Chapter Five

I couldn't sleep that night, or eat.

I'd gone to bed and Dorean had tucked me in. I felt guilty for not giving him what he obviously wanted, but I just couldn't get in the mood for it. So I settled for holding him all night long while he slept, finding comfort in his soft breathing and the way his wings quivered every so often, his tail coiled around my arm as if to comfort me.

I smiled faintly. If there was anyone who could make me feel better, it was Dorean. In a life made of darkness, he was the light at the end of my tunnel. It was cheesy, but I knew why people repeated it so often. It was true.

Some mornings, I still woke up and was surprised to see him there beside me, wondering if our whole relationship had just been a dream to cope with a miserable existence, but I was always pleased when Dorean turned in his sleep and snuggled against my chest before opening his eyes to smile up at me.

"Morning, kitty." He greeted. I leaned in to brush my nose against his.

"Good morning, Dorean." I murmured. He beamed at that and kissed the tip of my nose. His squirming under the blankets was a good indication of what he'd like in the morning, so we slid out of bed and made our way to the bathroom where I pressed him up against the wall of the shower, kissing him hungrily.

He purred and wrapped his legs around my waist, his tail slathered in soap that he rubbed up and down my back, his arms around my neck. I thrust up against him, breathing heavily as our lips met in another furious kiss.

"I hope this is okay," Dorean gasped against me, "I don't want to make you do something you don't want to do."

"Does this really feel like I don't want to do it?" I laughed breathlessly, arching up against him at a particular angle that made him cry out and tilt his head back against the tiled wall. He managed a smile, then bit his lip in ecstasy. I relished at the way the water rained down on him, making his soft white hair stick to his face, creating intricate rivulets down his chest. I leaned in and dragged my tongue across his pec until I reached his nipple, taking between my teeth gently.

Dorean moaned and slid his hand up through my hair before clenching his fist in it, arching his back and crying out again as he came, squeezing me tightly and milking me for all I was worth.

After cleaning up and showering, we stepped out of the bathroom and Dorean went ahead to make breakfast. I stayed in the room to slip on a black v-neck and a pair of leather pants. I picked up my signature black coat and just draped it over my arm, planning to wear it later, before I made my way out into the kitchen where Dorean was preparing what smelled like cinnamon rolls. I licked my lips at my favorite meal before I passed into the living room.

I conjured my laptop as I sat on one of the leather sofas.

I was still concerned about Hannibal, so wanting to check up on him without barging in again, I sent a call through to Akin via video chat. It rang a couple times before Akin picked up. He looked exhausted, his blonde hair coiled into a side-bun. The moment he saw me, he frowned.

"Xenon? You have my number?" He asked, concerned. I cocked my head.

"I have everyone's number," I assured, and noted the quick distaste to the news on Akin's face, "But I won't make this a habit. I'm just a little worried about Hannibal after I gave him the news. How is he taking it?" I saw the relief on Akin's face, and didn't have to be a mind reader to know that he was grateful for my kindness toward Hannibal, because it was a rarity.

Even though Hannibal had moved to Hell, there were still some darkness that followed him there and would continue to follow him into eternity. If the rest of the world wasn't punishing Hannibal for his actions, then he was. And to be honest, no one was harder on Hannibal than himself.

"He's a little startled," Akin admitted softly, pausing to drum his fingers on his coffee mug before he looked around as if to make sure Hannibal wasn't around to listen, then he looked back at me, "He  told me as long as she stays in a completely different realm, he should be okay." I nodded.

"As far as I know, my aunt thinks Hannibal is in Tartarus." I admitted. Akin winced and chewed at the inside of his cheek for a moment.

"Is... Is she like his father?" He asked uneasily. I frowned.

"Absolutely not," I assured, watching Akin lift a skeptical brow, "I'm serious. My aunt Lea isn't evil, Akin. To be honest, I don't know the full story behind that. All I know is mentioning the child she no longer has is taboo. Her reaction is harsh enough to darken the skies of Atlantis, and she seems too happy right now for me to ruin it. I'll find some other way to bring it up to her. But right now, we have bigger problems." Akin's eyebrows went up at that.

