Chapter Seventeen

"Gross, just what I want. To sit in a room full of Atlanteans. It'll be like sitting in a steam bath with senior citizens."

I rolled my eyes at Hades's latest rant about the meeting we were heading to. Of course, Dorean was just encouraging him with his sweet giggles and my aunt Lea full on laughing, despite what could have been an insult indicating her. Lucifer just grimaced and seemed to be debating whether or not to push Hades out one of the many windows that lined the hallway we walked through.

"We better at least get shit done," Hades said at last, "The last thing we need is another distraction."

"Hades, I think you're the only one here with ADHD." I informed flatly. Hades scoffed at that.

"Oh, please. Yours is worse than mine. One second you're all about fighting the world and the next I see you curled up like a cat in bed past noon."

"I was really tired."

"Sure." Was Hades's one-worded response as he walked ahead of us and threw open the conference room doors. Lucifer shook his head and followed him inside. I paused by the doors to wait for the desdios to arrive, as well as to pull Dorean aside. My aunt Lea arched a brow at me, but I gave her a nod to indicate we were all right, so she went on ahead. Dorean looked at me curiously as we stood outside the doors.

"What's wrong, kitty?" He asked. I was still a bit uncomfortable with the fact that I'd broken down on him last night. It was extremely out of character for me. I was naturally good at hiding how I felt. I had to be with the curse that still weighed heavy on my shoulders. I'd lost count of the amount of times I'd been forced to assist in suicides, forced to make bargains that could hurt others, forced to do things that humiliated me and hurt me. I'd managed to keep a poker face through it all, until now. Everything had just crashed down on top of me at once and I couldn't take it anymore.

But Dorean didn't judge me for it, just like he'd promised. He'd held me the entire night and comforted me the best he could. It was why I'd been so tired and slept in until noon-- I'd spent the night cradling Dorean and crying like a damn coward.

Not anymore, though. I knew what I had to do. I had to accept my responsibilities.

"Dorean," I said quietly, cupping his face in my hands, watching his eyes flicker before he reached up to put his hands over mine, "I know you want to be involved in this. And I know you are smart enough and strong enough, for most of it, but I can't take any risks. If my family ever did to you what they did to Dexius, I wouldn't be able to live with myself anymore." Dorean blinked, before his expression became a mixture of worry and anger and he clenched his hands around mine.

"You can't make me leave, Xenon," He said, and the fact that he used my name meant he wasn't messing around, "I told you I would be here for you through everything and I want to be here for everything. I may not be able to take on the Atlanteans hand-to-hand, but I can still help. Don't treat me like a dog that you can put in a cage whenever you don't need him." I grimaced.

"Dorean, that's not it. I know you're capable, but my family is obviously capable of so much evil that could hurt you. If they hurt you..."

"They won't hurt me," Dorean responded sternly and this time, he pulled my face down so we were at eye level, "I'm not stupid. I won't get myself killed. I did not fight everything I have just to be taken down by a bunch of cowards using magic to protect themselves. I can't fight them like you or Hades or Lucifer, but I can fight them my own way."

"Dorean, please--"

"Then I can't let you go either," He said, making me scowl and step back from him, but he didn't relent and ended up backing me against the wall outside the conference room, "You can't go. They can hurt you in ways I don't even want to think about."

"Dorean, that's ridiculous, I--"

"Then don't treat me like this," Dorean snapped impatiently, "I am not just a servant who makes you food or cleans the house or does shopping." My eyes widened at that.

"Dorean, I have never once thought of you as a servant."

"Good, because then I'd have to hit you," Dorean huffed, then folded his arms over his chest, "I am not helpless. Not anymore. I will never let someone push me down on my knees and into a cage again. And I finally have the chance to do something for you. Everyone else has done so much helping for me, but I have never had the chance to help someone else. Now is my chance. So, you will let me into that room and you will let me help, or so help me, I'll really hurt you and I don't want to do that."

I had no idea how to respond to that. I was furious that he was being so stubborn. It was like he didn't realize how dangerous it was, what my family could do to him. He was just an imp. Even if he was the most powerful imp in the world, he could still get his ass whooped by gods. I didn't want him to think he was helpless, I just wanted him to value himself as much as I did.

And that thought made me pause.

