It's that time of the year again; my birthday!

Enjoy the chapter Xx

My portal shot me out with an impatient wrath- it could feel my deep desire to rush and complied without me even having to truly think about it.

I was thrown onto the damp soil; my feet already running the second they touched the ground. The earth was still wet from the earlier rainfall and a string of lightning volleyed across the horizon. The storm hadn't passed just yet.

My mind raced forward and my feet followed obediently. I ran into the bustling crowd of people; the market was alight with crowds and laughter. When a young girl recognised my face, she lifted her hand up to point at me and loudly exclaimed; "Look! It's Tea!"

A few people ignored her, but the majority whipped their heads around and tried to get a look. The crowd started to narrow in on me and I took a step back when a group of women and men rushed up, cheering.

"You're amazing!"

"My daughter loves you so much!"

"You're going to the Labyrinth next, right? I can't wait!"

"I actually hope you make it!"

I pushed past the gathering crowd. Some of them held up their hands to touch my ponytail and others were so forward as to grab my hand and pull me back into the whirlwind horde.

I snarled at the pesky mortals and some of them shot back, but then gasped and cheered even louder. They liked this whole warrior act, but right now, it was anything but an act. I was frantic with anger and dread.

Erebus is here. What is he doing here?

I managed to untangle myself from the throng of entertainment-hungry fans and bolted straight for the back alleyways. I ran as fast as my legs could carry me across the large city. The Palm hotel's tall, pointed roof came into view and I quickly slipped back onto the main road. The residents walking past didn't even have a chance to recognise me when I sprinted past them and through the front gates.

The twins were my first concern. I rushed to Claudeus and Casseus' room and knocked loudly; "Cas! Claw!" I didn't wait for an answer.

I swung open the door and pushed through the archway, but my eyes found more than I'd bargained for.

Casseus was stark naked and standing in front of the queen-sized bed.

We stared at each other, until he finally snapped out of the shock and grabbed a pillow to cover himself. "W-what the hell?"

Keya's wide eyes looked at me with surprise, but then she cleared her throat at the awkward silence and chuckled softly to herself. "She can join, if you want?" She said to my brother, while she held the thin sheet that covered her naked chest and eyed me with an approving look.

Casseus hissed at her; "She's my sister!"

Keya's eyes widened and she looked between the two of us with disbelief; "Oh! Oh. I... I had no idea?" Of course she didn't. We weren't even supposed to know each other here- Casseus was Manos' personal servant and I was a competitor. We definitely weren't supposed to be related.

"What now?" Casseus asked me with a hint of anger beneath the annoyance. He gestured with his head to Keya, who was lounging on the bed. "I'm a tad busy here..."

"Well, you need to finish up." I picked up Keya's silky dress from the floor and threw the light pink material onto the bed with a furious look. "We're in danger."

"How in the hell did you get out of the compound?" Keya asked as she grabbed her dress and eyed me with suspicion.

I growled at her; "Get dressed and get the fuck out of my brother's room."

Keya shot Casseus a look, but then shrugged and did as she was told, but her mistrustful eyes lingered on me. Casseus sighed in frustration; "You know, when people knock, they usually wait for an answer before they just barge in-"

"Grandfather is here."

Casseus' words died on the tip of his tongue. He stammered for words. "W-what did you just say...?"

"Grandfather; he's here, in Mania."

"Family reunion?" Keya remarked snarkily under her breath as she slipped on her shoes.

We ignored her. Casseus stepped forward, completely forgetting that he was still holding up a pillow to cover his front. "Are you sure? How do you know?"

My eyes darted to Keya. I didn't want her anywhere near my little brother, never mind listening in on a very private matter. I grabbed her by the arm and pulled her up off the bed.

Keya snarled at me and tugged her arm right back with annoyance. "Do not touch me-"

"Get out." I snapped at her and threw open the door. I pointed my finger at the exit and she lifted her nose in the air, eyeing me from underneath her lashes.

