Chapter Five

(Adonis)

I grab Dion's arm and close my eyes to think about our home. My little house in Greece with only a few rooms. It's nowhere close to a palace like the one Hades insists I have in Elysium. It's a quaint little cottage relatively far from the nearest city.

I think about my room. The sand and olive green colored beadspread that matches my curtains. The windows are big enough to let in natural light. My night stand and dresser are both brown, giving the whole room and earthy feel.

When I open my eyes I see exactly what I imagined. If I'm being honest, I'm just glad to get away from my family.

"Why'd you do it?" Dion snaps at me, yanking his arm away as soon as we're here.

He seems really upset, but it's about to me he learned that I'm nobody's belonging. I can do whatever I want and he shouldn't get hurt by it. He's my servant and guard. Nothing more.

"Do what? Kiss the kid?" I reply, making him cross his arms and roll his eyes at me. "I can do whatever I want, Dion. You're a servant, not a boyfriend. I did it because I felt like it. Now stop acting like a child and suck it up. You should get used to seeing me with other people because we are not dating. When we sleep together it's only so I can get pleasure. I care about you, but I'm not in love with you, Dion. Orthrus was right. You probably don't love me either. You're just blinded by your desire for me and you're mistaking it for love."

"You can order me around, and make me do whatever you want, but don't you dare tell me how I feel. I know what I feel way better than you do, so don't even pretend that what you're saying is true. You care about me more than you care to admit. You're just scared. You're scared I'll leave you just like everyone else in your life. You're scared I'll get tired of you like Menoetius did, and you're scared I'll die like your dad." Dion responds.

He knows me. He's known me for so long that he should've known not to push my buttons. There's so many things that happen to me that I don't care about but my parents are a sensitive topic, and he knows it.

I step forward to shove his chest, sending him flying into the wall of my bedroom. His back leaves a dent in the wall, but I know he'll be fine. I'd never use my full strength on him.

"Don't ever talk about him again! I'm not scared of anything, Dion. You know what? Leave. Die for all I care. I've always been alone, and I've always been fine. I was fine before you got here and I'll be fine when you leave. If you hate me so much then just go!" I scream at him, walking over to grab his arm and push him out of my room. I slam the door and lock it, letting out a loud groan.

Why can't he just leave that stuff alone? He acts too casual with me. We're not buds, and I certainly don't want him getting all high and mighty and treating me like I'm a patient in a therapist's office. I can't believe he had the audacity to talk about Atlas. Menoetius too.

It was hard for me as a kid because I tried to please everyone, but it was impossible.

Hades wanted me to be a strong soldier. My mom wanted me to be a kindhearted prince, and Menoetius wanted me to be a ruthless and evil ruler.

I never wanted any of that. I just wanted to be normal. I hate being a god. I have all this power, and I have this rank and title that I didn't work for. Just because I'm a son of Hades that automatically makes me a prince.

Now they're just handing me a palace and land to rule over for no reason. I don't want to be a god or a prince or a lord. I just want to be Adonis.

I walk to my closet and conjure a few olive green suitcases to start throwing my clothes into. Elysium. I've been there once before. The flowers are always in full bloom and the souls live in a happy peaceful harmony. During the day the sun shines bright, and the temperature is always just perfect, and during the night, the souls look up at the beautiful stars with the moon being the only light.

In Elysium there's an island called the island of dreams. It's filled with giant fluffy clouds, and it's where the sleep gods and oneiroi live. They prevent nightmares from happening to any person who lives there, and bring dreams to the humans on earth. It truly is heaven. Now it's all mine.

I hope Dion will like it there. He may be a human, but it's always very peaceful and calm. We deserve that. I want us to be happy. The only downside is that Hades is sure to have the palace packed full of servants and guards that will be pampering me. The last thing I want is to have unnecessary strangers surrounding us at all times. I just want it to be peaceful and quiet so Dion and I can both enjoy it there.

A knock on my door snaps me out of my thoughts and seems to remind me that I've hardly even started gathering my clothes.

"Master? I've finished packing my things. Do you need any help?" Dion calls out with his gentle, loving voice that makes me want to melt.

I walk to the door and open the door to see a few bags filled with clothes behind him. I smile at the sight and nod.

"Yeah. I could use some help. Are you alright?" I ask, referring to how I slammed him into the wall.

I don't fight often, so when I do, sometimes my strength gets out of hand. I turn to the dented wall and shoot a string of magic from my fingertips. The dent pops itself back out and starts to seal the cracks without anyone else needing to fix it for me.

"I'm fine. I know it's just been a hard day. Your brothers are very… unique." He comments.

It causes me to get a confused look on my face, but after about a minute I let out a little 'Ah'.

"I forgot that you hadn't met them yet. Carlisle and Volkan are the twins, but Carlisle is much nicer to me than other people. Alek is also pretty cool. We were only born around 10 months apart and we've always been a little closer than we are with the others. Cerberus and Orthrus are just… evil. Just how Daddy built them." I inform him. I probably should've given him this little crash course before meeting my family.

