The Titan Code

18. The Walls are Closing In

The moment I arrive home I frantically call Alex and much to my irritation he doesn't pick up until several rings in. I swear he does it on purpose.

"Are you okay?" I ask breathlessly the second he answers.

"Yes, why? Where did you get to?" He sounds clipped, as if he's annoyed.

"I did tell you," I retort crossly, "I went to a little kiosk thing in the square. Someone came out... Alex, it was one of the kidnappers."

There's a crackling silence on the line.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, I'd recognise that voice anywhere, it was one of them, not both. It sounded like he was threatening to smash someone's car and windows over owed money. Maybe he's a drug dealer?"

"And he came out of the kiosk, you say?"

"I think so, I wasn't exactly studying modes of entry and exit," I hiss at him.

"Then what were you doing, Ella? Hm?" he snaps back.

"Hey! Don't you dare take that tone with me! You've been miserable all night, what were you doing?" I cry before I can stop myself. In fact, I don't want to stop myself. He's being a douchebag.

"I'm- it's- " he splutters and I get a sharp stab of satisfaction as he fumbles around for an answer. There, stick it up your arse, Alex.

"It's nothing to do with you! I'm going to bed."

And he puts the phone down. He actually hangs up on me.

I swear at the phone and throw it onto the bed angrily. I don't want to speak to him, see him, deal with his mood swings any more. What a brat!

So I grab my phone and call.

Hermes answers immediately.

"Hey," comes his smooth, inviting voice, "what's up?"

"Alex is a moody cow and I can't stand him!" I vociferate.

He chuckles and despite my rage I can imagine his little cheek dimples forming, which distracts me somehwat.

"It's hard working with someone so closely, isn't it?"

I take a breath.

"Yeah, yeah it is. Just when I thought we were having a breakthrough he shuts me down," I admit.

"It happens, Ella, it's human nature." His voice is smooth as silk, easy, nothing at all like the enigma machine that is Alex Johnson.

"How have you put up with people all this time? Like, genuinely."

"I get to escape to my own realm for a bit of normality," he laughs and I can't help but smile along too. How is this guy so charismatic?

"I suppose you have family issues, too?" I say delicately.

"In a way," he answers after a pause, "but remember how I said our families aren't like yours? It's not like husband and wife living together and arguing, we don't have those dynamics."

I bite my lip before I respond.

"Have you been arguing with your wife?"

"I'm not married, Ella."

Why I grin and flop onto my bed I don't know. Relief isn't the word... hope?

"Don't you have a long list of wives and conquests and secret children in your closet?" I say with what I hope is playful humour.

"Eternity is a long time and it's easy to get bored," he tells me with a wicked grin in his voice, "a little online search shows you what I may or may not have been doing. But times and people change, and remember- your concept of family isn't the same as mine. Technically I have children but they are self-sufficient Gods, I am their progeneter, nothing more."