"Thank you for the Port, Casseus." The madam said with a smooth tone and shot my brother a wink over her shoulder. "Perhaps we'll finish up later?"

"Perhaps not." I pushed her out of the room and slammed the door onto her ass. My arms crossed over my chest and I glared at my brother.

Casseus sighed loudly and lifted his eyes to the ceiling; "Yes, yes... Don't fraternize with the enemy. I got it." He shook his head before I could reply; "Now what's this about Erebus?"

"I saw him."

Casseus frowned at me; "Theia, you don't even know what he looks like-"

"Yes. I do. We both do." My hands flew up as I tried to explain the gravity of our situation. "The statue in the terrace garden, at the palace. It's a statue of him. Remember?"

Casseus' eyes widened and his gaze drafted from mine. He opened his mouth into a big circle. "Oh..."

"Yes, oh." I scoffed at my brother, but honestly, it was more of a dig at myself. I was furious. How could I not have seen this before? What else was I missing? "We need to tell the others."

"Yes, yes, of course..." My brother stepped towards the door, but I held up my hand and pointed to the pillow covering his... package. He looked down and clicked. "Uh, right. After I change."

"Where are the rest?"

Casseus was looking around the room, trying to gather is clothes while also trying very hard to keep the pillow from moving too much. "Uh, Claw is at the palace with Manos and the rest are probably with their targets too."

"Other than Narray..." I eyed my brother with a glare. He shrugged at me, clearly no wanting to discuss the obvious. I growled at him; "What was Keya doing here?"

"I don't know, Theia; what do you think?" Casseus replied sarcastically and accidentally moved his hands up, taking the pillow with him.

I gasped and covered my eyes and Casseus made a 'whoops' sound and quickly moved his hands back down. "Sorry."

"Look, just keep your 'glass of Port' to yourself and try not to sleep with anymore of the targets, okay?"

"Yes, yes..." Casseus picked up his socks and impatiently gestured to the door. "Now get out so I can get dressed. We need to get to the others."

"You do that. Tell them to be on high alert and to keep a low-profile. I'm heading to the compound to warn Malreus and Simos." I turned on my heel and reached for the door handle.

"Theia," Casseus quickly interjected. I turned around at the sound of his voice; he looked nervous. "What was he like?"

The room was bathed in silence as my gaze dropped to the floor and my hand hovered over the handle of the door. What had he been like?

My head shook from side to side, until I managed to think of the appropriate words to his question . "He was... tall."

Casseus watched me with a hesitant expression- there was a sense of reservation and fear behind his blue eyes. He tilted his head like our father often did and asked; "Tall?"

"Tall." I nodded and met his worried stare.

What could I say about the man- no, the legend- that was our paternal grandfather? All the stories and the tales about him... The rumours running around, the fear in people's eyes at the mention of his name...

I didn't know what to think. Of course, I wouldn't. I didn't know him.

We didn't know him at all.

Casseus nodded and softly asked; "Do you think he'd hurt you? Us?"

I didn't have the answers he wanted. I knew I was the oldest and supposedly the wisest, but these questions Casseus was asking me were far beyond my reach and understanding. I knew as little as he did about Erebus, the god of deep darkness.

He really did live up to his title- a deep darkness of unknowing.

"I'm not sure. But," I quickly added, tutting my finger in the air at my younger brother. I fixed him with steel eyes. "The fact alone that we don't know if he'd hurt us means that you and Claw need to stay away from him. Are we clear?"

Casseus nodded, but stared at me with hard eyes. "And you?"

I pushed down on the handle and dropped my eyes to the floor with finality. I met his gaze and simply said; "Listen to your sister." I stepped forward, but quickly threw my head back to add; "And put some damn clothes on."

I stood with my hand in the air and my breath shakily trapped at the small opening between my lips.

Silently, I prayed to all the gods that either only Simos or Malreus stood behind this door, but in my gut I knew this wasn't going to be that easy.

I had neglected to tell Malreus about my kiss with Simos- and after much thought, I suppose it wasn't the worst of sins, but what truly made all of this so much harder to face was the fact that I strongly believed that both men were now whole-heartedly in love with me.

