I stretched under the covers of my bed, relishing in the feeling of soft cotton sheets. I yawned and opened my eyes blearily to a dark room lit by soft candles. My entire body was in a blissful state of calm, like I'd just had the best sleep in my entire life. For a few moments I just lay there, a small smile on my face as I felt energy and happiness thrum through me.
At the sound of footsteps on floorboard, my heart skipped a beat and I sat up straight, trying to clear my head. I stayed silent and strained to listen. Slowly, the sound of footsteps grew louder and louder, and then seemed to fade away.
Someone else was in the apartment.
I looked around my room for a weapon, but there was nothing that would do enough damage. Then I noticed my lingerie-clad body with horror, having no recollection of undressing or even making it back to the apartment. My clothes were freshly washed and dried, hanging over a chair.
I searched back through my memories. The last thing I could remember was Jackal, sitting atop a horse, and a woman, emerging from a plume of smoke with an army of people behind her. Cleo.
My eyes adjusted to the dim lighting and I stilled when I saw a cascade of dried blood on my hand. But other than my initial horror, it didn't look like my hand had been injured at all. The memory of a sharp knife embedding in my back burned a hole in my mind and I softly touched the skin at the memory, feeling more dried blood but no open wound.
I must've healed in my sleep.
As if on autopilot, I leaned over to grab my clothes and got dressed, fully intending on taking a shower. But first thing's first: I needed to find Alek. If memory served me correctly, the Crown Guard could be in the city at any moment and we needed to get out as soon as possible.
I fumbled with the door and stood in the archway to the kitchen, taking a moment's respite and leaning against the frame. I also took the time to spy on Cleo standing with their back of me, stirring something in a dish. She hadn't looked at me yet, but I had a feeling she knew I was here. I narrowed my eyes in on her while she wasn't looking, my gut instinctively not liking her despite her giving me no reason to.
Jealousy? Perhaps.
She was stunning. And Jackal had made no attempt to hide the fact there was something between Alek and her. She'd freshened up in the time I'd been asleep, donning a freshly washed white shirt, jeans and pair of small heeled stilettos. Her hair was different, too. In the Aplista's prison, she'd had an uneven cut below her shoulders. Now, her shiny hair was cut in a sharp angle above her shoulder, giving her an aura of confidence.
"Alek's not here," she stated loudly, turning to look at me. She smiled, but it was the kind of smile a woman gives another when they're seizing them up. It made me feel better for instantly disliking her.
I crossed my arms. "What about Jackal?"
"Out trying to convince our dear father that the explosion had nothing to do with you. Or Alek."
I nodded, despite my stomach sinking at the knowledge of being left alone with someone who clearly held a similar apprehension of me, too.
"I'm Serena," I introduced, as Cleo threw more ingredients into the pan and the oil sizzled.
The corners of her lips tugged up. "I know, Jackal filled me in on the details on the way back. I'm Cleo."
"I know," I responded simply, unable to resist the dig.
Cleo turned her back on me, continuing to stir the dish. "I'm making dinner. You can have some after your shower, if you want. I'm making some for Alek, too."
Of course, you are.
"Thanks," I said, with fake enthusiasm, leaning against the counter for support. "So, how did Jackal know where we were, and what happened after we escaped?"
She turned around long enough to raise one of her eyebrows. "You mean after you passed out?"
I felt myself start to blush and I fiddled with the bottom of my top.
"Jackal contacted our father to get Greed City's guard behind him, and also borrowed some of his expensive weaponry" – a proud smile shone on her face as she talked about her brother, which almost made me feel bad for disliking her – "After we let the other prisoners loose, our father's guard took the remaining Aplista members in for interrogation. I'm not sure if you've been told, but the Aplista isn't a part of Greed City's government. They've evaded my father's rule for a long time, and this was an opportunity to get as much information as possible."
I nodded, showing my understanding. "If Jackal filled you in on everything... did he...?"
"Tell me you're from Earth and that Hades is looking for you?" She smirked. "Of course he did."
Fan-freaking-tastic.
"Alek and Jackal managed to sneak you away before the guard could realise who you were. As far as they were concerned, you were out of bounds. Either that, or they were too distracted by controlling their explosion. Alek made good work at hiding you from their sight."
I nodded, well aware of how much I owed Alek. "Will the other prisoners be alright?"
"Oh yeah they'll be fine. The worst thing they'll get is a pat on the back. It's the Aplista governor that's really going to get it."
"The man with the scarred face? He was still alive?" I couldn't hide my surprise, he'd been motionless the last time I saw him.
She nodded. "Oh yeah. Alek and the guard went back in there to catch the remaining culprits and captured him. I wouldn't count on him being alive for much longer, though."
The way she said that with such confidence and unforgiveness sent a chill through me. She raised her, as if sensing my intimidation. I jerked a hand in the direction of the bathroom, using the opportunity to escape.
