(Good day again my friends.

So this chapter is... interesting, to say the least. It reveals quite a bit, and shows one of Aaron's suppressed flaws. That said, there's a lemon. My first lemon, actually.

TRIGGER WARNING: UDU (underage drug use), underage consensual sex. AND MURDER.

And if the whole thing seems OOC, forgive me. But this one of those 'Mr. Hyde' aspects of Aaron, and the following chapters we'll see him trying to change himself.

Also, I got a Guest review that was marvelous, thank you for your compliments. However, as glad as I am that Chapter 11 pleased you, I am taking this story in the direction I want. Please, please don't take offense. Also, I'm not going to play the 'no more chapters unless I get more reviews'. That's just crap. I'm writing this story because I want to, mainly for my own enjoyment. I put it on mainly to share that enjoyment and have a good organizing system.

So, Guest, I'm not calling you out at all or anything. Your compliments mean the world to me, but I'm an artist. If I try and squeeze out my pièce de résistance every time, I'll be so stressed that the story will suffer.

On that note, let the new chapter begin.)

I called Hale on the way home.

"Ah, Aaron! Have you made up your mind?" he asked in ever jolly tone.

"Yes. I'll give you the girl. Under one condition," I said.

"Oh?"

"I get to fuck her first," I said briskly. I winced at the words. I never liked to objectify women, and saying it like that made me gag a bit.

"My my. Of course, but, I must be certain this is no trick my friend. You will bring her to my place, and you shall sleep together in my bedroom. I will watch," he said, thinking it over.

I wanted to scream no, but it was the only way. "Alright, fair enough. I'll bring her over... Tuesday? That work for you?"

"Certainly! It will be good to seal this deal. I'm glad you're coming around Aaron. Of course, I still expect you to kill me, but none the less."

"I'll be unarmed," I told him.

"Oh, true, but I expect it. You're a determined man, and I'm proud to call you my son," he said, laughing.

I chuckled with him a bit, thinking of how ironic this was all going to be. "Well, if I kill you, it will be in fair combat. I mean, anything else would seem too easy."

"Ha! Very true. And... Aaron..." he said, his tone changing.

"Yeah?"

"I am sorry about Serena. I... didn't want things to turn out like that," he said. Was that actual remorse? No, it couldn't be.

"Well, that means something, I guess."

"You know... I get tired of it, sometimes. The raping. I mean... what's the point? I never feel any better after one. It's actually why I'm going to England. I want a new slate."

"That's... interesting," I said, puzzled. Was this bullshit or... truth?

"Yes. Actually... you like this Silena girl?" Hale asked.

"I do, actually. She seems to be the only person in a while who's my intellectual equal," I admitted, finally getting into Manhattan.

"Hmmm. Well, I'll tell you what. Call it all off. I don't want to kill another one," he said, sighing.

"You serious?" I had worked for three years to destroy this man, and now he repents?

"Very. Maybe you two can find happiness," he mused. "I better be off, Aaron. Have a good day," he said, before hanging up.

I just sighed and got my phone off the cord from the stereo. I was deeply confused. Why would Hale stop now? Was it some kind of trick?

Well, I wasn't calling anything off. My code was clear; remorse does not grant redemption.

I stepped inside the house to find my mother talking on the phone.

"Yeah, I hear you Rey. Oh, here he is now. Yeah... oh, Jas wants to talk to him?"

I was stunned. My brother had the time?

"Uh, okay. Hey Jas, I'll put him on," my mom said, throwing the phone over to me. "It's your brother," she said with a smile. I sighed, but thanked her, stepping out on our balcony to speak into the phone.

"Hello?" I asked clearly.

"Hey. Uh, I'm not sure how to start this... but I'm Jason, obviously," he said awkwardly.

Despite everything, I had to laugh a bit. "Yeah, I know, Governor Grace. What's up?"

"What? Oh, uh, not much. Just had some down time, for once... why did you call me Governor?"

"Because until yesterday, you were perhaps my greatest opponent in the government. I am the drug dealer they call Zeus. You may be more familiar with my brother, Poseidon. Michael Williamson?" I asked with a sly smile.

"You have got to be kidding me," he said, exhaling deeply.

"Oh come on, we're not that bad. Not compared to the Cartels, or my own brand of... enemies."

"Yes, your mother told me. Aaron... I'm so sorry," he said solemnly.

I sighed, leaning on the banister. "I'm making it right," I said firmly.

"That... concerns me. As your brother... killing people changes a person," he said.

