Chapter Seventeen

"Ow!"

"Wow," Milo said, dragging the word out in mock surprise, "Is my big scary beastie afraid of a little poke?"

"More like multiple pokes," I growled under my breath, clenching my fists against my knees as Milo pricked the skin on my neck with the needle. Milo smirked and I felt his gloved fingers pulling my skin gently as he continued to poke his way around my neck.

"You're the one that said you wanted a tattoo," Milo said with a chuckle, pausing to gently wipe blood away. I didn't respond to that, just pouted, clenching my teeth every so often when the needle poked a particularly tender spot.

He was right, of course; it had been my suggestion.

I wanted to wear Milo's love, but at thirteen, rings and marriage weren't exactly the first option we thought of. I was also beginning to develop that teenage rebellious phase, where mother told me to do something and I refused to do it just to spite her. It was just a little thing, nothing major like breaking everyone out of this prison.

It was just a tattoo.

Of course, to mother, it was like I had mutilated myself.

"What the fuck is that?" I remembered mother's tone because it had genuinely scared me. So sharp, so aggressive, and out of character for her at the time. I was accustomed to mother's gentle love and care, so hearing her snap at me startled me.

"Uh, a tattoo?" I offered, reaching up to put my hand over the bandage there, like just covering it would make mother change her mind about scolding me over it. Except it didn't, and she had lunged away from the table, marching over and tearing the bandage right off, making me hiss and step back.

"Ow!"

"Oh, that hurt," mother snarled, surprising me when she grabbed a handful of my hair to tilt my head so she could look at the new marking, "But having someone mutilate your vessel doesn't?" I winced, reaching up to try and pry her fingers off me, but she only tightened further, so I gave up and looked at her in frustration.

"Because you won't let me marry Milo!"

"Because you're not ready!"

"You were married when you were a teenager!"

"And look how that turned out," mother snarled and I fell silent as she gave my hair one last tug, then released it and cupped her hand on the back of my neck, making me look at her, those blue eyes flashing wrathfully, "I was brutalized by my husband. I was held prisoner by my husband. I was a child and there was no one there to help me. You are incredibly privileged to have your mother at your side."

"Milo is nothing like Zeus," I snapped, tugging away from mother, who stiffened at the mention of her ex-husband's name, and I knew saying it would only upset her more, but in that moment, she had hurt my feelings and I needed her to know what that felt like, "Milo actually loves me and cares about me!" Mother's eyes flashed. One second, we were glaring at each other, and in the next, mother's hand came across my face and she grabbed my jaw immediately after to force me to face her as I panted breathlessly in surprise.

"Enough! This isn't up for discussion! I will have this removed—"

"No! It's my body—"

"That I gave to you from the kindness of my heart and I will take it back if you cannot behave like a proper adult!"

"I am an adult!"

"You are a child," Hera snarled, and I stiffened before mother finally released me with a rough shove, turning away from me as if she couldn't stand the sight of me any longer, "Fuck it— Just leave! Get out of my sight before I do something I regret. Now!" Her final bark had me whipping around and sprinting out of the apartment. I ended up running back to Milo in tears, where he just cradled me as he applied the ointment to the tattoo on my neck.

"I don't understand," I groaned, wincing then sighing in relief as Milo smoothed cool ointment onto my skin, "She's being so unreasonable. It's just a tattoo. I knew she was going to be mad, but I didn't think... she'd..." I touched my face where she'd hit me. It didn't happen often in those days, but I'd noticed that it started to pick up after the tattooing incident, worse when I got my sleeve done, but by that point, mother had no control over what I did to myself.

As long as I was still alive and breathing, she didn't care.

Or so I thought.

I sat crouched on a rooftop, lips set in a grim line as I watched Stanton down below, clearing the way of pedestrians who were in the area. Thankfully, it was a quiet wet morning. Rain sprinkled down from thick dark storm clouds and most people were already retreating back to their homes or workplace for the day.

I rose to my feet and turned to see Wren adjusting the straps on his gloves and pulling his mask up over his face. He paused to quirk a brow at me and I immediately pretended to be interested in my phone, turning away to stare down at the chat that was open with Kali.

Her last message had been see you at dinner.

The code for preparations were now complete for leaving.

This was it, I realized anxiously, turning to look back over the edge of the rooftop where the entrance to the compound was. I'd been here a thousand times before in the past, same routine every time of punching in code after code until I could ride the elevator down to a sterile white compound that at this point could just be called a prison.

A prison they would never have to see again.

