NO

"Betrayal is the only truth that sticks." -Arthur Miller

Isle of Skye, Scotland (Elysium)

He may be sitting alone on one of five makeshift beds in the picturesque Isle of Skye cavern, but for Paris of Troy, he might as well be in prison.

His time in the cavern has felt like a life sentence to him. Yes, the days are dull for Paris and the other four members of the Elysian High Council. But for Paris, they've weighed on him like he has an elephant strapped to his back.

It's his fault that he and the other council members have called a chilly cavern home for the past week or so. It's his fault that The Nine invaded the meeting that established a global adoption program. And it's his fault that orphan mother Julieta Romero, 5 year old Maria Falk, and 6 year old Emilio Ortega were abducted.

As he scratches his head through his wavy dark brown hair, Paris starts to weigh speaking up and confessing his crimes. His actions are starting to affect the innocent. He didn't want that at all. All he wanted was his wife, Helen of Troy.

Now, with all that's happened, including The Nine turning their collective backs on him, there's no seeing Helen anymore. Paris knows that Helen took great risk to free Arvin Sloane and Irina and Elena Derevko from the Ninth Circle of Hell. For all he knows, Helen's been caught...and there is probably some excruciating punishment that's taken or is still taking place.

Helen...she dominates Paris's thoughts of late. At one point, Helen was easily the most beautiful woman in the world. Natural and flowing blonde hair, pouty lips, deep and young eyes, perfect curves, and a world class lover in bed. But because her adultery launched a thousand ships and ended the lives of thousands of men in the Trojan War, it was her that went to Hell while Paris was deemed ok for Elysium, a bit of a surprise since he didn't exactly stop Helen from coming to Troy. But he is credited for killing Achilles, and that's pretty heroic in the eyes of Elysium. There are other actions of his since arrival that deemed him worthy to stay as well.

But when Paris saw Helen once again, all worn, dirty, beat-up, and just looking like a walking disaster, Paris decided enough was enough. And the rest up to this point is history.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!"

Paris's thoughts are broken by a screaming Maria and frozen-in-fear Emilio, who have just appeared in front of him on the edge of the underground lake, clutching together in terror.

Paris stands up to his feet quickly, alarmed at the sudden sight of the two young children.

Maria, meanwhile, stops screaming, opens her eyes and realizes she's not on the wrong end of a pistol anymore. She lets go of Emilio, who's still has his eyes closed tightly, and looks around at the lake, the walls, the columns of rock shooting up to the ceiling from the lake.

Maria's at her favorite cavern. She imagined it so strongly just now, she actually went there! She's speechless as she soaks in her surroundings. She has no idea how she got here. One second she was about to get shot, and in another second, she's here, thousands of miles away from the man that wanted to kill her.

"Are you ok?"

Maria shrieks as she quickly turns and looks at Paris, who just asked that question.

Unfortunately for her, her sudden twisting of feet has caused her right heel to slip off the ledge of the lake. She yells out as she starts to fall.

Emilio, who has since opened his eyes, immediately notices and grabs Maria. He keeps her from falling into the lake, but she's still teetering. Paris sprints over and pushes her upright and onto solid ground.

But Maria isn't sure what to make of Paris, given that another man just tried to shoot her about 30 seconds ago. She backs off timidly. Emilio stays in his spot to provide something of a buffer between Maria and Paris and gives Paris a suspicious look.

"It's alright, I'm Paris of Troy. I know who you are, Maria. And you, you must be Emilio."

Maria stops backtracking, but still isn't sure about Paris. Neither is Emilio.

Paris calmly says "I serve on the Elysian High Council with Milo Rambaldi...I'm a friend of his and Laurent L'Andre's. Surely you know them." Ok, he's not exactly "friends" with Rambaldi and Laurent, especially lately.

But Maria is very much familiar with Rambaldi and Laurent, and him mentioning that he knows and works with them puts her mind at ease a little. "Did you help get Mommy's adoption program started?"

Paris lets out a relieved gasp and smiles. "Yes. In fact, I was the one that proposed the program in the first place. I think what your mother is doing for children is great. You should be proud of her."

Maria sadly looks down at the ground and says "I want my Mommy..."

"Alright. I will take you two back to San Felipe. But first, are you two hurt?"

Emilio holds up his left arm, which is scraped up from when Mitch Hayes threw him hard to the ground after Emilio kicked him in the shin.

