "He sounds busy. There must be lot of souls."

"Not as many as there used to be," I replied, pausing to scowl at Lucifer's handwriting on a small journal entry about Alaric's first steps from the incubator, "It's not that people aren't dying, because they are. More people are dying now than they used to, but less of them believe in the Greek afterlife. But he's still busy. He does my work better than I do."

"Do you make Cerberus do your work too?"

"I could barely house train Cerberus let alone make him do my work," I scoffed, scribbling out a false note Lucifer had made in his notes, "He's always been a wild child, always will be. Getting him to hold still for a check up was a nightmare. He's a lot like Theo-- Eh, your other brother. Theo likes getting into trouble. So don't be surprised if one day your bed turns out to be a weak water bed, or you find snakes in your bathtub. Honestl, you'd probably find best company in Abel. Abel is laidback and easygoing. He enjoys talking and watching movies with his twin, Cain. Stay away from Cain. Don't get me wrong; parental affection for the brat, but he's demonic. He's the thing mortals use to scare themselves at night. You may also get along with Malachi or even Zelios. He was quiet even before I stole his voice."

"Stole his voice?" Nikias asked. I frowned for a moment, staring down at the notes before sighing, reaching up to pinch the bridge of my nose before glancing over at the clock on the wall.

"Enough story time. Go to bed, Nikias. We have a lot to do because you're going to be helping me with the artificials." I explained, rolling onto my side, closing my eyes as sharp pains rocketed up my spine. I wanted to sit up and walk away, maybe move to another room, but I couldn't. I was so sore and exhausted. It was nearing two in the morning.

"You're tired also," Nikias pointed out with a frown and moved to start collecting the files off the bed, making me scowl and reach for them rather lazily, "Come on. We can do more of that work tomorrow."

"Not really," I muttered dryly, forcing myself to roll over, "And normally I'd do this thing where I'd swap witty banter with you until the wee hours, but... I'm so tired..." Nikias nodded and went to Demetrius, and I peered an eye open to watch him hand the files to Demetrius, who accepted them with an odd look on his face. Nikias smiled at him.

"We're in your care for the night," He said, and I didn't miss the way he lowered his voice, "And no one is allowed in the room while we sleep. I may not be able to do much right now, but I can still rip your throat open with my teeth." Demetrius appeared startled, but I just laughed, rolling over onto my back.

"He's got my genes. Now and for eternity, he will be a thorn in your ass." I told Demetrius, who grimaced. Nikias just smirked before turning and coming to the bed. We waited until Demetrius had set the files aside before Nikias shut the lights out. I felt the bed dip with his weight and I slept on my side with my back to him, and a pillow between us.

Because damn it all to Hell, he was my son, but I still didn't trust him at my back. And while a pillow didn't do much against knife attacks, it still made me feel better to have it there. I waited until Nikias had drifted off to sleep and Demetrius was settled in a seat in front of the door to prevent unauthorized entry, his breathing becoming steady as he fell into a light nap. Once I was sure they were asleep, I finally let myself drift off with the intention to actually get some peaceful blank sleep.

Instead, my dreams took me to the beach outside on a clean white shore with the Black Sea crashing off to the side, wind whipping my hair and clothes around. I frowned, scanning the area.

I had no magic. I couldn't bring myself here.

Which meant someone else had done it.

"Who's there?" I demanded warily, expecting this to be a new form of torture Julius had talked Rhea into. I waited, listening to the wind pushing the sand, the waves crashing on shore, and the silence beyond the shoreline. The city had become a ghosttown, dark and dreary, a few buildings ruined and scorched by flames. Even Lucifer's palace, for all its white purity, was like a foreboding ghost on the hill top.

A fissure of power coursed through the air and I snapped around, my eyes widening slightly at the sight of Malachi standing across from me. His long black hair was tied back into a ponytail, his eerie black and blue eyes bright. He wore a black button up shirt and jeans, but my eyes were mainly focused on the small, but deep scar that ran just beneath his left eye.

