TRIGGER WARNING:This chapter talks about child abuse and spousal abuse reader discretion is advised.
Hestia hurriedly headed to Aidoneus's house, weaving in and out traffic. Her brother slumped in the passenger seat holding his ribs. She could hear the cracking of them slowly placing themselves back into place. He winced in pain. "Hestia...just..." she shushed him before he could finish his sentence.
"Aidoneus , you know they won't come for me. You on the other hand…." she laughed nervously "They do still need you for the company to work, but they won't let this level of disrespect go." She turned the car into another lane.
"Hestia...." he jolted back as another rib cracked back into place "Zen... He... threatened Kore". Hestia glanced at him with her eyebrow cocked.
"Kore?" she questioned as she moved into another lane. Aidoneus leaned forward as another snap happened. He dug his nails into his skin, this normally wasn't as painful as it was because he's able to use his flames to heal quickly, but because he exhausted himself, he had to endure the pain. He gritted his teeth leaning into the window, this
pain brought back unwanted memories. He took several deep breaths as the last rib healed back into place.
"Kore is a woman I met..." he looked out the window, his eyes had dark circles underneath them, his bruises slowly started disappearing. He inhaled.
"Hestia... I... I can't explain it. She is my adelfí̱ psychí̱*" he closed his eyes and drifted off. Hestia looked at her brother, flabbergasted. He's never called a woman that. She turned her attention back on the road and made the turn onto the off ramp that took them to his home.
*adelfí̱ psychí̱: soulmate*
Zen stood there, watching Hestia drive off with Aidoneus . He scoffed and turned to head back inside. Hera was on the floor
with a mark on her cheek. She looked up at Zen as she rubbed her bruised face. Hippio leaned on the table rubbing his wrist that just healed.
"We have to do something..." Hippio glared at Zen. Zen grabbed Hera by the arm and forcibly pulled her up. "You ever manipulate me again, even if it's for a second" he narrowed his eyes at her "I will rip you apart, limb from limb" He threw her against the table, "Leave". Hera kept her gaze down and
exited the room.
Hera clawed her way up from the bottom of her family line, before people started losing the ability to get powers, hers awakened and was considered a treasure. She could manipulate people's emotions.
When they told her she was arranged to marry one of the Doukas's brothers she was excited, she was set, she didn't have to worry about someone marrying her and abusing her power.
When she first met Aidoneus , he was supposed to be the one to wed her. She found it an insult because he was the weakest brother, but he treated her like she existed, she didn't ever have to manipulate him. He didn't see her as a pawn, he didn't see her as someone to just produce children, he treated her with respect. He worried about her, but then Zen saw how beautiful Hera was and took her away from him.
Zen almost immediately discarded her once they had their first child, who ended up thrown out of the family when they became of age due to lack of abilities. He would have multiple affairs; he'd come home and beat her after long nights out. She started craving
attention from anyone.
Aidoneus rarely came around anymore, he was always busy doing the dirty work for the family. He had one night when Hera found him slumped in the kitchen covered in bruises and blood. She comforted him, she didn't have to use her powers. She ended up kissing Aidoneus that night, she wanted more, but he rejected her. He was with Minithe, and he respected Hera. He ended up getting a house on the seaside and moved away from them. That was 4 years ago. Hera wiped her tears away from the memories
and swiftly made her way to her room.
Zen tossed the broken table to the side as Hippio picked up the guards' body and added it to the pile of rubble their brother left them with.
"We can't kill him Hippio" Zen said while brushing his hands on his pants. Hippio scoffed and returned to rubbing his wrist.
"Don't you see? There's something happening, with the new awakenings and now Aidoneus somehow getting a power boost?" Zen picked up a cup and looked around for some wine.
"That was odd" Hippio stopped rubbing his wrist, heading to the front of the table with his brother. They both sat down, Hippio crossed his arms, lost in thought. His phone went off 'Bing!', he pulled it out of his pocket, the screen cracked from the brawl. He grinned at Zen and showed the text message to him. Zen smiled while sipping his wine.
Hestia pulled up to Aidoneus's house and exited the car quickly. She saw Adrian standing outside.