As Paris examines the wound, Maria says "Mitch was going to kill us! He had a gun and he was going to kill me!"

That fact right there causes Paris's heart to sink. Children were nearly murdered by his design. If it weren't for Paris's desire to reunite with Helen, none of this would have happened.

Suddenly, Paris remembers something. "I was told there was a woman with you two. An orphan mother. Is she alright?"

Emilio lets out a quick sniffle and somberly says "She's dead."

Paris's heart sinks to his belly button with that news and his head hangs on its own. Now, not only did innocent children nearly die, an innocent and noble woman actually did die because of him.

He takes a deep breath and looks Emilio in the eyes. "I am so sorry for your loss. I'm so sorry...sorry for everything."

"What did you do wrong?"

Paris looks over at a pleading Maria, who has no clue or concept that he hatched all of this. Even if he did tell her, she probably wouldn't be old enough to understand anyway.

Paris then holds out his arms. "Come on, let's get you home to safety!"

Maria and Emilio hold on to Paris's hands and teleported back to San Felipe, as he promised.

San Felipe, Mexico (Elysium)

Tom and Eddie Falk appear in the front yard of Tom and Nadia's home at a little after 9 in the morning. They immediately spot Laurent L'Andre guarding the front door of the home and assassins to his far left and far right respectively, guarding the front corners of the home.

Tom gives Laurent a wave, which Laurent returns with a cordial headnod, acknowledging that Tom is not a foe.

Tom walks towards Laurent and asks "Anything happen while I was away?"

Laurent shakes his head. "No. All is quiet here and at the orphanage."

"What about the Russian forest? Any sign of this portal?"

"No sign. No clues. Is there word from Irina or Mitch about the hostages?"

"Nothing. Not a peep. I was just at the orphanage and my mother hasn't heard anything. She expects either her or us to hear something today."

"Why today?"

"I asked her that and she said it's how Irina works. May be a clue or may be the whole package. Of course, if Sloane's pulling the strings, who knows. But Mom seems to believe that it's Irina that's in direct oversight of the hostages. When it comes to Irina Derevko, I trust my mother's judgment of her."

"I see. I must admit, I'm surprised to see you here like this. You were not here last night."

Tom sighs and says "No, I wasn't."

"Are there troubles with you and Nadia?"

"If things were all hunky-dory between me and my wife, I wouldn't have stayed at my brother's last night."

"I am sorry to hear that."

"So am I. Thanks for keeping watch over my wife anyway. I appreciate it."

Laurent gives Tom a headnod and says "Of course."

Tom and Eddie then walk by Laurent and go into the house.

To Tom, the place looks just as it did the last time he saw it, before the meeting with his mother Mary at the orphanage last night. He immediately spots Julieta's purse still lying untouched on the couch.

Eddie spots it too and immediately thinks about her. "I really hope Julieta's alright...wherever he is."

Tom looks over at Eddie. Eddie's taking Julieta's absence pretty hard. Last night, all Eddie would talk about is what Irina Derevko and Mitch Hayes could be doing to her and the kids, if anything at all. Tom sides with his mother Mary in believing that Irina may not hurt them at all. Eddie, however, is not so sure because of the Mitch element. He knew Mitch in life and he knew about his betrayal of Tom all too well. Eddie was also good with math, and he knows that if Irina is the constant (which is debatable), then Mitch is definitely the variable with Tom's daughter under his watch.

And of course, there's Sloane to worry about. But they don't know that Sloane hasn't been exactly hands-on with the hostages. Mary's hunch was right. Well, it's a hunch to them anyway, but Mary knows the truth from her text message swaps with Irina.

Tom pats his older brother on the back and says "We have to stay positive. My mother knows Irina more than anyone. No way will she let Mitch or Sloane have control over her. Now come on, let's grab what you need and go."

Tom and Eddie head down the hallway. They stop at the second door down. Tom opens the door and reveals his office. "Everything you need is either in the file cabinet or on my computer. Knock yourself out."

Eddie heads into the room and starts rummaging through the short file cabinet sitting next to the computer desk.

"If you need anything, let me know. I'll be down the hall."

Eddie turns back to Tom and gives him a headnod, acknowledging his comment.

Tom wanders over to the end of the hallway and opens the door to the master bedroom, the bedroom that normally he and Nadia would share. There would be a handful of times Nadia stayed overnight to give Julieta a break at the San Marcos Orphanage in San Felipe, but last night, there was no sharing to be done in that bed because of marital strife. Tom crashed at Eddie's last night...