"Bigger problems?" He asked. I nodded.

"The Atlanteans are going to want revenge on whoever imprisoned them. And they have no idea it was Callias. My brother, Zelus, told me that our step-mother and some others think it was the Greeks. And considering we were at war with them when they were imprisoned, it only seems logical. To them." I tacked on. Akin paled.

"You don't think they'll really go after them, do you?"

"They will, but I need to talk to them out of it without giving Callias away. Even though it's tempting."

"Does he know they're back?"

"He knows and he's furious. The bastard almost broke my neck over it."

"Callias," Akin exclaimed in shock, "Seriously? I was always told he was so peaceful and calm."

"It's an act he's forced to play because of his curse. He actually has a shitty temper and whines like a bitch," I muttered, watching Akin sigh and shake his head, "Look, I can handle Callias. Right now, I need to focus on keeping peace between the Greeks and the Atlanteans. I might have to talk to Hades about this to see if maybe he can help." Akin frowned.

"I don't know if he's the right one to talk about considering how thrilled he was about the war with the Titans."

"Hades is really good at pretending," I told him, making him look at me quizzically, "He hates war as much as the next pacifist, but he was around during the last war. Maybe there's something we can come up with to keep the peace. Sooner or later, the rest of the world is going to find out that the Atlanteans are back. And hopefully, we can keep peace this time. Anyway, I just mostly called to check up on Hannibal."

"Thanks, Xenon," Akin replied with a nod, "And I hope this whole thing gets figured out. If you ever need me, I'm a phone call away, apparently." I smirked.

"No problem." I responded, then hung up and shut my laptop, sending it back to my room just as Dorean came into the living room with a mug of coffee and a cinnamon roll. I groaned at the warm smell of cinnamon and bread. Dorean grinned and sat next to me on the sofa, passing me my breakfast before I took a bite out of it and sighed, tilting my head to drop it on Dorean's shoulder. He patted my head.

"What are your plans for today?" He asked. I hummed thoughtfully at that as I studied the cinnamon roll before taking another bite.

"I'll probably drop in to see Hades at some point. See what he has to say about all of this. And maybe he can find the cult that summoned the Atlanteans in the first place." I explained. Dorean nodded.

"That sounds good. Want me to come with?" He asked. I shrugged.

"If you're not busy." I answered. Dorean beamed.

"Then let me get some clothes on and I'll be right out." He said. I nodded and sat up, letting him head off to the room. I finished off the cinnamon roll and gulped down my coffee, heading to the kitchen to put the dishes in the dish washer when I felt a flicker of power pulse through the air. I blinked and looked up, frowning slowly as I scanned the kitchen. 

"Dorean?" I called.

"Yes?" He called back from the bedroom. I cocked my head. That power didn't come from there. It was definitely an outsider.

"Never mind." I told Dorean before moving into the living room, scanning it. I felt something creeping around the room and it put my guard up. I thought it would be Callias at first, but there was no way he could be here without Apollo's permission and Apollo didn't even let him use the phone let alone leave Olympus. So it was something else, and it was watching me. I narrowed my eyes, moving my hand to send a blast of power through the room to get rid of it when there was a knock on the front door and I snapped out of my concentration, blinking.

I frowned and went to the door, opening it up to see another face I haven't seen in over several thousand years.

"Atlia." I breathed. My younger sister, the Atlantean goddess of intelligence and battle strategy. She was tall, almost my height, with wavy black hair that fell to her shoulders and straight cut bangs over a pair of piericing white Khalian eyes. She wore gold hoops earrings, a white halter top with the image of a black sun painted on the front, and a pair of black jeans. A smile split her face.

"Hello, Xenon." She greeted. I smiled at her and gathered her into my arms for a hug. She hugged me back tightly and kissed my cheek before stepping back, brushing the hair back from my face, studying the red.

"This is new," She commented with a head cocked, "I kinda like it. Makes you look like a rebel." I smirked, taking her hand away from my hair to kiss her knuckles.

