INTERVENTION

Atia closed the door behind Caius and turned to face the room. Athenodora looked away nervously whilst Carmen appeared confused.

"I would like to know why my son looks like a human hobo who's been chasing the dragon." Atia waited a moment but neither woman replied. "Which one of you is going to talk first?" she pushed.

Carmen shrugged. "I'm not sure what to tell you, Atia … Aro has hardly been around whilst you were away. Eleazar met up with him last night and he was fuming when he came home, but he wouldn't tell me why. He just kept saying that everything made sense now. I don't know what he meant, though."

Atia took a second to process Carmen's information … it wasn't much to go. She considered seeking Aro out herself and running through his memories. But if I am wrong, if nothing's going on and Aro is just stressed, as Sulpicia claimed, I will be making things worse for everybody.

"Is that really everything you know?" Atia pushed.

Hearing that Eleazar and Aro were at odds wasn't particularly unusual, therefore neither was it illuminating.

Carmen nodded sadly. She had been spending less and less time with Sulpicia over the last year or so, at Sulpicia's instigation. Whenever Carmen called on her sister-in-law, Sully was too 'busy' to see her. As a consequence, Carmen had been spending more time with Athenodora - to begin with she sought out Caius' mate at Atia's request, but through spending time alone with the woman, Carmen had unexpectedly found a friend in Athenodora.

"Dora?" Atia prompted. Surely you know something if my son is knocking on your door.

Athenodora looked nervous still. "I can't tell you. Caius … "

"I won't let Caius hurt you," Atia said forcefully.

Athenodora cut the coven matriarch off before she could say anything condemning her mate. "No! I don't think he would hurt me. Things have really changed there for us. Caius has changed. He's trying to anyway … Aro is dragging him back."

Carmen's eyebrows disappeared into her hairline. "Aro is dragging Caius back - are you sure you don't have that the wrong way around?" she asked tentatively.

Athenodora took no offence, as she could understand the confusion. "Aro is knocking on our door at all hours, wanting Caius to go to the dungeons with him. Caius won't tell me what they are doing down there. He said he didn't want me implicated in his demise! I know he doesn't want to go with Aro … Aro is being quite threatening."

Atia felt her dead heart sinking in her chest. She didn't want to say it out loud, as though to do so would make her concern a reality, but her mind went straight to dungeon blood.

"They take Heidi and Ashanti down there, too," Athenodora added.

Atia sighed as she was instantly reminded of catching Caius and Aro tanked up on dungeon blood sharing the pleasures Heidi had to offer. Atia hadn't blamed Heidi then, but if she was instigating the illicit liaisons now it would, in Atia's mind, be time to say goodbye to the new siren.

"Are they going willingly?" Atia asked.

"Heidi would prefer not to, but Ashanti is very pleased with being back with the masters again," Athenodora said, spitting Ashanti's name. Ashanti had caused so much trouble in the Volturi coven and Athenodora was sick of the little tramp acting as her equal because Caius occasionally fucked her.

Atia thought on similar lines - she had heard the many tales of Ashanti's shenanigans and the upset she caused throughout the coven. Basileus would have gotten rid of the woman decades ago but Ashanti was useful in collecting humans up for group feeding. Heidi can do that now, and she doesn't have the same negative reputation that Ashanti does.

"I understand," Atia replied.

Carmen looked close to tears. "Oh my god, poor Sully," she exclaimed, wondering whether her sister-in-law knew of her mate's betrayal, and for a moment questioning exactly what Eleazar had gotten up to the night before. "And you! How can you let this go on?" she directed sympathetically towards Athenodora.

Athenodora hushed her friend, waving away Carmen's concerns. "Caius and I have an understanding about the sex – we have always enjoyed an open relationship. And he just mellows out on dungeon blood, not like Aro. Aro's getting more and more violent. He's attacked Caius a few times and he broke Heidi's arm when they were having sex."

"Dungeon blood?" Carmen questioned, not knowing what that was.

Neither Atia nor Athenodora had the time to explain at that moment, they would leave that for Eleazar.

"Aro is back on dungeon blood," Atia repeated to herself. Oh yes, saying it out loud had definitely increased her concerns.

Athenodora panicked. "I thought you knew about the dungeon blood!" Oh no! What have I done? she thought, cursing how free she had been the scant information she held.

