Chapter Twenty
Training was harsh and exhausting.
Thankfully, no fights broke out. There were a few disagreements and dirty looks, but everyone seemed a bit too afraid to piss Ambrosius off again, so they were mostly well-behaved.
We finished the training session by mid-afternoon and Raven came to inform me that they had finished the barracks. It was an impressive building that stretched two stories high and covered a good amount of ground. We moved all the soldiers there, spreading them out between the bunk beds Raven had ordered for each individual room. There was a large main office there where Kasey and Constantine were posted near cameras that ensured there were no fights, but I did require that each room have one Greek and one Christian. While their fighting was driving me insane, they had to learn to put up with one another and what better way than to share a room?
I could already see my plans falling apart. It made me shudder as I sat in my tent at my desk, filing reports and transporting souls while I ate my dinner. Remi had been kind enough to whip up something special for the rest of us, while the soldiers were fed the necessary food to improve their health and strength.
"Not bad today," Remi commented as he sat on the edge of my desk, eating a bowl of fried rice and strips of fish, "You might actually be able to save Purgatory. Congrats." I nodded my head, then sat back in my chair, taking a drink of water before setting it back down.
"Yeah, I just hope they're ready by tomorrow to take their posts. We can't put off this extermination any longer. I have no idea how many souls are being forced to stay behind because of the wraiths' torture." I muttered grimly, raking a hand through my hair. Remi shrugged, licking his spoon, then sticking it to his nose, holding his arms out as if to say "ta-da"! I smirked, before someone threw open my tent and I scowled, turning to see Anita come in breathlessly.
"My lord, we have a problem." She managed. I shot to my feet and Remi sighed, dropping his spoon on my desk and following me out of the tent. The soldiers seemed to mostly be doing their own thing, except a small group that was in a corner, surrounding something. I cursed under my breath and had Anita lead me over. Ambrosius and Xenon met up with us half-way and we approached to see that the soldiers had gotten a hold of Castiel, who was curled up into a tight ball, his arms clasped around his head. Not that it was doing much to protect him. Castiel was bleeding profusely from a vampire bite on his throat, his lip was busted open again, his left eye was completely swollen shut, blood oozed from one of his ears, and his right wrist was more than likely broken judging from the awkward angle.
"What the hell is this?" I demanded. The soldiers whirled around to glare at us.
"He's a wraith!" One soldier snarled, flashing his fangs as the vampire that had bitten him.
"He's annoying." Another one deadpanned. The others just nodded in agreement. Ambrosius frowned at me and I returned it. The reason we kept Castiel inside was so he would be safe from the soldiers. They would find out he was a wraith and, because soldiers tended to be on constant kill mode to anyone who got in their way, well... Poor Castiel. He was still curled up, but was now choking blood up on the grass, indicating there was an internal injury.
"Jesus Christ," Remi snapped at them impatiently and shoved past a couple of them to go to Castiel, "His soul may be wraith, but his body's mortal, you assholes. This is why I hate soldiers. They're just a bunch of blind sheep. Couillon!" The vampire snarled at him and reached for him, but I moved fast and caught him by the throat, slinging his face into the dirt, my eyes narrowed on him.
"Touch him and you die." I stated, then turned to look at Remi as he helped Castiel onto his knees. Castiel managed a bloody smile.
"Cool. You're not kicking me." He managed, then slumped forward on Remi as he passed out. Remi looked uncomfortable, but took a deep breath and swung Castiel up into his arms and turned to face me.
"Take him inside," I told him, "Make sure someone treats him for his wounds." Remi nodded and departed, the soldiers glaring after him before turning on me.
"He's a wraith!"
"Aren't we supposed to kill them?!"
"How is he solid?!"
"What's going on?!"
"Shut up," Ambrosius barked at them, making them shrink back at his glare that was only intensified by the ways his eyes literally glowed in the shadows provided by the house, "Our decisions are our decisions. You're soldiers. You do what we say and if we say isn't none of your business, it's none of your fucking business." One of the soldiers twitched and stepped forward angrily.
