Son of Hades

05: Rock Paper Scissors

05:
Rock Paper Scissors

***************

Servants escort us back to our room after our first elimination round. Xavier walks back with me. I stare wordlessly at the marks on my wrist. Xavier is oddly silent. So, I speak first. "What's wrong?"

Xavier's face is pale. "There hasn't been an opportunity like that in almost a millennia. Castiel is close to making his choice."

"Something else is wrong . . . "

"How can you tell?" Xavier asks.

"You've had that look for the past couple days. You can't lie to me, Xavier."

His face pales as we walk up the finality of steps. "Nothing is wrong, Ariel. It's just... It's hard falling for someone you know you can't be with. It's hard knowing you're only here for a single purpose, and you won't be staying once that spoiled brat makes a choice."

"Xavier, you can't talk like that." I begged. "I don't want you getting in any trouble."

Xavier shakes his head. "And who cares if I do? Listen to me, Ariel. You don't know what it's like for me. I have to watch you and the others wait to be fuckin' chosen. If you aren't, you wait around a couple hundred years and wait to be punished until you fade, and you're gone. All of you. Just like Seraphina."

We walk farther down the corridor that would lead to my bedroom. "Don't you think our secret is driving me insane? That I hate watching you serve them, constantly having to keep your mouth shut?"

Xavier turns his head away. We're the only ones in the corridor. Still, it's not safe here. It's not safe to talk here. "It's the job I was assigned to, Ariel. You think I like waiting on people, being told what to do? Being Hades bitch?"

I fell silent. "I'm sorry."

Xavier sighs. "Don't be."

He continues. "I have something to show you, Ariel... On weekdays, I'm relived of my duties at midnight. If you're up, I'll come by you're room and get you around twelve fifteen."

I nod, continuing down the corridor. Xavier follows. "I'll wait for you."

He leaned down, whispered the passcode to my door and smiles when the serpent hisses, and unlocks.

I lean back against it, and close the door. "The Prince kissed the Princess at midnight."

Xavier leans down, his lips barely brush against the nape of my neck and I brace myself in anticipation. He's smiling when he leans away. His cheeks are red. "Until then, Miss Caverly . . . "

"Aperi."

The serpent hisses, and unlocks again.

I start to push the door open, and freeze. Xavier has already started his venture back to his duties. But there's someone here; someone inside my room.

Jasmine waits with Karina and Angelique. I'm frozen where I stand. I thought they'd been taken to their rooms. Jasmine set me up for this. Now, another contestant knows.

"What's going on here?"

Normally, I would have been frightened by this situation. But I remembered one of the rules. We couldn't hurt or kill each other. So what were they all doing here?

"Well, well, well, look at our little rule-breaker." Jasmine crinkled her nose in disgust.

Angelique narrows her eyes at me. "I thought I told you to stay away from Xavier."