Atia took a seat next to Athenodora and tried to console her, telling her that she would have known before nightfall at any rate.

"The twins confided in me this morning that Aro and Sulpicia are arguing a lot. And when I called in to see Felix and Demetri, the pair of them refused to leave their room. We need to get Sulpicia here. Carmen, would you fetch her please."

Carmen agreed, she wasn't sure what this dungeon blood was, or why Aro drinking it was such an awful thing, but right then all she could think about was Sulpicia and how much she regretted not pushing harder to spend time with her sister-in-law whilst all this was going on.

"Should we tell Basileus?" Athenodora asked, when Carmen left.

Atia shook her head. Something told her he would find out soon enough on his own.

It wasn't long before Carmen returned with Sulpicia, although she had taken some convincing to attend Athenodora's chambers.

"Sulpicia, I'm so glad you could come," Atia gushed as she walked through the door.

"This looks like an intervention," Sulpicia said, looking suspiciously between the three women sat together, opposite her. Against her, she felt.

"It is, in a way," Atia agreed. "We need to talk to you about Aro."

Sulpicia huffed in annoyance. "If this is about the arguing, Aro and I are fine, he's just stressed with work … "

"I believe it may be more than that," Atia interjected.

"It is definitely more than that," Athenodora agreed pithily.

Whilst Athenodora's relationship with Camren had dramatically improved, the same could not be said for her relationship with Sulpicia.

"What would you know?" Sully snapped in return.

Atia tried to direct conversation back to the matter at hand. "We are getting off track, Sulpicia, dear. Things with Aro need resolving - your children are suffering."

Sulpicia fumed. "Excuse me?!" Atia's entire premise was downright insulting to her.

Atia could see she was only adding to Sulpicia's annoyance, but she had to push on. "I have spoken with the twins, and with Felix and Demetri … they are all very unhappy. They need … "

Sulpicia's face became thunderous, shocking Atia enough for her to stop talking. Sulpicia was certainly ready to take over.

"I have been a mother to those young vampires for many centuries now. I know what they need!"

Aria went to her daughter-in-law to sit with her, taking her hands in her own.

"Of course you do," Atia agreed sympathetically. "If Aro's just stressed with work, as you claim … "

"Claim?!" Sulpicia broke in, but Atia continued.

"then it must be the children who are at fault," she posed, not believing such a thing but wanting to force Sulpicia to assess her mate's dangerous behaviour.

"There's no fault with anyone in my household, you interfering b… "

Carmen jumped to her feet. "Sully don't! She's trying to help!" she implored.

Sulpicia turned her steely gaze on her sister-in-law. "Are you turning on me too?" she asked, sounding both hurt and offended.

Carmen shook her head and returned Sulpicia's glare with eyes imploring compassion and concern. "Stop pushing everyone away, Sully," she begged. "You know something isn't right and you are placing yourself and your children at risk by isolating yourself."

"I am not isolating myself, thank you Carmen," Sulpicia said, dismissing her concerns, then adding forcefully, "I am simply defending my husband and children from your insults!"

Atia had had enough. We are getting nowhere, fast! And god only knows what Aro is doing whilst we are wasting time here!

"Who are you protecting, Sulpicia? Aro or your children … because as it stands, you are failing them both," she said resolutely.

Sulpicia was on her feet. She had to move or she was going to explode! "Failing them?! I don't have to choose between them, Atia. Parents don't work that way. But I wouldn't expect you to understand that."

Sulpicia watched Atia, she saw her twitch in response before matching her stance.

"And what exactly is that supposed to mean?" Atia ground out, quiet and dangerous.

Sulpicia was done. She felt attacks coming from every direction; her husband had become a self-serving unstable nightmare to live with, all four of her children were acting out from their father's irrational outburst with equally irrational outbursts, and now the women in her family had clearly turned against her, she thought. Oh yes, she was done, and now she was going to hit Atia where it would hurt. "You are 'playing' mother, and I am one. There is a difference. Don't get me wrong, if I wanted a layman's advice on parenting I would certainly come to you," she sang out sweetly in a tone she'd learned from Aro.