What was I thinking?

Of course he valued himself as much as I did. Dorean wasn't a pitiful creature who worried about his appearance or intelligence or anything like that. Dorean was the epitome of confidence and strength, of courage and perseverance. I'd never seen anyone work as hard as Dorean did. Even when he was still technically a slave and owned by Adrian, he worked hard to educate himself constantly. He was curious about everything, fascinated by everything. He needed to know everything and he adored collecting anything from books to antiques. He was a font of information.

And even though he was smaller due to his impish genes, standing at an average five eleven, he wasn't by any means fragile and delicate. He'd even had a private gym installed in our house. He spent at least three hours a day in that gym, honing his body and figure to a beautifully lean sculpted body ready to take on anything.

He wasn't weak and he wasn't a coward and he wasn't stupid.

Dorean had worked harder than anyone I'd ever known. He knew what he wanted and he went for it without fear and didn't stop until he finished it.

To be honest, if there was anyone I trusted to fight at my back, it was Dorean.

"Dorean, I love you." I said in a small voice that I didn't recognize as my own. Dorean's expression softened and he came to take my face in his hands again.

"And I love you too, Xenon. Which is why I am tired of watching people hurt you. I can finally do something and I'm going to. So take my hand, and let's go in there together and stop this war from happening." He said, lacing his fingers together with mine. I sighed. There was no way I could talk him out of this, and I should've known that, but at least I'd given it a shot and while I was still upset that Dorean wasn't even taking into consideration what could happen to him, I was also grateful to have him by my side there supporting me.

"Just promise me that if things get too bad, you'll leave." I said quietly. Dorean smiled.

"Only if you are with me." He replied. I knew I wasn't going to get more than that, so I finally managed to smile back at my stubborn as hell imp, giving him a soft kiss on the lips.

"Ugh, Desiderius was telling the truth about you dating an imp?" I stiffened at the words spoken in disgust, standing up straight to see the desdios coming down the hallway toward us. The one who'd spoken had been Monia, who raked Dorean with a less than approving sneer. Dorean just gave her a bored look and I gave his hand a squeeze, meeting Monia's glare.

"Speak to him in anything other than the most reverent of tones and I will not hesitate to break your neck." I threatened her. Monia's eyes sharpened and she opened her mouth, but Zythara whacked her in the stomach, making her grunt and double over. Zythara met my eyes, then Dorean's before she bowed low.

"Pleasure to make your acquaintance. Please excuse my partner. She was dropped on her head as a child... and pushed down a mountain, and nearly drowned by seaweed. In other words, she's mentally defective." She explained, standing up. Dorean appeared surprised at the bow before he quickly recovered with a nonchalant shrug.

"Poor her." He answered. Monia's cheeks flushed, but one look from Zythara and Desiderius and she shut her mouth. Good for her too, because otherwise we'd be down a desdios.

"Let us begin this meeting," Desiderius announced sternly, "We have no time to waste." I nodded in agreement as we entered the room. I expected Hades to make a nasty comment, but thankfully, he kept his big mouth shut and it may have had something to do with the way Lucifer kicked his leg under the table.

"Valarian!" Lea leapt to her feet at the sight of her desdios. Valarian hesitated, as if he wasn't sure he would be received well, but he didn't have to worry because Lea practically knocked her chair over as she ran to him and threw her arms around his shoulders. Valarian's eyes shone with tears, but he blinked them away as he hugged her back tightly. It was a display of affection that most of the other Atlantean gods would have shunned her for. Desdios were meant to be celibate servants, not a god's friend. But Lea had never been like the other gods.

"I'm sorry, my goddess." Valarian murmured against her hair. Lea squeezed him tighter before stepping back to cup his face in her hands. There was something about the way Valarian's eyes flickered that indicated Valarian thought of her as more than just his goddess and a small wave of possessiveness flooded through me.

"Never apologize for something that isn't your fault," Lea said softly, stroking his cheeks with her thumbs before dropping her hands, and I didn't miss the way Valarian's eyes dimmed with disappointment, "I'd thought you'd gone down with the island." Valarian shook his head.

"I managed to escape the disaster after Atlan had sent me to spy on the Greeks. I was on the mainland when the island went down. I went to the place a day later to see if anyone had made it..." His voice cracked. He obviously didn't want to relive the sight of a mass grave. And Lea didn't make him as she managed a smile.

