Chapter Eight

I had the weirdest dream.

I was sitting at a table with my family, and Stanton. Even Akin was there. There were all kinds of food running the length of the table, all warm and steaming. Everyone was too busy talking and eating to look at me. No one was looking at me or speaking to me. In fact, now that I looked around, I noticed everyone had food on their plates, but I didn't. I didn't even have water in my glass. I looked up, reaching out to touch Thorn, who sat to my left, but he didn't even show signs of having noticed me. He was too busy laughing and smiling at Raven, who surprisingly, also looked laidback and relaxed for once.

I bit my lip and looked at Dania to my right, but she was laughing with Bali while Wednesday spoke to Jaques before laughing quietly. Even Lucifer was occupied with them. Worst of all, Stanton just stood behind Lucifer in utter silence, staring at the table.

"Stanton?" I asked and started to get up, but the moment I got to my feet, everything in the room changed. The food suddenly went rotten, making me gasp in disgust, covering my mouth. It got worse. One moment my siblings were all chatting like some kind of normal commercial family, and in the blink of an eye, they were all dead.

Horror choked me as they slumped in their chairs, blood oozing from their lips and down the sides of their faces. Even Lucifer was dead in his seat, blue eyes empty and staring into nothingness. I looked up at Stanton in alarm, waiting for him to do something, but he didn't pay any attention to me.

He just held his palm out and white glowing orbs shot out of each of the bodies and into his palm before he parted his lips and poured the white glowing orbs down his throat where he swallowed them, licked his bottom lip and his thumb before his eyes dragged across the table to me. I held my breath, waiting for him to speak. He didn't. He just held his hand out toward me and I made a weird noise of surprise when a white orb shot out of my chest and landed in Stanton's palm. He tossed it up in the air, caught it, then held it out over the table.

"I don't eat rotten souls." He stated, narrowing his eyes at the orb, then dropped it on the table. I flinched and took a step back, but the floor behind me disappeared and I fell backwards with a sharp cry.

A moment later, I woke up feeling incredibly groggy and heavy accompanied with a dull throbbing pain and nausea. I swallowed hard, my throat dry and my lips so chapped they were stuck together. I felt uncomfortable, drowsy. It took me forever to force my heavy eyelids open. My vision blurred, shifted, and I managed to blink a couple more times before I found myself staring up at an ugly mustard yellow ceiling. I furrowed my brow, confused at the sight of it.

Even weirder, there was an oxygen mask stuck to my face. I could feel the soft plastic of it cupping my mouth and nose, the cool fresh air filling my lungs out, causing them to expand and pain lacerated my chest at my deep breath. I swallowed against the pain and tried to lift my hands, but something was holding them down, aside from the fact that they felt heavy anyway.

I forced my head to turn to the left, and I made a weird sound of disgust at the sight of a silver cart with a tray on top, littered with unfriendly looking instruments of torture. I turned my head to the other side and gulped at the sight of a couple of strange machines making weird noises, beeps and hisses. A tall IV stand with a bag dripping something through a tube that went straight into my arm. The sight of that tiny needle embedded into my skin made me whimper. I looked away before the sight of it made me vomit more than I already wanted to.

I tried to move again, but to no avail.

Where were the doctors? That... That weird Jahlia lady. She said she was a friend of Raven's? Why would Raven ever make friends with this random woman who stabbed people with needles? Was he insane? Probably.

A shudder went through me. It felt like ice water was flowing through my veins. It burned and my teeth chattered, pulling my lips apart. I licked them quickly before my teeth went back to chattering noisily. I trembled, wishing I could bury myself back below the blankets. I hadn't felt the cold before, so why was I feeling it now? Worse still was that all this shivering was making my leg and wrist throb in agony.

As if sensing my distress, Jahlia entered the room a moment later. Her hair was tied back into a ponytail and she wore a corded brown sweater with blue jeans, a clipboard in her hand as she made a few notes on it, then frowned as she drew nearer.

