Ashphodean parties were really different from ones in Tartaros. When we walked to a giant ballroom, I was surrounded by really fancy people. They were all wearing one colored gowns. My mom said that long same colored fabric was really difficult to find these days, so people would stitch different colored fabric to each other and color that. I couldn't find any stitch marks on anyone around me.

No one was dancing. Everyone was just... talking and casually drinking. I was almost glued to the dad, when we walked right in. He still had the warmth when he had while showing around town, when he introduced me to his work friends. I hold onto that warmth like it was my life raft.

Dad's friends were boring, like so boring. Neela's brother was snob who didn't even look towards me. Older man named Marx Adams, who everyone used his first and last name for some reason, told me so much how dad has been a help for years, but he only called me "Louis's ward". Other people were copies of each other. They were all people around their forties whose only difference were color and lenght of their hair.

I tired my best to be on my best behavior, which meant being least like myself. I knew he needed to focus on work stuff. I got used to it with mom. I felt better when I noticed Neela had problems to get dad to notice her too.

The worst part of the party was the invasive questions. When dad's work friends didn't talk about work, they loved to ask very dumb questions about mom or the Gorgos. "What kind of person is the famous lady Medusa in real life?", "What punishments has your mom used on you?", "Is it true that she is really Ryn Stormholder, a gangster from outside the walls?"... They never used mom's name. They always either used "your mom" or "Medusa". Sometimes they used words they really shouldn't use in front of a teenager.

Nikolai was the only person who talked to me normally, which suprised me. When he saw me alone next to dad, he didn't leave beside me. I would have thought that as soon as he found out I was related to his grandmother's killer, he would try to murder me or something. Instead, he told jokes.

"Hey, want to bet who is going to embarrass themselves here? Because you are a new here, I'll give you a little hint. Neela becomes really funny after few drinks."

"That would make this party so much better", I laughed.

"I would love to sneak out of here." Nikolai said. I got excited, but came down to earth when Nikolai walked away to talk to his friend or his dad. He had his own friends, and I didn't have the guts to throw myself in the middle of Nikolai's friend group. I didn't want to ruin his night.

When I didn't want to be around people, I went into an adventure into the house I was in, trying to find some secrets. I walked up the stairs that had weird scars in it. On top of the stairs were dozens of doors. Between the doors were pictures of humans I saw down stairs. One of the biggest pictures was Marx Adams and a woman who looked like she has never smiled.

As I walked down the hallway, I shortly arrived to the glass door that was open. Outside the door was a terrace that was broken in pieces. It was clearly tried to be fixed a bit, but not enough. If I wanted to relax a bit, or just run away, this was the spot.

I stood on the edge of a terrace without a railing. I breathed in and out and looked at the town under me. I couldn't take it all in tough. I heard dad's voice behind me: "Here you are. You just disappeared. Are you alright?"

"It looked like you were fine without me." I tried to make it sound like a joke but it sounded more like me being bitter. Dad walked next to me and sat down, pushing me away from the ledge at the same time.

"I'm sorry. I thought this was a perfect place to introduce you to Asphodea in my eyes without.. I forgot how taxing my work could be." Dad opened his hair from a ponytail and made it a mess.

"Don't apologize, please. You are at work. I shouldn't... I don't know." I crawled into a ball. I wanted rip the clothes I was wearing. I wasn't some sort of fancy pants like other people here.

"Edan... I am really happy that you are here and you exist." Dad smiled gently. "My life just isn't made for other people than my work. It takes time for me to used to this. I need to keep this town up so your mom won't destroy it."

I looked at dad. "I get it. I'm in your way."

Dad grabbed my hand. "Edan... Even if it takes time, I want to give you my time. I want to get to know you, to be your family. I want to learn to be with you."

I smiled back at dad. "I'm not good with people too, but I want to get to know you, and other people who are not from.. you know where." Dad ruffled my hair.

"Most important thing in this life is allies. Here you can find plenty of them." Dad stood up and raised his hand, so that he could raise my up. "I have so much to teach you. This world needs good men."

I didn't take dad's hand but I smiled. "I don't want to be with the old dudes. If you don't mind, I will stay here."

Dad laughed and stood up. "I promise we can leave soon. I'll just talk to Neela's brother a bit. Then we can go." Dad walked up to the door but stopped before leaving. "Let's go shooting tomorrow. I'll show you the best place in town."

I turned away from dad, just breathing in and out. I wanted to go full existential about what did dad's warm tone meant and how happy I felt, but a woman's scream stopped me from doing anything. Now I had a decision to make. I could be a obedient son and wait for dad here, or I could be my nosy self and go look what was happening down the streets.

