i've uploaded this at like 2 am but i've just finished editing this and it's kinda a short chapter but i wanted to get this chapter out for you guys asap!
ARES RUSSO:
Getting ready for the Russian ball was chaos.
There were death threats thrown out. The children had guns again and started aiming them at Francesco.
They don't want to go but it is a requirement to come.
I'm just all hoping Athena comes and kills Yavok before our brothers do.
And this drive. Oh my god. I hate it. The energy in the car is deadly and dark but is so awkward.
I awkwardly glance at Lorenzo, his fists are clenched.
I don't know why this anger has been bottled up. We could've used it a long time ago.
"So um, anyone want to bet what Athena could do tonight?" I ask, looking around.
"I bet she kills Yavok," Dom and Dante say at the same time.
"According to the data I've gathered, I'm seventy percent sure that she kills all of the Russians," Marcello says, scrolling through his phone as usual.
He's always on that goddamn phone. Who does he text on there? He doesn't have any friends. Not since he was five. Ever since then, he's been lonely.
Is it Athena he's texting?
I heard he has his number.
So not fair.
Elijah leans forward with a grin, "I bet she's going to torture Yavok too but in front of everyone."
Okay... I've never seen this side of Elijah before and I never want to again. It doesn't suit him.
"Lorenzo? What about you?"
"There are no limits to revenge and there are no limits to what she does too, so I have no idea what she's going to do tonight," he says, looking out the window.
Not exactly the answer I was expecting but whatever.
"Do you think Artemis is going to be at the ball tonight?" Dante asks me in a whisper.
"You've asked me that a million times now. Stop it," I mumble.
He told me all about what happened at the French ball when he got drunk.
He had the opportunity to fall in love and threw it away because of his drinking problems and thinking she deserves better.
What an idiot.
I swing my legs back and forth, bored.
I miss the old me. I was so cool and funny back then. I made everything so joyful and sweet. This stupid eating disorder is the problem.
"Stop that," Lorenzo snaps, narrowing his eyes at me.
Raising my hands in surrender, I say, "My bad."
What is up with him today? I glance and Dom and he just shrugs.
Whatever.
"We're here," the driver announces. I look out the window and see red lights coming from inside the ball.
Shit. Did Yavok throw a better ball than us? He better have not. We all get out of the car and I walk behind my brothers and look around.
The guards bow their heads at us as we make our way to the entrance. "Yeah respect me, you peasants," I say, smirking, my head held up high as I walk past the guards.
Not even a second later, one of the guards lunges at me but another guard holds him back. "You stupid Italians," the guard hisses.
I smirk like a Cheshire cat and look at my brothers. They must be so proud. Instead of seeing proudness, they all shake their heads at me, disappointed.
They are so fucking bipolar.
"What?!"
"Have some respect," Dante tells me rolling his eyes.
Dom nods. "Yeah man, stop trying to cause problems just because you're bored."
Elijah shakes his head at me, "I raised you better than that, Ares."
I gape at him in shock. Is he being serious right now?
Lorenzo doesn't say anything to me and continues to walk to the entrance.
Marcello pats my shoulder, a proud look in his eyes. "Nice one," he says, smiling.
Yeah. Athena has magic powers for sure, there isn't any other explanation for... This.
"See! At least someone is proud of me!" I loudly say to my brothers who are walking away.
"I never said I was proud," Marcello states, his eyes empty, smile gone. He's gone back to being a robot within a second.
What...?
I stare at him, standing there alone. Yeah, I hate this so much. Shaking my head, I snap out of it and quickly follow behind them.
The double doors open for us and we step through.
Everyone watches us, expecting us to greet Yavok in respect. But we don't. We walk straight past him and ignore his furious expression as he watches us sit down at our reserved table.
I give it a few moments before I grin and quietly say, "That felt so good to do."
All of my brothers stare at me, weirded out.
"Fine," I mumble, "be like that then."
✮ ✮ ✮
Yavok is sitting on an actual throne. He proudly sits on it as he watches everyone talk, dance and eat. He rests his arm on the armrest, tapping his fingers on it, looking impatient.