...and, as Tom notices when he opens the door, Nadia wasn't even in the master bedroom at all. It looks untouched from yesterday.

"Nadia?"

"In here!"

Tom steps out of the master bedroom and goes over to Maria's room, which is next to theirs. He immediately spots Nadia lying on the bed, still clutching to Mister Fred, Maria's teddy bear. It's obvious that she just woke up because of how groggy she looks.

It's also obvious to Tom that Nadia slept here all night, since she's still in yesterday's clothes.

Tom leans on the doorway and asks "Are you alright?"

Nadia just remains lying on her side and hopelessly says "What do you think?"

After a sigh, Tom asks "Any news?"

Nadia sits up and says "No. No calls. I take it your mother hasn't heard anything?"

"No, she hasn't. Me and Eddie just stopped by the orphanage. She barely had enough time to tell me no in between fixing the kids breakfast."

"Ok."

"Why were you lying on Maria's bed?"

"Guess I fell asleep. I had a bad night, just thinking of our little girl." With that last part, Nadia gets teary-eyed again. "Oh geez, I thought I cried every tear I had in me last night..."

Tom walks over and sits next to a now-crying Nadia. He puts his arm around her, but Nadia doesn't exactly fall into him like she would have in the past, but doesn't angrily tell him not to, either, like she did last night. She just sits there, paralyzed by grief over Maria.

"Nadia, we're going to get our daughter back. Everything's going to be fine."

"Why do you say that?"

"Because I believe my mother when she talks about your mother. Irina won't want to hurt her own flesh and blood."

Nadia doesn't say anything, just staring off into space. She's not sure if she believes Mary, given what Irina did to Sydney before Jack came to the rescue in Brussels. But there is a big part of Nadia that wants to believe Mary is right: Irina won't hurt Maria. Nadia's feelings for Irina are complicated. Irina is her mother after all, but Nadia is not a fan of the things Irina did late in her life.

"Eddie's in my office, looking for material to put into the website he's building for the New Arrival Program..."

"Tom, why did you leave me last night?"

Tom freezes at that comment. He doesn't want a fight.

Nadia notices and looks at him. "Why did you leave me here alone, when I needed you the most?"

Tom gulps, a sign of nerves, and replies "Because I didn't think you wanted me around. You blame me for what happened, you ridiculed me for it all day yesterday, and I thought you needed some space away from me. After Eddie's done, I'll head back to his place. I'll just be here for a little while."

Nadia flashes Tom an offended look at that. She can't believe that he's leaving her again. She starts to wonder if she really did wound him that badly yesterday.

But her thoughts suddenly go beyond that to something she thought was unthinkable: she wonders if he even still loves her anymore.

So she has to ask with great worry "What are you saying, Tom?"

Tom goes to reply, but it's not his voice that Nadia hears. Instead, it's Laurent L'Andre's from the living room: "TOM! NADIA! YOUR DAUGHTER HAS RETURNED!"

Nadia gasps as she stands up to her feet and sprints out of the room, forgetting the conversation that just took place instantly. Tom also looks surprised and follows her out, nearly running into Eddie emerging from his office in the process.

When they arrive in the living room, Laurent is standing by the open door, and Paris of Troy stands behind Maria Falk and Emilio Ortega, who have big looks of relief on their faces now that they're back to safety.

"Mommy!"

"Sweetie!"

Maria runs to her mother and leaps into her arms as Nadia got down to a knee.

Nadia immediately starts openly weeping as she squeezes her daughter tight. Maria, who told Nadia not to cry after Cesar Martinez attacked her, can't help but shed a few tears herself. They're both so happy to be reunited, both decide to give in to their emotions.

Tom rubs Maria's back a bit and he gives her a kiss on the side of her forehead. He has a look of extreme relief on his face. He too is happy his daughter is back.

Then, he turns his attention to Emilio, who's just kind of standing there by himself on an island, with no one to hug him and be happy to see him alive. Immediately, Tom feels bad for the kid. He's a good kid from all accounts and just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time with Julieta and Maria.

Tom gets down on one knee, holds out his arms, and calmly says "Hey, come here."

Emilio shyly looks at him, then very, very slowly starts to walk towards him. Tom patiently waits until Emilio finally falls into his arms, but doesn't return the hug since he's a little unsure about the situation. Tom kindly tells him "I'm glad you're alright, kid. You're safe now."

