Chapter Twenty-One

"A coma?"

"Jesus."

I looked at Six and Three, who sat on the other side of the table from me at breakfast the next morning. They both looked somber, and so weird without their black BDUs. Instead of dressed like warriors, they looked like a couple of exhausted college students. Baggy sweats and matching hoodies, with Six's pulled up over his head because he was apparently cold. Welcome to winter in the underworld.

"It's to help him heal," I said, but that didn't really help the situation, "We should be okay... physically anyway. Mentally, I'm not sure."

"Four was never right mentally," Three said dryly, "The guy had a short fuse and snapped at the smallest provocation. He was always kinda fucked up."

"It wasn't his fault," Six muttered, poking around at his eggs, "I'm sorry, but these eggs just look weird to me. Where's the yolk?"

"You've never had scrambled eggs?" I asked. Six scowled.

"Scrambled?"

"The yolk is mixed in with the white. So it makes scrambled eggs. Did you want a fried egg?"

"Hell no," Three said, making Six look at him, "These are amazing."

"They taste weird," Six deadpanned, "I like my yolk and white separate. It fits on toast better. This stuff jiggles like it's from another universe."

"Quit being picky," Three scolded, making Six roll his eyes, "Eat the damn food or starve."

"Or," I pointed out, "Or he could eat something else." Three gave me a droll stare and Six shrugged, pushing his eggs around on his plate. Three scowled at that and reached over, grabbing the fork from him and spearing some eggs, putting it to Six's mouth, where Six pursed his lips up in refusal.

"How old are you?" I asked, looking at Three, who shook his head.

"Me? How old is he? Are you looking at this?" He asked, pushing the fork at Six's closed lips. Six made a mmph sound as a response.

"If he doesn't want to eat it, don't make him," I said.

"He's not getting anything else if he doesn't eat it."

"He can if he wants to."

"Can he?" Three asked dryly. I nodded, making Three scowl at that. I got up and went to the kitchen to fry up an egg and came back about five minutes later with a perfectly fried egg that I pushed across the table to Six, who brightened at that. Three rolled his eyes as he watched Six punch a fork into the yolk so it oozed all over the plate.

"What happened to like your yolks and whites separate?" He asked. Six frowned.

"I don't like them mixed together."

"They're mixed together right now."

"They are not."

"Are to."

"Are not."

"So," I said, drawing their attention away from the argument, "We should be getting your test results back any time now. Are you nervous?" Six and Three shared wary looks before nodding. I nodded in response, understanding completely. It was certainly scary to meet your parents for the first time. Would they accept you? Would they love you? Would they even like you? The wonders were endless, but I had strong hope for them. If their parents were who I thought they were, they would love them unconditionally. The thought was heartwarming. I was excited to see them connect with their parents.

"What if they're like the Mother?" Six asked.

"Or Micah," Three muttered.

"Who's Micah?" I asked. Six and Three exchanged wary stares before looking at me.

"He was our guardian," Three answered at last, "That's what he was called anyway. He was our drill instructor for training. He also watched over our wing of the compound. He was strict, no funny business, liked beating up on us when he could."

"He made excuses to beat us all the time," Six said dryly, "One time Four sneezed and Micah broke one of his fingers for it."

"What?" I demanded.

"Or the time Seven looked at him the wrong way," Three said, "Seven couldn't walk for a week after that. Or if you were late to meal time, he'd hunt you down and throw your head against the wall a couple times."

"Jesus Christ," I muttered, "Uh, no, I don't think your parents will be anything like that."

"I hope they're nice," Six said, stirring his food around on his plate. Three frowned.
"I just hope they don't hit us," he responded, "Or you. If they do, come get me." Six looked at him pointedly.

"I can protect myself just fine, thanks."

"Yeah, okay," Three answered sarcastically. Six squinted at him for a moment, then threw a piece of toast at him. Three grabbed it and scarfed it down, making Six smile in amusement before he went back to finishing his food.

The door to the kitchen opened and we looked up to see Ryk walking in with a couple of folders, and a second later, Hades came in behind him. They weren't wearing scrubs this time. Hades was decked out as he usually was, all black, chains, and leather. Ryk, on the other hand, chose a sedate sweater and jeans.

"We got the results," Hades announced, making everyone straighten in their seats, "We also got back a few answers from the tests as well, health wise. It looks like your friend, Bait, is extremely anemic. He's also got some rot in some of his teeth and his fangs are definitely too big for his mouth. He was also born with a defect in his leg that caused his bones to twist and knot up. He was crammed into whatever tube he was born in."

