His voice was unmistakable. In a manner of seconds Helios comes around the corner giving his compatriots an encouraging "8 more blocks."

Helios is dressed in slick gray running gear, Leon and another SGI (also in gray ) are running along side him keeping perfect pace. Just behind Helios is Sera. She stands out not only because she is wearing pure white but because she is wearing an very short athletic skirt and a top that leaves very little to the imagination

I stepped carefully along the side of the roof watching the Angels from above. Helios stayed in the center of the formation. They all seem to slow down or speed up to match him, he seemed to feed off the attention

Callum had been right, it was easy to spy on Helios from above. He didn't seem to think we were that bold. He didn't seem to think I was that bold.

Quite frankly I was obsessed.Ever since my failure to kill Seraphina I’d been obsessed with watching Helios. It was cowardly really. There was nothing I could do except watch and maybe learn what made him tick. For starters he was never alone, only leaving Queen Anne's to run, visit a glass enclosed office building and out to drink occasionally with a handful of SGI discretely guarding him.

Today was no different. The next building was close enough that I was able to jump to the next roof almost effortlessly. I wasn’t sure how long I could keep this up. Or why I wanted to. They moved so smooth like a unit, like a force to be reckoned with.

Why ? I asked myself. Why didn't I kill her ?

Then, Helios must have said something or maybe there was some type of signal because he slowed down and Leon and the other man speed up around the next corner.

Now alone, Helios takes Seraphina’s hand. She follows Helios down the next block and they quietly turn into an alley, she hesitates but still follows him. I turn on the side of the roof ducking behind a metal exhaust pipe, then I listen. I want to know if she is his weakness. I wanted to know if he loved her.

“You know”, Helio's voice is low and breathy I can hear him kissing her, “I think the other night proved a little desire would do you a lot of good.”

Silence

“Seraphina, you can’t keep using silence as a weapon."

More silence.

I hear Helios give a resentful laugh. I decide to escape while I can but, when I move from behind the exhaust the gravel on the roof shifts very loudly. Helios looks up and I duck back behind the exhaust. When I peer over again he is to busy kissing Sera to notice. I try to take another step but she manages to break away from him.

“Helios”, she says, "Let's go."

“I can’t help it”, he says, “You are so beautiful and you have such a pretty little mouth.”

" I want to run--"

I hear a sharp sound and when I peer over she is on one knee, her eyes closed and she looked like she was trying to calm down. When I look at Helios' stance I realize he'd hit her.

"Do you think I care about what you want ? What Leon wants ? The Seraph Guard doesn't have wants. They have needs. Mine. You've done so well Seraphina, don't get caught up in wants."

She drops to her other knee and looks up at him.

"What if what I want is you ?", she says so cold. . . so stoically.

Her hands now rest on Helio's waist. Before I can even think of a way out,  I hear Helios curse and then it sounds a lot like someone is choking him. The sounds he makes make me want to bleach my ears out, for a few very long minutes. Then it goes quiet again.

“Fuck”, he says breathless, ". . . we should catch up with the others."

"Helios", she says his name but there is something  behind it, "I--"

"We should get back, we have a schedule to keep to", he cuts her off, "Let's go."

I peer over to see Helios tying up his shorts. When he starts to run, he turns back to see her standing with her arms folded.

“Fine”, He smiles, “Take your time, I’ll met you back at the college.”

“Helios--”, she uses a different tone a warning one.

“I’ll be fine. You worry to much about my safety, I admire that.”

He runs off before she can respond, my first thought is I should follow Helios. Some reason I can't. Sera leans against the wall and lets out a deep breath, arms covering her bare midriff. She downs what remains in a water bottle then spits and throws the bottle down the alley.

What are you like when no one is watching

I think to myself.

She starts to take her braided hair down and reaches for a small gun that must have been very high on her thigh and takes the safety off. She looks at the gun for a long time and then parts her lips.

 Oh, shit.

