Chapter Five

I had another vision... dream thing.

It was shortly after one in the morning when I finally fell asleep, not that it was hard considering Akin had worn me out and I was incredibly sore and exhausted. I felt like a satisfied cat curled up around Akin's waist as we fell asleep.

I expected to have another dream relating to my past, but this one was different. I was in some kind of room, a garden. It was small, though, and indoors. Surrounded by wide marble archways with only two doors that entered the outdoor hallway. In the center was the garden, with an open roof overhead to reveal a brilliant blue cloudless sky. The garden was rich with bright green foliage, different species of ferns and vines climbing the arches toward the sunlight that poured in through the roof. It was probably a twelve by twelve garden, if at all, but had enough room for a couple of small trees that spilled over each other, leaves brushing my head, hanging down low.

There was even a small pond with colorful fish darting back and forth, a frog seated on a lily pad, croaking softly. Flowers lit the place up as brightly as the sunlight, a vibrant shades of yellow, blue, and purple, a couple that were red.

It smelled sweet, mingled with the ocean breeze that came through the roof.

Nothing about it looked familiar to me, and yet, I still got that niggling nostalgic sensation from it. I looked around, frowning at how tall everything was around me. For a second, I wondered if I had somehow shrunk until I approached the pond and stared into it, startled to see a much younger version of myself. Tiny, probably only a couple feet tall, with black hair laced with gold feathers on one side, a rich and expensive set of robes that pooled at my feet, gold jewelry hanging around my neck, from my wrists and ankles.

Yeah, I'm high on something.

Maybe the sex had been so intense that it was driving me insane, or it was buried stress over the situation with Xenon. I couldn't really explain it.

I heard some kind of murmuring a moment later, making me frown and turn to see someone moving in the foliage behind me. There was someone standing behind one of the trees, lurking in the shadows its low hanging branches cast. I tilted my head, slowly moving toward it, even though I knew better than to do so. It was like I didn't have control over my body and it sent little bits of panic rushing through me, but still I couldn't do anything else, except move toward the large fern leaves.

I reached a hand out to push them aside, and suddenly everything around me changed as a hand shot out and caught my wrist in a vice grip. I opened my mouth, but no sound came out. The garden around me vanished, as if swallowed by darkness.

Now I was standing in some kind of dark jungle forest, a tall dark shadow moving in front of me, but I couldn't see who or what it was. Just their massive paw swallowing my hand, gripping it so tightly that it was a miracle my tiny hand didn't shatter.

I could hear the shadow growling like an animal, a really pissed off animal, but I couldn't make out any words. But I did feel words form on my lips now, and even though there was no sound, aside from the forest around us rustling and crickets chattering, I could make out the words with ease.

Mya mya.

A second later, the shadow whirled on me and backhanded me so hard that I snapped right out of my nightmare and shot up in bed, gasping out loud. Even though my body still ached from last night activities, it wasn't enough to keep me in bed because I shoved the blankets back and moved out of the bed so fast that I hit the floor on my face. I cursed, listening to Akin moving in the bed behind me before light flooded the room as he turned the lamp on.

"Hannibal? Baby, are you all right?" Akin asked, worriedly, quickly getting out of the bed to come around and kneel by my side. I was still shaking, breathing hard as sweat coated my body. I looked around quickly, scanning the room and the shadows cast by the single lamp that was turned on, expecting the shadow from my nightmare to be there, but there was nothing.

Akin grabbed my face and forced me to look at him, his blue eyes wide with fear.

"Sweetie, say something. Come on." He pleaded. I swallowed hard at the lump in my throat.

"Sorry." I managed at last. Akin released a short, relieved breath and put his arms around me tightly, leaning against the bed. I laid against him, my head against his chest as he cradled me, rubbing at my arm comfortingly.

"You're okay, sweetie. You're all right." He soothed. I grimaced.

"I don't know."

"What do you mean?"

"I don't know what's going on," I admitted, frustrated as I pulled back to look at him and he looked at me in concern, "I had a weird vision, dream thing the other night too. I think its the same place, the same temple. And it feels familiar, but it doesn't look familiar. It's like deja vu." Akin frowned.