"That's great," Three said, making Six and I glare at him, "What about us?"

"Wow, you're just the kindest soul," Hades said, looking at Ryk, who shook his head, "Anyway, yeah, onto you guys. First of all, we know your parents, so that's good news. We've already called them and they're on their way to see you. Should be here any minute."

"Okay, but who are they?" Three asked, sounding annoyed.

"Why do you care? You don't know them," Hades replied. Three glared.

"I don't like you."

"The feeling is entirely mutual, short stack," Hades said, then looked at me, "But you know their parents. Remember uncle Zeus and uncle Jo? Those fuckers are Six's parents." I choked on my water and coughed for a second as Six and Three exchanged stares, then looked at Hades.

"Zeus?" Three asked for confirmation. Six looked sick to his stomach.

"Oh, great, you already know him," Hades responded, "I bet Hera was a font of information about him. The worst part is I can't really tell you it's all a lie. Just that no, he doesn't eat babies. No, he doesn't drink blood. No, he doesn't grow a beard. And no, he doesn't wear Demonic Fashion. He's too good for that shit."

"I don't know what any of that means," Six answered grimly, "Just that... We were never allowed to say his name. All we know him as is the Betrayer." Hades frowned.

"Of course you do. Hera loved Zeus about as much as a two year old loves the dentist. I can't entirely blame her, but there's a line and she's stomping all over it... like a petulant teenager," he tacked on dryly, "Gods, Hera's stirring up more trouble than our fuckin' parents did."

"Except she's actually succeeding in making artificials and creating an army," Ryk said. Hades shrugged at that, then looked down at the folders as he popped one open

"Ah, right, Mr. Friendly here, your parents would be... Stanton and Alaric," he said, looking up, "Ah, you also have a brother, Wren." I stared at him.

"Wren? Stanton and Alaric?"

"Abso-fucking-lutely. They're all on their way over here. Should just be a minute or two."

"Who the fuck are those people?" Three asked.

"Wren is one of the people who found us in the jungle," I said, making Three wrinkle his nose up as if he was trying to remember who, "Stanton is Death." Three stared at me.

"Death? As in, like, the Death? One of the Originals?" He asked. I nodded. Three sat back in his seat, slumping down like he couldn't believe what he was hearing. Six also looked amazed as he sat there, staring at the table.

"I see we could use a few minutes," Hades said slowly, "We'll give you time to process the good news. We're gonna go grab your parents. Be back shortly." He quit the room with Ryk following close behind. I watched them go, then turned to look at Three and Six, who sat there, looking more lost than they did earlier.

"Are you guys alright?" I asked.

"I thought you said our parents were going to be loving," Six said, looking nervous now as he looked up at me, "He... He is my father. I'm not even allowed to say his name."

"He's not going to hurt you," I assured, "I grew up with Zeus. He's a good person, now."

"Now," Six echoed, "And what was he like before?"

"Doesn't matter right now--"

"The fuck it doesn't," Six managed, "What if he doesn't want me and just kills me?"

"That absolutely will not happen."

"Hell no it won't," Three said, sitting up, "I'm not leaving you alone with that guy. Fuck that. I'm staying with Six. Where he goes, I go. I'm not going anywhere with some strangers. Just because a piece of paper says that we're related doesn't mean I have to be with them for the rest of my life. Six obviously needs me more right now than they do." I sighed, reaching up to rub at my forehead as I tried to figure out a way to calm Six down, but it was hard. I didn't know what to say to calm him, didn't know how to reassure him that Zeus was nothing like he was before.

People changed. Things changed. I certainly wasn't the same person I was in high school. Fuck, I wasn't even the same person I was yesterday. It was how people grew, how people developed; they learned, they changed, they became the person they wanted to be.

That didn't excuse what Zeus did in the past. I wasn't completely naive. Zeus had done some incredibly cruel and inconsiderate, deadly things to people in the past. But he wasn't a monster now. He loved deeply and truly and he showed it. Hell, my parents even let me stay with them for a weekend once, and my parents were paranoid. No way would they leave me with someone they thought would hurt me.

No, Zeus wasn't going to hurt Six. He was probably going to be afraid of him. It was a new opportunity for Zeus to become the parent he always wanted to be. I think he was going to be apprehensive about the whole thing. I just hoped he didn't push Six away because he was afraid of this chance to do things right.