"You!" She pointed at him and gestured for him to come help her. Adrian walked up cautiously; he'd only seen glimpses of Hestia at Zen's house while waiting for his boss. She opened the door and caught Aidoneus as he slumped out of the car. Adrian hurried over and helped her by putting his arm around his back. He and Hestia dragged Aidoneus's
unconscious body into the house. They managed to get him into his bed, both of
them slumped over.
"Oof, he's a lot heavier than he looks" Hestia wiped sweat off her brow. Adrian was huffing and leaning on his knees with his hands. Peter always dealt dragging their boss in since he was the same size as Aidoneus,
this was the first time he had to do this. Hestia cheerfully extended a hand to
Adrian.
"Hi! I'm Hestia, it's nice to meet you" Adrian hesitantly shook her hand. "I'm Adrian" he responded.
"Cool, so I'm going to take the car out front back, just tell Aidon that I owe him one", she winked and walked off.
Adrian stood there looking at Hestia slightly confused. Hestia liked the car she drove here, and she figured her taking it would be the least of Aidoneus's troubles. She
practically skipped out of the house, excited that she has a new car.
Peter opened the door for Kore to exit the car. They were in the back of her apartment complex. Kore slowly got out, she saw Peter had a hand extended to help her, she took his hand gently. He guided her out of the back
seat and closed the door behind her. Kore led Peter up to her apartment, she fumbled with keys as Sam whined behind the door. She opened it, the trash was pulled all over and there were little land mines on the floor. She bent over and petted him.
"I'm sorry little guy, I had an accident, I didn't expect to be gone so long" tears welled in her eyes, she felt terrible for not being here
for Sam. He jumped up and kissed her face. She stood up holding him but lost her balance quickly; Peter caught her gently.
"O fílos mou, may I?" He gestured to take Sam. She handed Peter the small dog as it licked his face frantically.
"Watch your step" she warned Peter as they entered. She went straight to the kitchen to feed the dog; she then went and opened the slider to let him out. She kept the door open to air out the apartment. She struggled to
bend over; she kept getting dizzy. Peter took the trash bags from her, guided her to the couch and then proceeded to clean up her place.
"Thank you, Peter, you didn't have to" she smiled sheepishly at him. Peter shrugged.
"You're on bed rest o fílos mou, so until Iris gets here, you're not to move a muscle." He quickly finished picking everything up. He asked where the cleaner was to clean the floors, Kore pointed to the kitchen sink. He
started getting everything ready to mop the floor. Kore looked out the slider door at the night sky and closed her eyes.
Aidoneus gritted his teeth while he tossed and turned. He soaked the sheets in sweat as his dreams plagued him. Adrian stood outside his door. His boss hasn't had a nightmare like this in years.
Aidoneus was dreaming of his father, Chronos. A ruthless man whose drive for power made him an unbearable father. Chrono had young Aidoneus pinned against a wall. He stared into his eyes with a burning rage, the purple blue glow burned into Aidoneus's mind.
There was no sound, everything moved slowly as his father would break his bones. He would slow his sons healing down with his powers, making Aidoneus squirm in agony as he watched with a cruel smile.
Aidoneus bolted up right
in his bed, gripping his sheets. His eyes flew open as he looked around panicked. He noticed he was in his room and let out a sigh of relief. He placed his head into his hands.
A soft knock came at the door, Aidoneus sat there not responding. Adrian cracked the
door, "Afentikó, do you need anything?" he asked in a low tone. Aidoneus responded by throwing a pillow at the door. He closed the door to give his boss some more space.
Aidoneus flung himself out of bed, making his way to the bathroom. He braced himself on the sink, looking into the mirror. He slowly lifted his fingers to the scar on his eyebrow. He could still feel how his father sliced into his skin with a letter opener, that was the night he took a beating meant for his sister.
He turned the sink to cool, cupped his hands and splashed the water onto his face. He took a towel, dried his face off and flinched as he caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror. He thought he saw his father in the reflection. He sighed, tossing the towel on the floor while he headed to his closet.
He paused for a moment, catching his breath. He reached into the closet and pulled out a black long-sleeved shirt, threw it on, turned back and grabbed a pair of black jeans. He removed his torn, burnt suit pants and tossed them to the side. He placed his hand on the door handle, hesitant, he closed his eyes and took a deep breath as he slowly turned the handle and exited his room.
