Chapter Five

 "Ugh, as if being locked in the palace alone wasn't bad enough..."

Noe didn't bother to finish his sentence and just sighed miserably, his knees drawn to his chest and his arms folded on top, head resting on them as he watched me finish cleaning his room before I stopped at the foot of his bed to look at him.

He had finally managed to clean up and stopped bleeding. His back healed perfectly so the skin was smooth, even when it connected to his wings that we managed to clean off with a bit of difficulty due to the fact that Noe didn't know how to use them. We couldn't find a shirt that would work with his wings, so his torso was bare. He only wore loose gray sweatpants now and he looked so much smaller without his uniform on. He probably felt smaller too, something I'm sure he didn't appreciate.

"I'm sorry, Noe," I said again, making him look up past his hair, "But you have to stay here. We can't risk anyone seeing you like this. At least, not until we can figure out how to handle it. I'm not even going to tell my brothers." Noe blinked, looking at me in surprise.

"But if they find out on their own, they'll be mad at you again. Like when you kept the secret about your life forces being connected." He added, frowning. I nodded grimly, balling up one of the bloodied pillow cases, letting it burst into flames in my hands before it turned to ash and fell to the floor.

"So I need to move quickly. I need to inform the servants that you're ill and need to be left alone. I will be the only one to care for you from now on. If you need something, let me know, but don't leave the room. I'll pick up some cell phones from Styx tonight so we can use them." I explained calmly as I turned the lights in the bathroom off, then turned to see Noe frowning at me.

"And what do I do while you're out running around trying to save me?" He asked. I studied his expression, knowing full well that my answer would set him off. He couldn't come with me, couldn't leave in general. He had to remain here and from his room, there was really not much for him to do. I would have to give him my laptop at least to occupy his time, but knowing him, it wouldn't keep him entertained for long.

"I'm going to find someone to talk to," I said, ignoring his question and making him slump down in disappointment, "I need someone I can trust with this. Once I find someone, I'll ask for more information on oracles. In the mean time, Noe, please stay here and do as much research as you can."

"Research?" Noe asked. While it wasn't his usual thing to do, he looked relieved to be able to help.

"Yes. I'll get my lap top and bring it to you. Look up as much as you can on oracles as well as Phoebe. And also go back over what happened that night in Styx, piece by piece. Analyze every detail you can. Chat with Abel online or Sept or Leon, even Kyros, and ask them what happened that night so you can know for sure. If they ask, tell them you lost something and are looking for it. If they offer to help, tell them that's fine. You need something to do anyway. Do you understand?" I asked. Noe nodded, sitting up a little more comfortably now. I nodded to him, then went to the door, slipping out of his room.

I backed away and waved my hand over his door, placing a spell barrier, just like the one that engulfed Tartarus. It would prevent anyone from coming in... and leaving.

I went to my office down the hall and grabbed my laptop, coming back into Noe's room to see him still sitting there, waiting patiently. I gave him the laptop and stepped back, watching him pop it open and type a few things. He worked much faster than I, something that was probably a little pathetic considering the fact that I spent a good portion of my life on there communicating with Hades or Thanatos.

Wait, I realized.

Thanatos.

He was Death. Surely he could keep a secret and while we weren't the best of friends, I valued Thanatos loyalty and kindess for others. He may be Death, but that didn't mean he enjoyed killing people or watching them die.

"Are you all set?" I asked Noe, snapping back to reality. He hesitated, then nodded before looking up at me, nibbling his lower lip.

"Zelios... What if they do find out? What if Hades finds out?" He asked uneasily. I stared back at him, long and hard as I let my answer play through my head. I wanted to be cautious about how I said it, but honestly, I didn't have time to dance around Noe's questions and pretend there wasn't something there, when there was. And even Noe rejected me, being this close to him would certainly be enough for me.

"Then Hades will have to kill me as well." I told him. Noe's eyes widened, but I didn't stick around to hear if he had a response. I left the room, closing it behind me and making the sure barrier was still up. I waited until I heard Noe lock the bedroom door before I started down the hallway, moving quickly with long strides to make sure I got to the throne room faster.