And apparently neither of them heard the fact that Jo, as in, Joxeia the Demon of Creation, was his other parent. They'd probably never heard of him if Hera twisted stories. Jo was going to be thrilled. He loved Zeus's children as if they were his own, no doubt, but I felt there was a sadness to him inside, at having lost his own children in the First Great War. Now was his chance to have a child that was directly from him.

This was going to be good for everyone involved. I had a good feeling.

There was a knock on the door and we all stood up. Of course, Three moved so he was in front of Six, guarding him dutifully. The door opened and Hades came in first with Jo and Zeus right behind him.

Jo was beautiful in an ethereal way, like some kind of angelic deity born straight from the Source itself... Oh, well, I guess he was. He was incredibly tall, almost on par with Hades, with long white hair that fell down his back in straight locks, bangs that framed a sweet feminine face with pinkish red eyes. His skin was nearly translucent it was so pale. He dressed the way you would expect a therapist to dress, not an ancient demon. He wore a long thickly knit gray cardigan over a black v-neck and matching slacks with ankle boots.

Zeus, on the other hand, was like his exact opposite. Instead of dressing in something sedate, Zeus wore a flashy pinstripe three piece suit with his blonde hair slicked back from his face, his razor sharp blue eyes staring across the room at us.

"He's in here," Hades was saying as they walked in, "He's the shorter one."

"I don't like this," Six said in a low voice to Three, who nodded warily.

"Hello," Jo greeted, his voice soft and gentle, "It's so nice to meet you both." Six looked at Three, who frowned.

"You're Jo?" He asked. Jo nodded.

"My name is Joxeia, but everyone's taken to calling me Jo over the years. It's a pleasure to meet you. You must be Three," he said, then turned his eyes onto Six, "And you must be Six." Zeus didn't say anything. He just stared at Six, like he wasn't sure what to do with the information he had. Jo glanced at him and gently elbowed his side. Zeus seemed to be snapping out of some kind of stupor as he blinked and shook his head, then cleared his throat awkwardly.

"I'm Zeus," he said, then stopped himself and wiped a hand down his face, "No shit, sherlock. Sorry. Let me try that again. Hi, I'm... Yeah, nevermind. So your name is Six?"

"Wow," Hades said slowly, "You are the captain of awkward conversation starters."

"Fuck off."

"Boys, play nice," Jo said, making Hades wrinkle his nose and Zeus avert his eyes, "We're here to welcome them, not scare them. How about we sit down and get to know each other a little?"

"I already know him," Six said, looking at Zeus, whose expression immediately shuttered. I winced. That probably wasn't the best thing to say. I could tell Zeus was shutting down to make sure he didn't hurt, nor get hurt by Six.

We sat down as Jo and Zeus came over to sit down. Three stayed standing and he stood right behind Six, like some kind of bodyguard.

"It's so nice to meet you," Jo said gently with a smile, "You're absolutely beautiful. You have Zeus's smile. I can tell." Zeus glanced at him, then at Six, who was anything, but smiling. Six swallowed nervously and kept glancing at Zeus. He was bouncing his knee, a sign that he really just wanted to leave the room and while I wanted to help him do that just for his own comfort, I knew it was better that he stay here and at least try to get to know his parents.

"How old are you?" Jo asked, seeming to sense Six's apprehension.

"Twenty something," Six said, looking at Zeus before his eyes darted away when Zeus looked back at him.

"Do you know where you were born?"

"Compound G8," Six said, as if he were reciting from a paper, "Soldier identification number B6 of squad BA. I lived in Wing 2, room 18. With my husband."

"With your husband?" Jo asked, then his eyes lifted to Three, who narrowed his eyes in response.

"That would be me," Three answered, folding his arms over his chest. Jo inclined his head.

"It's nice to meet you. And thank you, for protecting Six. We appreciate it," he added. Three looked surprised by that, lowering his arms to his sides.

"Ah, yeah, no problem."

"You must love him very much."

"Uhm... yeah."

"I'm glad you found someone to love you very much," Jo said to Six, who blinked, then Jo glanced at me, then back at Six, "Both of them." I didn't say anything. I wasn't at all surprised Jo knew about my relationship with both of them. He knew everything, all the time.

"Both of you," Zeus asked in surprise, "Damn."