It worked. Atia looked like she'd been stabbed in the heart. Atia wasn't naïve, she knew that she'd rubbed Carmen and particularly Sulpicia the wrong way since she had arrived in Volterra, but she loved them both dearly. Basileus' sons were her sons, and their mates were her daughters as far as Atia was concerned. As a very principled and worldly woman she accepted there would, no doubt, always be some abrasion with marrying into the vampire elite. Atia had believed she had been accepted … she was questioning that now.

"I am trying to help you," she said softly.

"I don't need your damn help. I am the matriarch of this family, Atia. Not you. You are just fucking the boss!" Sulpicia retaliated spitefully.

Athenodora had remained silent until then. She spent more time with Atia than she did with Caius even and Atia had helped her see life in an entirely new way. Both she and Caius had benefitted hugely from the woman's insight and Athenodora decided Sulpicia was being most ungrateful towards her mother in law.

"That would be Ashanti, actually," she said slyly.

Sulpicia burst out in sarcastic laughter. "I know you struggle with this, Dora, but Caius isn't the boss!"

Athenodora stood up and closed the short distance between them. "Neither is Basileus," she whispered, "he is the creator … so that only leaves … " Athenodora allowed her voice to trail off and for Sulpicia to arrive at her own conclusion.

Sully knew her mate well, they had lived together for thousands of years. She knew Aro was back on dungeon blood, his temperament alone was testament to that. She also knew that with the drug came the infidelity … not that Aro needed to be on dungeon blood for that, but other women were a certainty when he was. Oddly, knowing all that wasn't what affected Sulpicia, it was everyone else knowing that made the red mist descend. Without saying a word Sulpicia flew towards Athenodora, easily taking the woman down to the floor with the moves Eleazar had taught her during their frequent training sessions. It took both Carmen and Atia's combined efforts to free Athenodora from Sulpicia's clutches.

Basileus burst through the doors as Sulpicia continued to snarl and rage in her mother-in-law's hold.

Carmen nursed Athenodora's bloody, scrawled face. Sulpicia had dug her nails in deep and dragged them down the woman's cheeks!

Atia gave her mate a moment to catch up - he was clearly using his gift to run through the preceding conversation that had led to Sulpicia's vicious attack.

"Could you take Sully back to the south tower, my dear," he asked Atia once he had heard it all.

Atia nodded. "Should we find Aro?" she asked.

On hearing his name, Sulpicia broke down in her mother-in-law's arms, the full weight of the last two years crushing her soul. She turned in Atia's embrace and found comfort in the woman's hold, sobbing uncontrollably from the stress she felt.

Basileus breathed in and out slowly and scrubbed his hands up his face and back through his hair, desperately trying to keep his cool. "No, Aro will find his way home, I'll deal with him then," he said darkly. I just hope I don't kill him when he does.

…

It took a while for Atia to calm Sulpicia down. At first Sulpicia appeared to barely register who it was in her chambers with her, such was her distress. When she had settled suitably, Atia tried to talk her through what she believed was going on. It didn't begin well - Atia had to admit she had knowledge of Aro taking dungeon blood and being with another woman before the covens had convened.

Sulpicia felt betrayed by the woman who had been harping on about sisterly power since she'd arrived. Atia chose not to tell Sulpicia who the woman was … Sully assumed Ashanti would be the culprit and Basileus had asked Atia to conceal Heidi's role because they needed one of the sirens in the coven and Sulpicia knowing about Heidi would only make things harder for them both to share the castle afterwards. To Basileus at least, Ashanti was collateral damage.

Sulpicia had been expecting Basileus to step in and deal with Aro without the need for her involvement. Atia convinced her otherwise.

"You need to stand up for yourself, Sulpicia!" she had instructed her daughter-in-law. She was incensed that Aro could treat his mate so carelessly. "For your children, too!'' she had added after seeing the four of them behaving so unlike themselves.

They sounded sly and spiteful when they spoke with each other and downright disrespectful when they addressed their mother. Atia was most surprised they would act that way with a her in their quarters. They were, in Atia's opinion, replicating their paternal role model.

When Basileus called in to collect his mate and check on his daughter, Atia informed him of their attitude and that Aro would no doubt be returning to their tower soon, and wrecked. "You will have to speak with the young ones, my dear. They need to stay in their rooms so Sulpicia can talk with Aro."

"I think I will do the talking with Aro, my dear," Basileus said forcefully.

"I have a few things to say to him first, Basileus," Sulpicia said, with Atia's encouragement.

