"I never knew that evil had a form," Letus stated. He stared into the room in front of him. The head of the Titans, Kronos, was sitting in a chair. There was golden handcuffs around his wrists and golden chains that kept his arms trapped to the table. There would also be chains around his ankles. Two armed guards were standing outside the door, and if there was any danger, more would rush in.
"Evil or not, he deserves a fair trial," the woman next to Letus stated. After a moment, Letus turned his head to look at her. The woman was shorter than him, but she was wearing a suit that made her presence larger. "Do you not think so?"
"With the Olympians in charge, there is no such thing. Themis, you know that," Letus stated. A small smile came to Themis' face. "Why is the judge of this case visiting Kronos? Doesn't that paint you in a bad light?"
"I am visiting the prison that we have thrown villains into for life," Themis stated. Letus smiled at the judge in front of him. Themis was about half of his age, but she had much more spirit than he did. All she wanted to do was make sure justice ruled throughout Olympian Plains. Everyone needed a fair trial, and she would break her back making sure that happened.
It was not an easy task in this town though. The Olympians had ruled the court system for years, lining it with their handpicked judges. It was only recently that most of those judges had retired and were replaced by newer ones, free of the Olympian's influence. There was much more work to do, but Olympian Plains was slowly escaping the grasp of their namesake.
If someone could make a dent in that power and influence, it was Themis. She seemed to have a power of her own, to be able to tell whether someone was truly guilty or not. Letus knew that Themis didn't actually have powers. She just had strong morals, a good heart, and a keen mind. All of those seemed to help her identify who the real monster in a room was.
"The Titans broke out of here recently, because the guards slacked in their jobs. They had grown complacent from all of those years just staring at a wall. It's a waste of money. I went to the mayor about this and finally managed to convince him to allow me to move another prisoner here," Themis explained.
"Who would you move?" Letus asked. He frowned and tried to think about it. There was a few criminals with powers who had been thrown inside a regular prison with the rest of the common folk, and they just had the handcuffs that dampened their powers. The Olympians should have moved those criminals to Tartarus a long time ago, but they wanted to keep just the Titans in their special little prison.
"Are you familiar with Khione?" Themis asked. Letus thought for a few moments but finally shook his head. "She has powers to turn down the temperature around her to below freezing. If her handcuffs were to ever fall off, there is no telling how many other prisoners she could kill. If we have a prison designed to hold the most dangerous criminals in the world and if there is space to spare, we should add more prisoners."
"Agreed," Letus said. He heard the door near them open, and three guards walked in. Letus turned to face them. "Is he ready?"
"Yes," the guard answered. He motioned to the window. Letus knew it was a one way mirror, and Kronos wouldn't be able to see them. He had to be able to feel them though. "The walls are impossible to hear through, so you can have privacy while doing this. Two guards will be outside the door, and I will be watching through the window. If at any point you think Kronos is going to do something, look at me. We will pull you out immediately."
"I don't think I have anything to fear," Letus stated. He looked towards Themis, who was looking at another guard. "Have a good evening, Themis. I will see you sooner or later."
"Have a good night, Letus. Remember to keep an open mind about him," Themis said. She looked towards the guard. "I am ready for the tour."
Themis followed the two guards out of the room. Letus was left with the third, who nodded towards him. Letus grabbed both of his briefcases and followed behind the guard. He was led to the door and stepped inside. Kronos didn't turn to look. In fact, he didn't make any movements at all.
Letus heard the door behind him close. He walked toward the opposite side of the table from Kronos and sat his briefcases on the table. Letus opened one of his briefcases and spread his files out on the table. This trial was going to be impossible. There was footage of Kronos murdering that girl. He had planned the breakout, and there was no way there would be a fair trial. The jury already knew all about what Kronos did. The only thing Letus could do was make sure his client escaped without the death penalty.
But, Kronos deserved death. Letus slowly looked at the man in front of him. Kronos was staring at him with intelligent, cold eyes. It would be all too easy to kill the monster then and there. Kronos' handcuffs would keep him from defending himself. All it would take was one touch.
