Episode Two, Part 1:

B a d   B l o o d

Sol arrived back at Basilisk, the sun having set. She was met immediately by Kodiak who hurried along beside her on her way to Sovereign's Quarters, not even giving her a moment to breathe before he spilled out apologies. 

"Riv, I'm so sorry. I didn't have a choice. I-" 

"Hey, calm down. Tell me what happened." Sol pulled herself to a stop, grabbing onto Kodiak's shoulders to stable him. 

The boy down on his lip, afraid that she was going to hate him for what he did. "Your dad knows where you went." 

"What!?" She screamed, drawing attention of the few who were around, her pace picking up. "Kodiak, how could you do that? I asked one thing from you. One thing, and you couldn't even do that!" 

"Riv, I'm really sorry. He didn't give me a choice-" 

"You always have a choice, Kodiak. Did you forget that you're a Sovereign and he isn't anymore? That I'm the Nobel? I asked this from you and you let me down." 

"Riverly-" 

"You're not the one who has to face him. Don't act like this affects you." She snapped, walking off and leaving him behind. 

"Riv." A different voice called out. She looked over to see Dreea making her way over to her line of path, clearly concerned about the dispute that was going down.

"What's going on?" She asked, grabbing onto Sol's wrist to stop her form leaving. 

"Kodiak told my dad that I went to deliver a message to Riders. He's so gonna kill me when he finds me." She rolled her eyes, not at all looking forward to seeing her dad again. 

Kodiak caught up to them, a regretful look in his eyes when Dreea faced him to ask if Sol was right. "You know what her dad's like." Dreea warned, her voice disappointed. 

"Yes, I know exactly what Eryx is like, which is why I didn't have a choice but to tell him!" Kodiak argued. 

"I don't want to deal with this right now." Sol muttered, pulling herself from Dreea's grip and walking away from the two Sovereigns. 

She stormed into the Sovereign's Quarters expecting Eryx to be waiting in her room, or the Nobel's space, but he was perched upon the chair by the door, wanting to be the first thing she saw when she arrived back. 

"Let's go." He said sharply, leading her into one of the vacant rooms. He shut the door behind her, exhaling deeply as he turned around to her. "What the hell were you thinking?" He asked. 

"Why does it matter to you? You're not it charge here anymore." 

"It matters because I have forgotten more about being Sovereign than you'll ever learn. I'm also your dad, and that means that you still answer to me whether you like it or not, so get talking!" His words were coming out through gritted teeth, both his arms folded as he was frozen in place, refusing to move until she spoke. He was waiting for her to confess about the radios, unable to tolerate the fact that she no longer told him everything. 

"I know how to survive out there. You always seem to forget that, but I can keep myself alive fine. I went to find Lyra so she could deliver a message to Riders." It wasn't a lie - she had gone with the intention of seeing Lyra, but she left out the part where it was Noah instead. 

"And what did you to say Lyra?" Eryx shrugged, curious of her answer. She didn't know it, but Eryx had the upper hand here - having heard the entire conversation on the radio, including the part where Rogue insisted that Noah went instead of sending someone else - the half of the conversation that Sol had turned the radio off for following Kodiak's entrance. 

"I told her that if Riders even think about getting close to Basilisk, then they'll regret it." She lied.

Eryx just laughed at her answer, belittling Sol more than he even tried to. "Who would be afraid of that? I doubt she'll even tell anyone if you really said that, unless she wants to give everyone a good laugh." 

Tears brimmed in Sol's eyes, her lips trembling, but fighting to keep everything inside. She never allowed herself to cry in front of her dad, and she certainly didn't want to make an exception now, even though she could feel herself shattering. 

"I hate you so much sometimes." Her voice wavered, rage intent but it was drowned out by all her sorrow. 

"Look, I've been thinking." Eryx began, letting her words fly over his head as if they meant nothing. As if his relationship with his daughter didn't matter to him anymore. "I've noticed a lot of changes in you since you've been Nobel, a lot of pressures that weren't there before." 

"What are you saying..." She whispered. 