Emilio doesn't respond, just standing there sort of numb. But, above Tom's right shoulder, he sees Eddie Falk standing behind Nadia and Maria.

He tries to push away from Tom suddenly. Tom lets go and Emilio starts walking towards him fearfully. His bottom lip quivers, his eyes squint, and then, the waterworks start. He can't hide his tears from Maria anymore all of the sudden. He begins to openly sob.

Eddie, in response to Emilio's sudden bout of grief, kneels down and asks "Hey, what's wrong, kid?"

Emilio, in between sobs, says "I'm sorry! I'm sorry! It's my fault!"

"Your fault? No! No, you didn't do anything wrong!"

"Yes I did! If I didn't come over to play with Maria...Julieta wouldn't have been taken! And if we didn't get taken, Julieta..." Emilio starts sobbing hard now, unable to finish the sentence. He feels guilty over Julieta's death, and what it will mean to her new boyfriend Eddie.

Nadia looks up at Paris and asks "Where is Julieta?"

Paris doesn't respond with nothing but a very glum look on his face.

"Mitch shot her! She's dead!"

Those pleading words came from Maria, who has started sobbing herself. As Maria buries her face into Nadia's right shoulder, Nadia herself has started crying. Her best friend...is dead. Julieta was innocent. She loved the kids she took care of. She didn't deserve this. Not at all. She manages a "Oh, poor Julieta..." before the grief overtakes her.

Tom closes his eyes and hangs his head as he leans on the back of the couch. He liked Julieta as well and knows she was innocent in all of this. But Mitch shot her anyway. Mitch...Tom hates him more than anything. And now, he's found a way to hate him even more.

And while all that is taking place, Paris casually walks over to the door and leans on it, staring out into the openness outside, trying to feel invisible. His actions with Helen and Sloane, Irina, and Elena have taken a family that was as solid as a rock and completely shredded it emotionally.

A thud on the ground breaks everyone's grief. The thud came when Eddie landed on his butt in shock over the death of his girlfriend. He leans back to the hallway wall and stares forward in morose disbelief. Emilio stands there, not sure what to do. Tom starts walking over his direction and says "Eddie..."

"No...no...no, no, no, no, no, NO, NO, NO, NOOOOO!"

Eddie slams his fist into the hardwood floor with each "no" uttered and continues even after he's done shouting no repeatedly. His face contorts in both anguish and anger. Tears fall out of his eyes uninhibited. Everyone in the room backs off of him. The Falk Rage is in full effect.

The Falk Rage, as Nadia deemed it after seeing it in Tom and his sister Karen, and later Thomas and sometimes Mary, has rarely been seen in Eddie. Nadia has never seen it herself, always knowing Eddie as a very light-hearted man who almost didn't seem like a Falk at times with his calmness. Even Tom has only seen Eddie in full rage mode a couple times in his lifetime and afterlifetime.

Tom steps forward, which causes Eddie to hold out his arm to stop him and say "Get away from me!" Before anything else could be said, Eddie closed his eyes and teleported away.

Maria looks up at Tom fearfully over Eddie's explosion, wipes away some tears, and asks "Where did Uncle Eddie go?"

Tom replies "I don't know." Tom knows there's probably a couple places Eddie could have run off to, but it's hard to guess which one.

Nadia asks "Should you go after him?"

Tom shakes his head. "No. I'd be doing him no good right now. He needs some time to blow off some steam. We need to give him space for a while."

Emilio hangs his head and starts crying, causing everyone in the room to take notice.

Nadia asks "What's wrong?"

Between tears, Emilio shouts "He's mad at me!"

Tom kneels down beside him and comfortingly says "No! No one's mad at you at all! You didn't do anything wrong! The people that took you...they're the ones that did wrong!"

Emilio keeps on crying anyway. An insistent Tom says "Emilio, look at me."

Emilio looks up at Tom, who tells him "None of this was your fault. Not at all. We're all glad that you're safe."

Nadia smiles at Emilio and says "Yes, we all are. You don't need to feel bad about anything." The kind words from Tom and Nadia appear to calm Emilio down a bit since he stops crying, but still feels a little weepy.

At this point, Laurent, who's been standing near the doorway, turns to Paris, still leaning in the doorway, and asks "How did you find the kids?"

