The Oracle of Tartarus [malexmale]

Chapter Nine

Chapter Nine

Noe had returned to his room later that night to sleep. I couldn't sleep, nor did I try. I dressed and instantly went to my office, frowning as I entered to see that everything had been torn apart. I had forgotten my temper tantrum. I sighed, frustrated before I gathered everything up and began to return it to their rightful places.

In the mean time, I went through a list of people that Noe had come in contact with since the night he went drinking. Abel already doublechecked the bartender, the vendor, the imp. Who else could they have run into? He ran into Diodorus on his way out, but it couldn't possibly be him. I'd known him since he was a child and he'd never done anything to peak my suspicions. Then again, maybe that was what this little birdy was meant to do. Get in right under my nose in a manner that I wouldn't even notice.

Aside from Diodorus, I delved further into Noe's interactions. The female water daemon servant that had brought him his water. He'd woken up screaming that very night, but the servant had appeared very shaken, frightened. Could someone really fake that?

I brushed a hand through my hair, looking around in frustration as I tried to sort my thoughts. I went to my desk and sat down, opening my laptop and seeing a message from Malachi, informing us that the meeting had been cancelled. I cocked my head curiously at that. Why would he cancel it? He didn't even give a reason. I responded to the message with the question before I sat back, frowning thoughtfully up at the ceiling.

Who else had Noe come in contact with? Maybe he bumped into someone at the bar? But surely a simple nudge from a messenger wouldn't instantly give him the oracle virus. It had to be something well thought out, well planned. I gritted my teeth when my laptop blinked and I looked up to see that Malachi had replied, and very briefly.

Busy.

Busy? What could possibly be more important than figuring out how to keep the Titans at bay? Something was going on, but I didn't have time to worry about Malachi's personal issues. I stood up and shut my laptop, ready to fetch some prison logs when an ear splitting scream broke out. I cursed under my breath and quickly left my office, running down the hallway towards Noe's room. I threw the door open to see him kneeling beside his bed, crying into the sheets as his back split and crack open. I winced and came in, shutting the door quickly.

"Noe--"

"It hurts," Noe shouted between gasps, burying his face against the sheets, twisting his fists in them, "I feel like I'm being ripped open!" I went to the bathroom and soaked a towel in cold water before I returned to his side. I wanted to place the towel on his back, but his wings would just rip right through it. And from the looks of something that seemed to be trying to come out of his back, they would be coming soon.  A bloody gash tore down his back and he arched, gritting his teeth and stifling a scream of pain. I pressed the towel to his face as he panted for breath, sweat making his hair stick to his face. He trembled, glancing at me out the corner of his eye.

"Z-Zelios, I don't want to do this anymore." He choked, breathing heavily and resting the side of his face against the bed to look at me. I frowned, still dabbing the cool towel to his face.

"You're going to be okay, Noe, just hold out a little bit longer. Apollo will--"

"No," Noe cried forcefully, making me stare at him in surprise as he reached up and caught my wrist, pushing my hand away, "I don't want Apollo do to anything, not if it means that he's using you!" I winced inwardly. So he did manage to catch that part. I clenched my fists and wrenched my wrist away from Noe, returning to the process of wiping the sweat off his face as he choked out another agonized scream. The sound of tearing flesh sent a chill down my spine as I watched one of his wings rip out his back, splattering blood across the floor and walls. I looked at Noe, who was breathing hard.