I want to stop her, but what right do I have ? Besides, I needed jer. She was the only one in the way of Helios. She opens her mouth and let's hwe teeth rest on the barrel. I hear the clip engage. Maybe I can take credit for this.

“I see you”, her cold voice says from around the gun

My eyes dart around and I’m frozen in place. She pulls the muzzle cap off with her teeth and looks right up and aims at me

.

Fuck

“Prince”, she says

I bolt across the roof. I don’t give myself time to think and just run onto the next roof. Behind me I can hear a few gunshots go off.

Warning shots.

At least I hope they were .

I look down ready to brace myself for the next building when I see Seraphina pull herself onto the the roof. There is now a knife in her mouth.

“Shit”

I scramble down the fire escape and when I hit the alley I run for a public place. I just need to make it out of Brooklyn, then she has no right to kill me for being in Angel territory.

You can’t run across the fucking bridge, Prince

I scold myself, but then again maybe I could. I run blindly towards the outskirts of Brooklyn. My dress boots slip on the pavement and people charge out of my way. I know I must  look crazy or at least guilty. I run for an overpass, looking for a place to hide.

Sera runs through the crowd easily. She looks like a gorgeous woman getting a serious workout  and not at all like she’s trying to kill me.

“Fuck”, I curse because I’m running out of breath.

I feel my last bit of adrenaline fizzle out and I topple under the highway bridge. It smells like spray paint and garbage, she catches up to me in miliseconds.

“Get up”, she orders me.

I just pant wordlessly, because that’s all I can manage right now.

“Stand up”, she orders me again.

She reaches down, grabs my shirt collar and forces me to my feet. She half pulls half drags me to a nearby alley where I collapse on a low pair of Dumpsters. The sides of her mouth have pricks of red where the knife was in her mouth. My hand instantly go for my own mouth.

“You crazy fucking bitch.”, I mumble between breaths.

She has the knife again, twirling it threateningly in her hand. I’m dehydrated and terrified so I try to talk my way out of this.

“I bet Freud wishes he could have gotten his hand Helios”, I say casually, “ I mean that bastard is way to obsessed with his own penis, I swear he can’t go five minutes without taking it out and-”

“Quiet.”

Be clever Prince

I try again

“A-”

I dodge the knife as it comes sailing for my head.

Be cleverer, Prince

She shakes her hands out and retrieves the knife, her face attempts to look . .apologetic ? That's new.

“I want her back”, she says

“What ?”

“Who. Hippolyta. I want her back.”

In my mind I see the bottle-blonde Angel, but I’m lost by everything else.

“I-I don’t have her.”, I say slowly.

“Lies. She was taken by your kind. She was in  Riverdale and a gang of your people cornered and took her last night. A few daemons and a Demon.”

I cock my head to the side because even if it was true how could she possibly know.

“She was in Demon Territory . . . you know that’s not allowed. What was she even doing there ?”

She thought very carefully before answering.

“I want her back. Quietly. If Helios finds out they went beyond the boundaries he will punish--”

“They ?”, I said

“No, I meant--”

She’s flustered, that’s also new.

“The little blonde Angel, Ariel ? Was she with her ? Is that why they were in Riverdale ?I know about her and Caden.  Are you trying to protect her ?”

“Helios will punish Ariel if he finds out she even stepped outside the boundaries, so leave her out of it. Just bring Hippolyta back to me”

I make the mistake of standing up, she makes a very solid  point of looking down at me. She towered almost a foot over my pathetic 5’6

“Well, I want my Brothers back but wait. . .Helios blew them up. And you ? You tied me to a chair and threw me in a pool. “

“I know you’re better than that Prince.”

“How could you let him kill all those people ? Humans were in those shops. What had they done ?”

She folds her arms her icy glare not moving from me.

“It’s. . . just how war goes.”, she says… but she doesn’t sound convinced.

