Chapter Two: The Grandmaster and other powerful people I have to lie to

Gabriel's POV

We left the horrible mansion far behind us and took off at a run toward town. Despite being exhausted, I worked my hardest to keep up with the flitting shadow sprinting in front of me. My mysterious companion intrigued me to no end. There hadn't been a son of Thanatos in many centuries. Children of the death god tend to be reckless and destructive, but this young man was neither. He was cold and calculating, not reveling in death, but more interested in justice over condemnation. This was not typical of an heir of Thanatos.

I put my doubts aside and focused on the journey ahead. Once we entered the town, I gathered my things at the inn that I had been staying at. I then went around to the back of the establishment and in order to ready my horse for a long journey. Sebastian was right behind me, and I could feel the temperature drop around him, like the air itself was dead in his presence. I shivered inwardly at the thought.

"Where are we going?" Sebastian asked. I smiled at his anxiousness to leave.

"Well, Sebastian- wow that is quite a mouthful. Can I call you Bastian?" I asked cheerfully. Judging by the withering glare he gave me, it was not an acceptable substitution for his full name.

"…alright then! What about Seby? Bast? Basty?"I suggested pleasantly, while Sebastian looked like he wanted to strangle me.

"no," Sebastian said coldly, trying to end the conversation.

"Oh I know! Lord Sebastian of the dead, bane of pig-headed rulers!" I announced like a herald welcoming a dignitary. Sebastian looked at me like he was wondering if I was dropped on my head as a child. He then cracked a smile that transformed his whole face.

"Maybe that will work." We both stared at each other for a moment, and then we burst out laughing. For a while we weren't two highly trained killers, we were teenagers having fun and living life.

After a few minutes of uncontrolled merriment, we finally calmed down enough to talk normally.

"Alright, but in all seriousness, where are we going and how will we get there?" Sebastian asked, still wiping away the tears of laughter that were still on his face.

"We are going to the town of Chaville, just south of Versailles. My father is not only the grandmaster of the assassins; he is also a major military leader when we aided America in their war against Britain." I said. I didn't mean to brag, but my dad was a hero. He fought for freedom when there wasn't any, which is why he became the grandmaster of the assassins.

"Alright, well how are we getting there?" Sebastian asked. I was confused by his question. How did he think we were going to get there? By flying?

"We will be riding horses, of course. Do you have a mount?" I asked. He seemed to pale visibly at my question.

"Did you say riding?"

"Why? Can't you ride a horse?"

"umm… I have never tried…" he admitted reluctantly. I scoffed at this. With his natural grace, riding a horse should come naturally to him.

"It will be fine! It is not as bad as you might think!" I told him cheerfully. He clearly didn't agree, because I saw him swallow painfully in nervousness. I then waked over to a powerful looking black steed that I thought would suit him.

"Here, have a go!" I handed the reins to him, which he gripped tightly with white knuckles. He tried to mount the horse. I was surprised by how much he was struggling. He tried to put his left foot in the stirrup, but immediately realized that this would put him on backwards, so he tried again. He tried to grip the saddle belt, but the belt buckle came undone and the whole saddle slid off the back of the horse, with Sebastian still gripping it. He then flopped to the ground painfully. He groaned in frustration, and tried to get up with as much dignity that he could muster.

"I have no idea what I'm doing!" Sebastian said with exasperation.

"That is easy enough to see." I replied, trying my hardest not to laugh at his horrible attempts at riding. He then sent me a glare that could freeze water.

"Don't patronize me. Just show me how to get up onto this blasted thing!" Sebastian growled at me in frustration.

"Alright, fine!" I said, feigning innocence. I re-buckled the saddle and showed him the proper way to mount a horse. Fifteen minutes later, Sebastian was finally on his horse. Granted, he was sitting on it as though it was going to buck him off at any second, but he was definitely on it.

"Ready to go?" I asked him happily. He then turned to face me and smiled impishly,

"Yes, sir," his words dripping in sarcasm. I was really starting to like this guy.

