Vampire Nation 3: Titan Rules, page 17
Cronus sat. He didn’t speak for some time. Arria nervously grabbed and held my hand. I wished I could do more to comfort her.
“Ares told me of your trip through the fights. You had the opportunity to add indestructibility to your arsenal. He says you aren’t power hungry. How do I know you hadn’t already figured out who he was? If you knew Noah was Ares, you would have been aware that it would mean your death. How can I trust that you weren’t just saving your own skin hoping to build your strength later?”
“Over the course of my first three fights, I fell in love with Arria. My main thoughts were of surviving the unravelling and of her. I saw what kind of monster Achilles would become. I’d given Arria the name of another vampire who could kill Achilles in case my gifts failed. I did not know Noah’s real identity yet. It wouldn’t have made a difference in my actions. All I wanted was Arria. I never cared for being the strongest or fastest. I didn’t then, and I don’t now.” I didn’t have to worry about trying to lie. This was the truth.
“You are telling the truth.” Cronus’s face fell then. It had me worried until he spoke again. “I am a fool. I believed the wrong one. Ares was right. I wish I would have listened.”
“I have to know, Cronus. How involved was Lorac?” Arria asked. She wasn’t afraid now. She was still sad though.
“Very.” Cronus took a deep breath and sighed. “He is the one who talked me into all of this. He swore young Titan was becoming a monster and no one could see it but him. Do either of you know what would make him do this?”
“He feels I am coming between him and Arria for one reason. Another reason is a young vampire named Ghost. He is quite possibly the smartest being on Earth. Lorac was jealous of the friendship I share with Ghost.”
“Was it this Ghost that figured out it was me behind the killing?” Cronus wasn’t looking at me to judge me anymore. He was simply curious.
Arria answered before I could. “He was the primary one to see it. He didn’t share what he knew. He was worried about trying to save Titan and keep everyone else safe at the same time.”
It was better that she said it.
“He was right. Plans were made to attack whichever event you joined Arria. All but your people would have been killed. Titan would be blamed. Lorac was going to see to it.” Cronus almost seemed to age in front of my eyes. I knew the impossibility of that. He was a nine thousand year old vampire. If he hadn’t aged yet, he wasn’t going to.
“The question is what do we do now?” Arria asked. “I would think a council meeting is in order. Lorac and Ephraim will need to be punished.”
“You knew about Ephraim too?” Cronus smiled in his shock. He shook his head before looking at Arria with a more serious look. “Call the council. Don’t tell them what the meeting is for. You can tell them it is a regrouping or something. I don’t want Lorac to get wind of anything. Ephraim shouldn’t be executed if it can be avoided. He was only used for information.”
“I have the fights here tomorrow night. I will have the council meet at my facility the next night.” Arria stated firmly. “One of you should call Ares. He will want to be there.”
“I will. I need to apologize to him.” Cronus admitted. Cronus stood up then and I stood with him. He held out his hand for me to shake. I did so warmly. “I hope this doesn’t mar your impression of me, Titan.”
“I’ve heard too many good things to think badly of you, Cronus. I am glad you are letting me live to prove I am worthy.” I wasn’t sure why I added that last comment but he seemed to like it.
Cronus nodded with a smile on his face before turning to Arria.
“Arria, it really is good to see you again. I feel better now that you are the council leader.” He said as he held out his hand for her.
“I was glad to hear you were still alive. You could have let me know.” Arria teased with a smile on her face.
Cronus laughed lightly as he walked out the door.
Chapter 21
“…he left.” I gave Ghost a full rundown of our talk with Cronus.
“Wow. This is good. Now, what do we tell Lorac? He will be asking me what this is about.” Ghost sounded both relieved and worried. It was a strange mix.
“Cronus was suggesting a regrouping but I am not sure what would be the best reason. I wouldn’t want Lorac to panic and do something drastic. How much does he know of Ares involvement?”
“Not much. He didn’t know Ares was there at Arria’s. Honestly, I think only me, you, and Sweetie knew he was there.”
“Arria knew. I had to explain something. She knew not to tell anyone. I was thinking we could say Ares wanted to meet with the council.” I wasn’t sure of my suggestion but it sounded like it would work.
“Unless I tell you different, that is what I will use. What will Arria tell him though? That’s what we need to know.”
“Hold on.” I sprinted into the other room.
Arria was on the phone. I heard Dmitriy’s voice. He was agreeing with something.
“I will see you then, Dmitriy.” Arria said before hanging up. Arria looked at me questioningly.
“Ghost and I were wondering what you would tell Lorac for a reason behind the council meeting.” I held the phone up so Ghost would hear clearly.
“I’m willing to hear suggestions. I was saving him for last. I didn’t give much for a reason to Dmitriy or Sabina. They’re the only two I’ve called so far.”
“I suggested using Ares to Ghost. Maybe he wants to become more involved and wants the meeting to happen. Something along those lines. Remember, only a small few knew he was at your facility before we came here.”
Arria thought for a second and nodded like it would be good enough.