"Oh, jeez. Your powers are whacking out again. One sec, sweetie, I'll have Natalie bring some extra blankets and a heating pad." She assured. I just watched her, unable to find my voice in my dry throat as she went to the door to call out to Natalie. She returned and set the clipboard on the bed as she went to the straps holding my wrists down, unbuckling them.

"Sorry about these," She added honestly, "You were doing a lot of kicking and screaming." Of course I would. A stranger was sticking me with needles and hooking me up to strange machines. I didn't want to be here. It reminded me too much of the nightmare I'd had about my creation. I couldn't speak, so I just glared at Jahlia through heavy eyelids and she noticed, giving me a shrug and a nod.

"I know you probably hate me, but for what it's worth, I managed to figure out a few things about you that you might not have known," She explained, making me frown, "And I'm assuming you don't know it because you wouldn't be running around into strange realms. Let me start off by saying that your genetics are the worst piece of work I've ever seen in an artificial." I rolled my eyes. Gee, thanks, lady. I appreciate being told I was put together with chewed gum and paperclips.

"Sorry," Jahlia added when she saw me watching her menacingly, "But I'm a doctor. I'm not sugar-coating anything. Lucifer obviously had no idea what he was doing when he created you. He gathered everything the right way, but the way he pieced you together is amateur. It took a lot to figure out how to fix that leg of yours. Discovered that Lucifer must have used some kind of Helheim magic to glue your pieces together. Unfortunately, if you don't know what you're doing, that kind of magic can backfire big time. Right now, these cold flashes you're feeling are side effects of the Helheim magic rejecting the rest of your form. It's slowly swallowing up everything else, including your healing abilities and apparently your ability to teleport."

I wish she'd just get to the point already. I already knew I was probably a prototype Lucifer threw together in a last minute attempt to create a bodyguard or something for his family. I wasn't part of that family. The only thing that connected me to them was a piece of Lucifer's genetics thrown together with a bunch of other stuff.

That must have been what the dream was about... Even my subconscious knew that I didn't belong. My desperate attempts to try were all for naught. It didn't matter if I brought Akin back or not. He'd find a way to ditch me there too. And I'd only be hurting him by separating him from Hannibal, and as much as I hated the hybrid god, I wasn't going to ruin what they had.

"Anyway," Jahlia said quietly, meeting my eyes with her sad green ones, "What I'm trying to say is that your physical form is deteriorating. Your soul will still be intact, but the rest of you is just..." Her voice trailed. It was basically her nice way of saying I was dying.

And oddly enough, that was a comfort to hear.

I was dying.

This is amazing. Granted, my soul wouldn't go anywhere. It'd probably be trapped here in Styx, and while I loathed the idea of remaining in this horrible city, at least I'd finally be free of the need to be near my family. No, it'd be even better if they could zap me into oblivion. While there was life after death, there was nothing after oblivion. My soul would be vaporized. No one would remember my existence. It would be as if I never existed.

I breathed out a sigh of relief. I wanted to get away from this. Everything. The pain throbbing in my bones, the cold spells that flashed through my body like the bitterest of arctic winds, this incessant need to be near a family that obviously didn't want to be near me, the confusing emotions that assaulted me whenever Stanton got near. It'd be so much easier to not exist, right? That was the ultimate freedom.

"Thank you, Natalie," Jahlia said to Natalie, who'd dropped off the blankets and heating pad before Jahlia turned to me and laid the blankets across the and tucking them in around me, "Here you go, pumpkin. Let me get you warmed up and I'll call Akin over to pick you up." I shook my head the moment she said that and she frowned.

"Sweetheart, you can't go home on your own."

"No." I managed to croak. Jahlia ignored me now, placing the heating pad between the blankets so it wouldn't burn me. I made a noise of frustration, but she ignored me again as she went to the office to call Akin. I didn't want to bother him anymore. He made it clear that he was fine and dandy in a hellhole that spat and cursed at his lover so harshly that he couldn't leave his home. Apparently this was paradise for him. And while it irked me to no end that he could stand this place, it didn't matter what I thought anymore.

I was finally dying and I wouldn't have to worry about it anymore. I wouldn't even have to worry about Hades's offer to take Akin and leave Hannibal.

No more problems.

Everything was going back to normal.