And that was frankly not something I had bargained with.

The thought of Malreus being head over heels for me sparked a light inside of me that I'd never felt before, but with Simos... It was so different. I didn't feel giddy or happy- I felt sad. I didn't want that; not with him. So I had to make this right.

I wrapped my hand around the knob and twisted it.

The door flew open to reveal a dark head of hair.

Malreus.

His eyes lifted up to the door and our stares met with a moment of crisp silence. I saw a flash of anger and then he dropped his eyes back to the letter that he held in his hand.

There it was- betrayal. I never thought I'd see Malreus look at me like that.

"Mal..." I closed the door behind me and moved towards him. I scanned the room to check if we were alone. All the bedroom doors were closed and the compound was oddly quiet.

Malreus moved away from me, but left the letter he was reading on the table. He gestured to it with his hand; "For you. The last part of the poem."

My eyes darted to the white piece of paper. It was Casseus' handwriting- I could tell. He had a beautiful signature and he curved his 'D's and 'E's with elegance. Claudeus was always rushed when he wrote- his mind thinking about other things while he moved the pen.

"Mal," I refocused my attention on the man across from me. His thoughts and feelings were more important to me right now.

But he refused to let me get close; "Tell me honestly," Malreus glared at me with reserved anger, but I saw the flicker of pain behind his hard mask. "Did you think I wouldn't find out?"

"What?" I asked softly and shook my head; "No... No! Of course not! I was going to tell you, I swear." I moved forward and he moved back.

"Do you love him?" Malreus asked, his expression filled with pain. My eyes widened with surprise at the mere thought. "Do you love Simos?"

"Malreus, listen to yourself." I scoffed at him and leaned back; "I don't have any feelings for Simos; none."

"You could've fooled me." Malreus turned around; heading straight for his bedroom. I quickly leapt forward and pulled him back by his wrist.

"Malreus!" I yelled at him to stay put and he tried to pry my hand from his wrist, but I latched on tighter and pushed my face close to his. "Kissing Simos was a mistake and I was confused- about everything. That's no excuse for it, but you have to believe me when I tell you that I had no idea how you felt about me. If you even..." My words trailed off at the end and I had to stop myself.

Malreus frowned and stopped dead; "If I even what, Theia?"

My eyes lifted to his and I quietly asked; "If you even have feelings for me."

Malreus' eyes widened and his shoulders dropped a bit. It looked like I'd deflated him with my mere words. He scoffed in my face, but then, instead of backing away, he stepped forward. His lips smothered mine before I had the chance to react to our sudden intimacy.

His lips were desperate and his hands wrapped around my upper arms to keep my in place. Malreus' words were muffled by our passion. "How could you even think that?"

My hands reached up to hold his face; his dark stubble scrapping against my palms. "I'm sorry for the pain I caused you-"

"It's alright; how could you have known that I've loved you for so long?" Malreus whispered against the heat of my breath and I felt my stomach churn at his words. He loved me. He really did love me...

"I love you so much!" I pressed my lips firmly against his and felt his smile grow under the force of my kiss. Malreus wrapped his arms around my waist and held me close. "Theia..."

We kissed slowly and then more roughly, but when Malreus moved back and tried to push me down onto the large sofa in the middle of the living room, I quickly broke off our heated kiss. "Wait..."

"Right, right- sorry. The bed rather-" He moved to pull me towards my bedroom, but I hastily interjected his one-track thought process.

"No, we can't."

"It's fine. Simos went to see his mother- we're alone." Malreus pounced for my lips, but I evaded the attack and put my hands on his chest to keep him off of me so I could speak. "No, I mean we can't because something happened."

Malreus' lust-filled eyes darkened with a different emotion; "Are you okay? Are you hurt?" He fussed over my like he usually did- it's good to see that nothing's truly changed. Though, the sex was a nice add-on.