"I'm glad you're safe, Valarian. Come, let's begin this meeting." She said, gesturing for Valarian to come sit beside her. Dorean and I took our seats on the other side of her while the other desdios came in and sat down around the table.

"All right," Lucifer decided, getting to his feet after everyone was settled in, "Let's call this meeting to order. We'll need to discuss the war against the Atlanteans. Right now, the information we have is severely limited. From what we've learned, the Atlanteans have returned for more than just vengeance."

"Like any other cartoon villain," Hades picked up, making Lucifer sigh and rub his temples, "Atlan wants to take over the world. Surprise surprise. At least my evil plots were original. Anyway, what we know is that Atlan and company don't have their full powers, which is why they haven't been attacking anyone directly. So they're scrambling to add to their numbers and someone who would severely unbalance the playing field would be if they got their hands on Xiphrus, the Atlantean secret weapon. Xiphrus is one of the first three demons to have escaped from the Source and can only be commanded by those of Atlan's bloodline, i.e. Xenon over there, who we've put in charge of the demon for now. We need to keep the demon away from the other Atlanteans to avoid them using his name to control him."

"We also learned that Zeus plans to launch his own war against the Atlanteans," I tacked on, making everyone groan, "Yeah. Tell me about it. Nothing like adding fuel to the fire. So not only do we need to keep an eye on the Atlanteans and their movements, but Zeus's as well--"

"I think I can help with that."

Everyone whirled to the entrance where Callias was standing. My eyes widened as I stood up in surprise. It was more than just Callias appearing here that shocked me.

It was his appearance.

Gone with Apollo's order to change his hair red and eyes indigo and wearing sexy clothing. This was the Anexius that I remembered growing up with. The one who walked tall and proud with a regal grace and deadly stare that dared anyone to hurt him. His hair was returned to its dark shade of brown, near black, coloring and done in a tight braid that fell over his shoulder down to his waist. He wore a black stitched full body, but sleeveless, uniform with a black turtleneck on beneath it, a black holster on his waist, and a black cape that fell over his left shoulder, and the brilliant gold emblem of a flaming sun was sewn into it.

"Anexius?" Lea gasped. Callias smiled at her.

"Sorry I'm late." He said.

"How are you here at all?" Lucifer asked suspiciously. Callias gave Lucifer a frown.

"I was sent here by order of Apollo to help assist with the Atlanteans. It would seem my master is scared shitless about this whole situation and wanted me to get my ass out here on the front lines to assist. And if you mean, how I got into your realm, you might want to check your barriers. Zeus was the one who threw me in here, which means he has a way in and out of your realm." He explained. Lucifer's eyes flared.

"That son of a--"

"We'll burn Zeus at the stake later," Hades told him, then turned to Callias, "And why should we let you in on this anyway? Aren't you the one who locked them away in the first place?" Callias gave him a snide glare.

"Yeah, and look what happened because I didn't actually kill them." He replied. Lea paled beside me.

"What?" She asked. Callias turned to her without a lick of fear in his flashing white eyes.

"I was the one who imprisoned the Atlantean pantheon in the first place, Aunt Lea." He stated. Lea clenched her teeth, a tic forming in her jaw. She didn't say anything. I could tell she was furious and wanted to bash Callias's head into the table, but she seemed to recognize the dire situation at hand, so she restrained herself, but I could see her knuckles turning white as she balled up her fists.

"Hate me if you want," Callias told her, his tone gentler this time, "I did what I had to do. You don't know why I did it and to be honest, it doesn't matter now. I'm here. We have a battle strategy to plan." I nodded.

"Callias is right. Let's start making plans." I said. Hades raised an eyebrow, looking at me curious as Callias took his place at the other end of the round table. The desdios shifted uncomfortably at his presence and I could tell Desiderius wanted to snap his neck because of what he'd done to our pantheon, but no one dared to make a move with Callias looked so... Anexius.

"Our first order of business is to rescue Zetnos," I informed, watching Lea and Callias glare at me in confusion, "Zetnos was never working with Atlan. Atlan was using some kind of shock collar to control him. It was how he kept me from using my powers to fight back when they were torturing me. The only one who can rip that collar off is another Atlantean. So we need to get in there, take that collar off, and bring him back here."

