Chapter Twelve: The Truth and Nothing But
"Johanna."
"Johanna."
"Johanna."
"Cato, I better be fucking dreaming right now and you aren't really waking me up in the middle of the night," Johanna hissed, eyes still shut as if she were still sleeping.
"Johanna," Cato said seriously, looking over the demon of laziness' shoulder to ensure that their roommate was still asleep, "I'm worried."
Johanna sighed and cracked one eye open, the black hole of an iris straining to see in the thick dark of the room. "Worried about what?" she asked tiredly. "Couldn't we have waited to discuss this in the morning? I need at least fifteen hours sleep or I won't be able to function properly. You knew this when you allowed me to come!"
Cato shook his head slightly, his movements limited due to how he lay on the bed so close to his friend. "I don't want to bring this up when Peeta is awake. It might scare him. Well, I don't mean scare him. He's tough as old boots really but this is on a whole other level. It's not a matter of loving or hating Snow or loving or hating Romulus. Or which side we've all chosen."
Her other eye slid open as Johanna's curiosity peaked over her fatigue. "What do you mean? What are you blathering about?" she asked impatiently.
"When I was in Peeta's head," Cato said slowly, "I saw something I shouldn't have."
"What do you mean shouldn't have?" Johanna asked.
"When I hack into someone's mind, due to the nature of my powers I should only see thoughts and memories directly linked to their sexuality," Cato whispered quickly. "Except when Peeta jolted awake for the second time and I almost slipped, I saw a memory that my powers shouldn't have allowed through. Something so suppressed that even when I unearthed it myself, Peeta still doesn't remember it."
Johanna tried to prop herself up on her elbow but Cato pulled her back down, fearing that her sitting up would cause Peeta to wake. "You're not making sense!" she hissed quietly. "What do you mean that your powers shouldn't have allowed? If it shouldn't have been allowed then it shouldn't have gotten through! And what do you mean so suppressed that Peeta still doesn't remember it? How bad can it be?"
"Cresil," Cato said, his voice so stern yet fearful that she fell silent instantly, "I'm being serious. I shouldn't have saw what I did but now that I have I can't shake its relation to the events that have been unfolding recently."
Johanna shifted uncomfortably on the spot. "What did you see?" she asked.
Cato closed his eyes, the images of all the abuse he had witnessed forever engraved into his mind, and wished he could deny their existence like Peeta did. "Snow didn't just create Peeta for the sake of it, he made him for a reason."
"What sort of reason?" Johanna asked apprehensively. "Stop fucking around, what did you actually, physically see, Belial?"
"I saw Snow experimenting on Peeta," Cato hissed, angry with himself for having to actually say such a thing out loud. "He's been doing it ever since Peeta was born!"
Johanna went stiff beside Cato. Her breathing accelerated as her blood ran cold with fear. "Experimenting?" she repeated in question. "What sort of experimenting?"
"What sort of experimenting do you think?!" Cato exclaimed in a hushed voice. "Operating tables, straps, surgical instruments, the whole deal! The sort of shit we put sinners through every day!"
"But what reason would Snow have to experiment on something he created himself?" Johanna asked helplessly. "It doesn't make sense, none of this makes any sense!"
"I think if it was intended to make sense, this whole ordeal would have been over ages ago," Cato muttered. He couldn't shake what he had witnessed out of his head.
Ever since the darkness seized hold of him when he kissed Peeta, he had been in a complete state of distress. Every gory, gruesome detail of Snow's torturous actions towards his creation. Running wild in Cato's head. Including the worst of them all: the table; the gigantic head piece holding the prisoner down; the blood and the guts; the instruments and the painful thrashing . . . Snow's maniac laughter harmonised by the agonising scream of his subject . . . It was the stuff of nightmares.
And Peeta didn't remember any of it. Maybe it was better that way.
"Do you think it's something to do with the fading of the walls?" Johanna whispered, having calmed down a notch.
Cato was silent before nodding. "Yes. I do." He feared what connection it did have to the walls fading but it couldn't be a coincidence. Johanna had definitely been right when she said that Peeta was involved somehow. Involved without being aware that he was involved.
Johanna turned onto her stomach and buried her face into her pillow. "This is going to end with shit hitting the fan, isn't it?" she muttered into the feathered pillow.
"I don't think there's any way to avoid it," Cato agreed.
Johanna groaned angrily into her pillow. "Well, I at least want my sleep then," she declared, rolling away from Cato and tugging the duvet away from him. "So shut up."