That wasn't there when we last saw one another.

"What are you doing here?" I asked, keeping my voice level. I was still pretty pissed at this little shit for being one of the traitors who wanted to pull a surprise therapy session on me. If I thought I needed therapy, I would've seen one several centuries ago. Back when they did shock therapy.

"I had to wait until you were actually asleep before I could summon you to my dream," Malachi replied, then hesitated with a grimace, looking me up and down, "You don't look so great."

"You don't look so hot yourself, brat," I sneered, making Malachi sigh in irritation, "Why are you summoning me? Are you stupid? The oneiroi are under the command of the Titans. If one of them is lurking inside my head, you'll be caught and they can find a way to trace you back to wherever it is you are. The Titans haven't found you yet, so you're safe. Well, not until you get the hell away from me. Let me sleep."

"No," Malachi said forcefully, making me narrow my eyes as he clenched his fists, "It's our fault you were captured in the first place."

"Did you make the poisonous gas I ingested? No? Then no. It's not your fault. It's mine. Did Raven get to you safely?"

"Yes, but--"

"Then that's all that matters." I hesitated, then ran a hand through my hair, debating whether to tell Malachi about Nikias or not, then changed my mind. If I did, Malachi would run here full throttle to get him out of here and I couldn't risk the rest of my sons for one. No, if Nikias was going to escape, it was going to be at the cost of myself. I'd rather Julius and Rhea take their temper tantrum out on me than my sons.

"We're not leaving you here, Hades," Malachi told me sternly, making me glare at him, "We've got a way to come get you. Once you're back home and recharged--"

"I can't recharge," I sneered venomously, "I ingested the same magic that was used to make the god restraints Alexion is so famous for. That magic is running through my system. I'd need to completely clean myself out, which could take hours, if not days. And even after that, I'll go into Recharge and be completely useless for another two weeks. By that time, the Titans will have found out where we are and it all would have been for naught. Besides, you really don't want to try and get friendly with me right now after you little bastards locked me up." Malachi winced, and I couldn't be happier that he was guilty for his stupid decision. I hoped the rest of his brothers felt like shit too.

"Hades, you know why we had to do that. If we tried to talk to you like a normal family, you'd just leave the room."

"You ever think that maybe, just maybe, I don't want to talk to you ingrates? You don't give a shit about how I'm feeling. Christ, if you had the chance, if the universe didn't depend on my existence, you would have slit my throat years ago. I know you, Malachi," I said menacingly, taking a few steps toward him and watching him take a few steps back, "You and the rest of your brothers can pretend to give a shit all you want, but I know better. You want my guard down so you can figure out a way to trap me in Tartarus." Malachi glared at me.

"That's not true. While I admit that my hatred for you is intense, I still want to know the reason why my father was a psychopathic bastard who punished Zelios by stealing his voice, blinded Cerberus's fae, told Charon he was basically worthless to you. God, I could go on and on all day about how horrible of a father you are. But in the end, you're still my father. And we need you to come back, to recharge, to fight against the Titans." He urged. I laughed at that, moving away and turning my back to him, clenching my fists and resisting the urge to just punch him. I unclenched my fists, took a deep breath, then turned back to give him a glare that made him step back.

"I honestly don't need to explain anything to you. Get away from me, Malachi. Get back to your body before the Titans pick up on your scent." I told him. Malachi pursed his lips, shook his head and pointed at me.

"There it is. You're doing that... that weird thing where you act like you give a shit, but then you turn around and throw it back in our faces. And then you saved us from the Titans when you could have easily abandoned us and come to Hell with the other gods safely. Instead, you detoured and saved each and every one of us. I saw the look on your face when you saw us and what the Titans had done. That's not the face of the coldhearted god you pretend to be."

"Malachi," I warned, "Shut up. You can't stay here. You're putting yourself and your brothers in danger, as well as Lucifer and his family. Adrian. Think about Adrian and what the Titans will do to him when they get their hands on him." Malachi seethed angrily at that and came toward me. I smacked his hand away when he went to reach for me.