I gritted my teeth, looking up where Three, Six, and Five were all gearing up to head in. Six was testing his chameleon ability, fading in and out of existence as he moved about to get ready. Three followed him every so often, feeling through the air out of habit to make sure he didn't bump into Six, and when he did, he just grinned knowingly. Five shook her head at them, then paused when she caught me staring.

She offered me a little smile.

"We'll be okay, Jasper," she assured, giving my arm a firm squeeze. I wanted to be reassured by that, so I gave her hand a squeeze to let her know I appreciated it. Despite the fear still brewing in my stomach.

It wasn't that I doubted her strength, her fury, her determination.

I didn't doubt any of the artificials.

I just didn't trust mother.

I'd seen what she could do when she was angry enough and the thought of another person I cared about falling victim to her was almost nauseating.

I mumbled a be right back to Wren, who looked up, but said nothing as I walked past him to get some privacy on the other side of the room behind the AC units. I looked down at my phone again, wanting desperately to check on Kali again, but I would be breaking our protocol.

Kali couldn't safely communicate now without interference. If I tried to contact her, I would only put her in danger, and that was the only thing that stopped me from being an idiot.

Yet I still couldn't shake the anxiety.

I had to be prepared, should anything happen, should anything go wrong.

What if April found out? What if she turned on Kali? Would she really be willing to kill Kali to keep her from escaping? What about Polly and Elias? Would April actually hurt them? Was she as ruthless and heartless as I had thought?

Milo hadn't been a big fan of her, and they always butted heads. He'd been nice up front, but April was very good at digging out the ugly in Milo.

"Ugh, she is un-fucking-believable," Milo exclaimed after a dinner date once and I sighed as I closed the door behind me, kicking my shoes off at the sofa with the intention to just leave and forget about them. Milo gave me a look that told me to do otherwise, so I sighed and went to neatly put them by the door with our work boots.

"I'm not exactly a fan either," I said dryly, plopping on the sofa and Milo made a noise of disgruntlement as he unlaced his boots, "But she did seem to be all over Kali... Maybe it won't turn out so bad in the end."

"Not everyone is as lucky as us," Milo murmured, making me frown and look up as he came over to stand above me and I stared up at him as he took my chin in his hand, "I would never hurt you, Jasper. Never. If I ever lose myself, if I ever raise my hand to you, I give Darling full permission to kill me for it." My eyes widened and I felt Darling squirm in distress under my skin at the suggestion.

The fear must have shown on my face because Milo immediately slid into my lap and put his arms around me to hold me to his chest.

"No, no, I don't mean I'm going to hurt you," he said, stroking my hair as I tilted my head back to stare up at him in my lap, folding my hands at the small of his back.

"I don't care what you do to us," I mumbled, making Milo frown sadly, "You can do whatever you want to us, Milo. We love you." Milo teared up and when Darling whined deep inside my soul, he leaned in and kissed me firmly on the forehead.

"I love you too, both of you," he whispered, stroking my cheeks now.

"Jasper?" Wren's voice startled me, because I still felt the ghost of Milo's hands on my face and Wren's voice was so familiar. For a moment, I felt an actual sob working up my throat. I shut my eyes and gritted my teeth, swallowing it down hard as I kept my back to Wren. I didn't say anything, but I gave my head a tilt to the side to let him know he had my attention.

Unfortunately, he didn't answer. He came forward and I immediately turned my head away, pocketing my phone.

"We're going to be okay," Wren said softly at my side now and I still refused to look at him, even though I could feel his eyes watching my face intently, willing me to look at him, "We can do this. All of us. Together. How do you think Hades manages to do everything he does?" I blinked at that and his question surprised me, so I finally turned to look at him and he was staring up at me with those sparkly brown eyes that promised so much warmth and comfort.

"We're family," Wren murmured, then reached out and took me by the hand and looked up at me again, "This is what we do. We protect each other. We keep each other safe. We support each other. I know that sounds... different from what you're used to, but I promise that only good things will happen from here on out, when we're together." I gritted my teeth, looking down at his fingers laced with mine. I cursed under my breath and Wren gave me a confused look.

Unable to resist, I drew his knuckles up to my lips and kissed each one of those thin little bones. Wren swallowed at that, his cheeks flushing slowly as he peered up at me more sheepishly now.

"I am used to everything in my life falling apart," I said, making him blink and look at me as I slowly released his hand, "I don't get to hold onto anything, because it always slips through my fingers. Right now, I need to get my siblings to safety. Nothing else matters right now."

"I know," Wren said softly, "But I want you to remember that there's a light at the end of the tunnel waiting for you too."