I was annoyed by how predictable I was. I looked around and spotted a place I could jump so I could get safely down without hurting myself. Then I just jumped and begged I wouldn't make any noise. That was kind of possible but thankfully no one heard me. I sneaked towards the sound, jumping to roof to roof.

On a small alley right below me walked two men, who were dragging a young woman between them. The woman tried desperatly to get out, but was too weak against two giant men. They were walking towards a house in the edge of Ashphodea, that was hidden in the branches. I could only see him up on the roof I was in.

I tried to climb down gracefully to hear what the men said. Thankfully our very dangerous games with Sonia came in use in that moment. I have gotten enough brain damage in my childhood to fall down safely.

When I fell down, I crashed into a some sort of trashcan. "Did you hear something, Caleb?" The bigger one of the said to another. I hid when I saw he was about to grab some sort of gun.

"It was probably wind or some drunk partying", the skinnier of the men said, "Bet it's the Hayer girl who has gotten so drunk because he had to stare at that Braun Bastard the whole night."

Both men cackled. "Did you heard about that mess the boy did with him waltzing in? I heard Hayer was this close to punch the child." I tried to not make sound but I really wanted to laugh.

"Where are you taking me?" The woman between the men shouted. Until now, she had only shouted and cursed those two men in every possible way. I didn't know the woman, but I was impressed by how many swear words she knew.

"Shut up even for a moment!" Another man, whose name I didn't hear, tied a piece of rope over the woman's mouth with one hand. "Really, we are paid far too little for nights like this. The next time I see Poseidon's snobbish face, I'll either punch him or force him to give us a raise.”

That was the last thing I heard. After that, the trio disappeared into the side street, too fast. I ran after them as silently as possible, hiding just in case whenever I saw any light. Mom would be proud of me.

The trio finally made it to the house they were going to. I didn't see any kind of guards and cameras there, although the house looked like a prison. It was surrounded by only a fence and a gate, which I easily jumped over. Growing up in Tartaros came in handy again. I just got to the door as it was about to close. I quickly hid under the first desk I saw.

The hallway was so dark, I didn't see anything. Only light I could see was coming from tiny windows that were in every door in the hallway. After the woman's scream stopped, I stood up.

When i stood up, I accidentally dropped a couple of papers on table I was under in. I tried to read them, but I could only see couple of boldly written words like "I.C.T.A", "Izaiah" and "experiment". Other looked like science language I couldn't understand or couldn't read.

I was more interested in blue lights around me anyways. I sneaked closer to the window and looked inside.

I put my hand in front of my mouth so I couldn't scream. On the other side of the window was a completely white room with only one thing inside. In the middle of the room hovered an old woman, kept aloft by long blue tubes that came from all around the room. The tubes were stuck into the woman, one in her mouth. The woman's eyes were completely white. His face was blank. She was… She was definitely dead.

I lost my balance in pure shock. When I slipped, I could hear voices coming towards me. I was in panic. I opened the opposite door from the flying corpse and ran in.

I realized too late, what I did. When I tried to open the door again, I could feel the door lock. Hades. The color in the room changed from the light blue to dark red. Fuck. I kicked the door, shouted, hit, tried to do anything. However, the door remained closed. I tried to shout for help, but the door was soundproof. I had always known I would die because of my own stupidity, but I never thought it would happen this early. Mom yes always- No, I can't think of Mom right now.

I got something else to think about very quickly, when small tubes that had small spikes on top of them came out of room that looked like small snakes from old movies. Knife, I had my knife with me. I desperatly grabbed Sonia's and Milo's birthday gift.

Spikes approached too slowly. I held the knife in front of me. My whole body was shaking. If the situation was any other way, or if I had been warned that I would have to fight, I would have already charged towards the pipes, knife swinging. That woman's face, it haunted me. What had those pipes done to her? What had she done to deserve that faith? What had I done to deserve this?

I successfuly cut two of the tubes. A pale green substance splattered from inside them, hissing as it hit the ground. Call me dark, but I imagined dying in a very dramatic duel where I would die for a small loyal group I lead, not from a poion in a freak accident.

There were too many spikes. I dropped my knife on the ground. This was the end for me. I wanted to apologize to mom, dad, Sonia, so many people I've been such a jerk to over the years. I wanted to send a message to Sonia. He would come to save me. The mothers would be so grateful, they would give her a place in the Gorgos. I would be most proud of her, and I wouldn't be bitter at all. I wouldn't listen to anyone who scoffed that I wouldn't get into the Gorgos. I just wanted to be home. I wanted my mom. Mum.

The door swung open behind me. I fell to the floor. Louis and Neela were staring at me above me. Dad took me in his arms. I couldn't move. One of the spikes had hit me. Neela and Louis shouted at each other but it all sounded like mumbling. The last thing I heard was my father's words before I passed out.

"Edan, we're going to the doctor. Now!"