Basileus looked between the two women. 'I hope you know what you are doing, my dear,' he thought to his mate.

Atia nodded and smiled. 'Sulpicia needs to stand up to Aro,' she offered by way of explanation.

Basileus understood that, he was just worried Sulpicia was being put in harm's way - the harm, shamefully, being his own son.

"Would you like me to talk to the children, Sulpicia?" Basileus asked gently.

He had stuck to his word, mostly, about trying not to override Sulpicia and Aro when it came to their young brood. He mostly asked if he was needed and they mostly agreed. Basileus couldn't see the bloody point in the whole charade personally, but it seemed to have helped Sulpicia, so he did it anyway.

"Please, my lord," she requested, exhausted by the emotional ordeal she had been through. And, the day is far from over! She thought, glumly.

Basileus rapped his knuckles against the twins' door and threw it open after no reply. The room was empty. He immediately burst into the boys' room - to his relief, all four were there.

Basileus closed the door behind him and sat on Demetri's bed, leaning up the corner post. He watched his grandchildren, all together on Felix' s bed, watching him right back.

"So … you have all realised there is a problem with your father, yes?"

Felix scoffed at Basileus' attempt to underplay the situation, but they others bobbed their heads in agreement.

"I hear you are taking your father's lapse in judgement as a reason to be unjustly disrespectful towards your mother, and each other."

He sounded so calm, like he was just shooting the breeze, that three of them relaxed enough to giggle their admittance.

"I wouldn't find it so funny, if I were you," he ground out, immediately slipping from jovial and relaxed to angry and dangerous.

"I wouldn't find it unjust," Felix snapped.

Demetri elbowed his big brother, whilst Jane and Alec merely rolled their eyes at Felix causing himself more grief.

Basileus leaned forward, resting his arms on his knees. "So, you are justly disrespectful, is that it? What has your mother done to wrong you?"

"She let him carry on," Felix stated cryptically.

His brothers and sister looked confused but Basileus understood loud and clear that Felix blamed Sulpicia for not protecting them all from Aro's binges.

A little trip through the boy's memories and he could see Aro had been particularly hard on and violent towards Felix recently.

I will string you up and let you rot for this, boy! He thought to Aro, hoping Aro would read those thoughts in his mind sometime.

"I will be bringing it all to an end, Felix. You must trust me. Everything will be alright," Basileus told his grandson.

Felix didn't look convinced. "Yeah, until the next time," he murmured bitterly.

Basileus wasn't sure how to respond to that. Felix was right if history was anything to go by. Nevertheless, he thought, I need you to behave tonight, at least.

"Aro will be home soon, you are all to stay in here together … no matter what you hear. Understood?"

Felix shook his head. "I won't sit and listen to that animal hurting my mom. Even if I am pissed with her."

Basileus shook his head, pursing his lips to Felix's word choice. "That won't happen, Felix. I will be ready and waiting for your mother's signal - I will remove Aro before any harm is done. You need to stay in here."

He stressed that last part a few times over before Felix answered appropriately. Basileus raised his eyes to the heavens, he could see that boy would need careful handling over the next few months.

"Felix, I would remind you that Aro isn't himself right now, but he loves you very much, and he has put up with a lot from you over the years … you may wish to be kinder to him."

Felix scowled but Basileus could tell the lad was thinking on his words.

"And your mother has been in a very difficult situation, and after all she has done for you … " he didn't need to say any more, he knew that would be enough.

Basileus took Sulpicia's hands in his and kissed them gently. "I will come as soon as you call, my dear," he told her before he and Atia left the top floor suite.

Sulpicia sat alone, listening to the fire crackle and the clock ticking. She thought of the million or so happy memories she had shared with her mate and her children in that room and refused to give any headspace to the unhappy events that had occurred. She anticipated her coming conversation with Aro with a nervous excitement - they had argued before, Sully had even thrown him out before.

Basileus intended to keep Aro for a month at least to get him clean of the dungeon blood and it would start with Sulpicia standing up to Aro and calling him out on his deviant ways.

She didn't have to wait long before she heard Aro coming up the stairs. Sulpicia raised a small smile thinking of Basileus - he would have heard Aro's staggered movements too and Sully knew it would have been hard for her father-in-law to resist snatching him out of the stairwell and dragging him into his own chambers. Still, she was glad that his did resist, things needed to be said and she needed to say them.