"I'm fine, but I need to tell you something." I gestured for Malreus to sit down and he crossed his arms over his chest. "It's fine-"

"I think you'll want to sit down for this."

He eyed me with a worried look and did as I asked. I sat down across from him and breathed in a shaky breath. "I met a man at Manos' palace yesterday." Or today. I couldn't quite remember- so much has happened since the third trail and our nights and days were already messed up.

"When you were watching us?"

I nodded and scanned the room again. I hoped that we were well and truly alone. "I met him at the fountain, outside the king's balcony. I had no idea who he was, but he knew who I was. He knew I was a goddess."

"What? How?" Malreus scooted forward and took my hand in his.

"I had no idea, but then... I went to speak with Xon. It was odd and she was strangely interested in me and my family; things that shouldn't matter. She's the queen, after all. Why would she care about another one of Manos' contestants?"

"There's something about her that I find a bit..." Malreus thought about the right word to use. "Dishonest. "

"Me too. I felt it too." I squeezed Mal's hand and added; "I think she had a hand in her husband's murder. I think she planned the whole thing with Manos."

Malreus' eyes widened a bit and he leaned back; "Do you really think she would sacrifice her children like that too? And then... Why not Simos?"

"She said something to me, when we spoke earlier... It was odd and caught my attention." I tried to recount her exact words and the way she had said them. "I've lost one try at perfection due to obsession; I'm not losing another."

Malreus frowned and his eyes involuntarily dropped to the ground in deep thought. "What could she possibly mean by that? And didn't she have more than two children? If she's already lost one to obsession- whatever that even means- then wouldn't that imply that she only ever had two children to start with?"

"Yes, but Simos mentioned three siblings. They were four all together. Unless..." I shook my head and dropped my hands in my head. "We need to go to her. I need to find out how she knows who I am; right now."

"Theia." Malreus placed a hand on my knee when I tried to stand up from the couch. His dark blue eyes were sombre, but gentle. "I know you don't want to hear this, but... Simos-"

"Simos might be lying to me, yes." I nodded with steel eyes and blinked, trying to ready myself for that possibility. "I know. I realise that there are too many inconstancies. Someone is being deceitful."

Malreus nodded; grateful that I understood and that I was keeping a clear mind. It made things so much easier now; knowing that Malreus and I were in love and that the connection I shared with Simos was something entirely different.

If Simos had been lying to me- to all of us- this entire time, then I would be deeply saddened. I truly trusted him and wanted to help him in his self-sacrificing quest, but if this was some ploy to get me to lower my guard and if he was working with Erebus in some way... I shook my head and tried to push these thoughts from my mind.

If that was the case, then I would deal with it then and in that moment.

I patted Malreus' hand on my knee and confidently said; "Let's go speak with the queen- I think she has some explaining to do."

Malreus pulled me into the corner of the dark chamber and I was about to turn to him with a confused expression, but he quickly lifted a finger to his mouth and gestured with his chin to the small opening in the door.

I leaned sideways and peered into the room. Simos and Xon were arguing, or so it seemed?

Malreus and I shared a look and stepped closer. There were no guards nearby; only in the front of the chamber, where we'd snuck through. Xon had clearly dismissed her private guards that followed her everywhere she went, because the pool area was empty- only Simos and the queen herself stood beside the large statue of an old Greek vase.

"Why do you stay with him then?" Simos yelled at his mother with anger. "If you hate Manos so much, why do you tolerate his sick games?"

"Because he is good for this kingdom." Xon said with finality and lifted her hand to silence her son. "Understand that, Simos. And do not speak to me like that. I am your mother."

"You were my mother until you sent your own children away to be devoured!"

Xon's eyes widened and she stepped back from her only son. She hissed at him like a snake; "You still believe that I had a hand in that? That I would let my own flesh and blood be taken from me?"

"You know what?" Simos swallowed and turned around, crossing his arms. Malreus and I leaned back, shrouding ourselves deeper in the shadows. "I used to think you were innocent in all of this and that Manos tricked you and took you against your own will, but I can see the way you watch the games. I can see the way you don't care about those people."

