Darkly Delicate

three | misty street

Atlas

I stand in the corner of the bar as I watch my little sister dance with an older man on a crowded dance floor. My hands rest in my pockets. I lean against the wall. 

She smiles and laughs at anything he says, moving in ways she knows will have an effect on him. The dress she wears was specifically picked for this job. 

It frustrates me to no end that she was to do this. She's only seventeen for God's sake. But she's perfect for the job. Not even Athena could perform as well as Aphrodite can. 

I glance over at Ares who's stationed at the other side of the club. He sends me a subtle nod. In only a few more moments, Aphrodite will lead the man away to one of the private rooms and finish the job. 

Her eyes flicker to the clock. A smirk creeps onto her lips, replacing her once innocent expression. She leans into the man's ear, and whispers something I can't catch. 

His expression brightens. 

I want to slice the man's ears off. Maybe eyes, too. 

Unfortunately for me, Aphrodite has to be the one to complete this assignment. People would get suspicious if I followed them. 

Aphrodite takes his hand in hers and they disappear into the dark hallway filled of bedrooms. No one spares them a glance. 

To them, this is normal. 

A little girl and an elderly man disappearing into a bedroom together. 

Horrifying. 

Disturbing. 

Of course, this is business. This is one of the main reasons Achilles initially allowed my siblings and me to stay with him after we escaped the Center with his own children. 

We can perform well. 

Aphrodite is sadistic and seducing. 

Alastor is malevolent and merciless. 

And me? 

Well, I'm level-headed yet lethal. Which comes in handy when on a mission with Ares— he will practically burn us down before we get there. 

My siblings and I bring out the worst in each other. We've become used to this. We know this is how we survive in the world we've been shoved into. 

A moment or two later, Aphrodite strolls out of the hallway. A tiny drop of blood is smeared onto her neck. Barely noticeable unless someone were to examine her closely. 

She exits out the backdoor of the bar. Ares and I leave through the front. We all meet up in the armored car a few streets down. 

Aphrodite crosses her leg over the other, a satisfied smirk playing on her lips. "That was fun. I'll have to do it again sometime," She sighs, brushing nonexistent dirt from her dress. 

Ares is staring at her. 

If I couldn't kill that man, I can most certainly kill him. 

"Eyes over here, man," I grit out, leaning towards him, my elbows resting on my knees. He narrows his eyes at me. 

Aphrodite giggles. 

Giggles. 

This girl— I swear I want to end her. But that would put all of the hard work I did at the Center to vain. Everything I did to keep her alive— 

And she laughs at my attempt to protect her from this creep. 

I can't believe she actually went into his bedroom last night. They were so close, it was almost like they've done that before.