Letus couldn't do it though. He wanted nothing more than to slay the monster, but there was too many witnesses around. The guards would know that he did it, and they would learn that he had powers. The Olympians would learn. Letus couldn't kill Kronos, not without breaking the promise that he made so long ago.
That promise haunted Letus everyday. It saved his life, but it also condemned another. The only thing Letus could do was pour everything into the two trials in front of him. He had to protect his reputation from Kronos' trial, and he had to get Pluto's sentence overturned. Letus spent the last decade trying to do just that, and he was so close.
"Do you believe in heaven or hell?" Kronos asked. Letus slowly looked up at the villain. Kronos was sitting back, relaxed. There was a small smirk on his face.
"I don't see what my personal beliefs have to do with your trial," Letus stated. He looked through the papers. How was he even going to start this one? There was no way he could prove that Kronos didn't mean to do it. It would be hard to argue that Kronos would do anything useful with his life. Maybe, he could argue that one less person in Tartarus would mean one less job.
"You must believe," Kronos stated. "You have a code of ethics after all. Morals, I guess. If there is a hell, I must be destined to go there, as any other sinner would. Would I not be welcome with open arms?"
"Let's not say that to the jury," Letus said. It almost felt like he was talking to a brick wall. Kronos probably didn't care about what happened to him. His plan had already failed. The only thing he had left to do was create as much chaos as he could during the trial.
"How many others destined to go to hell have you defended?" Kronos wondered. Letus met his eyes. "If you have morals and convictions, why do you defend those that are guilty? Why try to stop those who are going to hell from going to prison? Isn't it just practice?"
"I only defend those who I truly think are innocent," Letus stated. "I am only defending you because I am forced to. I will extend the same professional courtesy to you that I do to all of my clients. I will defend your case to the best of your abilities, but you have to work with me."
"Why defend Hades then?" Kronos asked. Letus slowly looked at him. "We both know he is not innocent. Why would you defend a man who has guilt written all over his face, unless you know him outside of work?"
Letus remained silent. There was no way that Kronos could know that Pluto and Letus had a friendship that went back since their childhood. He couldn't know how fiercely loyal Letus was. It was time to change the conversation.
"Did you kill Praetor?" Letus asked. Of course, he knew that Kronos had shot Praetor in the head. There was a damned video of it, but Letus also trusted Hecate. If Hecate thought that there was something odd about the entire scene, he believed it as well. She was able to see things that other couldn't.
"I helped her ascend," Kronos said, and he smirked once again. Letus frowned. Kronos just gave him a non answer. He framed it as a mocking joke, but it spoke volumes. Kronos didn't confirm that he had killed the girl, but he also didn't deny it. It was always the things that people didn't say that gave away their thoughts.
"You must work with me," Letus said, after a minute of thought. "I will defend you to the best of my abilities, but we must find a common ground."
"There won't be a trial," Kronos said. Letus looked at him and frowned. Kronos closed his eyes. "You can leave, Letus."
After a moment, Letus gathered up his papers and placed them back into his briefcase. He closed the briefcase and stood. There was no need to talk to Kronos anymore. The villain had just given him a huge clue to the future. Were the Titans planning another breakout? Was something else going to happen?
The two guards entered the room, and Letus grabbed his briefcases. He followed the two guards out of the room and spoke, "I was also told I was allowed to see my other client."
Neither of the guards said a word. They just started walking towards Pluto's cell. Letus knew the path by heart, but he still followed behind the guards. Letus made it towards the small room that held one of his best friends. The two guards opened the door, and Letus stepped inside.
"Evening," Letus greeted. He studied his friend. Pluto was standing at a bookcase and looking through a book. Letus walked towards the table and sat his briefcases down. He opened one of the briefcases and pulled out all of the files for Pluto's trial. "How has your day been?"
"Something feels wrong," Pluto stated. Letus looked up quickly. Pluto turned towards him. He didn't look pale or flush. It didn't seem like he was sick, but it was very possible that something was wrong with him. A few guards had already tried to poison Pluto. A few had even taken shots at him with a baton. Sometimes, men let power go to their head.