"Don't be dramatic." Xon scoffed, but her anger wasn't as high as I thought it was. If my only son had just accused me of being a sadistic liar, I would be furious and deeply hurt. She looked annoyed. "The games aren't that hard, are they?"

Simos turned around in a fury and stared at his mother with shock; "I'm risking my life to kill that beast that your new husband has brought upon this land and all you can say is 'the games aren't that hard'?"

Xon rolled her eyes at him; "You're strong, Simos. Haven't you noticed how strong you are? But you will not enter the Labyrinth. That is where I draw the line."

"And I listen to you, clearly." Simos scoffed at her and turned to leave.

"Tell me you noticed it." Xon grabbed his arm and Simos tugged it back with a scowl. "Noticed what?"

"The strength? The endurance you possess."

Simos frowned and he shook his head; "What are you going on about this time?"

Malreus and I shared a quick look. My best friend leaned in and whispered; "Xon is right, Theia. Simos... Simos is more durable than most mortals- I noticed it during our trial."

"Me too." I nodded with wide eyes. "What does that mean?"

"Did she curse him? Put a spell around him?"

I shrugged when Malreus suggested the answer. Perhaps she had. That begged the question of whether or not Xon was a witch? Had she brought this werewolf upon the land or had Manos? Or was this beast compelling them both to serve it and its bloodthirsty ways?

Xon shook her head at her only remaining son. "Do you honestly think I would've let you compete in these games if I didn't think you'd survive them?"

"Mater," Simos bit down on his teeth. "It's not up to you what I decide."

"Yes, it is. And I order you to drop this damned revenge plot you have and reconcile with your uncle."

Simos laughed loudly and stepped away from his mother's touch. He glared at her with a sickening wrath; "I was an adolescent when my older siblings were taken from me, but I remember some things very clearly. Like it happened yesterday." Simos pointed an accusing finger at Xon. "You barely cried when they were plucked from your side. I knew you were a cold woman, but this? This dark side of you is growing every year and I can't tell if it's Manos that's made you so cruel or if I've just always ignored what's been staring me in the face all these years."

Xon was quiet for a few seconds. Malreus and I waited with bated breaths for her reply. "They weren't my children."

Simos took a step back. Malreus glanced at me with a shocked look, but my eyes were fixed on Xon. She looked so calm...

"What-"

"They weren't mine." Xon said with a shrug and folded her hands in front of her dress. She stared at Simos with an expressionless look. "Your father had many whores and I didn't want any children with him."

Simos swallowed hard and his eyes darted down in silent shock. "I..."

Xon carried on, giving him no chance to compose himself. "But then I thought about children I'd let down before and I thought that perhaps I could try one last time. You were my last chance at success." Xon shook her head; disappointment filled her eyes; "But once again, you're just like the others. I should've known a half-breed wasn't going to work..."

She was talking to herself more than to her own son- not that it looked like Simos was even listening to her. He was staring at the marble floor, his eyes wide and filled with disbelief. He'd just discovered that his entire life was a lie.

I couldn't stand it. I darted into the room before Malreus could pull me back towards the shadows.

"Simos." I called to him and both his and his mother's eyes ran to mine. Xon smiled sadly and closed her eyes. "Ah. And here comes the problem again."

I ignored her and reached for Simos, but he held up his hand to keep me away. His eyes held betrayal.

Malreus stepped forward, but he was in no rush to get involved in this family squabble. He kept to his space at the entrance of the room.

"What are you doing here?" Simos asked with a soft, defeated voice. His eyes darted from mine and then to Mal's with apprehension.

"She's interfering. It's what she does best." Xon said with a bit of a bite.

My glare met hers and I snapped at her; "You should be ashamed of yourself! You're no mother to him- to anyone."

"You'd be surprised..." She whispered back, but her ominous words made no sense to me.

"Theia," Simos shook his head and gestured to the door. "Just leave. I don't need your help anymore. The mission's done."

