ATHENA RUSSO:
It was a masterpiece.
The way I pulled the trigger. The way the bullet pierced into Levi's chest. The way I moved like a ghost. The way that I made sure no one knew, saw, or heard me. The way I caused death in the darkness was pulchritudinous.
I fucking loved it.
My heels click against the marble floor as I walk down the empty hallway. I pull my hood down and run a hand through my hair.
I may have not been able to cut off Levi's dick but I don't care. It was supposed to be quick and careful. And it was.
I open the double doors and step outside,
I immediately halt when I see him standing in front of me.
Hades.
I don't move a single muscle as I stare up at him.
Why is he even here? He should be inside with the others. And is this going to be an occurrence? It better not. I don't need him showing up when I get my revenge.
He stares down at me with his green eyes, a small smirk growing on his face.
"You're a liar," he states, moving closer to me.
Ah. He's calling me a liar because I lied about my name. Oh, wait. No. That wasn't it. He's calling me a liar because I told him I had nothing to do with the last death. Yes. Now that makes sense.
"I am. A very good liar," I say, smiling at him.
He looks down at my attire and raises an eyebrow. "I've been waiting all night for you—"
"I'm sorry I'm not taking autographs tonight. Now if you don't mind, move out of my way so I can leave."
A cruel wicked smile falls onto his features. He stays in his spot, with no intention of moving.
I scoff and push him away but he doesn't budge. What the hell? What is he made of? Bricks?
He grabs my wrists, not once breaking eye contact as he says, "I detest you. I despise you. I loathe you. How can I feel such hate when I've only spoken to you once?"
He narrows his eyes at me, waiting for a response.
So I give him one.
I shrug, "I'm not quite sure Mr. Volkov. I just seem to have that effect on people."
"And I don't doubt it gets you in trouble everywhere you go."
"That's where you're wrong. I'm here with you and I'm not in trouble."
"Yet."
Noticing the blood on his neck, I examine the cause of it. A small cut. It seems like Mr. Volkov has been walking around in the gardens.
I look back up at him and tilt my head. "Are you going to punish me for being a naughty girl, Mr. Volkov?" I tease, winking at him.
He immediately lets go of my wrists, "Leave before I kill you."
I happily walk past him and go down the stairs when I reach the end of the stairs, I stop.
"I said leave."
I turn around and walk up the stairs, "I've just forgotten something, I'll only be second."
He watches me with hatred as I stand in front of him.
"You have approximately two minutes before the guards come and find you, Ms. Russo," he tells me, placing his hands in his pockets.
I can tell he hates me. I mean I understand why. But it just seems like he wants a reason to hate me.
I can't help myself when I glance at his neck.
Dammit.
I wrap my hand around the back of his neck and lick the blood off of the side of his neck that he didn't know he had.
He freezes under my touch.
My tongue slides across his skin, slow and taunting.
He doesn't move an inch, he doesn't move a single muscle as if he's too scared to move away.
Once I lick the blood off I pull away and smile at him. "Good night Mr. Volkov," I politely say.
He stares down at me in shock. Then the emotion in his eyes changes. They change into wrath. Rage. Anger.
I don't look back when I go back down the stairs and vanish into the darkness as I always do.
He can hate me for all I care and I won't kill him but I definitely will if he dares to stop me from getting my revenge.
I see the car waiting for me in the distance, hidden away from sight. I pull my hood up, making it cover my face. I get in the car and look at Noah.
"Who was that? And how do you look so hot in the blood? And—"
"Just drive Noah."
He sighs and presses down on the gas.
I look behind me and see Hades still standing in the same spot, fists and jaw clenched.
He can't see me. But I can see him.
I smirk and look away.
"So I'm guessing you had fun?"
I nod, "So much fun."
"Cool. Cool. Cool. So you had fun cheating on me, yeah?"
I glare at him, "For the hundredth time, you are gay."
"Not for you," he says, winking at me.
I pull my gun out and point at him, "Don't speak to me. Don't look at me. Don't even think about me. Just fucking drive and stay quiet. Is that clear?"
He immediately looks away and gulps. "Yes, ma'am."
I put my gun away, lean my head against the window and close my eyes.
✮ ✮ ✮
"The job you gave me? Useless. Absolutely useless."
I look up from the file of my next victim that I'm reading and raise an eyebrow. "And why was it useless?" I ask Artemis.
She crosses her arms, annoyed.
"Because you had Noah turn off the lights anyway. Everyone in that room was distracted. Plus most of your brothers weren't even happy to see me. Lorenzo? He was suspicious. Elijah was nice, as always. Marcello wasn't there. Domenico wasn't even speaking to anyone. Ares was happy to see me," she says, rambling as she paces around the room.
"Maybe I wanted you to see what was going to happen."
She stops pacing around the room and looks at me with a small smile, "Well, I did. And it was amazing."
