Chapter Sixteen

If there was one thing I learned about Hades during that meeting, it was the reason why nobody in the fucking universe liked the guy.

"We're going in teams of two," Hades said as I made a rough electronic sketch of the compound, major entry points and ventilation included, "Niko, you're at base with me—"

"Are you fucking serious—"

"Like a kidney stone," Hades deadpanned and Niko glared at him, clearly not excited about his role, so I could only imagine what the asshole thought he had in store for me, "You are one of Hera's most valuable artificials. If she can get her hands on you before we figure out what makes you so important to her—"

"Not if I wring her neck first," Niko mumbled, but he surprisingly seemed to settle down in his seat, glaring at the table and tapping his finger in annoyance. I heard a vibration from his pocket, meaning he got a text and while his hand crept down to pat it in his pocket, he kept his attention on the task at hand. For a brief moment, I saw a very handsome dark-skinned incubus with a charming white smile and the manners of a proper aristocrat.

His name was River, and he was Niko's husband.

My stomach clenched and I looked at him anxiously.

He blinked and looked up, then glared at me.

If you're gonna be fucking nosy, you could at least ask me like a normal person and not go digging through my head, he said and I tensed, because I wasn't used to people responding to me. I knew Hades could read minds, but a glance at him revealed he either wasn't interested or wasn't paying attention.

"I want Seven and Hannibal on Team B," Hades explained, gesturing with his stylus at the father-son duo, "I want you as our emergency team. If something goes wrong, we need strong immediate back up. Hannibal, let the kid loose on anyone who tries to stop us and keep him contained to that area."

"I've gotten better at controlling him," Seven sighed, looking exasperated. Hades gave him a droll stare.

"Not enough to differentiate between friend and foe, which even your king has issues doing," he said, making Hannibal shrug in agreement, "Beasts need to be handled with care, which is why Hannibal is on your team."

"Lemme guess," Three said, putting his hands together and making Hades glare at him, "I get to be with Six." Six shook his head, and Hades sighed in irritation.

"Only because you're accustomed to working together," he said, which was enough for Three to grin from ear to ear while Six seemed a little embarrassed by his overzealousness, "Five will also be part of your team to provide backup." Five nodded, looking more than ready to take on the mission.

Of course, that still circled back around to the fact that I did not want the artificials anywhere near this compound. There were too many dangerous soldiers lurking in the Styx location, including one of Niko's attackers, Eilon. Last I checked, the hybrid demon was lurking at the Styx location because he was following rumors that Niko had been spotted in town.

Nasty fucker.

Not to mention, they'd just be walking into a giant mousetrap.

What if mother knew this was going to happen? What if—

"Hey," Niko barked and I stiffened in my seat before blinking out of my mental spiral to see him glaring at me across the table, "Dude, knock it off, holy shit. I thought you were just too cool to talk to us. Turns out you're just sitting over there giving yourself a goddamn panic attack. I already have to deal with daddy over here having a fucking mental breakdown over his sister and my ass, I don't need you over there freaking out too. Pull yourself together." He gestured with a thumb at Hades, who reached up to rub at his temples.

This is the one, I heard Hades's voice echo faintly and I was a little startled to be able to hear his voice in my head, this is the one kid that's going to kill me. At this point, I'd welcome it. He glanced up, then scowled when he realized I could hear him and I felt like he hit me with a frying pan dead center.

Immediately blood gushed from my nose and poured over my mouth.

I didn't even have a chance to move. Wren was right there, pinching my nostrils shut with a handkerchief. I was so fucking confused by how quick he responded that all I could do was sit there like an idiot as Hades scowled and Niko glared at him.

"Hey, if you're gonna get nosy, we can do it back," Niko said, making Hades scoff as if the idea was preposterous, "Also, quit doing that. They can figure it out on their own." Hades glared at him now and Niko just stared back, clearly not at all intimidated by those glowing blue eyes that would've had grown giants running in the other direction.

They do say the baby of the family is the most chaotic.

Wren gave my nose a very soft squeeze to get my attention, making me hiss. I wasn't sure what threw me off more; the boner I popped for that, or that he scolded me.

"Mind your own business," he told me under his breath. I peered up at him with a glare.