"Do you think it's your mother's temple?" He asked. I hesitated, clenching my fists against the floor.

"I think so."

"Are you starting to get your memories back from the time you were in Atlantis?" He asked.

"I don't know. Why would they be coming back now? You'd think they would have come back after Lea was taken down with the rest of Atlantis, but my memories stayed gone, my immortality stayed in place." I explained. Akin's blue eyes flickered with fear.

"You don't think your immortality is weakening too, do you?" He asked. I grimaced. Once upon a time, the news would have thrilled me. After multiple suicide attempts, it'd be a relief to finally know that if I tried again, I'd finally die. However, now that I had Akin, dying was the last thing I wanted to do. If my immortality curse was weakening...

"No," I decided, shaking my head as I remembered the battle against the Kirati, "If it was, the Kirati would have killed me. Her wounds would have killed even a normal god." Akin winced, reaching out to touch my shoulder before clenching his fist.

"Damn it, Hannibal, I don't want you to fight one of those things next time they show up."

"She attacked me first."

"I know," Akin said distressed, "But just run."

"I can't run, sir."

"I don't want you to lose your life against those things. For all we know, she could be one of the only things that your mother's curse doesn't apply to. Heck, all the Atlanteans could be special cookies that can hurt you. If something happened to you, Hannibal, I wouldn't be able to live with myself." Akin said, tears choking him. I winced and settled closer to him, this time putting my arm around him and drawing him against my chest.

"I'm sorry, Master," I said gently, kissing his knuckles, "Look, I don't know if Atlan's going to send anyone else after me. To be honest, I don't know how that thing got in past Lucifer's barrier, which means there's either someone letting them in or there's a hole in it." Akin tensed, looking at me.

"You think there might be someone here who's letting them in?" He asked nervously.

"It makes sense," I muttered grimly, "It has to be someone who has access to the main entrance, though. A soldier, maybe." Akin cursed.

"One of Raven's men."

"Most likely."

"We have to let him know then." Akin decided, getting to his feet. I frowned, watching him move to his bag to get his cell phone.

"But we don't have any proof. We're just speculating."

"Doesn't matter. I want to find the asshole who let a monster in to hurt my husband," Akin said sternly, making me stare at him in surprise at his dire tone, "And when I get my hands on that traitor, he's going to wish to the gods that he'd killed himself." Without another word, Akin dialed Raven's number and went to the bathroom to have privacy. I watched him go, my heart aching. Akin was panicking. I could smell his fear, thick and pungent in the air, and his anger that went a long way in feeding the rage buried inside me. I swallowed against it and lifted myself to my feet, frowning as I rubbed my head after face-planting on the floor.

I am so fucking graceful.

Iapetus would have a field day with this. I could just hear him in the back of my mind laughing at me, calling me a ballerina, and he'd probably even force me to wear a dress... again. I shook that particular memory from my mind and went downstairs to grab something to drink. I opened the fridge and took out bottle of whiskey, intending to just grab a shot, only to pause when I saw something glint out the corner of my eye.

I frowned and turned to the counter, going cold at the sight of a particular gold charm sitting on the counter top. I nearly dropped the whiskey bottle to the floor, but managed to set it down as I walked cautiously toward the charm on the counter. I blinked a couple times to make sure I wasn't seeing things.

I wasn't.

I reached out to lay my fingers over the gold, hissing through clenched teeth as I yanked my hand back.

What the actual fuck.

I snatched the charm up, turning it over in my hand to make sure it was the real deal, and unfortunately it was. Infuriated, I went to the balcony, throwing the door open and wincing at the icy rain that was coming down. I ignored it and went to the metal railing, drew my hand back, and threw it as hard as I could, watching it disappear into the darkness. I breathed hard, staring after it.

How the hell did it end up back here? Had Xenon done it?

No. Xenon never dropped in unannounced. Even though he could bypass the whole barrier around the building, he never showed up without prior warning because he knew Akin would skin him alive for the attempt. Xenon had a nasty habit of dragging me into his messes.

Satisfied that it was gone, I turned and went back inside as Akin was coming down the stairs, wearing a pair of sweatpants and tying his hair up into a bun. He paused as he saw me coming inside, closing the sliding glass door, his mouth falling open.