Much to my relief, a couple servants were wiping down the floors when I came in. They jumped to their feet and bowed low when I entered.

"Please tell the rest of the staff that Noe is ill," I told them, making them blink and stare at me in surprise, "He won't be leaving his room. I have ordered that he sleep for as long as he needs. I will be the one to tend to him. Is that clear?"

"Yes, my lord." They agreed, bowing again. I nodded before heading for the hallway to the lobby.

"I'm going to visit Thanatos about the prisoner logs. I will be back within an hour or so." I told them and they nodded. I swept down the hallway and out the front doors, the statues running along the path watching in silence as I moved quickly to the post with the key code that brought out the bridge over the trench.

For once, I paid no mind to the agonized screams and sobs from below. I had one thing on my mind and one thing only-- and that was to save Noe. I couldn't let Hades get his hands on him, or any of my brothers. While I knew they wouldn't want Noe dead, it was still a risk I wasn't willing to take.

I moved quickly and didn't even bother to speak to Diodorus in the lobby, who had returned to playing his silly video games with friends. I stepped into the staircase outside the lobby and teleported from there to the Land of Dreams. It was actually owned by Hypnos, but he allowed his twin brother, Thanatos, to take up residence there when he wasn't out doing business.

The Land of Dreams was made specifically to be beautiful and dream-like, much like the River Lithe that ran straight through the city. It was made up of tall, domed buildings and rounded arches, all designed to be white, pale glue, or gold. The streets, however, were made of just dirt paths with bright green grass lining the edges. On the outer edges of the city were bright fields of grass. Oneroi bustled around, excited and sternly depending on their ages and ranks. Plenty of birds flew from place to place, shops selling white rabbits, doves, and arctic foxes ran along the streets.

I made my way to the capital building where Thanatos was housed along with Hypnos' children, Morpheus, Phobetor, and Phanatasos. A few oneiroi of higher rank recognized me and bowed respectfully as I passed, pretending to be here on strict business. But then, I suppose this was business in a way.

The capital building was a large building with a low set dome roof and several pointed steeples scattered around on top that glowed as they accepted in hundreds of dreams every minute. Dreams collected from not only humans, but other creatures as well, including gods, or demigods, such as myself.

I walked up the stairs and opened the large doors in front and stepped inside. The floor was made of thick glass with splatters of transcluent rainbow colors throughout. It lit up the room, making the drapes with poppy symbols on them glow. A few oneiroi were moving around, busy with their day to day routines, but thankfully, one stopped as soon as he saw me.

A somewhat short oneiroi with snow white hair, long and pulled back from his face with a feathered headband. He wore a blue turtleneck under a white tunic that fell below his waist and white leather pants that disappeared into his navy, knee-high boots.

"Abrax." I stated as he approached me with a wicked smile.

"Hey, Zelios. Are you here to see someone?" He asked, keeping a good grip on all the papers in his arms. I nodded.

"Thanatos. Is he in?" I asked. Abrax nodded and gestured with his head for me to follow. I moved behind him as he approached one of the walls on the side of the room and tapped his foot twice so a hallway opened up in the wall. We walked through into a long, narrow corridor. The further we walked, the quieter the noise got as we moved away from the main lobby.

"How is Hypnos?" I asked to avoid an awkward silence that I knew was probably driving Abrax insane.

"Oh, he's good," Abrax responded cheerfully, "He and Pasithea have been holed up in their room for a while now, but not for long. Zeus is calling a meeting and wants the Twelve Olympian Gods to attend, even Hades, so it looks like you'll be in charge while he's gone seeing as Persephone is with her mom and all." I frowned, glancing at him sideways.

"A meeting about what?" I asked. Abrax and I paused in the hallway and he shifted uncomfortably before looking me right in the eye.

