I'd hoped sneaking away from Cleo would help clear my mind. Give me some clarity or make me realise I was just kidding myself. But I couldn't even concentrate long enough to string together exactly what Cleo was suggesting.
A sister.
A sister who I could assume was dead.
One of the worst things was, I knew Cleo only had her own interests at heart. I didn't know her; so I knew she couldn't be trusted. I shouldn't be giving weight to any of her statements until they came from Alek's mouth. And I would.
I crossed my arms over my chest and stretched out my legs on the tiles beneath me, feeling exhausted despite spending the past couple of hours sleeping.
I waited.
I knew Alek wouldn't be gone for much longer, so I didn't mind staying hidden away. It was much better than hearing more information – perhaps none of it true – come out of Cleo's mouth.
I heard the front door open and Alek's distinct voice talk to Cleo. Her laugh echoed underneath the gap in the bathroom door, ricocheting against the walls and taunting me. I stayed silent until I heard Cleo saying she'd be back in a little while. No doubt she was smiling as she left, well aware of the fact she'd just set off a ticking time bomb and thrown it into my hands. I listened to Alek's footsteps as he paced around the kitchen. The sound of a chair being pulled from a table.
I reached for the bathroom door slowly and then paused, my hand frozen on the knob.
What if Cleo was telling the truth?
The seeds of doubt that she'd planted were growing, wrapping their vines around my insides and tightening, making it difficult to breathe. I'd spent the past half hour denying her claim, but now that Alek was back and I had the opportunity to ask him, it seemed that much more daunting.
I wasn't a naïve child anymore. I knew people lied. I knew Alek and I didn't have the best friendship. Since we met each other, we'd had no time to do anything but run away from our enemies.
Before I could delve deeper into my doubts, I straightened and took a deep breath, stepping out into the hallway. Alek was eating his meal over the kitchen counter, his back to me. But the second I entered; he knew I was there. His fork clattered to his plate and suddenly he was standing in front of me, engulfing me in a hug. His warmth surrounded me and in a moment of vulnerability his head dipped to my shoulder so that I felt his breath run along my skin. My body ached to return his hug and meld into him, but now that my defences were up...well, they weren't coming back down.
Alek sensed that something was wrong and leaned back from me, looking at me with concern.
"Are you okay? Are you hurt?"
I shook my head, wrapping my arms around myself and stepping out of his grasp. "I'm fine. I healed perfectly, even though I don't know why."
"Cleo gave you some sleeping tablets with medicinal properties," he explained. "To help speed up the regenerative process your body has."
Oh. I guess that made sense. "So, bombs huh?"
Alek shrugged and tucked his hands into his jean pockets. "Since Plutus is their father, they both have access to the majority of his resources. It's how Cleo got you medication, as well."
Interesting. "My father gives me a lot of stuff, too, but he's never handed over explosives," I joked awkwardly, my laugh ending on a high note.
Alek's eyes narrowed, searching my eyes. "Are you sure you're okay?"
I opened my mouth to lie, then closed it. I knew it was now or never to ask Alek – I couldn't keep on avoiding the topic of his sister with further small talk.
I sighed and sat down on the kitchen stool besides Alek's. He pushed his half-empty plate away from him and gave me his full attention. My stomach was turning into knots and I had to clutch my thighs in order to stop my hands from shaking.
I could feel Alek waiting for me patiently.
"Do you have a sister?" I blurted, peeking up at him.
A strange choking noise came from Alek, his eyes widening in surprise. Silence filled the chasm between us, making his shock that much more palpable. When what I'd said really came to his fruition, he fisted his hands, and a muscle ticked in his jaw. He was looking anywhere but at me.
I tucked a loose strand of hair behind my ear and felt my heartbeat quicken, knowing from his reaction that what Cleo said was true. "I'm not saying you had to tell me about it or anything," I stammered quickly, trying not to upset him. "It's just that Cleo told me, and I want you to know that you can talk to me about it–"
Alek hung his head and I shut up, wondering whether I'd pushed him too far.
"I did have a sister," his voice rumbled deeply, full of sadness and regret – but no anger. "She was two years younger than me."
He ran a hand over his face. I stayed still, not wanting to move an inch for fear of scaring him off.
"When I was sixteen, my father considered me to be a good enough fighter to go hunting. We'd been having issues with Lyssa, the Goddess of Wrath, creating demons and sending them towards Pride City–"
"–You don't need to explain anything–"
"–But I want to. You've trusted me with your life, so I should trust you with mine.
"Every day I would leave Pride City and explore the mountains that surrounded us, hunting and tracking new demons that had wandered through the mountains and were trying to find their way in." A small smile appeared on his lips.
"I'd sneak my sister Rayner into the training room every day just before lunch so she could watch me train," he continued. "It was our favourite part of the day. She was jealous, though. Our parents didn't want her to train to fight – in their eyes she was their precious little girl, too important to be risked in physical combat." He paused.
"What happened?" I asked softly.