"You've got to be kidding me," Hades said from near the door and I shot him a look, to which he answered with one of his own, "You. Come with me." I grimaced, then looked at Six, who swallowed nervously as I rose to my feet. I nodded to him to let him know he'll be okay, gave him a touch to the shoulder, and gave Three a look that told him to behave. He rolled his eyes. I ignored him and followed Hades out of the room and into the hallway.

"Figured now would be as good a time as any to ask what the fuck you think you're doing," Hades said, making me sigh and look down at my feet, "Not only are you dating both of them, you decided to go prancing off on your own and got yourself captured. Do you have any idea what could have happened to you there?"

"I'm not stupid," I said, making Hades raise an eyebrow, "I'm not. I didn't want to tell you because it was none of your business. Just like it still isn't any of your business."

"You're my grandson. It's always my business."

"I appreciate everything you do," I said, folding my arms over my chest and looking up at him, "I love you no matter what happens." Hades paused at that, like he wasn't sure what to say. Telling him I loved him always shut him up because he clearly wasn't used to hearing it a lot, at least, not from family. I had no doubt Lucifer kept him steadily stocked with I love yous.

"But you panic when you're scared," I said, making Hades frown, "You do things that scare me. Like the time you locked me up in Hacian for a year." Hades frowned further.

"That was to protect you, and it worked."

"Yeah, at the cost of me losing my sanity," I said dryly, making Hades cock his head, "There were other ways to go about it, but you didn't look at them because it was easier to lock me up where you could watch over me all the time. I was tired of being locked up and scared all the time. And I knew that if you knew about Six, or Three, you'd hurt them."

"Why would I hurt them?" Hades demanded.

"You know as well as I do that you're not really a big fan of people who invade our family, or at least, that's how you see it. I see it as adding people on. Are you going to look at me and tell me that if you knew about them, you wouldn't hurt them?" I asked. Hades didn't answer. He didn't need to, because we both knew he would've. They may be part of the family, and he knew that, but he saw them as outsiders who would've hurt his direct family and he would've hurt them. He wasn't going to stand there and lie to me.

"It doesn't matter now," I said, making Hades frown, "We're safe for now."

"There's no such thing," Hades muttered, then sighed and wiped a hand down his face, "And it does matter. What happens if you don't tell me something else and someone dies? What if you get kidnapped again? What if--"

"Then we'll deal with it," I said, "And, you are right; I should have told you. I was in the wrong there. But you can see why I did it. And you don't have to worry about me not telling you anything anymore."

"Clearly I do because you didn't fucking tell me you were dating two of those artificials."

"Why is that any of your business?"

"Because."

"That's a stupid reason people give when they have no answer," I argued. Hades narrowed his eyes at me and studied me for a moment before he looked away.

"Gods, you're so much like Ambrosius it pisses me off sometimes."

"Yeah, he's kind of like you," I replied. Hades squinted, then reached out and ruffled my hair roughly, pushing me toward the door.

"Get in there and watch over your idiots. I'm gonna go grab Stanton," he said. I nodded and walked back into the room to see that Six was still sitting stiffly and Three was standing over him while Jo talked in a soft gentle tone.

"You absolutely do not have to live with us," Jo was saying as I walked in, "It's your decision to make. But we will happily help you find a place that suits you to stay. Anything that you need, just ask us and we'll provide without hesitation."

"Why?" Six asked.

"Because you're our son," Jo murmured, "We may have only just met, but that doesn't mean we care any less. We can take things slow and learn as we go."

"He's right," Zeus said, making Six look at him nervously, "We're not going to force you to live with us, or just abandon you on the streets. You need something, we'll be here for you no matter what." Six seemed to relax a little. He nodded, then looked up at Three, who raised an eyebrow, before Six turned his gaze to Jo and Zeus again.

"I... Can I maybe live with Three," he asked, then looked past them at me, "And... And Hadrian?"

"That is perfectly okay with me," Jo said.

"I couldn't think of anyone better," Zeus agreed. Six seemed to actually smile now.

"I want to do that. I want to live in a house with them. And eat burgers and fried eggs and go to a bar and I want to try vinda... uh, I want to try Indian food. I want to see the world," he added. Jo's smile widened at that.

"You can do all of that and so much more, Six. The world is your oyster. Explore it," he encouraged, with Zeus nodding in agreement. Six seemed to like the sound of that. I smiled, relieved he was enjoying himself.

