“I was happily surprised they would take this risk. Some of them weren’t known as the brave type. They would know that even with Titan and the council present, we couldn’t protect them. There is a risk in coming here.” Sabina stated.

  “Since Ares has been a known friend to Titan, will he intercede on Titan’s behalf?” Nina asked. She hadn’t been told. Every council members face hardened.

  “Ares is friends with both Titan and Cronus. Titan, for some insane reason, sent a message to Ares not to stand against Cronus.” Lorac sounded somewhere between amused and bored.

  “What? Why would you do that?” Nina asked in shock.

  “Like Lorac said, Ares is friends with both. I have no right to ask Ares to kill one of his friends.” I paused to get the wording right. Ghost was about to speak but I held up a hand to stop him. “Last year, I was placed between two groups that I considered friends, you all know the story. Those groups would have fought and killed each other. Arria was trying to get me to pick a side but I couldn’t do that. The explanation for what I was going through was simple enough. I couldn’t kill Ghost to save Apollo. I couldn’t kill Apollo to save Ghost. These were two of my closest friends. There’s no way I could ask Ares to make a choice like that.”

  The council members all thought through what I said. I knew Arria understood but she was the one fighting it the most. Ares would have a much better shot of stopping Cronus.

  “I haven’t had a chance to thank you for that. It might not matter though. If Cronus continues to kill innocent vampires, I won’t be able to stand by without acting.”

  “I knew it was wrong. You have been there when I needed you but this is different. The more time I spent around Sweetie, the more I saw how wrong I was to hope you would take up my fight. Cronus is coming for me. I should be the one to face the risk. I still have hope that Cronus will see the mistake he is making. That would be the best solution for everyone.”

  “I have the same hope.” Ares admitted.

  Slowly but surely, the other council members arrived. We moved from the council chamber to the meeting hall since the other old ones would be landing soon. Everyone was brought up to date with all the latest information.

  Sometime after the last council member arrived, Ares left. I figured he would be spending some time with Sweetie.

  Ghost was mostly silent when he could be. He wasn’t hating the company which was a bit out of character for him. Normally, he preferred to be off to himself and phone in his decisions. He didn’t mind a few people being around but larger groups were bothersome to him. Over time, I started believing it was sensory overload. He sees too much and the input might become uncomfortable.

  Now, with all the council members, Ghost, and me in the meeting hall, Ghost steered the conversation the way he wanted it to go. He got his chance when Sela and Alexander were asking what could be done if Ares wouldn’t be involved.

  “We have what Arria is calling a last resort. It will be the only option if Cronus follows through with his attacks.” Ghost hesitated. He could see Arria and Lorac’s discomfort in this discussion. I almost gave Ghost a signal to stop. I needed to know the rest of the council’s opinions too badly. Ghost knew there might be some backlash but he posed the idea to them. “If Titan drank from the council, he might be able to defend himself against Cronus.”

  There was a drawn out pause as the council members not named Arria or Lorac all drew in a shocked breath. I thought it overly dramatic since they must have thought it at some point or another.

  “Absolutely not!”

  “Can’t be considered!”

  “Hell no!”

  These were the main responses.

  “I’d be okay with it.” Sabina spoke calmly.

  All eyes turned to her. Sabina only smiled and dared them to say something about it. I saw Ghost smile out of the corner of my eye.

  “Sabina? We would all come under fire if this happened. Every old one was reassured that Titan would never be allowed to drink from an old one!” Nina exclaimed.

  “I want Titan to survive but that is asking for too much. Every old one would be after our heads for allowing it to happen. The council would become meaningless.” Dmitriy was calmer than most of them but he could see the pitfalls in that course of action.

  Arria stepped forward to get everyone’s attention. “Now you understand why I called it a last resort. It would only happen in the most drastic of circumstances. Lorac and I have already told Ghost and Titan that this should never happen. I know what kind of reaction this would bring. Believe me, as much as losing Titan would hurt, I know the vampire world would revolt and the costs would outweigh the benefits.”

