Strange Love

Jos fidgeted nervously with her hands not taking her eyes off them as she waited for the audio to be connected and the meeting to begin. This was the part that she dreaded most of all. It was one thing to be guilty, to be told you'd be punished for nearly four hundred years... but there was a huge difference between being locked up and confined in a cage, being shunned and kept away from other people, and being able to spend her time with people she cared about. As long as she could stay with Shelly and Arei there rest of the punishments meant little to her.

"This is ridiculous! The only sure way to keep a monster like that from doing harm is to put it down!" Marcus was yelling out to the other council members as the audio came through causing Arei's eyes to bug as he quickly shot his gaze to Jos.

Prometheus cleared his throat when the vampire only continued his rant. "That is quite enough councilman. Punishments have been handed down already, we're simply here to determine the parameter that those punishments shall be administered under."

Marcus's hate-filled gaze burned into the camera. "Why do you all insist on protecting this beast so much?! She has devastated thousands of families over the years. What justice is there for those of us who have suffered because of her? Are we to just sit idly by as the gods and council continue to make accommodations for her?" He threw his hand out toward Jos as Arei pulled her trembling body against his. "If being sent to a tropical island with your lover is a punishment then please sign me up! Who ALL must I kill to end up with such a lavish vacation- oh I mean punishment."

Poseidon slammed his hand down on the desk. "You were told enough! This is exactly the reason I insisted that the sentencing be separate and also urged for the location of her confinement to be kept private. I see only one of those demands were met." He glared at each of the council members including the two vailed individuals in the back of the room before moving his attention to Prometheus. "Since my last demand wasn't met adequately, I now request that Vampire Marcus be removed from the room. His presence is no longer necessary, anyway."

Prometheus nodded turning his attention back to the monitor. "Councilman Marcus, upon your next outburst you will be escorted from the room."

"And what, threw in the cells so that I can be disposed of as they did Bionca?!" He shouted pointing toward Jos and Arei.

Prometheus arched a brow. "We have it on good authority that Ms. Bionca was killed by another vampire, of her own clan. Instead of making outlandish claims here today, maybe you should concentrate on taking care of matters within your own respective division." When Marcus said no more, only continuing to glare into the cameras, Prometheus asked. "Before we start this next step, may I remind the presiding members present, Joslyn Decker was found guilty of all the human murders and the vampire murders she was accused of. However, they were all within the parameters of justified deaths that our own kill squad could have likely been called out on, had the crimes been properly addressed. Joslyn's crimes were not in killing innocent men, but in not going through the proper channels in these situations."

"This is true, but she has been offered positions here within our organization on numerous occasions including contracts with individual gods that she has turned down." Selena chimed in.

Poseidon narrowed his eyes. "What other gods has she been offered contracts with outside myself? Please inform us, dear?" He sent Jos and Arei a knowing glance before turning his attention back to the monitors. "For the record, Joslyn Decker has accepted my offers both times I've made them. She is now contracted with me under the claim of the sea and my kingdom... as she would have been had her mind not been tampered with in the past." He held Selena's nervous stare. "Please, dear, tell us all who else's claim she has turned down? Was it yours? It had to be someone powerful indeed to erase only select memories as they had."

Selena quickly came to her own defense. "I would never! I have no reason! I have only ever helped her in the past and present! I was the one who came up with the sedation method for controlling her curse from the beginning!"

Poseidon narrowed his eyes, knowing well it was his own brother Zeus that she was referring to but wanted her to admit it to everyone, to out herself as his brother's lover in front of everyone. But before he could bully the confession out of the goddess, one of the hooded figures stood up from the back row. Poseidon struggled to mask his own surprise when one of the Moirai uncovered her head and stepped forward. "Clotho, forgive me for saying, but it's rather surprising seeing you here. What brings the fate of the present to such an event?"

Clotho's clouded unseeing eyes moved toward Jos as if looking straight into her very soul. Lifting her weathered and worked fingers toward Jos she said. "All can be forgiven and forgotten if you retract your claim to the sea god and choose another. Zeus offers more for his great granddaughter than what the sea god can provide. Your name will become that of legend striking fear in to hearts and respect of the peoples both human and otherworldly as well wherever you venture."

Jos's eyes widened as she tightened her grip on Arei, finding comfort in the fact that his grip was tightening on her as well. Her troubled eyes moved across the screen searching the expressions of the other councilmembers before moving over to Poseidon and Prometheus. She shook her head. "I do not wish to change my claim regardless of my choices effects on this sentencing. I would like to go forward with what we've discussed."

Prometheus nodded as Poseidon sent her a triumphant smile and a wink. "Very well." Prometheus moved his attention back to the monitors. "If there are no other matters? You there in the back, have you anything to add?"

A smile spread across the heavily shadowed lips of the other person at the back of the room. Lifting her head and removing the vail, she looked around to the council members seated in front of her. "I am simply here to see that this portion of Joslyn Decker's punishments go as justly as her trials... as my mother wished." Eunomia replied sending the other woman a weighted glare. "I am here only to monitor whether things are carried out fairly and not led astray too far by other involvements." She gave Clotho a slight bow before stepping back and taking her seat once again.

Prometheus nodded, a disgruntled glint to his eyes. "Very well, if we could be done with the theatrics and continue." He lifted a folder. "As the representative for demi-god charges that are not harsh enough to require the gods themselves to judge, I propose this: She be released into the care of Areion as of Poseidon's orders. She shall be confined to properties owned or in affiliation to the sea god Poseidon and allowed to do any work or training the god finds necessary for his better use of her and the claim on her in the future. She will be required to do monthly video monitoring with me as her representative and-"

"This is way too lax!" Marcus yelled out. Throwing his hand out toward her, he argued. "She is a murderer; she should be at the very least confined and under constant supervision! If not kept sedated the entirety of her sentence!"