"I can't help it," I growled, "I can't control it."

"Sure you can," Hades said, making me look at him, "But it takes a lot of practice and something tells me Hera didn't provide that for you. Interesting, considering you'd think she'd want to hone in on that ability of yours." I didn't say anything to something I already suspected myself. I had only begun to present my telepathic abilities later in life and while Milo had done his best to try and teach me what he could, he himself didn't quite understand the entirety of that ability. Plus, it was only a short time later that Milo passed.

But it makes sense why mother wouldn't want me to have full control of that ability if I was supposed to be her dutiful soldier.

Deep inside, I felt Darling growl. He was agitated, and I wasn't sure which trigger was setting him off more. Wren just touching us and making every hormone in our body catch fire, which wasn't entirely our fault considering his curse, but fuck. Then there was the mother talk, the realization that I was even further under her thumb than I had thought.

Oh, and the fact that no one thought it was weird we were sending the rescues in to rescue the rescues.

"Anyway," Hades drawled, drawing our attention back and I waved Wren off me, but he gave my nose one last squeeze that made me growl audibly. While every parental unit in the room immediately stared at me, waiting for a threat, I was actually more worried about the issue I was hiding under the table and grateful to fuck none of them could see.

Wren saw, though, and he met my eyes.

Good. Deal with it. He turned and went back to his seat. He earned a glare from Alaric while he mouthed that they were going to talk about that later, but Wren just looked away. Alaric clenched his fists and looked at Stanton for help, but Stanton just shook his head and made a sign of the cross before looking away. Alaric covered his face with his hands.

"Three and Six," Hades continued loudly, making us turn back to attention, "You're part of the recon and treatment team. Six, your job is to go in ahead and make sure the path is clear ahead of our rescue unit. Three, I want you on standby with him in case there are injuries or immediate treatments required for transport. And before you say shit, it's not a fucking purse and you'll find actual medical equipment can work wonders with magic."

Three glared at him, folding his arms over his chest, but didn't argue.

For once.

"That's where I want Wren, Jasper, and Yiuwa."

Rowan looked at him immediately with a look that said he was not expecting that line up, and neither was I.

"Absolutely not," I said, making Hades sigh in irritation now and I almost caught a stray thought about quitting his job, but I managed to yank back in time, "No, I don't work with others. I work on my own. I know where I'm going, how to get them and I can get them to the exit. That's all I need to do. I've practiced it a thousand times." There was a short pause, because apparently that bit of information seemed both surprising and unnerving.

"What exit do you have in mind?" Hades asked instead of arguing. I pointed out the kitchen on the map, gesturing around a pod in the corner.

"This is the garbage disposal unit. It's the only one in the facility because it's got a secret hook up to the one above in Styx," I explained, making Hades frown deeply at that, "It leads directly up into the sewers. There's a nearby maintenance shaft that takes you into one of the waste management facilities. They're almost entirely run by machines now, so there's no risk of anyone seeing us."

"Would it matter by the time you guys got to the surface?" Stanton asked. I frowned, considering that. The whole point of not getting caught was to avoid being sent back or being attacked by any enemies we ran into on the surface. However, I hadn't anticipated Hades jumping on board with the rescue mission so fast. I had been expecting some convincing, and while he didn't believe me at first, he seemed to receive some confirmation since then to at least make him reconsider that.

Not that it mattered to me either way.

"No, you're right," I agreed after a moment, sitting back in my seat, "But we still need to be quiet on the way out. The faster we can do it under their noses, the better. The more attention we alert, the more trouble we're gonna start and I think the last thing anyone needs is giant explosions and a fucking war going on seven stories under their feet." Hades seemed to genuinely consider that, but Niko elbowed him.

"It'd be easier to blow it all up yourself than have Hera do it," he said, making Hades shrug. I glanced at them, then at where Rowan was still frowning at Hades, like he was hoping Hades would elaborate on that pick for the rescue team. I was also not pleased.

"I can handle getting to them on my own," I said, making Hades look at me now, "I don't need extra people to worry about."

"Cute how you think you have to worry about us," Wren said without looking at me. I glared at him anyway and Yiuwa cleared his throat.