  I saw how much pain those words caused her. I also saw that she believed them. Arria took her job as council leader seriously. She would sacrifice me for the well-being of the rest of the vampire race. Ghost looked forlorn. He and I knew this was the best option for my survival.

  I also saw Ephraim’s face. He displayed alarmed shock at the mention of my drinking from the council. His face became contorted as he tried to hide his pleasure when he heard Arria’s assurance that I wouldn’t be allowed to drink from them.

  Sabina looked almost desperate. I didn’t get to ponder her expression long. Petra was announced then. Arria went to handle the greeting while the rest of the council composed themselves.

  Part of me became hopeless then. I caught Ghost looking before I hid my emotions. His sadness only added to my despair.

  All of us put on our fake smiles as Arria led Petra to us. I intended to be the first to speak but Lorac beat me to it.

  “Petra! How wonderful to see you again.” Lorac’s words were echoed by several others.

  “It is so great that you and others are showing so much support for Titan!” Sabina added.

  “Well, I’ve done my share of cursing him but I know Titan is good. I couldn’t stand by and watch his name be tarnished.” Petra replied.

  “Thank you for that, Petra. It really warms my heart to see you here like this.” I told her. I was moved more than I could express.

  “It shouldn’t have taken something like this to make me forgive you. I knew you did what was necessary. For the most part, I was always grateful, even when I was cursing.” Petra laughed.

  Most of the council joined in with laughs of their own. The normal routine was followed once those uncomfortable moments were handled. Lorac kept everyone laughing until the next old one, Phoenix, arrived. The scene went much the same with her as it did with Petra. We repeated it for Dorian and finally, Hermes. The rest of the old ones wouldn’t arrive until the following night.

  Ghost was a hit with the old ones. Most everyone in the vampire world knew his name. Only a relative few knew him in person. His average appearance made his anonymity even more glaring. Until you spoke with him, you couldn’t begin to understand his intellect.

  It was while Ghost was involved with the rest of these old ones that Hermes pulled me to the side. I knew what he wanted to say. I dreaded it but I knew he needed to actually say the words. The purely good nature within him didn’t allow him a choice.

  “Titan, I am sorry for both what happened last year and how I’ve acted since. You did what was right. I could see it but I became blinded by our cause.” Hermes held up a hand for me to wait. I was going to try and make it easier for him but he needed to say things his way. “That it has taken this long for me to apologize, is even more inexcusable. I hope I haven’t ruined any chance at a friendship.”

  “You haven’t. I understand the anger from both sides. I’ve spent a lot of the time since then hoping for this reconciliation. There is no one I would rather call friend than you, Hermes.” I made sure he saw my sincerity. I saw his belief and relief.

  “Thank you, Titan.” He said. He opened his mouth to say more but we were interrupted by Ghost.

  “Hermes, we have a friend you should meet. Apollo is a friend of ours that went through the gauntlet with us. Titan has been debating which of you is the most good natured. Sweetie has mentioned the same kind of thing.” Ghost wore a fun-loving smile. I saw the devious part of the smile even though I doubted anyone else would. I didn’t know what he was up to but I could see it was more about fun than mischief.

  “Sweetie?” Hermes was puzzled. He didn’t recognize the name.

  “You met her as Emelia while I was acting as Darius. Ares had her posing as an old one last year. Sweetie went through the gauntlet with us as well.” I explained.

  “Yes, she was the one who sat with us on the plane ride to Feng’s! I remember her. I guess I didn’t recognize the name.” Hermes smiled. “Actually, I would like to meet her again. If the two of you would be okay with it, we could leave and visit them now.”

  So that’s what he was up to! Ghost wanted out of here. I guess he had some use for Hermes as well. Ghost would have been able to leave but he wanted a good excuse.

  “That sounds like a wonderful idea to me.” I heartily agreed.

  “Actually, since some of the old ones are here mainly to show support for you, Titan, you should stay.” Ghost’s eyes were laughing at me.