"What?" I snarled at him. "You're just giving up? Now; when we're at the end-"

"I've had enough!" Simos yelled at me and the room died down. "I just... I don't want to do this anymore. Everything I thought I knew was wrong and frankly," Simos glowered at me with a deeply hurt expression. "I don't want talk to you."

He was hurt. He thought that we'd shared something more than just friendship, but I couldn't give him what he wanted. Not like that. "Simos-"

"You know what?" Simos said loudly, interrupting me with hidden anger. "You win, Mal. Happy?" He clapped his hands at the dark figure standing behind me.

Malreus was just watching Simos with dead eyes. He said nothing; just crossed his arms over his chest and stared. He knew Simos was hurting; there was no point in rubbing salt in his wounds.

I tried again. "Simos... I'm sorry-"

Simos scoffed; "For a minute there, I actually thought you were sincere." His eyes found mine and all I saw was pain; "I think I loved you, Theia."

My expression dropped and the words froze at the tip of my tongue.

Malreus' eyes widened and his face pulled up into a deep, troubled look. Xon, however, didn't look surprised at all. She actually started to laugh.

Simos darted his head around to stare at his mother. The three of us glared at her as she chuckled to herself and lifted a hand to her mouth to cover her amusement.

Simos hissed at her; "You find your son's pain funny?"

"Oh, no, no. I find the situation quite amusing, actually." She grinned at him- like she knew something that none of us did.

"You're a viper." I said coolly and stared at her with silent hatred. I wasn't prone to falling into the hole of loathing someone, but this woman was riling me up in a way I'd never felt before. She was pushing her limits and from the look on her face, she knew it.

"And so is your mother." Xon said calmly. My eyes widened and we stared at each other, until Malreus asked the question we were all thinking. "How do you know Queen Aurora?"

Xon scoffed at the mention of my mother and fixed her eyes on me, but they weren't filled with hatred or annoyance, no... She looked like she was trying to figure me out. I examined her with the same curiosity.

"What is going on, mother?" Simos asked quickly, "What else aren't you telling me? Is Manos really my father?"

Xon replied calmly; her eyes still watching me. "No, he is not. Your father was the mortal king, Manikrous. That I never lied about."

"And his mother?" I asked with a soft, but stern voice.

Xon smiled thinly. "His mother is Xon."

Simos and Malreus shared a look; momentarily forgetting about their intense feud. My eyes remained on Xon, watching her every move. She looked like she was holding in something incredibly important- a secret no one else knew.

"And who is Xon?" I asked again. The chambers were quiet as we waited for the queen to answer my question. She let it hang there in the air- her smile growing with delight.

She liked this- being the one in control.

"What is 'Xon' backwards?" She asked no one in particular; her eyes scanning our three faces.

I replied quickly; "Nox."

Xon waited for me to continue. The men looked to me for answers, but I was thinking. Simos darted his eyes between the two of us and quickly asked; "What is any of this about-"

"Nox." I said again and my eyes widened. I knew it sounded familiar. I knew I knew that name. "The Roman goddess of the night. The Roman equivalent of-" My throat closed and I froze solid.

My eyes found hers and like clockwork; the queen's golden brown eyes faded to a bright, brilliant yellow.

She was smiling at me with an expression of admiration, but the blaring siren inside my screaming head was shouting at me to run.

"Nyx." Malreus finished my sentence.

"Well done." Nyx said with a smile and laughed; "Took you quite a while."

Simos stared at his mother with shock and horror and then his eyes darted to mine. He shook his head and stepped towards her; "I don't understand... I... What is..."

"You-" I said loudly, but I had no idea what I actually wanted to say to her. All I knew was that I was so unbelievably angry. "Why?"

"You wouldn't understand why, child." Nyx replied with a semi-pleading tone, her eyes searching mine. "You just wouldn't."

"What is going on?" Simos yelled loudly and stepped away from the both of us. "I don't understand."

"You're my son, Simos. That's all you need to understand." Nyx sighed, but Malreus wasn't going to let her words hang. He quickly added; "And you're a demi-god."