"No one is doubting your skills," he said and I looked up when I realized he was talking to me and I met those gold eyes that looked almost like mine, "Wren and I are accompanying you to provide you assistance should you need it, and protection, should you need it. Should we prove to be useless, I would say that's a mission accomplished." I still didn't like the idea of dealing with two extra people, two extra people who seemed more than excited to hang out.

"Too bad, so sad," Hades said, making me glare at him now as I folded my arms over my chest, "This is a rescue mission, not a suicide mission. Take what we give, or you can stay here while we go in there and blow the place up in the process." I said nothing, just glared and Hades seemed content with that, and while I wasn't, there was no point in arguing about it further.

I could still do what I needed to do and save the artificials.

That was all that mattered in that moment.

"What's the best time to hit? You said we were on a time crunch," Hades said and I nodded.

"Polly only has a few more hours left before they try and take her," I replied, "I haven't had a chance to contact Kali to tell her we're coming, or to get ready, so I need my phone to let her know so they're ready for when we come." Hades seemed reluctant to give me my phone, for some insane reason, and he tapped his finger on the table thoughtfully, like he wasn't going to do it. I had a feeling he was just fucking around, and Niko seemed to pick up on it too, because he rolled his eyes and reached down into Hades's bag at his feet.

He slid the phone across the table to me and I snatched it fast.

Hades looked at Niko.

"I'm going to start boobytrapping my bag."

"You should've started sooner. Do you have any idea how many times I've snuck shit out of there?"

"Snuck would indicate you were sneaky. You were not."

"But did you stop me?" Niko asked. Hades stared at him and Niko stared back. I noticed the two had a habit of challenging each other in that way, making intense eye contact until something interrupted, so I ignored their staring contest to look down at my phone. I turned it on, relieved to see the battery was still intact, but anxious when I realized I had a bunch of texts.

Half of them were spam, but one was from Kali.

Jasper, where are you? What do I do? Polly is so upset and Elias isn't helping. I don't know what to do, Jasper. I'm so sorry. I thought I was going to be ready for this, but I don't think I can do this. What if we get caught? What if they kill Polly? What if they kill Elias?

Jasper, I'm scared.

It took everything I had not to scream.

I got up abruptly, nearly knocking my seat over and making everyone look up. I didn't say anything as I quit the room, hurrying into the hallway and dialing Kali's number. It went straight to voicemail, which scared me.

Kali wouldn't give up. She wouldn't throw away everything we worked so hard for. I knew she was scared, she'd expressed it over the years, the idea of escaping, of going against mother when that was all she knew. Even with Milo and I showing her the world wasn't as scary as mother made it out to be, it was a completely different thing to face that reality.

And with dire consequences awaiting should we fail.

I opened up our text chat.

Kali. I need a sign. Anything.

I sent the message and clenched my phone in my hands, taking a deep breath to calm the anxiety that was starting to rear its ugly head again.

No, Kali was okay. She was just scared. She knew I would be there for her. I had to be. I was the only way for her to survive that place, her only way out. The same thing went for Polly and Elias. They were younger, and Polly was sick. She needed help.

"Jasper?" Wren's voice cut through my panic and I clenched my teeth to keep from lashing out on instinct. I didn't answer and just kept my back to him, clutching my phone like a lifeline to my forehead.

I heard Wren move behind me, felt his hand on my arm, and Darling purred at the touch.

"I can't," I said at last, turning to look at him and he blinked, staring up at me with a frown, "I can't think about anything else right now. I need to get to my sisters and brother." Wren nodded.

"I know," he said softly, his eyes searching my face, "I'm not trying to confuse you or hurt you. That's the last thing I want. I just wanted to check on you."

"I'm not the one who needs help," I replied, exasperated. Wren's expression said he didn't believe that for a second.

"The first memory I have of you is on your phone," he said, making me blink and look at him in confusion as he studied me, "When I walked into The Winged Serpent, you were on your phone with this big stupid smile on your face. That was the moment I realized things were going to be different. And every time after that, you would take out your phone and smile or stress and I couldn't figure out who it was that was constantly getting your attention." I looked at him curiously.

"That sounds almost like jealousy," I pointed out. Wren blushed.