"And why the hell do we need another Atlantean here?" Hades asked incredulously.

"He's right," Callias spoke up suddenly, "Atlan's probably confident that he can use Zetnos and is spilling all of his information in front of him, thinking he's safe. If we can grab Zetnos and bring him back here, we can get information on what Atlan is planning. From the looks of it, he's given up on going after... eh, the demon, for now." I was glad he remembered not to say Xiphrus's name. He could've easily activated the demon and caused mayhem by now.

"Getting him out isn't going to be easy," Lucifer pointed out grimly, "They're bound to be on alert, and in case you've forgotten, there's a teleportation barrier on the entire realm and not even a physical way to get to it because it's in a completely different realm, a realm that is parallel to the place where their island once was in the mortal realm."

"Not the entire realm," Desiderius said, "Just the main island. If we can teleport to one of the smaller outlying islands, we can travel from there to the other island."

"I'm pretty sure Atlan's going to be suspicious about a boat heading to his island." Hades chided.

"We won't need a boat," Lea said, her eyes wide with understanding as she looked at Desiderius, "There are underground catacombs connecting all the islands with the main island. The catacombs are part of Zetnos's realm of Xandria. It's the Atlantean underworld. If we can navigate the catacombs, we can let it lead us to the entrance that lets out into Leanorius. Ironically, it lets out near the place Atlan keeps his prisoners, where Zetnos is bound to be held when he's not being used." Her term "used" made my stomach twist in a knot, and I noticed Monia and Zythara both flinch.

"Yeah, and if we run into any threats? What should we be worried about on that island?" Hades asked suspiciously. The desdios shifted uncomfortably. Lea, Callias, and I shared wary stares.

"The Kirati," Lea muttered at last, making Hades raise an eyebrow, "You Greeks have your own dogs of war. I believe I remember your people calling them the Furies. Our people have something just as deadly called the Kirati. The Kirati are seven sisters who serve the goddess, Xanius. They are her war dogs who have only one mindset: Kill. In fact, their names are Deseria, Lori, Xalli, Xolli, Violeta, Drastia, and Dria. Disaster, murder, bloodlust, destruction, violence, catastrophe, and death. They won't stop hunting whoever it is they're hunting until they're dead. They're more mindless killers than anything else."

"Xanius seems like a warm fuzzy cuntwaffle." Hades deadpanned. Lea and I gave him a weird stare and Callias sighed.

"She's the one who stirred up the most trouble in the pantheon. She's also a trickster god. Oh, and Atlan's wife, so attacking her straight out in front of him would be a major no-no." He advised. Lea nodded grimly.

"Yeah, I'd rather have her all to myself. I've wanted to claw that bitch's eyes out the moment she turned Atlan against Zetnos all those years ago." She muttered bitterly. Everyone nodded in agreement.

"So, what should we be looking for with these Kirati?" Hades asked.

"Winged bitches with rows of serrated teeth, completely red eyes and coal black skin, claws like razor blades, and spiked tails." Lea informed. Hades grimaced.

"Gross."

"Not all of our women look like that." Lea offered, and I scowled at her flirty comment. Hades smirked and Lucifer's mouth twitched like he was ready to intervene. I knew my aunt Lea was just teasing him, but seriously, she was inflating his ego to the size of Leanorius. That was something nobody wanted.

"So, we go in, kick Kirati ass, save Zetnos, and bring him back here. Why does that sound impossible?" Monia asked dryly.

"Because we need a detailed plan," Dorean spoke up, making everyone look at him, but he wasn't the least bit self-conscious as he continued, "We should split into two groups. Both with the same goal. That way, if one group fails, the other one can still go on ahead to Zetnos while the other group fights. We can meet up halfway back to the outlying island and teleport from there."

"He's right," Valarian agreed, "It's much more likely to be successful. The rest of the desdios and I can go into one group and the rest in another. We can move in a parallel path through the catacombs."

"But do we know the catacombs well enough to travel through them?" Lea asked. Hades frowned.

"How do you not know after living there?" He asked. Lea gave him a droll stare.