The million dollar question on Tom and Nadia's minds has been asked. Now that the initial rush of seeing Maria again is over and now that the volcano that is Eddie has stopped erupting, Tom and Nadia are both curious just how Paris of all people found their kids.

Paris turns back inside the house and says "The kids suddenly appeared in the cavern. Just them, no one else."

Tom and Nadia look down at Emilio and Maria. Tom asks "Is that true?"

Maria nods, but forms a fearful face. "Mitch was going to shoot us! I held on to Emilio and imagined I was in the pretty cavern and...I went there!"

Tom and Nadia both look at each other in shock. For one, Mitch nearly killed their daughter! However, since he had the capacity to kill Julieta, I guess that's not all that surprising. But Maria teleported! That never happens with five year old children, at least not to their knowledge. And Maria's damn lucky to have teleported to the usually empty cavern in a time when the Elysian High Council was seeking protection there.

Maria then says "I don't know how I did it!"

Laurent tells her "In your mind, you physically placed yourself there. That is the basis for teleportation, and that is why it people need to have physically been at the places they teleport to at some point of their life or afterlife."

Nadia squats down to give Maria another hug. "Good job, sweetie! But I need you to promise me you won't do that again! We don't want to lose you again!"

Maria just replies "I don't understand how..."

Tom tells her "Even better. We'll show you on your 15th birthday, ok?"

Maria nods and says "Ok!" Then Maria pushes away from Nadia and looks at Emilio, suddenly remembering something. "Mommy, Emilio's arm is hurt!"

Everyone looks over at Emilio, who has extended his left arm out to show everyone that it's scraped up.

Tom concernedly asks "What happened?"

Emilio replies "I tried to stop Mitch. I tried to take the gun, and then I kicked him in the leg. He got angry and threw me down to the ground. I just wanted to protect Maria..."

"Thank you."

That came from Maria, who walks over to Emilio and gives him a hug. Tom and Nadia both looked touched at Emilio's bravery and Maria's thankfulness over Emilio's actions.

When Maria lets go of the hug, Tom bends over and holds out his arms again. "Emilio, come here. I want to thank you, too."

Emilio, a little more confidently this time, walks over and gives Tom a hug back.

After hugging a bit, Tom tells Emilio "Look at me." Emilio backs off and looks intently in Tom's eyes. Tom smiles and says "What you did today was very brave. You did the right thing, protecting Maria like that. You may have even saved both your lives with what you did. One day, you might have a little sister of your own, and she's going to need her big brother to protect her. What you did today...that's what you do for your little sister. You protect her. I speak for Nadia when I say...thank you. You're a good kid."

Emilio smiles back and hugs Tom around the neck, happy over being complimented like that. Tom hugs him back tightly. Emilio has earned Tom's respect in a huge way with what he did. All of the sudden, Tom has gone from a neutral opinion of Emilio to holding him in the highest regard. He likes the kid now.

In fact, Tom looks over at Maria and says "You picked a good friend."

Nadia follows that up with a "Yes you did, Maria."

Maria grins and playfully says "He's my hero!"

Emilio gives Maria a big grin over Tom's shoulder, but doesn't say anything. He's a kid of few words. But it's easy to tell that he's enjoying feeling like a hero.

As Tom and Emilio let go of their hug, Nadia holds out her hand and says "Come on, let me take care of your arm."

Emilio holds Nadia's hand and starts down the hallway. Maria eagerly says "I want to help!" and follows Nadia and Emilio down the hallway.

Tom smiles for the first time in a while. In fact, he tries to think back to the last time he smiled. Probably when he woke up yesterday and tried to be encouraging to Nadia, who was about to have a sit-down chat with Rambaldi and Jack about the Paternity Test Heard 'Round Elysium.

That seems like so long ago with what's gone down since then. In fact, it seems so long ago since Cesar attacked Nadia, the firestarter to all of the madness that has gone in in their lives of late. It's a madness that has them both internally questioning whether they still love each other. Only a perfect storm of events like this could even bring up that question in a passing thought.

Maria is back, though. And for that, Tom is thankful.

He turns to Paris and kindly says "Thanks for bringing the kids back, Paris."

But his words to not uplift the glum Paris. "You have nothing to thank me for."

"But you brought back my daughter!" Tom steps forward and quietly says "You may have just saved my marriage!"