I just settled back down in the bed and tried to ignore the bolts of ice racing through my veins. The blankets and heating pad did little to warm the cold inside me, but it didn't matter. Hopefully I'd die before it got unbearable. I sucked in trembling breathes through the oxygen mask, glancing down at my fingernails, still icy white. I turned my head to look back at the tray that was sitting nearby, and now that I noticed it, I was surprised to see my reflection in it, revealing that my hair had turned snow white.

Holy Hell. I really was dying.

I was freezing to death.

I rolled my head back around on the pillow, pressing my cheek to the soft cotton pillow before tilting my head up to stare at the IV bag. They were still keeping me sedated. No wonder I felt so calm and at peace. For once, I think I was okay with this whole doctor thing, so long as they kept me drugged like this.

It felt so good not to give a shit.

I only had to wait half an hour before Jahlia returned. I could hear people talking outside the door and I think I recognized Akin's voice. Jahlia approached the machines by my bed to double check them, then she turned to me and plucked the mask off my face. She took a wet cloth and wiped at my mouth, making me grimace.

"That's hot." I muttered, licking my lips and coughing at the hoarseness in my throat. Jahlia shrugged, taking a glass of water that was obviously warmed up judging from the steam coiling from it.

"I'm trying to keep you warm. Drink this to soothe your throat. Once you're done, I'm going to let Akin and Stanton into the room." She informed. I rolled my eyes, taking the glass from her with shaky fingers. She held support the bottom of the glass so I didn't spill it as I drank, droplets running down the sides of my face before I handed it to her, then paused to tilt my head, pulling at strands of my hair.

"Does this look gross?" I asked. Jahlia smiled.

"Course not, sugar. Just relax." She didn't need to tell me twice. The drugs were relaxing me for her, so I just slumped back against the bed as she adjusted it so I was sitting up. I ran my hands across the blankets as she went to get Akin and Stanton. Wow, these blankets were, like, uber soft. I swiped my hands over them repeatedly until the door open and Akin came in first, looking a bit timid. It was so weird to see him like that after he'd blown up on me for being stupid. But aside from that, he looked like his normal Gothic self.

"Hey." I greeted flatly. Akin breathed a sigh of relief and came over to my bedside, reaching out to pet my hair. Normally I would've smacked him away and told him to fuck off, but... those drugs, man.

"Your hair." Was all he said.

"Cool, right? Ha." I laughed at my own stupid joke and Akin just grimaced. Stanton came in next with Jahlia right at his heels. I saw Hannibal out in the lobby, waiting by the door like the well-behaved guard dog he was. Stanton looked grim as he approached my bed. I waited for him to say something, but he didn't as Jahlia began to inform them of what had happened.

"My collegues were on their way back from lunch when they found him on the street. Apparently he'd busted through a seven story window and landed on the pavement. They brought him in and his wrist was sprained, leg broken in several places, and we did a few extra tests on him because the surgery was extremely difficult. Now, I'm not an expert on artificials, but even I know that Lucifer did a crap job putting him together." She explained. Akin flinched at that, rubbing the side of his head like he was trying to comprehend what she was saying. Stanton stood stoically by the bedside, staring blankly at her. He probably just wanted to snatch my soul and leave.

Oh wait, no.

In my dream, Stanton didn't eat my soul because it was rotten. It sounded like something he would say, so I figured that part of my dream was real. I just really hoped the part where my family died wasn't. I shouldn't care, but I did anyway.

"What're you trying to say?" Akin asked Jahlia after she'd explained everything she told me.

"He's dying." Stanton said flatly. I snapped my fingers and clapped my hands as his reward, and his expression finally changed as he gave me a weird look and I just gave him a uncharacteristic smile.

"Ah, yeah," Jahlia said slowly, "We had to drug him to avoid getting kicked in the face, so... He'll be a little off his rocker for a couple days."

"Wait, wait," Akin exclaimed, looking horrified, "Dying? What? Wh-What do you mean dying? He can't die, he's immortal!" Jahlia gave him a sad stare.

