Luciano

Valerie cleared her throat. I opened my eyes and looked at her standing in front of me, her gaze glued over my drunken state as she judged me. Irony. I placed aside the glass and straightened my posture.

"What is it now?" I had told her well and clear to not disturb me in the midst of the night, when I'd be most drowned in my sorrows. It wasn't a good time for me to see anyone, let alone a female.

"Fiona is asleep and I tidied up the kitchen. The guard informed me that Ms. Jacqueline was here a while ago. I'd suggest to speak with someone, even if it's a few words or else this will end you." Valerie said, her words landed on my head in stammers, making barely any sense.

I smiled and raised my hand. "Thank you. And, I'll be fine. You should go get some rest before Fiona is awake again." I ignored everything.

Valarie let out a frustrated sigh before she spun around and walked out of my bedroom. I couldn't feel anything, nothing except for bliss. The alcohol made my senses numb and my mind deprived of any emotions. It was all to resist the images of that one, depressing night.

Minutes passed and the lights of the house were switched off as Valarie went to get rest. There was no one else around here except for her, my daughter and a few guards at the door, keeping everyone out.

I didn't want my parents to be aware of the state I was in. It was cruel for them to see anything after everything that had happened so I kept them away from the house as well. I was at the edge again with the promise to fall this time and there was no one who could bring me back.

I lowered my lips to the glass to take another gulp of the alcohol but before I could, my Mother busted in through the front door and I heard a crackle of screams from the guards outside.

"Luciano!" She yelled, storming in.

My heartbeat quickened and I dropped the glass down on the table and stood up straight. "This isn't a very time, Mother."

"Oh, shut up! I bought your Father as well so he can knock some senses inside you." She barged into my room and switched on the bright lights before grabbing all the bottles and throwing them in the trash.

"That was unnecessary." I crossed my arms over my chest and said upon hearing everything precious go to trash.

My Father walked into the room, crowding up the little space and following him was Ben, his arm around the neck of the guard I had hired to keep them all away.

"I'm sorry." The guard mumbled between his quick breaths before Ben released him and kicked him out of the house.

"Please don't make any sound. Fiona just fell asleep." I stated, closing the door. It was hard for her to sleep properly, especially with the change of everything. It was hard for all of us.

Instead of staying quiet, my Father asked. "Oh, so you do care about something?"

I pursed my lips together and rolled my eyes. "Whatever you all planning on doing isn't going to work out." I told them beforehand.

When I stepped down from my throne, I knew what decision I was making and it was the right one. There was nothing left for me to still rule this kingdom. I never wanted to be King in the first place, the bloodline, the family, the council forced the crown over my head and I only realized that after decades.

My Mother wrinkled her nose and drew in the curtains together before she took a long roll of paper from my Father. It was a map of the towns and cities surrounding us.

"What is happening?" I asked, using the commanding tone.

Ben slapped his hand over my shoulder. "Since you aren't the King anymore, that tone is clearly not going to work. And, we are doing something."

Vague.

"Give me Annabeth's cloth, the one she left behind." My Mother sat on the ground and lengthened her hand out to Ben who handed her a small piece of cloth.

I looked at both of them confused, eyebrows stretched to the roof and the alcohol passing by my body. My Mother placed the cloth above the map and it just lingered in the air for seconds as she closed her eyes shut and whispered something in her witchy language.

A gruff rumbled out of me and I turned around to leave. This wasn't something I was interested in at all. Annabeth could be anywhere, she vanished on the day after Red's death. Who wouldn't?

"Stop." Ben came in front of me and I did. Whatever they determined on doing, I was least interested in it. My only relation was with Red, no one else and while Annabeth looked quite similar to her, she could never be her.

No one could.

No one could take place of Red, not in this world, not in my shattered heart. There was only one and she was gone.

"She's at a harbor in Ilragorn, it's a village, far by north, probably where she used to live before." My Mother said after a long minute of extended silence.

"Great. I'm going to go then." Ben flicked his finger in the air and ran out of the room without spilling any other detail of what was happening.

I tried to leave but my Father shut the door at my face and stood stubborn in front of me. "Come on. I've nothing to do here."

"You do."

"Yes. Vincent is right, you do." I whipped around, facing my concerned mother whose gaze hadn't left my soul since the second she stepped into the house. "Annabeth didn't run for no reason. She knows something."

"And why should it concern me?"

Her features contoured with distress as she tried to explain. "Because she was your wife's twin. Twins hold a strong bond in the witch world, they are connected even after one of them passes by. Death can't do them apart."

I listened—for the first time. "Why does that mean?"

"I need something that belonged to Red, something she wore, something she used." My Mother narrowed her head at the map and waited.

I scratched the back of my head and released a nervous laugh, my breath still filled with alcohol. "Yeah, about that, everything that belonged to Red was burned down. I'm not fond of keeping memories of the dead." I said, trying hard not to break again.

It was brutal itself to manage myself and now this had to happen. I was trying to forget everything and move on even if it was in a bad way.

My parents shared a glance before my Father spoke to me. "Where is the Stone of Lycans? You were supposed to keep it safe."

I swallowed hard, containing my worries. A stroke of warmth whipped through my body. "I gave it to Red." I replied to them.

"And where is it now? Don't tell me you burned it as well?" My Father grew furious. It was a stone passed down by his great-great grandfather and burning it wasn't an option, it never even crossed my mind up until tonight.

"She has it."

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