Demitri blinked a few times before his eyes fully opened. Stone walls looked back at him. At first he was confused but was quickly replaced as he remembered being in the process of escaping with Kailani only to have Marius show up. He vaugly remembered someone putting something over his mouth before everything went blank. He sat up quickly and instantly felt dizzy.
"Careful, Demitri. Slowly," Tyra told Artemis' son gently taking hold of him as he began to sway a little too much. "You had more chloroform then was intended," the brown haired water demi-goddess told him.
"Kailani," Demitri said not hiding his concern.
"Don't worry she's fine," She assured him. "Marius won't hurt her."
"Where is she?" He asked.
Tyra couldn't help but feel a sense of compassion for him. Here he was not fully stable himself but his concern was for Poseidon's daughter. Just as Kailani's concern had been Demitri. "I'll ask Marius if you can see her."
"Thank you," Demitri replied. Tyra made sure he was alright and then left the room. She closed the door and turning around jumped as she was suddenly face to face with Marius.
"Is he awake?" Marius asked.
"Yes," she replied. "He's asking about Kailani." She watched as a small frown crossed the war demigod's face. "What are you going to do? Are you going to let him see her? He's really concerned about her."
"Not yet," he replied and stepping past her he entered Demitri's cell. He saw the disappointment in Tyra's eyes but did not address it.
Demitri looked towards the door to see Marius. Calmly he watched Are's son. He was aware that Marius had saved Kailani from his brother and so far had shown no desire to needlessly kill. Still the demigod before him was a son of Ares and could change his mind in a split second. Demitri watched as the other demigod looked the stone room over and to his surprise Marius frowned.
"How long can you be in here before you experience any negative effects?" Marius asked turning his attention from the stone walls to Demitri. When Demitri remained silent he said, "I need to know so you don't reach that point."
"Why would it matter to...."
"I gave Kailani my word I wouldn't harm you Demitri, or let anyone else," he cut in.
Demitri didn't hesitate and asked, "Is that all?"
Marius sighed. "Ramiero and Ciro are not people either of us want to find the sceptre. It will not end well for either of us. Especially since Ramiero will want to punish Kailani and will more than likely want my head."
"Go on," Demitri said certain there was more to know.
"Kailani revealed something on the map all of overlooked only after I gave my word not to harm you, or any other child of Artemis," Marius admitted. "There is a section only one of you can complete. I can't force you to cooperate Demitri. Kailani has somewhat tied my hands where that's concerned. However if you help me and I succeed I can guarantee you can keep her."
"She's a person Marius not an ornament that can be passed around," Demitri replied feeling irritated. Kailani was not an object and didn't want anyone referring to her in a manner that might suggest she was.
"I didn't mean it like that," Marius said. "If my brother or Raiden win you will lose her," he warned. "I won't take her from you."
"You would've before," Demitri challenged.
"Yeah well....look there are things I am willing to do and things that I'm not willing to do. Let's just leave it at that," Marius told him as he leaned back against one of the walls.
"What do you want?" Demitri asked.
"I want you to agree to help me so I can get you out of this cell now," he replied. "I need you to get the scepter and I still need Kailani's help. She's goint to be a lot more helpful if she isn't angry you're in a cell. Not to mention I won't have to have someone keep watch to try and know when I need to give you breaks from here."
"I want to see Kailani," Demitri stated. "I'm not agreeing to anything before I speak to her." Marius nodded and abruptly stepped away from the wall and left the cell.
*****
Kailani sat quietly in the main room of Marius' lair watching a few people tending to a few injuries. Marius' group had suffered only a few minor injuries and for the most part were ready to do battle again if needed. Still a few had suffered a couple of cuts. One of them had received a large cut from Ramiero.
As Kailani's thoughts drifted to Ramiero her mind played over their last encounter. Ramiero had tried to harm two of her friends that she knew of. It had forced an altercation between her and Ramiero. Poseidon's daughter could still see both the shock and then anger that had crossed Ramiero's face when she'd injured him. She had no doubt that if given the chance Ares' hot tempered son would strike her down.
Hearing a grunt Kailani's eyes shifted back to the present and her eyes fell on Saar not too far away. "Are you alright?" Kailani said quickly approaching his side. "Is there something I can get you?"
"No, I'm alright," Poseidon's son replied. "Just still sore; a few moves are painful."