"His physical body is dying. His soul will be intact. He'll basically just become a ghost. Ghosts aren't always dead. Just souls without physical forms." She explained. Stanton gave her a droll stare.

"Stop trying to make it sound like it's an okay thing. He's dying. I know what dying is. I'm Death." He told her sternly. Jahlia gave him an annoyed glare, jerking her head to the side to indicate Akin, who looked like he was on the verge of tears. Those crystal blue eyes, an exact copy for Lucifer's, welled up with tears and he pursed his lips, blinking quickly as if he were struggling to keep them at bay.

"No," He said after a moment, looking desperately at Jahlia, "There has to be something we can do. We have to fix this." Jahlia glanced at Stanton, who just shook his head, and Jahlia looked at Akin helplessly.

"Sweetheart, I don't know much about artificials and certainly not how to fix them. You'd have to ask an expert, and unfortunately, the only expert in artificials that I know of would be as willing to help you as Osama Bin Laden would be to walk into a Catholic church. I'm really sorry, Akin. I am. I tried to do what I could, but Helheim magic is very touchy and dangerous. Lucifer might be able to figure something out, but he'd only be prolonging the inevitable. I've done what I could and bought you maybe a month or so, but that's about it. That's why I called you so quickly. Normally I'd just keep him here until the end, but I know you'd much rather be with him." She explained gently. Akin clenched his fists, biting down hard on his bottom lip. I could see the frustration swirling in his eyes, tears threatening to spill down his cheeks.

I wasn't sure what possessed me to do it, but I did it anyway and reached out, putting my hand over his fist on the railing of the bed and he looked at me, confused.

"S'okay," I assured him, "It'll be fine." Akin sniffed and quickly wiped at his eyes with his other hand before the tears could fall and he looked at me in agony.

"No, it's not. We just met. I never got to spend much time with my brothers, even Raven. I never got the chance to know you or spend time with you or take you shopping or give you birthday presents or Christmas presents. Or teach you anything." He managed, voice trembling. I cocked my head curiously.

"Just call Raven. He's usually busy. Actually, they all are, but I'm sure they'll find a way to talk to you. You don't need to talk to me." I replied. Akin bit his lip again and grabbed my hand tightly in his. I stared at it, confused. How weird... When he did that, something in my chest hurt. It felt like I was being kicked in the chest.

"Who's the expert you mentioned?" Stanton demanded suddenly. The force behind his voice made me look at him in surprise. Damn, he sounded angry. Why did he care? There were plenty of people out there who'd kill to have a single night with him. And didn't he have a job? Wasn't Death busy?

"It's really not worth mentioning," Jahlia assured, bitterness lacing her tone, "He won't help you."

"What. Is. His. Name?" Stanton demanded, emphasizing each word as his glare on her hardened. Jahlia glared back at him, then glanced at Akin, who sniffled and looked at her hopefully. She sighed in frustration, sweeping a hand across her face and brushing her bangs off to the side before she looked at me grimly.

"Hades." She stated. Stanton cursed and Akin groaned.

"Hades?" He asked for confirmation. Jahlia nodded.

"Hades is the only known artificial creator that has had the highest success rate. He's created a hefty number of artificials, not just Cerberus. Cerberus is just well-known because he was the most powerful. He's at the same level as a god. Cerberus was Hades's perfect creation. He's immortal. He's powerful. He's created from equal parts science and magic. Even better, he gets his energy from the Source, just like a god does. And worship. Every time Hollywood pops out a movie with a three-headed Greek guardian, Cerberus is fed like a cat in a mouse factory. Hades took his time with Cerberus and was very careful with him." She explained. Stanton wiped a hand down his face, stepping back from the bed so he could pace the room. Jahlia watched him and Akin nibbled his bottom lip, squeezing my hand again.

"We have to try." He started, but Jahlia shook her head.

"Hades won't help you. First of all, it's that time of the year. Second of all, this is Lucifer's creation. Hades would rather sit back with popcorn and laugh at Alaric's suffering than help him for a single second."

"He's not that bad." Akin tried, but this time, Jahlia laughed bitterly.