Cato tried to fall asleep, to get some rest like Peeta and Johanna, but he couldn't. When he shut his eyes, all he could see was how crazed Snow had looked as he did whatever it was he did to Peeta. Cato had seen many fucked up things in hell but never had anything haunted his dreams as much as Peeta's piercing scream did.
~xXx~
A knocking on the door tore Cato from his nightmares. He jolted awake so fast that the sudden movement jerked Johanna up and over the side of the bed. She fell with a shocked yelp, her body smacking the floor like a rock. She groaned, clearly annoyed, and sat up angrily. "Who the fuck is that?" she demanded. "Nobody should know we're here!"
Cato cautiously stood up and moved to the door. He peered through the peep hole and frowned at what he saw. He threw the door open in confusion. "Marvel?" he asked, perplexed.
The Guard of Hell quirked an eyebrow and invited himself into the room. Johanna eyed the demon suspiciously, clamouring back onto the bed and rubbing her eyes to rid them of the sleep in them. "I am here because Romulus wants to know where the fuck you've gotten to."
"Uh . . ."
"Clove has been driven mad with worry. She's come to the conclusion that you've ran off with that silly pet angel of yours." Marvel's black eyes slid past Cato and landed on the bed where Peeta still slept. "Who knew she was right?" He stepped forward but Cato intercepted, placing a hand on Marvel's chest in warning.
"Don't wake him up," Cato said firmly.
Marvel raised his eyebrows. "And why not?"
"Just don't, Maalik."
Marvel's eyes flashed dangerously. He shoved Cato's hand off him. "Are you seriously doing what I think you're doing?" he asked. "Are you both in cahoots with angels now? Tell me it's not what I think and you've really been torturing Snow by kidnapping his Vision or something, please!"
"You don't know what you're talking about, Maalik," Johanna answered. "This is for your own good, not just ours. You'll thank us someday."
"For what? Going against what we promised Romulus? Did you really go through the agony of sawing off your wings just to convert back?" Marvel asked incredulously.
"We aren't converting," Cato replied. "I still don't believe in Snow's values. However, this has nothing to do with what side we're on. It's bigger than all of us and the only connection we can find is Peeta. So, yes, Marvel, maybe I am in cahoots with angels. If it means sorting this problem out then you're damn right I am!"
Marvel looked disgusted. "I am so disappointed in you both. I thought you were better than this. It's what he wants, you know!" He pointed at Peeta's sleeping form threateningly. "He wants you both to turn back to God!" He ignored the acidic aftertaste than came with saying the 'G' word and continued to rant, blood seeping out of his mouth and dripping down his chin like a vampire. "That angel is nothing but a mindless slave who has it wired into his brain to spread his legs whenever Snow clicks his fingers! He isn't as blessed or good or innocent as he pretends to be!"
"You don't know anything about him," Cato snapped angrily.
"Oh, don't I?" Marvel snapped back. "And what don't I know? Do tell, I'm curious!" They were chest to chest, glaring at each other menacingly. Johanna lingered nervously behind them. She wanted to wake Peeta out of fear of what Marvel would do but was worried that any sudden movement would make them act.
It was Marvel who hit Cato first. He swung at the slightly taller demon and took him by surprise, his fist making perfect contact with Cato's temple and knocking him over. The impact threw Cato's vision off balance, made his head spin and his eyes slid out of focus. Johanna immediately jumped to his defence. She lurched across the room and grabbed Marvel round the neck. She was too light compared to Marvel, however, and the stronger demon threw her off with ease.
Cato tried to get to his feet but Marvel's punch had concussed him. He felt like he was going to throw up and the floor was spinning like a tornado beneath him. Marvel climbed onto Cato and grabbed him by the neck, lifting his fist and bringing it down against his face repeatedly.
"This. Is. What. That. Little. God. Loving. Bitch. Wants. You. Fucking. Idiots!" Marvel roared between each punch.
Johanna tried to unseat Marvel by throwing herself at him full force but the demon was too well built and she bounced off him into the wall. Cato was seeing red. Whether it was his blood or his eyes he didn't know. All he could feel was pain and all he heard was Johanna's enraged screaming alongside Marvel's angered yelling.
Then there was silence. Johanna stopped screaming. Marvel stopped yelling.
Peeta had woken up during the fight. He had jumped out of bed-unnoticed during the ruckus- went straight to the sink in all the commotion and filled a glass with water. He now stood over Marvel, glass held perfectly over the demon's head.
"Get out of here right now or I will make you leave myself," the angel threatened, his voice darker than Cato had ever heard from any of God's followers.
