Chapter Fourteen
I was eager to have Hades out of my home.
His presence was making the air thick with misery and irritation. My plants were practicaly wilting from it and my patience dying with them. He was incredibly snarky and sarcastic. He took nothing seriously; nothing, except pressuring his lifestyle and dreams on Ambrosius, who seemed to wilt along with the plants the longer Hades stuck around.
All the progress I had made with Ambrosius was slowly draining out of him. It was like watching a balloon deflate and it made my heart ache for him. He stood by his father like a silent shadow of misery and woe. The light in his eyes slowly faded and his smiles ceased. Even when Dania nudged him or tried to make a joke, Ambrosius barely paid her any mind. Thankfully, Dania didn't make a scene about it because she knew well enough what was happening to Ambrosius.
"I say we take Hades out back and douse him in Greek fire." Dania grumbled under her breath as she, Raven, Alaric, and I made lunch in the kitchen while everyone else had gathered in the dining room with Hades making comments about everything the entire time.
"For once, I'm with Tank Girl," Alaric muttered as he poured olive oil into a frying pan and stepped aside to let Raven do the actual cooking, "Maybe we can take turns kicking him too."
"Ssh," Raven shushed him and Dania, who both glared at him, "Hades is a god. He's probably listening to you guys right now. Besides, if we killed Hades, the natural balance would rupture and the world could spiral into catastrophe." Dania rolled her eyes and planted her fists on her cocked hips, an eyebrow raised.
"Just because the Fates spewed that bullshit doesn't make it true." She snorted.
"I rather not test it," Raven said dryly, "I actually value my life and that of my soldiers. Let's just torture the Greek by corrupting his son." I frowned at that as I put together a potent wine that Lucifer enjoyed.
"That probably won't work either," I muttered, making them look at me as I sprinkled herbs into the pot and stirred, "In case you haven't noticed, Ambrosius is practically melting under the pressure his father is applying to him. And Ambrosius is so scared of him that he won't fight him."
"I noticed that," Alaric grunted, hopping onto the island counter and folding his arms over his chest, "No offense, Thorn, but you picked a really pathetic puppy to get horny for. Why don't you just find some whore in town?" I shook my head as I turned the heat off and placed a top on the pot.
"I'm tired of whores... I want Ambrosius." I responded. Dania and Raven shared grins, while Alaric scoffed, as if the idea were ridiculous. He didn't say anything, though, much to my relief. I didn't want to get into it with Alaric. He'd been irritable the whole day, but then, he was almost always irritable. It was just a youngest sibling thing. I wondered how often Jaques had gotten fed up with me when we lived in the same home.
"Well," Dania said after a moment, hopping up onto the counter beside Alaric, folding one leg over the other, "We'll just have to bring back our playful Ambrosius as soon as Hades leaves. Or even better, we'll just do it while the god is still here. Let's all just strip down and--"
"No!" My brothers and I snapped in unison.
"What are you, a nudiest?" Alaric demanded.
"What are you, a misogynist?" Dania challenged. Alaric scowled, but didn't respond, just turned his head away and Dania rolled her eyes, sticking her tongue out at him. Raven shook his head at them and turned back to the frying pan, using a wooden spoon to stir the contents.
"We shouldn't get Ambrosius in trouble," He said, "Let's wait until Hades leaves, then we can cheer him up with a family movie night." Dania whooped excitedly, punching the air with her fist repeatedly.
"Yeah! Disney movies, bitches! We're watching Lion King first! No if, ands, or buts about it! This is gonna be great! Remi can join us and we can make po'boys and cuddle and talk about boys, since you guys are all gay anyway--"
"I am so not gay." Alaric snapped.
"You're as gay as a pink sparkly unicorn," Dania assured him, touching his arm and making him curl his lip, "But that's okay. You'll find your pink sparkly unicorn partner some day, Alaric."
"I am going to kill you in your sleep."
"And I'm going to switch all your Doc Martens with Prada heels," She responded, then laughed and pointed at him while looking at Raven and I, "Can you imagine him trying to walk in heels? That'd be like watching me in heels! Like watching a giraffe figure skate! Ha!" Alaric blushed furiously and shoved her, making her shove him back until there was a shoving match and Raven whacked their heads together.
"Ow!" Alaric complained.
"How was that even necessary?" Dania groaned, rubbing her head.
"Because you're annoying and arguing too close to our food." Raven deadpanned, then turned back to the stove. I smirked at Dania and Alaric, who shook their heads and glared at each other with silent promises of a prank war that would certainly cause trouble for everyone within a fifty mile radius. I returned to helping Raven cook the meal while Alaric and Dania simply argued until we called for their help to take the meal to the dining room. Raven had rounded up all the Sins so they were sitting at the dining table, all as silent and stiff as appropriate soldiers.