"I've had just about enough of your attitude, boy," He sneered, raking Ambrosius with a less than impressed glare, "If anything, you're lower than us. The only reason you took Alexis down so easily is because he wasn't expecting a Chihuahua like you to have bite in 'im. You got lucky. In a real, fair fight, you'd be on your knees where you belong." Ambrosius's eyes burned hatefully and he lunged for the soldier's throat, but Xenon and I stepped in to hold him back.
"Fine," Ambrosius spat at the soldier, "Then a fair fight you will get. Come to the field in an hour. No weapons, no magic." The soldier snorted, putting his hands on his hips and looking at Ambrosius, amused.
"Really? This is gonna be pathetic. I might have to go easy on you to prevent further embarrassment." He mocked, then brushed past us and the other soldiers scurried after him. Ambrosius watched him go, then shoved Xenon and I off his arms and glared at us.
"Next time either of you stop me, you're getting a mouthful of dirt." He snapped, then pushed past us quite rudely as he went to his tent. I sighed, running a hand through my hair before looking at Xenon and Anita, who were frowning after Ambrosius.
"So much for a nice morning." I muttered. Xenon cut me a glare.
"Speaking of which, you can't go into his tent anymore."
"My property, my rules."
"My client, my rules."
"It appears we've reached an impasse." I stated. Xenon narrowed his eyes behind his sunglasses, then walked away with long strides, like he couldn't wait to leave me in the dust. I watched him go, then turned to Anita.
"Could you check on Castiel and Remi for me? I have to speak to Ambrosius." I said. She nodded, murmured a "good luck" under her breath, then went into the house. I took a deep breath, calmed my nerves, then walked through the crowd of soldiers, who were already whispering and gossiping about Ambrosius's challenger. Apparently, the soldier's name was Bacus and had already fought in three wars. He was Hades's favorite because he could bulldoze through crowds of soldiers without any weaponry. His fists were like iron when they struck you, and that worried me even further. I didn't doubt Ambrosius's skill, but I also didn't doubt that Bacus would be able to get in a few damaging blows. I didn't want to see Ambrosius beaten and bloody. It made my stomach churn.
I finally made it to Ambrosius's tent. I sent my powers out in search of Xenon, but he wasn't inside the tent, thankfully. It seemed he was already in the field, waiting with another lecture no doubt. I pushed the flap of Ambrosius's tent side and saw him standing at what was left of his desk. Now completely splintered in half, papers and books and scrolls scattered everywhere. I frowned.
"Ambrosius?" I asked. He shot me an annoyed glare.
"What'd you want?"
"I wanted to check on you." I answered. Ambrosius hesitated at that, then looked away with a scowl. I came inside the tent, closing the flap and approaching Ambrosius. The tension that pulled his muscles taut and made his breathing ragged told me he didn't want to be touched, so I respected his space and just set about picking up all the papers and scrolls he'd throw everywhere, placing them in a neat pile on a nearby end table.
"This is stupid," Ambrosius said at last, making me frown and look up to see the tension had gone from him, "I shouldn't have done that." I set everything down and drifted over to him. I touched his arm and he flinched away, sending a small stab of pain through my chest, but I swallowed it down as Ambrosius moved away from me. For a second, I didn't understand what he was talking about, but then I began to see it.
It was the same thick air of self-loathing he'd carried with him the first day we met. He coated him like a shield that prevented any sort of confidence. He was shrinking back into himself.
"Ambrosius," I said gently, "It's all right. You'll do fine. You defended yourself against Alexis. How is Bacus any different?" Ambrosius shook his head, squeezing his eyes shut and hugging himself.
