'Information was more vital lately than air...'

Chipping at Alabaster

"So..." Trita wiggled her eyebrows and I immediately knew what was coming; "Thanatos."

I smirked, a spoon heaped with chocolate spread paused by my impatient mouth; "Yeess?"

"Well? What's going on there? And finally you can be completely honest!" Sonya pitched in, her mouth full of popcorn. Thanatos was more than happy to order packs of popcorn for the palace after I'd asked him to- he'd developed a slight addiction to the tasty treat too. "You better be honest! We need details!"

I giggled and stroked my hand over Trimorphe's thick fur. She was fast asleep, her leg kicking involuntarily from my touch. The girls had played with her the whole afternoon, making her more tired than she'd ever been before- poor thing was exhausted. "We're in love and we're together. What more do you want to know?"

"How'd you meet?" Trita crossed her legs and leaned in towards me, her green eyes eager.

"Um... That's a bit of a crappy story. He's not exactly the same man he was back then..."

"What do you mean?" Sonya furrowed her brows and passed Trita the chocolate spread. I bit my lip in thought. "Thanatos used to be... a really big asshole."

Trita laughed; "No one that good looking can be a saint."

"He tried to kill me."

Sonya nearly choked on her spoon and Trita merely whistled in surprise; "Wow... So I'm guessing it wasn't love at first sight?"

"Actually- it kind of was, but different. It's strange; we've always felt attracted to each other, more than just sexually, but Thanatos didn't know how to react to those kinds of feelings back then. Neither did I, frankly..."

"That's sweet!" Sonya clasped her cheeks and hummed; "You two really look happy together. I know I said before that you're a match made in heaven; well, I still stand by it. You are perfect together."

I blushed and giggled as my eyes landed on the plush carpet. The crisp breeze from the balcony cooled down my cheeks slightly. This was all so surreal; being able to share my adventures with them. I was elated by it.

Trita smirked and licked her lips; "Sexually attracted? Are you telling us you're not a virgin anymore?"

I looked up, my blush deepening. Sonya gasped; "Aurora?"

I nodded my head, but before I could say anything, Sonya and Trita had me in a headlock, screaming; "What! Tell us!"

Trimorphe grunted loudly at the noise and nuzzled her head deeper under the pillow to shield her ears from Trita's loud voice; "Come on! What's it like? Was it sore?"

"When did this happen? How did it happen?" Sonya asked, her lime eyes big and bright.

I knew they were both still pure. Sonya hadn't known Baron long enough to give herself up like that and Trita wasn't one for jumping into a deep, serious relationship so easily. She may come across as impulsive and carefree when it came to boys, but if you knew her well enough, you'd see the fear intimacy really brought her.

"Whoa! Okay let me start from the beginning! It's a long-ass story!"

They nodded eagerly and each grabbed a hand full of popcorn; their eyes glued to mine. I laughed; "So, obviously Thanatos and I took quite some time to really open up to one another on many things. Basically, it all changed one night, after our last movie night at your house back home before we all went too university..." I looked to Sonya and she nodded her head with interest.

I continued to tell them everything- how Thanatos and I spent the night letting our masks drop and finally opening up. How me moving to the Underworld created a whole new layer to our relationship. I told them about the harem girls, his horrible mother, his brother... I told them about all the nights he'd comforted me, the day he saved me from the assassin, the way he treated me like his queen and finally, I told them about the night after the banquet, when we became intimate.

Trita squealed; "No way!"

I laughed as Sonya clapped her hands; "So you two didn't sleep with each other that night?"

"Obviously not, Sons!" Trita exclaimed; "The virtue ring, remember?"

"Oh, yes!"

I nodded; "Yeah, we couldn't, but in a way I'm really glad we didn't. It wasn't the right time and taking it slow with him was necessary. I'm happy with the way things worked out in the end. We took our time to be intimate and really... explore each other." I blushed and rolled my eyes as Trita snickered; "Kinky."

"Awh!" Sonya covered her face and squealed; "You two are too much!"

"So when did you actually have sex?" Trita didn't waste any time.

I grinned down into the bowl of popcorn; "A few weeks ago, when Hera took back the ring."

"In detail, please. Now." Trita pointed her finger down at the carpet. I giggled nervously. And so the words flowed easily as my two best friends listened on intently. Every now and then Trita would yell; "Oh my fuck!" or "Whoa!" and Sonya would just stare and nod.

I finished off by telling them about how good he was at anything he set his mind to- even making love. Especially making love.

"Is he..." Trita started to ask, but trailed off at the end as she indicated to the gap between her hands. I chuckled; "Oh, very big."

"Thought so." She nodded in approval.

"Wait- isn't he like ridiculously strong or something? Doesn't it hurt?"

Oh, it did sometimes, but I wasn't about to tell my friends that that was part of the pleasure. I knew he could lose control and break me, but I trusted him not to. I just nodded and tried to sound sincere; "He is, but he's quite careful."

"Do you think you two will be together for a long time?" Trita asked as she placed a spoonful of chocolate spread into her mouth.

"I want to be with him forever." I said openly; "I can't imagine being with anyone else or even being able to love anyone like I love him. He's honestly my everything."