"You know me." I said. She laughed, giving me another hug before stepping back to sigh.

"Despite the layout of the realm still being the same, the universe itself has changed significantly. You're going to have to teach me of this place. It's fascinating." She added. I nodded.

"Promise." I replied. She smiled before it faded slowly and she rubbed at the back of her neck for a moment before peering up at me.

"I also came to tell you that father is holding a meeting at his temple." She said. I frowned for a moment.

"I see. I should've expected that. I'll head up there in a second." I told her. She nodded and gave me a kiss on the cheek goodbye before vanishing. I watched her go before closing the door, frowning slowly as I stood in the foyer, listening and waiting. That dangerous tingle of power I had felt earlier was gone. But it hadn't belonged to Atlia. She never gave off those kinds of vibes in the past.

No, this felt different.

Sinister and cold.

Someome had been watching me.

"All ready!" I jumped, startled out of my train of thought as Dorean came into the foyer with a smile on his face. I smiled back, trying to shake off that eerie feeling from earlier. Dorean had dressed in a loose white elbow-length shirt and matching jeans with glitter stripes down the sides.

"We have to stop by my father's temple for a meeting before we head out. Is that all right?" I asked. Dorean nodded, looking eager.

"I want to see this! It'll be interesting. I hope your family doesn't decide to fight the Greeks, though," He murmured, having managed to get me to talk about the whole situation last night before we went to bed, "I don't want Adrian hurt, or any of my other Greek friends." I nodded, reaching out to take his hand.

"Neither do I, Dorean." I replied softly. He smiled and stepped closer to me, squeezing my hand.

"If anyone can convince them to be good, it's you." He assured. I smiled hopefully and teleported us from my home to my father's temple on the highest mountain on the island.

My father's temple was a giant lavish building with several turrets sprouting up around it. It was made entirely of gold that glinted in the sunlight, bouncing off the intricate geometric designs carved into it. The front entrance was an open foyer with a dozen columns holding up a tiered cove ceiling that was heavily painted with a cloudy day scenery. We walked through the hall that was lined with more heavily carved columns, images of past battles and future hopes and dreams, of our laws and stories and legends. The stories spread out from the columns to the walls as we entered the main throne room of the temple where over a dozen cushions sat around a wide rectangular table that looked modern and out of place in the ancient temple.

Already there was my father, who was conversing with his wife, Xanius, the goddess of fertility and summer. Xanius cast a quick sly smirk out the corner of her eye at me and my blood sparked at that look that told me the goddess was excited to rile everyone up.

Xanius was a surprisingly petite woman, something rare in Atlantis considering our average height was between six and seven feet. Meanwhile, she was barely six foot with a caramel skin tone, her gold eyes heavily outlined with kohl and her eyelashes thick with mascara, more gold and brown eyeshadow making her gold eyes seem even more gold. She wore heavy black chain and ruby studded earrings, a black flapper-style dress with red rubies lining the bottom fringe, black stockings, and a pair of flats.

"Well, well, well," Xanius purred in that sultry raspy voice of hers, drawing one of her long black nails up to tap her bottom lip suggestively, "You've grown significantly since we've last met, Xenon." Atlan frowned at her, then looked at me and smiled as he rose to his feet.

"Xenon. And, Dorean, it is wonderful to see you again." He said, approaching us. Dorean smiled.

"Hello, Atlan. I hope it's okay that I'm joining." He added. I watched Xanius's eyes flash menacingly and she twitched, as if preparing to move, but Atlan spoke before she could open her mouth.

"Of course, you are one of us now, Dorean. It'll be a pleasure to have you joining us." Atlan told him with a smile. Xanius's eyes darkened.

"An imp? In our court?" She asked, his voice taking an edge. Dorean raised an eyebrow and his tail whipped around behind him, instantly picking up on her hostility. I didn't need to defend Dorean, however. He'd proven over the years that he could handle the racism on his own with that sharp tongue of his. And thankfully, my father was having none of Xanius's attitude.