"I never lived in those catacombs. I need my sunshine. And that's not the point. The catacombs are constantly shifting. The point of them is to torment the damned souls that Zetnos collects." She explained. Hades nodded.

"That's an interesting idea. Which brings me to ask, should we be worried about the ghosts?" He asked. Lea raised an eyebrow.

"Scared of ghosties, Hades?" She asked. Hades wrinkled his nose.

"Absolutely not. I just want to know what kind of spirits I'm dealing with. Am I dealing with the whiny bitchy kind that follows you everywhere, but can't actually manifest their powers, or are we dealing with my super favorite poltergeist bastards who can manifest their powers and actually attack us?" He asked. Lucifer considered that.

"We all have our souls," He offered, "So it's not like we can be possessed." Hades scowled.

"That won't matter if the soul is strong enough. A couple decades ago, my Theo was possessed by Epimetheus. Souls can pile on top of each other if they tried hard enough."

"Most of these are mortal souls," Callias replied, "None of them will be nearly as powerful as Epimetheus was. They'll probably just scare you."

"I'm not scared of ghosts."

"Mmhm." This came from both Callias and Lea. Hades made a noise of supreme disgust, but thankfully Lucifer started speaking and cut him off before he could go on a tirade about how he wasn't afraid of anything and was the baddest of all asses.

"Everyone in the group should have a designated job too," Lucifer explained, "Someone in charge of actually releasing Zetnos of the collar, someone to keep a close eye on him in case he isn't physically able to follow, someone to cover the group from behind, in front, and on the side."

"Let me handle Zetnos directly," I said, "I'm the biggest of my group anyway. I can have Lea and Callias cover my sides, Dorean at my back, and, Hades, you and Callias can lead us.

"And in our group, I'll handle Zetnos," Zythara informed, "He's not as heavy as he looks. I can have Monia, Xenos, Valarian, Nikos, and Desiderius cover me."

"Even better," Nikos chirped, "Let me go ahead and scout the area to make sure it's safe. I can contact you if I see anything dangerous." Lucifer nodded.

"That's a good idea. Hades, can you--"

"Provide sexy outfits? Sure, why not?" Hades said with a shrug, getting to his feet. Lucifer gave him a quick smile, then looked at the group.

"So, do we have our plan?" He asked. No one objected. Lucifer nodded.

"Then everyone do what you can to prepare. Make sure to see Hades before you meet back at the main lobby of the palace. From there, we can teleport to our first point." He announced. Everyone agreed and the meeting was adjourned. I got up and went to Callias with Dorean at my side.

"I'm surprised you were allowed to come here. You'd think Apollo would want to keep you around." I commented. Callias gave me a weary smile, folding his arms over his chest.

"Oh no. He wanted to get rid of me as soon as possible because I was making his life difficult." He assured. I smirked at that.

"Glad to have you here, Callias. I feel like I haven't seen you in a while." Dorean said, smiling warmly. Callias's features visibly relaxed as he smiled at him.

"I've been caught up, but I've finally been given some semblance of freedom, at least until Apollo calls me back to his side. I've been given specific orders to help stop the Atlanteans and report back to Apollo when he requests it." He explained. Dorean nodded in understanding.

"Oh good," Lea's voice said, making us turn to see her approaching us with Valarian right at her heels, "Then you can do me the favor of telling me why you locked me in a dark abyss for several thousand years." Callias frowned.

"Aunt Lea, I really don't think--"

"Don't argue with me," Lea snapped sternly, making Callias sigh and I just shrugged helplessly when he gave me a pleading stare, "And don't look at Xenon. He's been pretty well-behaved lately. You're the one I'm scolding. You owe me an explanation for messing with my existence, Anexius. And why everyone keeps calling you Callias. That name is so... Greek." Callias pinched the bridge of his nose for a moment before sighing again.

"Aunt Lea, it's part of my curse. Whomever names me, controls me. Apollo has named me Callias. Or at least, the name was suggested."

"I won't call you Callias."

"That's all right. I'd rather you not anyway."

"Now explain to me what preposterous reason would you have for imprisoning us. Or at least me. I did nothing to you." Lea said firmly. Callias studied her expression, then looked at me and I just nodded for him to go on and get it over with, so Callias sighed in frustration before meeting Lea's glare with one of his own.