"Bacus is strong. I've already seen him fight before, besides, it's not the fight I'm worried about anyway," He said past clenched teeth, "It doesn't matter how many of the soldiers I try to intimidate, they won't listen to me. Hades does it all the time. Gods, he's killed soldiers for just looking at him the wrong way and that's why they listen to him. But I can't bring myself to kill one of them. I can't..." I wanted to hold him. He looked so tiny again, so fragile. Even now, after he tried to make things better, he still hated himself for not being like Hades and it made my heart ache.
"Ambrosius, stop trying to be like Hades. Try solving this problem your way." I tried, but Ambrosius laughed bitterly, looking at me with pained blue eyes.
"Oh yeah, sure, I'll just dance and hope he listens to me."
"Ambrosius--"
"Just stop," Ambrosius pleaded, covering his ears and turning his back to me, "I'm so tired of this. I tried to be Hades and I tried to be me, but I can't be either or both. I just... I just want to go home and have everything go back to normal."
"Do you?" I demanded. Ambrosius clenched his hands over his ears, then dropped his arms to his sides and sank down on his bed in silence. I didn't know what to say now. I knew he didn't want to go back, but he was scared of change too. And he was trying. It just broke my heart that nothing was working out for him. He was lost and he was trapped at the same time. I sighed and gave up trying to respect his space. Instead, I walked over to him and laid down beside him on the bed. Much to my relief, he didn't leave or hit me. He just laid there, his back side against my front. I slipped an arm around his waist and held him against me, propping my head up with my elbow so I could lean forward and kiss his head.
"It's all right, Ambrosius," I murmured softly, "I know it's frustrating now. Nothing's going the way you hoped it would and everything looks a little bleak, but it won't stay like this. I swear it. I won't let anyone hurt you. I promised. Pinkie promised." To make my point, I took Ambrosius's pinkie and linked it with mine. He stared at it, then tilted his head back to look up at me, his eyes sad.
"And if Hades kills you?"
"He won't."
"You can't promise that."
"No, I can't," I admitted, watching Ambrosius practically deflate, but I shook my head and kissed at his temple, "But I can do my best. I will do what I can to make you happy. Just stick it out these next couple weeks. When Hades comes to get you, everything will be okay. We'll talk it out."
"Hades doesn't talk. He yells and shouts and makes really bad jokes."
"Then we'll get along just fine."
"Yeah, like water and oil." Ambrosius muttered, lowering his eyes. I smiled, placing a finger under his chin and tilting his head back again so I could kiss him. His eyes flickered for a moment as our lips touched before falling shut. He parted his lips against mine and I savored the warm wet sensation of his tongue. I ran my hand down his throat and across his chest, rubbing my palm against his nipple and listening to him moan deeply. I moved my lips along his jaw and to his ear, nibbling on his earlobe. He purred and reached back to cup my head, fingers threading into my hair.
"You'll be fine," I told him gently in his ear, "Go kick the shit out of that bigmouthed brat." Ambrosius smiled lightly at that and met my eyes.
"How do you do that?"
"Do what?"
"Just... Everything you say makes me feel like it really will be okay."
"I'm just that awesome." I replied. Ambrosius laughed and kissed me again. I kissed him back. We only cuddled for a little longer, though, because it was time for Ambrosius to go. I went with him as we left the tent and went out to the field. Unfortunately, a heavy crowd had made its way to the field, all eager to watch. And judging from their sneers of contempt and lecherous smirks, they were expecting Bacus to kick the crap out of Ambrosius. Ambrosius made his way through the crowd and got to the empty center where Bacus was waiting, stretching out before he smirked when he saw Ambrosius.
"About time, princess. Needed a good luck fuck before you came?" He asked, glancing behind him at me. I narrowed my eyes at him, tempted to just rip his head off on my own, but Ambrosius just snorted.
"At least I can get laid. What about you?" He returned. Bacus curled his lip at that. I stepped back to make some room for them, coming to stand between Raven and Dania, with Alexis on Dania's other side. I shot Dania a look and she just scoffed, folding her arms over her chest. One of the soldiers had volunteered to referee and stood off to the side, holding his hand up. Bacus turned to face Ambrosius, holding his fists up at the ready. Ambrosius just stood there, arms at his sides, expression blank.
