Son of Hades

11: Kill Me Softly

11:

The shot echoes in the woods, and pulses hot beneath my skin like a harsh bite. Blood oozes from my shoulder wound. I grit my teeth, eyes blurring harshly. Xavier's voice was whispering in my ear, frantic. His body felt cold against mine, and his arms are shut down. The world shook, and I gasp for breath.

"Oh my Gods... Ariel, Xavier!"

Harley's voice hardly registers. "Lock that gun away! Get the first aid kit." The orders were fast, and precise. Harley knelt down in front of us. "Oh, god. You're shaking. You're so cold. Xavier, get her inside." She bit her lip.

Xavier didn't need to be told twice. He wraps his arms around me, and I hold onto him as he lifts me up. Blood is running from the wound, moving steadily down my arm and I can feel it as it dribbles slowly. I resent Xavier's touch, but in a way - I crave it almost as much as Castiel's.

Harley's husband took their daughter up for a nap. Instead, we move through the living-room and cleared everything off the kitchen table. Set me down.

Xavier holds my hand, and sits beside me. "That was the bravest thing I've ever seen anyone do. No one would ever done that for me." He shakes his head. "You're crazy, Ariel."

I glared up at him with such fury that he moved away a little. "You could thank me for saving your life."

"Thank you." He mutters.

Harley returns and so does her wary father. Harley's father, who introduced himself as Richard, cleans and sanitizes the wound, muttering about how sorry he was. "Things have been crazy here ever since my daughter came back. Things have been... Weird." He produces a silver tool. "This'll sting a little."

I grit my teeth, and grind them against a scream. My vision blurs, and I felt a harsh pop. More blood oozes from the wound... So sweet and sharp and red that I can almost taste it.

Richard manages to stop the bleeding, wrapping my shoulder in gauze. Still, the bandage bled through. Richard went to fetch painkillers from his medicine cabinet, temporarily leaving the three of us alone in awkward silence.

"Are you finished with that competition?" Harley asks me. "I know those are servants clothes." She bit her lip.

I try to sit up, but Xavier pushes me back down. I glare at him as I answer her. "No, this competition isn't over, yet." And although I expected some answers, I launched into a detailed explanation and explained everything that happened once Harley ditched the Underworld.

She stared. She looked between Xavier and I, sighing. Her eyes were wide. "You're joking, right? Jasmine and those goons?"

"And don't forget this goon." I pointed.

Harley narrows her eyes at Xavier. She shakes her head, rubbing her temples. "I think I need some tea." Silently, she sets a kettle on the stove. There's something on her mind, and it's bothering her. "I left once I knew about my family. I know it's selfish. But I wanted those memories back more than anything... I admired Castiel, even liked him a little. But I knew that my place wasn't with him. It's here. With my daughter. I used Castiel, and I shouldn't have. I used you too, Ariel. I took advantage of the situation, and struck up my own deal with Hades." She looked up at Xavier, now. "It came with consequences."

I shut my eyes. "You never even loved him?"

"Come on, Ariel. Don't give me that look." Harley frowns. "Makes me feel even more awful." She turned towards the one window in the kitchen, her hands resting on the countertop. "You've got your memories back. You must know how it feels." I didn't speak. "I was missing for four months. You've been missing for six."