Counting Stars at Dawn

14: Break Me For A Reason

"Mm, no. Vampires can't eat normal food, only royalty can. The only food close to your kind is back at the castle." Ares pointed his head to the side, his hands in his pockets.

"Then I'll pass."

Hades walked in front of Artemis and firmly held his hand.

"Oh my God look at that amplifier!!" Ares shouted and ran towards a shop.

Erebus followed him out of habit, and only Hades and Artemis remained.

"Oh I know what I can show you." Hades snapped his fingers. "Come on, stay close."

Artemis held on to Hades like a child to their mother as they moved down the tight alleyways. As they walked, Artemis felt an increasing number of people bump against him.

"Excuse me." Artemis said. "Pardon me. Sorry."

"Artemis don't let go." Hades tried to look back at him.

"I'm trying. There's so many people I can't fit!"

Artemis struggled to keep up with Hades and at an intersection his hand slipped away from Hades' as a carriage ran through.

"Hades!" Artemis called but everyone moved so fast he lost sight of him quickly.

"Artemis!" Hades called from an unknown direction.

The elf panted and whipped his head everywhere trying to find Hades. The sounds were so loud and the spaces so cramped he started feeling like he was suffocating.

"Watch where you're walking!" A woman jeered when Artemis bumped into her.

"I-I'm so sorry." Artemis stuttered nervously and backed away.

He screeched when a gruff hand pulled him roughly and he collided with a person.

"You smell really nice, boy." A man chuckled as he stared at Artemis. "Wanna spend an evening?"

"No! Let go of me!" Artemis pulled his hand back and ran away.

Everywhere he turned an increasing number of people started harassing him and expressing sexual desires to him. He assumed these were in-heat, unmated vampires. They weren't just men as he had thought it would be, women were partaking as well.

Artemis was on the verge of tears as he desperately tried to find Hades or shelter from the lustful vampires.

He was pinned against a wall in an alley and a crazed young man laughed nervously.

"Let me have your blood." He nodded quickly and smiled in a creepy way. "It's the only thing that keeps me alive! Just let me slit your fucking throat and have your blood!"

Artemis screamed in horror as the vampire pulled out a knife and pressed it to Artemis's neck.

"Hm, wonder where those two went." Ares looked around as he carried an amplifier under his arm.

Him and Erebus picked up the high pitched scream of a frightened elf, and Ares perked up.

"Hold my amp." Ares shoved the amplifier to Erebus.

"What?" Erebus looked confused and watched as Ares disappeared.

"PLEASE LET ME GO!! HELP! SOMEONE! HADES!" Artemis cried at the top of his lungs.

"Yes! Move around more and cut your own neck!" The man cackled as saliva poured from his mouth.

Artemis shouted in pain when the knife pressed on his throat and drew blood. The insane man's bloodshot eyes went wider than his eye sockets could handle as he smelled the delicious scent of elf blood.