"I trained her of course," he said with a loopy smile. "At first it was just fun and games. I wanted her to be able to protect herself if there was ever the need; I didn't want her on the front lines. But then she started to insist on accompanying me on my missions. She was a fighter – I'll give her that." A spark of pride appeared in his eyes, which suddenly turned downcast. "But even I knew it was too dangerous for her. I'd been trained to fight for ten years and she'd only been trained for a couple of months. I wouldn't let her come with me. We fought and afterwards she didn't talk to me for days. I thought that with her anger she wasn't keeping tabs on me, but one day when I left for the mountains, she followed me."
Enraptured with the story, I stemmed my eyes from tearing. I knew where this was heading.
"Of course, when I came across my first demon, four more appeared behind it." He laughed bitterly, probably to try to hide the fact that his voice was shaking. "Which is ironic, considering I've never come across five demons at once before in my entire life. I probably would've been able to kill them if it was just me, but Rayner..."
He didn't need to finish the story. Rayner stepped in, but for all of her bravery she was killed.
"...Rayner didn't make it," I finished softly.
Alek exhaled and his shoulders slumped forwards, showing just how much the memory of Rayner and her death impacted him.
"No."
"I'm sorry," I whispered, trying to keep my voice from cracking. I leaned forwards and closed my hand over his on the kitchen bench. He softened his clenched fist and splayed his fingers on the table, my fingers moving with his. My breath came out shallow as I brushed my thumb across the back of his hand. His entire body stiffened at the touch and I wondered whether his attention was as focused on the contact as I was. When he glanced at me, I sucked in a breath at the pure emotion and turmoil in his eyes.
They were darker than Earth's night sky, but for all of their darkness, it was the first time I felt like I could really see him.
The last piece of the puzzle clicked into place. Rayner's death explained a lot about why he'd been so adamant on not training me.
"It makes sense now, why you didn't want me to learn how to fight. I'm sorry I put you in that position," I admitted.
He shrugged. "I know it would be good for you to learn, I just...."
He couldn't finish his sentence and I didn't force him to. After a moment, when I sensed he was returning back to reality, something hit me.
"I know I don't know much about the Underworld yet, but shouldn't it be the responsibility of the God or Goddess of Pride City to deal with demons?" I asked curiously.
At the same time, the apartment door swung open. I instinctively moved my hand away from Alek's. Cleo entered the room, sashaying her hips and hearing the last of our conversation.
"Oh good," she said brightly. "So, you've told her they're your parents."
Parents?
My eyes darted between Cleo's unassuming expression and Alek's straightened, alert gait. His jaw clenched.
Oh God.
"No. I haven't," he grounded, glaring at Cleo.
I cleared my throat and leaned back into my chair, fighting a wave of dizziness. "Parents? You mean..."
The guilty look on Alek's face was all the confirmation I needed.
Alek was a demigod.
My mind started to piece together pieces of a puzzle I never even knew existed. I looked at Alek, and I mean really looked at him.
I listed in my head all of the things he'd told me about himself: He'd grown up in Pride City, had spent a lot of time on his own and learned to fight from a young age...but I never realised his independence was perhaps forced onto him by some of Hell's most dark and omnipotent figures. My mind raced quickly and I looked at the empty space between Alek and Cleo, seeing the connection.
Alek hadn't just 'found' Cleo and Jackal when he left Pride City – he'd sought them out specifically because they, too, were demigods.
The blood drained from my face as I stared into his eyes, silently begging him to deny this.
"Alek?" I asked, my voice soft and trembling.
He glared at Cleo, then looked back at me. "I couldn't tell you. I hardly tell anyone anymore."
I raised my eyebrows and stood from my chair, shoving it away from me roughly. The urge to put as much distance between us was overwhelming. "Oh yeah? You 'couldn't tell me'? You had about a week of opportunity!"
"It wasn't like that – I'm technically not even their son now."
I scoffed.
"You're a demigod!" I exclaimed.
He didn't deny it. "When Rayner got killed, my parents disowned me and ostracised me from Pride City. I don't have any association with them anymore."
I rolled my eyes, feeling a new surge of anger rise in me. But it wasn't just anger at Alek; it was also anger at me. All of the signs pointing towards Alek's heritage shone brighter than a Christmas tree. His speed, strength and unearthliness were just to name a few.
I had the sudden urge to throw up and run away at the same time. My eyes darted towards the open door.
Alek's eyes clouded in guilt, the crevices creasing in concern. He was worried. Really worried.
"You're the Prince of Pride," I stated coldly, looking at him in a new – jarring – light. Alek may not have felt like telling me about his sister, but there was absolutely zero reason for him wanting to hide the fact he was a demigod. Especially when I'd been doubting my sanity.
"Why didn't you tell me?" I demanded, fisting my hands by my sides. "Tell me the truth otherwise I'm walking out this door right now."
Alek hesitated. I could see the internal debate in his eyes.