He looks at me and I keep eye contact.
He tried to burn us alive, took Athena, and did some crazy shit to her for years. He's fucked up in the head to be sitting on that stupid throne, thinking he's in charge, that he is a king.
Yavok breaks eye contact and I smirk.
He's not.
Hades is.
Hades walks around the ballroom, people move out of his way within a second, scared to be near him to even have his eyes on them.
He's in charge. He's the king. He controls us. We are under his command.
Not stupid Yavok.
He halts and looks around the room, narrowing his eyes, trying to find someone.
Why is he always looking for someone?
The orchestra that's playing in a corner of the ballroom, plays even louder.
I sigh and look back at my brothers, who are still refusing to engage with anyone other than ourselves.
They are all on their phones, not once taking their eyes off the screen. They are all typing away on their phones as if they are texting each other.
I grab the closest phone to me and it's Dantes.
"You little shits. You made a family group chat without me?" I exclaim, pointing at the phone in disbelief.
Elijah sighs, "Yes. We did. The last one we had, you kept spamming memes in it."
"That was five years ago! I've grown up and I'm more mature now," I tell him, narrowing my eyes at him.
What a dickhead.
I add myself to the group chat and pass the phone back to Dante and pull out my phone.
They are all talking shit about Yavok and his stupid throne.
We all start texting in the group chat making fun of him. I even take a picture of Yavok and send it to the group chat. Then I start making a meme out of it.
I hear Dom chuckle. "That was a good one," he says, smiling.
We continue bullying the old wrinkly man in the group chat, one of us occasionally chuckling at one of my awesome jokes.
I've counted who has laughed the most at my awesome jokes.
I have been laughing the most.
But it's okay. No one will ever understand my humor. It's just too good.
Since we are too busy making fun of Yavok on the family group chat, we don't even notice Yavok coming toward us.
"You're not a bunch of teenagers, get off your phones," Yavok demands.
"Don't worry, we're just talking about you," I mumble, finding the picture I took of him.
"Really?" he says, surprised.
Nodding, I show him my phone, "Yeah look it's you."
Since he's so old he has to take my phone and bring it upright to his face, he then glares at me.
"You goddamn Italians," he sneers, grabbing me by the collar, making me stand up.
"I don't know why you're so mad, grow up," I snicker, rolling my eyes at him.
He then pulls his gun out and points it to my head.
Everyone stops what they are doing and watches us in fear. My brothers stand up, looking more demon-like than Satan ever will.
"I'm warning you Yavok, if you don't put your gun away, we will have problems," Lorenzo warns him, reaching for his gun.
Hades comes out of nowhere. "You know the rules, Yavok," he tells him, his voice cold and deadly.
Yavok shakes his head, not looking away from me. "I don't fucking care," he grits out, pressing the gun harder to my head.
"Go on, shoot me, I dare you," I say, smirking.
I'm not scared of him. I never will be. I stand there bored, waiting for him to do something other than pointing a gun at my head.
"I'm waiting, you pussy," I tell him, bored. I end up looking down at my tie. Oh, it's loose. Quickly, I fix it and look back at Yavok.
Jesus. What is this old man waiting for?
"Sure, I'll kill you first. Then your brothers and then your dear sister, Athena. Doesn't it sound good? Starting with you. It was always going to start with you, you know that right?" He says so quietly that only I can hear.
He doesn't stop there.
"You should've burned in that fire. And your brothers. Your little sister just likes to ruin shit, doesn't she?"
I should feel hurt that the man that tried to burn me alive tells me for the first time that but no one talks about Athena like that. I may not be strong enough to knock him out like my brothers can but people find me scary when I'm angry.
And I'm fucking angry.
"You can kill me for all I care but dare touch my family and I'll come back from the dead and kill you myself."
"Goodbye Ares."
Before anyone can stop him from pulling the trigger the doors barge open, slamming against the wall, loudly.
I glance in that direction, what the hell is going on—
"Step away from my brother, Yavok."