Aro shoved his chamber door open and hazily made his way over to Sulpicia by the fire. It was only a few meters but it took him a good five minutes doing his drunken walk, zigzagging left to right rather than straight ahead. When he finally reached her, he sat by her side and started pawing at his mate.

"If you want to keep your hands you should remove them from my person immediately," Sulpicia growled, switching seats to sit opposite him.

Aro scoffed at her rejection. He didn't really care. "I know what you've been told … are you still upset?"

Aro had been back to Caius' before returning home and he'd seen the state of Athenodora. Carmen had stayed with her and told Aro his number was up now Sully and his parents knew. Aro had acted so nonchalant in front of Carmen but his stomach was in knots. Luckily, his good sense was well protected by the effects of dungeon blood - had it not been, he would have fled the castle!

"Upset!" Sulpicia repeated, as though the very word disgusted. "No, I am not upset!" she growled.

"Raging happy?" Aro tried cheekily, hoping to make her laugh. With the frosty glare he received for his efforts he decided to change tack. "Come on Sully, let us not fight," he moaned, not up for a row. He assumed he had one coming with Basileus and that would be bad enough. Right now he just wanted to sleep. Or fuck. Or both.

"Have you been with Ashanti?" Sulpicia asked, looking at the state of his clothes and thinking how rough he looked. You have looked this way a hundred times over the last few years, how many times have you betrayed me? she wondered.

Aro smirked to himself. So you don't know about Heidi then, good to know, he thought. "I have been with Caius, my queen. Just hanging out in the dungeons."

"Don't say anything," Sulpicia barked at his lies. "Every word that comes out of your mouth is a fucking excuse, it's misdirection."

Aro's eyes rolled around his head, he looked set to doze off.

"I'm vilifying you for God's sake - pay attention!" Sulpicia sounded thunderous, but it wasn't enough to really effect Aro's attitude. She set off walking around their living chamber, mainly to get away from the bastard she was talking to. "You are on dungeon blood right now aren't you? There's no talking to you when you are like this, go back to the dungeons, it's where you belong!"

Aro sighed deeply and heaved himself out of his chair, the drug was wearing off a little now and he had control of his body again, mostly. Flashing unsteadily to his mate's side, Aro tried to wrap his arms around her.

"Take your hands off me now!" Sulpicia growled.

Aro huffed. "Why are you being like this?" he whined. There was just no need for the attitude in his mind. You know, Atia knows, Basileus knows - my happy high will end soon enough now, why be so bitchy about it. "Give me a little peace."

"I'd happily give you eternal peace!" Sully returned, shoving Aro away.

That pissed him off. "It's just sex, Sully," he said, growling himself now in reaction to his mate's abrasion.

Sulpicia chuckled, though there was no trace of humour. "So, I should send you to another woman's bed with a smile on my face?" she asked, making the question sound as audacious as possible.

Aro wasn't stupid, he wasn't fucked enough either to give an answer to that question … it wouldn't be wise unless he fancied being castrated in his living room.

"Can't we just forget about it?" he asked trying to slide up to Sulpicia.

She shoved him away again.

"You are fucking other women!" she roared in response.

"One woman, Sully," he said, hoping to god she didn't know about the others. "One. And it won't happen again," he promised.

He spoke with so little conviction that Sully started playing with the castration idea!

"With that one, maybe." she spat, thinking of ways to end Ashanti's hold over the men in her coven. "But what about the next?" she asked.

"What about the next?!" Aro shrugged. He watched as his words shattered Sulpicia's heart. He was drunk and drugged enough that it didn't really affect him … it would, of course, when he later realised how callous he had been, but for now, he didn't care enough to care.

"Can you hear what you are saying?" Sulpicia asked, emotions overspilling to tears.

Aro shrugged as he retook his seat, having retrieved a large glass of wine. "There are just some things you don't do with your mate," he said, stifling his laughter. "You don't share well, do you my queen."

Aro was drunk, but even he knew he'd said too much with that dig. He wanted to apologise but his damn pig-headed, addled brain wouldn't allow him.

Why should I apologise for hurting you, you have gone behind my back and divulged all to my fucking mother, of all people!