"Oh, sure. He's not that bad, but he's bad enough to tell you fuck off if you try. You know what? Go ahead. I don't want to tell you to give up, but I'm just telling you not to get your hopes up. Even if by some miracle Hades agrees, you will owe him and to owe Hades a favor is the worst situation in the world." She said. Akin ignored her and looked at me, surprising me when he brushed the hair back from my face gently.

"You're gonna be okay, Alaric. Come on, Stanton. Help him up. We have to go visit Hades." Akin commanded. Stanton stopped pacing to eye him warily before he sighed, as if it were a troublesome idea, and made his way over to the bed while Jahlia gently unhooked me from all the machines. She handed Akin a small bottle of pills.

"These are for the pain he's bound to be feeling. Unfortunately, that's all they'll do. Numb his pain, and only for a short period of time. Eventually, they'll stop working. And good luck, Akin. Contrary to my negativity toward all of this, I really hope something works out and you can save him. He needs it." She added, making me roll my eyes. They managed to get me unhooked from all the machines and I was changed out of that thin dumb hospital gown. I was wiggled into a pair of jeans and an oversized black sweatshirt from a clothes in they had in the office.

Eventually, I found myself riding Stanton piggy-back as we moved down the street. And even though I was drugged up, it was Stanton that made me feel all warm and relaxed. His hot sandalwood leather scent filled my senses and made me drunk. The heat of his skin through his leather jacket, his broad shoulders and hands holding my legs on either side of him. I pressed my cheek against his shoulder, then turned my nose to bury in his blonde hair.

"Stanton, you feel so good." I murmured, brushing my lips by his neck. He arched his neck to close off the space there to me, making me wrinkle my nose.

"Not now, Alaric. We're busy," Stanton scolded me monotonously, then looked at Akin, "How are we going to get an audience with Hades if even his own sons can't do it?" Akin chewed his bottom lip thoughtfully as he walked alongside Hannibal, who kept glancing at Akin in obvious concern.

"I'm... not sure. The only person I know who can get close to Hades with ease is Theo, but that's only if Theo does something to piss him off, and right now, that's not what we want." He explained uneasily.

"What about Cerberus?" Stanton asked. Akin hesitated at that, rubbing his arm as we paused at a street corner to look around at all the bustling customers going in and out of shops and restaurants. The air was filled with the warm cozy scent of fast food. I picked up the smell of burgers and fries. It made my stomach growl something vicious and I rubbed my cheek against Stanton's shoulder to get his attention.

"I'm so hungry. Can we get something to eat? I want burgers. Is there a Red Robin around here?" I asked, lifting my head to look around. Stanton growled low in his throat, pinching my leg and I whined in annoyance, bumping my nose against his back. Akin frowned.

"Okay, that's sound good. Let's just grab something to eat. It'll give me a chance to think things over and make a plan." He said. Stanton looked irritated, but said nothing. Akin led the way down the street and sure enough, we found a Red Robin and a nice booth in a far corner. We ordered a few burgers as Akin planned a way to get to Hades.

"We might be able to convince Cerberus to get us to Hades," Akin was saying as I wolfed down a second burger and slurped at my chocolate milkshake noisily, "He and I are pretty good friends, even though I accidentally flirted with Charon." Hannibal twitched, but other than that, showed no other reaction as he sat in utter silence beside Akin. Stanton scowled.

"Why Charon?" He asked. Akin blushed.

"It was an accident. I thought he was a single Sub. He was just so cute. Anyway," He said, clearing his throat uncomfortably, "Cerberus. He lives a ways out, but we can teleport there with our combined powers and see if he can help us." Stanton didn't looked too pleased with the half-assed-ness of that plan, but he didn't complain. I dipped a french fry in my milkshake and took a deep breath.

"I cannot believe I am about to do this. But Dania said it was good." I decided, then took a bite, making Akin grimace and Stanton roll his eyes.

"I'll be right back." Stanton muttered, wedging himself out of the booth past me before he walked toward the restrooms. I watched him go, then looked at Hannibal.

"You ever been in an airplane?" I asked. For once, Hannibal dropped his stoicism for his face to screw up in comical confusion.

"What?" He asked. Akin patted his hand.