"You don't think that guy will actually hurt Ambrosius, do you?" Raven asked, sounding uneasy.
"I'll castrate him with a rubberband and spoon." Dania threatened past clenched teeth. Raven, Alexis, and I all cringed at the unneeded imagery before the referee dropped his hand and the fight began. Bacus wasted no time and lunged for Ambrosius, who dodged to the side. Bacus scowled and whirled around, aiming to punch at his head. Ambrosius moved his head to the side to avoid it and circled his forearm around, catching Bacus by the wrist, then drove his other fist into Bacus's ribcage. Bacus grunted and went to kick him, but Ambrosius spun out of the way and my eyes widened slightly.
"Hey," Dania said, her voice a whisper now, "Wasn't that one of the dance moves he showed us at the movie night?" Raven and I just nodded, speechless. Bacus seemed momentarily confused, then snarled and went for him again. Ambrosius spun around in another graceful twirl, then caught Bacus by his back and drove his knee into the larger man's solar plexus. Bacus groaned and stumbled, which Ambrosius took advantage of and swung his legs at the back of Bacus's knees, bringing him down to the ground.
"I'm sorry," Ambrosius said, stepping back to give him space, "Who's supposed to be on his knees again?" Dania whooped and punched the air with her fist and Raven grinned. Even a few of the Sins, who'd attended the fight, were laughing and clapping. Some soldiers just looked around a bit uneasily and others looked absolutely miffed at the turn of events.
Bacus snarled and went for Ambrosius's legs, though. Ambrosius clenched his teeth as Bacus threw his full weight into him and sent him slapping into the ground. Raven and I winced at the impact. It had to feel like being struck by a wrecking ball. Bacus pinned Ambrosius down and swung his fist back to punch him, but Ambrosius flattened his hands and drove them down into his hip bones. Bacus cursed foully and fell over, rolling off Ambrosius, who flipped onto his feet. Bacus struggled to his feet, but Ambrosius didn't give him time to recover. He did a sharp spin-kick and caught Bacus in the face, making him stumble back into a couple soldiers, who shoved him back into the ring. Bacus bared a pair of fangs and lunged for Ambrosius again, but Ambrosius twirled out of the way, then swung his foot up with his toes straight in the air, kicking Bacus right in the nose, followed by a crack as it broke. Ambrosius stepped back as Bacus cupped his bloody nose, cursing angrily.
But it was amazing to watch Ambrosius fight. This was much different than his take down of Alexis or the few times he'd attempted to strike me. Ambrosius wasn't fighting like a soldier. He was fighting like... well, Ambrosius. It was an intricate pattern of combined martial arts and dance moves.
Bacus went for Ambrosius again just as Ambrosius stepped back from him. Ambrosius cursed and went to move to the left, but Bacus followed him and landed a solid punch in his stomach, making everyone cringe. Ambrosius doubled over, but instead of staying there and groaning in pain, he rolled out of the way of Bacus's attempt to knee him in the face. Ambrosius rose back to his feet, using the same toe kick to catch Bacus in the jaw. A sickening crack indicated his jaw was busted.
Bacus roared in pain, then charged for Ambrosius, who was just getting his balance back when Bacus slammed into him. Ambrosius fell flat on his back again, gasping in pain as his head struck the ground.
It took everything I had not to run in there and rescue him. If I did that, he'd never forgive me. I had to have faith in him, I reminded myself as I watched, curling my fingers into fists, nails biting into my palms.
Bacus didn't waste a moment and swung his foot into Ambrosius's ribs. Ambrosius arched his back in pain, rolling over onto his side, breathing hard. Bacus went to kick him in the back, but Ambrosius rolled-- not away, but towards Bacus, making the larger man stumble in surprise. Ambrosius surprised me when he bit into Bacus's ankle, his fangs sinking into the larger man's flesh, right through the thin material of his pants. Bacus howled and went to kick Ambrosius in the face, but Ambrosius was already rolling out of the way and at Bacus's back. Ambrosius clenched one hand over his fist, brought his hands up, then slammed them down hard against Bacus's back.