"I know that Jason. But I can't let them live. It's a matter of honor and justice. You of anyone I've talked to should understand."

"I do. Just be careful. See you at Camp, I hope," he said.

"You will," I said. We said our farewells and I went inside to hand the phone to my mother.

"Hey Jas... yeah, he's a good kid. Guess I did something right..." she said with a small laugh.

I just rolled my eyes and went outside for a smoke. When fishing around inside my inner coat pocket, I noticed something odd.

I felt around a bit more and found a small, circular object. I cursed when I realized it was a bug, but had my smoke anyway.

Hmmm... who could have gotten inside my home to sow bugs inside my suit jackets? I knew the level of skill and cunning could only belong to one.

Lizzy.

I got out my phone and called her. "Hey Liz, wanna come over? I have something important to discuss on Hale,"

"Oh? Sure, be right over," she said.

"Good."

I hung up the line and waited, smoking patiently.

"Hey Liz, how are you?" I greeted with a casual smile.

The redhead smiled back and limped in the door. "Okay. You?"

Once the door closed I seized her cane from under her and shoved her on the couch.

My mother just winced from the other side of the room. I threw the bugs I had extracted on the seat next to her.

"Explain," I growled.

She just tried to deny it but I interrupted her.

"You made these bugs, the designs are yours and I only let you have them. Now, why are you doing this?"

"Please, Aaron don't kill me... please, please, oh God..." she said, cowering into the fetal position.

"Explain," I said again.

"Okay! Okay... Thomas came to me a little while after I was shot... he said... he said if I didn't help him he'd kill my little brother. And he paid me... I didn't want to... but he made me..." she cried.

"Oh, he made you? You should have came to me, and told me. I could have helped you," I said.

"You helped him. You helped him kill Mike, and Lauren. You helped him rape and kill those girls, you traitor!" I boomed, grasping her by the collar with my hands. I was shaking in rage.

"I had no choice!" she yelled back. Tears were pouring down her face.

"You should have told me," I said, taking a deep breath.

"I'm sorry... I'm so sorry," she said before just full on sobbing.

"You... damn it Liz. Why didn't you come to me?" I asked, kneeling to cup her face.

She leaned into my touch. "I... he can't be stopped, Aaron. Not while he's alive," she got out.

I sighed, hugging her again, kissing the top of her head. She flung her arms around me, sobbing.

"How much does Hale know?"

"He said... he said he's going to trick you. He said he's going to lie to you, say he's repented, then... I don't know. He didn't tell me," she choked out.

"I'm sorry I yelled at you Liz," I whispered, feeling horribly guilty.

"No... I guess I deserved some of it," she said, pulling back.

"Stay here tonight, it'll be safer," I told her.

Liz nodded. "Okay. Okay..."

My mother just stepped over to us. "I'm going out of town tonight... if you two will be safe?" I could by her tone she didn't just mean Hale.

"Yeah, we'll be fine mom," I said with a tiny smile. My hands were still trembling, now just from guilt.

"Okay. Well, stay safe. I'll lock in the security," she said, before grabbing her bag. She kissed my forehead and then walked out the door. The security panel by the bookcase turned green, signifying we had some kind of security.

Liz leaned back on the couch, letting out a long exhale. "Aaron... I'm sorry. I just... I couldn't let James get hurt," she said quietly.

I took her hands in mine and she flinched. I winced. "Hey, hey. This isn't your fault. I shouldn't have berated you, and there's no reason for it," I told her.

She smiled and squeezed my hands. I squeezed hers back. "I forgive you," she said.

"Thanks," I said.

"I better call my family, tell them I'm staying at a friend's," she said, getting up to get out her phone. I got out mine as well, calling Silena.

"Hello?" the demigod asked with a sharp tone.

"Change of plans. Hale's trying to give me the slip. We wait until Monday, then siege his place," I said. Liz had gone into the kitchen to talk to her parents.

"Hmmmm. Alright. Sorry about earlier... I just don't want you to turn into a tyrant."

I laughed a bit. "That's why you're here. To make sure I stay in line."

"Haha. Oh, did you find the mole?"

"Yes. The problem has been corrected."

"Corrected?"

"Oh, not murder. No, no. But it won't be a problem anymore."

"Oh. Good. Well, I got some homework to get done. Call me if you need help," Silena said before hanging up.

Liz stepped back into the room, limping along with her cane. "Yeah, my parents are okay. I also sent over Apollo and the new Artemis to watch over James." She winced and held a hand to her ribs.