"Sorry, baby. He's on pain killers, so he's, uh, a little weird." He said. Hannibal just stared at me flatly now.

"No." He deadpanned. I pouted and dropped my elbow on the table as I dipped another french fry in my milkshake and devoured it hungrily, then tore off a piece of my deluxe burger and dipped it in the milkshake too, making Akin blegh.

"That sucks. I was hoping you had an airplane. I've never been on one either."

"What made you think I had an airplane?"

"I don't know. Hybrid. Hyyyy... High. Like, high in the sky. Planes are in the sky." I explained, because it made complete sense to me. Apparently not Hannibal, though. Hannibal looked at Akin helplessly and Akin smiled, leaning over to kiss him on the cheek before he turned his attention to me.

"So, what's it like back at home, Alaric? What do you do for fun?" He asked, hoping to change the subject. He probably wanted to get to know me before I died. Weird, though. If I disappeared into oblivion, he wouldn't even remember, but I guess he just cared about the here and the now, so I decided to just play along as I took a huge bite of food.

"Uhn, let's see," I murmured, studying my burger intently and the grease that oozed between the chunks of meat and tomato and fun stuff, "Uh, I usually train. I try to get there around noon when Raven's there, but he's usually gone by then. Dev runs off with him. So I train by myself. Sometimes Anza will be there, but she can only stand my presence for about an hour max before she really does punch me in the nose. I bet my nose looks weird now."

"I think it looks fine." Akin offered. I shrugged, then dropped my head against the table so my head was turned to stare at my tall milkshake, condensation dribbling down the sides as I stirred my straw around inside it.

"Uh, where was I? Oh, after training, I get something to eat. Uhm, then... more training? Oh, I read Marvel comics. Those are pretty cool. I go to the comic book store to collect new ones. I have two sets. Ones in plastic and ones for reading. With Cheeto stains on them because I like Cheetos. Sometimes I hang out on the beach, but Lucifer hates it when I do that. He doesn't think it's safe. But he only started saying that after Raven came back from Hades. He's been real strict since then. But yeah, no aside from that, that's mostly all I do." I explained. Akin looked at me curiously.

"Raven told me you were part of Lucifer's personal guard, though."

"Yeah, and all Lucifer does is lock himself in his office or talk to friends. I'm only called when he leaves, like when he visits Purgatory."

"You don't talk to your siblings?"

"Like I said, sometimes I get lucky and show up at the same time as Raven."

"What about Dania?"

"She's usually out terrorizing the world. And now that she's married, I don't really see much of her anymore. I was just mentioning her and the french fry thing because it was something she would do when we were little," I explained, then perked up with a laugh as I remembered the first time she'd dipped a fry into a milkshake, "You should've seen the look on her face when she first tried it. It was like she'd tasted heaven or something, and it's not bad, but it's not that good, you know what I mean? But whenever she tries something new, she flips out about how awesome it is. She's like a little kid."

"Sounds like you two get along." Akin commented, smiling. I shrugged, sinking back down into my seat as I picked my burger apart and at little bits of it.

"We used to. It was nice. She lived in the palace back then. Now she lives with Alexis in Portius. Or somewhere. I don't know. I don't visit. That's just gross. Alexis is gross. Greeks are gross," I replied, then glanced at Hannibal, "Sorry, big guy, but your people are just nasty."

"I'm half-Atlantean." Hannibal deadpanned.

"Even better. Your people stupidly attacked Athens." I responded. Hannibal gave me a droll stare, then turned his head in the opposite direction to indicate I'd irritated him. Akin gave Hannibal an apologetic smile and touched his hand on the table. I tilted my head, staring at their interlocked hands.

"How do you do that?" I asked. Akin frowned in confusion.

"Do what?"

"Your hands," I said, then brought my hands together and tried to intertwine them, "I don't know. It just looks so weird."

"You don't hold hands with Stanton?"

"Ew, no," I exclaimed, then shook my head and reached over to Stanton's untouched food, taking some of his fries, "That would be weird. He'd get the wrong idea. I just sleep with Stanton; he's not my boyfriend." Akin arched a brow, and there was a flicker in his eyes that I recognized from Jaques's and Thorn's whenever they were about to go stern-big-brother on me.