"You know Sebastian; you may be a psychotic, cold-hearted, slightly smelly, churlish, guy with death breath but… I guess you're alright." I said with a lot of incorrigible cynicism. Sebastian gave me a devilish grin and said,

"Is that so? Alright golden boy, let's see if you can smell my breath now." Sebastian said as he kicked his horse forward at a blinding speed. I had been right about him being a natural rider. The mounting may have been rough, but his natural balance kept him in the saddle. I realized that he was now getting very far away.

"Oh, death breath, it is ON!" I yelled as I took off after him.

Sebastian's POV

We had set out riding at sunrise and had only stopped a few times on the way to Chaville. We were close to the city by the time night fell. I was very sore from my first day of riding a horse. Who knew such an animal was not naturally in the underworld. In my opinion, it should be because it was the most infernal animal I had met since arriving on the surface world.

Even though we were getting close to our destination, we stopped for the night in a forest clearing just off the dirt road that we had been following for the past few hours. Gabriel offered to go and find firewood, but I just simply used my powers to set a blaze of hellfire. It didn't need fuel and it lasted as long as I wished it to. Gabriel just gave me a look and shrugged as he continued to set up camp. I had never needed to set up any kind of shelter for myself before. I just used the shadows as my cover, my warmth, and my comfort. They were just as much family to me as my father was.

Once the camp was set up, Gabriel sat down near the fire to warm his hands. He had a thoughtful look on his face, so I knew that it was only a matter of time before he had more questions to ask me. Just as I expected, Gabriel inhaled in anticipation to ask me something. I groaned inwardly at the inevitable string of inquiries that I would surely have to endure.

"So Sebastian, I know that you are a son of Thanatos but… you don't seem like what a child of the death god would be like." Gabriel stated. I was taken aback by this question. I had met Thanatos many times in my father's palace and I knew that he was just as cold as I was.

"Well then what do you know about the children of Thanatos?" I asked Gabriel. I was eager to know what my "father" was like.

"Umm… well… they are chaotic and tend to bring more death and destruction than one would deem necessary," Gabriel replied hesitantly. I could see how the children of Thanatos would be like that. My real dad had told me that when he had given the death god his job, Thanatos had gone on a rampage, killing millions in what the mortals now consider to be the Black Death. A very ironic name if you ask me.

"Well, I am unique amongst my father's children. Thanatos has uhh… calmed down quite a bit over the years and he didn't want his children to be as bloodthirsty as they have been in the past. He took me in once my mother died and raised me himself," I lied. It wasn't that hard to tell this lie. It was extremely similar to the truth except for the fact that my father was Hades himself. Gabriel then gave me a confused look.

"But I thought gods are not allowed to directly interfere with their children's lives," he asked me.

"My father never took such an oath. Because of his uncontrollable nature as death incarnate, the other gods had no way to force him to comply." Gabriel nodded in understanding. I am glad that he seemed to believe my tale.

"What about you? How are you the son of the victory goddess and the assassin grandmaster?" I asked him. I was genuinely confused by his story and was anxious to hear it.

"There is not much to tell. My mother fell in love with one of the most victorious men in France. She has always been attracted to military leaders who went undefeated, and my father is among those men. She is actually a rare goddess because she not only fell in love with him once, but twice," Gabriel said. This last statement confused me. Gabriel obviously saw my confusion so he continued.

"Nike and my father had two children together; me and my younger sister. It is very rare among the gods to have more than one child with the same partner. My father is officially married to Lady Jaqueline but he has always only loved my mother," Gabriel said wistfully as he stared up at the stars in the sky. His story was a beautiful one. It made me wish that I had met my real mother. Gabriel then snapped out of his reverie and turned to me.

"Well that's enough chatter, I think. Off to bed! More traveling tomorrow!" He said cheerfully as he curled up into his sleeping roll. I groaned at the thought of more riding but forced myself to fall asleep. I would need it, for tomorrow I was going to meet the assassin grandmaster.