"Don't thank me. It's my fault that your marriage is on shaky ground in the first place. Cesar's attack on Nadia, the kidnapping, Julieta's death, the death of your friends Jerome and Charlie...you have nothing to thank me for, and everything to blame me for."

A now extremely suspicious Laurent steps forward and asks "What are you saying, Paris?"

Paris turns up to Laurent fearfully. He takes a deep gulp and says "The life of an innocent woman was taken today, two innocent men died yesterday protecting that woman and the kids, and those kids nearly were killed themselves. I can no longer hide my guilt. Gather the council, Laurent. It is time I confess my sins."

An aghast Tom asks "What the..."

Laurent holds up his hand to silence Tom, but keeps his attention focused on Paris, his icy glare staring a hole through Paris's head. "Paris, what have you done?"

Paris hangs his head and replies "Only in front of the council. I leave my fate up to them. I do not need to add further burden the Falk family. But I have committed a serious crime against Elysium."

Laurent can't believe what he's hearing. Sure, he shares Rambaldi's displeasure with Paris, but only because of Paris's snotty behavior at times. But Paris looks like a man who's strapped to the electric chair and ready to speak his final words. He's beyond guilty.

Laurent looks outside and shouts "Antonio! Marco!"

Two Il Credo Divino assassins run through the front door and lower their heads out of reverence. The one on the left asks "How may we be of service, sir?"

Laurent looks at Paris and says "Antonio, seize Paris of Troy and do not let him go. Take him to the cavern. The councilmen are at their homes, I will have to rally them and get them to gather in the cavern. Marco, find Alec and get him and two others to keep watch over the Falk residence in my stead. He should be returning from the Russian forest soon."

Both nod their heads cordially, not questioning Laurent's orders even for a second. The one of the left, Antonio, grabs Paris and teleports with him out of the house. Marco leaves after him.

Tom looks to Laurent and asks "What's going to happen to him?"

Laurent glumly tells him "That is up for the council to decide. But it is our matter, not yours. Alec will be along shortly to keep watch. If I were you, I'd spend some time with your family. Maybe Maria's return will provide the healing you and Nadia seek."

Tom nods, agreeing wholeheartedly with that last part, and doesn't say anything.

Laurent tells him "Farewell." and teleports away.

And Tom takes Laurent's advice and heads to the bathroom to check on Emilio.

Isle of Skye, Scotland (Elysium)

An hour has passed. It took some time to gather the Elysian High Councilmen, and then they had to wait for Alec Derevko to return from his shift of searching high and low through the Russian forest for this portal that The Nine and Francisco Alvarado's army walked through.

They waited for Alec so he could take two men with him and return to guarding the Falk residence. With Maria and Emilio escaping, both assassins and councilmen alike thought it'd be best that their safety was a priority since retaliation could be imminent.

Once Alec checked in and left, things got started in the underground cavern.

Gathered are the five members of the Elysian High Council: Aristotle, Milo Rambaldi, Albert Einstein, Marcus Aurelius, and a very guilty-looking Paris of Troy. Also in attendance is Laurent L'Andre and the two assassins he asked help from back at the Falk house, Antonio and Marco.

The Elysian High Councilmen, minus Paris, are seated with their backs turned to the lake in a semi-circle around Paris, who is flanked by Antonio and Marco while Laurent stands a couple steps behind him with his arms folded.

Aristotle scans the room and says "This is not an official Elysian Council meeting, therefore there will be no official record of what transpires here. But the men in this room will bear witness to what Paris has to say, and will heed his words carefully." Then, he locks eyes with Paris. "I must warn you, you have admitted that you have committed a crime to Laurent L'Andre, an officer of Elysium. Therefore, should you decide to flee the company you see here, you will be wanted, hunted down, and possibly executed. Do you understand me?"

Paris nods and says "Of course. I assure you I will not flee this cavern, and I will be here to accept whatever judgment is handed down."

Marcus comments "You must have done something truly heinous to be acting this way and saying the things you are saying."

"I have indeed done something truly heinous. I have betrayed this council, the Falks, and Elysium."

When Paris pauses, Aristotle folds his hands on his lap and says "You have the floor, Paris. Please speak freely."

"I will when Antonio and Marco let go of my arms. I do not feel comfortable being forcibly restrained while I confess my crimes."

Aristotle turns to Rambaldi, who returns his glare for a brief moment. It's really Rambaldi that commands Il Credo Divino, although they do serve in the best interests of the Elysian High Council. He nods at Aristotle, then turns to Laurent. "Laurent, command your men to let go of Paris."

