Kore placed a bag of groceries on the counter as Katrina entered with the rest of their haul, Adrian trailed behind them. He was already at the apartment waiting for them to return. Kore opened her fridge and started putting the ingredients she got, away.
Katrina went and turned the T.V on for background noise, then headed over to help Kore.
"Have a seat Adrian, you've been over enough to be a frequent guest" she chuckled. He nodded and went to sit on the couch as Sam trailed behind him. Sam attacked Adrian's shoes laces. He looked down at the pup as it fought valiantly against his shoes.
Kore finished up and leaned on the counter scrolling through her phone, she glanced at the clock which read 7:00pm. She chewed the inside of her cheek, anxious for Aidoneus to arrive. She planned on making the only thing she really knew how, chicken and orzo pasta. She knew it wasn't much, but it was the least she could do. She counted everyone at her apartment in for food. It'd only take 40 minutes for her to whip it together, she planned on starting at 9:30. She stood up and made her way to the door, keys in hand. Adrian started to get up.
"No, no its ok, I just have to check my mailbox, I haven't done it in a couple of days and didn't get to because my hands were full." She opened the door, Katrina followed her.
"I'll come with you!" Katrina said chipperly. Kore turned to her "No, that's fine, it's just two flights of stairs" she smiled and turned to head out. She honestly just wanted some space to herself, she didn't mind Aidoneus 's company, but everyone else was draining, always looking at her as if she was going to break. She wasn't looking where she was going and bummed straight into Collin who had just came up the stairs.
"Oh, my goodness! I'm so sorry!" She apologized as she bent over to help him pick up his mail he dropped it. He quickly took it from her, while handing her the keys she dropped. She noticed his hands had chemical burns on them. She felt an odd pain as if something was pulled from her head. She winced as she took the keys, looking at him oddly as he scurried off to his apartment.
Collin entered his dark apartment and closed the door, leaning on it while watching the woman next door looked at his door oddly. He saw her shrug and head down the stairs. He turned to face the inside of his apartment; he headed to the back while playing with some of Kore's hair strands he yanked from her head.
Kore shivered as she stepped onto the first floor. Her interaction with Collin left a chilling feeling around her. She reached up to open her box but hesitated. She glanced over at the garden; she hadn't checked on it in a couple of days. She put her keys in her pocket as she headed to the exit. She frowned as she opened the door.
Someone tore it up, her plants were torn out by the roots, while others were trampled. She went over and held them delicately in her hands with a pained expression on her face. She sighed, took the ones she could and started digging in the dirt with her hands. She placed them in the freshly dug up holes, gently, she held the petals in her hands as she closed her eyes and focused. She could feel the roots take and life come back into the flower. She repeated this process for each and every one of them.
Katrina impatiently tapped her foot. She looked at her watch, it read 7:30. 'Where in the world did that girl go?' she wanted to leave to find her but had a feeling Kore needed some space. Adrian got up to head out to find her. Katrina placed her hand on his chest to stop him.
"I'll text her, if she doesn't respond or isn't back in the next ten minutes, we'll go find her" she pulled her phone out and shot Kore a text.
Kore wiped her hands on her shorts as she pulled her phone out, she forgot to let them know she was going to take a detour, her phone went off as soon she pulled it out. She read the text from Katrina and smiled; she was annoyed everyone was on her, but the feeling was nice. She responded that she was in the garden and would be up by 8. She stuffed her phone back in her pocket and continued to work with her garden.
Kore re-entered her apartment with the mail in her arms, Sam attempted to climb up her shins as she headed to place the mail down on the counter. Katrina and Adrian were watching a comedy, laughing on the couch. Kore headed towards her bedroom, she wanted to wash up and change, she was covered in dirt.
