Deliverance [malexmale]

Chapter Nineteen

Chapter Nineteen

Something weird was going on.

Aside from the fact that I found myself wearing the jewelry and the red robe even two days after the nightmare I had, and the fact that I could now maneuver the hallways without incident. Atlan had been glued to my side since the moment we met and he went out of his way to make sure I was healthy and safe, even if he left me just to shower or fetch tea.

However, it'd been three hours since I woke up, and I had yet to see him. It felt odd not having him hover around me constantly, not having him smile and say nice things, and talk about his hopes and dreams for the future. He could go on for hours about how he wanted to change things. He wanted to unleash the ultimate free will, as he called it. Because apparently we had none now.

I'd learned Atlan and I had a lot in common in that department.

Suffocated by our destinies.

Now, instead of listening to his font of information over the eons and hopeful wishes, I was standing alone in silence in his quarters, studying every part of the room to determine where he'd gone. The silver tray with tea and glasses was untouched, clean and perfect as if Diana had just brought it in. The bed was made and apparently hadn't been slept in for a night or two, and the bathroom was clear of water droplets, meaning Atlan hadn't bathed in there recently. His wardrobe was untouched, just his usual black robes missing as well as a pair of boots.

My next resort was Diana.

I'd seen her on and off during my stay. She generally only came around when things needed cleaning or when she brought meals to Atlan and I. I hadn't seen her yet today and figured she was probably in the kitchen preparing my breakfast.

I took off for the kitchen, rubbing at the back of my neck to ease the soreness away. Atlan had requested that I rest and relax before we return to training, but I couldn't bring myself to do it. I was so used to doing something, anything, that sitting around and relaxing wasn't comfortable at all. While I had slept as he asked, which couldn't be helped given how exhausted I was, I couldn't sit still. I had gone to the arena and trained a few times when Atlan mysteriously disappeared.

I had expected more nightmares to follow after the one the other night with Hannibal, but like Atlan had said, the nightmares had stopped. I wondered briefly if Atlan had something to do with it, but surely he had no powers when it came to dreams. He wasn't a god of dreams. Maybe it was Hades's bastard child trying to infiltrate my head, warning me not to switch sides, and I stifled a laugh at the thought.

That's right, Menoetius. Stay away from the big bad god who's got a superiority complex. Wait, is he warning me about Atlan or Hades?

I shook my head and entered the kitchen. Sure enough, Diana was there, preparing not one, but two plates of food. However, one was extravagant with all sorts of different foods, a few I didn't even recognize, but the second plate was nothing more than a bit of cheese, bread, and a bowl of bean soup.

"Diana?" I asked. She actually jumped, as if startled by my presence, turning to stare at me with wide green eyes. Her fiery red hair was in a plump, messy bun, tilted slightly to the side as if she'd been working too much.

"Menoetius," she said, breathing out a sigh of relief, touching her hand to her chest, before her green eyes snapped fire and she pointed a finger at me, "Do not sneak up on me like that. You're bound to scare the soul right out of me. That's a thing you know. You can scare someone's soul right out their mouth." I stared at her, arching a brow, and she cleared her throat, pushing away from the counter to grab my plate, holding it out to me.