A small knock came at Kore's door, it was 7:00pm. She started getting up from the couch, Peter stopped her and went to look through the peephole. He saw Iris on the other side. He pulled the door open for her to
enter.
Iris entered the apartment carrying a bag from Eliá's Café. Sam ran up to Iris and clawed at her shins, whining and nipping at the bag. Iris giggled, bent over and started scratching the dog behind his ear.
"Hey Iris!" Kore smiled at her. Iris waved at her and made her way to sit next to Kore. The aroma of the food wrapped itself around Kore's nose. Iris pulled the contents of the bag out and placed them on the coffee
table.
"Ms. Catarino where are your plates?" she adjusted her shirt as
she stood up. Kore pointed towards her kitchen "Middle cabinet bottom shelf"
she smiled then added "You can call me Kore, Iris".
Iris beamed a smile back towards Kore, and then made her way into the small kitchen. Bing! Peters phone went off. He pulled it out
reading the text he just received from Adrian.
"I have to take my leave now fíloi mou, I'll be back in a little bit" he turned to exit the room.
"Be careful!" both Iris and Kore said in unison. They looked at each other and giggled. Peter blushed; he wasn't used to anyone other than Aidoneus wishing him well. He exited the apartment and closed the door behind him. He noticed a sketchy man making his way into room 66.
Iris stood at the kitchen sink rinsing the plates they used to eat their gyros and grape leaves. She hummed a small tune as Kore wrapped Sam up in a blanket and snuggled him. He licked her face, then rested just under
her chin.
"Why don't you head on to bed Kore?" Iris suggested as she placed the rinsed dishes into the dishwasher.
Kore lazily lifted her head. "No, I want to wait up for Aidoneus, he said he'd stop by tonight. I want to explain everything to him." She
furrowed her brow at the thought of him walking around with that scowl on his
face.
Iris dried her hands on the dishtowel hanging on the oven door. 'He should have texted by now, what could he be doing' she pondered while taking a seat on the couch.
"If you want you can leave Iris, I really don't need any more help for the night" she smiled sweetly at her new friend. She didn't want to
intrude on her schedule.
"Nonsense" She scoffed and waved Kore off as she picked up the T.V remote. "Let's watch a movie" she said excitedly while flipping through the channels. She found "Gone with the wind" and clicked on it. It was one of her
favorites.
The windshield wipers threw the rain off the windshield as Peter, Adrian and Aidoneus drove on the freeway. The air inside the car was still as Aidoneus looked out the window.
Peter shot Adrian a glance, wondering what was going on. Adrian
just shook his head and mouthed 'Not now'.
"Adrian, can you please text Iris that we are on our way?" Aidoneus let out a sigh, "I seemed to have lost my phone" he sheepishly shrugged. Adrian nodded silently, taking his phone out of his pocket.
Iris lowered the volume of the movie, as Kore fell asleep within the first 40 minutes. She placed the remote down when her phone vibrated in her pocket. She pulled it out to read the text she received from Adrian; she shot her reply back and placed the phone
down on the table. She glanced at Kore who was softly snoring, smiling, she returned to watching the movie.
Iris doesn't know when she dozed off, but she woke to a T.V ad flashing across the screen, she checked her phone and let out a sigh of relief. She only took a 20-minute nap. A knock came at the door, Iris stood up and
shushed Sam who muffled out a small bark from under Kore's arm.
Iris looked through the peep hole while on her tippy toes and saw Adrian and Peter side by side as Aidoneus was standing behind them. She noticed he looked off. She undid the top lock then the deadbolt and opened the door.
"Shh, quiet" she whispered while gesturing to them to come in. Adrian entered and stood to the left and Peter entered and stood to the right. They took up most of Kores small apartment. Iris went and stood in the kitchen to get out of Aidoneus's way.
He entered, everyone noticed his mood shift once he set his eyes on Kore, sleeping on the couch. He slowly made his way over to her; he kneeled next to her and moved the strands of hair that fell in her face. Sam wiggled his way out from under her and surprise attacked Aidoneus with a flurry of kisses. He let out a soft chuckle and moved the dog away from him so he wouldn't wake her up.
"She insisted on staying up for you" Iris whispered to Aidoneus . He scooped Kore up off the couch as she nuzzled up to his chest with a soft groan. He carried her through her bedroom door to her bed, laying her down
softly. She kept her arms locked around his neck and pulled him onto the bed
with her.