“This isn’t war, Sera. This is genocide.  Helios is playing a deadly game and you do not want to be on his side.  War in unacceptable in my boo--.”

She shoves me violently against the wall and sticks the gun down my throat. I fight back on my gag reflex.

“I don't care about the big picture. Bring her back”, she growls at me, “Or I will end this right here. . . right now.”

“No”, I mange while chocking on the gun. The metal taste like dirt and sweat and I can barley breathe around it.

“I’ll kill Isobel if you don’t”

I shake my head causing the gun to rattle against my teeth, she pushes it in further.

"I'll do it" she warns, " While she  is quietly sleeping in your bed. . . while you fall asleep in that ridiculous chair trying to protect your virture. I'll slit her pretty little neck.", each word sounded cruel on her lips.

She pulls out the gun waiting for my answer. She had maybe given a bit to much away. As much as I was watching Helios it seemed he. . . or someone. . .or she was watching me, enough to know my sleeping arrangements.

“I’ll see what I can find out”, I say, “ But Sera this won’t make Hippolyta love you.”

Silence.

She wipes the gun off on my jacket and then kneels down to strap it back on.

“I know what you want, Sera. I  saw the way you looked at Isobel and I. You’re envious.”

“I doubt it. It's a weakness--”

“Bullshit”

“What ?”

I let the topic go.

“I’ll see what I can find out. Only because at the end of the day I want my body count to be a zero multiple of Helios’”

“Leave your self-righteous act for your girlfriend. . .who will die if Hippolyta isn't bought back alive.”

“If you continue on with Helios you are going down a bad path.  And  . . just so you know… Isobel is going to be more than just my girlfriend very soon. Because when you love someone you find yourself a bit above blow jobs in alleys."

She barley reacts to my mentioning the events that took place just moments ago.

"I also want my ring back", she says. It takes me a moment to realize she is referring to the pinky ring I had taken during my failed attempt at assassination.

"Fine", I agreed.

“You have your instructions, or do I need to threaten you again ?"

"No, I apparently have my own threats to make."

+++

I knew the dorms so well, I could walk through them with my eyes closed. When I reached Callum’s bed I turn on the light and pulled back the sheets.

“The fuck”, he says

“Outside. Now”, I’m fumed, "It's the Goddamn afternoon. But I guess you had a long night.."

He curses again and follows me down stairs, mostly because the others are staring at us now.

“Where the fuck is she, Callum ?”, I say low enough so know one can hear.

“Who ?”, he rubs his eyes.

I look around and see no one is in the halls. I get a little closer.

“Hippolyta. . . the Angel..”

“I don’t know what you are talking about.”, he says folding his arms. There is something challenging in his voice.

“Yes, you do.”

He shrugs his shoulders comically. Like he really has no idea, but his eyes defy him. Callum's eyes always give him away.

“You kidnapped one of them. Is she still alive. Is she--”

“She’s downstairs”, Damien says from behind me.

Damien walks past with a large mug of coffee and a cigarette in his mouth. Callum scowled at him but Damien seemed nonplussed.

"Damien ?", I said, "You told Damien ?"

"I had to."

I glared at Callum and followed Damien to the infirmary.There are two hospital beds and a nondescript basement door in the back.  He opens the basement doors the air is Icold and dusty. Nothing except old  medical equipment was stored her, no one except Damien ever used it.

In the back was what I could regretfully call a makeshift. . . cage.  Something meant for a large animal.

Hippolyta was hunched over in a corner, her eyes peering down. She grabbed onto the bar and leered at Damien. When she saw me her expression softened.

“Paris Prince”, she said, “Mr. Prince, please. Let me go. . . please tell me your kindness doesn’t preceded you. I’ve done nothing. These vultures just grabbed me."

I notice her arms are riddled with bandages.

“What are you doing to her.”, I asked Damien

“Working”, that voice belongs to Callum who is now accompanied by Dante.

“Working on what, you smartass”, I was fighting to stay calm, I was still sweating and had yet to take a shower.