Selena chimed in. "I agree that these punishments are a bit too lax, but I believe only a few added factors could remedy that without overstepping what would be considered fair." She shot a nervous glance back to Themis's daughter. "I propose added measures. She should be supervised at all times; if Poseidon has chosen his son Areion to do so then so be it. Restraint is also an important factor though. She should not be away from her designated living quarters between the hours of 8 pm and 6am without prior approval by the council. She should also be sedated upon the first signs of a cursed shift as has been implemented in the past effectively. To ensure that she does not go against these, she shall be ordered to wear a tracking device at all times as well. And lastly, a weekly check-in instead of monthly until a time when she can be better trusted." Selena bent and lifted a box from the ground. "We actually already have a bracelet that could work for this very situation. It was designed for tracking creatures and individuals who have been released from imprisonment, but I don't see why it couldn't be used for her situation as well." Selena opened the box and held up the bracelet. It not only tracks location and can be monitored right here in the Embassy, but it also tracks the wearer's vitals. Spikes in these readings such as accelerated heart rate or blood pressure can be indicative of an individuals' pre-shift. It would begin to beep before a shift and could help indicate when a sedative is needed."

Arei spoke up for the first time. "Don't you think that is going a bit too far? Part of our hopes are to train her to better control her shifts. How will that work if she's wearing a bracelet that will beep during the entire training exercises?"

Selena frowned, "We can also provide you override passcodes through a downloadable app that will be linked with the bracelet."

Arei arched a brow toward his father. When Poseidon only nodded, he frowned and sighed. "Very well. She also wishes to work off some of her time with the council. We understand that it cannot be done within her current circ.u.mstances, but if agreeable, we were hoping that the council would agree and review job possibilities and offer additional training plans."

Selena nodded as a deeper frown spread across her face. "That will have to be reviewed through the hiring team. Though I don't see it being a problem, we will have to get back to you." Glancing down at her watch, she moved her attention back to Prometheus and Poseidon. "If there is nothing else and these terms are agreeable, I must urge that this meeting be called to end. It is almost my time to shine..." Her gaze moved toward the windows. "I'd appreciate if I wasn't leaving one job to go directly to another."

Prometheus hit the mute button on the conference. "Are you all in agreement?" He asked the party sitting around him, moving his focus from one face to the other as they nodded in agreement. "Very well, Jos, I have tried to word things as to give you as much freedom as possible and to give Poseidon as much control over those things you will be restricted on as much as my powers will allow. If you can come up with ideas for employment through the council while practicing toward another goal, I will talk with the hiring team." He gave her a sad smile. "Don't fear, dear. Many of us working for the Embassy are there out of obligation or as a form of punishment... or an attempt to avoid it... You'll not be alone in this. Just keep in mind, even kind acts that hurt no one are often punished by the gods if it's their will." He nodded toward Poseidon. "No offense."

Poseidon shrugged. "None taken. No one deserves to give that speech more than you. As for crimes versus punishments, I'm afraid you got the shit end of that nearly every time... I can only think of a handful less deserving who got worse.

Prometheus gave Poseidon an appreciative smile before turning his attention back to the monitors and unmuting the screen. "We are in agreement here."

Eunomia stood once again. Giving the group a slight nod, she said. "Mother will be proud to hear her wishes were carried over." Her eyes met Marcus's. "Though with some resistance in the beginning. Perhaps if you'd like to seek justice, you should seek out the one truly responsible for the loss of your family."

Tears began streaming down the vampire's face. Marcus quickly pushed up from his seat and turned away from the camera. "If we're done here, I'll be taking my leave now." He quickly left the room leaving everyone else to stare sadly after him.

Prometheus nodded to the group on the monitors before turning it off. He turned his attention back to the group. "Selena will be here in a few minutes to deliver the bracelet. I will be back in a few days with the papers that will need signed and any other things that will need addressed, if the two of you wouldn't mind remaining here until the paperwork can be prepared."

Arei sent his father a questioning look. Poseidon pushed himself up from his chair and clamped Prometheus on the shoulder. "I'll not be here, but anything that needs my signature, have it sent to me by my son, Triton, and I'll have him deliver it back to you in a timely fashion." Releasing the titan, he moved his attention back to Jos and Arei. "Stay here as long as you need, make yourselves at home." He walked over and pulled Jos up into a standing position and gave her a hug. "You are home now. You are family. And I'll not let anyone take that from you a second time." He whispered into her ear. Lifting away he gave her a light kiss on her forehead before turning his attention down to his son. "If you need me, you know how to get ahold of me. For the most part, I'll have my phone but may not be able to pop in as quickly. If you get into a situation requiring urgent attention, contact your fae friends first." He turned and nodded back to Prometheus. "I hate to run, but it's about time I address some other matters that I've had to put off of late." He threw up his hand in a wave to everyone as he made his way from the office.

The door was just closing when Selena popped in, a stack of papers and a box in her hands. "I don't have much time this evening, but I'll ask that you review these doc.u.ments carefully. They are just the general doc.u.ments for being released on house arrest. The forms for your specific punishments will take a few days to complete. If you'll hold out your wrist." She said to Jos as she lifted the bracelet from the box. Quickly placing it on Jos's wrist and adjusting it, she held her hand over the fastenings and whispered a locking spell. "You will not be able to remove it now. The instructions for the app along with the watch setup are all in the doc.u.ments." She turned her attention to Prometheus for the first time since entering the room. "Are you ready? I'll drop you back by the Embassy before I leave for the night."

With a nod and a flick of the goddess's wrist, Arei and Jos found themselves alone in the large office once again.