"Imps are accepted in this day and age," My father told Xanius sternly, making her eyes widen in disgust, "And you will learn to accept this new way, Xanius. You cannot wear their fashion if you do not accept their people. If you think for one moment you can attack the imp, I will happily make you regret it." Xanius curled her lip, drawing her nail down to tap at the table in irritation.

"Tis a dark day in the world when imps are accepted." She sneered, raking Dorean with a less than approving glare. Dorean gave her a droll stare.

"Tis a dark day when the world accepts someone with an attitude like yours." He responded. Atlan laughed and Xanius's eyes flared hatefully, but she didn't move for fear of Atlan's wrath. Atlan patted Dorean on the shoulder.

"You will make a fine addition to this pantheon, Dorean. We need a sharp tongue like yours. Come, let's sit and await the others. As far as I know, everyone has returned." He said, leading us over to where he sat at the head of the table. Xanius sat to his left, and generally Lea to his right. It was the first Atlantean gods, Atlan, Xanius, Lea, Zetnos, Xelius who sat at the head of the table, after that, it was my siblings and I from oldest to youngest, so I took Dorean to where I sat and Atlan conjured a cushion for Dorean to sit on beside me.

The air rippled a moment later and Lea appeared in the room, with her black hair done up in a beautifully curly ponytail, wearing eyeliner and soft blue and emerald eyeshadow that matched her clingy puckered halter top and a pair of low ride bleached jeans, and a pair of leather sandals. I noticed the piercing of an oak tree of life dangling from her navel.

"Enjoying the modern world?" I asked, referring to her piercing. Lea's eyes brightened at that as she flounced over to her seat and popped a squat, making Xanius roll her eyes in disgust.

"Absolutely," She exclaimed, "The piercing didn't even hurt. It's a miracle! They use such sophisticated technology. It's fascinating. Have you been to Madrid? Like heaven on the mortal plane, my sweet. I'm thinking of blessing them for having such a beautiful city." Atlan frowned.

"Don't rush into such big things yet, Lea. We have too many important things to get out of the way first." He told her. Lea rolled her eyes, resting her chin on her knuckles before she passed Dorean a big smile.

"And you must be the one who stole my nephew's heart. Treat it well, child. He's a fragile one." She added. I felt heat creeping into my face at that comment and Dorean grinned.

"I know. I like to call him--"

"Nope," I exclaimed suddenly, making Lea and Dorean arch brows at me, "Let's talk about this somewhere else. Like at my house for dinner tonight, how about that?" Lea chuckled.

"Sounds good to me. I want to hear this nickname of his." She said, wiggling her eyebrows. Atlan chuckled and Dorean laughed. Xanius just glared at us as if our mere presence was putting a stick in her craw.

"He calls him "kitty"." A voice said and I winced, turning to see Zelus appear in the room alongside Atlia, who was also smirking at the news. Lea laughed.

"How suitable! He is like a cat, isn't he? That should have been your sacred animal, Xenon." She joked, making my siblings and father laugh. I grimaced. Of course the first thing they do when they return is make fun of me, but Dorean seemed amused by their teasing, so I managed to smile anyway as my brother and sister came to join us.

Shortly after, the youngest set of twins joined us, Drulius and Drak. Both nearly my height with sun-kissed skin, and light brown hair that fell in fly-away waves to their shoulders, save for Drulius's, who'd done her hair up in a typical Grecian bun. Drulius wore a simple blue layered dress that was barely above her knees, and leather sandals that wrapped around her shins. Drak opted for a pair of faded jeans, a black button up vest over a button up blue shirt and black loafers, his hair slicked back from his face.

"Xenon," Drulius greeted with that mischevious twinkle in her eye, "Fancy meeting you here! Would've been nice if you had joined us in eternal damnation!"

"Dru." Atlan warned. Drulius pouted and Drak just gave his eyes a quick roll and nodded to let us know that he acknowledge our presence here. They took their seats and I merely shook my head at Drulius's comment. She was just pissed she was trapped in a dark prison for eternity. From how my father described it, I let Drulius off with her snarky comment. Next time, though, I'd probably smash her head into a wall.

