Page 17 of Hell's Storm

I sit up, ignoring the shouting for a moment. Rolling out of bed, I climb to my feet and move to the bathroom. I can tell it’s Ledger and Ryker screaming at each other. After using it, I stand at the window, catching a glimpse of Khazon by the lake near Hades’s palace. Part of me wants to go out and talk to him, maybe see how he’s doing. But the other part of me hates him.

Without my say, the Flame surges with power and swirls. In a moment, I’m right in front of Khazon, standing in the lake. Khazon jolts, looking at me with wide eyes. Luckily, I was smart enough to wear Hazen’s shirt before using the bathroom.

“Hi… New power?” he asks.

I nod.

“Cool. Why did you come out here?”

I lift my arms to show off the flames swirling around me. “Apparently, it does what I want without my say.”

“And you were feeling like you… wanted to see me or get away from that screaming?”

“Both. What are they fighting about?”

“You,” he says, sitting in the grass next to Cerberus. I almost didn’t even notice him, even though it’s hard not to. They are a huge black dog, two times bigger than me, and have three heads.

Slowly, I move to sit with him, scared to anger thebeast… Khazon, not Cerberus. I throw myself onto the giant puppy and give them all the belly rubs they deserve.

“Remember when we used to come out here with Ozzy? Swim and enjoy the fields after?”

I look up at him. His eyes are glued to the massive lake in front of him. Hades’s palace has always been peaceful. Persephone is always decorating, and her plants liven up the area. Trees surround the lake with various different color floors. Next to the lake is the start of a few acres of woods before Persephone’s massive and beautiful garden. “Yeah…”

“We used to fight over you like that.”

“Who?”

He glances at me like I’m stupid. “Come on… You really didn’t know Ozzy and I both liked you.”

I swallow.I knew.But as a kid, the stress of being the heir outweighed everything. I loved being around them, enjoying the moments I felt like a kid, and I didn’t want to lose either of them.

“We loved you. Fought over which would be able to ask you out…”

I look down, petting Cerberus. “So?”

He looks at me. “Now you have four boyfriends, and none of them are us.”

“You had a girlfriend, Khazon,” I try to defend.

He scoffs. “We both know I would never love her like I loved you. She was a replacement. I feel like a dick now, but I should have never started dating her. She cheated on me like I was nothing. I want a chance with you.”

“Khazon.” I try to stop this. Ledger barely liked Jigsaw or Ryker in the little harem I have going on. I don’t know how much longer I can keep this up.

“Jigsaw? The one that fucking hated you? Shit, you even like Inarian! Out of all people, why not me?”

“Because I can’t be with someone who can’t forgive me.”

He groans. “You left without saying anything! You left me!”

We stare at each other for a moment.

“You left me here… alone! You didn’t care about how I felt. Did you?”

“I thought about you everysingleday.”

“Then why didn’t you just come back?”

“It was complicated! This isn’t about you and—”

---