"Hannibal! Don't go outside without any clothes on! Jesus," He scolded angrily, waving his hand and conjuring one of my shirts and a pair of boxers that he came over and handed to me, "You could get sick going out there. I already have enough to worry about without you wandering around naked. Besides, if someone caught you naked, I'd have to kill them."

"Sorry, sir," I answered, pulling the shirt on over my head and stepping into the boxers as I watched him go to the whiskey bottle to pour himself a drink, "What did Raven say?" Akin sighed in frustration, taking a sip and grimacing at the harsh taste of it before frowning as he swirled the drink around in his glass.

"He says he'll look into it, but it'll take a while to swab each person to make sure they're who they say they are and not some shifter. He also has to do background checks on new recruits. It'll take about four days to run through everything." He admitted bitterly. I frowned.

"We don't have four days."

"That's what I said, but he says there's no way to rush it. He's got the Sins helping him, but it's not nearly enough."

"The traitor could let someone in before then."

"Again, that's what I said, but there's nothing else he can do. We need to figure out who it is on our own. In the mean time," Akin continued, setting the glass aside as I approached him in the kitchen, "I think it's better if we go to my dad's place. He has an extra barrier there that should keep anyone out."

"Unless the traitor is a friend of your dad's." I replied dryly. Akin grimaced, waving his hands around before taking me by the hips and pulling me toward him so he could pinch at my nose.

"No, let's not go there," He said sternly, pulling on my nose for a second before kissing it and resting his hands on my hips, "One step at a time. Besides, if it is someone in the palace, we'll be close enough to know and that'll narrow down the search. It'll be someone who has access both to the main entrance and Lucifer's palace. Besides, with Lucifer and Hades staying there, I don't think anyone would be stupid enough to attack you."

"You're right," I agreed, then paused when Akin smiled before adding dryly, "Hades would kill me first." Akin rolled his eyes.

"I don't think Hades will risk incurring my wrath."

"Master, I love you, but I don't think Hades feels the same."

"Maybe not, but my anger is Lucifer's anger, which in turn burns Hades," He pointed out, making me shrug and he smiled, reaching up to brush the wet hair back from my face, "I'd just rather be there than here. We may have a barrier here, but it's a standard barrier, not a royal barrier and there's a difference." I frowned uncomfortably.

"Lea's also staying at the palace." I reminded grimly. Akin hesitated at that, then sighed as he looked up at me in concern.

"You can't avoid her forever, Hannibal. Sooner or later, you'll have to confront her. If you're not scared of her, then why are you hiding from her?"

"I am not hiding." I said in irritation. Akin raised an eyebrow.

"You hid behind a theater poster, baby."

"You're not going to let that go, are you?"

"Not in a million years." Akin said with a smile. I sighed, leaning down to touch my forehead against his as he put his arms around me to draw me close. I put my hands on his arms, savoring the warmth of him against my skin, my eyes closed for a moment before I opened them to meet his blue eyes, my heart aching.

"I don't know, Akin," I confessed, making him look at me in concern, "I don't want to go near her. I don't know what she's going to say or do. I could handle her rejection before because I felt nothing. With everything I can feel now, I don't want to feel her rejection for real." Akin pursed his lips for a moment, then reached up to cup my face in his hands.

"Oh, Hannibal," He breathed in sympathy, "I'm sorry. I don't like pushing you into things you don't like to do. And I especially don't want you to get hurt by another family member. Family isn't supposed to hurt you."

"Could've fooled me." I answered. Akin smiled sadly, brushing his thumbs against my cheeks.

"I really wish you could've met my mother. She would've adored you."

"I don't know."

"She would," Akin insisted gently, lowering his hands so he could rub my arms comfortingly, "My mother had her own sins too and she never hated anyone else for theirs. Everyone makes mistakes, I told you that. No one's perfect, not even me."

"You are." I assured. Akin smiled for real now.

"So are you." He answered, then stood on his toes so he could kiss me. I kissed him back, bracing my hands on the counter on either side of him before resting my forehead against his so we could just stand there, watching each other intensely. Even in moments of silence like this, I felt so connected to Akin. No one could make me feel more alive and worth something like Akin could. And no one could make me believe I was perfect like him. If anyone was perfect, it was Akin. He may say he made some mistakes in his past, but I think his mistakes just made him even more perfect, especially since he could own up to them.