“I could play up the hoping Ares would help angle. Lorac would believe it.” Arria was liking that idea more and more the longer she thought about it.
“Perfect.” Ghost chimed in.
“Call if you need us, Ghost. We will be busy but we need to stay in contact.” I told him.
“Will do.” Ghost disconnected.
“That is a relief of sorts. I think I will call Lorac now. I want you available if he needs clarification. I would be worried about what to say. Lorac knows me too well.” Arria seemed worried.
“You got it.”
We headed back to the ‘living room’ part of the suite. Arria sat in her chair as she dialed Lorac’s number.
“Hey, Arria. Any news?”
“I am calling a council meeting. I have the fights here tomorrow night. The following night I want everyone back at my facility.”
“Why? We were just there.” Lorac sounded frustrated.
Arria looked at me as she was about to speak. I held up my hand. I would answer.
“Ares is asking for it. I think he has decided he will help but he wants to hear what the council has learned.” I told him.
“That would be wonderful!” Lorac tried to sound cheered but it didn’t come across that way. Luckily, it sounded more along the lines of frustration instead of fear. He wasn’t worried. That was a good thing. “Have you told Ghost yet?”
“Yes. I called him while Arria called Dmitriy and Sabina.”
“What does he say about it?” Lorac asked.
“He is for it, of course. He didn’t say much but I think he is needing a break. When we were at Arria’s, he was looking rough. I think the stress was getting to him.” I tried to sound amused.
Lorac chuckled. I envisioned him believing he had Ghost stumped. This was a good thing. If Lorac felt overly confident, he wouldn’t see what was coming.
“I still need to call the others. I will see you there, Lorac.” Arria said, calmly.
“Sounds good.” Lorac stated before hanging up the phone.
“I am glad that’s over with.” Arria sighed.
“Soon, this whole ordeal will be over.” I thought about it for a second. “While you call the other council members, I will let Reptile and the pilots know the change in plans. Do you want to leave after the fights since it is a long flight?”
“Yes. That would be better. Thanks, Titan.” Arria gave me a smile.
I called the pilots as I walked to Reptile’s room. They didn’t mind the change. This was enough of a heads up. It wasn’t like before coming here when we only gave a few hours’ notice.
I knocked on Reptile’s door. He was surprised to see me.
“Titan, can I help you?”
“I wanted to let you know the plans. We will be flying out after the fights tomorrow. We won’t wait until the following night. There is going to be a council meeting.”
“Is it something bad? It is unusual to fly out immediately.” Reptile asked cautiously.
I paid attention to the red flag popping up in my stomach.
“Ares might be getting involved. It will help, maybe. He wanted to meet with the council to see what we knew. He sounded like he wants to help.” I lied.
“That would be great!” Reptile declared with enthusiasm. It didn’t sound fake but Reptile was skillful at lying.
“I need to tell Apollo and the gang. Thanks, Reptile.”
“Yes, Titan.”
I walked away as naturally as I could.
That hurt. I considered Reptile a friend. He’d seemed so genuine in his efforts to change. Now, he was back to being for hire. Maybe. I needed to learn the details before I began questioning too deeply.
Apollo’s door was open. The gang was holding session.
“Titan!” Sweetie exclaimed with a smile. I couldn’t help but smile back.
“How’s it going? We haven’t seen you in a few days.” Apollo scolded lightly.
“It’s been really busy. It is staying that way. We will be flying out immediately after the fights tomorrow.”
“Whoa, really?” Speedy asked. “Why?”
“Arria is calling another council meeting.” I wasn’t sure what to tell them.
“Anything we can talk about?” Loki asked. He understood.
“Not entirely. It may end up as good news though.” I told him.
“We can hope. Are you staying?” Sweetie asked.
“I can for a little while.” There was nothing I wanted more. These friends wouldn’t betray me if their lives depended on it. “So, what were you discussing?”
“Whether invisibility or mind reading was the better gift.” Jade smiled. “You should be able to help since you can do both!”
The next hour went by blissfully. I loved these friends.
Chapter 22
For some reason I enjoyed the fights. My time as Darius had been the only time that occurred until this event. Phoenix may have had something to do with it. I was signaling her before each fight. She won huge.
Arria didn’t mind. She won a bunch herself. She’d told me I could make my own bets if I chose to do so. Since I now possessed bank accounts worth over twenty million, I could definitely afford it. I never did. I couldn’t explain why. I knew I had money if I needed it. I wasn’t greedy enough to bet just for the added money.
Arria explained to the old ones about our early departure. We were going to say our goodbyes without going to the after party. They understood. Council business came first.
I spent the pre-fight meeting with them. I made sure to thank each one and let them know how much I valued their friendship. It was a nice feeling for me.
Now, as Arria and I walked hand in hand to the plane, my smile didn’t want to leave my face.
“I asked Cronus if he wanted to ride with us. He said he’d made arrangements already.” Arria told me as we walked.
“That’s too bad in a way. I would like to get to know him better. On the other hand, I don’t want to give him a reason to change his mind.” A nervous laugh escaped with those words.