"Well, he got wind of the situation with the Titans and he's kind of got his panties in a bunch about it, so he's demanding to know every little thing that you and your brothers are up to when it comes to the Titans. Any threat to his throne and he's riled up like a cat in water." He explained honestly. I grimaced at that, but Abrax waved his hand at me, smiling.

"Don't worry about it, though. You guys are doing a way better job than a lot of people expected you to do," He assured, then looked at the wall beside him, "This is his office." He used his foot to knock twice on the wall and it slid open to reveal a completely black office, a stark contrast to the hallway and the rest of the building.

Black leather sofas sat on a plush black carpet to match the wooden desk and fire place nearby that burned steadily. Even the window behind the desk was painted over in black to keep the artifical sunlight out. Sitting at his desk, Thanatos was writing a few things down on a file folder before he closed it and looked up. His expression relaxed as he saw me and he rose to his feet gesturing for me to come in.

"See ya later, Zelios. Nice talkin' to ya." Abrax added with a grin, then walked away, allowing the wall to slam shut and leave me along with Thanatos, who came around to the other side of his desk to greet me.

"I didn't think I'd be seeing you so soon. What brings you to my realm?" He asked, leaning on his desk, folding his arms over his chest. I hesitated a moment, studying Thanatos face before I took a deep breath. I didn't even need to begin as Thanatos' electric blue eyes glowed and he lowered his arms to his sides.

"Noe." He stated. I frowned for a moment. How did he already know? No, what a silly question. He was Death. Death knew everything, everybody, everywhere. He'd been around for centuries upon centuries.

"Thanatos, I need your help." I told him first, then went on to explain the situation with Noe. I mentioned Styx and how Noe had gotten drunk. I also mentioned a few of Noe's odd habits that he'd started to have since that night he returned from Styx. I told him as much as I knew about what happened after Noe got drunk, but it didn't seem to be much help. Thanatos said nothing the entire time, just stared at me until I finished. He waited for a moment, then sighed in frustration, running ah and through his hair before brushing it off to the side so it hung over the right side of his face as he tilted his head at me.

"Zelios, you know he'll die, right? Once word gets out, Hades will put a price on Noe's head. Oracles are extremely dangerous." He warned me. I grimaced. I didn't like the way he put that.

"I understand this, but I cannot let Noe die. I won't let anyone hurt him." I added, then paused to see if that was such a good thing to say out loud with such fierceness. Thanatos blinked and leaned back against his desk again, eyes studying me intensely now.

"You love him. That's why you're so desperate to save him, that you even came to me." He added, frowning now, his brow furrowing. I clenched my teeth for a moment, then nodded stiffly. I didn't want to vocalize what was rather obvious. I'm sure more than one person already knew about my feelings for Noe. I tended to be a little obvious about it the way I babied him and protected him more than he protected me. Unfortunately, Noe was one of the oblivious people to all of this... Or maybe that was a good thing.

Either way, this wasn't a time for me to panic about a relationship with him. I had to focus on saving his life first. Personal feelings later.

"Please, Thanatos," I said firmly, making Thanatos glance at me, "I can't let anything happen to Noe. I need to find a way to save him from this." Thanatos stared at me for a while longer, then pushed off the desk with a heavy sigh. He brushed his hair back over his shoulder, rounding around to sit behind his desk, propping his feet up. He closed his eyes, folding his hands on top of them for a while before dropping them into his lap. I took my seat in a leather seat in front of his desk, folding one leg over the other as Thanatos leaned on his desk now.

"Unfortunately, what you're asking is tricky," He warned, making me frown as he tapped a fingernail on his desk before looking up, arms folded on his desk, "Oracles aren't costumes. You don't just change in and out of them when you decide you don't like it. Think of becoming an Oracle as a cancer."

"Cancer?" I asked, feeling like a rock just dropped into my stomach. Thanatos nodded grimly.

"With cancer, you never really get rid of it. You can cut it out, but there's always going to be a few cells that remain. You can even nuke it with chemo, but it'll make you sick as a dog. Becoming an oracle is pretty much the same thing. The power fed into the oracle by the god, or in this case goddess, who chose him... That power is like poison, like cancer. Once it takes place inside the body, it spreads like wildfire. Usually the physical transformation comes after a few odd habits."