"What are you going to do? Blast me out with goodness?" Marvel snorted. His eyes fell on the glass in Peeta's hand. "Or by throwing water at me?" He rolled his eyes and turned back to Cato, raising his fist for another hit. Johanna was about to throw herself back in before he could hit Cato again but paused when Peeta did something odd.
He tipped the glass upside down so all the water splashed out onto Marvel's head. The demon flushed angrily and stood up. "You little fucker," he growled. Johanna crawled across the floor to Cato and helped him sit up.
Peeta regarded Marvel calmly as the demon sized himself up to him. Despite Peeta's superiority in wing span, his height did not quite match Marvel's. The demon grinned wolfishly, trying to get the smaller boy to shrivel in fear of him. "We didn't get to finish what we started in hell, did we?" he taunted. "I was supposed to show you what it was like to get fucked properly, wasn't I?"
Cato knew that if Marvel tried to hurt Peeta, he'd throw himself at him, even if the room was still spinning.
Peeta didn't flinch. His gaze was cool and unwavering. Even when Marvel was so close that there was no space between them, he didn't back down. He held his chin up high and stared right into Marvel's eyes, unafraid.
"I don't hear you saying no," Marvel teased.
"He's not saying yes either!" Johanna spat, confused with Peeta's silence.
Marvel ignored her and leaned his face forward towards the young blond's. "Is that it, Vision of God?" he taunted, his lips skimming Peeta's with each word he spoke. "You want to feel the true evil I am capable of unleashing? I'd be more than glad to pound that tight little ass of yours, all you have to do is ask."
Peeta, still weirdly cool, began to speak. "God's creature, water, I cast out the demon from you in the name of God + the Father almighty, in the name of Jesus + Christ, His Son, our Lord, and in the power of the Holy + Spirit," he said emotionlessly.
Cato and Johanna gawked as Marvel stumbled backwards, realizing with horror what Peeta was doing. Smoke began to rise from his head and shoulders, where the water still soaked his skin and hair. Peeta was exorcising him!
"May you be a purified water, empowered to drive afar all power of the enemy, in fact, to root out and banish the enemy himself, along with his fallen angels," Peeta continued, driving Marvel insane as the water transformed into heavenly fire, burning the demon with the power of God. "We ask this through the power of our Lord Jesus Christ, who is coming to judge both the living and the dead and the world by fire"-
"This is not over!" Marvel roared before disappearing from the room in a puff of smoke, probably teleported back to hell.
Peeta threw the glass onto the bed and muttered, "Amen."
"Peeta, that was amazing!" Johanna said, jumping off the ground and enfolding him in a hug. "You were so badass! You showed him who runs the show!"
"Except now he'll probably go and declare you both traitors down in hell," Peeta said despondently. When Johanna released him, he crouched beside Cato. "Are you alright?"
"I've received worse," Cato said, trying to joke off the pain. He reached out and touched Peeta's face. "Are you okay? Marvel was pretty invasive . . ."
"Nothing that won't fade with time," Peeta shrugged, removing Cato's hand from his face. Cato tried not to let this hurt him. Johanna watched the interaction with a sullen expression, sitting on Peeta's bed and absentmindedly stroking Temperance. "I want to thank you both, for helping me see the truth. It's been greatly appreciated."
Johanna frowned. "You're talking as if you're leaving."
Peeta looked at the ground. "To exorcise Marvel I had to pray to Snow. The fact that it worked means that he responded and knows where I am. Metatron will be here in a matter of moments."
"Well we'll leave then!" Johanna quickly said, jumping to her feet.
Even Cato knew there was no time. His stomach bottomed out. Peeta risked his freedom to save him from being beaten to a pulp by Marvel. Not caring about the previous night or how Peeta was clearly still hurt by it, he grabbed the angel by his shoulders and kissed him fiercely. Peeta made an alarmed sound at the back of his throat, his gasp of surprise so sweet and innocent. When Cato pulled away, he heaved himself to his feet and formed a protective stance around Peeta. "If Snow wants you, he'll have to go through us first."
Johanna was staring behind Cato with wide eyes. "Oh my . . . ."
When Cato turned back around, Peeta was already gone. Vanished into thin air.
~xXx~
Peeta knew what the risks were when he exorcised Marvel. There wasn't anything else he could do. Marvel was beating Cato into the ground! Peeta couldn't touch the demon, he'd have only done injury to himself, so the only other option was to exorcise him with water. Even if Peeta was still embarrassed and ashamed of what happened the previous night, he couldn't allow Cato to be beaten to death. Not when there was something he could have done.