"I understand now that it was your siblings," he answered dryly, making me raise an eyebrow and he cleared his throat, shrugging uncomfortably and looking away, "But... Jasper... You're taking care of them. All the time. Has anyone taken care of you since Milo?" I tensed at that, immediately stepping away from him and Wren looked disappointed.

"Nobody takes care of me," I replied stonily, "I don't want to talk about that. I want Kali to answer my message so I can get the go ahead on this rescue mission. Which reminds me, you don't need to be going at all." Wren glared at me, folding his arms over his chest.

"We're not going to talk about that either, because what Hades says goes," he said, then started to turn and leave, but then he doubled back around and approached me abruptly, getting right up into my face now as I stiffened at his finger poking my chest, "And for the record, I'm not as stupid as you might think, and neither is my family. You're not leaving us, now or ever." He switched the jabbing with his finger to grabbing the front of my shirt and yanking me down, our lips colliding.

The kiss was so sudden and brutal, the force of it actually busted my lip, and Wren took the opportunity to take my busted lip between his teeth in a playful nip before he pulled away, leaving me breathlessly confused. Those dark eyes flashed.

"You don't get to walk into someone's life, then fucking leave whenever you want," he said as I stared at him and he roughly let go of me, "Get back to us when Kali contacts you. We'll be waiting for your instruction." He turned and went back to the main hall. I watched him go.

My lips tingled and I felt Darling writhing under my skin, desperate to chase after Wren. My blood was heated, my cock still hard thanks to his curse and his kiss. For the briefest of moments, I debated running in after him. Debated kicking the doors open, scooping Wren up, and taking off with him as far away as possible.

Where nobody could hurt him.

Where nobody could hurt us.

But there was nowhere in the world to hide now.

My phone chimed and I gasped, looking down to see that Kali had texted me back.

Five hours, Jasper. I quickly texted her back.

Four. Meet for dinner. Dress well. I waited for her response, watching the little dots rolling on the screen to indicate she was typing before I received her final confirmation.

See you in four. Relieved, I gave myself a second to straighten up and calm down before I returned to the main hall.

"I still don't see why I can't just wait outside," Niko was saying as I came in to see Hades rubbing his temples and Rowan standing beside him, his arms folded over his chest. He looked annoyed for once, but Hades seemed to be trying to ease the headache Nick was invoking, "I don't even have to go inside. I'll just stand outside with the door open. That's what I can do. I'll hold the door open."

"No," Hades said dryly, looking up to pin Niko with a glare that he evenly matched with his own, "Niko, for the thousandth time, no. You do not have the strength, the control, or the full training required for you to go up against the mother or anyone else at that base right now. We don't know what the threat level is, we don't know what to expect—"

"That's what Jasper is for! He can just tell us what to look for—"

"Except it sounds like there is too much for him to worry about already without you running around trying to kill people."

"I don't see how that's a bad thing and also, y'all don't need to worry about my ass. I can take care of myself."

"I'll believe that when you stop asking me for shit," Hades said, making Niko roll his eyes and throw his hands up. Hades shook his head, then looked up as I approached.

"I got confirmation from Kali— we have four hours," I said, making him nod as he rose to his feet and Rowan stepped back, anxiously looking at Hades, who ignored him to face me.

"Good. We'll start prepping for extraction. I'll get the authorities to watch the area and keep it clear of civilians to avoid casualties, just in case things go south," he explained and I nodded, watching him pick up his tablet to tap a few things in.

I looked back at Rowan, who was just staring at Hades expectantly. Apparently they had had a conversation going earlier when I was out, one that Hades didn't seem keen on finishing. In fact, he was clearly bothered by Rowan hanging around, because he took his tablet and left the room, completely absorbed in whatever was on the tablet.

I watched him go, then turned to Rowan, who was frowning after Hades.

"There's always that one problem child," I said. Rowan blinked and turned to look at me, like he hadn't expected the joke. Unfortunately, he didn't laugh either.

"You're one to talk," Ryk said suddenly and it surprised me to see him just appear at my side out of nowhere. I even glanced under the table, because I swore there was no one under there earlier. He raised an eyebrow at me, amused, when I straightened.