My eyes trailed over to Ambrosius, who sat on his father's right side. Ambrosius was silent and staring at the table. There was a solemn air wrapped around him and I wanted so badly to go over there and kiss it away, to watch him squirm and blush when I teased him. But I didn't dare challenge the fantasy with Hades sitting right there.
My siblings and I set out the plates and added portions to each one. I leaned over near Ambrosius, using tongs to play a couple strips of chicken across the stir fry. His eyes lifted momentarily to meet my face and I smiled at him. His eyes widened slightly and I saw the color rushing to his cheeks. A shiver of pleasure rushed through me until Hades made a rude sound that made me frown at him, but he was looking innocently at his goblet. I looked back down at Ambrosius, but he was looking down at his lap, an air of shame keeping him tucked in. I resisted the urge to sigh in disappointment and moved on to serve Hades.
"Touch him and I'll kill you." His voice was very quiet, enough so that I'm sure Lucifer couldn't even hear. I paused, glancing at him, but his eyes were averted, expression placid. I clenched my teeth, counting to ten to rein in my temper before moving onto Lucifer. I wasn't going to tell my father what Hades had said, because I didn't need my father to come to my rescue.
Hades had not only threatened me, he challenged me.
And I never backed down from a challenge.
Hades or no Hades.
Everyone was finally seated and most of the time, it was just Lucifer and Hades talking back and forth about things the rest of us didn't particularly care for. I kept my eyes on Ambrosius, who ate in very small, polite bites. Like watching a prince trying to impress a room of officials... or like he was afraid he'd never eat again and he was trying to make the meal last longer. I felt someone's eyes burning into me and glanced to the side to see Hades staring at me. I frowned at him before he looked away to continue a conversation with my father.
Suffice it to say, it was one of the most awkward meals I'd ever experienced.
I could only express pure joy when Hades and Lucifer announced they were leaving. Dania and Raven convinced Lucifer to let Alaric stay the night so he could join us for our movie night, one that we didn't tell Hades about because he'd protest the idea immediately and probably tell Ambrosius to go hide in his room until it was over.
"Take care of Alaric," Lucifer told me once he'd gotten me alone outside and everyone else remained inside, "He's been having a rough day. Stanton visited. I think he said something that hurt him." I nodded.
"I'll do what I can." Lucifer smiled at that and patted my shoulder.
"You're a good brother, Thorn. I'll give the others your best."
"Please do." We shared a nod and Lucifer started to leave. Hades paused, scanning me from head to toe before looking away dismissively and following Lucifer to the gates. I resisted the urge to send an energy blast into his ass. I turned back and went inside to find that Alaric and Dania had gone swimming, Raven was barking orders at his soldiers to stay on watch duty, and Ambrosius was heading to his room. I frowned, my eyes following him up the stairs before I went after him.
"Are you all right?" I asked, catching up to him once we were out of ear-shot of the others. Ambrosius frowned, not saying anything for a moment before he slowed down to a stop outside his room, then turned to face me.
"He knows about you." He stated. Even if I hadn't of eavesdropped on their earlier conversation, I would have figured such. While a total hardass jerk, Hades wasn't stupid. He was smart, and thus very observant, but I wasn't scared of him. There were certain laws that extended as a fence between us, and even if they were breached, I wouldn't be afraid to fight Hades for Ambrosius if it came right down to it, and my siblings would be happy to back me up. I knew Dania and Raven already loved Ambrosius like a member of our family, something we never took lightly, and Alaric may not admit to it, but he seemed to be on our side as well.
"Cool," I said at last, making Ambrosius's expresson twist in horrified confusion, "Then it won't be awkward if we don't invite him to the wedding." Ambrosius blushed.
"I really don't think this is a good idea," He muttered, averting his eyes and reaching up to brush the hair out of his face, "He's not just gonna punish me, you know. He could do something to you too." I smiled wickedly at that and took a step closer to him, making him back up into the door.
"Are you worried about me?" I teased, leaning down to brush my nose against his. He sucked his breath in sharply, squeezing his eyes shut before peeking them open, letting his breath out in a long sigh.
"So what? Doesn't mean we're going to... do anything." He muttered, studying me cautiously. I smirked. God, he was adorable. How could one person be this perfect?
"Not yet," I agreed with a nod, touching my forehead to his before stepping away and making him shift from foot to foot awkwardly, "But before you leave. I'm going to anything." Ambrosius grimaced.
"You are suicidal. Hades will gut you."