Aidoneus let out a soft gasp, caught off guard from her action. He found himself on top of her as she looked into his eyes, her arms still locked around his neck. She pulled him close to her and rested her forehead on his. He could hear her heart beating.
They both closed their eyes as they rested their foreheads on each other.
"Can you…" she started to say while slowly opening her eyes. She was beat red as she continued, "Can you just sleep next to me tonight?" she fidgeted underneath him while letting him go.
"Of course agápi mou," he whispered, leaning over and kissing her left cheek. He rolled off of her to the edge of the bed to remove his shoes as she wiggled under the sheets, pulling the rest back for him to climb in. He pulled her close to him with her facing
him. She snuggled her head under his chin, wrapping her arms under his, he placed his leg onto hers locking her in place. Neither were plagued by nightmares that night.
Kore woke up facing the door, while Aidoneus still held her from behind. She didn't know
how she ended up flipping around. Aidoneus still had his chin gently placed on the top of
her head, he was breathing heavily, still asleep.
She tried to wiggle out of his grip, so as not to wake him up, she wanted to brush her teeth and use the restroom before he woke up.
"Agápi mou" he whispered into her ear, the warmth from his breath made her body shiver "Please stop moving like that". She froze, turning the color of her hair. His lips softly brushed against her ear, she unintentionally
moved back into him, his grip got a bit tighter on her.
"Sorry!" she exclaimed as she pushed him off and rolled out of bed. She quickly went from the edge of the bed to the bathroom and closed the door. He propped himself up on his elbow and laughed. He sat up on the edge of the bed waiting for her to come back out.
"I'm not coming out till you leave" Kore said from behind the door. Aidoneus pouted. He got up and went to the bedroom door, he smirked and pretended to leave, closing the door. Kore opened the bathroom door and stepped out.
"Got cha agápi̱ mou" he snatched her, she let out a playful scream as he scooped her up, holding her inches from his face. She gently
placed her hands on his shoulders as she gazed down at him. The morning sun
shined bright behind her, illuminating how beautiful she was.
Kores mouth slightly parted as she looked down on Aidoneus as the light shined on his face, reflecting off his hair giving it a white shine, his light blue eyes shined as he had a
smile of pure happiness on his face. Kore bit her lower lip and pulled her hands up to Aidoneus's face. He gently let her slide down, guiding her so she could land on her feet, she stood on her tippy toes, her heart was in her
throat as she leaned in and kissed him gently on his lips.
He wrapped an arm around her and put his hand on the back of her head, letting his hands get entangled in her curls. He felt her soft lips on his as he passionately kissed her back. Kore pulled back as they both were
breathless; they looked into each other's eyes. She closed hers and leaned in,
placing her forehead on his. Her kiss was addicting, her mouth tasted like
strawberries and honey, he desperately wanted more. "Agápi̱ mou..." he whispered
breathlessly, as he slid his hands down to her waist, he closed his eyes taking in her scent. He felt her pull back slightly; his heart ached as she moved away. She poked his nose while grinning from ear to ear.
"I have to shower; I smell like hospital" she said as she placed her hands on his face and rubbed his cheeks. He leaned into her touch, looked at her and cocked an eyebrow.
"I could join?" he said with a smirk. She laughed and pushed him towards the door. "You can shower after me" she teasingly said sticking her tongue out at him. He sighed and dragged his feet as he exited. She closed and
locked the door behind him. Adrian and Peter snickered.
"What?" Aidoneus said as he plopped next to Peter on the couch.
"This is a small apartment o fílos mou" Adrian teased. Aidoneus shoved an elbow into Peter as everyone let out
a roaring laugh.
Kore exited her room drying her hair with a towel. She was wearing a white tank top and ripped short shorts. She made her way to the
kitchen, placing the towel on the back of her dining chair.
"Your turn" she playfully said to Aidoneus . He stood up and headed towards her room.
"There's towels under..." she started to say but saw him pick her towel up with a smirk. "This will do" he slightly held it up and headed to the bathroom. She turned beat red as Adrian and Peter chuckled.
"C...c... coffee? She managed to squeak out, sheepishly shrugging. Adrian and Peter both nodded. She went to her coffee maker, took a mug out of the cabinet and popped a coffee pod in the top