cost of safety

Artemis stared at Ry in puzzlement as he eagerly slapped the ground three times in a row. Her breath caught and the bottle of alcohol slipped from her hands as the tiny room filled with thick black smoke. She quickly covered her mouth and nose with Ry's discarded shirt. Her mind raced, only able to think back to the frightening deity who had brought her here in the first place, but when she forced her gaze to Ry he seemed giddy with excitement.

A bombing voice filled the room. "Who dares summon me, the king of the- Ow shit…" The smoke faded and in its place stood the eternally beautiful pale god of the underworld draped in the finest silk robes matching his own sleek black hair that fell loosely past his waist. He was bent against the low slope of the shack roof and was rubbing a red lump marring his otherwise silvery-white skin.

"Uncle, you came!" Ry exclaimed as he carefully stood, well accustomed to the fact he couldn't stand straight up in the tiny space.

Hades' fine brow arched as he looked at the two dirty faces staring back at him. His elegant fingers lifted to his chin as his questioning gaze dropped to his nephew's bare chest. His eyes widened in surprise. "Orion… I would have never guessed it was you…" His eyes moved over Ry. "There is… much less of you…" His gaze landed on Ry's face. "You and your brother would be nearly impossible to tell apart if one were to just look at your faces as it is currently."

Ry chuckled with a nod. "We are identical twins after all… that's why we've always taken on different styles and tattoos when possible."

"Yes… indeed." Hades continued rubbing his chin. "And you realize you're bleeding, yes?"

Ry chuckled again. "Yeah, hazards of the island. We weren't able to make it back to a suitable enough water supply in time to heal it."

"I see." He muttered as he scanned over the room and its other occupant. "Artemis, dear… it has been some time."

She nodded quietly as she took in the man in front of her. She'd never felt intimidated before in her life, but somehow this soft-spoken… soft boi in front of her carried with him a chilling air of power and death. Perhaps this was the reason her father had always been so insistent on keeping her away from the god. A word broke through her turbulent thoughts bringing her back to the current conversation.

"…Help us escape this gods' forsaken island before anything else can possibly go wrong."

Hades shook his head as he ducked even lower to clear the entryway. "I am surprised either of you were even able to get here alive… I'm glad you had a mind to contact me." His gaze moved up to the thick dark skies looming overhead. "It seems that more than just this island is vying for your entrapment."

Ry blew out an exasperated sigh. "Yes, it would seem Hypnos and his family have taken a particular interest in our family's current discord."

Hades nodded in agreement. "Yes, but I cannot fathom why. They are not trapped in the underworld. They are all allowed to come and go as they please… though I will admit some of them require more monitoring than others, we have worked diligently over the years to establish a balance that gives neither side an advantage."

Artemis interjected. "Has Joslyn been made aware of these agreements?"

Hades narrowed his eyes. "I do not see a reason to inform her."

"Perhaps you should. She seems fairly close to at least Hypnos…" She pointed to the ominous sky overhead. "That is who brought me here in the name of protection for her… and it is more than apparent his family's influence still lingers."

Hades pursed his lips thoughtfully. "Gather your belongings. We shall speak more on this in the privacy of my own dwellings."

In the blink of an eye, they were standing in the main hallway of the underworld castle. Hades paused as they made their way toward the main living quarters. "Oh, um nephew… if you could avoid soiling the tapestries with blood again, that would be splendid. You know how Kore gets about these things…"

Ry chuckled as he clenched a clean tee shirt against his wound. "Yeah, she wouldn't talk to the three of us for nearly a century."

His brow arched in amused curiosity. "Speaking of which, which of you was it?"

Ry ran his hand over the back of his neck with his free hand. "Truthfully? I really can't recall anymore. There were so many punches thrown that day…" He stared at the tapestries lining the hall as he thought back to that day. "In all honesty, we were all bleeding by the end of it… but if I recall properly it was Arei who bounced Peg's face off the wall… so, it would depend on which point of view you take, I suppose. It was Peg's blood that stained it and his body that tore the hole… but Arei was the one who sent him into it in the first place…"

A half-smirk curved the king of the underworld's lips. "Is this your plea for innocents then?"