"I'm gunna go clean up really quick, you guys can help yourselves to whatever snacks or drinks you want" She smiled as she entered her room. She gathered a pair of sweats and a thin long sleeved shirt. She stopped for a second, thinking that she should dress up for this evening but eventually decided not to, it wasn't just going to be her and Aidoneus unfortunately. She put the clothing down on her bed as she pulled her phone out, she pulled up Aidoneus 's number, she sent him a Smiley face along with "see you soon". She hit the send button, put her phone down on the bed and went to the bathroom.
Kore exited her room, heading to the kitchen to start dinner. She didn't get back to the apartment till 8:30, and she ended up deciding to shower all together which took her an hour. As she headed to the kitchen, she heard a commotion on the T.V. Katrina and Adrian were watching intently as a sky view of a warehouse came into view. The heading read: "Monster of Downtown Rampages!". Kore stared as Aidoneus and Peter emerged from the burnt warehouse.
Aidonoeus chimed Peter in on his plan as they drove back home. Aidoneus has files on everyone's dirty secrets as a fail-safe, he was tired of being dragged around just because he was looked down on. They exposed him as a monster, and it was time this city saw who the monsters really were.
Peter pulled up to the house, he struggled to get out of the car, with the adrenaline worn off he was getting hit with waves of pain from his burns. Aidoneus was at his side helping him out of the car.
"O fílos mou, I'm sorry" Aidoneus held his head low, feeling terrible for hurting his friend. He helped Peter into the house. Peter pushed him away slightly, nodding that he was ok. He sheepishly walked off towards his corridor as Aidonoeus watched his friend to make sure he got to his room ok.
Aidoneus quickly went to his room and dug through his drawers. He pulled out his laptop, quickly clicking around and typing. He opened up "Hyperion's File". A list of things popped up on his screen. He then clicked on "Doukas's Files"; another list pulled up. He soon had windows open displaying all of the powerful families' names, along with lists.
He opened up his email and typed in the news networks email in the, to section, he attached one page of each file to it, leaving the body of the text empty. Without hesitation he hit send. He quickly stood up and went to get changed, he set something in motion, and he had to act quickly.
Peter was in his room applying burn cream to his burns, he winced. He didn't want his boss to worry about him, he could handle himself. They had a lot to do, and a small amount of time to do it. Peter pulled his phone out and called Adrian.
"O fílos mou, what in the world" Adrian said as he picked up the phone.
"We don't have a lot of time o fílos mou, please get Kore ready and bring her here immediately." Peter gritted his teeth as he hung up, he had to peel his clothing off the burnt sections of his arms.
Adrian stood up and adjusted himself. "Kore, you need to grab some belongings and come with me to afentiká* house." Katrina stood up, hearing the urgency in Adrian's voice. Kore stood there, staring blankly.
*boss*
Katrina went next to her and tapped her shoulder "Sweetie ... "she whispered. Kore shook her head to shake off her initial shock. She nodded and headed to her room to grab some clothing, as Katrina ran into the kitchen and collected Sam's food and his bowls.
Kore reached to the top of her closet and pulled down a white suitcase that was engraved with a floral pattern. She grabbed several shirts off their hangers, she quickly moved over to her drawers and grabbed her underwear and pants. She made her way to the bathroom to grab her toothbrush, hairbrush and shampoo and shoved everything into the bag. She quickly exited her room as Katrina scooped up Sam, holding a bag full of his things. Adrian headed to the exit before them, he put his hand up to halt them. Kore froze.
There was a sound coming from outside her door, it sounded like several heavy footsteps coming up the stairway. Sam growled low, as his hair raised on his back. Katrina hid behind the kitchen wall shushing the dog and gesturing Kore to head over to her. Kore quietly headed to her as Adrian leaned against the entrances wall, next to the door, his gun at the ready. The door handled turned slowly, whoever on the other side realized it was locked.
Adrian reached out and undid the lock on the bottom. The handle moved again; the door creaked open. Adrian did not hesitate and pulled the assailant in, swiftly snapping the man's neck, he threw the door open, pulling the man up as a shield as bullets went off towards him. He used his momentum to shove the men behind the door down the stairs with his meat shield. He quickly popped off, landing head shots on the three men on the floor, he glanced over the edge of the stairs and saw 3 more heading up.
