twelve

Theo loved horror movies of all kinds, but she especially favored a suspenseful slasher flick that kept her on edge the entire ride.

It was safe to say that it made her hard to scare, yet she felt a new type of fear when the very air around her reached a chilling temperature she felt had all to do with a particularly tense god.

"Date?" He dared ask.

"P-Poseidon? What are you doing here?" Michael retorted.

"Just going over some notes for me. But it is getting quite late so he was just on his way out, right?" Theo remarked.

She did her best attempts to shove him out of the door but it would've been easier to move a skyscraper.

"Actually, I have been looking forward to speaking with Mikey here." He began.

"It's actually Michael, bu-"

"If it's not too forward of me, why not invite him in for a quick little chat?" Ryan suggested.

He then roughly laid a hand on Michael's shoulder and shook the man with unrestrained strength.

To anyone else, it would be a kind gesture, but his haunting smile told a completely different story.

"Um, it's not a good time for me. How about tomorrow afternoon perhaps?" Theo said hoping to break the tension forming between the two men.

"Theo!" A saving grace joined the trio.

If there was ever a time Theo had loved her best friend more it had been beaten. With a bag in hand, she skipped up the steps with a sly smile at the amusing sight.

"Alex, perfect timing. I was just saying goodnight to these two. Why don't you head inside and make yourself at home?"

"In a minute," she chuckled, clearly entertained by her own friend's suffering.

"I guess I'll see you tomorrow then?" Michael quietly asked.

"Of course! Around noon at the same cafe that we met before?"

"Sounds like a date." Ryan intervened.

Michael was the first to escape the awful interaction, leaving Theo with an entertained friend and an equally confused situationship.

"Care to explain what that was about?"

Thankfully, Alex read the room and quietly slid inside the door. Once it was closed Theo leaned against the cool surface for some type of stability.

"Well, a few days ago Michael and I sat down for a chat about work and one thing led to another and he asked me out."

"And you agreed?"

"Why not? He's a nice guy and it's been a while since I put myself out there."

"Well put yourself back in. You already belong to me." He all but demanded.

Theo nearly gasped when he leaned forward against the door leaving himself just a breath away from the already flustered girl.

"First of all, I belong to me. Secondly, you and I have barely been on one date. Technically we're still in the early talking stages." She poked his sturdy chest.

"Meaning?"

"We're not mutually exclusive. You can do your thing and I can do mine until we eventually decide to go somewhere with this."

"And if that's what I want to do? You're going to cease any interaction with any other man, right?"

"No. I'd be loyal, not dead. Men and women can interact without it being romantic. Besides, I'm sure you're courting many women along with me."

"But I'm not. You're the only one I am capable of caring about. The only one that actually makes me feel things I didn't have the ability to before."

"Don't say things like that." She lowly replied.

"Why not?"

"Because I'll believe you."

"It's the truth."

"An overwhelming truth. You hardly even know me, Ryan. This was supposed to be a temporary professional relationship. One that you walked away from, might I add."

"But-"

"What kind of fool would I be to fall for someone who might not even be there to catch me?"

"It was a mistake. You have to believe that I would never hurt you like that ever again."

"I want to. But there's too much at stake. I do like you, Ryan. But maybe it'd be best for us both if we took our time. Baby steps, okay?" She offered.

"Whatever you want." He ultimately agreed.

"Goodnight then."

With that being said, Ryan leaned down to press a gentle kiss upon her cheek before seeing her inside her home. Once she was inside she bolted to her room and all but spilled any and every detail Alex could understand.

"Baby steps? Are you kidding me? You just happened to meet a man completely devoted to you and only you and you want to risk losing it over one mistake?"

"A mistake that hurt me more than I knew possible. And that was after hardly even caring about him. Imagine if he does it again further into the relationship. Alex, that would tear me apart. So yes, until I can trust that he won't walk out when things get tough it's baby steps."

"Fine. But let it be known I'm rooting for the god. When you're that good looking you can do whatever the hell you want." She replied.

"Shut up. Not that you need a reason, but what made you come by for an impromptu sleepover?"

"I did something stupid and I needed moral support. And now that I know you clearly need some counsel over your own romantic predicament I figured we could get deep and talk it out."

"How can you help when you're already biased?" Theo asked.

"I'll do my best. Pinky promise." Alex swore.

"Good. Now let's do this before I pass out. You start."

It wasn't until Alex was snug in the blankets and comfortably relaxed at Theo's side did she find the urge to speak.

"Ellie called me the other day and invited me to dinner."

"Ellie? As in Eleanor, your evil ex-girlfriend? And how did you turn her down?"

"See the thing is I didn't. She sounded kinda down and she assured me that it was just a chance to get closure for the both of us."

"Closure? You loved her, she cheated, you left. End of story. Right?"