Now he was being escorted back to Snow by Metatron, who seemed hugely pleased with himself. Peeta tried to jerk out of the archangel's grip every so often but it was pointless. They were in Snow's palace, which was deep and endless. Even if he did break free, Metatron would easily catch up with him before he got anywhere near the door.
Metatron took him to Snow's bedroom. Snow himself was sitting at the end of his bed with folded arms, waiting for their arrival. There was a red burn in the shape of a hand taking up half of his face. Peeta realized with a pleasured twinge that that had been where Cato had pushed his hand against the Lord's face.
"Would you like me to stay in the room, my Lord?" asked Metatron.
"No. Leave us," Snow said curtly.
Metatron nodded and stepped outside, shutting the doors behind him.
Snow did exactly what he did when Metatron brought Peeta back the first time. He went straight to him and smacked him across the face. Peeta's sealed his lips together defiantly, nostrils flaring as he fought not to show any emotion on his face. "I don't think I need to express to you how wholly disappointed I am in you," the Lord hissed.
"I don't care," Peeta said steadily.
Snow grabbed his creation's face, his fingers digging into the boy's soft skin really hard. "Your lips are dirtied," he said with disgust. "You've been kissing a demon." Snow's eyes widened as realization dawned on him. "You aren't virginal anymore, either." His once wide eyes narrowed dangerously and he pushed Peeta away from him. "You disgusting tramp. You've been sleeping around."
"Yes because my belief in the seven deadliest evaporated overnight," Peeta answered flatly.
"You've even developed an attitude," Snow scowled.
"Maybe it's all the time I've been spending with demons!" Peeta replied.
Snow clenched his jaw and forced himself to remain calm. "You are behaving so childishly Haziel! This is why I never wanted you to interact with the outside world!"
"You wanted me as a pet!" Peeta spat back. "You always have! That's why you created me in the first place! Why you didn't want me seeking help from anyone but you! If I hadn't have spoken to Armisael and the other angels, you probably would have trained me to believe that the only important things in life were sex and food! It's all you cared about then and it's all you care about now!"
Snow was so angry, his chest was heaving like he'd ran a marathon. "You will not speak to me like that," he threatened. "After all I've done for you"-
"What have you done for me?!" Peeta interrupted. "Besides corrupt me, abuse me, groom me, beat me, isolate me, treat me like a common whore and"-Snow grabbed a clump of Peeta's hair and dragged him across the room. Peeta yelled angrily and tried to pull back against Snow's grip but it only succeeded in causing him further pain.
"I made you beautiful!" Snow roared as he pulled Peeta along behind him. "I made you clever and important! I fed you, bathed you, and breathed life into you! I fulfilled your every need. I did not abuse you, you ungrateful brat! I only punished you when you misbehaved! Do you want to know what it really feels like to be abused, Haziel? Do you?!"
Snow threw Peeta into the tiled wall in the bathroom. Peeta smacked his head hard and the whole world tilted to one side. Blood began to seep from his eyebrow immediately but he forced himself not to show any sign of pain on his face. He spun around and pressed his back against the wall, glaring at the man who created him in loathing.
"Take your clothes off, Haziel," Snow said sternly. "I need to see how far you have let the demons corrupt you."
Peeta glared and spat at Snow, causing the older man to glower impatiently. He shoved his fingers into his mouth and whistled. Metatron came back into the room and entered the bathroom when Snow gestured him over. "Haziel is being difficult. The demons have corrupted him. We have to make him turn back to God," Snow explained. Peeta glared at them both acidly. When Metatron glanced at him, clearly amused that Snow's little bitch had fallen from grace, Peeta spat at him as well.
"Shouldn't we just cast him out?" asked Metatron.
"No," Snow said firmly.
Metatron couldn't question Snow. As his Lord, he was obligated to believe that everything Snow said was right. "What do you what me to do?"
"He's been dirtied by different demons; I can see differing marks on his face and neck. I don't know how far it's gone. The extent it reaches. I asked him to take his clothes off so I could see but it seems that not only have they made him turn away from me, they've also affected his level of obedience," Snow sighed.
"I'll take care of it, my Lord," said Metatron.
Peeta tried to run around the bath and slip out through the door but, as previously predicted, Metatron was too fast and caught him at the bedroom. Peeta screamed-not out of fear or embarrassment, but anger and rage-as Metatron tore his clothes from his back. Snow entered the room a moment later and sighed.
"As I feared," he said, "you've let them touch what was supposed to be only mine, haven't you?"