Aro realised he had been home for about half an hour and his father hadn't called on him yet. He's going to rip my balls off when he does … that's your fault too, my fucking queen!

It was unfair, illogical to be blaming his mate, but it was his only self-defence. Aro didn't take blame well.

"I have told you I will stop, it's done with. Now just let it go!" he growled to his heart crushed wife.

"How can I believe you?" she asked, wiping angrily at her eyes. She didn't want him to see how badly he hurt her, she wanted to pretend she didn't care at all, just like him. But the tears kept coming.

"Because I love you," he stated. Obviously! He thought.

"Because you love me?" The words sounded so hollow when Aro spoke them but they were positively audacious when Sully repeated them. "Do you have any idea how inadequate that sounds?"

Aro was bored, he couldn't see the point of arguing. His mind went back to his own desires - fuck or sleep? He thought, or preferably both. Neither seemed on the cards.

"Are you going to argue with me all night?" he asked, wondering if he could make it out of the tower and back to the dungeons before Basileus came to apprehend him.

"No," Sully stated, resolving herself. "You are leaving so I will have nobody to argue with."

"Who's going to make me?" Aro asked, stretching his arms wide in his chair.

"You sound like a fucking child."

Aro's eye twitched at the force of Sulpicia's insult. "Don't curse at me. You are lucky I am taking you screeching at me, damn harridan!"

The veiled threat from Aro was the final straw for Sulpicia. This ends now, she thought before opening the door wide to their top floor suite.

"BASILEUS!"

"Really?" Aro sneered, disgusted by her continual betrayal, as he saw it.

He hadn't yet considered that anyone, not his mate, or his parents would stop his fun for his own good. He was trapped in the cycle of getting fucked, feeling fucked, and everyone fucking him off … he had lost the ability to see his own behaviour clearly many months ago.

Basileus appeared in the doorway, filling the void where Sulpicia held open the door.

"I have asked your son to leave and he has asked who would make him. I hoped you may oblige," Sulpicia sang out sweetly. "Oh, he's on blood by the way."

Basileus glowered at his son. "You took it today? Knowing I was home?"

Aro offered a sarcastic smile to his mate. Bitch.

"Listen, Dad, it's not like before and I am keeping a level head with it."

The slur in his speech didn't help him sound level headed at all.

Basileus shook his head in disappointment. Seeing Aro, he realised things were even worse than he had feared. "Come with me," he said with his hand outstretched.

"No!" Aro replied, "I have no reason to leave - if SHE isn't happy here, SHE can leave!"

Sulpicia closed her eyes, fighting back the tears.

"Excuse me, my dear." Basileus said gently, moving Sulpicia clear of the door.

Aro saw his formidable father coming for him, but he refused to move from his seat.

Basileus didn't care, it made no difference to what he was going to do - whether Aro stood or stayed seated he was going to drag his boy to his home, regardless.

Aro put some effort into resisting Basileus but the creator easily took him by the scruff of his neck and threw him to the top of the stairs. Saying good night to Sulpicia, Basileus took Aro awkwardly by his arm, lifting so high that his left foot couldn't reach the floor.

"You know, son," Basileus whispered into his boy's ear, "some days I look at you in absolute awe and wonder how I was blessed with such a wonderful son, and then there are days like today," he landed Aro in front of the ground floor suite, "and I realise what a prized cock you can be."

"I'm not going in there with her!" Aro drawled. He knew the danger he was in, but he also knew nothing he did or said now would make it any worse. Something else he believed was that Atia had blown his fun. He had to blame someone, that's how Aro worked.

"Get in there now!" Basileus boomed, throwing Aro forward and into his chambers where he landed face first on the floor.

He didn't stay down, diving to his feet and readying himself for a fight, he ripped into Atia. "You have caused all of this, are you happy now, you fucking witch!"

"I love you, Aro … " Atia replied, though she matched his stance.

If he was going to attack, Atia was confident she could take him down without really hurting him - at least in her boy's current state.

Aro scoffed. "You love nothing. You're incomplete. The human parts of you are missing. You're as dead as you are deadly."

And then he launched himself towards his mother, with every intention of taking her out.

Basileus heard Aro's thoughts before he had even moved. Intercepting his son, he planted his first squarely in Aro's face with all the power the demi god had been blessed with.

Aro was out cold.