"Like his forgetting how to eat with silverware." I filled in. Thanatos nodded.

"When you have cancer, you tend to get sick or feel pain, depending on where the cancer is. An oracle usually slowly begins to lose a bit of its humanity. Not all of it, but enough to tell the different between a water daemon and an oracle. That's just the beginning. The next phase is the physical transformation, which Noe has already reached. To be quite blunt, Noe cannot return to becoming a water daemon. Phoebe's power has already been fed into him heavily and he'll probably start experiencing more odd habits." He explained, making me frown further.

What sort of odd habits? He'd already forgotten how to use silverware. What else would he forget? Would he forget me? That thought felt like an ice cube sliding down my spine. I didn't like the sound of that. Would he speak in tongues like he did when he changed? What language was he even speaking in? It wasn't Greek or Latin. It almost sounded like a demented mixture of Hebrew and something ancient, something as old as time itself, if that was even possible.

"Wait," I said, looking at Thanatos, who frowned, "You said becoming an oracle is like cancer. Cancer can go into remission. Is it possible for an oracle to go into remission?" Thanatos blinked at that, letting the thought sink in. He paused, then held up a finger for me to wait a moment as he turned to his computer and did some clicking and typing.

"Humans are really bad at interpreting ancient languages," Thanatos muttered as he clicked, "And video games with oracles and dragons... All right, I'm finding something that might be of interest." He hesitated again, clicking a few times before speaking.

"Oracles are controlled and owned by the god or goddess who created them. In this case, Phoebe owns Noe. She created him. It says the oracle can be used as a go-through by the god. Phoebe can use Noe for whatever she wants, whenever she wants. Killing the god or goddess will also not save an oracle. It will kill it, unless another god or goddess of oracles can take over and become the creator." He informed, turning away from the screen to look at me. I blinked, letting that sink in before I spoke.

"So... How would one go about the process?" I asked. Thanatos frowned, looking back at the monitor and doing a couple clicks before he scanned an article.

"The new god or goddess needs to kill the old one in order to obtain all that god's oracles. So, if we can find a new god to take over Phoebe's spot, you'd be good," He drawled, then frowned as he turned to me again, "But Zelios, I wouldn't take this one into consideration. First of all, Hades doesn't want the Titans dead, neither does Zeus. They're keeping them alive for torture reasons. And the only other god of oracles I can think of is Apollo, and having him come down here will result in a week of darkness on Earth. It could kill the vegetation and humans in the surface world."

"Is there no other way?" I asked, feeling incredibly stressed by this news. My mind started to piece together possible ways to get this process to work, and yet, there was always a hole.

"You can try and place a seal on him," Thanatos said after a long pause, "It's... kind of like restraints. It'll keep as much of the power at bay, but, Zelios, you have to be careful and think about this. Don't do it right away... The seal isn't strong enough to hold him for long, and little symptoms will show despite the seal. You may be able to repress physical traits for a while and even the voices, but you won't be able to do it for long. Eventually Phoebe will realize that Noe isn't growing at the rate he should be and she'll try and tear the seal down, which will be no problem for her."

"Repress the physical traits?" I asked. Thanatos nodded.

"The seal will take the place of the physical traits. It'll probably show up on his back where his wings should be. It'll keep his wings contained as well as any other features he obtained from the transformation. He may appear normal on the outside, but on the inside, the power will be fighting to escape. He could slip up and do something to hurt himself or others. So I implore you to think very hard about this." He explained. I frowned, ready to nod at that when I remembered that tomorrow was a meeting with my brothers, and Noe was expected to attend. Theo hadn't attended a meeting once and instantly everyone had been suspicious.

"There's a meeting tomorrow," I told Thanatos, making him glance up at me, "With my brothers and their righthands. They will expect to see Noe there." Thanatos frowned at that, then looked away for a while before clicking on his computer. There were a few more clicks before the sound of a printer spitting out paper followed. Thanatos rose to his feet and I did the same as he handed me the paper from the printer under his desk.