"Maybe, but at least I can die knowing we finally got intimate enough." I said with a shrug. Ambrosius rolled his eyes at that, then turned to open his bedroom door before pausing to look at me over his shoulder.
"That movie night thing... that Dania mentioned... What time was it?"
"Eight."
"I'm going to sleep until then. Wake me up when it's time." With that, Ambrosius shut the door and I was filled with a sudden warmth. I felt excited and happy at the same time. It was so odd. I couldn't remember the last time I felt this giddy. It felt almost like a teenager getting ready for a date, except my family was going to be there to make it awkward. I shook my head at that and went to my office to do some paperwork before preparing for the movie night. I let Remi spiral out of my ring and appear on my desk, leaning back on his hands.
"Sweet," Remi exclaimed, "A movie night I have to cook for. So much excite."
"You should've never made that first po'boy for Dania, then."
"Nah," Remi shrugged, looking away awkwardly, reaching up to brush a hand through his hair, "I don't mind. Gets me in touch with my hometown." I smiled at that, then sat down in my seat and opened my laptop to see a message blinking in the corner of my screen. I frowned and clicked on it to open the video message and I stunned to see a fae sitting in front of the camera.
"Holy crap," Remi managed, "I don't even like dudes, but that is one pretty dude." He was right. The fae was small and slender, probably barely six feet tall, with thick chestnut brown hair that fell around his shoulders, a lock of it braided down the side, and bangs that swept across a well-sculpted face. His eyes were the most captivating. A very pale shade of emerald, and the way they looked around in displacement meant he was blind.
"Hey," He spoke, his voice thick with a Celtic accent that confirmed my suspicions of who this fae was, "I don't know who you are, but I heard Cerberus pitching a hissy fit. Nobody makes my Rottweiler go into a bitch fit, but me, so I'm curious to know who you are. I actually had to have my son, Ayo, set this up because, and I'm guessing you're stupid since you pissed Cerberus off, I'm blind. Call me back, but on a different number. I left it in your inbox. At least, I fucking hope those were the number keys. I fucking hate computers. So fucking call me, asshole, or I'm gonna call you again." The video feed glitched out and shut off. I blinked a few times, stunned at the message.
"Did you just get cussed out by a faerie?" Remi asked, blinking slowly and turning to look at me.
"I think so. I thought they were supposed to... dainty."
"Yeah, and angels are supposed to be pure, but they have consorts anyway."
"True," I admitted with a shrug, then frowned and opened my inbox to find Blaine's phone number there, "This looks like a phone number. He probably just had his son do it... He has another son?"
"Yeah," Remi said, arching a brow, "Ambrosius told you that."
"Right," I said with a nod, then input the phone number into the Skype calling system, "Remi, lock the door and soundproof the room. I don't want Ambrosius to walk by and accidentally hear this." Remi nodded and waved his hand at the door, then made a few interesting hand signs before clenching his fist, opening it up and blowing an invisible sound barrier around the room. He gave me a thumbs up just as the phone picked up.
"Who the fuck is this and why are you fucking calling me at two in the fucking morning?" Blaine greeted me sternly. I arched a brow at that.
"My name is Thorn. I received your message earlier. I apologize for calling at this time. I forgot the time difference." I added, glancing sideways at Remi, who held his hands up in surrender before sitting back on the desk, cocking his head so he could listen in.
"Oh," Blaine paused, sounding uncomfortable, "One second," There was some rustling and crackling and I could faintly hear Cerberus in the background growling, "Oh shut up. I have to take a call... No.... I said no. Go back to sleep, Fido." More shuffling and the sound of a door closing.
"Okay," Blaine said at last, "Next time, consider the fucking time difference. Nothing is more suspicious than leaving in the middle of the night to take a phone call you can't tell him about. Now he's gonna bitch at me for days. You think I'm joking? He bitched at me for fucking weeks because I forgot he hated Burger King. Are you kidding me? What the fuck is the difference between McDonalds and Burger King? They both sell disgusting food."
"Okay." I said, mostly confused by his rant. Was everyone in the underworld insane? Then again, with a guy like Hades hovering around every corner, it didn't surprise me.
"Sorry," Blaine said honestly, "I'm a morning person. Kind of. Anyway, why did you call Cerberus? Who are you?"
"I'm Thorn, Lucifer's second eldest. I contact Cerberus because Hades is letting his son, Ambrosius, stay with me because of an agreement between Lucifer and Hades. And, there's something about Ambrosius that is very different from Hades. Actually, almost everything about him is very different." I explained, then paused. There was silence on the other end. I frowned, glancing at Remi in confusion and he shrugged. I looked back at the monitor.
"Blaine, are you still there?" I asked.
"You know my name." Blaine stated. I frowned.