"Not a child," I replied briefly, making Ryk snort as I looked at Yiuwa, who was approaching now, "And I don't need your supervision. I've done countless missions on my own."

"Then why did you ask us for help this time?" Yiuwa returned. His tone caught me off guard and I looked at Rowan, who was frowning, but not saying anything. I turned back to Yiuwa, annoyed by his comment, but he was technically right so there was nothing to say to that, except...

"Just don't get in my way," I deadpanned.

"And you found that charming?" Niko asked, gesturing with his thumb up at me while looking at Wren, who flushed. Alaric looked annoyed, folding his arms over his chest and looking at Stanton again, who was rubbing his temples.

"Baby, I love you," he started, which was met with an eye roll, but he continued anyway, "But Wrenny is an adult who can make his own decisions. If he has a crush on the asshole, I can't make him not. Do I not like it? Fuck yeah. Can I change it? Fuck no."

"He's our baby," Alaric stressed.

"He's our adult baby," he said and when Alaric screwed his face up, Stanton sighed, "I can't say anything anymore. Look, leave the kid alone, baby, we have our hands full with the other one anyway." He gestured to where Three was chewing on his fingernail while reading his phone before looking up, sensing the stares.

"What?" He demanded.

"Nothing, you're actually being the most well-behaved right now," Alaric muttered, making Three scowl curiously before Alaric looked at Wren, who seemed less than amused by their exchange, "Wren, I seriously think you should reconsider letting dad or I go. Or, it looks like Rowan would rather join him anyway." He looked at Rowan, who was clearly uncomfortable with having the attention turned on him again.

"I would like to discuss maybe at least letting me come with," Rowan said, but Yiuwa shook his head and Rowan glared at him in frustration, "I don't understand why you're questioning my ability to protect him, I—"

"That's not why I'm doing this," Yiuwa said immediately, making Rowan fall silent, "And we're not discussing anything else about it right now. Wren and I will be joining Jasper. That is the plan. It is better for all of us if you stay right here with Hades and Niko." Rowan stared at him and Yiuwa stared back. There was clearly some kind of awkward underlying argument there, but neither one was willing to make a scene about it.

Rowan left first.

He looked absolutely fed up now.

I looked at Yiuwa, who turned his attention to Ryk to ask if he was alright with the plan that had been decided. I couldn't really focus on what he was saying, though, considering his mind was still on Rowan.

I don't understand why he insists on going. He's up to something. I don't know what he's planning, but he's not going anywhere alone. Neither of them— none of them, not even Hades— will go anywhere alone from now on. What if he leaves on his own again? What if he disappears again? What if...

Yiuwa's inner voice cracked and broke with the emotion of his soul. He wasn't so much angry as he was terrified and upset by what he seemed to think was an excuse for Rowan to leave, and when I dug a bit further, I found myself sinking into one of Yiuwa's memories.

"Rowan, are you ready?" I watched Yiuwa walk down a short hallway of a quaint little house, and it took me a moment to realize it was the home that had been destroyed in Styx, but it seemed to be years earlier. I watched Yiuwa open the door to a cozy lived in bedroom.

Rowan was anxiously loosening and tightening his tie in front of a floor length mirror, dressed in a dazzling shiny black suit with a colorful array of flowers clustered in a miniature bouquet in the breast pocket. He looked handsome, nothing like he did in that meeting hall. The Rowan in the meeting hall was... tired, to say the least.

This Rowan looked confident, despite the fidgeting. He looked perfectly healthy, calm, despite his finger work on the tie.

Yiuwa smiled warmly, coming in and Rowan looked up, startled for a moment before frowning.

"Sorry, did you ask me something?" He asked. Yiuwa approached him, slow and scanning Rowan from head to toe in a way that clearly got Rowan all hot and bothered. He pretended to be interested in his tie again, of course, but Yiuwa was there to catch his hands, lacing their fingers together.

"Aside from asking to marry you?" Yiuwa asked softly. Rowan froze for a second. He clearly hadn't been expecting their relationship to go this far and it was clear on his mind. He looked up, revealing a tribal black marking on his neck.

I frowned curiously, because it somehow looked familiar.