Sebastian's POV

We woke up just after sunrise and cleaned up camp. Needless to say, I am really not a morning person. I was just not used to the concept of "morning". Sure there was a time when I woke up in the underworld, but it was always blessedly dark so there was no glaring sun to wake up to. I still am not used to that blasted sun. I squinted over at it in hatred.

Gabriel did not share my loathing of mornings. He was springing around the camp in a jolly mood. It made me want to ram his face into a tree.

"Can we leave now?" I grumbled. Gabriel turned to me with his usual smirk on his face.

"Now aren't we a ray of sunshine," he said sarcastically.

"Ugh! Don't talk to me about that infernal ball of fire!" I exclaimed.

"I thought you liked fire."

"I do, just not a huge ball of it in the sky, chasing away all the shadows. It makes me sick." This caused Gabriel to burst out laughing. I certainly found no amusement in this situation. I tried to silence his jovial laughter with an icy glare, but it only made him laugh harder. I ignored him and lethargically continued to ready my horse for the long journey ahead. Oh right another joy to look forward to. The morning and riding for another couple hours. I was beginning to wonder if everyone had it wrong, that the surface was actually hell, not the underworld.

We travelled another four hours through thick forest. Despite Chaville being a territory just south of the palace of Versailles, the area surrounding Gabriel's home was heavily wooded. We approached a clearing in the forest only to be greeted by a huge mansion surrounded by an acre of cleared land. The lawn was meticulously manicured and had a huge fountain right in front of the house with a statue in the shape of an eagle taking flight. I stopped in shock at the level of beauty on display in one structure.

"I thought you said you lived in a house, not a castle!" I said in awe. Gabriel turned to me and laughed,

"No, this is nothing! You should see the king's palace in Versailles. It is twenty times more elaborate." I tried my best to contain my astonishment at his words. We then dismounted our horses and were approached by two servants.

"Bonjour monsieur, was your journey successful?" one asked Gabriel as he grabbed the horse's reins.

"Yes, I believe it was," Gabriel said and glanced in my direction. The servant seemed to notice me with some apprehension, but like any good servant, he held his tongue.

"Very good monsieur, Lord Moreau is expecting you in his private study."

"Thank you, we will be there shortly." Gabriel responded courteously. I was curious as to where they were taking the horses so I turned to the side and watched the servants lead the steeds toward a large barn a hundred feet away from the main house. I was so absorbed in my observation of Gabriel's home that I did not notice when a huge something rammed me from the side, onto my back. I quickly began to reach for my weapon to retaliate against my attacker, but I stopped when I felt a wet tongue start licking my face. I heard a young girl's giggles from above me and I looked up to see a large hunting dog sitting on my chest lapping at my face.

"Baissie, no! Get off of him!" exclaimed a girl's voice. The dog, which was ironically named Bear, leaped off of me and ran toward a young girl standing a few feet away from me. She was a small girl, about two heads shorter than me. She was wearing a bright yellow dress and had little bows tied into her curly golden hair. I then noticed that she looked exactly like Gabriel. It was not hard to tell that this was his younger sister.

"Genny! How many times have I told you? Keep Bear away from guests!" Gabriel scolded.

"It really isn't a problem. I am sure that it was an accident," I said, trying to defend Genny. Gabriel then gave Genny a devilish grin and started to tickle her. She rolled all over the floor, trying to escape his fingers.

"ha ha ha! Oh Gabe please sto- Ha ha ha!" she pleaded with Gabriel. This little lady was positively adorable with her puppy dog eyes and dimples. Gabriel then stopped tickling her and turned to me.

"Oh how rude of you Genny! Introduce yourself to our guest!" he said with a snicker. Genny seemed to notice me for the first time and suddenly became very sheepish. She looked down at her toes and mumbled.