"Gamó̱!" He shouted as he threw himself over the guard rail, landing on one of the men below, he quickly swept the other man's feet, knocking the man to the floor. The last man rammed Adrian into the railing, forcing Adrian's gun to his face. Adrian head-butted him, quickly spun his gun around and shot him in the head. The man on the floor pulled Adrian down, knocking his pistol out of his hand. He climbed on top of Adrian, strangling him.
Adrian controlled his breathing as he grabbed the man's hands to try and pry them off, he wasn't budging, and Adrian's air supply was quickly running out. With one hand grasping the man's hands Adrian used his other to pull a knife out of the assailant's boot, stabbing him in the neck. He quickly let go as the color left his face, slumping over off of him. He stood up huffing. He quickly grabbed his gun, went down to the lobby to clear it.
Katrina was holding Sam close as the bullets flew through Kore's apartment, one of them nicked the wall just next to Kore. She had her hands over her ears. They heard Adrian shout, Kore peeked around the corner just in time to see him throw himself over the railing. She stayed low to the floor and grabbed Katarina's hand to guide her to the front door. They took cover at the edge of the door as they heard a 'Pop'. Kore saw someone coming up the stairs and hid back behind the safety of the door frame.
Adrian entered the apartment, slightly winded. Kore saw the red marks around his neck, she stood up worried. "Been a long time since I had that much fun," he chuckled while wiping the blood off his face. "Let's go, before more show up", he grabbed Kore's bag and headed down the stairs.
Kore and Katrina stepped over the bodies carefully. Kore looked at them, lifeless, blood decorated the walls and floors. She wasn't scared, she was impressed one man did all this. Katrina held Sam close to her as she had her eyes closed working her way around the bodies, while she held Kore's hand to guide her. They slowly made their way down to the lobby. Adrian had his gun out, back against the wall checking out the door. He gestured to them to follow him as he picked up Kore's bag.
They exited out the back of the building, Adrian helped Katrina get in her car as he took Sam and the bag she made for him. Kore gave her a quick hug through the window.
"You keep her safe!" Katrina pointed at Adrian as she pulled out "I'll call you tomorrow, Kore!" she quickly sped off. Kore took Sam from Adrian as they made their way to the car. He opened the trunk and placed her bag inside, then swiftly went to open the door for her. She slid in hugging Sam close to her chest. Her adrenaline wore off as she softly sobbed, nuzzling Sam under her chin.
As they pulled up to Aidoneus 's house, there were several patrols walking around. Peter was up front giving a group orders as Aidoneus sat on the top step. He glanced up as Adrian pulled into the driveway. He was already at Kore's door before Adrian could pull the car to a complete stop. Peter trotted up to the vehicle as Adrian stepped out.
"Agápi̱ mou" he said softly as he helped Kore down, he noticed her eyes were puffy from crying. He placed his hand gently on her cheek wiping away the tears with his thumb. He placed a hand in the middle of her back and guided her to the house.
Adrian was questioning Peter about his burns while Peter was chewing Adrian out for letting someone choke him out. They paused, then laughed at how ridiculous they were sounding. They turned heading to the trunk to take Kore's bags inside.
Kore sat on the edge of the bed as Sam ran around the guest room sniffing everything. She was still processing what happened, looking down at the floor. 'Why... wasn't I scared' she questioned herself as Peter and Adrian brought in her bag and Sam's items. Aidoneus was leaning against the wall studying her. He saw a small line of blood on her left arm, his eyes narrowed.
"Agápi̱ mou" he nodded towards her "what happened?" He moved over to her, sitting next to her as he inspected her arm. She winced at the sting she felt as he moved her arm around.