"I'm not your property!" Peeta hissed. He pushed Metatron away from him angrily and smacked Snow's hand when he tried to touch his arm in what was probably supposed to be an attempt at comforting him. "Don't touch me you perverted old man. Who else have you had sex with besides me? I'm sure I'm not the only one!"
Snow rolled his eyes. "Don't be so dramatic. Of course I've only been faithful to you. Something that you can't say for yourself."
"Cry me a river!" Peeta snapped back.
"Metatron, you can leave now," Snow ordered.
Metatron nodded and left again, informing Snow that he would remain outside in case he needed help. The moment the door shut, Snow had Peeta by the throat, sucking all the air from his lungs just as he had that night Peeta had lied to him.
"You will not leave me again, do you understand?" Snow said firmly. Peeta choked and coughed, clawing at Snow's hands in a desperate attempt to be freed. He couldn't let himself die. He had to get back to Cato and Johanna somehow and he didn't intend to be killed by the man that gave him life in the first place.
Snow's eyes softened and he released one of the hands he had around Peeta's throat, now only holding him with one. He traced his hand down the side of his creation's face and sighed. "I will fix you," he said firmly. "I am not going to let those awful demons turn you away from me."
Peeta narrowed his eyes at Snow. He touched Snow's hand gently and tried to look sympathetic. Snow smiled, thinking he had already gotten through to Peeta, but was swiftly proven wrong as Peeta took advantage of the distraction and bit his arm. Snow yelled in pain and let go of Peeta. Beautiful, fresh air flooded the angel's system and he breathed it in greedily.
Snow glowered at Peeta, the gaze so vengeful it could stop a clock. "I want to know why you were exorcising a demon," he said.
"Why should you care? You think I'm in cahoots with them anyway!" Peeta replied, sitting down on the edge of the bed and rubbing the painful handprints on his neck.
"Just answer the damn question!" Snow shouted. "Or I will not be as considerate when I throttle you next!"
Peeta rolled his eyes and muttered, "One of Romulus' drones came and attacked Belial. I wanted to protect him."
"So it's Anael again, is it?" Snow spat.
"It's always been him!" Peeta snapped. "He helped me see that I didn't deserve to be treated the way you are treating me! He helped me see that all my life I've been abused for no good reason! By you!"
Snow laughed. The sound alarmed Peeta. It was galling to hear Snow laugh after he had been so mad previously. "You actually believe that Anael cares about you!" he barked in amusement. "Anael doesn't care about you! He only cares about saving his own skin. I bet he's been abusing you as well, since you clearly can't tell the difference between what is and isn't abuse!"
The previous night came into mind. Of how Cato had tricked Peeta into kissing him and then pushed him away like he was a disease after doing just enough to him to make him feel like a needy slut when he was gone. Peeta shook his head in denial. No. That wasn't abuse. There was an explanation for that, Cato just didn't have time to tell him what it was.
"I can see his touch on your body," Snow taunted. "Everyone leaves an imprint behind. Your lips are covered with different marks. The imp's. Anael's. Even that psychotic bastard Seneca Crane has pecked your lips. You've been whoring your mouth out to whoever wants it. Only Anael's mark goes further. It's all over you, with only the smallest dustings of the imp's from when he took your blood."
Peeta felt very exposed under Snow's eyes. The feeling only came now because he knew Snow could tell how far he had went with Cato. He didn't care that he was naked. Snow had seen him like that plenty of times before. But the knowledge that Snow could see the print of everyone that touched him? That was unnerving.
"What about you?" Peeta shouted back, standing up and squaring himself up to Snow. For once, he was the taller one. His wings dwarfed Snow and made the Lord look miniature compared to Peeta. "What marks have you left behind?"
"That doesn't matter because I am your creator," Snow said calmly.
"I don't mean your goddamn imprint!" Peeta yelled. "I mean the bruises! The signs of how you've been beating me ever since you created me! Why create an angel and then spend the rest of your life stopping him from going outside? Beating him bloody when he misbehaved? Only letting him out when it was necessary? Why do that if you're just going to"-
"Because your life matters!" Snow roared back.
Peeta stopped talking and frowned at him. What was he talking about? "What do you mean 'my life matters'?" he demanded. "Every life matters, that's the point of this stupid war!"
"Your life matters because I created you to be the link," Snow said threateningly. "As long as you live, the walls between heaven and hell continue to fade."
Peeta's eyes widened in horror and he backed away from Snow as the realization dropped upon him like a weight.
"As long as you live, the walls don't."
A/N: Did anyone see that coming? :D
