Realise - Real Lies

Eat, Drink and Be Merry

Hi guys, so this is the final chapter. Hope you liked this book. I apologize for the delay. I haven't thought of writing more on this yet, but it seems like a good ending ....... for now. Will post the Epilogue today as well.

Check it out here as well: https://jaderoxx30892.wixsite.com/reallies/post/chapter-56-eat-drink-and-be-merry

Jake's POV

The loud buzz on my phone woke me up from my sleep. I growled angrily. It was Christmas Eve and it would be Christmas in about an hour. Who the hell was calling me this late? "Who is it?" Jade's sleepy voice asked me. She had settled in a few days ago and I was really looking forward to a work free and annoyance free weekend. Christmas was always special to me. And now it just got ruined. "I don't know, but it's the middle of the night and I don't want to be bothered," I groaned pulling her closer to me. But she sat up on the bed, "It could be an emergency." She leaned over me and grabbed my phone and handed it over to me, "Its Liam." "Liam? At this time? What the fuck is wrong with him?" I grumbled sitting up and answered his call, "Do you even know what time it is? You self-serving prick?" "Peachy. I had no choice. There's a problem. Meet me at the address I sent you and don't tell anyone about it," Liam said urgently. "What is it?" I asked keeping my tone light so as to not alarm Jade. "Just do it. No questions asked," Liam said and hung up. "What happened?" Jade asked me. I kept my tone neutral with just a hint of annoyance, "Liam and his date are stranded because their car broke down and since its Christmas Eve, there are no services available. So he asked me to help him out. I'll go get him." I stood up and changed into a pair of jeans & a white button down shirt. She stood up too, "Do you want me to tag along?" "As much as I would like that, I highly doubt you want to be the fourth wheel is a booty call," I said humorlessly. She snickered, "Well you have a point." I walked over to her and kissed her, "Ok I'll be heading out. I might be a while. Don't wait up and get some sleep, my love." "Alright, come back soon," she said. I smiled and got to the parking lot. Weird thoughts swam in my mind. Liam sounded severely distressed. What could it be? I hoped he was alright. I hoped it was nothing serious. Maybe I needed my gun, but of course I didn't have one. As per the rules, I couldn't get one until I got proper clearance. I took a deep breath and drove to the destination Liam had sent.
Almost 45 minutes later I was pulling into a tall building that was located in the middle of nowhere. My paranoia kicked in. This was weird. The building had no lights. I checked the map again. It was the right place, but I felt so wrong being here. Tentatively, I stepped towards the door. I used my phone's flashlight to illuminate the path. I opened the door and stepped in cautiously. I almost  smacked myself. Idiot. I could just call Liam. But the door behind me slammed suddenly. I rushed back to open it. Locked. Shit. This was looking like the start of a thriller movie. Okay. I took a deep breathe and shut off the flashlight. If this was a trap atleast I won't let go off my location that easily. I tiptoed across the building, when I felt a cloth cover my face. I struggled as I felt a few pairs of hands drag me across the floor. I kept struggling and throwing jabs at my assailants but to no avail. I felt a pair of handcuffs being placed on my hands. Then my assailants stopped me somewhere as I heard dings. Dings of the elevator. "Leave me right now. You guys will be in so much trouble. I am an Interpol agent," I said. Silence. "What do you want?" I asked. Silence again. "You need to be reasonable. There is no way.." I stopped as the elevator seemed to halt. I felt a cool breeze and a sudden drop in temperature. Somehow I had the ominous feeling that I was on the terrace of the building as the cool breeze was blowing around me. Suddenly, my assailants dragged me out. One of them kicked the back of my knee, forcing me to collapse on my knees. Then they remove the cloth from over my head. I stared at two hooded figures staring at me, standing motionless. "What the fuck do you want?" I asked angrily in a low tone. One of the assailants, tilted his head to one side, "Oh nothing. Just wanted you to enjoy the view." "Liam what the fuck is wrong with you?" I screamed in recognition. "Technically that was my idea," the other guy said. "Damian? You are in on it too? What kind of twisted sense of humor do you guys have?" I yelled as Liam uncuffed me. "Well it was the only way to get you away from home at this hour," Liam said. I stood up, "Why? We are meeting tomorrow. Why would you guys want to meet me at this ungodly hour?" They exchanged a look and Damian said, "We didn't know if you had told Jade about today."
