Strange Love

The loud blaring sirens of several ambulances and first responders that filled the circular drive looping around the front entrance of the enchanted massive pillars reverberated harshly in Russ's throbbing ears as he watched Joslyn be carried away. Ry's words from beside him were lost in the echoing of sound slamming into his eardrums. It wasn't until a massive hand waved in front of his face that he turned his blank stare toward the man standing beside him.

"Come on we need to get back inside. I've done all I can here." Ry said nodding toward the crowd now gathering before Selena and another radiant woman that emanated power. "Selena and Cerci will handle the rest." He said moving his focus back to the shattered front entrance. He paused beside Prometheus, "Could you please have the doc.u.ments prepared and brought to our room as soon as possible? We're leaving in a few hours."

Prometheus gave a faint nod. "I will meet you in your room within the hour... that is if it is still in tacked by then." He arched a brow. "I don't believe this building has taken quite this much damage in a millennia."

Ry bowed slightly, "And for that my brother and I are sincerely sorry." He smacked Russ on the back of the head. "As is this idiot." Russ only grunted, his focus still trained on the hallway Arei and Jos had disappeared down.

Prometheus smiled as he patted Russ's shoulder. "Buck up, son. Your paths will meet again in a rather unusual way." He tapped Russ's chest with his index finger. "The heart sees 20/20." He winked.

Ry rolled his eyes. "Always with the riddles." He pushed Russ forward. "Come on before you piss off anyone else tonight... anyone more powerful and you'll have this entire continent flattened."

Russ drug his feet down the long corridor, each one feeling every bit of a ton. A sharp pain ran through his chest as Raven and Isha came into view. They were at the open door of their room arguing with the guards, but the unyielding bodies continued to block them in. Raven's angry, desperate eyes shot from the guards to him, meeting his gaze. Anger shifted rapidly to question and accusation. Harsh lines formed around her lips as she held her words back. Russ's heart dropped. All he wanted to do was run into her arms and have her tell him it would all be alright, that Jos would be alright. He dropped his gaze to the marbled tiles of the floor, unable to meet her accusing gaze any longer. Tears splashed off the tile as he walked.

"Russ! Russ! What happened? Is everything alright?" Raven yelled. "These pompous asshats won't tell us anything or let us out of the damn room!" She yelled louder as she shoved against the guards.

Russ squeezed his eyes tightly shut and gritted his teeth as he forced himself to ignore her words and continue forward.

Ry shook his head as he pushed Russ into the room three doors down. He turned toward Raven. "Go back inside and I'll call you in a few minutes." When the Fairies both nodded and stopped fighting against their guards, he pulled the door closed and turned his attention to Russ. "You've really f.u.c.k.i.e.d it now..."

Russ turned angry, tear-filled eyes on Ry. "I f.u.c.k.i.e.d it? YOU f.u.c.k.i.e.d it! You were the asshole who told me to say it was over!"

Ry narrowed his eyes as he walked over to the phone. "No, you f.u.c.k.i.e.d it by outing your relationship in a f.u.c.k.i.n.g super beast battle of destruction! I simply told you to say the words the f.u.c.k.i.n.g council wanted to hear. How the f.u.c.k could I have known we would get a goddamn escort and detail service afterwards?!"

Russ didn't answer. He dropped his head and clamped his hands to the back of it as he let out and animalistic growl. "F.u.c.k!" He turned and headed toward the hall.

Ry looked up from the keypad of the phone as he punched in the last number. "Where are you going?"

"The f.u.c.k.i.n.g bathroom, where else?" Russ retorted in irritation.

"Leave the door open." He called out. "I can't have you pulling some f.u.c.k.i.n.g Romeo and Juliet bullshit."

Russ turned back toward Ry indignity, "Dude, I have to take a piss. I'm not going to kill myself. Even I am smart enough to know that would only make her feel that more guilty."

"Hum." Ry snorted. "Glade to hear you have some common sense rattling around up there in that empty skull of yours." He turned his attention to the phone. "Hey... yeah, she's going to be alright now. Arei and Shelly got to her in time and Arei was able to get her out of the Embassy fast enough to pull powers from Father... though I figure that much will warrant a visit from him at any minute now." A clap of thunder rumbled the door. Ry let out a long sigh. "Speak of the devil. He's probably out there arguing with the guards as we speak, which means he's not in his usual form. I'll call you guys back in a bit."