"This paper has the spell you'll need to cast in order to create the seal. You must have everything, Zelios. Nothing can be missing." He informed. I nodded, reaching out to take the paper, but Thanatos didn't let go and grabbed my wrist with his other hand, making me lock eyes with him.

"Zelios, I'm serious," He warned, "Think about this decision carefully. While either way Noe will be in pain, one could turn out to be worse than the other. And the last thing I want is to collect your soul or Noe's." I felt a chill course through me at that, both gratitude and uneasiness. I just gave a short nod and Thanatos let go of the paper, allowing me to step back.

"And good luck," Thanatos said after a moment, "If you need me again, tell me. And I promise to keep your secret, Zelios. I may be Death, but I don't exactly enjoy it."

"Thank you, Thanatos. I'm in your debt." I answered and he nodded, leaning on his desk.

"I'll remember that." He responded. With that, I vanished from the Land of Dreams, Thanatos' office, and back into the staircase that led to Tartarus. I was already weary about returning to the palace. I wouldn't know what to do with Noe. He was probably hungry by now. I would have to bring our meals into his room. Part of me wanted to simply give the day off to all the servants, but that was far too drastic and everyone would be suspicious instantly.

I tucked the paper with the spell into my robes, then came into the lobby to see Diodorus playing his video game. But as soon as he saw me, he jumped to his feet and his headphones almost choked him. His cheeks flushed and he fumbled to get them off as he did some clicking. The locks in the door clicked and clanked open. Diordorus looked down at his feet as I went for the door.

"Sorry." He mumbled. I paused to look at him sideways.

"For what?" I asked. His cheeks flushed a brighter pink and he cleared his throat, running his fingernails on his desk and keeping his eyes downcast. It was almost as if he thought he wasn't worthy enough to look up.

"Ah, for always playing video games and not really doing my job. Cuz... Like... It gets really lonely." He admitted shyly. I tilted my head to study him before smiling very faintly.

"It's perfectly okay, Diodorus. You've done nothing wrong. In fact, you're doing an excellent job. And feel free to play your video games all you'd like. You're a very good multitasker." I informed him, making his face turn red all the way to the tips of his ears.

"T-Thanks. Er, I mean, you're welcome? Uh, both! Thanks and you're welcome." Diodorus stuttered timidly, reaching up to hide his face with his hand. I smiled at that, then nodded before I approached the door that came open. I stepped outside, blasted with the thick hot and humid air of Tartarus.

The screams that filled the air from the trench, echoing through a world of darkness and hell fire. Guards shouting orders and going about their daily routines with hardly a care in the world that their soul purpose for living was to torture. It was a little disheartening to know that Hades had created these guards, hired a few, simply to torture. When not on duty, the guards became stone and wouldn't move until their shift or there was a disturbance.

I crossed the bridge over the trench, listening to it rumble and groan as it disappeared behind me and I made my way across the rocky clearing to the stone guards that ran along the path. They were silent as the grave, watching and waiting for their shift or to be summoned.

I entered the palace, relieved to find that it was still intact and peaceful. I hurried through the corridors until I reached Noe's room, rapping my knuckles against it once before opening it and coming inside. I pulled up short, however, to see Noe sprawled on his bed on his side, fast asleep with his face on the keyboard of my laptop.

I came inside as quietly as possible, closing the door behind me and locking it. I came forward, pausing beside the bed.

Noe laid out on his stomach, his arms drawn up against his desk, his cheek pressing on buttons on the keyboard so he was typing the letter H repeatedly on Google. He had pulled the blankets up to his waist, some pulled up in front of him, but obviously avoiding his back. His wings were stretched out along the bed, slightly hanging off the edge. They were clean and dry now, and it appeared that more flesh had webbed out between the black bones. I looked back to his feet, his lips slightly parted as if he were about to speak. His dark lashes spread across pale skin, matching the dark hair that fell around his face.