"My siblings tortured and killed my lover while I was away fighting our bloody stupid war. Long story short, I struck a bargain with the Source. In return for imprisoning you all, I was cursed." He explained coldly. Lea blinked, baffled.

"But I had no idea you even had a lover. I knew nothing of this. Had I known, you know damn well I would have stood up for you!" She exclaimed. Callias tensed and I could see his muscles twitching as he resisted the urge to hit her, something that would probably make me hit him and result in a bloody brawl before the big showdown on Leanorius.

"Yeah, and Dexius would still be dead." He snapped. Lea's mouth fell open.

"Dexius? The Atlantean prince?"

"Yes."

"Anexius," She breathed, "That was a dangerous relationship to begin with. We are forbidden to get into relationships with the mortals. And a prince no less?"

"Don't you think I knew that," Callias hissed at her, bristled by the conversation, "I tried hard at first to keep him away, but he wouldn't stop. I decided I was going to announce our relationship and our plan to marry, that way, he'd be under my protection, but before I could do it, those stupid sons of bitches dared to...!" Callias was almost screaming now. He sucked in a sharp breath, glared at Lea one last time and whirled out of the room, storming out and slamming the doors shut, making Dorean and I wince.

"I'll talk to him. Dorean..." My voice trailed as I turned to Dorean, who gave me a smile and patted my arm in understanding. I gave my aunt Lea a kiss on the forehead, before leaving her with Dorean, who could hopefully explain the situation better for her. I left the room and looked around before spotting Callias at the end of the hallway, sitting down with his head in his hands as he sat on a plush bench.

I frowned, approaching him slowly. The misery and pain surrounding him was almost suffocating, but I'd abandoned Callias enough in the past. He'd tried to comfort me when I found out about our family's betrayal, and I had some long overdue talking to do with Callias.

I came over and sat beside him, watching his shoulders twitch before he brushed his bangs back from his face and slumped back on the bench, touching his head against the glass of the window behind us.

"She doesn't understand," I told him calmly, "She's just upset that you punished her when she had nothing to do with it. Why didn't you specify at the time you made the bargain like you had with me?" Callias clenched his teeth, then sat forward and looked at me.

"I didn't have time to specify. I was a little occupied with the fact that the love of my life was dead and it had been my family's fault. The only one who'd stood out foremost in my mind was you, Xenon. You were the only one who didn't spit on me or kick me or hurt Dexius. You even tried to stop the abuse whenever you could."

"I'm sure if Aunt Lea had known..." My voice trailed as Callias sighed and nodded, reaching up to brush at tears in his eyes.

"I know that. I just... Damn it. I really wished she hadn't brought it up. I don't want to talk about it. I just want... I don't know. I don't know what I want." He breathed. I frowned.

"Callias... Anexius," I decided, switching to his real name, knowing he loathed his new name, "I can't tell you I know how you feel, because I don't. And it's not my place to sit here and judge you for what you did, when we both know I would've done the same thing. I'd just been so blinded by my own selfishness, and I don't think I can apologize enough for not only ignoring your pain, but for hating you for it. It was awful what happened to Dexius. And since you told me, I've had nightmares about it. And I know that's nothing compared to the nightmares you have to live with every night, every day."

"Get to the point, Xenon." Anexius managed, wiping at more tears that spilled down his cheeks. I frowned.

"Anexius, you've grieved for centuries. Dexius wouldn't want you to torment yourself over this. I'm not telling you to move on, not if you aren't ready to, but think about Dexius and what he would say right now if he were with you." I explained. Anexius choked on a quiet sob.

"He's probably call me a baby and drag me out somewhere silly." He managed. I smiled sadly at that.

"Then listen to him, Anexius. You may not be able to be with Dexius again, but I doubt he'd want you to dwell on this. Make right what was done wrong. Look towards a future, instead of suffering in the past." I encouraged. Anexius covered his face with his hands and slumped in his seat, sobbing quietly. I didn't quite know what to do. I wasn't used to comforting people and I really sucked at it. And I hadn't meant to make him cry harder.

And as if sensing my distress over his tears, Anexius sniffed and managed a laugh.

"Stop looking so terrified," He scolded, making me force a tight-lipped smile, "I'm... Well, I'm not fine. I'll... stop after a while. I've given up on trying to look towards a future, Xenon. I'm cursed for eternity and cursed to serve Apollo now. There is no future for me."