Russ glared hatefully at his reflection, fighting the urge to punch the mirror. He had destroyed over a month of planning, caused the destruction of a building controlled by the council, apparently devastated the one woman than he loved more than life itself to the point of doing the unthinkable, and almost hurt his sister and her unborn child all in the span of 4 hours... because of his own foolish desires and hot-headed jealousy. {Ry has every reason to worry... If anyone is deserving of death, it would be me after the shit I just pulled.} He gritted his teeth. {Why can I not get the wolf under control!}

Ry hung up the phone and called down the hall. "You still alive in there?"

Russ stepped out of the bathroom; his middle fingers raised. He walked into the kitchen and was going through the refrigerator as Ry made his way over to the door. "I thought I called up some beer earlier?"

"You did, I poured it down the drain." Ry called over his shoulder as he pulled the door open and was greeted by the two guards arguing with a man dressed as if he'd just stepped off a yacht. "Dad... What a surprise." He said flatly. Amus.e.m.e.nt twinkled in the other man's eyes as the guards jumped back in surprise.

Poseidon's appearances shifted before the guard's eyes. His grin widened as he untied the designer sweater from around his neck and handed it to one of the guards as if they were no more than valet. "See to this, will you?" He asked curtly, strolling past them. He turned his attention to Ry as he stepped out of the way, so the equally large man could walk into the room. "It never ceases to amaze me how easily you can identify me. Even your brother can not." He shrugged, "Though I have to say, if he could I'd probably never get to see or speak to him."

Ry frowned, "Can you blame him?"

Poseidon's smile fell. "Had he come to me, had either of you came to me first, none of this would have happened. Had he simply claimed the girl as I'd advised-"

"Advised?" Ry interrupted walking over and flopping down on the sofa.

Poseidon smirked as he followed his son over to the sitting area. "Well, I advised then ordered... same difference." He shrugged as he sat down in a wide, white leather armchair and stretched his arms over the back. "Had he claimed her then, they would still be married now and none of you would have served half a damn millennium with my bastard brother." He shook his head in irritation. "Losing both you boys AND the kraken... that was a harsh blow."

Ry's eyes shot to the kitchen, remembering Russ finally. "Shit..." He said, but found Russ standing there facing them, his mouth opened more so than the gaping fridge behind him.

Poseidon followed Ry's gaze over to the kitchen. "This must be the kid standing in the way of that goal now?"

Ry bobbled his head from side to side as he shrugged. "More or less... probably less now... maybe more... the f.u.c.k if I know..."

Poseidon narrowed his eyes on his son. "You must explain." He didn't take his eyes off Ry as he lifted a hand and motioned for Russ to join them.

Ry rubbed his temples as a migraine began to set in. "If ever there was a time I've regretted my sobriety, it's now."

Poseidon flicked his wrist producing a full bottle of whiskey and three short glasses. "Problem solved, now speak." He said as he poured the rich amber liquid into each of the glasses handing one to Russ then the other out to Ry.

Ry snarled his nose up at the glass. "I'm not drinking that."

Poseidon shrugged. "Suit yourself." He flicked his wrist again with the full glass in it. As his hand turned back up right the whiskey glass had shifted into a c.o.c.ktail glass with cloudy white liquid in it and a candied cherry floating inside. "Sherly temple then."

Ry narrowed his eyes at his father as he took the glass and took a cautious drink. He set forward spraying the liquid across the room. "That was straight vodka and lemonade! And not even good vodka OR lemonade!" He barked out in aggravation as he slammed the drink down on the table in front of him.

Poseidon sputtered out a laugh as he snapped his fingers and the drink changed again. This time a bottle of water sat on the table in the c.o.c.ktails place. "There, you p.u.s.s.y, better?" He teased.

Ry glared at his father as he screwed the cap off the water bottle. He took a large gulp emptying nearly half the bottle before he lowered it and spirted the contents of his loaded mouth into Russ's face. "THAT WAS STRAIGHT F.U.C.K.I.N.G VODKA!!!" He yelled snapping his head back around to his father in growing anger as the large man was now doubled over with tears streaming down his face in laughter.