Without really thinking, I reached out and buried my hand in his hair, feeling a breath of relief slip through me. His hair was so soft, so silky, so warm. I very gently ran my fingernails against his scalp and he sighed in his sleep, curling in closer so he was almost sleeping in a fetal position.

I withdrew my hand and reached out, sliding the laptop very gently from beneath his head. I started to close it when I saw a chat had been opened. I stared at the blinking button before clicking on it to see that he had been having a conversation with Abel. I glanced down at Noe, then back at the monitor, frowning.

I shouldn't read it, I knew. This was Noe's private business...

But what if it could give me a clue as to what happened, how this happened?

I scrolled up through the conversation to the very first and began to read, mentally reassuring myself that this was to help Noe, not to hurt him...

Abel: Wow, you're actually on a computer for once! Welcome to the Internet, short stuff!

Noe: Oh shut up. Listen, I need to ask you something. It's important.

Abel: Shoot.

Noe: After the drinking game that night at Styx... what happened afterwards? Did we run into anyone or anything? I need to know because I really don't remember and it's starting to freak me out.

Abel: Yeah? Well, nothing happened really. You were dead drunk and so was Sept. Both of you can't handle your alcohol worth a damn. Hannibal was laughing at you and you guys got into a fight, not physical this time, though. Hannibal started making wise cracks and you and Zelios.

Noe: That's embarrassing.

Abel: It gets worse. Hannibal was teasing you, saying shit about how you still sleep with Zelios and you're trying to get hot on him like Sept did with Theo.

Noe: what.

Abel: How does this surprise you? It's happened before, but this time you didn't punch him in the face. You just told Hannibal it was impossible and I had a feeling you were about to get a little weepy, so that's when I pulled you out of the bar and took you home. We didn't run into anyone or anything. I tried to sober you up a little before we went there, so I did stop by a stand in the street and bought you a bunch of munchies.

Noe: Munchies? What kind and who sold them?

Abel: Fuck if i know. Munchies as in dried shrimp crisps, those little corn chips, Cheetos, and some water. I did give you some coffee, but you puked it up before we could even get home. You seemed to be a little better at that point, but you were still drunk as fuck.

Noe: And you're sure you didn't know who was selling the stuff?

Abel: Noe, it could've been Martha Stewart or Lucifer himself and I still wouldn't have known.

Noe: Can you describe them to me?

Abel: Jeez, Noe. You're acting weird. But yeah, sure. It was just some old guy. He looked like he came from India or something. He owned an imp too. Little timid shit who was only there to eat the garbage customers left nearby.

Noe: And that's it?

Abel: And that's it. What were you expecting? Jumanji? Narnia?

Noe: No. I was just kind of worried that I couldn't remember anything. Zelios is kinda freaking out too.

Abel: Aw.

Noe: shut up!!

Abel: Hahaha :) You're really shy about this whole thing. Does Zelios suspect?

Noe: I don't think so, and I think that's a good thing, though. Cuz if he ever found out, he might not want to keep me anymore. It's so wrong, isn't it?

Abel: Dude. We're Greek. Zeus married his sister... Big mistake on his part, though. Hera's jealousy flares like Fourth of July fireworks. You should've seen her when Zeus brought Ganymede to Olympus. Daaamn did she have a field day with him. Poor kid. Not his fault he was a hot piece of ass.

Noe: You're so crude! And embarrassing.

Abel: It's called being an adult. You'll get there eventually and when you do, you won't be able to resist.

Noe: You're terrible.

Abel: And the best part is I don't even need to try!

The conversation ended there. It wasn't so much what I wanted to find as I went through it, but at least we had added another piece of the puzzle. I would need to go to Styx to find the vendor who gave Noe the snacks, maybe even visit the bar. It was the only way to find out how this happened to Noe.

I exited all the windows, then closed the laptop, tucking it under my arm as I looked back down at Noe, studying his delicate features.

It's going to be all right, Noe....

I hope.