It warmed my heart that he would think his mother would like me. He'd spend hours telling me how wonderful his mother was. For all her sternness, she still loved and adored him and cherished every breath he took. She defended his honor, and he hers, because they faced the world alone together after she left Lucifer. Apparently they had demons of their own that they didn't want to to infect Akin with. A mother who loved her son enough to take him away to another realm, to whore herself just so she could feed her son and buy him clothing. That was a real mother's love, and it sounded more like a dream, a fantasy, than real life.

I knew nothing of a mother's love. The one time I tried to reach out to Clymene, she'd bashed my skull open for the attempt. She probably would've torn my fingernails out one by one if Iapetus hadn't taken over my beating.

Family isn't supposed to hurt you.

Akin repeated that almost like a mantra and while I could believe Akin most of the time, that was one thing I couldn't accept. Every family member I'd ever had, had slapped me across the face and kicked me in the ass for merely existing. Even Xenon now had betrayed what little trust I had left for family. He may have thought he was doing good for everyone, but to be honest, I think he was just denying the fact that family was nothing, but a joke.

"Hey," Akin said suddenly, making me frown and pull back to see him looking at the counter, "Didn't you give that to Xenon?" I scowled, turning to the counter, then going still at the sight of the gold dragon charm on the counter top.

"Mother of fuck." I hissed. Akin arched a brow at that as I pushed away from him and went to the charm to pick it up.

"I also just threw this over the balcony." I said, turning to face him. Akin's eyes widened.

"What? How did it get back here? Twice?" He asked, baffled. I glared down at the charm in my palm.

"I have no idea. It must have some kind of homing beacon on it or something. It won't go anywhere, but back to me." I growled in frustration, then smacked it down on the counter, hoping it broke, but it only dented the counter and Akin tsked. I gave him a look of apology, but he shook his head as he approached, frowning down at the charm as I lifted my hand from it.

"It is pretty." He murmured, brushing his fingers over it. I frowned.

"I don't want it."

"Neither do I. While shiny objects are my one weakness, I tend to draw the line when they follow you home. Are you sure it's Lea's?"

"The demon at the pawn shop confirmed it."

"Maybe it's a sign," Akin murmured, making me frown as he picked it up to study it, before he looked at me, "It belongs to Lea, but it doesn't go back to her. It keeps coming back to you. Maybe she wants you to bring it to her personally." I stiffened.

"I rather gouge my eyes out with a rusty spoon." I stated. Akin rolled his eyes and elbowed me playfully before looking down at the charm. He sighed, then handed it back to me.

"All right. Well, then you better get used to it because apparently you can't get rid of it." He said. I grimaced as I stared at the charm, then set it aside on the counter, hoping the damn thing didn't appear in our room later on. I turned back to Akin as he yawned and stretched, arching himself onto his toes, then back down as he rubbed his neck.

"Well, it's almost eight and I don't feel like sleeping in. We should probably go shower. I want to stop by the shopping district before we go to the palace to surprise my dad. I need to grab some things that I can keep there so I don't have to drag all our stuff from the penthouse. Then I want to stop and see Raven's progress on the whole thing. Want to tag along?" He asked. I nodded without question and he smiled, rising on his toes to kiss me before he took me by the hand and led me upstairs to shower.

I was still aching from last night, so thankfully Akin played gently with me while we showered before we rinsed off and prepared for the day.

I honestly was not looking forward to staying in the palace with Lea lurking somewhere in the shadows. If she was insistent enough to speak to me that she had to come to my apartment, I wasn't sure I wanted to know what lengths she'd go to if we stayed in the same building. I hoped Akin would understand my need to keep our door locked at all times.

"Stop pouting," Akin scolded me as he pulled a shirt over my head as I knelt on the floor in front of him, already wearing the leather pants he'd given me, "It won't be that bad. I'll be with you the whole time. Unless you're pouting about the shopping. In which case, too bad. We can never have too much stuff." I begged to differ, but I did so silently because I knew Akin was a shopaholic and he enjoyed it and I didn't want to rain on his parade. I stood up, straightening the long sleeved shirt with mesh elbows, watching as Akin drew out a leather jacket that he passed to me so he could finish dressing. I pulled it on, pausing to let my eyes linger on Akin's backside as he slipped into a pair of black micro-fiber boxers, then tugged on his tight black skinny jeans.