"You have too much hope for someone who literally baked in the sun," I muttered, unable to help myself. Wren stared at me, unphased.

"Maybe. But I'm still here, aren't I?" He asked. I looked at him.

Thank fuck for that, I thought, admiring the way the streetlights illuminated his pretty little face, those cute soft freckles, those dark eyes. He was pouting now too, I could see that lip of his pushing out, like he wasn't sure why I wasn't answering. I wanted to tell him exactly what I thought, but decided now wasn't the time. I just settled for giving him a look that made him cock his head.

"Streets are clear," Stanton said, making us look up to see him appearing on the rooftop, "Hannibal and Seven are on standby in the building. I would say this is the cue for our next team." He looked over at Three, Five, and Six, who all nodded and pulled up the masks over their faces from the uniforms Hades had given us. Three turned to Six and Five.

"We're going to do this like we planned," he said, earning a nod from his partners, "I lead, Six in the middle, Five watch his back. We're gonna implement procedure Y3, unless we're discovered, then I want an immediate radio call to Team B and we can begin execution to the cafeteria. Do not leave anyone alive, unless it's an artificial. We don't have time to get into philosophical debates with assholes."

"Don't gotta tell me twice," Five muttered, giving her gloves a little snap for emphasis.

"Hey, maybe Garth is still here," Six said, making Five scowl at him, "Remember that guy who used to snap your bra strap in class?"

"He's here? Where is he," Five asked, then looked at me and I raised an eyebrow as she stared, "I'd just like to snap his neck a little. See how much he likes it."

"I won't argue that," I admitted, even though I had no idea who that was or where. Clearly it was someone they had grown up with, and judging from the sighs of relief that he would no longer exist after this visit, I'd say he wasn't that great of a person.

"Alright, let's get this show on the road," Stanton said, pulling his mask up on his uniform.

Three nodded, gestured to Five and Six, and as a synchronized unit, the three of them landed down below. We activated our communicators so I could hear them as they entered the building with careful caution.

"Code is 081344," I said into the receiver in the mask. I heard a crackle before Three responded.

"Security code entered. Permission granted. Proceeding into the elevator. Standby."

"Affirmative."

I listened to the sound of a beep granting them entry, the doors sliding shut behind them.

"The elevator is going to open up on the main floor," I informed as I scanned the sketch I'd made of the compound on my phone, "You'll be in the medical wing. The apartments are the first right, cafeteria and offices to the left. There are three security rooms before you hit those turns, so stay on alert." I listened to the soft silence.

I glanced at Stanton warily. He was standing beside Wren, watching me with his arms folded over his chest. Wren looked like he wanted to join me to study the image, but Stanton was very subtly blocking him with just his booted foot. Wren gave his father a look and Stanton just looked back at him innocently before he dropped a pair of sunglasses over his head.

I frowned, giving Stanton a quick once over.

The guy was huge.

Maybe not as bulky or intimidating as Hades or myself, but he was big enough to be a problem and big enough to take on anyone who dared to approach him. It made sense when his father was the Demon of Destruction, Xiphrus. It was interesting to see him in comparison to Rowan, though. They were brothers, and where Stanton was fit and strong and confident, Rowan was much thinner, leaner, and didn't walk with that confidence. He seemed to shy away from people quite a bit, which made sense considering his past.

Interesting that two completely different creatures could come from the same person.

"Alright," came Three's voice over the communication link and I listened intently, not hearing much background noise now, "We've landed six stories under. The pressure is a little uncomfortable. I forgot how much they pressurize this down here compared to the surface."

"Pressurize?" Yiuwa asked from beside Stanton. I nodded.

"It's just an effect from having our own ventilation system that is very limited. Not to mention, we're living underground. The surface world is... different, to say the least," I admitted with a shrug.

"The air outside tastes better," Five said and when it was followed by an awkward silence that was apparently accompanied by some weird stares from Three and Six because she scoffed, "I'm not crazy. Wait until we get outside again and you'll see what I mean."

"How does Styx air taste better," came Three's response and I wiped my hands down my face because I forgot how much this particular trio talked on missions, "It tastes like fast food and perfumes."

"No, it doesn't," Five disagreed, "I liked the air around Niko's house. It smells clean, and freshly tilled soil."

"Don't tell me you're gonna run into the woods now too," Three said and when Five made a rude noise, Three snorted, "What? It's like all of you are just running from one forest to another. What's wrong with having a normal house in a normal town?"