Of course, the door opened and Hades led Stanton, Alaric, and Wren into the room, making everyone look up.

"I decided to add more to the party," Hades said, making Stanton roll his eyes.

Stanton, also known as the original Death, was my uncle. Ish. There was no point in getting into the nitty gritty of family dynamics in the underworld. I called him uncle and that was what he was. He was tall, not quite as tall as Hades, but close to it, with dirty blonde hair that he kept short and effortlessly styled. His eyes were a deep chocolate, his skin tanned, his outfit a lot like Hades where it was entirely black, but Stanton topped his outfit off with his signature black leather coat that hung to his ankles.

Beside him was his husband, my other uncle, Alaric. Not quite as tall and actually on the short side for an otherworlder, Alaric had white hair that was cut just under his ears, his eyes a warm hazel, skin a warm cream, and his outfit was nothing more than a plain v-neck and jeans.

Wren came in behind them, looking less than thrilled to be there, but that seemed to be a permanent state of being for him. He wore his own signature coat, a beat up black leather jacket.

"Stanton?" Jo asked, looking mildly surprised. Stanton looked at him, then at Six and Three, then back at him.

"Welp, looks like we both won the lottery today," he said, making Jo smile lightly, "So which one is which?"

"This is Six," Jo said, gesturing to Six, who looked up, "And this is his husband, Three." Stanton looked surprised by that.

"You're married?" Alaric asked him.

"Apparently only by my terms," Three answered dryly, glancing at me, and I shrugged, "But yeah, in my mind, that's my husband."

"That's amazing," Alaric said, "Congratulations." Three looked surprised by that. He looked at them, then at Six, who smiled up at him. He stared at Six for the longest time, like he could do it all day before he looked up at his parents.

"Ah, yeah, thanks."

"How old are you?" Alaric asked. Three wrinkled his nose.

"I don't know. Twenty something. Why does everyone ask that?"

"Age gets lost the older you get," Hades replied.

"Says the billion year old god," Zeus snorted.

"If he's a billion, how old am I?" Jo asked drolly. Zeus opened his mouth, then closed it and shook his head.

"I'm not answering that."

"For your own safety, good," Hades said. Jo simply smiled and Zeus just pressed his lips together.

"You have a little brother," Alaric said, making Three blink and look at him as Alaric put his hands on Wren's shoulders and Wren grimaced, "This is your brother, Wren." Three cocked his head, scanning him from head to toe. Wren did the same. They were sizing each other up.

"I'm not little," Wren said at last. Three smirked.

"You look kinda little to me."

"Fuck you."

"Spicy. I love it," Three stated, making Wren grimace.

"I don't want him," Wren said dryly, "Can we exchange him for another?"

"Wren!" Alaric exclaimed, looking horrified. Stanton snorted hard, bending over to put his hands on his knees. Three scoffed and came forward around the table to approach Wren, who lifted his chin up to let Three know he wasn't going to be intimidated.

"I already fuckin like you," Three said, making Wren's nose twitch, like he was trying not to sneer, "You're like one of those little pom pom dogs."

"You're a mutt," Wren returned.

"At least I'm cute and cuddly. You're just annoying."

"Guys, stop that," Alaric groaned, "I don't want your relationship to start out like this. Let's try again, okay? Wren, go ahead." Wren pursed his lips and Alaric cleared his throat. Wren still didn't budge until Stanton elbowed him in the back and Wren grunted.

"Yeah, hi, whatever," he muttered. Three smirked.

"Yeah, hi, whatever to you too," he said, then looked up, "I always wondered how you people greeted each other. Yeah, hi, whatever. I can dig that."

"Gods above," Alaric sighed, wiping his hands down his face.

"I'm so glad we're all getting along," Stanton said, putting an arm around Alaric's shoulders to pull him in close, "We're one big happy dysfunctional family." I smiled at that and looked around the room. From Hades hanging out by the door and shaking his head to Three, who was smirking at Wren. Six was smiling now, looking perfectly relaxed as Jo reached across the table to take his hand in his own to give him an encouraging squeeze. Even Zeus seemed to ease up a little as he smiled at that, looking darn proud of the development. I looked across the room at Hades, who met my eyes with his set of glowing ones.

Yeah, I decided. We were certainly dysfunctional. Certainly strange. Certainly otherworldly, even by otherworld standards.

But it was our family. Our big dysfunctional strange, but loving family.

And now Six and Three were part of it.