  I sighed. What the hell is he doing now?

  “He’s right, Titan.” Hermes said, before turning back to Ghost. “If you will give me a moment, the protocols must be observed.”

  Hermes went to Arria then. I led Ghost closer to the door but gave a wide enough berth so we could whisper undetected.

  “I don’t know what you’re up to but a word of caution, Hermes is very astute. Not on your level but he doesn’t miss much. He probably already knows this is a ploy to get him away from here.” I spoke as quietly as I could.

  “That is why I’m doing this. I remembered the things you said about him. I need to pick his brain a little. Besides, you know you wanted Apollo to meet him. Sweetie won’t mind seeing him again either.”

  I was about to tell Ghost to call Sweetie before he knocked on her door. I stopped myself at the last second. He would figure out Ares presence if I did that. Ghost noticed my hesitation. I waived it off and pointed out the fact that Hermes was being led to the door by Arria.

  “I will see you in the morning, Hermes. I can’t thank you enough for coming.” Arria was saying.

  “I should have my butt kicked for not coming sooner to apologize. Good night, Arria.” Hermes gave her a winning smile before turning toward the door. Ghost fell into step beside him as they entered the hallway.

  “Why is Ghost going with Hermes?” Arria asked.

  “He has something up his sleeve. I haven’t figured it out yet.” I told her as I pulled my phone from my pocket. I hit the number for Sweetie. Arria was about to ask but I held up my hand and smiled.

  “Hello?” Sweetie answered.

  “Heads up, Ghost is on his way to see some of you guys. Hermes is with him. Ghost is going to make sure Apollo gets to meet him. You might want to make sure you are available for that. I wanted to give you a chance to be ready. Ghost doesn’t know I’m calling.” I told her.

  I could almost hear the wheels spinning in Sweetie’s head. Her reply was clearly coming from a smiling mouth. I knew she would realize why I called.

  “I’ll be ready when they arrive.”

  “See you later, Sweetie.”

  I disconnected with a smile still on my face.

  “What is going on? It looks like fun.” Arria was smiling now in her confusion. She could see I was in a good mood.

  “I will tell you about it later.” I made a motion with my eyes to let her know Sela was approaching.

  Arria went through the protocols. Several others were showing signs of wanting to call it a night as well. I stayed to give a second, or third, thank you to those who were there to support me. It was maybe an hour after Ghost left with Hermes when Arria, Lorac, and I were the only ones remaining in the meeting hall.

  “That went extremely well. Let’s hope tomorrow is more of the same.” Lorac stated.

  “I believe it will be. Ghost is sure Cronus won’t show up. Other than that, what could go wrong?” I asked.

  “Nothing until someone asks ‘what can go wrong’ like a bad horror movie.” Arria slapped my chest playfully.

  “You don’t know, this time could be different.” I couldn’t hold back my laugh. Lorac enjoyed it.

  “Goodnight. I will be here bright and early.”

  “Thanks, Lorac. See you then.” Arria told him. She turned to me as we began walking out of the room. “What’s with the phrases?”

  “I am in a good mood. In my human days, I was a Buffy fan. They went through a scene with those phrases. Your statement fit well enough to continue it. When I am happy, I tend to think of other things that make me smile.”

  Arria slipped her hand into mine as we walked. We strolled through the dull green corridors like we were on a beach somewhere without a care in the world. It was a sweet moment.

  Once we made it to the suite, Arria remembered my earlier promise.

  “Now, why did Ghost and Hermes leave together?”

  “That’s the part I still need to figure out. I was smiling because of something else.” I debated briefly if telling Arria about Ares was the right thing to do. I didn’t see a problem as long as she understood not to spread the knowledge. “I needed to give Sweetie a warning. Ares is here. I wanted to make sure she would have time to prepare for Ghost’s arrival.”

  “Ares is here? Why didn’t you tell me? Has anything changed?” Arria was excited. Her hopes were briefly reignited.