Laurent cordially nods at Rambaldi, then tells Paris "You have been informed of the price of fleeing. Antonio and Marco, let him go."

Antonio and Marco do as commanded, letting go of each arm, before stepping back a step.

Paris takes a deep, deep breath and, looking at the ground, says "Gentlemen, I have had to hide my guilt since before the meeting that was invaded. We all are in this cavern because of me. Two innocent children were abducted because of me. Julieta Romero is dead because of me. Jerome Thompson and Charlie O'Doyle are dead because of me. And I was informed that Tom and Nadia's marriage is on troubled water because of my actions. I am here not to ask for forgiveness since that will probably be impossible to attain. I am here to do what's right for once before accepting my fate."

Aristotle leans forward and says "Go on. Tell us what you did."

Paris finally removes his gaze at the rocky ground and looks Aristotle dead in the eyes. "I have conspired with Helen of Troy to overthrow the Elysian High Council."

The words hit everyone else in the room like a sack of hammers that was just thrown in each of their faces. Laurent lowers his arms and gives a death stare to the back of Paris's head. Marcus Aurelius literally flies out of his seat and shouts "WHAT?" Aristotle and Einstein gasp out of shock. Rambaldi, meanwhile, just gives Paris a tepid, curious look. Overthrowing the council...even Rambaldi didn't think Paris was capable of that.

Paris continues when everyone calms down. "As the councilmen know, I have been without Helen of Troy for almost 3,000 years. I loved her more than anything in this world. But we were separated with our deaths, and a cruel trick was put on me. She was sent to Hell because she was deemed the one responsible for the Trojan War. And depending on your point of view, that statement may or may not be entirely true. From my point of view, I have been living with guilt for seducing Helen in the first place. But it is me that endures in relative paradise while she suffers."

Einstein points out "But Helen is in Hell, Paris. How were you able to conspire with her?"

"I will get to that, but first, it's important that I tell you the whole story. As time went on, I found I could live my life without her. A small part of me always hurt for her, but there was nothing I could do about it except make the most out of what I was given. When myself, Aristotle, and Marcus Aurelius led the overthrow of Elysium that removed the formerly corrupt leadership in this land...thanks in part to Il Credo Divino..." Paris then turns around and looks at a furious Laurent. "It just occurred to me that I don't think I've ever given you the proper thanks for your assistance with all that."

Laurent coldly replies "Damn your thanks."

Paris turns back around. He expected as much from Laurent. "Well, as I was saying, I served in the prior regime for its last couple years, trying to be the voice of reason. But when my voice stopped being heard, that's when I enlisted the help of Il Credo Divino and Aristotle, Marcus, and later Milo. Which leads me to my first request for amnesty for Helen."

Marcus tersely tells him "Amnesty for the damned is impossible, Paris. You know this."

Paris pleads "But all I asked is that if there WERE a way to grant her passage into Elysium, that you would forgive her! How many years of suffering in Hell is enough for you?"

"That is not up to you to decide, you little traitorous brat!"

Aristotle stands up out of his seat and shouts "ENOUGH! Paris is here to confess his crimes, not get in a name-calling bickerfest with you, Marcus! Paris has been granted the floor, he will be allowed to speak at will." Aristotle then turns back to Paris. "Go on."

Paris does just that. "About two months ago, you councilmen thought I went missing. I wasn't missing. Helen found me at my home out of the blue."

Aristotle asks "Are you sure it was her?"

Paris flashes him an angry look and says "You never forget the love of your life, Aristotle. I thought you of all people would understand that."

"Alright, alright. Please, continue."

"I was mulling over council business when I got a knock on the door. When I opened it..." Paris chokes up a bit. "...sorry...I saw her for the first time since we died in 950 BC. She looked terrible. Her body was bruised and dirty, her clothes torn, her hair matted and frayed. I embraced her for what felt like an eternity. I held her tight, as tightly as I could without hurting her, which meant I couldn't hold her tight at all. The love of my life showed up broken and in despair. So we sat down, I fed her the first good food and wine she said she's had since she was alive. Then, she told me that she needed my help. She wanted to get out of Hell. I told her of this council's rejections of my pleas. She suggested she recruit some people in Hell to overthrow the Elysian High Council and have me take charge, where I'd be able to allow her to stay in Elysium."