Something the Greeks loathed us for at the time. To them, women were to be treated as trophies, but to Atlanteans, women were equal to men and as such, would receive equal treatment. So when it came to a fist fight, you went all out, especially with a god. They weren't going to hold back no matter who you were. You offended them, you were screwed blue and tattooed.

The air rippled again and this time, my uncle, Zetnos entered the room and an instant darkness descended over Atlan's mood. He and Zetnos had gotten in a civil war over Xanius, a stupid mistake if you ask me considering how much of a judgmental bitch she was.

Like my father, Zetnos was freakishly tall, probably as tall as Hades, which was no easy feat considering the Greek god of the underworld was over seven feet tall. Zetnos had his wavy black hair brushed off to the side so it fell becomingly around his shoulders, large dark brows slashed over insidious green eyes, so it always looked like he was frowning or glaring, and a goatee-sideburn combination. He wore a tight black t-shirt and leather pants as he made his way over to sit by Lea's side, as silent as the grave. Drulius and Lea were the only ones talking now, because the tension between Atlan and Zetnos made the air uncomfortable.

Not soon after him did my other uncle, Xelius appear. Xelius was pretty free-spirited, wearing only an open white button shirt and baggy jeans that revealed the deep V of his hips. His hair was a mass of dark brown curls that he brushed back from his face with a large scarred hand, revealing his clear blue eyes that were heavily outlined by thick lashes that made him look pretty, for a man.

"Ah, finally, a nephew that doesn't piss me off." Xelius said when he spotted me. He flashed me a grin and ruffled my hair, making me cringe before he took his seat across from Zetnos.

"I'm not a child." I muttered, adjusting my hair. Xelius just smirked as if to say I beg to differ.

A second later, my siblings, Xania and Kali entered the room. Xania was one of the odder siblings, the goddess of luck. While most of my family was dark-haired or blonde, her hair was a rich auburn streaked with different shades of brown, cut just below her ears and wavy, her bangs sweeping over the right side of her face to hide her right eye that bared a scar through it. She wore a sleeveless black top with a diamond studded brooch in the front, and a loose black peasant skirt, with numerous bracelets and anklets, necklaces and earrings all around the shell of her ears and a couple of hoops, and a single diamond stud in her nose.

Kali was the goddess of dance with white-blonde hair that fell to her waist in fashionable layers, something she must have recently done. She wore a string of flowers from one hair, a knee-length brown skirt with a choppy fringe, a gold sash around her waist with coins that jingled when she walked, and a brown peasant top.

Right after they sat down, the oldest twins, Ulenon and Teslius appeared. With long loose waved hair that fell past their shoulders and built like war-machines with rippling muscles, they were the gods of fertility and wisdom. While Ulenon was stern and serious most of the time, Teslius was good-natured and friendly and tended to get along more with Zelus and myself than his own twin, who grimaced when Teslius greeted us exuberantly.

"You are such a child." Ulenon muttered under his breath, which made Teslius pout before he leaned over to Kali.

"He's such a sour-puss. Several millenia trapped in a dark hole didn't even make him slightly friendly." He scoffed, making Kali snicker. Ulenon just rolled his eyes in absolute disgust. From what I could see, they were the same as they used to be.

Once they were settled in, Xeli and Vinion were the last to arrive. Vinion was the goddess of battle with rich chocolate brown hair that fell in waves over her shoulders, her lips a permanent pout, eye make up done to make her look more like a stalking cat. She wore a black peasant shirt under a tight black steel boned corset and tight leather pants, a barbed whip hooked to her waist, and spiked heels clicking on the floor.

Xeli was our goddess of agriculture and health. Her hair was a laced mixture of blondes and browns, curly and done in a tight Grecian updo decorated with gold laurels. She wore thick dark make up and almost always appeared to be tired. She opted for a classic white gown that trailed on the floor as she came over to the table.

"Where's Anexius?" Vinion asked, leaning her elbow on the table and eyeing Dorean curiously. I frowned as eyes went to me, and Xanius's flashed with suspicion.

"He was cursed," I answered monotonously, "He cannot leave his master without his master's permission." A few of the gods growled in disgust and Atlan clenched his fists, pain flickering across his face.