Simos' eyes widened. He looked to me for answers and then to Nyx; when he found none, he turned to Malreus. The prince of the Underworld gave in and tried to explain as best he could; "Your mother is a goddess- a primordial. Your father was a mortal. You're... a demi-god, Simos. You clearly age like any mortal, but you're healing factor is far stronger. You're... stronger than most humans."

"I don't..." He stepped towards me, with his eyes on Malreus. He grabbed my shoulder for support. "Is this true?" Even after the betrayal he felt from my actions, Simos still turned to me for the truth.

I nodded my head; "It does make sense, Simos. You survived all those falls and those fights. You managed to evade all of Estra's assassination attempts..."

"But... This can't be?" He said softly; it was a mere whisper.

Nyx watched us with calm, but calculating eyes. She was waiting for something or other.

Suddenly, a new thought crossed my mind. I jumped away from Simos, his hand falling to his side. He shot his head towards me and quickly asked; "What is it?"

The abrupt and nauseating realisation crossed my mind and all I could do was blurt out- "You're my uncle!"

Simos' eyes popped with utter shock. Nyx didn't seem to think anything was strange or weird and Malreus started to laugh. That's right- Malreus was laughing!

I swung my head around to ogle him with a dark and angry glower, but her couldn't care less. He smirked at Simos and his voice was laced with a deep tone of satisfaction and delight at the young man's misery. "What did you say about my parents earlier? 'That is repulsive'?" Malreus pointed to the space between the two of us, wiggling his finger with a smug expression. "Didn't you just admit that you had some very strong feelings for your niece?"

"Shut the hell up!" Simos barked at him with fury and I pressed him back with a hand to his chest.

"Just don't, Theia!" Simos pushed my hand away; he was utterly disgusted by our touch. To be frank, so was I at this point. Oh, gods! I kissed my uncle! Ugh!

"You kissed me!" I shouted at him with annoyance- why was I feeling guilty? Dammit! I knew why! I'd allowed him to!

"How could I have known that we're related?" He shouted right back and ran a hand through his hair. "Gods, this is all kinds of fucked up!"

"Enough." Nyx said with a commanding tone and the three of us swung our heads to the side to stare at her. She had one of the most commanding presences- I saw so much of my father in her. It was frightening.

Now, looking at her- really looking at her- I saw the resemblance. They had the same smile. The same features. She really was a beautiful woman, but her heart... I couldn't see it past all the black surrounding her.

"We're done here. Go back to your palace in hell." Nyx said to me, but her eyes held a sliver of sadness.

"There is no way I am leaving here now." I barked at her. She might've been my grandmother, but I felt no need to be respectful towards her. None. I knew the stories and I knew the type of woman I was dealing with. It was as clear as day. "I came here to ruin these sordid games and I am not leaving until I have!"

"Then you should get used to disappointment, little girl." She sneered at me and it was somehow familiar.

"Where's Erebus?"

Nyx's eyes widened at the mention of his name. Simos stared down at me and back up at his mother, but said nothing. He was still in shock and hadn't had the time to process everything that was revealed a few minutes ago. I doubted he'd have enough time in his short mortal-length lifespan to fully deal with all this bad news.

I, however, was trying my best to keep focused and leave the shock for another time and place. Malreus had walked up to stand beside me; his overprotective nature kicking in. "I asked you where Erebus is?" I said again.

"Who? Your grandfather?" She grinned at me.

My throat felt dry as I hesitantly replied; "Yes."

"Don't go looking for trouble you cannot handle, child." She shook her head at me like a disappointed grandmother would.

"Where is he?" I whispered menacingly.

All of a sudden, the large double doors to the room burst open to reveal a familiar face.

Our heads swung back to stare at the twins.

Casseus placed a hand over his heart and with the other, he waved a faded piece of paper around. With a ragged breath, he gasped; "The Labyrinth! He's in the Labyrinth!"

Thank you for being patient with this book! Love, D Xx