“Damien is trying to make the daemon's lust  for Angel blood instead of ours. Like Isaiah was trying to do. We'll see how far those SGI get when someone is at their jugular.”

"Her blood taste like shit, though”, Dante said.

“Shut up you little, freak”, Hippolyta screeched from her bars. Then her voice was sweet, “Prince Paris, please let me go. Please.”

Callum pulls me aside.

“I know that look. We can’t, Paris.. The only way she goes out is in a body bag. She’ll tell Helios about our plan and he will annihilate us."

“ I won’t. I swear”, she says. Clearly our voices carried in the small room

“Shut up”, Callum yells at her.

She settles back down and starts crying.

“This is wrong Callum, my God you can’t keep her in a cage. She didn't blow up the shops, she's a nobody”

In the background Hippolyta nods enthusiastically at my remarks. Dante held up his forearm where a red slash was on it.

“She did this to me, she’s dangerous.”

“Who knows she is here.”, I asked

“Me, Dante, Damien a few other daemons and now regretfully. . . you.”

I go over to the cage and kneel down until I'm level with her.

“Hippolyta listen to me. You must understand what you did was wrong. We can’t just let you go. . . you know how this goes and how Helios is.”

“I do”, she said.. Then with false brightness, “I do. I know a lot about him and SGI. I’ll tell you in exchange for my freedom.”

"Like what ?", Callum challenges her.

She locks her eyes in concentration, but it's a hopeless expression. 

"Well he . . .um. . . I", she lowers her head. Her arms shaking against the bars, "Helios doesn't tell us Angels much. He hardly even regards Anne. He is planning something. . . they keep moving in all this stuff and Helios goes to late night meetings sometimes."

"Be specific", Callum yells and trashes the cage.

"Um....I . . .I don't know.", she holds her head down.

It's clear. She knows nothing and that will be the death of her.

+++

I decide not to tell Isobel about Hippolyta. Part of me is afraid she will see us as the Demons we are if she sees what Callum and Damien are up to. Another part of me knows that if Isobel knew Seraphina was using her against me, she might try and do something about it.

I go down to the infirmary basement after dinner and settle down by the reinforced cage with a plate of cold leftover food. Hippolyta looks very grateful and attacks the cold food.

“God, this is awful”, she say. “So unladylike, especially infront of royalty.”

I can't help but to laugh at that.

"My apologies for the accommodations", I say with a hint of sarcasm then more seriously, "besides, I'm hardly royalty"

"I don't know you have a regent-ness about you.", she says

"I'll take that as a compliment."

“You know why I followed Ariel here ?”, Hippolyta asks.

“Caden Kellers”

“Mmhmm. I told her I loved tragic love, it's probably why Ariel knew I'd go along with it. I do love tragic love though.”

“Do you ?”

“I do. I hope it works out for you though.", she has a sly smile on her face.

“ Is something wrong with Isobel. . . I am planning on proposing to her in a few weeks.”

“Isobel ? Oh, that daemon girl. I guess that’s tragic too.”

I wonder if she has gone mad being trapped down here for two days.  I offer her some more water.

“I think you’ve lost a lot of blood, Hippolyta”

“Come now, don’t you know the legend about Angels and true love ? Cupid and all ? Hmmm. The legends start somewhere”

“Um, I think Seraphina mentioned it once.”

She laughs.

“Seraphina", she says her name like a fond memory, ".You know, she was actually starting to grow on me. I like girls with a lot of muscle”

We fall into a quiet silence. I get up and open the door that conceals the stairs to the lower level. Damien isn't in the infirmary and I turn back to Hippolyta.

“Look, Hippolyta I’m going to help you escape.”

She grabs onto the bars and her eyes go wide with hope and mistrust.

“Is this a trick ?”

“No. Seraphina has threatened Isobel if I don't.”

It’s true. Seraphina did threaten Isobel, but that was only an excuse I’d use if I was caught. I know I would have let her go no matter what.