"Stop deflecting," Malachi snapped angrily, "I'm so tired of not knowing who you are. Are you the sick bastard who gets a kick out of watching his family suffer, or are you a father with a past that's made you like this? Why are you so..."

"I'm not a good person," I told him in a cold voice, making him frown, "I won't pretend to be. I am a sick bastard. It doesn't matter what made me like this, because it won't change. The past does not change. I don't give a shit about the past, you don't give a shit about the past. All that matters is right here, right now. And what matters right now is that you get the fuck out of my head, Malachi, get back to whatever safe haven you've found. You thought what the Titans did to you before was painful? Malachi, the Titans are building an army. Worst of all, I'm the one who's being forced to supply them with their army." Malachi glared at me for a while longer before my words seemed to sink in and his eyes widened slowly.

"Artificials."

"Exactly. Think of Cerberus... Now think of Cerberus ten times smarter, stronger, and loyal to the Titans. Think of several thousand Cerberuses. The realms will be fucked."

"So we need to get you out of there."

"No," I snarled in frustration, making Malachi seethe through clenched teeth, "I need you to stay the fuck away from me, Malachi! All of you need to get away from me! Rhea knows I'm a fucking idiot. If she can get her hands on even one of you, she can use you to convince me to make the artificials."

"But even if you do create the artificials, we're fucked."

"I won't create them," I said in irritation, "If she can't get a hold of you. I need you to leave." Malachi glared at me, then pressed his fists to his temples in frustration. I frowned, watching him turn away from me, pacing on the beach, my eyes following him in irritated curiosity.

"Are you creating them now?" Malachi asked at last, turning to look at me. I seethed, unable to keep my big mouth shut anymore.

"I have to," I informed, making Malachi throw his hands in exasperation before I made a rude noise and he glared at me, "Rhea forced me to create a test artificial and because I like fucking up everyone's day, I used my DNA to create him, which makes him your brother." Malachi stiffened, blood draining from his face.

"What?" He asked for confirmation. I folded my arms over my chest, arching a brow at him.

"Don't act like I just told you I was pregnant. You have another brother. His name is Nikias. He's technically barely twenty-four hours old, but he has the body of a teenager. I need him to get out of the palace as soon as possible, so Rhea won't have anymore meaningful leverage on me." I told him sternly. While part of me was still sickened by the thought of having Rhea broadcast my worst memories to the public, I'd rather have it broadcasted while I was being tortured in a hole than out for a walk. Not to mention, my sons would never see me again and I wouldn't have to see the disgust or pity on their faces over what'd happened.

"We have to get you both out then," Malachi said at last, making me blink, then glare at him, "We'll be there tomorrow night."

"No, Malachi..." I started, but the dream rippled and I hissed as a sharp pain shot through me. The dream twisted and Malachi vanished. Pain struck me in the face and I finally woke up, my eyes flickering open to see one of Julius's men on top of me, bashing me over the head with his fist. Just beyond him were two other guards strugging to hold Nikias back, who was writhing and cursing and calling Demetrius a traitor. Demetrius just stood off to the side, honestly looking surprisingly guilty while Julius stood beside him, glaring at Nikias.

"Stop," Julius said when he noticed I was awake, "He's awake." I blinked rapidly, cringing at the pain throbbing madly in my skull. I tasted blood in my mouth, and ran my tongue along my teeth to make sure they were still in place. I rolled over on my side, letting the blood ooze past my lips onto the floor while the man who'd beaten me stepped back. The two guards released Nikias, who kicked one in the shin before running to me, dropping down onto his knees.

"Dad, are you all right?" He asked in concern. I blinked again, then looked up at him, confused.

"What?" I asked. He looked back at me quizzically.

"I asked if you were all right." He said. No, I thought grimly. I could've sworn I heard him call me "dad", but maybe it was a delusion from being whacked over the head multiple times. I coughed, tasting another wad of blood in my throat and spit it out onto the floor while Nikias stuck close to me, even reaching out to hold my hair back from my face. Julius stepped up to us, so his boots were right in my face. I narrowed my eyes and looked up at him past my hair, breathing heavily in pain.

