The Empty World | The Empty World Sequence [complete | rewriting]

Eighteen

Athen was at his own work most of the time. Sometimes that meant he could be found in the Palace's office, off the grande hall, with Steven and Shio, but gossip was that Athen's outside meetings were with some of the most powerful people in Los Angeles, be they in legitimate business or not. Depending who he went to meet, he might take Joy or Julien along, or even Psyche or Spider.

Julien had come home to tell Morpheus about Athen introducing him to the Irreverents, a current music group Julien liked immensely. Julien didn't care as much for Niks, who was the drug-lord who lived in the glass-walled mansion visible from the palace, which Chris Rhodes had also designed.

Chris kept a room at the Palace now, a corner suite at the end of the east wing. Morpheus saw him at meals, or about the palace; a mid-aged man of mixed American ancestry.

With Mother out on her own assignment, and Sleep still concerned for the later parts of Metro's prophesy, it was Morpheus' responsibility to watch for any further troubles that came from the Vampires, or their involvement with the Jewel family. Laudanum had been officially read-in to their assignment as Morpheus' back-up, so Morpheus relied on him to scry on more private areas, where Morpheus couldn't easily insinuate himself.

Another recent resident to the Palace, after Melalie and Chris had taken rooms, was Athen's apprentice. Morpheus didn't know him well, yet, only that he was called Billy and had permission to enter and exit Athen's art studio.  Julien was convinced Billy and Athen were lovers, but Morpheus didn't know if that meant Athen just drank his blood, or had sex with the young man, or both.

It might have been entirely true that Julien used Morpheus to combat Athen's straying. To be honest, Morpheus didn't care. He believed there were certain fixed points in time and that his past experience with Julien would be Julien's future meeting with his past self. They would regard each other with mutual love.

But now? Now, they were friends, and Julien was a social creature, who bored easily if not engrossed in work, and whose husband left him to his own devices most of their nights, and sometimes shared his bed to sleep. If Morpheus had his own work or responsibilities, he sometimes came to find Julien sending texts to Ganymede, or asking Ardor what she thought about politics, or listening to Steven tell his story about Xerox PARC, again.

As much as he could be, Morpheus was with Julien. He was, as Morpheus had always thought, an attractive companion, and Julien returned this admiration, to some extent, in so many homages in his sketchbook. But what Morpheus enjoyed most, at present, was that Julien had determined to put his trust in him. It meant, he continued to learn, that Julien was much himself when they were alone, and gave Morpheus his confidence. They were intimates.

It was what irritated Athen.

It was frightening, because Morpheus' duty and ties to Angelic powers meant he knew things he couldn't admit to knowing.

He didn't want to lose Julien's trust, but sometimes, now, he looked to the future and saw it happening.

           

Several days before Halloween, newer guests began arriving.  Mazaret, and all their best friends from Nede, came from New York.  A dragon, Angst, showed up one night with a horde of gold and asked to stay from now on in the stables.  The day after that, Charity, a unicorn, came and promised not to dance on any graves or gore Vampyres to death, if they let her stay in the orchard.  Shade's sister-in-blood, Zulekha, arrived from Rome.  And many others came.

Shortly before Halloween, Steven and Joy went out to LAX in the Limo and picked up Steven's twin great-grandchildren.  They came to the palace where Amber and Amadeo Jewel were introduced to the Palace's permanent residents. They shared familial resemblance with each other: tall, fit, light-brown skin, russet hair, and light eyes. Amadeo's eyes in particular seemed similar in shape and depth to Steven's. Amber had tightly curled hair, while Amadeo's was more relaxed. Amber's face was clean and freckled, while Amadeo wore make-up that made him always seem fevered or flushed.