I found myself fingering my neck thoughtfully as Yiuwa drew Rowan's hands to his lips, kissing his fingertips tenderly. Rowan's expression softened and the racing of his mind slowed until he was solely focused on Yiuwa's facing gazing down at him lovingly.

"I love you, Rowan," he murmured. Rowan's lower lip trembled and I saw his hands slipping in Yiuwa's grip, but Yiuwa tightened his grasp and gave Rowan a kiss on the lips, gentle and sweet.

"I know it's still a scary concept for you," he said softly as Rowan simply stared up at him adoringly, "But I will show you that love isn't scary. I will spend the rest of my days showing you the good in the world. I will show you that everything we've gone through until now has been worth it. I will show you love, Rowan, my love, my husband, my soulmate." He kissed Rowan again and this time, Rowan threw his arms around his neck and yanked him down for a deeper kiss.

They broke apart after a brief passionate kiss, their hands on each other's faces now.

Rowan's expression was so soft, so tender, so full of love. His smile was hopeful, his heart pounding in his chest, his eyes sparkling. Yiuwa too, smiled so lovingly as he held Rowan's face in his hands.

"We will be together forever," he whispered to Rowan.

No matter what, his mind added.

I returned to the present as Yiuwa gave Ryk a warm smile. It mirrored the one he wore in the past, but there was a tiredness to it right now. He cupped Ryk's face in his hands, murmured something along the lines of being proud of him, of loving him, and that he would return shortly to tend to Rowan.

Ryk was scared. He was scared for his parents, his brother, his family... and he was scared for D'Angelo. I tried not to flinch about another problem I would have to address, and fast. Hopefully when I had a chance alone, I'd be able to slip away and set D'Angelo free.

With his soul on its own, Stanton should be able to find him and bring him to Yhwhwa for reincarnation. That would at least comfort Ryk to know that D'Angelo wasn't damned.

"I love you too," Ryk said to Yiuwa firmly and I took out my phone out of nervous habit as they got mushy-gooey. I turned away to look at my text messages. I had gotten nothing more from Kali, no updates or confirmations, which was according to plan. Anything else could be monitored from here on out, so she would be dark until we got to her.

That scared me.

I didn't like to lose contact with Kali like that.

But if it kept her safe, that was all that mattered.

Preparing didn't take as long as I thought, or maybe it was my anxiety that made the whole process speed up somehow. Eventually Yiuwa escorted our team downstairs to a locker room to get fitted for military uniforms that bore Hades's symbol on it.

I frowned, holding the suit in my hands and brushing my thumb over the skull wearing a helmet with crossed swords tied by a ribbon behind it. It was strange to wear something that didn't belong to mother, and I glanced up to see that the other artificials were also hesitant to wear the gear.

"At least it looks comfortable," Five said at last, sitting on a bench and staring down at the uniform in her lap. Three stood beside her, frowning at the symbol and giving the material a slow stretch. I glanced up where Six was already pulling his shirt off over his head, tossing it on the counter so he could pick up the uniform and hold it up.

"I don't know if this is going to fit," he mumbled.

"It's enchanted," Yiuwa said, making Six blink and look up as he offered him a warm smile, "They will fit no matter what your size is." Six glanced at Three, who just raised an eyebrow. Seven seemed hesitant for a moment before he reluctantly took his uniform to one of the changing closets. Six didn't seem to care enough and just stripped the rest of his clothes off down to a snug pair of boxer-briefs, stepping into the suit and pulling it on.

"Oh," Six went to reach back and do the zipper, except the thing was already gliding up on its own, secured safely at the top of his neck.

"It's self-securing," Yiuwa said and when Six gave him a wary look, he smiled, "When you're ready for it to come off, just do this." He reached back and gave the zipper a slight tug and the thing came unzipped on its own. He gave it a second tug and it went right back up.

"That's kind of nifty," Six murmured, smoothing the suit around him as it appropriately contoured to his beefy body type. Three was already stepping into the suit himself now as Five went to another closet. I looked down at the uniform again, frowning.

I wasn't so sure how I felt about wearing Hades's symbol.

To anyone else, it was just silly stitchwork.