"Because I know you're Ambrosius's other father." I informed. I was met with more silence. I could still hear what sounded like maybe a furnace or fan going on in the background, Blaine's breathing, and maybe even his heartbeat if that wasn't my own.
"You can't tell him," Blaine said at last, his voice hollow, "If you do, Hades is going to kill you. Unless you wanna die, then go ahead and tell the whole world. Ain't my problem."
"But Ambrosius has the right to know--"
"No, he doesn't. Ambrosius is a god. He's Hades's son. That's how he'll... raise him... and whatever." His attempt at trying to hide emotion was painful to hear. I could tell he didn't want to talk about it and was fighting the urge to hang up. I didn't mean to hurt him. I just wanted to confirm it, which I had officially done. Ambrosius was Blaine's son as well.
"Ambrosius is great," I said at last, unable to contain the praise, and wanting to make Blaine feel better, "He's incredibly intelligent and creative. He loves music and dancing... But Hades won't let him do any of it and I think it's frustrating him. He's scared Ambrosius into obeying him and I don't want to see that happen anymore. I need to do something to make Ambrosius not afraid of him."
"Don't be stupid," Blaine murmured, and I heard the phone creak like he was clenching his fist around it, "Don't kill him by trying to make him rebel against Hades... Hades is fucking Hades. He can and will do what he wants... even if it means killing his son and I can't have that happen. I just barely managed to escape him. I don't want him to come back."
"What're you talking about?" I asked, confused. There was another pause, and I heard footsteps, then another door close and a breeze rattle the receiver.
"I had to make a deal," Blaine said, his voice hard and venomous, "I gained my freedom from slavery and Cerberus by giving up my eyesight and letting Hades use me so he could spawn some stupid super heir. I was supposed to give Hades six more. Six more motherfucking kids. He was going to take them away from me, like he did with Ambrosius."
"I'm sorry."
"No, you don't even know the half of it. You won't ever fucking know what it's like to spend nine fucking month in total hell and the only thing keeping you from going fucking batshit crazy is this... this tiny thing... and then, when you finally get to meet him, he's taken away. I never even got to hold Ambrosius... and I never will. I don't want to either. I didn't want to go through that six more friggin' times... And don't tell Cerberus, or Ambrosius, or Hades."
"Tell them what?"
"I... You know how females can take a birth control that can prevent them from getting pregnant?"
"Yes."
"My species hates those products. They're preventing our fertility, which we cherish above all other traits. It's a gift. It's power. It's something no other species can do. Oh sure, all other females can give birth, but my species? Both our males and females have infants. Things like birth control and condoms and the after morning pill... They're blasphemy. They're poison." Blaine was talking faster and faster. I think he was upsetting himself, and now I understood why.
"You've been taking birth control so as not to get pregnant." I concluded.
"Fuck yes," Blaine spat angrily, "I'm not going to put up with Hades and his stupid agenda. His life isn't my motherfuckin' problem. So yeah, after Hades almost tore me to pieces a hundred times, he concluded I'd become infertile after Ambrosius. Oh, and don't think for one second he just walked away and gave up. No, he kept trying anyway and then he broke my legs, because he was so pissed he couldn't make anymore devil spawn. No offense, devil spawn."
"I'm used to it."
"Good. Because Hades will rip you to shreds if you try to change Ambrosius. Ambrosius is his last chance at whatever sick thing goes on in his mind. If you stand in his way, he'll run you down like bulldozers do to trees."
"Are you telling me to give up on Ambrosius? He's your son." I exclaimed, stunned at his words. I felt a dull ache of pain and sympathy for Ambrosius. His brothers didn't want to try to help, and now his real father wouldn't? Hades truly was the only person in the underworld that loved him.
"I did," Blaine choked suddenly, "Why can't you?" The line went dead and I cursed. I tried to call back, but the call never went through. I sighed, resting my elbows on my desk and rubbing at my face in frustration. Remi let out a long whistle, slumping over on his side on my desk and propping his head up on his elbow.
"Wow. I actually kinda feel sorry for your little prince, boss," Remi commented, "Hades may be a douchebag, but he's the only one who gives two shits about the kid. You know, aside from us."
"You?" I asked. Remi blushed.
"I ain't never said that."
"You don't need to."
"Don't turn this into a homo moment, boss. Let's just get back to the task at hand," Remi grimaced, then sat up, "Looks like nobody wants the kid. I don't think that really helps you on your quest to discovering him." I frowned.
"No, it just made me depressed," I admitted dryly, then sighed and rubbed my temples, "Well, it doesn't matter if they don't want him, because I do. I don't need their help. Come on, Remi."
"Where are we going?"
"To prepare for the best night of Ambrosius's life."