“He is good. You are good. I don’t see why the two of you wouldn’t get along.” Arria was in a good mood.
I hated to tell her but I knew I should. We would be sitting next to Reptile for this flight. She needed to know.
“I have some bad news.”
“No! This needs to be a cheerful time!” Arria declared in a mock threat. She balled her fist and waived it at me.
I smiled but knew she needed to be told.
“We can’t trust Reptile.”
“What do you know?”
“It is hard to describe. Do you remember how things went with Blur last year?” I asked her hoping she did.
“Sort of, but I was never clear on what actually happened.”
“I lost trust in him but couldn’t explain why. Ares told me it was the mind reading gift. It has more parts to it that most will never know about. Ares and I may be the only ones it applies to anyway. Lorac might but I’ve never heard him say anything about it. Anyway, I get a bad feeling in my stomach. Ares told me it was a warning. I felt it when Lorac came to the suite that last time before we came here. It was after I drank from you. Maybe I wasn’t strong enough to read Lorac before then.”
“And now you get that feeling with Reptile?”
“Last night was the first time. I went to tell him of our early departure. I didn’t let anything show. I didn’t tell you because I wanted to verify it. I felt it again twice today when I was near him. One thing to remember is that it doesn’t automatically mean he is working against us. Ares also said it might mean I should watch what I said around the one I was being warned about.”
“I say we question him on the plane. We can find out what he knows and who he is working for.” Arria was pissed. I couldn’t blame her.
“Sounds good to me. It was going to be a long boring flight otherwise.”
We made our way to the plane. We silently agreed to wait until the plane was airborne before we began questioning Reptile. Once we’d been in the air a few minutes, Arria gave me the signal with a nod in his direction.
“Reptile, can you come over here and sit with us?” I asked nicely.
“Yes, Titan.” He dutifully rose and took the seat across from me.
“We are just curious why you are working for someone else. Do you mind explaining?” Arria asked nicely too.
Reptile’s eyes went wide. He darted a look one way before closing his eyes in defeat. What could he do? Arria was four thousand years old. While he didn’t know the new extent of my abilities, he knew he could never stand against me.
“You must understand how bad this could go for you. We can do this easily if you wish.” I told him.
“I will die either way.” Reptile hung his head. “I know the penalty for my crimes.”
“Reptile, look at me.” I told him. He reluctantly lifted his head to look me in the eye.
Sleep
Reptile slumped over in his seat. With a sigh, I went into his mind.
I found his bank account totals. Wow, Reptile was well on his way! I passed over those to find out who he was working for. One after another, his memories made my smile wider. It wasn’t a happy smile.
“What?” Arria was being impatient.
“It seems Reptile was approached by Sela.” I saw Arria’s anger but held up my hand to stop her. “Then, Nina. Then Dmitriy. Ephraim, or rather someone who worked for Ephraim. Then Lorac. Saul, Petra, and Caleb.”
Arria was lost between rage and disbelief. I wasn’t sure if she was going to scream or laugh. I was leaning toward laughing for my own reaction. I thought it was funny.
“Reptile is worth over thirty million dollars. Most all of that was from his previous underhanded dealings. As for the more current, he was accepting money from all of them. The good news is, he was determined to withhold any information he deemed bad for us. He wasn’t going to betray us to the point we would be harmed.”
“Wait, he is still loyal?” Arria was confused now.
“Sort of loyal is the best way to describe it. So far he was only confirming knowledge he knew we wouldn’t mind the others knowing.” I was having trouble suppressing my laughter now. “He planned to make stuff up if they threatened to stop paying him. He was going to have fun with it. At least that was his plan.”
“So why didn’t he just tell us this? He looked like he was prepared to die.”
“He didn’t think we’d believe him.” I was laughing now. Reptile’s mind was a fun place to be. Ghost would get a kick out of this.
“So what he said about you impressing him was real. I kept wondering. How could he go from completely untrustworthy to loyal the way he did? Can you see what convinced him?”
I tried to straighten up but only laughed harder for a minute. I was seeing Reptile’s nicknames for everyone. Apollo was Mary Poppins. Ares was Holy Shit. Sweetie was Aww Puppy. Finally, I started to control my laughter. I looked for what Arria wanted.
“Wow. It was all of it. The way I would bring the fighters up to this part of the plane was the start. He was there when I taught then to put up walls in their minds. He saw the way I let them name themselves. He saw how much I cared. Another thing. He had never been treated with respect like that before.” I wasn’t laughing anymore. I could see how positive my time as Darius had been for him. “He really wouldn’t betray me in any important way. I can see that. He considers you to be the same since betraying you would hurt me.”
“That makes me feel much better. I was already going through names for a replacement. I guess it might be a good thing. We could plant stuff through him. If he is like you say, we can have some fun as well.” Arria was smiling now.
“It might not last long though. You know they will catch on eventually.” I chuckled. “I wouldn’t want to put him in danger if they found out. I guess we could do the false knowledge thing when we needed to though.”