"You live in a luxury loft apartment in the middle of Styx's shopping district," Five deadpanned, "Not all of us like sparkly riches. Some of us just want to feel grass under our feet."

"Yeah, that's nice and all, but I kinda like the feel of—"

"I'm sorry," I said, cutting them off, "Are we on a family field trip? Are we planning a vacation here? Or are we in the middle of a rescue mission?" There were some sighs and I heard Wren laugh a little. I scowled at him as Stanton grinned and gave Wren an elbow to get serious. Wren just smiled at me now, and I was very confused about what the laughter involved.

"You remind us of Hades," Yiuwa said with a reassuring smile, like that was supposed to make me feel better and I grimaced.

"Ugh. You guys really aren't earning yourself brownie points where I'm concerned," I muttered, then shook my head before looking down at the sketch on my phone, "Have you reached the T-hall yet, or are you still in the main?"

"Main," Three answered, "We're moving slow. There's some noise in one of the security rooms. Not sure if it's suspicion or something else. We're gonna pause, give me two minutes." I said nothing as I listened to the silence on the other end. Everyone else was holding their breath too.

And then I heard the crash of a door. I cursed, lunging to my feet out of instinct to go in and help, but Wren caught my arm and Yiuwa caught the other, both of them holding me back.

"I have to—"

"No," Yiuwa ordered and I looked at him, bewildered that he would try and stop me, "That wasn't part of the plan. This is. I understand that they are your family and you love them very much, but sometimes we must have confidence in their abilities." I clenched my teeth and wanted to argue that, but he had a point.

I had seen Three, Six, and Five work in a perfectly seamless team before. I had spied on them from the balconies during training exercises in the past. I'd watched them perform multiple procedures as a fully functional communicative team. It was why they had stuck so close together growing up. They formed a bond long before the rest of us. The kind of bond a team needed when entering dangerous territory.

They knew what awaited them and they fucking went in anyway.

And for what?

To rescue the rest of the team.

I gritted my teeth. They were trained for this. They were trained and determined to get in there and get out as efficiently as possible. If that meant running into enemies and taking them down, they would do it.

I held my breath, listening to the turbulent sound of battle on the other end. I could feel my hands shaking, feel Darling writhing under my skin, pleading with me to get my ass in there to defend them. It was a physical need to be in there to help them.

For once, I was quite grateful Yiuwa and Wren were restraining me; otherwise, I had a feeling my stupid ass would go charging in there to try and help and probably fuck up the whole system we'd made.

All I could do was listen, and it was the worst feeling in the world.

I could hear grunts from impact, blows exchanged back and forth, shouting, cursing, and something crashed. It began to fade into a few low thumps.

"Progress report," I managed at last when I heard nothing more. I listened for a long minute, hearing gasps for breath and a muffled muttering. I couldn't distinguish who it was. It was making me anxious. I could feel my hands shaking as I reached for my phone again, but Wren pulled on my wrist and gave me a look that said to be patient. I wanted to argue that now wasn't the time for patience.

Except Three finally answered.

"Holy shit," he said at last, "Well."

"That better be a good thing," I answered immediately.

"Don't get your panties in a twist," Three replied, making me roll my eyes and wipe my hands down my face in frustration, "There were six people in the security room, so it took a second. Oh, but on the bright side, we found Garth."

"That's not who we were looking for," came Six's response.

"Maybe not you," Five snorted somewhere in the background.

"Anyway," Three drawled, "Security room A2 is clear. All security personnel are confirmed deceased, but we got a possible spell on the wall here. Might resurrect the corpses."

"How do you know that?" Wren asked over the com.

"Three's a nerd," Six answered.

"Fuck off," Three deadpanned, "Spells are my specialty. From the looks of the markings, I'd say this is some kind of ancient Mesopotamian zombie spell. We learned about it in class; our security personnel have back up plans for their back up plans. I'd say they were expecting something to possibly kill them, so to make sure they didn't fall permanently, they set the spell to make sure at least their bodies could defend the compound. Smart thinking on mommy's part."

"They set up the spell on purpose," I muttered.

"Unless you regularly see spell work in security locations," Three answered grimly, "So it sounds like they're expecting us. We've been compromised. What do you want us to do now? Keep going or double back?" I looked up at Stanton and Yiuwa. Neither of them spoke, just watched me like they were waiting for me to call the shots. I looked at Wren, who stared at me.

"Your call," he said firmly.

I wanted them back, I thought in agony. I wanted Three, Six, and Five back here right now. If we were compromised, what if there was a trap set for them? What if someone hurt them while they were in there?

But I couldn't abandon the others either.