I looked at them in confusion, "What about today?" I heard the beep of the alarm from both their watches as they both said in unison, "Happy Birthday." I looked at them shell shocked, "How did you know?" Liam scoffed, "Oh please. It was a piece of cake. You think we can't find that out?" I shrugged as I saw that there were chairs laid out, with alcohol and food. Nothing elaborate just like some sort of an outdoor camp, equipped with a fire pit. We sat down as Liam offered me a beer - Barley wine. "How did you..?" I started. "You drank this with your dad didn't you, on your camping trips?" Damian asked. I nodded, reminiscing that time, "Zeus told you, didn't he?" Damian sighed, "Yeah, I think it was one of his last orders." I looked at Damian, "Last orders? You spoke to him?" Damian shrugged, "It was more of a call to check if I was okay after everything that happened. He just said that he was glad about things working out and then he mentioned about the camps and the beer and said something about a saint being born on Christmas." Liam chuckled, "I still can't believe he said that about you." "Well he had his reasons. Anyways we didn't know if Jade knew about your birthday, so we had to "lure" you away," Damian said. "She did ask when my birth was but I never told her. I just feel like I am no longer the person I was whose birthday is on Christmas," I confessed. "Oh pish posh, that's ridiculous," Liam snapped. I took a sip of my beer, "So what did the King say?" "That's about it. I think he couldn't bring himself to say that he was disbanding the Pantheon but that was the gist I guess," Damian said. "So that's it. We are done? No more Pantheon?" I asked. "Well seems like it. The Ragwort thing seemed to be the end game," Liam said. I sighed. "What?" Liam asked. "Would have been good to meet him in person you know? Aren't you guys a bit curious about who he is?" I asked. Damian shrugged, "He helped me and he doesn't seem like a bad person, and he is entitled to his secrecy,  so I am good with that." "And I could care less, I have a life outside of Pantheon," Liam smirked. I sighed, "Guess its just me then who thinks otherwise." "Maybe its time you stopped," Damian said. "Huh?" I asked. "Wasn't the whole reason meeting him was to get your life back? Now he is backing off and you still want to hang on to the ghost?" Liam asked. I had thought about it a million times. I was grateful for the life I had. A life I had wanted and yearned for, desperately. But still, he was my mentor and guide. It wasn't easy to let go, but I would try. I had things to look forward to. I smiled, "I guess you are right. I am happy. And that's all that matters." We continued sipping the beer until the cold became unbearable and then we packed up. Liam handed me a wrapped package, "Take it. It's your birthday gift." I stared at it and accepted it, "Thanks?" "Come on. Open it," he urged. I shrugged and unwrapped the present and looked at the books inside it, "Война и мир (War and Peace). The original one in Russian? All six volumes. Wow. I've been searching for these for ages." "Damian told me you collect Leo Tolstoy's first editions. Honestly, its a dull hobby. But I think this completes your collection right?" Liam asked. I nodded, "This must have cost a fortune." "Not really. A good friend helped out," he smirked. "A good friend? Who works at an auction house?" I teased. "Shut up and just take it," Liam snapped. "By the way, do you even read or understand  Russian?" Liam asked. I smirked, "It was one of the first things I learned after getting into the Pantheon. Zeus was always keen on me learning different languages." Liam scoffed, "What a sad thing to do."
Minutes later we parted ways. Weirdly, Liam had called his drivers - yes multiple-  to drive us back in our respective cars, since we had been drinking. It was odd but I was too excited to protest. I felt somewhat free. The Pantheon was disbanded and while I did regret not meeting my mentor, I guessed it was for the best. I had loyal friends and Jade who would be by my side always. I got home and quietly opened the door. I was surprised to see Jade waiting for me, sitting on the armchair on her tablet. "Hey," she greeted me. "Hey. You didn't sleep? I told you not to wait up and get some rest," I said, noting how tired her eyes were. "Well I tried but I thought why not just wait until you returned. Were you able to drop Liam and his date home?" She asked. Ah right. The lie I had told. "What's that in your hand?" She asked pointing to Liam's gift. "Umm I have to tell you something.." I said as I explained that I had lied and that it was ploy to invite me to celebrate my birthday. She seemed disappointed, just slightly. "I understand if you are mad at me, Jade for lying.." "No I am not mad. Remember what you told me back in Duskwood? You told me you can't promise to never lie but you promise to tell me if you can't say anything. And now that you could, you did. Your birthday, well that's another thing," she said. I sighed and sat down, "You know I never really had people to celebrate my birthday with, so I never did. But I guess I do now. Jade, I know I have never said this but I hope you know. I love you, more than anything in this world." She smiled and hugged me, "I do know and that's why I never expected it, because I know you believe it. I love you too, my love. Happy Birthday and Merry Christmas." "Merry Christmas and Thank you," I said hugging her back. She pulled away, "Born on Christmas, huh?" "And all yours truly, my love," I smiled as I kissed her. It was the best birthday and Christmas I could have wished for.