"I won't let that curse stay on your head, Anexius," I insisted, "I won't let you suffer anymore. Let me find a way after this whole thing is over, how to break your curse, how to free you."

"No," Anexius murmured, making me look at him in confusion as he sat up and managed to wipe his tears away, "Don't, Xenon. This is my punishment. For more than just imprisoning aunt Lea and the others." I clenched my teeth at his meaning. No wonder he never complained about his servitude. He thought he deserved it for letting Dexius die, which didn't happen. He didn't know it was happening. He was in Greece, fighting to protect his people... Dexius's people.

"Anexius, please--"

"Xenon, it's all right," Anexius said at last, breathing calmly now as he took my hand in his, laying his other hand over top of mine as he looked at me, "I've accepted what the Fates have planned for me. And if that is to suffer servitude to Apollo, then that's fine. I deserve this. But you don't deserve your curse. You don't deserve to be punished. You've never done a thing to hurt anyone. You're the kindest god I've ever known. If anyone deserves to have their curse lifted, it's you. You've suffered enough."

"If we can't break your curse, we can't break mine." I replied stubbornly. Anexius smiled.

"We'll see," He answered, then sighed and let go of my hands, standing up, "Anyway, we have a job to do. Let's get Zetnos back, then we can discuss further." I nodded.

"All right. Let's go check on Hades and see what he has set up for the new gear." I said. Anexius agreed and we paused by the room to see if Dorean and Lea had already left, and they had, so we headed down the hallway to the laboratory.

"Since when has Hades been creating military gear anyway?" Anexius asked as we walked. I shrugged.

"I only know that he started since the last Titan war, but for all we know, he's been tinkering behind the scenes for centuries, if not longer." I explained. Anexius grimaced.

"I don't know if I want someone that mentally unstable making military gear."

"Trust me, he's the only person you want making your gear," I said, making Anexius raise an eyebrow, "Don't tell him I told you, but he's actually smarter than people give him credit for. In fact, from the looks of it, you're wearing one of his designs." Anexius appeared baffled as he looked down at the attire, then back up at me.

"It's comfortable. But how did Zeus get a hold of it?" He asked. I wasn't sure I wanted to go into detail about Zeus's relationship with Hades, which unfortunately had a lot to do with the gear. Zeus had threatened Hades if he didn't produce some gear for him and his people on Olympus, thus resulting in the sharing of it. Lucifer had been furious when he found out, but for all Hades's intelligence, he was dropped on his head as a child probably, because he defended Zeus once again.

"It's a mutual thing," I said at last, and somehow, Anexius seemed to understand as he nodded, "Hades came up with these designs during the last Titan war. But from the sounds of it, he has a new set of gear and I'm honestly intrigued. His products are revolutionary. Again, don't tell him I said that. Lea's already boosting his ego through the roof."

"Oh joy, just what we need-- a god with a god complex." Anexius deadpanned. I smirked before opening the door to the lab where Hades was already opening up a closet that held the suits on a rack inside.

"We've come for the gear. Anyone else stop by yet?" I asked. Hades scoffed as he thumbed through the outfits and took out a pair, tossing them at Anexius and I.

"Everyone came straight here. And your aunt reminds me of Akin, strutting around in my military gear like it's a fashion statement." He scoffed. Anexius shook his head at that, then frowned as he ran his fingers over the smooth surface of the material. I did the same. The material wasn't too light, but not too heavy either, but it was the feel of it like nothing I'd ever felt before. It felt almost... scaled.

"What's this made of?" I asked. Hades gave me a smug grin as he leaned back on the metal counter nearby.

"Hydra skin." He stated. Anexius made a weird noise of disbelief and almost dropped the gear and my mouth fell open.

"Hydra skin? How in gods name did you skin a hydra? I thought they were invincible."

"Not if you have the right equipment and super powers," Hades said, then paused to kiss his fingertips before snapping them over his head, "Finally, my sperm donor did one thing right. Along with the other fun party gifts I got from eating their innards, I also gained a nifty power to kill hydras. I skinned about two of them to make all the uniforms here. It's stitched together with the intestines and made with the scales." Anexius grimaced.