Sonya sighed; "Ugh, that's the dream."

Trita smiled with true sincerity; "I'm really happy for you, Rora."

I leaned into her side and lovingly tucked my head into the crook of her neck. She nuzzled my head with her nose and pushed a glop of chocolate into my face. I laughed and smacked her hand away. "Thanks guys... It's so good to be able to tell you all of this."

"I can't even imagine how you kept all of this in..." Trita shook her head and Sonya hummed in agreement; "You must've been so scared. At least you had him."

I nodded, my head filled with red eyes. All I wanted to do was to go to him and snuggle up into his strong arms. He truly was my everything. "Okay, enough about me- tell me all about Baron."

Sonya laughed, but it was dry and humourless; "I don't know what to tell you! He's been acting weird..."

"What do you mean?" I played with Trimorphe's bushy tail, but she was out like a light.

Trita answered my question with a sigh, her spoon scraping the glass bottle; "Baron hasn't even answered his phone since the accident two days ago. Apparently he's visiting family for the week..."

"Not only that, but he's been so obsessive lately. He needs to know where I am all the time and now all of a sudden, he won't answer his damn phone." Sonya grumbled in annoyance; "Men."

I furrowed my brows; "Give him some time, perhaps he's busy." Or maybe something happened to him? But I wasn't about to say that aloud. Sonya didn't need any more stress. She was already taking more medicine than a small pharmacy could supply and her stitches had been reworked after all of yesterday's excitement.

She needed to focus on her own wellbeing for now- Baron was a problem for later.

"Yeah, maybe..." Sonya didn't sound convinced.

Trita and I exchanged a look. She quickly changed the subject to something lighter; "Sooo... That brother of his..."

I laughed and eyed her; "Does someone have the hots for the god of sleep?"

Trita smirked; "God of sleep? Well now, he must know his way around a bed..."

I laughed loudly- the mere thought of Hypnos trying to handle Trita was hilarious! Or perhaps I'd be pleasantly surprised; he did share his DNA with Thanatos, and he certainly was more than capable of locking down any sort of woman.

Hmm... I smirked at Trita. This could be interesting.

"Would you like me to organise some alone time for the two of you so you can get to know him better?"

Trita smiled broadly; "Uh- yes! That would be the least you can do for dragging me to hell with you." I knew she was joking, her voice amused and excited at the prospect of seeing a certain blond, orange-eyed god.

"Of course! Happy to help." I smirked and wiggled my eyebrows; "Besides, 'sister-in-law' sounds pretty good to me..."

Trita squealed; "Make it happen! Now! That man is fire!"

I laughed and threw some popcorn into my mouth as Sonya giggled, her hand absentmindedly stroking the big, furry snow leopard next to her; "You two in one family? Poor Thanatos and Hypnos..."

"Oh, honey-" Trita grinned wickedly; "That boy won't know what hit him..."

Funny enough- she was partially right.

Of course, about a week later, Hypnos wasn't the one who was being chased like a deer. I never thought I'd see the day when Trita would actually be left speechless.

He really was Thanatos' twin...

A loud smack rang through the small cell, sending a delicious feeling of power down my spine. I watched as Hermes licked up the blood dripping from the corner of his bruised and cut mouth. He spit it out in front of him; his dark eyes fixed onto the stone floor.

Hypnos was leaning casually against the wall; he watched in disgust as the bloody dribble spattered onto the floor, a few inches from his hard, black boots. Hermes looked up at him with snivelling hatred.

Shadow hovered behind me; its long fangs gleaming with a dangerous ache. I could feel its hunger radiate into mine. I was starving for souls, not having been able to feed myself since the whole ordeal with the girls and Sybaris' children. I could feel the grim appetite crawl its way up to my throat. It's a different kind of hunger- a hunger that leaves you seeing everything that passes your eye as prey.

Hermes' weak body caught my eye.

I chuckled; "Let's try that again..." I walked around the chair he was tied to. His hands and feet were strapped to the chair with a special rope Hephaestus had given me a very long time ago. I couldn't quite remember why the old, cantankerous god had gifted it to me, but it certainly came in handy. Nothing, not even me or my magic, could break through those bonds.

Hermes was a sitting duck, and Hypnos and I looked famished.

"Who are you working with?"

"I have no idea what-"

"Spare us the horrible lying." Hypnos said, but before Hermes could shout up at him, a large hand smacked him straight across the face. Hypnos flexed his fingers and watched as Hermes' mouth spewed blood onto the floor. I grinned.

"Now, now..." I grabbed the god of trickery by the collar and picked him up, his chair swinging slightly in mid-air; "Our patience is running out. I suggest you start speaking sense."

"Like I said- I don't know what you're talking about!"

"Well, that's obviously a lie." I dropped the chair onto the ground and it landed with a thud. Hermes quickly tried to stick out his tied legs to keep the chair from falling over onto its side, but he was too weak. The chair toppled over, causing his head to smack against the ground. "You seem unfazed by the fact that we've kidnapped you. Clearly you've been expecting something like this to happen."