"I'm saying that I think you need to step down from you responsibility. I don't mean you have to do it completely, but for the meantime I think it should be decided that you initiate half of your duties to me. A co-leader approach." 

Sol had to look away, but her tears got the better of her. If she faced her dad she knew she would have seen him so indifferent to her state of misery, and that if anything there would have been a trace of a smile - an appetite for power swallowing up every other emotion he knew. 

She could hear Eryx moving and then the door opening. She looked up thinking that he had left, only to see him bring two people inside. Immediately Sol wiped her eyes and blinked away any sign of weakness that was reflecting on her as Zara and Atlantis moved into sight. Zara was leaning up against the wall, watching on, and Atlantis was standing close behind Eryx, almost afraid to be seen. 

"Hey, guards?" Sol called out to the custodians scattered around the Quarters for protection. Several entered the room at her command, seeing her noticeably shaken. "Remove both of the girls from Basilisk right now and don't let them in again." 

They went to move - to grab hold of them both, but Eryx cut them off. "Guards, please exit and do not disturb us again. Thank you." Sol watched as they all shared uncertain looks with each other, as if wondering who they should listen to. A couple of seconds passed and with a mad glare from Eryx, they all left the room. 

"Even your people aren't confident in your abilities. If you're not ready to lead your people, then I have someone who is. Atlantis will do it." 

Sol scoffed as if it were a joke. Perhaps some messed up motivation to get her to fight harder. "What are you going to do? You can't just tell me I'm not a Sovereign anymore, one of them has to be blood related. Neither Dreea or Kodiak has a parent that's been a Sovereign-" It was as if she was only catching on to what her heart had already worked out... No words could form, only a desperate shake of her head as if she was begging for it not to be true. She couldn't even look at the girl standing across from her - so much anger and hatred burning from the idea of her alone.

Eryx smiled - something about it sinister, his hands resting on the young girl's shoulders as he pulled Atlantis to stand in front of him - glorifying her in front of Sol. If she'd had looked at her, she'd have seen the remorse clouding her eyes, the whispers of apologies fighting their way into the air.

"She's your sister, Sol." 

It felt like the air had been ripped out of her chest. Her father's betrayal burning deep, scorching and scarring every inch of her. It was unforgettable. Like it was branded on her now, and she told herself that the feeling wasn't going to go away. 

"You're lying."  Sol declared, but it was more like she was begging. 

"What's your name?" Eryx directed to Atlantis, both of the girls confused by his question. 

"Atlantis Beckett." She answered, eyes flickering over to Sol. 

"What was you first tattoo? Your first debt?" Eryx asked his Sol. 

She didn't even need to think about - it was something stuck in the back of her mind that she had kept there, waiting for the day where she would finally realise what it meant. But she had never expected it to hurt like this. 

Her hand grazed upon her right hip where the initials 'A.B' were stained on her skin, hovering carefully as though she had been shot, blood quickly beginning to flow out of her. 

Sol's eyes shot up to Atlantis, not breaking contact. "Get the hell out of Basilisk." She spat, moving closer to her sister until there was almost no room between them, mustering up every moment of rage she had ever felt to intimidate her. At the level of her voice, Kodiak entered the room, afraid for Sol's well-being. 

"I declare you both as exiled, beginning immediately." She told Atlantis and Zara. "Any attempt to return or even to come near to the gates, and I will have you shot." 

Eryx began clapping his hands, laughing at Sol's useless attempt to take Atlantis out of the picture, as if banishing her could change the fact that they were sisters. 

"I relieve you of your duties as Sovereign - a temporary measurement as you are not deemed well enough to sustain the people of Basilisk. Sovereign Kodiak Zora being my witness as I've noticed that he is now present." 

"What!?" Sol yelled. "You can't do that, you have no right-"

"Thank you Sol. I will resume your leadership alongside Sovereign Kodiak and Dreea, and we will reevaluate your ability at a later time when you seem stable." 

-

two // part one

I've been so excited to reveal this! Atlantis is Sol's half sister - though I'm not sure Sol is as glad to read about it as you might be. More about her backstory and their relationship will be revealed soon. The conversation isn't over.

Five updates in just over 24 hours, and seven chapters in 4 days!