The Society of the Ethereal Medallion

A Grand Plot

A firm slap on my cheek woke me out of my deep sleep. My cheek had a faint heartbeat; my head was too weak to hold itself upright on my shoulders. 

"I'm sick of you wankers hitting me, and I'm telling you the next person that hits me is going to regret it." When I opened my eyes, a bright light blinded me, making me shut my eyes again. Beneath my eyelids, the pain began to set in. "Bloody hell," I groaned. I felt like I had a hangover with no alcohol; I preferred these pains when I allowed them.

"Is that right?"

"What's the deal with the light? I already know who you are."

"Oh, do you?"

"I know there's two of you in this room. One to interrogate, one to beat because you can't bring yourself to do it. Tell me, am I right, Leo?"

He stepped from behind the light, as did Elena. "You're almost right." 

Ares stepped out from behind the light. Unharmed and well. He looked scared.

Yet I still felt shocked, my jaw dropped, and the hate came coursing through my mouth, "Have you lost the plot?! You mangy chav!" I wiggled against the ropes that kept me and the chair I sat on one. It burned me just as his betrayal did. "How could you?! Huh?! William adored you, you and your father he adored! He didn't want to believe me, but somehow, someway, I knew you were in on this!"

"Just doing my job, Rosie."

"Once I get out of this chair," I viciously smiled, "You're first! Do you hear me?!"

"Enough," Leo commanded in a hostile voice.

Elena grabbed a dirty piece of fabric and tied it over my mouth. 

I recoiled at the taste of fish and sweat in my mouth.

"You wanted answers, Rosalie. Here's where all of the puzzle pieces finally come together." He circled the room, although wherever we were, it was pitch-black. "You're well aware of how you came to be, but the only story missing is ours. The bloodline of our father, Erebos."

"But-but I thought that-"

"You were the only bloodline of Atlantis," he chuckled. "Oh no, darling. Dione did not get to our mother in time; secretly, she had borne a male child to Erebos. The prophecy was going to be fulfilled whether the two young rulers wanted to believe it or not. Just as your father Atreo sent you away, so Erebos did to his child. The royals are not the only ones who thrive to this day. As fate would have it, the sworn protectors of Eerikki bore a child. He's someone who's been with you since the beginning of our little journey. Protecting the royal bloodline. William."

Him too?!

"We were all friends, your parents and me. Brothers by chance, friends by choice. We had our ups and downs, but being brothers came before anything else."

I could feel my eyes widen; I felt his balmy breath behind my ear. It traveled from my neck to my stomach; I kept my eyes ahead. I couldn't let him see that I was scared. I couldn't tell him that I was deathly afraid of him. Fearful of the reality that was my life.

"Yes, that's right. I'm your uncle, and Ares is your cousin."

My gaze shot towards Ares, whose head was downcast. My lips felt dirty. 

I kissed my bleeding cousin?!

"RJ and I were the closest. We worked with your parents Fabian and Lenny; they worked for the government. We were always trying to stay ahead of Asia. So we assisted them. We were the Brotherhood. Two brothers brought together by the ethereal medallion. It was on the excavation dig in Santorini when we found Atlantean weapons and artifacts. They were like nothing we'd ever seen before. Your father thought it wise to hide what we'd found. I convinced him to dig further, to research further. One puzzle led to the next and the next and the next until we came at a crossroads. We discovered who we were, who we truly were."