"I can feel you watching me." Akin sang, stooping over to pick a shirt out of the bottom of his wardrobe. I cocked my head.

"It's hard not to, sir." I pointed out. Akin laughed, standing up and sauntering over to me so he could kiss me before he pulled his shirt on, then grabbed his own jacket, a sleek black coat that hung just past his waist.

We finished up some last chores before leaving the penthouse and letting Jericho know our plans so he could keep an eye on the place while we were gone. We alerted the receptionist and building security before taking off for the shopping district.

Unlike Styx's shopping district, a jumbled mess with so many people that elbow-room was a nugatory and the air was thick with the stench of smoke from the nearby shipping yard that tended to Charon's ferry when he passed by, the shopping district in Hell was much more high class. The streets were wide open and allowed plenty of room for shoppers to go to and from their destination, and the place was spacious with more streets home to other businesses aside from all of them crammed onto one street. It also connected to Mercury Avenue, meaning Akin would probably choose to eat there and I was in the mood to eat out today.

Things were low key when we arrived, though, since it was still early morning. It was mostly the early shoppers out walking around, sharing coffee and chatting away. I followed Akin as he led the way to one of his favorite shops, a two story sleek white modern clothing store where he'd befriended the owner, Malileh. She was a distant relative to Mictlantecuhtli, the Aztec god of death.

The place smelled of eucalyptus and patchouli, with numerous paintings the owner had done hanging throughout the shop with rows of clothing. Ranging from a variety of black leather jackets to embroidered socks, the place was every shopaholic's dream, even more so with the sale signs hanging everywhere with the store mascot-- a chubby chipmunk in sunglasses.

"Wait here," Akin told me at the doorway as he went to greet Malileh, "I'll be out in a few." I nodded and obediently stood near the entrance as Akin drifted to the back of the store. I was scanning the store, out of paranoid habit, when I heard someone shout on the street.

"Hannibal!" I tried not to wince, instead turning to see Arikos approaching me. I frowned at his change of clothes. He was wearing a worn mauve tank top under a loose brown vest, a matching jacket, and bleached jeans... and finally shoes that matched. Old shoes, probably found at a thrift shop like the rest of his outfit, but it was infinitely better than his last outfit. Even more so, he appeared to have some cash left over to buy kohl, because it ringed his eyes almost like a raccoon. He reminded me a bit of one of Akin's favorite musicians, Billie Joe Armstrong. Except Arikos's hair wasn't all over the place and his skin was significantly darker.

And those silver eyes.

He approached me, looking pleasantly surprised to see me. But no more than I him. What was he doing on this side of town? He seemed to have an odd habit of appearing everywhere I was.

My instincts would've jumped on him being the traitor that Akin and I had discussed, given how much he knew about the Atlanteans and the fact that he always showed up around me, but something about him seemed to... weak.

"Figures you'd shop at a place like this," Arikos said, and I noticed he didn't fully come inside the shop and only scanned around by peering inside, "It's nice. Suits you. I always wondered why you smelled like smoke and patchouli. Are you one of those hippies who sits at home and paints and smokes weed all day?" I gave him a withering stare that made him back up a step, giving me a half-smile.

"I was just teasing. Jeez, you have this amazing poker face. If I hadn't seen you angry before, I would suspect you didn't like me."

I didn't like him. At least, I didn't want to. There was something strange about him. It reminded me a bit of the first time I met Raven. That magnetism that I associated with a kindred spirit. Maybe there was more to this guy than meets the eye.

"What are you doing here?" I decided to ask. Arikos tilted his head, leaning on the outside of the entrance, pausing to watch a couple go inside the store, both of whom shot Arikos a dirty look. They probably weren't accustomed to his smell and hand-me-down appearance given their store choice. Arikos did smell and look out of place. He smelled like a wet dog and his clothes were obviously things he picked up at a second hand store, not that I faulted him for that. I used to be in the same situation.