  “Sweetie and the council are here. I think it is Sweetie more than anything else. Ares wanted to be here just in case. No one but me and Sweetie know he is here and Ares kind of wanted it to stay that way. Don’t tell anyone.”

  “Does this mean he will fight Cronus?”

  “Only if Cronus goes too far. If innocents continue to die, then Ares will step in to try and stop it. He told me that tonight. He is like me. He still hopes Cronus will come to his senses and stop this madness.”

  I saw Arria working through the new information. I saw when she realized nothing had really changed. Her face fell.

  I moved to comfort her. I wrapped my arms around her and made her look at me.

  “It isn’t over until it’s done. I’m planning on living through this. Don’t let yourself get too worried.”

  “It isn’t that easy and you know it. I can’t just relax and hope everything works out fine.” Arria was close to tears. She laid her head on my chest.

  “We will find a way.”

  Chapter 15

  The next morning began quietly. Arria showered and headed for the meeting hall. I showered and headed for the employee section. I needed to get an answer or two.

  “Hey, Titan.” Speedy was the first to see me coming. He was standing in the hallway about to head to the showers by the looks of it. He had clean clothes draped over his shoulder and a toothbrush in his hand.

  “Hey, Speedy. Is everyone up?” I asked. I was still some distance away but was getting closer by the step.

  “Not that I can see. We stayed up pretty late with that Hermes guy. Is it staying up late or staying up until it is early? I am still stuck with the human viewpoint. It looks like I would have moved on from that by now.”

  “Either way works.” I said, smiling. Speedy took some getting used to but he was a good friend. “How did you like Hermes?”

  I hoped to get a read from Speedy to see what was said. He was preoccupied with the time of day. His response was very basic, both what was spoken and what was thought.

  “He was like an older Apollo. Sweetie acted like they were old friends. I heard them saying something about that mess y’all had last year. Is that how they knew each other?”

  “Yes. Hermes is one of the good old ones that was involved.” I was close enough to hear the others’ thoughts now. Venus and Loki were awake but the others were still asleep.

  “He is definitely good.” Speedy’s eyes grew with the vastness of that understatement.

  “Well, I will come back when everyone is awake. I’m glad you thought well of Hermes.”

  “I’ll tell everyone you stopped by. See you later, Titan.”

  “Later, Speedy.”

  I turned and headed back the way I’d come. That was frustrating. I wasn’t any closer to figuring out what Ghost was up to and I didn’t get to hear Apollo’s estimation of Hermes. Oh well, I needed to check in with Reptile to make sure everything was in good order for the event.

  I entered the meeting hall to a slight shock. Saul and Gronk were already here. Arria and Lorac were talking with them when I walked through the door. Their conversation stopped as I approached. Gronk appeared to go through some serious emotions and thoughts as I joined them.

  “Gronk, Saul, it is wonderful to see the both of you. Thank you for showing your support.” I didn’t need to fake my sincerity.

  “It is overdue, Titan. I’m sorry I let my anger get the better of me for so long.” Saul responded.

  “The same goes for me. This should have been done some time ago.” Gronk agreed.

  “Maybe with time, the rest of the old ones involved will be able to forgive me too.” I offered. I wanted to highlight the fact that they were here when others weren’t.

  “The more I think it through, the more I realize it is all of us that should be seeking forgiveness. You kept us from fighting, killing, and possibly dying. We should be thanking you.” Gronk meant what he said.

  “It is good to have that behind us now. I have a world of respect for the both of you. It would mean a lot if I can call you friends.” My words came out like I intended. The meaning was clear and I hoped it would end the uncomfortable part of this conversation.

  Instead of speaking, Saul held out his hand for me to shake. I clasped it warmly. When we released, Gronk held out his hand. As our hands met, he grinned and tried to squeeze my hand as hard as he could. I couldn’t hold back my smile. I squeezed until he called mercy.

  “Damn, you’ve gotten stronger!” Gronk bellowed. He sounded happy though.

 

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