"Alaric, from what I've seen, Stanton seems to really like you. If he was just a sex buddy, he wouldn't be so intent on trying to save you."

"He just doesn't like change. He's probably off trying to call old girlfriends or boyfriends or whatever to ask if they can replace me until he finds someone new." I assured. Akin grimaced.

"Alaric, do you really think that of yourself?"

"I thought we were talking about Stanton."

"We were, but it sounds to me like you don't... really think Stanton cares."

"Even if he did, I don't. I don't like that emotion, so I avoid it."

"Now you just sound like Cerberus. He said that same thing before he married his husband."

"Ew, I'm not marrying Stanton," I snorted, then laughed at the thought as I covered my face to stifle my laughter, which was causing a few other people to stare at us in annoyance, "That would be so wrong, haha! Can you imagine? We'd be like those couples in that one TV show about the business dudes. We'd get divorced like days after we got married. Nobody can stand me for very long. Just look at your boy toy. He can barely stand me and I haven't even hung out with you guys for very long. Kudos, though. You lasted longer than my siblings." Akin winced.

"Alaric, that's not funny."

"What're you talking about? Of course it is," I laughed, having difficulties controlling myself now as I found myself laughing so much I was unable to drink without choking now, "Marrying Stanton. That's ridiculous. He's Death. He has better things to do. Like Death things. What does Death do in his spare time anyway? Marrying Death. That's just stupid. All we do is have sex. Which is great, by the way. I don't have to worry about waking up to his fat ass all over me in the morning, trying to make me breakfast and shovel romantic bullshit all over me. I don't really need that kind of hassle. Ugh, man. I need a smoke. Did you happen to get my cigarettes from those people?"

"You shouldn't be smoking."

"You shouldn't be tellin' me what to do," I exclaimed, then snorted a laugh and covered my mouth, "That is so hilarious! You sound just like Jaques or Raven even," I changed my voice to do a crap imitation of Raven's voice, "Alaric, you shouldn't be doing that. Alaric, you should behave. Alaric, do this. Alaric, do that."

"I don't think he sounds like that." Akin glanced at Hannibal, who was visibly irritated with me by the way a tic was forming in his jaw from clenching his teeth. I barely noticed, though. Man, those drugs were hardcore. I was tempted to take more.

"He does it all the time," I continued, "Acting like he knows what he's talking about when he doesn't. He doesn't want me to sleep with Stanton because ever since that thing in Hades, Raven thinks nobody should have sex. He's crazy. Sex is great. Especially with Stanton. He can do things with his tongue that put whores to shame." A family nearby had gotten up and rudely left, making me stare after them curiously. Well, that was random. Akin grimaced.

"Okayy, let's talk about something else, all right, hun?" He asked. I frowned.

"Sure. Like what?"

"I don't know. What do you want to talk about?"

"Cigarettes. I want my cigarettes."

"Mmm, no," Akin said slowly, "Let's talk about... uh, who's your favorite Marvel character?"

"Spider-man," I answered automatically, "He is badass and awesome. But it's kind of hard to choose when you're comparing him to the Avengers. That'd be so cool, though, to sling webs everywhere! I'd have a bed everywhere I went. I could sleep in the sky. I've always wanted to try that. Just make a giant web between two trees in the middle of nowhere and just sleep. I wonder if I'll be able to float when I'm dead. I'd try to sleep in the sky. Maybe that'll help me sleep." Akin looked at Hannibal, who glanced back at him. It was like they had some kind of telepathetic thing going on. It annoyed me, so I looked away and took a sip of my milkshake when I saw Stanton coming back, fiddling with his zipper and making me tilt my head as he came back to the table and wedged in between Akin and I.

"Did you piss or find a brothel?" I asked, making him stare at me.

"Why would I go to a brothel now of all times? Hurry up and eat so we can get out of here," Stanton commanded, then frowned down at his food before looking at me suspiciously, "Did you take my fries?" I blinked innocently.

"Absolutely not."

