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LUCIAN

E veryone was giving me a headache.

I'd dragged my ass to lunch although I would have been more than happy staying home, to scream about how fucking dumb this entire mess was, and possibly punch a wall. And all I got were wary looks and probing questions.

"What's wrong with him?" my mother whispered again.

"What's wrong with you?" Lucky demanded.

The only person who didn't seem to care was Damian. "Clearly, he's pussy whipped."

It took a herculean effort, but I ignored him.

I still owed him. In actual fact, this entire situation was his fault. Had he not condemned me to the guard, I would never have met Gideon and by extension, Kleos.

Yeah, right. And she'd be enslaved right now. To someone else.

Not that I'd enslave her. The entire point of my keeping my ring at hand was to ensure I could claim her soul, and give her her freedom.

Except I'd made a mess out of explaining it and now, we were all awkward around each other.

Practically like strangers, like we hadn't spent an entire week sleeping next door to each other, working together, eating together.

As though I hadn't felt her cunt clench around my cock while she begged me to come inside her.

"What is wrong with you Lucian?" my grandmother demanded.

I got to my feet. Enough was enough. "I'm tired. Please give my excuses tonight."

I brooded all the way back home. At least, Ronan hadn't made it to lunch today, so he didn't share my business with my whole family because my mother batted eye lashes and asked him to.

When I got back home, without the usual leftovers, I was greeted by the unusual sight of Cassius in the hallway, playing tug of war with Phobos. Both he and the fox stared at me, tilting their heads. "What's wrong with you?"

I was still in a foul mood the next day.

So much so I was half in mind to tell Ronan to go without me.

But my general annoyance, and the knowledge that my plans for my damn ring had ruined what--somewhat sadly--had become one of the most important relationships in my life, didn't change the fact that Kleos was in real danger.

If there was even a chance we could have answers in Delphi, we needed to try.

We arrived on time, but Kleos, Gideon and Silver were already in front of Apollo's temple--a great, white building with a flat roof, supported by columns. Right above the entrance, a triangular stone was marked with a lyre.

"Ready?" I asked, striding in without pausing to greet anyone or wait for an answer.

We could do this. We'd get all our answers, solve this issue easily, and then all of us could return to our usual life.

"Who pissed on his cheerios?" I heard Silver whisper.

If a complete stranger noticed my temper, I had to make an effort. I made myself breathe in deeply. By the time the woman in charge of the temple came to greet us, I managed a smile.

Apollo's temple wasn't taken care of by priestesses or witches, but by a mixture of healers and warriors--particularly, archers.

The head of the temple, Iulia Hyperion, fell under the second category.

Dark skinned, with bright eyes the exact color of jade stones, she was built with square, strong muscles that told me she bench pressed my weight every day.

"Cousin," she called, her hands to her shoulders, and lowering her head in sign of respect.

We weren't actual cousins, but all members of the founding families liked to call each other that way. Besides, I was fairly certain a Saltzin had married a Hyperion at one point or another. Both lines had been extraordinarily fertile, unlike the Regis.

"Cousin," I echoed. "My thanks for your leave to use your portal."

"Any time. It's not often we get such a request. This way, please.

" She only had to lead us a little way away, to the door right under the feet of the oversized golden statue of the god of archers.

"All will be prepared for you to take it back five hours.

If you miss it, we will try again at sundown, after which you'll be on your own. "

"That's very kind, thank you." She didn't have to offer a second window. I knew it took no small amount of magic to open up portals of that kind. "If I may?"

I gestured toward the basins either side of the giant's feet.

"With thanks," she replied, letting me drain some power onto it.

I didn't want to be stuck in Greece for longer than necessary in case they ran out of juice.

Not offering a word, Kleos moved to do the same in the next basin.

"Oh, please do visit more often," Iulia teased, as she watched her energy reserve shimmer with new pulses of power.

Then she raised her palms to the door, and two of her attendants, from the sideline, did the same. The energy in both basins lit up gold, and the door between Apollo's feet--moments ago, seemingly made of solid stone--pushed open, to a cold, snowy mountain top.

I stepped in first. "Let's get this over with."

" G orgeous," Gideon said, his eyes in the distance. The clear sky gave us an incomparable view of the mountain and valleys. "But I thought Delphi was, you know. A town? With a temple and shit."

I nodded. "It's about seventeen miles away. We can visit once we're done with the cave."

"The cave?" Kleos asked.

I made myself face her. "The temples were mostly here for show--and to worship the gods.

But to hear prophecies, the actual Pythia had to sit on top of the endless pit that Python created when Apollo sent him to Tartarus.

Now, what about all that is fiction, and what is fact?

No clue. But we want to get to the cave. It's a better bet than the temples."

"How do you know all that?" Silver grumbled.

I shrugged. "I don't have a life. I study."

That was far too real for my liking. I sped up, to stride into the dark pit.

I wasn't certain about the cave. I wasn't certain about anything. But trying it first, and Delphi second, seemed like the logical move, as there were several spots we could attempt at Delphi itself.

To my frustration, Kleos fell into step with me. Rather inconvenient when I was so determined to get the fuck over her, by expelling her from my life as soon as possible.

"Could we risk some light?" she asked.

"I can't see any reason against it."

Her palms filled with a soft golden glow, under the light of which she looked ethereal.

We all walked in silence, looking around. This place felt strange, like a still, watching presence followed us. Though that could just be my nerves.

Within a half hour, every single one of us came to a stop when we all felt the shift, right before a hard bend. We couldn't see beyond the corner. I took one tentative step, and held my hand up to ensure Kleos wouldn't go any further.

Right here, there was a pit. As wide as a bus, the hole in the ground faded into the blackest of abyss, a seemingly unending darkness.

I kicked a stone down, and it reverberated against the wall once, but no matter how long we waited, there was no noise to indicate an end to his.

"What now?" Silver asked, somewhat demanding.

I decided I was glad she came. She was suitably annoying, which distracted me from any morose thoughts.

"We could always try to toss you in it, see if anything comes out," I returned with an eyeroll, unhooking the bag at my belt. "Or we could prepare our offerings and pray."