To me, it felt... wrong. I wasn't a soldier of Hades. I wasn't even one of his allies. I was only using him to get the artificials to safety before I went back to finish what I had started. In the end, I wasn't a member of his family or one of his soldiers.

But hiding from mother would be a lot easier in one of Hades's uniforms than one of mother's.

I took the uniform into one of the closets to change. In the process, I knelt down and pulled a mask out of my pocket, securing it over the lower half of my face before I put on the new uniform.

I couldn't risk mother recognizing my face amongst Hades's soldiers.

My height might be a give away, but if I could just mimic Hades well enough...

I conjured a pair of wraparound sunglasses to put on and whipped my hair up into a loose bun, pausing to study myself in the mirror. I was almost a dead giveaway for Hades, even with my hair being shorter. I was a little bigger muscular wise, but mother wouldn't be looking for specific defining features. If she thought for one second I was Hades, and she happened to be monitoring the security systems when we entered, she'd be delighted to get her hands on me.

I came out of the changing closet, fidgeting with my phone in my pocket. Everyone else was outfitted and ready to go, adjusting their uniforms.

"Oh, fuck," Three said, making me glance over to see him staring at me, "For a whole second, I thought you were Hades."

"Good," I answered and at Six's curious scowl, I frowned, adjusting the mask neatly over my nose, "I can't have mother suspecting I've switched sides yet."

"You're not going back," Five said and when I glanced at her dismissively, she frowned, "Jasper, if you go back and she knows you tried to trick her, if she knows you set the others free, she's going to kill you. Favorite or not."

"Not if I get to her first," I replied, walking toward the exit. Five glanced over at Six and Three nervously, all of their eyes shifting and their thoughts racing in wonder of whether they should say something to anyone or not.

Luckily, long term loyalty was hard to kill, because all three of them remained silent as I left the room. I headed upstairs to meet in the main hall with the others.

"Hades." I almost didn't stop until I realized it was Rowan's voice directed at me. I didn't turn around to address him or correct him. I waited to see if he'd notice it was me and not Hades.

"Can I just say something? Please?" Rowan asked. I didn't answer, but I did glance a little over my shoulder and he took that as permission to speak. Which was weird, because why would he ever need Hades's permission to speak up?

"Jasper needs us," Rowan said immediately and I tried not to let that bother me as he continued, "He came to us for help. That means he's willing to open up, if even a little, but his behavior earlier during the meeting was off. I think he's planning something without the rest of us."

I said nothing, and Rowan went on.

"I'm not going to ask if I can come with to help him," he said softly, "I understand that trust is something I need to earn, especially when it comes to... I just don't feel right about this mission, without Jasper having some kind of backup. I understand Yiuwa is going, but I don't think he knows how far Jasper is willing to go to make things right for his siblings... Hades, I think Jasper is going to turn this into a suicide mission for himself."

I smirked, relieved the mask could hide my expression.

So Rowan wasn't a complete dipshit out of tune with the world.

Or maybe, I noticed as I watched scenes of his own struggle fade in and out of focus in his mind, he just knew what it felt like when the world was coming to an end. An instinctual part of me wanted to calm Rowan's concerns, at least enough for him to leave me alone and do this mission.

But what was the point?

Rowan hadn't gotten to know me, even if he was more observant than he let on. I was not his son, I was not his child, I was not his responsibility. Just because he found out he had another child did not make him obligated to open his arms to me, or help me, or worry about me. It was a waste of time and energy to be concerned for someone who wouldn't need it for much longer.

Yes, maybe Rowan was right.

Maybe that was what I was hoping for at the end of this.

I was hoping to kill mother too, of course, but I had a feeling it wasn't going to be easy. I had a feeling I was going to die in the attempt, but I was completely okay with that.

I was tired.

So very tired.

I could use a long permanent dirt nap.

I finally just nodded to Rowan, who didn't seem pleased with that. I felt him come forward, like he was going to get in my face about it, but I just turned away and headed down the hallway. I heard Rowan's footsteps move fast to keep up with me, his hand on my arm, and I spun around fast, catching him by the arm.

He gasped in surprise when I swung him up against the wall, my arm a bar across his chest to pin him there. He looked surprised until he lifted his eyes and met mine through my sunglasses.