I gritted my teeth.

"Hold your positions," I ordered, "Next team is coming in." Wren said nothing, just nodded and adjusted his belt. Stanton grimaced and looked at Yiuwa, who just inclined his head.

"Sounds like we're about to join the party," he said. Yiuwa nodded.

"It would seem that way," he answered.

"Can you do me a favor," Stanton asked, making Yiuwa look at him, "Don't let anything happen to my sons. Both of them. I need them both back. Not just for my sake when it comes to Alaric, but I'm actually unhealthily obsessed with them. The thought of neither of them coming back makes me wonder if I can single handedly destroy the universe." Yiuwa blinked for a second, then smiled.

"I will guard their lives with my own," he replied, earning a relieved smile from Stanton, "As I will guard my own children's lives. Peace be with you, Death. May you have plenty of souls to choose from when we're finished."

"Yeah, I got some nice hot seats in Gehenna waiting for some of those assholes in there," Stanton muttered, glancing toward the compound entrance. Yiuwa smiled at that. Wren looked at his dad.

"For the record, I'm not a weakling," he said, making Stanton smile at him grimly. Stanton came over and gave him a firm kiss on the forehead.

"I know," he answered, "I've seen you kick ass and take names with the best of them. But you never had someone else to worry about." Wren frowned and when Stanton glanced at me out of the corner of his eye, Wren sighed.

"If anything, dad," he said, looking up at Stanton, "You should be worried for every person in there who thinks they can even touch what belongs to me. In fact, I'd say I'm a lot better off with someone I'm willing to kill to protect." Stanton blinked and I looked at him when he stared at me, like he was still trying to wrap his head around the fact that Wren was that into me.

I was having trouble absorbing that too.

I wanted to believe this was all just a set up. After all, Wren found out who I was, infiltrated my mission to capture him and captured me instead. Surely he didn't see me as much more beyond that, and yet Darling was there to push back against every thought I had when it came to doubting Wren. The constant battle between Darling and myself was giving me a fucking migraine and I quickly pretended I didn't feel anything about Wren's confession.

"If we're done talking, let's go," I grunted, heading for the edge of the roof with Yiuwa while Wren shook his head and followed.

"Really, Wrenny," Stanton complained, "Really? He's so rude. He's just like Hades."

"Didn't Wrenny kind of have like a little thing for Hades when growing up," came Three's voice over the com and everyone stared at Wren, who flushed to the tips of his ears, "There's a lot of pictures of Wren just going goo-goo eyes over Hades. I don't mean it like, in a creepy way, but in a that was my first crush kind of way."

"I hope someone slams your head in a door," Wren managed, looking thoroughly embarrassed as he stalked over to the roof's edge. I quirked a brow at him.

"Did you really have a crush on Hades?" I asked. Wren glared.

"I was, like, eight, fuck off, and it wasn't a crush! I just thought he was cool!"

"I mean, you still think he's cool," Three offered.

"Oh my god," Wren moaned, covering his face with his hands. I smirked, amused.

"Ah, is that where the attraction is? Is that why I look so good in my uniform?" I asked teasingly, tucking my phone away and lifting my mask once more to hide my face. I had barely finished a chuckle when I felt Wren's open palm hit my ass so hard it actually cracked and I stiffened as Three whistled over the com.

"I heard that over the link," came Six's mumble. I looked at Wren, stunned as he glared at me with flushed cheeks of embarrassment. My ass cheek actually stung.

"Now we can both look stupid," he growled, then turned and stepped over the side of the roof to land in front of the doors. Yiuwa gave me a stern inclination of his head before he followed Wren down. I turned to look at Stanton, who stared back at me.

"I think I actually feel kind of bad for you," Stanton said, making me snort as I dropped my sunglasses, "Good luck. If Wren's spanks are anything like Alaric's, you're in for a real treat." I jumped down because I wasn't about to have that conversation with Wren's father in the middle of a rescue mission.

I landed gracefully between Yiuwa and Wren as we entered the building. The path was clear to the elevator, and the ride down was filled with awkward silence as I shifted, trying to get comfortable with the spank that was definitely going to leave a mark.

Not that I was complaining.

The elevator stopped and the doors slid open to reveal the familiar long white corridor of the compound. Down the hallway, I could see Three, Five, and Six leaving the security room and closing the door behind them. As we approached, I spotted a line of blood coming out of the room, making me frown.

"Beheaded 'em," Three answered, making me nod in understanding, "Hard to play necromancy without a head. They'll still come back, but it'll be easier to fight 'em this time around."