"We're not stupid," Julius sneered down at me, "Our oneiroi picked up on the dream walking the moment it happened. You're just lucky we didn't catch the bastard's location before the connection was broken from Bronco's beating." As if to emphasize his rage, Julius turned and struck Bronco across the face before grabbing the man by a handful of hair.

"You'll do well to think twice before you just begin beating him, you pathetic piece of shit." He sneered at Bronco, who glared at him, but said nothing. Nikias glowered at Julius as he released Bronco and turned back to us. Julius moved closer, but Nikias shot to his feet and came forward, shoving Julius back. Julius stumbled, but only because no one was expecting him to move. I winced, struggling to pick myself up.

"Nikias, stand down." I commanded. Julius smirked and came forward, grabbing Nikias by the front of his shirt.

"You'll do well to listen to your daddy, little prick," He sneered, making Nikias's eyes glow with rage, "Go sit down like a good boy." He shoved Nikias back roughly and Nikias bumped into me, but went to retaliate, except I caught him by the arm and hauled him back. Nikias looked at me angrily, but I pinned him with a menacing glare that made him go still.

"Do not attack them," I ordered, making Nikias grit his teeth before I turned back to Julius, "And if you touch him again, I'm going to rip your hands off." Julius smirked, stepping forward and grabbing me by a handful of hair, snapping my head back so he could get in my face. Nikias made a noise of distress, but thankfully, Demetrius came forward and pulled Nikias back.

"I don't think you're in any position to attack me, whore. Better get to work on those nerdy formulas of yours, genius, or I might just have to beat it out of you." Julius warned me in a low voice. I clenched my teeth and forced myself not to speak. Julius released me roughly, then gestured for his men, save for Demetrius, to follow him out of the room. As soon as the door was closed, I carefully sat on the bed and touched my bloody lip as Demetrius released Nikias to go to the bathroom to fetch the med kit.

"Why didn't you let me kill him," Nikias demanded as Demetrius sat beside me with the med kit and went to assist me, but I snatched the cotton ball and alcohol from him and dabbed at my mouth myself, grimacing in pain at the harsh sting of it, "He let those men beat you! You're always with a new scar! You even have puncture wounds all over your throat. Is he taking your blood?"

"Nikias, enough," I told him sternly, nodding a small thanks to Demetrius as he took the med kit away when I was finished, "Julius may seem like a typical cartoon villain, but he's a hundred times worse. He won't fight you fair, and he won't kill you. He'll torment you. Don't be an idiot. Just lay back down to sleep. I have work to do." I got up from the bed, but my knees buckled and I cursed, hitting the floor, breathing hard. Nikias was there by my side, looking at me in agonized concern that made me extremely uncomfortable and confused.

Gah, I should've just programmed him to hate me from the very beginning.

Hate was easy.

"You have to get some rest," Nikias said as he helped me to my feet and sat me on the bed again, "And... And that dream walking thing Julius mentioned... What is that?"

"Interacting through dreams. Someone pulled me out of mine and into theirs."

"Who?"

"Doesn't matter right now," I told him, making him glare at me impatiently, "Nikias, get your ass in bed right now. Demetrius, make sure he doesn't run around. I have to concentrate on the whole keeping Nikias alive thing." Nikias glared after me as I went to the desk across the room, forcing myself to sit down, despite the pain coursing up my spine. Demetrius just stood staring at Nikias, who shot him a dirty look before climbing into bed. I forced myself to stay seated at the desk with only the dim desk lamp lighting up the files Demetrius had set out for me.

Nikias had to get out of here, and unfortunately, a selfish part of me prayed that Malachi really did come. That way, he could get Nikias out of here.

And everything would be okay.

Yeah, right, we're fucked.

Gee, thanks, conscience. I was lost without your sunny disposition.