Ry shrugged cockily. "Perhaps. I do prefer to stay on Aunties good side."

Artemis cleared her throat. "Is Persephone here right now? I would very much like to speak with her about a… separate matter." A slight blush could be seen even in the dimly lit hallway.

Hades nodded. "Yes, or at least she was upon your summons. However, it is early spring in the northern hemisphere… Her schedule tends to vary greatly this time of year." A forlorn seemed to fall over him as he continued forward in silence.

Once the office was within sight, Hades lifted his phone and quickly selected a preset contact. "I have something here that may be of importance to you, brother, if you would not mind coming immediately to obtain it."

Ry waited until he'd ended the call before commenting. "I'm an it, now?"

Hades arched a brow. "Dear boy, you, Arei, and Peg have always been quite questionable on that front. The only god to spend as much time in full animal form as the three of you was your eldest sister, gods rest her soul."

Ry shrugged as he took one of the four expensive Italian leather seats. "Fair point."

Hades ran at him with hands flapping about in worry. "Up, up, up! You'll ruin the leather!"

Ry rolled his eyes as he stood. "Do you plan on making me stand through the entire briefing?"

Hades studied his blood-soaked shirt before answering. "Perhaps…"

"Uncle!" Just as Ry was about to protest, his father materialized in the room.

Poseidon's usual dismissive expression faded in an instant when his gaze met his son. He closed the distance quickly, throwing his arms around his son as he did. "My boy, you're back safely!" He held him out at arms-length to examine him. His brows furrowed. "Well, most of you made it back." He turned Ry from side to side in his grip. "And mostly safe… though not entirely, it would appear."

Hades interjected. "They claim healing was not an option during the onset of this particular wound, though on a small island as Ogygia, I do find it odd."

Ry blew out a sigh. "Let's see where your priorities would lay in such a place. I'll tell you both, I can't wait to reach an age where my own teleportation powers will be unlocked."

Artemis nodded in agreement, an involuntary shudder coursing through her entire body at the memory.

"I see. What do you say we get this taken care of while you two give us the complete rundown of what has happened since you each found your way onto the island." Poseidon snapped his fingers to produce a surgical kit.

Hades quickly cleared off the top of his already immaculate desk and used his own powers to summon a clean covering. Ry pulled the tee shirt away from the wound causing blood to ooze from the area where it had already begun to clot around the cloth. He sat on top of the desk and lifted his arm over his head to give his father plenty of access to the wound.

"You shall start from the beginning so that we can all be on the same page. Why did you go to the island? I have heard speculation of reasoning, but I'd rather hear it from your own lips." Hades asked as he averted his gaze from the curved needle now stabbing into the tender flesh of his nephew's ghastly wound.

Ry winced in pain as he forced himself to remain still while the needle bound the edges of his tender flesh. "The reasons you've heard were likely true. I went in hopes of convincing Jos's mother to release her from her curse… among other reasons." With another wince, he bit into his bottom lip. "I'll admit… ah, ouch… Not all my reasons were as selfless as they may seem to an outsider. My timing was directly in line with my own selfishness and desire to avoid certain unwanted encounters." His harsh gaze moved to Artemis before shooting back to his father. "Damn it, are you trying to make it hurt as much as possible or what? You could have at least provided a stout brandy first."

"Do I look like a medical professional to you? I'm doing my best." Poseidon muttered as he focused on his son's wounds. "Continue with your story… it will help keep your mind off the pain."

Ry gritted his teeth as he continued his tale. "It was difficult to get onto the island, but I managed the same way Russ and I had in the past. It took some time to locate Calypso and to say she was unwelcoming would be an understatement. She was very clear and upfront about her inability to reverse the curse as, according to her, she was not the one who placed it on Jos in the first place. My persistence on the matter landed me in an old temple tied up and used as a sex slave for the… inhabitants of her island."

Poseidon's hand stilled as his gaze moved questioningly up to his son. "Sex slave?" He paused, considering it for a moment. "Aside from the obvious questions, I must ask why?"

