Chapter XXV Nike

I sighed, resting my hand on the dining room table in Hades's house. I don't know what compelled me to be here today; maybe it was Cadmean's brother?

"What are you doing here?" I heard an unfamiliar voice and turned around, a sword appearing in my hand. The tip of it was pressing into the man's throat, but he was not bleeding.

He passed right through it, launching himself at me. I was knocked against the wall as his hands wrapped around my throat and he rattled me. I grabbed his hands, trying to pry them off me. I was struggling against his strength, not to mention starting to lose oxygen.

"Gardner!" The voice was stern, and the man instantly dropped me. I looked up and saw Cerberus coming down the stairs. "Go before you do anything else bad," he told him as he knelt down next to me.

"Are you alright?" Cerberus asked me. I nodded slowly, unable to find my voice. The young, grey haired man helped me up. "I was about to check on Lupine and I heard your struggle with Gardner." He explained to me.

"Lupine?" I asked, barely able to get the word out.

He smiled; it looked proud. "He's my sister's son." He told me.

"Cadmean's son?" I asked him.

I saw his muscles tense. "Yes, why?"

Oh, I only slept with his father & everything. "I'm friends with Laelaps," I explained, trying to sound calm & collected.

I felt like I failed miserably.

"Oh, I guess that figures; with you being a goddess and everything." Cerberus replied.

Yep. Right… I openly sighed.

"So why are you here?" Cerberus asked me. I found myself following him up the stairs.

I played with the tips of my fingers before answering him. "Actually, to talk to you," I explained.

At the top of the stairs, he turned around and looked at me, frowning slightly. "Why did you want to talk to me?" He waited for me before setting off down the hall.

"Um, it's kind of not important now, I suppose." Since I had wanted to talk to you about this exact 'issue' that you're taking me to. I watched him as he opened the door, revealing a nursery. He walked over and picked up a baby that had been in the crib, holding it to his chest.

I swallowed hard. That child looked nothing like his parents, which I guess was a good thing. In fact, if I didn't know better, I'd say he looked like Hyenna.

In fact, like a small, male version of her.

I walked over, looking at the child. I touched his brow, so afraid to touch him. I was afraid that it would make my feelings for Laelaps obvious, or the child would break. He was so beautiful…

"How long has he been here?" I asked Cerberus.

"Since last night," he told me, looking down at his nephew. It was the way a father looked at his son; full of love towards such a small being.

I looked into the babe's grey eyes. He looked right back at me.

I had a feeling this was a very remarkable child.

XXV.V (25.5) Scatebra

I kneeled against my brother. His leg was slashed and his breathing was labored. I grabbed his hand, hoping he'd be alright.

His eyes opened briefly, meeting mine. I could lose myself in those maroon eyes. They belonged to him, and he was the most important person in my life.

"Tay, you shouldn't be here." He told me.

I squeezed his hand, on the verge of crying. I put my head to his uninjured chest, tears slipping out.

He rubbed my back. "It's alright, Tay, I'll be okay." He told me. Though I could hear the hurt in his voice. This urged me to cry more. "Damn it, I hate looking weak." He sat up, making him hiss as his leg stretched slightly.

He took me into his arms. "Relax, Tay, I'm here, it's alright." He cooed.

I looked up at him. At first, I looked at his eyes. Then down at his nose, then his right cheek where he had a scar from beneath his ear to halfway across his cheek.

Finally, my eyes rested on his lips. My eyes went back to his.

In a rash, bold movement, I kissed him. He kissed me back, his hands tangling themselves into my hair. He brought me onto his lap, kissing me harder, in an almost hungry manner.

He stopped, his breathing slightly heavier.

"Scatebra, I love you," he told me as he tucked escaped hair behind one ear.

I kissed him again. "I love you more," I told him, trying my best to smile at him.

I looked down at his legs, trying to hide the blush that had formed from confessing that. His wound had healed, somehow. I fingered it, and he didn't react, except for the sigh that escaped his mouth.

"We can't be together. Somebody would find out and…and…kill one of us, if not both." I told him.

He tilted my head up, back into his eyes.

"One night won't hurt anyone," he told me.

"W-" I was cut off by him kissing me, pushing me onto my back. One of my legs hooked around his leg as he begun to undo my shirt, exposing my skin to the damp cave air.

There was no stopping him; his eyes shined as more of my skin was exposed; his lips were constantly returning to mine. He seemed bent on making me moan; on pleasing me and me alone. I felt just as good pleasing him (that was no easy feat.)

That was the only night that I felt truly cherished; that was also the night that I knew somebody loved me.

If only it hadn't been so wrong in everybody's' eyes…

We never slept together like that—in the un-sibling like way—but I tried to sleep next to him as much as I could. I didn't want to lose him. I didn't want him to forget me for some reason.

After all, I loved him and I wanted to spend the rest of my life with him, even if we couldn't actually be together in the way other couples were.

But that all changed the day Cadmean and Ned kept me out too long in the water. They told me it was fine, but I remember getting so sick afterwards; all he could do was stay by my side and watch me die. He tried to make it as comfortable as possible, but it was so cold.

The last thing I ever remember feeling in my real form; my real, human body, was his lips against mine; one last show of his affection.

Now, I'm trapped in this in between. Sometimes, I think I see something real; feel something against me, feel the warmth of a fire, the feel of food in my stomach, and then it all disappears again, and I'm in this grey world. It's so cold…warmth never really returns…

But my sister was here. Just for a moment. I felt alive again, and I tried to ask Cadmean about him, but she ignored me and I was back in the grey.

I feel empty; truly empty. Before, I'd had something…I'm not quite sure how to describe it…but now it's gone, like my life…

Author's Note: Two chapters in as many days! I'm feeling accomplished!

Can anybody review for this? I feel like not a lot of people have…

~HolleringHawk65