"Your wound?" Kailani asked looking down toward the bandage.
"Healing," The blonde man replied. "It's more a bruise now." He saw her look at his head and added, "Head is better too. Though I owe you for me being as well off as I am; not to mention alive."
"I'm glad you're doing better," Kailani told him. "Hopefully you'll be completely healed soon."
"I doubt Ramiero will be moving as well." Kailani looked into her brother's hazel eyes. "I heard you took a sword to Ramiero."
"He went after Justine," she replied. "I didn't have much of a choice." Her voice was a mixture of disappointment and sadness. Saar looked at her questioningly and she said, "I never wanted to be in the middle of any of this. I don't want to fight. I tried to leave and stay out of it but..."
"No one will let you," Saar finished. Poseidon's son watched as his half-sister looked disappointed before looking down. "They're right." Kailani looked up at him. "You're a lot of things Kailani but power hungry isn't one of them."
"Don't take this wrong but I'm not sure exactly how to take that," she replied.
Saar chuckled before grimacing as he grabbed his stomach. Saar was healing nicely but things still caused him pain; simple things such as laughter. "Given our history or at least my side of it I understand," he said once he could speak. "You're brave, kind, and strong. Brave and Strong is not abnormal but kind is not readily available amongst our kind."
"Narissa is kind," Kailani reminded him. "Demitri is kind."
"Yes but neither are as strong as us," Saar informed her. "Demi's that belong to Aphrodite, Dionysus, and some of the others have some offspring that are kind but there are also many that are vain. Vanity leads to a need for power but not always physical power or ability power," He told her.
"What do you mean?" Kailani asked.
"Amongst the daughters of Aphrodite the majority of them want to be viewed as the most beautiful," Saar explained. "They want to be the most desirable and will at time go to great lengths to show they are the daughter the men all want."
"That's stupid," Kailani replied. "Who cares?"
Hazel eyes sparkled with amusement before a chuckle escaped the demigod. "They do Kailani; they do."
"Demitri is strong. His abilities with animals are amazing," Poseidon's daughter declared with open admiration. "No one can converse with animals like he can. The animals even protect him."
"True enough. The wildlife of the Island have always protected Artemis' son," Saar agreed. "However it is not an active power in the sense that it can be destructive. We can make water become very dangerous. Raiden can make a storm that can decimate an entire area."
"Demitri called on birds and they attacked Marius to allow us to escape when he tried to capture us in Pennsylvania," Kailani interrupted. "His power can be every bit as active and destructive as any of ours."
Saar became quiet at thought about his sister's words. Saar was aware of Demitri's abilities but had never considered them to be special. Never considered any child of Artemis' to be a potential threat.
"You never considered him to be a threat in any way in the past did you?" she said watching him. It wasn't a question.
"No, in truth I did not," He replied. "It seems I may have been somewhat foolish to have dismissed him so easily. That or his abilities have increased. I was not aware he could order animals to attack. As far as I knew he only talked to them and they would come if he called; nothing more."
"Everyone underestimates him," Kailani said.
Saar smiled at his sister. "For him and you it's a good thing." He saw the question in her eyes and before she could speak he did. "Demitri like you is not power hungry. Because he is not aggressive others will not feel the need to seek him out or even feel a need to truly guard him. His chances to escape here or anywhere else are greatly increased."
"I'm surprised you'd admit that to me," Kailani stated. "I don't think you would have in the past."
"Of course not," Saar agreed. "We are both prisoners here and you did save me." Kailani smiled warmly at her brother. "Listen to me and listen carefully," The demigod warned. "Never trust me Kailani. If we should manage to get away from Marius do not trust me."
"Why not?" Kailani asked. "You know I'm not your competition."
Saas sighed and looked away for a moment. Looking back at her he said, "I am thinking more clearly now than I have been since I found out about you and you came to the island."
"I don't..."
Saar raised his hand and she fell silent. "You saved me Kailani and I am grateful to you for it. However I have been raised for the purpose of getting the skeptrum. I would like to believe that even if we weren't here I would still view you the same as I do this moment. However like Ramiero and Marius I have and do seek power. If on my own I could very well lose sight of everything but that. I don't trust myself not to hurt you if it gained me what I wanted."
"You won't hurt me; not now," Kailani told him.
"You have too much faith in me," Saar said almost scolding her.