"You little liar."

"I resent that," I declared, then looked at Akin, who smiled awkwardly, "You saw it, didn't you? Someone else stole his fries. I bet you it was that family that randomly left." Akin shrugged uncomfortably. Stanton rolled his eyes. I paused when I heard a song playing over the speakers nearby and made a sound of delight, making everyone at the table jump.

"This is Muse," I exclaimed, making several customers glare in our direction as Akin tried to get me to sit down in the booth, "Supermassive Black Hole!" I moaned along with the song and Akin grimaced, looking over at Stanton.

"I really should've asked Jahlia what was in those pain meds. He's acting weird."

"Trust me, he acts like this when he drinks. It's why I rather not have him drink any alcohol."

"So he gave me a milkshake," I drawled, then started singing along with the lyrics between mouthfuls of food, "Oooh, oohhh! You set my soul alight! Glaciers melting in the dead of night, and the superstars sucked into the supermassive! Supermassive black hole!" Stanton covered his face and grabbed me, jerking me against him in an attempt to keep me quiet, but I really liked the song, so I ignored him trying to cover my face with his hand as I sang along to the lyrics with a mouthful of food, milkshake dripping down from my mouth.

"Crap," Akin exclaimed, making everyone look at him as he stared at me, "Alaric, your eyes!" I kept singing, unaware of what he saw and uncaring. Stanton forced my face to look at him and he cursed.

"His eyes are turning white. We need to get out of here and get to Cerberus. We're wasting time."

"But, my milkshake!" I cried in protest. Stanton ignored me, dragging me out of the booth while Akin left the money and tip. He and Hannibal moved out of the booth and led the way down the aisle toward the exit. I scowled, squirming in Stanton's grip as he tried to push me toward the exit when I saw someone sitting at the bar near the entrance. I instantly recognized the dark hair and Gothic jacket.

"Hey! That's the dude who pushed me out his window!" I exclaimed, pointing. That managed to stop our group, who turned just as Dimitri turned in his seat and glared at me, his arm in a sling and a bruise on his face.

"You brat, you jumped!" He snapped right away. I stuck my tongue out and he got to his feet, taking a step toward me, but Stanton pulled me back against his chest and Akin moved to block his path. Recognition crossed Dimitri's face as he glared at Akin, bewildered.

"What the hell are you doing with him?" Dimitri demanded. Akin glared, and when Hannibal took a step toward them, Akin held up a hand and stopped him in his tracks before Akin turned back to Dimitri.

"You tried to trick my baby brother into having sex with you?" He demanded. I looked at him, surprised, then tilted my head back to look at Stanton.

"You hear that? Someone actually called me their brother! How cool is that? I could've done without the baby part, though. I am so not a baby." I snorted. Stanton ignored me and just squeezed me tight as Dimitri scoffed, looking at Akin with smug disapproval.

"Oh, please. I don't need to trick your whore of a brother to sleep with me. He wanted it and was trying to play hard to get. And for the record, he jumped out the window on his own." He assured. Akin narrowed his eyes, opened his mouth, closed it, then before anyone could react, he punched Dimitri square in the nose and sent him sprawling onto the floor where he groaned. Several customers shrieked and scrambled away while an employee hurried to get their manager as Akin stood over Dimitri, glaring down at him menacingly.

"That's my brother you're badmouthing, you bastard. I've about had it with you. Come anywhere near my brother, or Hannibal, or even me for that matter, and I swear, you'll wish you were dead." He sneered, then whipped around on his heel, grabbed Hannibal by the arm and led the way out of the restaurant with Stanton and I stumbling behind him.

"That was cool," I exclaimed as we made our way down the sidewalk, "Did you see the look on his face? He was like whoa!"

"Alaric, shut up." Stanton commanded, making me pout. Akin shook his head, his cheeks pink with anger as he clenched his fists.

"I swear to god, it's taking everything I have not to go back in there and rip him limb from limb." He seethed. Hannibal frowned and touched Akin's shoulder. Akin looked at him, then seemed to slowly relax before he took a deep breath.

"Let's just go to Cerberus's before I can't control myself anymore."