"I think I might have been grazed...by a bullet?" She looked a bit confused as Aidoneus shot Adrian a death stare. Adrian quickly left the room. Peter snatched up Sam and followed behind him.
"It's not his fault Aidon, he did a very good job at keeping everyone in one piece" she said as she nudged Aidoneus with her elbow. He did not look amused. She bit her lower lip looking at him, she was holding tears back. He turned to her, his face softened once he saw the look on her face.
"Agápi̱ mou... I..." He was cut off as she flung herself into his arms sobbing.
"Why. Why didn't you text me back?!! I was so.... worried" she choked out as she shoved her face into his chest.
When she first saw Aidoneus exiting the burned warehouse she was shocked, not by the carnage that surrounded him but by the look on his face. She knew no one else noticed it, but she saw how incredibly pained he looked and the interaction with the reporter confirmed her suspicions. She wanted to desperately run to him, to hold him and help ease his pain but she couldn't. The night finally caught up with Aidoneus.
He grabbed her hard pushing her to arms lengths, as he gritted his teeth. 'Monster!' Kept being played through his head as his grip got tighter on Kore.
"A..i..d..o..n" she slowly said he looked up at her, his eyes glowing turquoise. Pain riddled his face as he looked at her.
"How... How can you..." he slumped his head, grasping her tightly "How can you even look at me?" he choked out, fighting back tears. "I've turned your life upside down in a span of a few days... You've been hurt... you've been shot..." He looked at her arm that started bleeding from him grasping her so hard, he looked at her pleadingly.
Kore stared at him; tears welled up in her eyes as her lip quivered. She was numb to the pain in her arm, she reached up slowly placing the palms of her hands on his wrists as blood trickled down his fingers.
"Because Aidon.... You've fought for me when you didn't even know me" she choked out softly "You've shown me what it's like to have someone genuinely care for me" She moved her hands up his arms as he loosened his grip, she moved closer to him, taking his face into her hands, lifting his head up. "It's time you let me do the same for you" she said as she placed her forehead on his.
She rubbed his face gently; he looked up at her as he leaned into her touch, placing his hand on top of hers, turning his face slightly, he kissed her palm.
"Agápi̱ mou... I'm sorry" he locked eyes with her as she smiled softly, she moved her hand down his neck, feeling the new scars he had received from the day. He winced when she touched where Minithe had cut him. Kore wanted to ask what happened, but didn't want to push it.
Aidoneus wrapped his arms around her and pulled her into him as he laid down on the bed, he rolled on top of her, pinning her down. Kore was bright red as he looked into her eyes, his chest heaved up and down as he leaned closely to her, she placed her hands on his chest to help calm him down. He nuzzled his forehead against hers, their noses brushed against each other, his lips hovered over hers.
Kore placed her hands on the back of his neck and pulled him into a kiss. He moved his hands up to hers, locking his fingers with hers as he pushed into her kiss gently. He could feel her body tremble underneath his.
He slowly pulled back from their kiss, looking at Kore passionately. She looked up at him with the same intensity. He leaned in again and placed his forehead on hers, breathing heavily, he closed his eyes as he inhaled her scent.
"Aidon..." she whispered sweetly.
"Yes, agápi̱ mou" he answered breathlessly, opening his eyes slowly, he pulled his head back and gazed into her ocean blue eyes. She smiled coyly as she tilted her head towards her left arm, "I have to take care of this or I'm gunna bleed all over your sheets," she said softly.
He rolled off of her, letting her get up. He frowned when he saw how much she bled through her sleeve. She saw him looking at her arm, she knew he was beating himself up. She stopped in her tracks and turned to him. She walked up to him, standing between his legs, she took his face between her hands and kissed his cheek.
"This isn't your fault; don't you dare think it is." She let go of his face and turned to head to the bathroom. He caught her by her waist before she got too far. He leaned his head into her back and whispered, "Thank you". She bit her lower lip as she walked into the bathroom, he watched her longingly.