"Oh, I'm sorry she did that", Hippolyta seems conflicted, "But I'm also terribly glad."

“Wait until tomorrow night. I'll be out with Isobel so no one will suspect it was me."

I slip my hands into the bars and pass her a tiny pair of clippers. She grasps them with her life, they should be just enough to cut away the wire cage.

"Thank you. You really are kind, Paris dear."

I ignore the compliment, this wasn't kindness this was stupid.

"Damien usually nods off by 11.  I'll leave a MetroCard under the doormat at the outside entrance to my rooms, take it so I know you've made it out. No one should notice you are gone until morning. There is a caveat. . .when you go back home you must gather your things and then run as far away as you possible can.  If Helios even suspects that you came here and that you were captured  it will end very badly. Take Seraphina with you. She’ll go away with you.  Get her away from all of this.”

Hippoylta smiled from behind the bars, my last request gets her interest.

“That’s so sweet. I’ll try to convince her. . . but I could never do that to you.”

“Do what ? I just don't think someone with eyes that dead should  be at the beck and call of Helios.”

"That is so tragic . . .", she says and begins to whistle a familiar tune.

"Shit", I said  buttoning my shirt in the mirror

"What ?", Isobel calls from the bathroom.  From this angle I can see her holding a pair of curlers to her hair.

I hold up a legal document I had taken from my lawyer's office.

"It's a part of the settlement , I forgot to turn it in."

"Is it important ?", she asks poking her head outside the bathroom

"I think so, I think Mr. Locke might still be in his office.  I should take it. "

"Wait, I'll come with."

"No, I'll meet you at the club. I'll just run it over. I really want to make sure the victims family's get paid."

"Okay", she says, "But I'm totally driving."

I reached over and kissed her, stealthy avoiding the hot curling iron.

"Fine, but please remember to wear flats."

"Ha ha"

I grab my jacket and head outside. When I reach the subway station I throw away the document and pull on a pair of shades and a hat, then catch the next train Downtown.

I’ve gotten a little to good at sneaking into Queen Anne’s. I'd wanted to meet her in the park, somewhere public, but she couldn't get a second away from Helios.

She has left portions of the gate unlocked so I can easily slip in. The door to her the balcony is open and I climb up without a problem. I think twice when I hear her labored breathes coming from inside. I listen and sure enough the only voice I hear is hers.

I cautiously go inside preparing myself to turn away if need be, the room was pristine and the bed empty.

I turn around to see her on a treadmill that stood out against the cream and gold theme in the room.  She is covered in sweat  and deep in concentration. Solid power was behind every stride of her toned legs.

“Is it done ?”, she says adjusting the incline.

“I’m going to make it look like she escaped. It won't make me look soft and Helios' will never know she was captured.  Meet her at 1:00 am tonight in the courtyard. I told her she can't stay, she might tell Helios or he might notice the marks on her arms."

Sera nods in agreement.

It was a decent plan. Saying it out loud ? This just felt wrong. Letting Hippolyta go despite how Helios treated my Brothers, if this is what being the bigger man felt like. It sucked.

I laughed at the simplification.

She hops down from the treadmill, grabbing a towel and wiping the sweat away.

“I would only do this for Hippolyta and Ariel. This does not change things. We are still enemies.”

“I understand. I’m envious. I wish I could protect my Brothers the way you do your Sisters. You'd make a fierce leader.”

She runs the cloth over her eyes and takes a long moment to notice my black vest and pants. I’d gone without a tie leaving a button open.

“I have  a date tonight.”, I explain, "My cover for when Hippolyta is found missing"

She finally takes her eyes from me and walks slowly around the room, lowering her heart rate.

“The ring ?”, she asks

“Oh, no that’s not until Boston--”

“My ring”, she says with a confused look.

“Oh, damn. right. Sorry. I thought you meant. . . um. ..”