"I'm just...going to go use the shower," I blurted, spinning on my heels and feeling her eyes follow me out of the room. I locked the bathroom door behind me and leaned my back against it, exhaling loudly at being away from her prying gaze.
~~~~
When I emerged from the bathroom, Cleo was still in the kitchen. I tried to avoid her for as long as possible by staying in my room, but I was too anxious for Alek to come back to the hotel and I found myself pacing up and down the corridor instead. Finally, I planted myself in the lounge chair as Cleo finished up eating her dinner. She'd laid out two more plates of food, for Alek and myself.
"Thank you," I said, putting away whatever differences we had. No matter how I felt about her, she'd cooked extra food without needing to.
"Don't sweat it," she said, seeming to take my thank you as an invitation and sitting down on the couch beside me. I got the urge to shift in my seat, very aware of her eyes burning into me.
"So, what's your plan?" she asked in a straightforward tone.
I bit my lip, thinking. "Plan?"
"Yeah, you know...are you going to stay in Greed City?"
I had a feeling that what she really wanted to ask, was 'how long until you leave'?
I shook my head. "Alek is helping me get to the North Gate. As soon as he gets back I imagine we'll leave the city."
"Really? He's helping you get to the North Gate?" she asked, unbelieving.
I nodded slowly. "That's what he said. Why do you seem so surprised?"
She shrugged, seeming to enjoy the information she held over my head. "I just always assumed the North Gate was a fairy tale that parents told their children in the Underworld. After all, I'm not sure if anyone has lived to tell the tale of whether it really exists or not." She hesitated, a small smile creeping onto her lips. "Anyway, I'd hate for you to get there only to discover your hope was based on false pretences..."
I sat up straighter, clearing my throat. "I'm willing to take the chance. Alek has provided me with the opportunity and so I may as well take it. My life is back on Earth. Not here."
"Yes..." she lingered, "and how selfless of Alek to risk his life for yours. It's quite unusual in the Underworld. Normally it's every man for themself," she finished slowly with a hint of derision, monitoring my reaction.
I shrugged, uncomfortable. A dark cloud loomed over my head. The way Cleo spoke, as though she knew something that I didn't, shrouded me in self-doubt. I tried to shake myself out of it, but her words stuck to me like glue.
"I bet Alek has all but handed you his favourite sword by now," she finished languidly, eyes sparkling.
I hesitated. "Actually, he doesn't want me to fight."
She laughed lightly. "Well, that doesn't surprise me. Not after what happened to his sister."
I froze, her words landing like a sword scraping bone. Sister? Surely this was some kind of joke.
I was half expecting Cleo to burst out laughing, and to tell me it was just a prank. Instead, her eyes widened as she noticed my reaction and froze, looking genuinely shocked that I didn't know. I could see the cogs turning in her mind. I felt my face pale and dipped my head.
"You didn't know," she voiced softly, although she didn't look too apologetic about it.
No. I didn't.
I took a shaky breath, trying to calm my trembling hands. There was a chance Cleo was lying, that she was making all of this up to stir drama and tear Alek and I apart. I clung onto that hope like rope.
"I guess I shouldn't be too surprised. He doesn't like to talk about her that much. At least, not to those he doesn't know very well," she finished smartly.
I stood up abruptly, my stomach in my throat. "Excuse me, I'll be right back."
"Wait," she called out, grabbing my wrist. To anyone else, it would've looked like a tender interaction, but her nails dug uncomfortably into my skin. I wrenched my arm free from her and held it to my chest.
Cleo plastered on a beautiful, fake smile. "I'm sure he was going to tell you about it some time. Don't take it too personally."
I was too stunned to do anything else but nod.
She leaned closer, as if to tell a secret. "If I were you, I'd stay away from Alek. Like I said, in Hell it's every man for themselves. And Alek is one hell of a man."
The secretive look in her eyes made ice inch towards my heart.
"What are you suggesting?" I replied harshly.
Cleo reached into her back pocket and pulled out a dirty folded piece of paper. She handed it to me and gestured for me to open it. Cautiously, I did.
A drawing of my face stared back at me. I gripped the paper tightly with the realisation I'd seen this exact drawing before – in Sloth City. The bottom of the page that had held the information of my bounty had been torn off, as well as any other information. The piece of paper had clearly been handled a lot – small tears ripped the corners and crinkles lined the page, giving it an aged appearance.
I narrowed my eyes at Cleo. "How did you find this? This was from Sloth City."
"I found it in Alek's bag," she said. "It looks like one of those bounty offers to me."
I swallowed tightly, stuffing the piece of paper into my own pocket and locking down my emotions. "You thought wrong. No one is offering anything."
She stared at me unnervingly and I felt the sudden urge to scamper away. Her eyes could detect too much – could tell I was cracking under her pressure.
I excused myself and walked back down the hall and into the bathroom, trying to walk at a relatively normal pace. When I closed the door behind me, my shaking knees let out and I let myself fall to the floor, too stunned to cry.