Ry blew out an exasperated sigh. "Apparently, Calypso lost her ability to create life with the birth of Jos… her own curse to bare. So, the island's nymph population has significantly decreased and instead is being overrun by monsters now, making it equally unsafe for the inhabitants."

"I see… And they decided the best solution was to have their way with you instead of using your abilities to eliminate a portion of the beasts?"

Ry nodded. "Apparently, it would be more advantageous to create new life in the hopes that the children would inherit my skills versus risking the loss of me to the creatures."

"Sensible, I suppose," Hades replied thoughtfully from one of the fine leather seats.

"He was still bound up in the temple when I found him," Artemis replied from her perch across the room.

"Yes, well, the most interesting story where you are concerned is that of how you became trapped on the island in the first place," Hades commented bluntly. "Would you like to take us back to the beginning of that tale?"

Artemis swallowed nervously. Her eyes shifted to Ry as she recalled the words Hypnos had said to her before leaving her trapped on the island. How honest could she be right now…

Poseidon narrowed his eyes but did not look away from his careful work. "Before you begin your tale, child, I should mention Arei witness the majority of the exchanges from that night… and the portions that he missed were overheard from Chery and Raven, three individuals that Ry and I would believe over all else."

She swallowed past the lump building in her throat. "Through conversation with Jos, I learned of Ry's whereabouts… and though she had been very forthcoming with most of the information, I could tell there were large portions she was intentionally leaving out…" She lowered her gaze to her hands. She knew well that the girl meant a great deal to the sea god and his family. They had all made that painfully obvious. "Before departing for the island, I had decided to pay her one last visit. To my surprise, she was already awake and outside before I even stepped onto the porch. Though I could feel a dark presence, I did not pay it heed… though now I wish I had. When the truth of what she'd tried to hide was revealed… I temporarily lost my composure…"

Poseidon paused and turned an arched brow toward her. "Is that what we're calling it? Very well, continue."

She swallowed again, her gaze moving to Ry through vailed lashes. "In a lapse of judgment, I may have threatened the girl… but I would never have done her actual harm…" When Ry's expression hardened, she quickly moved on. "Regardless, the opportunity for me to correct my lapse was not offered, as the god of sleep came to her defense… before I knew what had happened I was standing on Ogygia, and he was spouting off the most confusing of threats."

Everyone in the room's attention became hyper-focused on her. "What were his exact words," Hades asked, a cold calmness settling over his words.

"His exact words… I'm not sure if I'll recall them correctly. It was a very stressful time followed by a lot of running for my life."

"Do try to recall as much as possible, my child." Poseidon coaxed with gentleness.

She furrowed her brows as she tried to think back to the first night she was brought to Ogygia. "I had asked him why he had helped Joslyn… and… he'd answered somewhat cryptically. 'The Kracken is the key to my revenge and a way to get closer to Zeus and his bitch of a wife.' I do remember that last part quite clearly. He also said that I was being trapped on the island because out of all of Zeus's children, I was the most likely to help him… Though he did not mention what he would need help from."

Poseidon and Hades exchanged equally perplexed looks. "If these are his words then, this is quite troubling indeed. I am without question of his involvement. His mother's vail was obvious enough when I stepped onto the beach." Hades' gaze burned into Poseidon as he asked. "Where is Joslyn now?"

Poseidon frowned. "She is working a job with Arei and Chery. She is being closely watched and protected, so there shouldn't be any issues-"

"Get her back to the Embassy as soon as you can without alerting her or any lingering deities that may be following her. In the meantime, you need to have a private word with Areion."

Poseidon frowned. "Arei is very aware of what is happening." His troubled gaze moved to Artemis. "As I said earlier, he had woken up the second Jos had left the bed that night. He witnessed everything from the upstairs balcony. He is acting with caution currently and keeping a close watch on her."

"But will he be able to do what needs to be done, if the situation calls for it?" Hades asked coldly.

Ry clenched his jaws. "No he couldn't… but perhaps I could… I'll join their mission… but I have one stop I need to make first."