"Good call. Hey, come with me," I said, getting up.

"Okay," she said in a questioning tone.

I stepped into the bathroom. "Take off your shirt while I go find an ice pack and some booze," I said, before walking back to the kitchen. Liz just nodded and did as I said.

I came back with a bottle of Smirnoff and some ice in a zip lock. Liz was sitting on the edge of the bathtub, clothed only in her dress pants and bra.

It struck me how beautiful she was, but I suppressed that side of me. Too much of my father.

I knelt next to her and put the ice pack over the bruises on her ribs. She inhaled sharply and I handed her the bottle of Smirnoff. She drank generously.

"Thanks," she rasped out.

I scowled in rage. "Hale did this to you... did he..."

"No, Gods no. I'll manage. Leg was worse," she said.

I nodded, looking at her bum leg. "I'm glad I didn't lose you too," I whispered.

Liz laughed a bit. "Really? I must be fairly valuable," she said, rolling her eyes.

"You are," I said, putting the pack over another bruised spot on her flesh. She shivered a bit, and goosebumps appeared all over her skin.

"Cold?" I asked.

She blushed, and I realized why. Her nipples had hardened and were poking through her thin bra. I just mumbled something and looked away.

"Um... yeah," she mumbled.

"Nothing I haven't seen before," I said.

"Oh?"

"Yeah," was all I said in return.

Liz put a hand on my shoulder. "I wish I knew her," she said sadly. I could tell the booze was taking its toll, but her words were sincere.

"I never slept with Serena," I said, drinking my own share of liquor.

"Oh... my mistake," she said, swaying a bit.

"Just some girls afterwards... I needed to dull the pain. But I put that behind me," I admitted.

"All girls or dulling pain?" Liz asked.

I was dumbfounded by the question. "What?"

"I mean, are you done with having sex to dull pain or done having sex all together?" she asked.

I just shook my head. "I don't know..."

"You take all these other drugs for pleasure... what makes sex different?"

"The fact it involves another person I might hurt."

"Hm. What if the other person wasn't scared of getting hurt?" she asked in a husky tone.

"What do you mean?"

"My God, I mean that sex can be for a lot of reasons! Pleasure, love. It isn't a sin, Aaron," he said, swaying even more.

"You're drunk," I said, drinking.

"Oh, I don't get stupid when I'm drunk. But what I'm about to do... well, who knows. Maybe I can't be Athena anymore," she said, laughing. Before I could ask what, she leaned forward and kissed me.

I was stunned. What was happening?

She pulled away. "Now that's done. Wanted to do that for a while," she said, winking.

"Liz, you're drunk," I stated calmly.

"No, Aaron, I'm relaxing," she countered.

I sighed, draining the rest of the bottle. "I don't want to hurt you," I said gently.

"So you do want this?" she asked.

I nodded weakly. "Yes, but..."

"But nothing. I'm a big girl Aaron. Now, you can either make love to me or not. Your call," she replied in a sing song tone.

I was conflicted. My morals told me this was wrong, but my body was screaming yes. I had been so stressed lately...

"And if we do this, it's for pleasure," I stated.

"Mhmm," she moaned.

Maybe I abandoned all my morals that evening. Maybe not. For a spilt second, I understand my father's affairs. Something to take his mind off the shit he had to deal with as king.

I kissed her, hard. She moaned in delight and kissed me back, biting my lower lip. We had a duel with our mouths for what seemed like an eternity. Eventually, I moved my mouth to her neck. She threaded her fingers through my hair and moaned my name as I sucked on her skin, leaving a hickey right over her artery.

"Jesus Christ, Aaron," she whimpered.

I grinned and picked her up gently, moving to my bedroom. I wasn't thinking straight, not anymore. I had given in to my desire.

I placed her on the bed and stripped, getting undressed with speed.

Liz got her pants and undergarments, throwing them to the side. She smirked and propped herself up on her elbows.

"I want to wake up everyone in the city," she whispered.

I couldn't but shiver in pure ecstasy at her words. I finished getting undressed and she groaned in pleasure when she saw me in the nude.

I went to lay on top of her, being careful to avoid her leg. She smiled and kissed me, and I kissed her back passionately. I again moved to her neck, running my tongue down her throat. She moaned, and I moved lower to her breasts. I took one rosy nipple in my mouth, flicking my tongue over it.

"Fuck," she shouted, gripping my hair tightly.

I kept sucking and licking her bountiful chest, much to her delight. I eventually moved lower to her groin, finding a small patch of red hair.