Hypnos shook his head; "No questions as to why you're here, or why we're doing this... Strange."

Hermes grunted from the ground; he tried to wiggle and tug himself back up, but that was fairly impossible. We watched him struggle. Shadow licked its long tongue over its fanged mouth.

I crossed my arms over my chest and sighed; "Who are you working with?"

"Get me up!"

Hypnos lifted a brow and turned his head to look at me. I rolled my eyes and glanced down at the pathetic god; "Who are you working with?"

"Fuck off!"

I lifted my boot and with a hard hit, the sound of bone cracked under my foot. Hermes screamed.

Luckily the dungeon was soundproof.

"AH! Fuck!" He yelled and shrieked as my foot wiggled over his broken leg, the pain probably unbearable. I smirked; "Relax, it'll heal in a few minutes..."

"You're a monster!"

"Oh, I'm not the one who killed two gods for power- or is there another reason why you're doing this?"

Hypnos watched as Hermes sneered at me, his teeth covered with dark red blood. It was dripping down the side of his mouth, covering the floor. I picked up my boot from his legs and leaned back into the wall; my dark eyes watching his pain with relish.

"I didn't kill Zeus!"

"What about Hecate?" Hypnos asked as he moved around the room, his eyes fixed on the battered god's head.

Hermes shook his head; "I did not kill her! I didn't kill anyone! I'm not part of whatever is going on!"

"Hard to believe, my dear." I removed my gloves from my hands, placing them on the table beside me. The cell was small and dark, and smelt of rotten gruel and burnt flesh, but it was a place I'd come to love. Hermes watched my movement like a hawk- he knew what was coming.

"Let me ask you again and do take this as a warning..." I adjusted my silver ring; "I don't like repeating myself." I stood up straight and walked up to him, my eyes filled with deep loathing.

I grabbed him by the collar again, his blood stained fabric soft against my bare palm. I hoisted him up until the chair was upright again and Hermes was staring coldly into my icy eyes. I leaned in, my fingers grabbing his chin and titling it up to my face; "Who are you working with?"

He spat his bloodly spit into my face. "Go suck a cock."

I blinked; the rage inside me strong and powerful enough to blast him into smithereens. Unfortunately, we needed him. Information was more vital lately than air.

My fist connected with his nose with a loud crack, sending the chair crashing backwards onto the hard ground. Hermes groaned in pain; his nose was bleeding like a waterfall, covering his tunic and face until it looked like he might drown. I controlled my breathing through my nose, the feeling of hurting him giving me immense pleasure.

I'd happily do it again- and again.

I wiped his spit from my face, my eyes locked onto his hurting figure. Shadow had moved close to me and was purring loudly with anger at Hermes' hostility towards me.

Hypnos flicked his tongue and grinned with lazy eyes; "For a man who talks a lot you don't say much..."

Hermes couldn't answer as he choked on his own blood. I watched with cold eyes and an expressionless face as the pain ate at him, his leg slowly healing. Hypnos came to stand beside me, "Perhaps he requires a bit more motivation?"

"He needs to learn respect." I gritted my teeth and clenched my fist. I spat out my words like a snake.

This was one of the men who'd try to kill Aurora- my Aurora. I wondered how much pain a god could take before he'd pass out?

Hypnos lifted Hermes up from the ground, careful not to get anymore blood on his hands. My cloak was already dragging in blood, but I didn't mind. I'd been covered in red before, from head to toe- it wasn't in my nature to shy away from gore.

Hermes cheek was imprinted with ring. A tooth dropped out of his mouth as he spoke huskily, his throat wet with blood and saliva; "You'll get nothing from me."

I smiled down at him, my voice low and menacing; "I was hoping you'd say that."

That meant there was something to 'get' and I was so hoping for some form of violent release lately.

I turned towards the table, my eyes fixed on a small wooden box I'd brought down from my gymnasium. Hypnos circled Hermes like a hungry shark, his orange eyes appearing redder in the dark corners of the cell.

He looked malevolent. Did I look like that? Probably even more...

I removed the lock on the box, feeling Hermes' eyes on the back of my neck. I lifted the lid and carefully took hold of the small tool. It was ice cold.

It was made of unbreakable steel; the handle was old and rusted. The sharp tongs at the front of the tool were long and curled slightly at the end. I snapped it open and shut, feeling the spring click into place. A sickening smile crawled up to my lips as I turned to the anxious god.

He looked ill.

Hypnos laughed, the noise strange in a place like this. Hermes cringed at the noise and tucked himself into a small ball as I walked up to him. Shadow moved closer to enjoy the show; its red eyes sharp and wide with delight.

"What are you doing with that?"

I snapped the sheer again, making Hermes jump at the sight. I chuckled and smiled broadly, my teeth frightening in the dim light cracking through; "No idea."

I traced the cold steel ends across his sweat-covered skin- making it crawl in fear. His face twisted in agony before I'd even had the chance to experiment.

I levelled my head with his and grinned.

"Let's see where the fun takes us."

I snapped the sheer onto his thumb and plucked.

Nyx didn't raise no quitters...

NEXT UPDATE- 25th of November