I woke up next to Lexington like I always did. My head was pounding. I avoided the thoughts of Tia that immediately washed over me. I huddled closer into Lexington's body. Save me from the sorrow that desired to drown me.
But something else moved against the back of me. I turned over to find Forrest.
I jumped up. He sat up as well, moving swiftly away from me. He tried to dismount the bed but ended up falling on top of Alcibiades, who got up too.
"What are you doing in my room?" I growled at them.
"What's going on?" Lexington shuffled around.
I shoved a pillow in his face. "Al, hide."
Alcibiades fumbled in his pocket for his ring. It didn't take him long to find it. Lexington tried to fight me off, but I held the black fabric firm until Al was hidden.
"What the fuck?" He seethed, throwing the pillow at my head.
"What are you doing here?" I directed back to the water fae, chucking the pillow at the two of them.
"Nothing!" Forrest defended as Al smacked it away. "We were looking out for the two of you."
"We didn't..." Lexington covered his face.
"No!" Forrest interjected. "I would never do anything like that."
"Yeah," I sat down. "I believe him. He's saving himself."
"Forrest made me sleep on the floor to avoid anything like that," Alcibiades crossed his arms. "I charmed you guys to sleep."
"I told you that you could only come if you didn't use your powers," I sighed.
"I'm not afraid of you," Al stepped up to the edge of the bed. "You and your boyfriend here were making asses out of yourselves. Crying and screaming in the bar last night. You're going to attack us for attempting to protect you. That's stupid."
Forrest managed to stay away from the rest of us, slipping into his disguise as well.
"He's right," Lex grabbed my hand. "Fuck, my head hurts. But he's right. They did help us out."
"Clearly, words weren't helping you. I recall telling both of you to stop drinking," Al glared.
"I remember dat clearly," Forrest raised his hand quietly. "I...I can't get drunk."
"You can't?" Alcibiades flushed.
"No!" Forrest shouted, trying to recover from sharing a secret. "And I would like no one else to hear about it!"
"I'm sorry," Alcibiades shrank to nothing.
"Well," Lexington got up. "I'm going to change. I think we should go downstairs and let this air out for a moment. Also, I'd like a hangover cure."
~*~
Alcibiades caught me before I could slip away. I wasn't sure what to do anymore. My head was all muddled. He had learned my damn secret. He knew I was a liar. But he was lying too. I could hear it.
"I'm sorry," he apologized again. "I was rude to you. Not just last night but a couple of times. I didn't know."
"It's okay," I pushed it away. "I was scared. I always have been."
"I like you," he grabbed my hands. "I don't regret doing any of these things because it only helped me to learn more about you."
I was frozen. He liked me too. He knew. He liked me. He knew who I was. I stood out to this little Blackwater Nymph. He liked me too.
"I think life is too short to hide things," Alcibiades stepped back. "I'm sorry if me being so forward makes you uncomfortable. It's just who I am."
I don't understand what made me so bold. He was right. Life was too short. Tia's death had taught me that much. I kissed Alcibiades of my own volition.
"I like you too," I said. "I was so scared, I didn't want to admit it, but you caught my attention as well."
His heart started thundering faster than I believed possible. His eyes were glowing. Clearly, he had no idea what else to do either.
"Keep an eye out for me in the Blackwater Grund," I let my hand linger on his cheek for a second too long. "I want to meet you again, Alcibiades."
It seemed to break the spell. As I walked away, he shouted, "I'll meet you again too, Forrest Eden!"
I couldn't help my flushed face the entire way back to my room to change.
~*~
With a hangover cure clearing my head, I left Lexington at the table with our teammates. I approached Lala Deinenocten, my first disciple, who had clearly just gotten back from a mission of her own. I had something I needed to do, but I required her power to do so.
"I need your help," I stated, trying to be as strong as I could.
Lala turned her head dramatically in my direction. "I'm sorry, what?"
"I am not the most comfortable with this-"
"What do you need?" She huffed.
"As my...disciple," I whispered so only she could hear. "I need your help retrieving a lost soul."
"Your dead friend?" She raised a brow.
"Yes," I grumbled.
"I mean fine," she stood. "It's not like I have anything better to do."
"I'm coming too."
I turned to find Lexington with his arms crossed.
"No," I insisted. "It's stupid and dangerous. You'll see things you wished you hadn't."
"I care about Tia as much as you do," he argued. "I know what you are. Please. I won't be in the way."
"He's stubborn," Lala smiled. "It's cute."
"I..." I looked around. "Fine. I guess this time, it's okay. But you're going to see the vilest part of my job."
"It was either now or sometime in the future," Lexington crossed his arms. "I'm not scared. I'm here for the long haul."
"Come with me," I stepped outside.
At the very least, I was thankful that most fae were spending the day inside today with their hangovers and sensitivity to light. It made everything much easier for me. I found a large enough spot in the garden.
"No, wait," Lala grabbed my arm far too hard. "I have a message for you."
"What is it?" I tried to see into her thoughts. I caught glimpses of images. Black bird wings with stars across them. A man with black eyes. Words carved into a tree.
