In Control (SLOW UPDATES)

Ch 39: Reputations

Azrael pov:

Amilia took time off work, a month exactly. She's been distant and different since the incident. She cries herself to sleep, spends hours in his room just sitting on his bed and crying in there. She tries to interact with all of us but she can't, not like before at least.

Breaking the news to the kids was awful. They took it as best as they could. Arthur became quieter and distant himself. Athena locked herself in her room for a week, not talking or listening to anyone. We let them take time off school to gain some semblance of themselves.

It didn't matter though. His funeral made it hard on everyone. Since then I've been nonstop looking for Midnight. All hours of day and night I'm out and doing what I need to do. Hunting, killing, torturing, anything. I needed to find him, I needed him to suffer for what he did.

It went well for a while until he started retaliating in his own way. More of my men ended up dead or hurt. Areas of my organization were burned down or exploded. He was trying to take me down as I was with him.

I was given no choice... so I fought back. Two months of us going back and forth. The only problem is that he knew more about me than I did about him. He hit harder and faster than I could so it left me weak and vulnerable to more of his attacks. It wasn't going well. I was losing this battle with him on our organizations.

I took time to talk to Artemis about a plan I had, but I have her waiting till things are in place. Besides that I had a plan to get him off my trail, should it go right. I only told Artemis this plan, I could only trust her to do what needs to be done.

Everything else will fall into place…

"Dad?" Athena's call for me pulled my attention. Sitting up in the couch I see her walking in with a sad smile. The shine in her eyes dulled out when Ryker…

"Yes princess? What's up?" I patted the spot next to me to have her sit down. She took the seat and leaned against me.

"I have something to tell you." She sounded quiet and scared, like she was afraid.

"Okay. What is it?"

"Promise to not get mad?" She looked up at me with tears threatening to spill from her eyes.

"Of course I won't." I pulled her into my side and pressed a kiss to the top of her head. She sighed and hugged me close.

"I knew Ryker left… he told me not to tell." My heart ached but my anger wasn't there. I felt it spike but it dispersed when I could feel her tears wet my shirt.

She's a child, she doesn't know any better. She thought she was helping her brother and I understand but… I wish I knew. Maybe if she had told me or anyone then maybe we could've found him sooner and kept him from…

"It's okay sweetheart." I rubbed her arm and hugged her closer, trying to comfort her quiet cries.

"I'm so sorry. I-I should've s-said something. Maybe h-he'd still be alive." She clutched onto me, trying to make sense of her own guilt.

"It's okay. I'm not mad." She cried and tried to make sense of things and I let her. I let her vent it out, to spill all of her pain to me.

She cried so hard she fell asleep, holding onto me. I stayed with her, brushing my fingers through her hair and trying to make sense of things. Later on during a show I put on to try and distract myself I watched Arthur come into the living room.