"Does he know of our presence here?" Xeli asked calmly, looking down at her fingernails. I frowned.

Oh yeah, he did. And he wants to wipe you all out again because you were selfish brats.

"Yes. And he regrets being unable to attend. I'll relay the discussion here back to him." I lied smoothly. Dorean glanced at me out the corner of his eye. I cursed inwardly. He knew I was lying. He always knew I was lying. I was probably going to get an earful about it later, but for now, he respectfully remained silent as my siblings murmured in disgruntlement.

"Then let us continue," Atlan spoke at last, causing every eye to turn to him, "The meeting of the Atlantean court is now in session." A cold chill raced up my spine. The last time the court had held a meeting of this magnitude had been to launch a war against the Greeks. However, at that time, the other minor Atlantean gods had been here as well. There were at least two dozen more minor gods in the pantheon, but we were the main.

My father and his siblings were known as the Skolatia. It was the Atlantean equivalent to the "Titans". They had ruled during the same period. And my generation, the Khalian, were much like the "Olympians", and also ruled during the same period. Except our civil war didn't result in the prior generation's destruction. The Khalian were respectful of the previous rulers and didn't dare stand against them. They were on the same scale as primordials, since technically, my father was a primordial. His rein lasted longer than the Titans.

"There are many questions here today," Atlan began, his voice filling the throne room, "Many confusions, many wonderful reunions. Our realm has been restored, but our people will never come to be again. I would like to take a moment to let that sink in, as Xenon has informed me that the human realm has become too dangerous for us to once again repopulate our nation." Everyone was instantly silent, not a breath could be heard.

I watched Atlia wipe away tears before closing her eyes tightly, and Kali sniffed once before pressing the back of her hand against her face. For once, Teslius was silent now, staring at the table in silent agony and Ulenon averted his eyes. My siblings showed obvious lights of forlorn, even my aunt appeared pained by the news. Zetnos was utterly stoic and Xanius just clenched her jaw while Xelius looked down at his lap. Atlan took a deep breath and went on.

"It is a severe loss to this universe and I will mourn our people for the rest of eternity. We now cannot draw our source from worship, but only the Source, from each other, and from the demons who once populated this realm." He explained. I frowned at that and even Zelus cocked his head.

"The desdios?" He asked. I was caught off by a term I hadn't heard for thousands of years.

Each culture, each belief, had its own version of demons. Demons weren't even originally malevolent forces and were in fact favored creatures amongst the gods, created to do their bidding or to protect the humans. But over time, the word and the creatures themselves became severely corrupted. Along with mankind and their constant state of evolution in everything around them, demons, too, changed over time and the word had come to mean something evil and beastly.

But the desdios were the Atlantean demons, the revered creatures that had cleaned and kept the temples alive while the gods worked. Desdios were beautiful demons with completely black eyes that reflected the images they were looking at, usually marked with their patron god or goddess on the back of their necks. Like most demons in other cultures, desdios had typical powers that came with immortality. Speed, strength, heightened senses. They also had a keen sense whenever a god was nearby, and they were honor bound to protect the pantheon.

I had completely forgotten about them, and a sliver of guilt cut through me at that.

"Yes," Atlan informed, "The desdios. In fact, if I didn't know any better, I'd say it was a desdios that freed us from our prison. In which case, we'll be sending someone a thank you gift basket." He got a weird look from some of the gods who had yet to venture into the modern world. I felt the corner of my mouth quirk up in amusement and Atlan met my eyes, a glint of play in them before it diminished and he continued.

"Right now, our main concern is retrieving our powers. We've been weakened during our stay in the Source and we need to recharge. Draw from the Source what it has taken from you, rest as much as you can, and prepare yourselves." He explained. I frowned.

"For what?" I asked. Atlan stared at me.

"Have you not wondered who locked us away in the Source, my phoenix?" He asked, referring to my sacred animal. I hesitated, then nodded slowly. Xanius curled her lip and clenched her fist, smacking it down on the table to get our attention.