"Don't follow the snake," she started to breathe heavier.
I sighed. "I'm taking you to the realm of the gods. Not only for the fast travel but so I can figure out what the fuck you're trying to say to me."
The earth ripped open beneath us.
I hadn't expected to fall into Mother Gaia's dining room, flat onto the table. Luckily no one was sitting where we had fallen. We had startled the tea sets of Mother Gaia, Lilith, Titania, Argus, Ezra, and my parents.
"We had been expecting you, Hand of Guidance," Mother Gaia stood. "However, I was not expecting mortals."
"Don't tease him, mother," Titania grinned. "You expect all. You didn't tell us."
"They're my disciples," I pulled the two pixies behind me.
"Welcome to my realm," she greeted them. "Lala Gretl Deinenocten, the girl who is only half-dead, and Lexington Alistar Breece, the boy who is to be one of us."
Lala immediately bowed without a word, forcing Lexington down with her. Lexington straightened quickly, keeping an eye on all the gods.
"What brings you down here?" My mom quickly approached us, hugging Lexington and me tightly.
"I was going to visit the resting place of my teammate," I avoided my father's gaze. "I then got a message I need Ezra to decrypt if he's okay with that."
"No, wait-" Argus started to protest.
Ezra was already out of his chair. As he walked, his eyes changed colors. They glowed the brilliant blue and green of the Newartic moons. Lex held tightly to my hand. Ezra touched my chin first with a small grin tracing his lips.
"I'm always ready for whatever you need," he moved to Lex first. "You are going to be the best of us one day. You are to bring the gods back to the fae when they need them most," golden streams opened, showing us what he spoke of. Lexington with brilliant blue and green wings. Interacting with pixies of all sorts. Raising ceremonies for more gods than I knew. "As for Lala Deinenocten-"
His touch was cut short by what sprouted from Lala's golden stream. The god from Lala's vision caused Lilith to throw her chair back as she stood. Ezra stepped back from it too. Mother Gaia cleared her throat.
"Stay away from the snake," Ezra's hands were shaking.
The stream changed quickly, flying through until it went black. Lala's whole life played too fast. I became immediately concerned.
"Is someone else to ascend?" I asked.
"It can't be!" Lilith shouted. "There's no way! It's impossible! He...he died!"
"Mother," my mom flocked to her side.
"Mother Gaia," Titania set down her cup. "Don't tell me."
"I haven't seen him in years," my father strolled over. He touched the golden stream, the image flying back to the god. "He hides very well."
"He doesn't have much of a choice," Xena stepped into the room.
"Enough, all of you," Mother Gaia raised her hand. "This is not for us to concern ourselves with at the moment."
"What is it?" I insisted. "It was a message intended for me."
"That's my son!" Lilith screeched.
"No mistaking it," my father touched Ezra's hand gently. He jumped but relaxed, coming back to reality. "That's Dorimir, the God of Death."
"But I thought that was you," I narrowed my eyes.
"Don't confuse them," Mother Gaia intruded. "Your father is my Final Resting Place, the god of the Dead. Dori, on the other hand, is the Eternal Sleep, the god of Death."
"I'm not sure what that means," I stated.
"Dad takes care of where fae rest," Lex filled in the gaps. "Dorimir is the one who takes them to rest."
Ezra started to laugh. My father stood between him and us, ready to shield those of us who were living from whatever he could do.
"Don't you get it?" Ezra giggled, running his hands through his hair. "When Serberous went to die, he emptied his stomach somewhere. Those gods he raised, his children, and whatever monsters he still ruled are going to come after us next! His death was his own ruse!"
"I hate my dastardly brother," Titania still hadn't moved.
"Well," Xena sat on the edge of the table. "I had already fought one before, Tentradora, the second eldest of Lilith's and Serberous' children. Dora killed me. We're going to need to be stronger if we're to do something about them."
"Well, I argue that they have lost their power source," my father argued. "They probably aren't as strong as they used to be."
"How many?" Argus grabbed Ezra.
Ezra laughed in his face. "There's one for each of us! He spared no lives."
"Ezra," I pushed Argus out of the way. "Answer me one thing. Will we win?"
"Of course," Ezra shrugged as if it was so matter-of-fact. "It will test each one of us to the core, but we will persevere in the end."
"Gods are never dead for long," Xena grinned.
"Come back to me," I tried, pressing my forehead against Ezra's.
Ezra's teal eyes met me. "Arn? What are you doing here?"
"Merely passing through, old friend," I grinned.
Argus was relieved, guiding him to sit back down. My father beamed like he was proud of me. The other gods seemed to settle, sitting back in their seats. Xena also felt the need to behave, dragging a chair next to Titania.
"We shall discuss this like rational adults," Mother Gaia instructed. "Arn, please continue on your way. Worry not about the task ahead or this omen. It will come in due time."
"I will see you at another time then," I took both of my companions. "Let's go."
"I'll take good care of her," my father called after me.
"That's all I could ask," I nodded.
We moved forward into the dark underground of a mansion my parents had once graced-the final resting place of Tia Roscoe.