River.

Chapter 91: Cato

"Kratos... Isn't that Greek?" I curiously asked.

"Smart girl I see. Yes it is. My mother is Greek."

"Kratos was the greek god of strength, might, power, and sovereignty." I added.

I'd always had a huge interest in Ancient Greek history/mythology.

"Wow, thats very impressive. Once again you are correct. Do you know where my last name, 'Catonis', comes from?"

I thought about it for a while but ultimately came up with nothing.

"I dont believe so. Though it sounds like it could be Greek as well."

"Not exactly but I guess to some degree it could be. My father's bloodline traces back to a Roman woman named Porcia Catonis- the second wife of Marcus Junius Brutus."

"Marcus Brutus..." That name sounded familiar. Then it clicked. "Marcus Brutus was the leader behind the assassination of Julius Caesar!"

"Nerd." River mumbled.

"So your great, great, great, times however many, great grandparents were Marcus Brutus and Porcia Catonis? Thats insane. And Cato is just a nickname from your last name?"

"Actually..." He began. "Porcia Catonis's father was Marcus Porcius Cato Uticensis. But he went by Cato. That sort of followed down the bloodline."

"Thats so awesome."

"Glad you think so." He stated. "You know, I like you. Why dont you and River have a seat please."

I sat down down in one of the chairs in front of the desk while River didn't move at all.

"River, would you like to sit down?" Asked Cato.

"I'll stand. Thank you." River replied as he stood with his hands in his pockets.

"River." Cato said as he stared at him. "There's no need to be stubborn."

River rolled his eyes and gave in as he sat down.

"Why do I have the feeling that you dont want to be here?" Cato asked.

"Oh I dont know maybe because I dont?" River remarked.

Cato laughed as he clasped his hands together and placed them on the desk.

"Thats my favorite thing about you River. You aren't afraid of authority. I'm convinced that even if I was the president of the united states you'd still talk to me with the same smart alleck tone."

"What can I say, I'm not one to discriminate."

"As much as I admire your confidence and fearless nature, that mouth of yours is bound to get you in trouble one day."

"Everything about me is bound to get me in trouble one day. Can you just skip to the point please? I already know why you wanna talk to me."

"Why then?"

"Because I went after Mark again."

"Not necessarily. Its because in the midst of chasing after Mark, you almost got other people killed as well as your self."

"Wrong, I almost got myself killed. I didn't ask anyone else to follow me. I didn't ask Max to, I didn't ask Daniel to, I didn't ask Mathias, nor Tommy, nor Stone, nor Caesar, nor Blue... They put their own lives in danger."

"To help you."

"Like I said, I didn't ask for their help."

"You didn't have to ask. You knew Maxwell would automatically follow you."

"That was still his decision. Just like it was Mathias's decision to come to Blairwood."

"It was your decision!" Cato said, scaring the hell out of me with his sudden outburst. "Mathias, Blue, Caesar, Stone, and Tommy are assigned to make sure you dont get yourself killed! You know for a FACT that they wouldn't have been able to just leave you at Blairwood to fend for yourself even if they wanted to because I wouldn't let them!"

"Mark pointed a gun at my girlfriend's head. Mark pointed a gun at my newborn kids. You're damn right I went after him and I'd do it again if I had to."

"You're not understanding what I'm saying River..." Cato said while trying to maintain his temper. "I dont care about you going after Mark. In fact I encourage it. However,when you do it without checking in with me first, I won't tolerate it. I will not tolerate it. We've had this very discussion before. I told you that I dont want you chasing him on your own."

"I can handle myself."

"Oh really? Is that why Mark had you hostage in the warehouse?"

"Thats the first time he's ever caught me."

"Which should open your eyes to the fact that you CAN get caught. He CAN kill you. Then when he does, while you're 6 feet underground, your girlfriend's going to be raising your kids by herself. Your newborns are not going to know what it feels like to have a father. Remember when you lost your mother? I doubt you remember a whole lot because you were so young. And I know that you question how different things would be today if she was still alive. Thats exactly how your 4 youngest are going to grow up. With vague memories of their father and they're going to question every choice they ever make and wonder how different things would be if you were still around. You dont want that. I know you dont. And the only way to keep that from happening is to stop trying to fix this yourself. You've got 5 men ready to spring into action with you at any second of the day. Take advantage of that. Inform me of your next move before you do it. River you are one of if not the most important asset of this organization. If something happens to you, there's no hope."

"Organization? What organization?" I asked.

Cato looked at me but didn't answer.

River stared at Cato with a menacing glare.

Whatever was going on was way beyond my knowledge.

I wasn't sure if I really even wanted to know.