"Thank you."
I look back down at the file and continue reading it. I slowly grin.
"Okay. I know that face. What the hell do you have planned?"
"I think I might need to speed things up a bit."
She takes the file from me and reads it, "Dr. Richards? Who the hell is that?"
"It's a long story. But I want more."
"So two deaths in one night?"
I shake my head and open the drawer beside my chair and take another file out and place it on the table. "The Fifteen," I say.
She takes it and opens it.
"The Fifteen. They are a group of men, specifically fifteen, that are executioners. They are named The Fifteen. They were assembled by Yavok a few years ago. They are one of his most trusted men," she reads out loud then she looks up at me, confused.
"But last time I checked you're alive. They haven't executed you."
I nod, "You're right. They haven't. But they tortured me. For a year."
She frowns, "Can I help by killing them?"
I shake my head. "Unfortunately you can't. These deaths will be caused by me and me only."
She sighs and nods, "Okay. I understand. But how are you going to kill sixteen men in one night?"
I smirk. "They are already dead."
Her eyes widen. "No."
"Yes."
"You're telling me the weird smell from the basement is their dead bodies?!"
"Yes."
"Athena!"
I wave a dismissive hand, "It's fine. We only have a week for the next ball anyway."
"And the smell is going to get worse! Move the bodies!"
"No. I don't want someone to steal their bodies—"
"Who the hell would steal a dead body?!"
"I would."
She shakes her head at me, "You need to get help."
I smile, "I know."
Noah enters the room, holding Socks like he's a baby. "Athena Socks needs more toys," he informs me.
"And why is that?"
He shrugs.
I sigh and open my drawer and grab a stack of money and pass it to him.
He grins, "Thanks, my new sugar Mommy."
Artemis's mouth falls open.
I slowly take the file back from her and close it. I look back at her and she's literally frozen.
Noah laughs in her face, "Bitch."
She snaps out of it and slaps him, "You golddigger!"
Signing, I shake my head at them. And did he really think I would give him money for his dog? I lean over my desk and take the money back. Noah is too heated in the argument to even realize it. Although his stupid dog does. I put the money back, holding eye contact with Socks.
He whimpers.
I smile in satisfaction and walk out of the room and go downstairs. I enter the kitchen and open the fridge, I grab the Oreo cake that magically appeared earlier today.
A sticky note is on it. I don't even read it, I just rip it off and throw it over my shoulder. I take the cake and shut the fridge.
Eventually, I'm sitting down in the living room with a big slice of cake. Alone. In silence. In the dark.
Okay. Well, maybe I am not alone. I do have Iris with me.
Iris sleeps on my chest with her tongue sticking out.
I peacefully eat the cake as I stare at a wall.
Sometimes I think I will lose my sanity if I sit in silence and the only loud thing is my mind but I've done it countless times and the only thing that keeps my sanity in check is just thinking about killing.
It's a sick thing to do, I know but it's what I've been taught to do and sometimes some lessons stick with you forever.
The light turns on and Noah stands in the entrance of the living room, looking at me.
"What are you doing?" He asks me, suspicious yet he's curious.
"Eating cake."
"In the dark?"
"Yeah."
He quickly leaves the room and a few seconds later he runs back in with a slice of cake. He turns off the lights and sits down on the couch.
He quietly eats his cake and then sighs, "I thought this would be fun but it's boring."
"It isn't supposed to be fun."
"Then what is it supposed to be?"
"To check if I'm losing my mind."
"Cool."
Then we don't talk for ten minutes. We just eat our cake in silence.
The lights turn on again.
Artemis stands at the entrance of the living room. She wrinkles her nose, "This looks so depressing."
"Also you're eating my cake. There was a sticky note that specifically said: "DO NOT TOUCH" on it."
We both don't say anything when she leaves.
A minute later she comes back with the whole cake and places it on the coffee table. She places a few forks and knives for us and turns off the lights.
Noah speaks up, "Can we play sad songs—"
"No."
He sighs, cutting a new slice of the Oreo cake.
"So why are we doing this?" Artemis quietly asks.
"Athena said something about checking if she's losing her mind or not? I don't know," Noah explains as he eats his cake.
I grab a new slice of the cake and quietly eat it, while I stare at the wall.
"That's... Normal," Artemis drawls out. Her tone tells me she's creeped out but I simply do not care.
Iris meows.
I just gently pass her to Noah since I don't want to be near an animal right now. Noah gladly takes her from me and starts petting her.
A few minutes go by.
"Okay, that's it. I can't sit in silence anymore. I'm playing music," Noah announces as he turns on the tv and goes onto Spotify.
He plays a random song and sighs in relief when music fills his ears.
Artemis stands up and sits beside me. "Hey, you okay?" She whispers in my ear.
I nod with a small smirk on my face. "Yeah. I just can't wait for what's to come."