"No Saar. You don't have enough faith in yourself," she replied. "Even if you thought you could in the end you won't. You might capture me and hold me prisoner but you won't harm me."
"Kailani..."
"It's okay if you don't have faith in yourself. I can have enough faith for both of us," she replied with confident blue-green eyes.
"Kailani." The blonde girl looked over to see Marius by an entryway. "You can see Demitri."
A huge smile crossed her face as Poseidon's daughter rose to her feet. "It'll be okay Saar," she assured him and headed toward Marius. Finally she'd get to see Demitri.
Saar sighed as he watched his sister leave. The faith she seemed to have in him bewildered him. He would never have given someone a second chance. Yet his sister was willing to. Saar did want to believe that he'd never hurt his sister now but truly didn't trust himself. He knew what a need and hunger for power could do to a demigod and for the first time ever his own impulses caused him a sense of fear.
*****
Poseidon stood at the viewing pull watching his two children converse. He adored Kailani's beautiful heart and ability to be open to her brother but also feared it. Poseidon had taught his son to be ruthless when needed in order to obtain that which he wanted. Like Saar he too was not so certain that Saar would keep his head and not harm Kailani if he were to be free once more.
"You don't trust him do you?" Poseidon looked up to see Apollo only a few feet away.
"I wish that I did but no," The God of the Sea admitted. "Not where Kailani is concerned." A frown covered his face. "I want to believe that my daughter is right but I made him ruthless when needed. I taught him to put nothing before the skeptrum." His voice was sad and full of regret as he spoke and looked back into the pool once more. A characteristic very unlike the formidable god.
"Then perhaps I can deliver a glimmer of hope." He watched as his uncle looked up at him. "Your daughter appears to judge others well. When she makes a statement about one of them she has yet to be wrong."
"Kailani does not truly know her brother. She did not view Ramiero or anyone else as a threat in the beginning," Poseidon reminded him.
"This is true," Apollo agreed. "However is it not also evident that she has affected many of them? Do you believe Marius will harm Kailani?"
Poseidon did not even give any thought to it as he immediately answerd, "No." The god became silent for a moment as he considered how ruthless Marius himself could be. How cold and calculating he had been at times in the past. Marius could have harmed his daughter physically or emotionally but he had done neither. Instead Ares' son had chosen a different path. "I must hope Kailani is right." Apollo gave a single nod.
"Solana?" Poseidon said a moment later. "How is your daughter holding up?" He inquired.
Apollo took on a more somber appearance. "I fear my daughter will not fair as well as yours."
"Kailani will protect her once they are united once more," Poseidon assured his nephew.
"If they are reunited," The God of the Sun replied.
"If? What do you mean?" His uncle asked becoming concerned.
"I had hoped they would be reunited already," the blonde god replied. "I believe their best chance at a positive outcome is together. Kailani has a way of calming Solana. When Solana is calm she handles her visions well but..."
"Her concern for Kailani has made handling what she sees more difficult," Poseidon summarized.
"Yes," Apollo confirmed. He looked toward the pull to see the view change to that of his daughter. He frowned as he watched suffer yet another restless night and endured more nightmares. "She cannot handle much more Poseidon," Apollo warned. "If she does not find a way to cope soon her nightmares could drive her mad." Disappointed and no longer able to bear the sight of his daughter suffering he walked away.
Poseidon felt complete sympathy for his nephew. He understood the pain Apollo felt as well. Solana meant as much to Apollo as Kailani meant to him.
"Get to Solana Kailani. Get to your friend and save her," Poseidon said looking at the distraut girl. "See her Solana. See my daughter and get to her." Saddened himself he turned away from the pool.
Solana ran through the forest in her dreams trying to escape a cloaked figure that she could not fully see. Suddenly everything in her dream stopped and a voice called to her from beyond. It took her a moment before she understood the words that were echoing from far away. Listening she thought at first that it was her father but then knew it wasn't. "Poseidon?" she said confused.
Solana suddenly jumped up awake. "How could I hear him?" she wondered. Solana had never heard the voice of any other god in her head but that of her father. "Was it...." Solana's words died as she suddenly saw a flash of Kailani. A smile crossed her face. "I'm coming Kai," she said quietly. Quickly she got out of bed and headed for Serenity and Narissa. Perhaps together they could get to their friend.
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