"And their limbs?" Yiuwa asked.

"Those too," Five said and when Three glanced at her with an arched brow, she looked back at him, "I'd lie and say it was out of necessity, but if I'm being honest, I just really hated Garth."

"Good for you," Three said, giving her a pat on the back, "Girl rage is a beautiful thing."

"Girl rage," Five echoed with a raised brow, her arms folded over her chest. Three just gave her a cheeky grin before looking up at me.

"Now, are we ready to get in there and get our family back?" He asked. I nodded, but wasn't feeling as confident as Three was at that moment. The compound was eerily quiet. I listened for any nearby voices, but it was hard to pinpoint the enemy when I could hear all the thoughts around me buzzing like a bunch of bees. It was actually enough to give me a bit of a headache and I grimaced, pressing my fingers against the center of my forehead.

"You okay?" Wren asked. It was like his eyes were glued to me.

Fuck.

"Mm," I answered, which wasn't much of an answer at all and made him scowl at me, but I switched back to business, "Alright, we need to get to the cafeteria. Six, take the lead as scout. I want Three and Five taking up the rear. Wren, middle with me and Yiuwa." Everyone nodded and we took up our positions.

Six gave me a nod when he was ready and easily faded into the background. He blended seamlessly against the wall and while I couldn't see him at all, and barely heard his thoughts with the constantly buzzing of other voices, Three didn't seem to have an issue at all.

He moved behind Six like he knew exactly where Six was at. Five followed behind Three and they disappeared around the first corridor ahead of us. We followed at a slow, cautious pace, eyeing every door with the potential for an enemy to jump out.

So far, things were moving way too smoothly.

They knew we were here, that much we learned, so what if they knew where we were going, what we were looking for? If mother knew I was behind this break-in, she could easily set a trap. At the same time, I still managed to pull off Hades's look so far, so she could just assume I was Hades and was probably setting a trap for him.

Hoping that was the case, we continued to follow them down the cafeteria where Six had stopped outside the doors and reappeared, gesturing for the rest of us to hurry along to his side.

"What've you got?" I murmured on the other side of the doors from Six, who peered in and got a better angle than me.

"No one. Place is empty."

"Hold," I ordered. Six nodded and held his position. I held my fist up for the others to hold position and they obeyed. I moved from my position first, taking slow steps until I was in front of the double doors. Six was watching me warily from the side and I watched Three scowl from behind him, confused by my hesitation. Six didn't trust me, and it wasn't because of my relationship with mother.

In his mind's eye, I caught a flash of our conversation in the hallway of the palace with the others. I had swung my hand out in a gesture and it was long enough for Six to get a view of my wrists, a rugged map of self-harm.

I zoned back in to see Six's narrowed eyes on my face, his mind processing that image as he gave me a hard stare. Almost like he was daring me to do something.

It was honestly so cute.

Misplaced, but cute.

I looked through the little window into the cafeteria and sure enough, it was empty at first glance. I did a quick scan, noticing the tables were all neatly folded up for the day, the panels down over the serving buffet, with only the generator lights on as a soft glow. I touched my phone in my pocket, took a deep breath, then pushed the doors open and walked inside.

I tensed everyone tensing around me, all of them lunging to their feet, but holding their positions when I gave them the hand sign. They paused as did I, only for a moment and I touched my phone again.

"Show yourselves," Hades's voice echoed in the room. I felt everyone's eyes on me as I scanned the room around us. "We mean no harm to the artificials. We came on behalf of your families." There was a long pause, as if everyone in the room was terrified of what was to follow.

I touched my phone in my pocket as I scanned the room.

"We have someone you may be interested in speaking with," Hades's voice continued, followed by another long pause, "His name is Jasper." Wren was reaching for my arm, probably with the intention to throw me over his knee and while that would've been great any other time, now wasn't that time, so I took a step forward to get away from him at the same time there was a happy cry that broke my heart.

"Yes!" It was Polly.

"Polly, no!" Kali's gasp was pure terror. She had no idea it was me behind the voice, but I didn't say anything to alleviate her concerns as I started toward the kitchen area where I'd heard their voices. Now I just heard Kali's panicked gasps as she scrambled to get away.

I was faster, coming around the corner to see her immediately put herself between her enemies and Polly and Elias, who were behind her. Kali had her arms flung out, her fangs bared as I came into the doorway with the rest of the team hurrying behind me, doing a quick scout of the area to make sure we weren't walking into a trap. I didn't move as Kali glared at me breathlessly.