"I can get a doctor," Letus said. He began to turn, but he saw Pluto hold up a hand. Letus frowned. "What feels wrong?"
"I don't know. I just have this terrible feeling in my gut," Pluto said. "Like the world is out balance. I had this feeling once before."
"With her," Letus whispered. He did not dare say the name aloud. Pluto looked away and seemed to be lost in thought. The man had a very close connection to death. Some people would even say he was death. If Pluto was death, why would he take away the one woman that he loved?
Maria Di Angelo. Just the name sent a mixture of sadness and anger through Letus' chest. Maria and Pluto had met when Pluto went to Italy on a business trip. The two instantly hit it off, and Maria came back to Olympian Plains with Pluto. The two married and had two wonderful kids, until disaster struck.
They did not speak of the day that Maria Di Angelo died in the crossfire of a hero and villain. Pluto changed that day. He became much more reserved. He dove deeper into his company but also deeper into his responsibilities as an Olympian. He mourned alone, until he found the villain that had caused so much of his suffering. Letus remembered that day, and he still remembered the screams of the villain: the first of many.
A knock at the door snapped Letus out of his thoughts. He frowned and glanced at his watch. Dinner time had already passed, and he had been given permission by the warden to stay as long as he needed. Was Themis stopping by to see Pluto? Letus turned his head and watched the door open. His jaw nearly dropped in shock.
Two guards were standing by the door, but another man stood in between them. The man wore a suit that hid his muscles well. His long, black hair was disheveled and out of place. There was an almost hollow look in his eyes. What was Jupiter doing at Tartarus?
The last time that Jupiter had seen his brother was when he was locking Pluto in his cell. Letus felt his own gut twist. He watched Jupiter walk into the room. Jupiter gave the guards a dismissive wave, and they slowly left the room.
"Brother," Pluto said. He stared at Jupiter, but Jupiter couldn't even meet his eyes. "What happened?"
"Vulcan's AI, Talos, went missing recently. We sent teams out to try and find it," Jupiter began. He looked down. "You may want to sit down."
"Jupiter. What happened?" Pluto asked. Instead of sitting down, he stood to his full height. His eyes almost seemed like they were starting to turn black, and his voice sent shivers down Letus' spine. Jupiter didn't flinch.
"One of the teams found the AI. Both Bianca and Nico were in that team," Jupiter continued. Pluto grabbed his chair, as if trying to find something to support him. Jupiter took a deep breath. "Mnemosyne laid a trap for us, and your children were caught in the crossfire."
"Bianca is in the hospital. She took a bullet to the side, but she will live," Jupiter said. He slowly looked up at Pluto. "Bianca was going to take a bullet to the chest. Nico tackled her out of the way. The bullet went though his neck instead. He didn't suffer long."
Pluto didn't react. He just stared ahead, with a blank look. His brain was either trying to process the words or had just shut down. Jupiter spoke, "Mnemosyne got away, but we will spare no expense in finding her. I will let you know as soon as Bianca is out of the hospital. I'm sorry."
Jupiter turned and left the room. After a minute of standing there, Pluto slowly pulled the chair out and sat down. Letus looked at Pluto and then the table. From the interactions that they had, Letus liked Nico. He was a good kid. Was.
Letus slowly looked at Pluto for a reaction, but he didn't get one. Pluto just stared ahead. How was a father suppose to react to the news that his only son had died? How was Pluto suppose to react to the news that the one person who visited every single month in this godless place was dead? Letus didn't know, and that scared him.
After a few minutes, Pluto sat down. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Pluto finally opened his eyes and looked at Letus. He spoke, "Find Mnemosyne. Make her suffer."
"I will," Letus swore. He stood and gathered his papers once again. Letus quickly packed his briefcase and then grabbed both of them. He looked back at Pluto. "I will get everyone on this."
"Thank you," Pluto said. He closed his eyes once again. Letus walked towards the door and stared at it. After a moment, he opened the door and nodded to the two guards. Letus gave one last look towards Pluto and saw that Pluto was doing something that he had never done in all of those years that they knew each other, not even when he learned that Maria had died; Pluto was crying.