Russ couldn't help but stare as he spun the glass in his hand. "You... you're the actual Poseidon? God of the Ocean or sea or whatever... the Greek mythology guy?"

Poseidon arched a brow at Ry as he pointed to Russ. "He's kidding right? You and your brother hit him a few too many times in the head?"

Ry laughed. "You could say that. Honestly, I'm kind of surprised Arei didn't straight murder him tonight."

Poseidon nodded. "Yes, I felt the power tonight. What happened."

Ry's smile faded as his face fell into a heavy, remorseful frown. "She tried to end her life tonight." He shook his head, "If something happens to her, he'll be lost to us as well." Ry said sadly.

Poseidon nodded, "Even more reason to finish what was started all that time ago before my dear brother interfered."

The shock of being in an actual Greek Gods presents was finally pushed to the side as the meaning of the conversation finally sank in. "Wait! you're talking about Jos!" His eyes shot back and forth between Ry and the God. "What about her? What do you want with her?!"

Poseidon sat forward holding Russ's gaze with cold, serious eyes. "I want the girl, the kraken if you must, and you are in my way."

***

Arei forced a smile as aqua eyes met his. He ran the sponge lightly across her bare arm washing away any remaining trace of blood. "Do you remember the first time you asked me to do this?" He whispered trying to hide the emotion still heavy in his voice.

She nodded as her blurry, unsteady gaze moved wearily along the path of the sponge.

Tears fell freely from his eyes as he let the sponge fall into the water. "You can't do that ever again, you hear me?" He said resting his forehand against the side of her head.

Shelly whined from the beside him. She nudged the fingers of Jos's dangling hand.

Jos didn't answer, instead, she just turned away from them as she sat in nothing more than a towel on the toilet.

Arei let out a pained sigh. "Come on, let's get you to bed." He lifted her into his arms and carried her into the room with the largest bed. Setting her in the center first, he bent and lifted Shelly in next. When Shelly moved to the foot of the bed and nodded toward her damp paw that she held up, Arei shook his head. "It's my fault your wet so it's my bed that's getting soggy." He nodded toward the head of the bed. "Get on up there."

She rolled her eyes to the side as she shrugged her furry shoulders. Shelly turned toward the head of the bed, her heart sinking when she saw Jos huddled up into a tight ball in the center of the bed. She nudged the blankets over Jos's icy body stopping at the towel. Shelly turned back to Arei and barked.

Arei shut the bedroom door and turned the lock for good measure before turning to see what Shelly was wanting. When she nodded toward the towel, he nodded. He bent and pulled out a cotton tee shirt and a pair of dry pajama bottoms from his luggage that sat open on the floor. He walked over to the bed setting the shirt down. "Give me a second?" He asked Shelly as he held up the bottoms. The corner of his lip turned upwards as the wolf's eyes widened and a faint blush spread across her cheeks as she turned away. "Sorry." He chuckled. "I sometimes forget you're still just a teenaged girl under all that fluff. He quickly tugged off the wet jeans and pulled on the dry sleepwear.

Once he was finished, he sat on the edge of the bed a stroked a hand over Jos's freezing cold arm. "I'm going to sit you up and put a dry shirt on you, alright." He gave the words a few seconds to register before he lifted her upper body from the mattress. He frowned when her sad, heavy eyes wouldn't meet his. He pulled the shirt over her head and helped her get her arms through the sleeves. Once she was fully covered, he carefully pulled the towel loose and tossed it to the floor. He settled her back onto her side on the mattress and crawled under the covers. He held the blankets up high so Shelly could crawl in on the other side of Jos. He waited patiently as the wolf nudged Jos's arm up and slid under it. He then lowered his arm and the blankets over Jos's arm, sliding his other arm under her pillow. He pressed his body against her icy back and rested his head close to hers, stroking his large warm hand over the length of her arm. "Come back to me, Kitten. I love you." He whispered against the back of her head. Shelly whined and he corrected. "WE love you. Come back to us." He pulled her tighter against him and held her tightly as Shelly nuzzled tighter against her front. "Come back to us." He whispered more quietly as the silence of the dark room ingulfed them.