"Hello, sir. My name is Geneviève and I am six years old," she told me. I got down on my knees so I could look her in the eye and said,

"It is a pleasure to meet you Lady Genevieve. I must say, those are the prettiest bows I have ever seen," I said as though I was talking to a princess. She perked up at my words and smiled at me.

"Thank you mister! I put them in all by myself!" she said proudly.

"Oh wow! You are becoming such a big girl!" Gabriel exclaimed with pride.

"How are your studies coming?" At this question, Genny made a face.

"My reading is fine but I have a hard time with my Maths," she explained. Gabriel then turned to me with a look of smugness.

"I taught her everything she knows." I laughed at this and Genny stuck her tongue out at him.

"Well, I am glad to see you again after so long!" Gabriel said.

"I missed you Gabey!" she said and threw her arms around his leg in the best hug she could give.

"I missed you too, peaches. We have to go meet father now!" Gabriel exclaimed.

"Okay, Gabe! Bye mister!" she said and turned around to keep playing with Bear.

Gabriel sighed in happiness at the sight of his little sister having fun with the dog. After a few moments of watching her, he straightened up and gestured to me to follow him as he entered the house.

We entered Gabriel's home and we were met by a large open room with a grand staircase in the center. Everything was ornately crafted in white marble with gold accents. It looked like a Greek palace. We climbed the staircase and turned left down the hall. Gabriel stopped at the end of the hallway at a set of double doors that had a strange crest on it. I had seen a similar mark on the assassins' clothes so I assumed that it was their symbol. Gabriel pushed open the two doors and entered into his father's office.

It was a massive room with a long wall of windows facing outwards toward the back of the house and another set of fountains similar to the one in front of the mansion. Every item in the room was polished so it shined. Large and impressive books lined an entire wall that was adjacent to the wall of windows. The architecture and design of the room spoke of power and grandeur on a scale that I had never seen before. I then turned my attention to a pair of men standing by the window talking in low voices.

They seemed to be polar opposites, appearance-wise, with one being light and the other dark. The slightly shorter man then noticed us and I got a look at his face. His black eyes immediately narrowed once they saw me, and a slight sneer fell across his age worn face. He brushed past me and Gabriel without a second glance. The remaining lighter man then addressed us with while still looking out the window.

"Welcome home, my son," the man said simply. I could hear the touch of affection in the gruff voice that belonged to Gabriel's father.

"Who is this young man you have brought with you?" he asked without turning around. I didn't know if he had seen us in the reflection of the windows, or he was simply that skilled.

"Father, this is Sebastian, son of Thanatos. He saved my life. He is a good man." Gabriel explained. At his son's words, Gerard Moreau turned to regard me with his own eyes.

The assassin grandmaster was not the type of person that I had been expecting. Based on the way Gabriel had spoken of him, I had assumed that he would be a huge, stern man. The assassin regarding me could not be more different than what I had been anticipating. He was dressed in typical white assassin robes; the only thing setting him apart from the rest of his assassins was the flying eagle crest in the middle of the standard assassin crest on his belt. He was a thin but clearly strong man. He had a well-wrinkled face, but his brown eyes showed a deep intelligence untarnished by age. He had short cropped blonde-gray hair. I could easily see that Gabriel was the spitting image of his father.

I bowed deeply toward the man that clearly deserved all the respect I could give.

"Please there is no need to bow. I may be the grandmaster here but I insist on equality among my ranks and everyone I meet," Gerard said with a wizened smile.

"Thank you for saving my son's life. Now, if you don't mind, can you please share with me the story of how you accomplished such a feat?" Gerard asked of me.