Bacus fell to his knees before Ambrosius brought his arms out, then slammed his fists into either side of Bacus's head. Bacus fell face first onto the ground and didn't move. Ambrosius lowered his arms to his sides, breathing hard as he looked down at Bacus, waiting for him to move, but the larger man was still, unconscious. Satisfied, Ambrosius wiped the back of his hand across his mouth, then dropped his arms again and looked up to face a stunned crowd.
"All righty," Ambrosius said aloud, "Someone take him to the barracks and get him some medical treatment. When you're done, we're meeting here so you can be put into groups of four. These groups are the squads you will be sent out in and you will be numbered. After that, you guys can go to bed. Tomorrow, you and your squad will be given a position and your job to defend innocent souls begins. Any questions?" No one spoke. Everyone just stared at him. Ambrosius nodded, then turned and came over to me.
"That was fun." He stated. Dania laughed and threw her arms around his neck, making him grunt, but he put his arms around her to keep her from dragging him to the ground, so instead, he was lifting her off her feet.
"Yeahhh! This is my brother-in-law! You know what? Fuck the in-law! You're my brother! You're fucking great, Ambrosius! You kicked fuckin' ass out there!" She shouted, hugging and kissing all over him. I smiled at that. Ambrosius looked absolutely thrilled with the praise. He smiled and hugged Dania tightly before setting her down on her feet. Raven stepped forward and patted his shoulder grinning.
"Nice moves, man. You were like a blur of motion. You ought to start your own style." He said. Ambrosius inclined his head at the compliment. Xenon and Anita came over next, congratulating him; although, if anything, Xenon looked relieved that Ambrosius had made it. A few soldiers came over and took Bacus away to the barracks. The rest departed.
"You did wonderfully," I told Ambrosius, making him smile, and I glanced around to make sure it was just this small group here before I kissed him on the mouth and he flushed right up to the tips of his ears, "I'd enjoy a lesson." Xenon grimaced.
"Or not." He said past clenched teeth.
"Be quiet," Ambrosius chided him, then turned to give me a secret smile, "I'd be happy to show you a few moves." Dania giggled delightedly at that and Raven just covered his face. Alexis already knew about our relationship, and while I didn't like him, he seemed to keep our relationship a secret. I had a feeling it was only for Dania's sake, though... God, I couldn't get over that. I probably never would.
"I better go check on those idiots to make sure they don't cry themselves to sleep at night." Raven sighed reluctantly, looking over at the barracks wistfully. Dania grinned.
"Take Dev with you. He's bored out of his mind." She said, then wiggled her eyebrows suggestively. I glared at her for such a preposterious suggestion, but thankfully, Raven looked less than thrilled by the idea.
"Ah, no, thanks. He does weird things when he's bored." He added under his breath. Dania and I stared at him.
"Weird things?" Ambrosius asked. Raven nodded.
"He hangs all over me and makes stupid jokes about getting married. It's weird. I wish he'd pick up a hobby. Like jumping off buildings." He snorted, then gave us a wave before leaving us. I watched him go, then scowled, folding my arms over my chest.
"Remind me to have a talk with Dev." I said to no one in particular. Dania rolled her eyes and patted me on the shoulder.
"Save it, bro. We're not little kids anymore. We're all grown up, and if you can have a boyfriend, so can we." She said. Alexis actually blushed at that. I glared at him and he suddenly found his shoes interesting. Dania whacked me in the arm for it, then went to Alexis.
"Come on, Lexi. We're gonna go watch movies."
"I told you not to call me that."
"I can call you whatever I want. I can also give you a recipe if you don't shut up and follow me." Dania added. Alexis said nothing and obediently followed her. Xenon tsked, shaking his head and folding his arms over his chest.