Except I'd been too prideful to sell my body in order to buy what little food I could get my hands on. Instead, I'd waited until dark to dig through garbage cans or pick leftovers off bones and skewers. I'd only had one outfit to my name and I washed it in one of the flooded basements in Styx's slums.

Yeah, in comparison, Arikos was doing rather well for himself.

"A client called me," He replied, gesturing with his head down the street, "Cyprus. He usually pays me pretty well, but I think I'm getting bad at my job. He's the second client to tell me to fuck off and throw pocket change at me." I pitied the poor creature. Being a prostitute was a hard business with clients constantly coming and going, and normally his Egyptian blood would make him a bit more expensive, but I had a feeling it was his eyes that tended to turn his customers away.

"Are you full-blooded Egyptian?" I asked out of the blue. Arikos looked uncomfortable.

"About as full-blooded as you."

"How do you know I'm not full Atlantean?"

"Because you don't know shit about your own pantheon," Arikos retorted, pushing off the doorway, his thumbs hooked in his pockets, he started to say something else, but his eyes widened at something behind me, "Oh wow, he's hot." I frowned, then turned to see he'd indicated Akin. Jealousy cut me like a blade to the quick and I shot Arikos a glare, but he barely noticed as Akin approached me with a couple of bags, smiling until he saw Arikos.

"Oh, hi," Akin greeted, then looked at me with an arched brow, "Another friend?" I started to correct him, but Arikos spoke first.

"Hi," Arikos chirped cheerfully, "My name's Arikos. You must be the possessive girlfriend... boyfriend. Person." Akin smirked, amused by him.

"Yes, I'm the possessive boyfriend person husband. You must be the friend Hannibal mentioned." He said, holding his hand out to shake Arikos's hand. I simply lifted a brow, keeping the rest of my expression blank.

Friend? I don't remember referring to him as my friend. Last I checked, my only friend was Raven. I didn't correct him, though, mostly because Arikos's face lit up as if he were relieved he wasn't on the same list as the demon I'd almost beheaded yesterday.

"Yeah," Arikos agreed, then paused to tilt his head to indicate Akin's bags, "Morning shopping?" Akin just smiled.

"Need some things. What are you doing here?" He asked. Arikos sighed.

"Can't a guy just wander into the good side of town to window shop?" He complained.

"No." I deadpanned. Not to mention, Arikos wasn't just a guy-- he was a prostitute. Most of the people on this side of town didn't respect his profession. Of course, I kept that to myself as Arikos continued.

"Anyway, I was just visiting a friend... an ex-friend, I mean. Now I'm here." He responded. Akin nodded as if he understood. I could tell he wanted to hurry up with our business and head over to the palace, but neither of us got the chance as we heard the sound of people shrieking and screaming. Akin's eyes widened and he looked me. We stepped out onto the street in time for a loud explosion to go off, sending sparks and fire balls launching into the sky. People ran past us on the street, dropping their things and trying not to stamphede each other to death.

"Either something really big is coming or someone just robbed a fireworks store." Arikos said grimly. He barely finished the sentence when something came stalking around the corner, vibrating the pavement beneath our feet and the buildings around us.

The creature was massive, at least the size of a building, covered in gold scales. It looked a bit like a dragon, except more sinister with a narrower face and jaws that opened to reveal several rows of teeth that were probably about Arikos's size. Smoke billowed around it as it crushed a building like a soda can, its long thick tail smashing the street and knocking people away.

"Drakus!" Arikos cursed. I frowned.

"Dragon?" I asked, translating his word for Akin, who scowled at him.

"Yeah," Arikos said dryly, "Except dragons are on this thing's main menu. This is the dragon of all dragons. Legend says there were once two of these creatures created by Atlan in order to wipe out the first Atlantean people in a fit of rage. The kingdom sent a warrior named Havius to defeat the creatures, only to find out that their skin is completely impenetrable. Havius managed to kill one of the creatures, but Atlan saved the second one."

"How'd the guy kill the first one?" Akin asked. Arikos grimaced.