"The Greeks," She hissed instantly, "I have no doubt in my mind that those bastards were the ones who imprisoned us." Vinion's eyes flashed menacingly.

"I'm taking Xanius's side on this one. Who else could it possibly have been? I fought Helios three days before we were put out of commission and he said something about doing anything to make sure we paid for treading on their land. Sounds like a good enough threat to me." She announced, making Xanius and Xelius nod in agreement. I scowled.

"What? That's idiotic," I said, making Vinion curl her lip at me, "First of all, Helios is just a god--"

"Just a god," Vinion laughed mockingly, "You're forgetting that he's a sun god. Without him, the mortal realm would collapse. He sounds powerful enough to find some kind of curse or spell. You're forgetting that he has at least fifty different oracles."

"Had," I said, watching her eyes darken, "You guys haven't been here for the last several thousand years. Things have changed drastically. There are no more oracles, at least not in the mortal realm. The Titans are locked in Tartarus and there's a new generation ruling Olympus. The gods have no connection to the mortal realm. Even the Christian God is losing followers by the day. The humans are calling themselves gods."

"I don't even know who the Christian God is," Vinion sneered, "But if he's losing followers, he must really suck--"

"Vinion, enough," Atlan commanded, making her glare at him defiantly, "We still know nothing of this new world. Even with the knowledge Xenon gave me, I struggle to comprehend some of the new things here. For all we know, the Greek pantheon could be mostly wiped out as well." Eyes turned to me for confirmation and I narrowed my eyes.

"The Greek pantheon is still kicking," I said, making Vinion respond with a rude noise and Teslius spitting at the mere mention, "But their follower count is also dropping day by day. Look, we can't rely on the mortals anymore. This is our realm and that should be our main focus. I get you're pissed about being locked up, but don't go playing the blame game while you're sapped of powers. If you think about going after the Greeks now, not only will they rip you a new one, you'll wish you were back in that prison. The Greeks are still one of the most powerful pantheons in existence, and  before you go bad-mouthing the Christian God, you might want to do your research. He has at least ten times more followers than we did back in the day. He has nearly fifty percent of the population at His disposal."

"Are you honestly defending the Greeks to me right now," Vinion sneered, "Say it ain't so, brother, you seem to have lost your balls while I was away." I tensed.

"Shut your mouth, Vi," I warned menacingly, "You're barely at twenty percent power and I've been at a hundred percent for years now, a hundred percent that's ready to bash your head against the wall until that micro-brain of yours slides out your ear." Vinion lunged to her feet, but Xelius caught the back of her shirt and tore her back down into her sitting position. Vinion slapped him away and Xelius caught her hand in a vice grip before forcing it away.

"As much as I hate to disagree with you, little nephew," Xelius drawled, making me frown, "I'm with Vinion. Those Greeks were gunning for us hard. They nearly made it to our island if it hadn't, you know, sank into a oblivion. Sounds to me like they knew about our back up plan and thwarted it with one of their own."

"Back up plan?" I demanded. Xanius slapped Xelius upside the head and he yelped. Atlan gave Xelius a murderous glare.

"What the hell is he talking about?" I repeated angrily. Atlan glared at me.

"Xenon, it is not your place. The plan failed and it won't be resurrected until we have our maximum powers again," He said sternly before turning a glare on Vinion, "I agree that this obviously has something to do with the Greeks. Our war with them was dangerously close to victory. It seems just a little too convenient that we disappeared right when we were reaching our peak in the battle. However, we are in no shape to fight them now. Xenon is correct in this that we are not prepared."

"So you're saying we need to prepare." Zelus deadpanned. I tensed, looking at Atlan, watching the indecision in his eyes before he closed them on me and my stomach dropped at his decision.

"We will discuss the possibility of war after our powers have returned. Once they have, I will call another meeting and we will begin our plans for this new universe. Until then, this meeting is adjourned." He announced, causing everyone to get up and move around at once.

"A war with the Greeks?" Dorean asked me nervously, looking up at me. I looked back at him helplessly.

"I don't know, Dorean. For once, I really don't know."