Hunter: Cursed

Chapter Twenty-Nine

"Never mind him! I am going to-"

"You're not. Now be a good little mortal and stay the fuck out of our way!" Hermes took Portia's arm and the pair of them vanished so it was just me, Alfie and nothing else.

I'm going to kill them.

First I will torture them, and then I will kill them.

I started to scream my promises of doing just that when Cain reappeared. "Was this your idea?"

"No."

With a wave of his hand I was free. "What the hell is going on?"

"I would like to know that as well." He sighed, looking tired.

With that, he just seemed to deflate and slowly he slumped down at the now barren table. His skin looked pale, dark circles appeared under his eyes and as he ran his hands though his hair and just held his head between his arms - I almost thought he was about to cry.

Well, shit. If he was like this, I'm pretty sure we're all doomed.

"I never left. If they weren't so focused on you, they would have realised that." Cain gave a bitter laugh, before looking at me. "Better to have them think that I suppose."

I ignored him for a second, checking on Alfie who was okay, just out of it for the time being. Unsure of what to say, I moved to sit beside him and hesitantly put a hand on his shoulder. If he did cry, we were screwed because I had no idea what to do with criers.

"I'm fucking stuck here as much as you are, you know. Still think I'm all that powerful?" Yup, we were totally screwed.

"But you got here. Where ever here is."

"I followed you. I barely made it in behind Alfie when he closed the portal. Now I'm stuck here until I do the same to get out. I wanted to follow them, but they were too quick." He sighed, rubbing his face with his hands. "Did you believe what they said, about the Fates  telling them to stop you from sharing the gateway location with me?"

"I dunno. Kind of, until I ended up being chained to a wall." I rubbed my still red and sore wrists subconsciously. Cain noticed and moved to gently put his hands where it hurt. Instantly a tingling warmth took the place of the pain, and yet he didn't let me go.

"I think I believe them. I will go to my realm alone once we are free of this. Forgot the Fates and their meddling. We leave here and then go there. I will return home and you can have your life back." He promised, finally releasing me.

"What will happen to you?"

"I don't know, but I'm ready to find out. Why do you look like that?"

"Like what?" I frowned.

"That. Like getting your life back is the worst news I could have told you."

"We've gone through a lot. I don't like the idea of you going in blind and alone to your doom. At least take Artemis and Hermes with you or something, if you don't want me to go too." 

"Do you want to come too?" He asked a little hopefully.

"I'd rather you didn't go at all." I mumbled, knowing it was a bad idea. Why couldn't he just let this go, stay here and work the rest out later. "Who is your father?"