"She's got him whipped." He stated. Anita nodded solemnly, looking surprised sympathetic for the soldier. I frowned at them. I was more worried about Dania, and I couldn't help it. I knew she was a strong young woman who could take care of herself, but she was still my little sister. I couldn't help wanting to protect her from every evil thing that went bump in the night.
"Well," Xenon said, turning to Ambrosius, "Before we begin that meeting of yours with the troops, you might want to file another report to your father and reply to your mother." Ambrosius looked reluctant, but finally nodded and gave me a quick kiss on the cheek, a pat on the shoulder, then left me. I watched him go, relieved that he was feeling better, before I snapped my head to glare at Xenon.
"Stop pretending to send him messages from Persephone."
"No," Xenon answered flatly, "They're orders."
"Orders? Hades ordered you to send messages to Ambrosius pretending to be Persephone?"
"Yes."
"Why?"
"That's confidential, and you're already getting too deep into our business. See ya." Xenon gave me a sarcastic salute, then left Anita and I alone on the field. I glared after Xenon, irritated.
"I don't like him." I stated past clenched teeth. Anita looked at me with a light shrug.
"I don't think he's actually doing all this because Hades told him to."
"What're you talking about?"
"Xenon has known Ambrosius since he was very small, he told me. He is Ambrosius's bodyguard. He is only reacting to you the way you are reacting to Alexis and Dania." Anita answered. I frowned at that.
"But I wouldn't hurt Ambrosius."
"Maybe Alexis feels the same way." Anita offered. I frowned further, watching as Anita walked off to go check on the soldiers at the barracks. I wanted to disagree with her and be annoyed at her observance, but she was right and there was no arguing around it. I sighed wearily at that before heading over to my tent. I went to my laptop and pulled it open, frowning when I saw an email blinking in the corner of the browser window. I clicked it and my email opened to reveal, much to my surprise, an email from my father. It was a video email. I clicked it and the screen flickered before the video feed came on to reveal my father sitting in front of the computer, looking a little annoyed for a moment before his expression melted into concern.
"Thorn. I apologize for how long this took me to send you, but we're in a bit of trouble. Hades had several spies hiding in my palace and it took a while to scope them out and destroy them before they could alert him that I knew what he was doing. I'm afraid things have taken a turn for the worst," He paused, looking around and frowning at something before looking back at the screen, "Hades is starting war, Thorn. He plotted the entire thing for Purgatory. It was the first place on his list to destroy. He's moving through different realms and bringing them down. He's already caused chaos in Helheim. Hel has been struggling to gain control over the realm, but it's already in disarray. I messaged her to express my concerns and we discussed it. Hades came to us to make deals before each realm began to crumble. He's moving onto our realm, Thorn. Once he disposes of Purgatory, he's going to destroy Hell. He's going to destroy all of the afterlives and make his the only available. Even worse, he's using Ambrosius to do it. I'm not sure if Ambrosius even knows this or not, but, Thorn, don't let Hades destroy Purgatory. If we don't have Purgatory to seperate the dark from the light, we could accidentally send the wrong souls to the wrong destinations and taint both realms. Once you've gotten rid of the wraiths, you have to get rid of the spy Hades sent into Purgatory."
I was stunned into silence, my eyes widening slightly at the news. Lucifer looked back at the screen with a grim frown.
"And I know how perspective you are, son. You'll probably consider passing this off as some sort of hoax, but, Thorn. I told you something a long time ago. Do you remember what that was? The time that you hid in the closet?" He asked. I blinked.
"I will never harm you, Thorn. You are my precious child." I spoke at the same time Lucifer did on the video, and as if he knew I would do it, he smiled.
"Good luck, Thorn. I will come as soon as I am sure it is safe for me to make any unnecessary moves. Be wary, Thorn. There is a danger in Purgatory. And it's not the wraiths."