I reach into my pocket and pull out the ring I had taken when I ‘d tried to kill her. It’s made of old very tough gold. I figure it probably belonged to a relative from home. Angels then had thinner hands.

“What’s in Boston”, she asks. But she seems unsure if she should. Like she's trying to make conversation.

“Oh, um. . .It’s where I am proposing to Isobel. I needed to go up there for legal reasons and the timing just seems  . . . right.”

“Is Boston special ?”, she asks.

“You remember”, I said, “All that Colonial American shit went on.  Isobel took this course in The American Revolution last year and talked about it for weeks. I think it may inform her decision about our  .. . conflict. Anyway, it’s a rather historical city and I thought I might…”

I made sort of a vague gesture. Then I started to ramble.

“I thought maybe  I’d do it at midnight. . . right in the middle of Quincy Market. You remember when they built that don’t you ? Just before midnight in case bells ring or something. Yes. . . that way when she says yes the bells will ring and I’ll pick her up and people will clap. . . maybe ? Girls like that ? Right ?”

“Prince you know this never ends well for our kind.”, It sounded like she was lecturing me, "We aren't human."

“This is different. Isobel technically isn't human. Also, Father and Anne are no longer in charge. Father always said I would be the one to change things. He even said that to you. Besides you said Isobel was my true love.”

“Yes”, she said, “Yes, I did.”

“. . . and she is, right ?”, I said not liking her tone.

She nods

“Ah, look at this Sera. We are having a conversation. How odd.”

“It’s simply a ceasefire”, she says giving me a space on her bed to sit, “Tell me. how will you entertain your bride on your wedding night ?”

“Ha. Ha.. Ha.why does everyone think I’m so inept. It's fucking annoying.”

I absently take a deck of cards off her nightstand and start to shuffle them.

“You are a very guarded man.”

“Oh, and you’re an open book ?”

“I’m a woman. I can’t let my emotions get the best of me. Not in a house full of men. A world full of men.”, she said wistfully

“I’m sure.”, I said still shuffling the cards.

“It’s true”, She offered. It seemed like she was going to say more but thought better of it.

“Why bother ?”

“The same reason you bother to propose . . . because maybe it’s time for a change.”

I shuffle the deck, it's a white and gold colored deck and it smells like a rich floral perfume.

"So, what are we playing ?", I look at my watch I still have few minutes before I need to get to my date.

"Gin ?", she suggest.

"Really ? How old are you ?"

"1009", she says straight.

"Alright Gin it is"

---

I won the first round and then promptly let her win the second. I figured that was common courtesy when dealing with someone who could kill you.  Halfway through round three I was debating whether to throw it when my phone went off, I had 20 minutes to get back uptown and meet Isobel.

“I should go. I’m late.”

I picked up my jacket and checked myself in her vanity mirror. Shinning among her perfume, protein powder and makeup are 7 knives of different sizes and cuts freshly polished and sharpend.  I take a cautious step back.

“I like her. Your future fiancee.”, she is already opening the balcony and holding my wayfarers.

“Isobel ? Honestly?”, for several reason I hadn’t been expecting that

“She slapped me”, Seraphina said, “Not many would try that.”

She touched her cheek at the memory , I let out something that could be called a cautious chuckle. That seemed to amuse her.

“Well”, I added, “If I recall correctly when you first met she stabbed you.”

“Well then, she will make a very formidable wife indeed”, she decided.

"Yes, very", I agreed.

Seraphina opened the balcony doors for me, the cards still in her hand.  After I stepped out she closed door and for some reason  I turned around to catch a glimpse of her through the flutter of window sheers.

Her profile was to the window her hand again lingered where Isobel had slapped her. then out of nowhere her lips had split into a smile, perfect white teeth shown through, brightening her blue eyes.

She pushed back her hair, letting her hand rest on top of her hair. letting the smile linger for a few moments longer. 

Damn

Oh, damn.

Was that beautiful.

This was going to be a problem.