"The first one ate him while he was holding a torch. The flames ate up the inside of the creature. So yeah, he technically defeated it, but not in a way that would make your Heracles proud." He replied. Akin and I shared grim stares, then jerked our heads up as the drakus hissed and snarled, moving low down the street with bared teeth. It was sleek and moved fast, and it was heading straight for us. Akin grabbed my arm and yanked me back into the store with Arikos scurrying after us.

"I'm calling my dad." Akin stated, turning away. I frowned, peering out as the drakus snarled and rushed past the shop down the street to smash a building, swallowing several of the occupants. I glanced at Arikos, who was pressing his back against the inside of the wall, breathing hard.

"It's a little suspicious," I said, making him look at me, "That every time I encounter you, there seems to be trouble." Arikos gave me a droll look.

"I'm a prostitute. I have no power to summon that thing. Atlan does."

"But how did it get here? There's a barrier set up around the realm that can only be accessed if someone within allows them access."

"You think I let that thing in here?" Arikos asked, aghast. I said nothing to that. Arikos pushed off the wall and pinned me with a cold glare.

"For your information, I hate Atlan to the core of my filthy soul. Nothing would give me greater pleasure than to watch him choke on Greek dick." He snapped. The fire that blazed in his eyes told me he wasn't lying, and yet, I still couldn't help, but feel there was more to this than Arikos was letting on. Not that we had a chance to discuss it because the moment Akin hung up his phone and turned around to face us, the drakus was moving back toward our position and shoving its snout into the buildings.

"Back of the store!" Akin ordered. We obeyed without question, running to the back near the front desk that had been abandoned. We ducked behind it as the drakus carefully nosed into each building, devouring everything in its path.

"We can't let it rampage any longer." I told Akin, who nodded grimly.

"My dad's not picking up, which means he's probably not even in Hell. He's probably in Hades... Yeah, that sounded better in my head," He admitted when Arikos and I gave him grimaces, "But you're right. We need to do something. Arikos, you said Havius killed it because he set its insides on fire." Arikos arched a brow, sitting with his knees drawn to his chest.

"Yeah, but you're forgetting the part where he died too."

"We don't need to go inside to kill it," Akin drawled, "Hannibal's a hybrid god and I'm an angel. I think we can gather up enough energy together to send fire into his mouth and down its throat and destroy it that way, but we'll need to keep its mouth open long enough to do it." I frowned, not particularly liking the idea of having Akin that close to something so dangerous, but if I said something, he'd be offended by my lack of faith in him-- which I didn't. I had faith in him; it was just the drakus that I didn't trust.

"I can do it," Arikos volunteered, making Akin frown at him, "What? I'm a prostitute. How many times do I need to say that? No one's going to miss me if I die." Akin winced, then looked at me as if to ask if it was a good idea. I pressed my lips together in a thin line to contemplate it, but unfortunately, Arikos had a point. The drakus was killing more and more people the longer we waited around. And besides, if I kept a close eye on Arikos, I might be able to make sure he made it out of this in one piece.

So I nodded and Akin sighed, looking at Arikos, who appeared relieved to help.

"All right, team," Akin said after a moment, "Hannibal and I will go out through the back and come around through the alley. Arikos, go and keep it occupied." Arikos nodded, giving us a quick salute before he stood up and slid over the front desk, heading for the entrance. Akin and I shot to our feet and ran through the back of the store, heading out into the back alley that wrapped around the side. We moved quickly, listening to the sound of the drakus roaring and snarling, its huge tail lifting over the buildings before dropping down on top of one of them, flattening it instantly.

"I hope he's okay." Akin murmured as we moved along the wall. I said nothing to that, because I honestly wasn't sure how I felt about Arikos yet. There was still that magnetic pull, but it was also highly suspicious that everywhere he went, trouble followed.

"Do you think Atlan sent the drakus after you?" Akin asked as we stood at the corner of the building, pausing to peer around at Arikos, who was sneaking along the drakus undetected, probably trying to come up with a distraction that didn't end with his mutilation.

"Probably," I muttered, then frowned, "Which means someone relayed the information to Atlan." Akin hesitated, turning to look up at me.

"You don't think it's Arikos, do you?" He asked.

"Honestly? I don't know. I'm conflicted where he's concerned." I admitted. Akin nodded.