I could smell her fear, her panic, and it agitated Darling. He practically seared my insides as a warning to back off. He probably sensed Kali's Beast surging as a response to her panic.

And it was Darling's response to Kali's that made Kali pause.

She stared at me, her eyes widening slowly in realization.

She knew it was me.

Her eyes immediately welled up and I knew she was resisting the urge to come running to me and it took everything I had not to scoop her into my arms and let her know she was safe... but I couldn't lie to her. She wasn't safe until we got out of here and I couldn't reveal my face on camera. Luckily, the audio recording was only available in certain areas of the compound, which included the cafeteria.

"We mean you no harm," my phone said. I glanced over my shoulder, giving Five a look that gave her permission to go first. Kali would fucking murder any strange male that put a hand on her, and I wasn't about to risk anyone on the team... except maybe Three, who Kali only knew from a distance. The same was said for Six.

Five came forward and Kali tensed, glancing at me like she was seeking confirmation and I nodded.

Trust her, I sent to Kali and she blinked, then slowly turned to Five, who gave her a reassuring smile, holding her hand out.

"I'm not as mean as I pretend to be," she offered when Kali hesitated. Kali worried at her bottom lip and I could see Polly getting anxious behind her, eyeing us all. She and Elias had never met any of the other artificials. We were all strangers, except Jasper.

And right now, I couldn't be Jasper.

"How are we doing on the enemy front?" My phone asked in Hades's voice. Wren gave me an odd look at that, but I just shook my head to let him know I didn't want to talk about it. He dropped it and looked at Three, who was frowning down at the security tablet he'd grabbed at the security office.

"Mm, looks like no alerts yet," he said as Five encouraged Kali gently to take her hand in the background, "But that doesn't mean much. This is only a digital feed. For all I know, we could have tripped something when we entered. On the digital front, it looks all clear to retreat."

I didn't answer, just nodded, then turned as Kali finally got up and was helping Polly to her feet. Polly looked so small and emaciated. Even with all the food we'd managed to sneak her, it wasn't enough to give her strength. That, or her vessel was just deteriorating that fast. The thought terrified me, even more so when Polly finally settled on her feet, only to crumple back to the floor, unconscious.

It took all my power to remain rooted in place as Kali made a noise of fear, catching Polly before she could really hit the floor hard.

"Move, I got it," Three said, shoving the tablet at Six, who gasped as he looked down at it nervously, "Five, give me that stupid purse."

"Pretty sure Hades called it an EMT bag."

"It's a purse."

No one said anything as Five thrust the bag at Three, who took it as he zoomed right over to where Kali was gently holding Polly across her lap. My heart broke at seeing Kali's eyes well with tears, a few strays falling down her cheeks as she looked up at Three, who looked surprisingly serious as he took out the stethoscope from the bag.

"You're a healer now?" Kali asked with a helpless sniffle.

"Does that surprise you?" He asked without looking up, frowning as he moved the end of the scope over Polly's chest. Kali just nodded. Three gave her a half-smile, then went back to frowning as he moved it over her chest.

"She's breathing fine, but it's shallow," he said, putting the scope away, "Heart rate is slow."

"She's on medication," Kali said when I didn't speak and she glanced at me to get a nod to go ahead and give more information, "One of them is a magic-blocker. It makes her heart rate slower than average."

"Does she sleep a lot?" Three asked, taking out a syringe and a vial of pain reliever. Kali tensed, looking anxiously at me, but I shook my head to let her know everything was okay and she couldn't interfere. I couldn't risk speaking and giving away my position, just in case. She seemed to understand, but I knew not having me to speak for her was unnerving.

It broke my heart, because that wasn't the Kali I knew. My Kali was vocal, stubborn, cautious sure, but not this scared. That's what this place was fucking doing to her.

"What are you doing?" It was Yiuwa murmuring in my ear as Three gave Polly a quick dose of pain meds and took some notes from Kali in the moment on behalf of Hades. I didn't answer Yiuwa, and he seemed to understand that I wasn't going to, but instead of fucking right off, he took that as an opportunity to talk.

"Jasper," Yiuwa said in a soft tone while everyone was occupied with Polly's health and keeping an eye on security, "I don't know what you intend to do, masquerading as Hades, but surely it has nothing to do with the garbage disposal chute that goes up, while the rest of us retreat the way we came." I didn't answer that either, of course.