"I don't know if I feel amazed or disgusted." He muttered, unfolding the suit to hold it up. I ran my hand over the fabric, baffled by the fact that Hades had managed to skin a hydra. Of all the Greek creatures, the hydra was one of the worst. A massive beast that started out with just a couple heads, but slice one off, and two more grew in its place. From there, you were screwed blue and tattooed. Even worse, they liked spitting fire and their tail had poisonous spikes that could down an elephant in two seconds flat. And supposedly, their flesh was indestructible to even the most godly of weapons.

Heracles had been forced to battle one as one of the Seven Trials, and he didn't really escape unscathed. And Hades's son, Abel, had his body fused with one after Cain had cut him up into pieces. It was difficult to tell considering Abel used his powers to hide the hydra parts of his body.

To have made a military gear of hydra skin... Hades was not only a genius, but now a military threat to all the other pantheons. No doubt Hades was either on their hit list or on their kidnap list. I only hoped he kept it on the down-low.

The suits were stunning too. It looked sleek and almost like leather, only scaled, but still somehow smooth and flexible. It was a full body suit with long sleeves and a high-neck collar, extra padding over the chest area and thighs.

"Also," Hades said, stooping down into the closet to dig around before withdrawing a pair of tall boots, "These are made of the same material, and they come with a few nice features." He held one of the boots up to demonstrate and tapped the heel of the boot, causing a silver blade to come jutting out from under the toe.

"Commissioned the blades from Hephaestus himself and laced with hydra poison." He said, then hit the button on the back of the heel again to retract the blade. Anexius raised an eyebrow, impressed.

"I had no idea you and Hephaestus had an alliance." He said. Hades shrugged, handing him a pair of boots.

"Yeah, well, considering he lives just outside of Tartarus, I figured it'd be good to have at least one god of Olympus on my side. And he just so happens to be a fellow outcast who sits at the special table with me." He responded, then handed me a pair of boots. Anexius gave me a curious stare and I just held my hands up in surrender before moving back behind a counter to change into the gear.

"Oh," Hades drawled, his back turned to us so we could change in private, "I also ask that you don't stab yourself with those blades. That'd kinda suck."

"Tell me about it." I muttered, stepping into the suit and rolling it up my body before zipping it from the waist area up to my throat. I paused in the uniform, moving around and flexing my muscles. The material seemed to conform to my every movement. I stooped down and slid the boots on, which also did the same thing.

"You know," I said, coming out from behind the counter, "I should get you to start making my clothes. It's not every day I can find someone who makes clothing that actually fits me." Hades gave me a droll stare.

"You can't do it yourself?"

"I always get the size wrong." I said defensively. Hades just rolled his eyes and I turned as Anexius came out in his uniform, his braid trailing down his back.

"Ready?" I asked. Anexius nodded. I turned to Hades, who waved me off.

"I'm not as comfortable changing with you in the room. Meet in the lobby." He said. I shrugged and Anexius and I took the long way to the lobby. Even though we walked in silence now, I felt the strange bond with Anexius that I hadn't felt since before the Atlantean pantheon was even locked away. It was a strange feeling to have that back again.

When we arrived in the lobby, everyone stood at the ready in their uniforms, some carrying their weapons. Dorean greeted me with a kiss on the cheek, and I resisted the urge to just take him to the bedroom. He looked damned look in the uniform that hugged his slender sexy body tightly. I wanted to peel the material off his skin and get as close as the uniform was to him. When he saw my hot stare, he smiled impishly and gave my cheek a pinch.

"After." He promised. I nodded and pulled him close to me as we waited for Hades and Lucifer to arrive, which didn't happen more than a few minutes later. Hades appeared first, wearing his new uniform with his hair done in a loose braid over his shoulder, bangs swept back from his face quite fashionably enough that I arched a brow.

"Stop by to ask Akin to do your hair?" I asked. Hades cut me a withering glare.

"Says the god who can't even size his clothes correctly."

"Screw you."

"No, thanks." Hades huffed. A second later, Lucifer came in, giving Hades a quick hot once over before he looked at the rest of us.

"Are we ready to do this? The sooner the better." He added. Everyone nodded grimly. Lucifer took a deep breath.

'"Then let's head out."