"Isn't it obvious?" Cleo broke in, scoffing. I'd forgotten that she was even here. "He wants you for the bounty over your head."
"Shut it, Cleo!" Alek growled, eyes flashing.
She crossed her arms over her chest, enjoying watching the colour drain from me.
"If he told you he was actually the Prince of Pride City, you would've been suspicious of his intentions," she finished.
I sucked in a breath, my hand hovering over the back of my jeans, where the poster calling for my capture burned a hole in my pocket. The evidence had been in his bag all along.
"You never intended on helping me," I whispered, only just managing to remain upright.
Alek stared at me in horror, his face similarly pale. He wasn't denying my claim. Behind him, Cleo watched on with interest, a small smirk on her lips.
I'd been frozen with shock, but something about her expression spurred me into action. I spun towards the front door, ignoring everything but my desire to escape. My breath felt half as shallow as I rushed out the door and towards the staircase. Tears blurred my sight, making me stumble down the stairs. I was pretty sure I injured my bad ankle again at some point, but the pain was a mere afterthought in comparison to everything else.
A warm hand wrapped around my upper arm, pulling me to a halt as I reached the base of the stairs. Without even realising, I'd reached the bottom flight. The exit beckoned me.
"Serena–"
His voice triggered me. I spun on my heels and used the momentum to punch Alek across the face. Hard. His jaw was tough, and I was pretty sure I'd hurt myself more than I'd hurt him.
Alek's only reaction had been the slightest turn of his face, as though he'd been expecting it and hadn't bothered to stop me. It frustrated me that I couldn't even use the element of surprise against him.
My eyes flashed. "Don't touch me."
"Just hear me out–"
I scoffed and pulled myself from his grasp, surprised by his sluggish reaction to my escape. But then he jumped in front of me, bracing himself against the exit.
"Everything Cleo said was true," he said, breathing heavily.
I raised an eyebrow and paced back and forth in front of him, looking for an opening that didn't exist.
"You're not exactly helping yourself," I responded angrily. "Let me pass."
He didn't budge. "When I first met you, I didn't know who you were. I didn't even consider taking you up on your deal to get to the North Gate. A few days passed and the Crown guard started to put up wanted signs of you. At that point, I have to admit the idea of handing you in was appealing–"
My jaw dropped.
"–but not for the money! It was appealing for the chance of getting revenge for my parents exiling me. I knew that with Hades' approval, they'd be begging for me to go back home."
"So why haven't you?" I demanded. "Handed me over?"
He shook his head. "When I saw you down in the mines and saw how Sloth City had changed you within the span of a week...I doubted myself. But I saved you from the mines, anyway, not quite knowing what my plan was. After we escaped on Calista, I decided I couldn't go through with it. I wouldn't be the one to deliver you to Hades. I knew that if he was willing to go to this extent to find someone...that you'd have no chance of survival if he did find you."
"And at what point did you realise you didn't want to go through with it? After one hour, or three days of travelling together?"
His head and shoulders dropped, showing his fatigue. "I think it was the night when the guard caught up with us. I'm sorry, Serena. I'm so sorry I didn't tell you who I was."
My lower lip trembled. I stared at the ground, unable to look at him. "It's too late. You can't say you're sorry now just because you're caught."
"I know," he said dejectedly. "I don't expect you to forgive me right now–"
I laughed harshly, surprising myself. "You can't truly expect me to forgive you ever."
His head snapped up to look at me, his eyes burning. "This doesn't change anything, though. I can still take you to the North Gate."
"At this point I don't even know if the North Gate is real," I stammered, tears finally pouring down my face.
"It is. I promise."
But I couldn't put any trust in that promise anymore. Or him.
"If you don't get out of my way, I'll punch you again," I snarled.
He ran a hand through his hair, pushing it back with an exhale. "I know you need some space right now, so I'll give it to you and wait for you back in the apartment. But rest assured, if you don't return within the next two hours, I'm going to come find you, and we will make it to the North Gate."
His words were like stabs to my stomach, reminding me of all the things I'd wanted and now didn't believe. Since I'd stopped pacing, he'd relaxed his frame and let his arms fall back to his sides. Even his eyelids were starting to droop with fatigue.
"So, I'll let you go. For now," he said with conviction, stepping aside and holding open the door for me. "Just promise me you will come back."
With a barrier no longer between ourselves and the bar, the music shrouded us in another reality. To anyone else, we'd look like a regular couple about to enjoy a night out. The reality was far from it.
I glanced back at Alek, feeling the weight of his gaze on me. My mind was foggy, and he'd hurt me more than I could've anticipated, but I couldn't deny that I needed his help. Not because I wanted it – but because my survival depended on it.
I looked back down at the floor and nodded softly. His shoulders sagged with relief. He reached out as if to touch my shoulder, then seemed to think better of it and ran a hand through his hair.
Then, because I couldn't forgive him that easily – if at all – I took my first few steps away.
"I'll see you soon," Alek called over the music.
And then I was gone.