"I know that there's certain… criteria that lovers of gods should fit, and I'm fine with it. I didn't need them to tell me that some human isn't good enough for you. I also don't like seeing them bully you. Hearing your rants and stories is so different than having to sit there and listen to everything they say to you. All things considered, they seem alright. The right hands seem okay too. Draco and Vesper asked if I'd get an Xbox and play some battle game with them." He admits, rubbing the back of his neck as a light shade of pink coats his cheeks.

"I'm glad you're making friends, but when did you guys have time to talk?" I ask, thinking back to the events of the day. There was a point in time when it was just Cerberus and I going at it. I guess I hadn't been paying enough attention to Dion.

"Just while everyone was yelling." He responds, getting my clothes from the closet. I wouldn't be surprised if he could carry all of my clothes in his arms.

He's tall and muscular with long limbs that were practically made for sports. Maybe I could teach him how to play discus once we settle into Elysium. Then again… the last mortal lover of a god ended up getting struck in the head with a discus so hard that he died.

Part of me feels for Apollo. He still adorns his temple in Olympus with beautiful Hyacinth flowers in remembrance of one of his only true loves. Sure, he's a slut that will sleep with just about anyone, but losing someone you love does that to a person. Perhaps that's why I refuse to love Dion.

I'd loved once before. I'm much older than I look, and in the centuries that have passed since I've been alive, I'd only truly loved one person. A water nymph that would've been far more acceptable than a human. He was… perfect in every sense of the word. Beautiful, kind, powerful, and he loved me too.

I was head over heels planning my life out with him before a month had even passed. He had a small, slender figure and long pale blue hair that always drew my attention. His eyes were a beautiful icy blue that seemed to glow when he was happy.

He was so innocent and untouched by the horrors of the world. Life was perfect. We lived on a river in the mortal realm. I thought I had finally escaped Menoetius, but boy was I wrong.

He always seems to find me at the worst times, and when he did, he ripped the soul from my lover and crushed it into ash right before my eyes. It wasn't death. No, that was far too merciful.

Menoetius knew I'd find a way to get him back. His soul would've been wandering around in Asphodel or the Mourning Fields, and I would've found it. Hell, I would've pulled his soul from the Acheron River with my bare hands if I had to. I would've gotten him back, but Menoetius didn't kill him. He wiped his soul from existence.

There's no amount of god power that would bring a person back from that. What's worse is that every day he fades more and more. Most people have already forgotten that he ever existed, but I haven't, and I won't. I'm losing the memories we shared, but if there's anything I wish to keep, it's the beautiful smile he had and the sound of his name on my tongue.

Maybe he didn't love me anyways. He said he did, but Orthrus was right about what he said. I was born to be the object of beauty and desire, so of course people will gravitate towards me.

That's when I stopped loving. Why would I bother? Love someone only to have Menoetius release his wrath onto them? If he knew that Dion and I had more than a business relationship, then he surely wouldn't have lasted this long. Dion and I aren't truly lovers though. We're fuck buddies.

Being lovers involves small kisses and words of affection. It involves holding one another like you're scared to let go. It involves love, and Dion and I are not in love.

"Master? I packed all of your clothes. Are you okay? You look sad." Dion asks, reaching up to brush his thumb over my cheek with a worried look on his face.

I force a smile and push his hand away. He doesn't know about my past love and he doesn't need to. Nobody knows about it aside from Menoetius, but I trust my mother and Hades. If they said he won't bother me anymore then I believe it.

"I'm fine Dion. Oh, and you have to call me lord now that I'll be ruling Elysium. Lord Adonis." I remind him.

I reach into my drawer to pull out his voodoo doll out along with a box of pins. I throw both items into a bag, making Dion wince. I walk to my dresser and open the bottom drawer to reveal the rest. Dion's is the one I use most often, but I have plenty. I have ones of each of my brothers as well as my sister Electra.

She's my sister through Atlas, and the only relative on his side that I truly talk to. Along with my siblings, I have dolls of their right hands, Vesper and Draco. I'll have to get some hair and clothing from Dakarai in order to make his since Alek let his last right hand man die.

Lastly, I have one of Hades. It's stupid. I know it is because if he ever found out about it, he'd have me killed no matter what my mother says, but he won't find out.

"Wow. I didn't know you had that many, My Lord." Dion mumbles as if he's getting used to the taste of the new name in his tongue.

I just take the dolls and put them in the same bag before zipping it up. I don't really want to carry all of the bags, so instead I walk through the room, touching each bag to teleport them into the throne room of the palace in Elysium.

I close my eyes and imagine it. The white marble floors and columns in the room bring a beautiful light into the room. The walls are painted a light shade of yellow that reminds me of the sun there. It's warm and vibrant. It's not intimidating at all like many other palaces in the underworld. Even the thrones are solid white marble.

There's always two for when a lord weds someone, but Dion would never be able to sit in a throne. There's not a single person in the underworld that would take orders from a human.

Once I teleport the last bag, I turn to Dion with a soft smile. "When we get there I will have a golden bangle made for you that holds very little power, but enough for you to teleport from place to place and defend yourself with magic if need be." I inform him.

The underworld is vast, and it's hard to get from place to place without teleportation.