Einstein warns "I don't know if there was any contact with Hell in the previous regime, Paris, but if we harbored a refugee from Hell, I'm almost certain the people running Hell would want that refugee back. Especially someone with the notoriety that Helen has."

Paris continues on. "The next day, we made the journey to Russia. I wanted her to stay overnight, but she couldn't spend any more time in Elysium than she felt she needed. It took us three days to get us back to the portal. When I got there, Helen returned with a promise she would find the men she would need. She told me to meet her again at that exact time seven days later. I wasn't sure about going forward with the plan then, but the next seven days were torture for me, knowing she's out there, getting abused and living in pain. At our next meeting, she informed me that Arvin Sloane, Irina Derevko, and Elena Derevko were willing to help. I gave the ok, they recruited the rest and we all know what happened there."

Rambaldi, who's been quiet throughout this whole ordeal, finally speaks up. "So that is why I was a target as well as Aristotle. I was a signing bonus for Sloane."

Paris remorsefully nods. "Arvin was excited to slay the man that consumed his life. I did not want the Falks harmed, but they ignored that request completely. It was my intent once I gained control of the council to send Il Credo Divino to wipe them out..."

Laurent angrily snaps. "We would never follow a spineless worm like you!"

Rambaldi holds up his hand and says "Calm down, Laurent."

"Why should I? This man has brought horror to Elysium, to you councilmen, and to innocent people! Give the order and I will send this man to rejoin his damned wife!"

Paris suddenly turns around to face Laurent and kneels down on one knee. "If it is what needs to be done, then let it be done. I may suffer with Helen, but at least we'll be in the same place together, if Hell is indeed where I go from here. I deserve no less than the end of your blade."

CLACK!

That's the sound of Laurent unsheathing the hidden blade in his right sheathe on his wrist, which echos in the now-silent cavern. He grips the blunt sides of the blade, ready to jam it into Paris's skull. But he knows better to do it right off the bat, so he looks up at the Council, as if to tell them he's ready when they are.

Marcus decides to start the voting before it's officially called. "I say he dies. Treason in Rome during my time as Emperor was immediately punishable by death. No reason things shouldn't be different here."

Einstein, being the pacifist he is, says "I abstain my vote. I do not feel comfortable commanding a person be killed."

That leaves Aristotle and Rambaldi, the two men that were specifically targeted in Paris's scheme. The two exchange glances as they try to figure out Paris's fate.

After a little while, Rambaldi has decided. He looks back at Paris. "Are you are still aware of the location of this portal?"

Paris, still kneeling with his back turned, says "Yes. The Siberian Forest. It's very remote."

"Is it still in the same location you left it?"

"Yes. I was told it's a permanent location. It never moves."

Rambaldi then turns to Aristotle. "I vote that his execution be suspended so he can take us to the portal. It is time we bring our assassins home from their useless meandering of the Siberian forest."

Aristotle nods, agreeing with Rambaldi. Then, he turns back to Paris. "Stand up and face me, Paris." Paris gets to his feet and turns to look at Aristotle, who continues. "We cannot execute an existing member of the Elysian High Council for any reason. It's in our by-laws. But our rules also state that any councilman that feels shame and feels he cannot, in good conscience, continue in his duties to Elysium ask for his resignation. We will let you take us to the portal, along with all of the men Il Credo Divino has to offer for protection. And we will let you live in the interim. But I feel that you should offer your resignation from this council effective immediately. Are there any objections among the other council members still in good standing?"

There are no objections. Just the stone cold face of Marcus Aurelius, the cautious face of Albert Einstein, and the always eerily calm and collected face of Milo Rambaldi.

Aristotle then turns back to Paris. "Paris. Is there something you would like to say to the council?"

Paris hangs his head and says "I humbly resign, effective immediately."

"Alright. Paris lives for now, but is to take us and the members of Il Credo Divino to this portal as soon as everyone can be gathered. His judgment will be decided at a later time."

Rambaldi then says "You may sheathe your blade, Laurent." Laurent does as commanded, but still looks like he's ready to take out Paris. Rambaldi instead tells him "Keep the security forces you have at the Falk residence, but bring Alec along and swap him out for a younger assassin. Pull the orphanage assassins. Have all the assassins gather in the cavern. When everyone is assembled, we go to Siberia to see this portal for ourselves."

END OF CHAPTER