"It doesn't have to be like this," Yiuwa murmured and I tensed, but rightfully kept my mouth shut, "We can help. I am not extending my assistance as any sort of obligation of parenthood, if that's what you're thinking. I understand our relationship is... well, non-existent. But we cannot hope to defeat Hera alone. Neither one of us, not me, not you, not Hades. Hera is more than just Hera alone, and I know you know that. She has armies. Hades needs to gather his, and he needs someone who knows Hera as well as he does. Someone who can help him lead the fight against her, to keep their families and their loved ones safe as well. Because if you feel just handing them off to Hades ensures their safety permanently, you are sorely mistaken."

I stiffened and snapped my head around to glare at him.

Excuse me? I projected to him. Yiuwa met my glare with one of his own.

"Hades needs help," he said, keeping his voice low, "He can't defeat Hera on his own, which is exactly what he tries to do every time something like this happens. He needs our help, Jasper, and so do you. We help you, you help us. That is all I am asking. I am not asking for your love and devotion. I am asking for an alliance."

I turned back to Yiuwa.

Does Hades know you're plotting something behind his back? I asked. Yiuwa pressed his lips into a firm line.

We are not plotting behind his back. We are simply preparing a plan B... when Hades's plan to convert Hera fails.

Wow, that's a lot of confidence you have in your hero.

It is not a lack of confidence in Hades that I feel, Yiuwa projected to me with a stern frown, it is a complete lack of confidence where Hera is concerned. She will never grow up, never learn from her mistakes, never take accountability for her actions, her behaviors. Hades hopes for her, because he helped raise her. In his eyes, she can be saved. A very unfortunate personality trait for Hades is having hope where it's wasted. I studied him as he stared back at me.

Perhaps it wasn't as backstabby as I thought, but it didn't change the fact that Yiuwa seemed awfully intent on making sure I went back with them. I could lie and tell him I planned to join them, pretend I had no idea what he was talking about, but in the end, Yiuwa wasn't an idiot.

I smiled, grateful he couldn't see my expression through the mask.

You keep reassuring me that none of this is you pretending to be my daddy, I said psychically, making Yiuwa frown slowly as I glanced at him, amused, but it sounds more like you're trying too hard to pretend that's not how you see me. In the end, you can't help, but worry. It's cute, but it's not necessary. You say Hades's worst trait is wasting hope on the wrong people. You may not have contributed to Hades's creation, but fuck if you two don't share some of the most annoying qualities. Yiuwa scowled at that as I turned to where Three was putting all of his supplies away, touching my phone.

"How are we on security?" Hades's voice asked. Three glanced at me warily while Six studied the tablet with a frown.

"Nothing yet, which is very unusual. It's almost three a.m. That's the first shift for the apartment security rounds," he said, looking up. Everyone, but Yiuwa and Wren tensed at that. I felt like an ice cube was sliding into my stomach as I turned to where Three and Kali were staring at each other. Even Elias was pale, latching onto Kali's arm.

"It's happening again," he whimpered, pressing his face against Kali's arm and Kali looked at him nervously. I cursed inwardly before touching my phone.

"Retreat," Hades's voice ordered. Everyone moved fast; Three grabbed his stuff and reached for Polly, but Kali hesitated to hand her over. I came forward, because we didn't have time, quickly scooping Polly out of her arms and she gasped, looking up at me in alarm. I nudged my head toward Elias for her to worry about him and she nodded, shooting to her feet and pulling Elias with her. I turned to Five with Polly, handing her over gently and giving Five a look, but Five was already meeting my stare.

I can't hear you, but I know you can hear me; she's safe with me. I will die before I let anyone touch a hair on her head. I give you my word. I swallowed a lump in my throat, because I didn't exactly want to hear that. I wanted them both to be safe, but I couldn't say that. I just turned away and gave Six a nod to indicate we were ready to depart. He handed the tablet back to Three before he went chameleon and crept to the doors.

At the same time, I heard Elias ask what that noise was.

Abruptly, it felt like my eardrums were rupturing. Pure agony exploded in my skull and I stumbled, trying to catch myself on something and I felt someone grab my arm, but they weren't nearly strong enough on their own to stop the fall. I slammed into the floor hard, reaching for my ears where I felt something hot and wet sliding down the sides of my head.

Suddenly, I couldn't hear a thing. The pain was blinding and when I looked up, I couldn't make out the sudden rush of shapes moving around me. I gasped, throwing my hand out to grab onto the floor and push myself up, only for someone to suddenly cover me with their body.

Bewildered, I looked up, blinking rapidly as tears of pain slid down my face. Wren was covering me with one arm and his body, his other arm outstretched as he sent a blast of magic sailing through the air and colliding with someone decked out in mother's scrubber uniform.

Ah fuck.