"I wish it were that simple. But she was my first love. The one person I planned my entire life with. Down to every painful little detail that still affects my life today. As much as I want it to, that kind of love never goes away."

"And I guess you could say I did need it. I needed to know how I pushed her away, how I ran her into another woman's arms instead of mine, how in her darkest time of need I couldn't see what she needed."

"What? None of that was your fault, Alex. Whatever she did is all on her and you deserve much more than the blame for her mistake. My god, I've never known anyone who loves as hard and shines as much as you do. Anyone would be lucky to spend a lifetime by your side."

Alex quietly sniffled before sitting upright and facing Theo.

"Yeah. She said that it was clear that she would always come second in a life where you're my best friend. She didn't like the constant hangouts, the late nights, and how I ran to you long before I could talk to her. And I understand that. I can take responsibility for that. There was just a time where you could always say the right things and you've been my best friend since we were toddlers so it feels natural to put you first."

"Then why not communicate that problem at the time? Why cheat?" Theo failed to understand.

"She wanted to hurt me as much as I had hurt her. All in all, it made sense and it feels better knowing what went wrong. And as much as I hate her for making me feel so low for a period of time, I don't know how to let her go. Does that make sense? Does it make me as stupid as I feel?"

"No, that's just love. So, what now?"

"That's where I'm stuck. She seemed open to starting over but I'm afraid it's just us repeating history. You'll always be my best friend and the most important part of my life."

"Well duh, but who's to say she can't be one too? Compromise. I'll always be your confidant but so can she. Whatever happens, I'll never love you any less."

"Now that I'm done being an emotional wreck, please fill me in on the latest romantic drama," Alex said, already drying her silent tears.

"Maybe some other time. You've already succeeded in making us both cry so I'll save the tears for another night. And I've watched you nearly nod off twice now. So get some rest."

"Alright. I love you, Theo. Really, I don't know what I'd do without you."

With that being said she laid back under the large comforter and slipped into a peaceful slumber with a subtle smile on her face.

And as much as Theo wanted to rest she took the necessary alone time to fetch her phone and link it to the device she purposely set up back at the abandoned building. Something didn't feel right but she was sure she wouldn't find anything while they were both present. So while they made their exit she planted a throwaway phone and set it up in a dusty shelf as obscure as she could and pressed record.

Once she noticed that it was still up and running she fetched her reading glasses and quietly slipped out of her room to watch the recorded data.

When it became clear that nothing would occur within the first half-hour she upped the speed and watched a lot of nothing pass by. That is until a small woman wandered aimlessly into the building seemingly seeking shelter for the night. Theo then slowed the video to a regular speed when she spotted a familiar figure making an appearance to the lost girl.

She'd like to have said it was the Aphrodite she knew but one look at the scarred face sent a shiver down her spine. But her new appearance didn't frighten her as much as the dagger behind her back did.

"Are you lost?" The goddess asked the girl.

"My car broke down just as it was about to start raining and I just needed a dry spot to rest and make a phone call. This is the only area with any kind of signal apparently." She anxiously chuckled, clearly unsettled by Aphrodite's presence.

"W-What are you doing here?" She then asked.

"Just passing through myself. I used to frequent the area long ago and I wanted to see how it looked nowadays. Have you been around before?"

Are you new here? Was the silent question that Theo heard.

"No. I decided to take a surprise trip to visit my family with some good news."

"News?" Aphrodite pressed.

"Yeah. I haven't seen them in months and I figured why not reconnect with a surprise addition to the family?" She rubbed her small belly.

"That's sweet. But it's dangerous to travel so far alone. No one knows where you're heading?"

"Well not really. Another reason for my reappearance. I have no one else and I don't want to be in this alone."

Suddenly the camera glitched and Theo could've sworn she saw the room darken around the pair. As the girl chattered on Aphrodite tilted her head as if having a private conversation of her own.

Was she talking to herself?

"I'm sorry." The goddess said amidst the girl's ramblings.

"Excuse me?"

Her innocent confusion turned to stricken fear when she saw the gleam of light coming from the dagger. On instinct, she turned to run only to crash into an unseen barrier that pushed her back into the unforgiving floor.

"Please don't do this! I'm pregnant!" She shrieked.

"More for me to take then." Aphrodite calmly retorted.

With discomforting ease, she roughly took a hold of the girl's ponytail and dragged her to the center of the floor and it was then that the camera began to lose battery and focus.

"She's all yours."

Theo might not have seen it but she heard the guttural scream that was cut short as Aphrodite slit the girl's throat without a care in the world.

And just when she thought it was over, just through the blurry recording she saw Aphrodite make chilling eye contact with her through the lens and come close before uttering two words that had Theo trembling in her seat.

You're next.