"Jasper," he managed. I reached up, giving the mask a tug so he could see my grim smile.

"You should've kept your suspicions to yourself, Ro. I don't have time to deal with your familial carnage right now when I have my own family to protect. So do me a huge favor," I murmured, watching him tense up with the intention to fight back against me, "Go to sleep." I thrust my arm up against his jaw, snapping his head back against the wall hard enough for a sickening crack to ring out.

Rowan's green eyes glowed for a second before fluttering closed. He almost hit the floor, but I caught him around the waist and hoisted him up into my arms with little effort. It was a little disturbing how incredibly light someone so powerful could be. It felt like I was carrying a feather, ready to get blown away in the wind.

No wonder Yiuwa was so worried about him.

I sighed, adjusting him in my arms and looking around for a safe place to set him down where he wouldn't be found right away. Whether it aroused suspicion or worked people up, I didn't have time to deal with it.

I managed to find a quiet dark lounge room that was unused downstairs. I settled Rowan on the sofa gently, pausing to look down at him. He was so thin, so tired looking. His eyes seemed to be always rimmed in red, like he was on the verge of tears, his skin was getting paler, dark circles forming under his eyes.

I had the brief bitterly funny impression that he looked just like me when he was fucking exhausted.

I smiled grimly, reaching down to brush the hair out of Rowan's face.

"Don't worry, Ro, I'll fix this shit. I'll keep Hades and Ryk safe. So remember to take care of yourself." I gave his head a little pat before I walked away, heading for the main hall. I pulled my mask back up and adjusted my sunglasses as I headed out into the hallway and found my way back to the main hall.

"Jasper?" I scowled, turning to see who the fuck had recognized me when I realized it was Wren, standing near the main hall, wearing one of Hades's uniforms. For a brief moment, I was spellbound by how good he looked in the uniform. The sleek black material hugged his skinny lanky frame, but it gave me the perfect view of every dip, curve, and cranny of that slim figure. His ass looked particularly nice and biteable. I could imagine the pop of my fangs through that material before it sank into his asscheek.

"Don't you cut a pretty picture," I murmured when I approached. Wren stared at me, looking amazed as I reached up to push my sunglasses on top of my head.

"You... look really good too," he said after a moment, his cheeks pinkening and I raised an eyebrow, amused by his comment.

"You mean I don't look like Hades?" I asked. Wren blinked, gave me another once over, then scowled as he stared up at me.

"Your ass is a lot nicer to look at in the uniform," he replied dryly. I couldn't resist barking a laugh at that and it only made Wren blush more.

"You're cute, Wrenny."

"Don't call me that," Wren muttered, but the protest was futile and weak, like he wasn't that bothered by the nickname, or the compliment, and I felt myself smile as he looked around sheepishly, "Uh, I was... gonna say something..." I smiled, watching him search and I went to dip into his mind, only to remember it was too chaotic in there

Except when I started, I had already slipped in and was surprised to find myself in a memory.

No, maybe a fantasy was more appropriate.

Wren was wearing that cute pink leather set from The Winged Serpent. He was seated neatly on my lap, like he belonged there, his blond hair sticking to his face with sweat as he panted. It took me a moment to realize I was wearing Hades's uniform, my cock pulled out and buried in his heat. The intensity of the vision, of the fantasy, fucking took my breath away.

When I zoned back in, I found myself pinning Wren to the door of the main hall, breathing hard as I dipped my face down to his. He was staring up at me with the same boiling hunger in those dark eyes, his hands gripping my biceps as I leaned over him.

"Don't do that," I growled, reaching up to tilt Wren's head back so I could squarely meet his wide dark eyes, "Not right now." Wren stared at me.

"Then after," he managed. I stared at him.

"There is no after."

"You can't run from me," he said, making me frown curiously at his change of tone and he met my eyes now, reaching up his hand to glide over my chest sensually. My skin prickled as his hand trailed up to my throat to grip the underside of my jaw, holding my face still, our noses just an inch or so apart.

"I won't let you leave me again, Jasper," Wren's words made my stomach clench tight, "Nothing will tear us apart. Not Hades. Not my parents. Not Hera. I will have you in my arms again, if it's the last thing I do."