"Certainly, sir," and I launched into the tale of how I saved Gabriel. Throughout my story, Gerard fingered something just below his collar every few minutes. I had no idea what he was doing, but he didn't interrupt me once so I assumed it was nothing too important. When I had finished my anecdote an hour later, the grandmaster walked over to me and stuck out his hand silently asking me to shake it. I returned his gesture and he said,

"Now I know how much I truly owe you for saving my foolish boy from certain death. What can I do to repay you?" Gerard asked me. When I came here, I was not expecting this opportunity, so I was stunned in the face of it. I was still considering what to say when I heard Gabriel loudly clear his throat. He then turned to his father and said,

"You really should have seen Sebastian fighting, my lord! He was like a demon! I don't know if this is more of a punishment than a gift, but might I suggest asking him to join our ranks as an assassin?" Gabriel asked as innocently as he could. I noticed that his eyes gleamed with excitement to continue having me fight by his side.

"Well that is up to Sebastian to decide. Whatever he had requested, I was still going to offer him the same thing," Gerard explained. I was taken aback by how trusting these secretive assassins could be. They were almost making it too easy for me.

"I will accept your generous offer, but with one condition."

"And what might that be?" the grandmaster asked me.

"That wherever this thoughtless golden boy goes, I go too. He may be reckless, but he is one heck of a fighter and I would love to continue working with him," I said to Gabriel's dad. He considered my terms for a moment and agreed to them.

"At the end of the month, we will have a celebration of my son's first successful mission. At the end of the festivities, we will have your initiation ceremony, as well," Gerard explained. He turned toward his desk, away from us, and continued talking. "In the meantime, you will be given a chamber and will start training first thing tomorrow."

"Of course, sir. Thank you for this opportunity," I said in gratitude. In response to my statement, he turned to face me head on and said bluntly,

"It is not often that we assassins accept outsiders to be among our ranks. I hope you can prove to us that you deserve this gift, for it will not be given again," he said ominously. I shivered inwardly, but my face betrayed nothing as I inclined my head in respect.

"I know that I can prove it to you, sir," I said with confidence.

"I have a feeling that indeed you will. Now, Gabriel, please escort Sabastian to the room across the hall from yours. I believe he will find that satisfactory." Gabriel inclined his head slightly and exited the room with me following close behind.

Gerard Moreau's POV

I watched my son and his friend leave my office. This young man, Sebastian, was an intriguing fellow. I had heard tales of past sons of Thanatos, and he was nothing like what they had described. I knew that his story was true because my lie-detecting eagle pendant did not grow warm at any time during his anecdote. At least I knew that this young man could be trusted. However, despite my eagle pendant never telling me that he lied, something about him made my instincts tell me not to trust him.

I knew that it was in my nature as an assassin not to trust anyone. My instincts had saved me on more than one occasion. I shook my head at my suspicious thoughts. The boy had done nothing so far to make me not trust him. I was probably being too cautious.

Even though my instincts told me not to put my faith in him, I found myself growing to like my son's new friend. He was witty with his speech and had an easy way of talking to my son. I knew that I was only seeing one side of Sebastian displayed in our conversation, though. I recognized that look in his eyes, the eyes of a cold-blooded killer. Sometimes I would look in the mirror and see the same eyes, ones that held more danger than anyone could know.

I sighed at this thought. One so young should not have those eyes. It was not hard to tell that this man was robbed of his innocence at a young age. He did not seem like my own son. Gabriel was just like his mother, stubborn and determined to get whatever he wanted; if that meant killing someone, then it had to be done. Sebastian reminded me more of myself, having to fight his personal demons and using carnage as a way to let those demons out to play. He would be a natural leader if he learned how to use his demons in his favor, as I had. Unlike Sebastian, Gabriel was single-minded and seemed to lack the capability to lead others. This greatly worried me about his future, because he was my only heir. It was a shame that he didn't have the capability of being a truly fine leader, like Sebastian.

I continued my contemplation on our newest assassin recruit. I looked forward to assessing his skills for myself. If Gabriel's description was anything to go off of, it would be amazing to witness. I didn't know whether to be apprehensive of Sebastian or to be thrilled that he would be fighting alongside my son. Either way, Sebastian, son of Thanatos was someone to keep an eye on, that was for sure.

I know that was a somewhat boring chapter, but the next one will be more exciting, I promise! If you liked it or not, let me know! R&R!