"Would you… teach me? I've never used or even thought of using magic before." Dion admits before catching his mistake and rushing to fix it. "Lord Adonis."

"Of course I will." I answer, taking his hand in mine and interlocking our fingers before imagining the palace.

When I open my eyes, I'm surprised to see that I'm in the throne room surrounded by servants that look ready to serve me in any way they can.

"Lord Adonis! We've started bringing your bags to your chambers and I'll be happy to show you around the palace. Lord Hades has made a few changes since the last time you've been here." One man says, smiling at me as they all bow to me.

It actually causes my cheeks to get pink as I let go of Dion's hand and walk to the servant who seems to be the leader of sorts. I grab his chin and lift his head, giving him a smile of my own. He's young and slender, but taller than me. He may be about 6 feet tall with a lean body and lightly tanned skin. He's wearing a black leather body suit like the ones that Cerberus and Hades have their servants in, the only bit of color on him is a blue belt to match with his blue hair. His eyes, however, are a pink color, making me feel like he may be an incubus.

"Who are you, and where did you come from?" I ask him, staring into his wide eyes as I let go of his chin.

I don't like being bowed to. I'm a god. A full god unlike my halfbreed step brothers. I'm the most powerful of all of us, but I'm just a person. Just as they are.

"I'm Linus. I was a servant for Lord Cerberus. Hades picked us from each of your brothers and brought us here. He said we were leftovers that could easily be replaced, so it doesn't matter where we go." He mumbles, looking to the ground sadly.

I look around at the other servants who seem to be awaiting my first order. Some of them have bruises or cuts that were no doubt from my brother's mistreatment of them. They're all wearing different uniforms as well.

"Well, here you're not. I don't want any of you to fear me. I will not harm you. This is my second in command, Dion, and you will be serving him as well, but neither of us will be mistreating you in any way. If any of you were slaves before, then consider yourself lucky, because I'm not cruel. I won't force anyone to do anything they don't want to do. You'll all receive a paycheck each week to do with as you please. If you're injured and wish to be healed, I'll be on my throne after I unpack, and I'd be happy to use my magic to help." I inform them, taking the last bag with my voodoo dolls in it before beginning to walk off.

I'm sure they aren't used to this treatment. I saw their shocked faces. They expected me to be like Carlisle or Cerberus. I'd never abuse anyone. And unlike Orthrus, I'd never use a slave as a sex toy. I don't even want to imagine the terrors my brothers had but them through.

Not here. Not me. Elysium is supposed to be a place of peace and happiness and I refuse to taint it by making my own home unhappy.

"Master Adonis?" Someone called out, making me turn to see a boy. He must be the youngest of the lot at around 16 or 17. His timid voice and use of the word Master instead of Lord lets me know that he was assigned to be my slave. A slave I won't use.

"Yes, Little One?" I answer, giving him a warm smile.

He is short. Far too short for his age actually. He's probably only 5'3 tops, and has shaggy blonde hair to go with his beautiful blue eyes. His skin is milky pale, and his uniform consists of nothing but a pair of black shorts like the ones Lemuel was wearing this morning.

"I-I don't have chambers to sleep in b-because Master Cerberus liked for me to sleep in a cage by his bed. I-Is that where you want me?" He asks, with wide eyes full of fear that makes my heart bleed for him.

He's a person, not a pet. He's a kid! I never thought Cerberus would be the type to go for someone so young.

"No. I'll have someone clear out a bedroom for you, and if there is none then you can sleep in my bed until I can have one made for you." I tell him, conjuring a new outfit for him.

It's a leather body suit like the one my other servant was wearing. I'll have to find them a real uniform, but until then I guess I can steal Cerberus's idea.

The little slave accepts the clothes I hand him, but his eyes get even wider and more fearful than before. "That's okay, master! I-I'll sleep in the cage. Or on the floor. I-I don't want to sleep with you… in your bed, I mean! S-Sorry."

I shake my head and reach out to cup his cheeks gently in the palms of my hand. "I will not force you to do anything. I don't care what any of my brothers or what Hades said. I don't need, nor want a sex slave. If there is no room for you, you can sleep in my bed alone. I'm sure it's big and comfortable, and you'll love it. I won't be sleeping in there if you are. Do you understand?"

He nods, and smiles up at me, rubbing his cheek against my hand. He wraps his arms around my torso, shocking me, but I return his hug and smile down at him. "What's your name, little one?"

He blushes and sighs before answering.

"Doulos." He mumbles, waiting a moment before continuing. "You can change my name if you wish, Master Adonis."

I don't like it. It's a sick, degrading joke that Volkan and Cerberus probably conspired to come up with. Naming a slave 'slave'. Changing the language doesn't make it any less disgusting.

"I wish to change it. I'm going to name you…" I think for a moment before deciding. Beautiful. "Panemorfi. But I'll call you Pan."

His face heats up even more if possible as he smiles up at me. His eyes seem to twinkle under the lights for a moment before he blinks and bows. "Thank you, Master."

I repeat my actions previously and take his chin and lift it so he isn't bowing anymore.

"Lord." I correct him. "You're no longer a slave here. You're a servant."

Before he can thank me again, I turn and walk through the halls, searching for my bedroom.