United As The Ten- Part One Of The Conclusion To The United Series

Chapter Thirty

Max's POV:

"Maggie, stop," a familiar, calm voice orders me. I automatically freeze in place, my mind foggy at the sound of his voice. I feel sick already.

I whip around and he's standing there in the doorway, completely calm. He's still looking at me lovingly with his ink black eyes.

I breathe heavily, clenching my fists as I see him again. I'm not sure whether I feel angry, guilty, or hurt. Maybe all three.

"Who are you?" Leo asks Remo, his hand bursting into flames. Everyone else have their weapons pointed at Remo at the sight of a Mogadorian.

"Remo Helmer," Remo answers politely and everyone freezes at his answer. They look from me to him and back again. Then they look angry. No, furious. Nine looks seriously peeved.

"Remo?" Percy asks, his voice shaking with anger. Remo nods his head, giving Percy a small smile.

Then there are some very colorful words thrown by Percy, Ivan, John, Leo, Nico, Nine, Six, Annabeth, and Reyna. In different languages, too. I'll admit, I'm impressed.

"What do you want?" Conrad asks Remo, gripping a pistol tightly. Remo holds his hands up in surrender.

"I want to help the Garde," he answers. I scoff and shake my head.

"Yeah, right," I reply and Remo looks surprised at my tone.

"I really do. I know I did some bad things, like resurrect Octavian and Bryce Lawrence-" Remo starts and my anger swells up even more.

"You resurrected them?!" I shout. Remo nods his head, looking guilty.

"And I'm sorry about what I did to Maggie bu-"

"Max. Not Maggie," I bark back at him. He looks hurt at my sudden burst at him.

Percy steps up to get face-to-face with Remo. "I'm Percy Jackson. Max's brother." He drawls our the word 'brother'. Remo cocks his head to the left.

"You may be her blood-related brother, but you'll never be her brother in her heart," Remo whispers to Percy but I'm able to hear it perfectly. It's not what Remo said that triggers my anger again, it's the look of absolute pain on Percy's face that fuels me.

I growl at Remo. "Stop saying that! You are not my brother! You never have been and you never will be!" I shout at Remo, who looks ten times more hurt than Percy. I feel a pang of guilt and hate myself for feeling it.

"Never have been?" Remo asks me and I know that what I said is fake. 'Never have been' is completely fake. I said it to him myself in the West Virginia base. I remember my exact words to him: 'You're my brother, and I love you', and I did really feel that way. I felt like he was my brother and I really did love him.

"How? How are you alive?" I ask him. I vividly remember stabbing him in the chest back on the Anubis.

"You didn't kill me, Mag...Max. Almost, but you didn't," Remo explains calmly and patiently. "Look, I really am sorry," Remo tells me, his eyes pleading.

"After what happened, I don't know what to believe from you anymore," I reply and I feel a mental sting as I realize that that's almost the exact words John said to me after the truth serum, right before we broke up.

The truth serum.

As if on cue, Calypso steps up with a syringe filled with a bluish liquid- the truth serum. She hands it to me and I smile at her before turning back to Remo with a stone-cold face.

"What is that?" Remo asks me as I walk towards him with the syringe.

"Tilt your head. Everyone else, get out," I order everyone, stepping towards Remo. Everyone starts complaining but I shoot them a glare and they all quickly pile out of the room. Khione the ice goddess gives me one last cold smirk before disappearing in a flurry of snow. Once Remo and I are alone, Remo looks quizzically at me yet with a sorry expression.