"Oh, oh, Aaron," she breathed.

I kissed her stomach gently, then began to lick her warm folds, my tongue drinking in her juices. Liz gave some colorful language and gripped my hair tightly, arching her spine. I felt an inner pleasure at her reaction, continuing my work.

After a short while, Liz screamed my name and her muscles tensed. I gave one last lick before raising my head with a satisfied smirk. I moved back up to kiss her, supporting my weight on my hands so I didn't injure her bruised chest further. She kissed me back with glee, apparently reveling in tasting her own fluids.

"That... wow," she breathed.

"Ready for another go?" I asked.

Liz nodded eagerly. "I want you to mark me as yours," she whispered.

Some voice in the back of my head told me I was slipping down a slippery slope, but nothing could stop me now.

I entered Liz slowly, biting down on her neck gently. She moaned and wrapped her arms around my torso, and locked her good leg around me.

I soon picked up my rhythm, thrusting in and out of her with ease. She latched her mouth onto my neck and gave me several hickeys, causing me to moan from the combination of pleasure.

"Oh fuck Liz," I moaned, rolling my hips into her.

"Faster... fuck me Aaron," she shouted to the sky, eyes closed in pure pleasure. I obliged and picked up the pace. The sound of skin slapping skin was like a carnal drum beat, urging me to go faster, harder, everything.

I knew I was coming close and moaned her name, moaned sweet nothings, moaned every word I could think of. Liz called my name over and over, before screaming it and clawing her nails into my back.

I gave one final thrust and pulled out, before spewing my warm seed all over mer pale stomach. She breathed hard, before beginning to cry. I knew it wasn't sadness; it was just pleasure.

I kissed her sloppily, before collapsing next to her. The moon was pouring through the window, giving her sweet covered body an almost heavenly glow.

She panted before moving her hand to the sticky globs on her belly, gathering them in her fingers to stick them in her mouth. She cleaned them off slowly, one by one.

Guilt began to well inside me, but I angrily pushed it away. This was no sin, no evil. I had wanted it and so did she. She knew this didn't mean we were a couple or an item, just two chemicals that had formed one magnificent reaction.

"That was incredible," she said, twisting her head to look me in the eye.

"I really needed that. Thanks Liz," I said, pushing my hair out of my face.

"Oh the pleasure is mine. I hope I didn't come off as... a whore," she said.

"You aren't a whore. Whores fuck for money without a care for anyone else. You love your family, and you just needed some release," I said raspily, getting out a cigar from my nightstand. I lit it and smoked freely, getting up to open the door to the balcony.

"Thanks," she said sweetly, kissing my cheek from behind me.

"Careful, doesn't take me much to get going again," I warned playfully.

"Oh my Mr. Crowley, you don't mean ravaging me again do you?" she asked in a mock surprised voice.

"My dear Elizabeth, I am indeed," I said playfully.

The rest of the evening was a testament to debauchery. Eventually, we both fell asleep in the bed. I was remarkably not plagued by nightmares.

However, when I awoke, I was basically in a nightmare. My hands and feet had been tied to the bedposts with rope and zipcords.

Liz was dressed, leaning on the wall casually. She had a silenced pistol in her hand. When I opened my eyes she smiled.

"Good morning," she said pleasantly.

I took a deep breath. "What is this?"

"What does it look like?" she asked, stepping over to me.

"I should have known. Is there anything I can say to stop you from killing me?" I asked.

"No. Hale's already promised me a million dollars. A bit of a boost from what you're paying me," she said.

"Well, let's get it over with, shall we? But before that, I hope you know Hale isn't going to pay you. He's just going to rape and kill you," I said, leaning my head back on the pillow. I closed my eyes and took a few deep breaths. I mulled praying to my father, but I doubted anything could be done.

"Hey red," came a new voice from the door. Before Liz could even turn around, an arrow struck her in the back of the neck. She dropped the gun and collapsed on me, twitching.

I looked up to see who the hell had saved me.

A girl, maybe younger than me, stood with a silver bow drawn and a quiver on her back. She was dressed in fatigues and had a silver tiara on her head. Her eyes and shade of hair were familiar because they matched mine. Albeit, her hair was spiky, but it was just as dark. Her eyes spoke of power and determination, with a hint of loss and sadness.

"You Aaron Crowley?' the girl asked gruffly, coming over the pry the girl off.

"Yup. Demigod?" I asked, testing out my restraints.

"Yeah. Thalia Grace, little bro," she said with a smile, cutting my restraints.