"There's something more to him that he's not telling us, and if he is the traitor, we need him alive. And if he's not, well, we still don't want him to die." He said with a shrug. I nodded in agreement. The drakus roared, drawing our attention as we turned to see Arikos running past its face, throwing his hand back and sending a god blast colliding with its face. The magic exploded against its snout and it snarled, lifting its undamaged head up and parting its jaws. Arikos bolted for the nearest store as the drakus dove for him, mouth gaping open in an ear-shattering roar.

"Now!" Akin commanded. We bolted out from our hiding place and the drakus instantly turned course for us, its massive glassy gold eyes widening at the sight of us. Akin took my hand, holding his other one out toward the drakus, and I did the same, sucking in a deep breath at the warm light magic that flooded through me from Akin. I was almost hesitant to send my own magic flooding into Akin.

He was an angel, his magic was light and sweet and defensive. Mine was dark and deadly, offensive to the core. But Akin was already drawing my magic into him, so I had no choice, but to let the opposites mingle as we sent a blast of energy out, swirling into a massive fiery orb that shot forward into the drakus's mouth before it could reach us.

The drakus roared and threw its head back, but its screaming was choked by the flames that erupted from its mouth and burst forward. It threw its head back and forth, staggering as it struggled to put out the flames.

"Shit." Akin cursed, then yanked me with him toward another store across the street as the drakus's gigantic paw just barely missed us as it smashed into the street, sending rubble and rocks flying up into the air. It stumbled and crashed into a line of shops, slumping to the street where it writhed and coughed and choked up melted flesh.

"Oh, that's disgusting." Arikos said, making Akin and I turn to see him coming out from behind a rack of burnt clothing. His clothes were singed on the side, and he had a bruise on the side of his face.

"Sorry about your clothes," Akin said, looking a little embarrassed, "I can replace them." Arikos wrinkled his nose.

"They're fine. I don't take charity anyway. Also, your drakus is taking a while to die." He added, pointing past us. We turned to see the drakus still writhing on the street. It lifted its head, and its tail came flying at us.

"Duck!" Arikos hit the ground first and Akin went with him.

Unfortunately, being a big tall oaf with a slow reaction time for the first time in a very long time, the tail hit me full force and sent me smashing into a wall, breaking it open and falling inside. I choked, gasping for air as the wind was knocked from my lungs and it felt like every rib-- no, every bone in my body shattered. I couldn't move for the pain of it as I watched the tail rise up and slam back down nearby before it went still.

"Hannibal!" I could hear Akin shouting for me, but I couldn't move to react to him. I breathed hard, blinking past the blurs in my vision. I tried to force myself to get up, but my body refused to listen to me. I sucked in shuddering breathes, wincing as a rock hit me in the face from the left over rubble that was crumbling from the ceiling above. I peered up at the ceiling overhead. There was nothing supporting it now and it was steadily beginning to fall apart, and there was a steel beam just above my head that had my name written all over it.

Well, fuck.

I could hear Akin and Arikos scrambling over rubble to try and get to me, but there was no way they were going to make it in time. It wasn't going to kill me, but it was seriously going to hurt when it flattened my skull into a pancake. I squeezed my eyes shut to wait for the blow, but it never came. Right when I heard the snap of the beam under the pressure, I expected to be slammed by the steel beam, but nothing happened.

I blinked my eyes open, breathing hard as I saw a woman standing over me, holding the beam up.

My eyes widened.

Son of a...

"Hold on!" Lea told me, then hissed as she pushed the beam up over her head, trying to push it aside. Every muscle in my body pulled taut and my blood turned ice cold at the sight of her standing there. Where the hell did she come from? Was she following me? Akin? Arikos? How long had she been hanging around here? She certainly didn't look ready for a fight, though. She was wearing a pair of faded jeans and a red lacy blouse under a leather jacket, her purse cast aside.

I wanted to ask what she was doing here, how she got here, but my mouth wouldn't work. The only thing that came out was blood oozing from the corner of my mouth as darkness crept into my vision. I struggled to stay awake, waiting to see if she'd give up and let the beam crush me or if she'd push it aside and take me out herself.

But I passed out just as she looked down at me, blue eyes flashing.

Blue eyes that looked just like mine.