I tossed and turned the entire night, unable to sleep properly. Thoughts of Eros crept into my mind. Was he okay? Would he come home? I had just gotten him back and I felt like I had lost him…again. For the third time in our lives, something was trying to tear us apart.
I slowly opened my eyes, still sleeping in the same bed as my daughter. She was fast asleep, her chest rising and falling slowly. She had been through so much and it was because of me. I closed my eyes. If Eros heard my thoughts he would scold me. He would tell me that it wasn’t my fault but my mother’s. I sighed. Eros…where are you?
I slipped out of bed, tiptoeing out of my daughter’s room and made my way to the kitchen. My lip trembled as I dragged my feet towards the fridge, pouring myself a glass of water. I needed to tell someone about this, but who? I heard the scraping of paws on the kitchen floor and looked up. Las stood in the doorway, his head tilted to the side. Eros’ tigers were smart, Las knew something was off. I placed the glass down and knelt on the floor. The big fluff ball trotted over to me and lied down, looking at me with his big blue eyes. Just like Eros. I felt a tear roll down my cheek as Las pawed at my leg. I kissed his head, scratching behind his ear.
“He’ll be home soon. I know it,” I whispered.
Las’s ears perked and he quickly rose. I watched as he trotted out of the kitchen towards the front door. My brow furrowed and I felt my heart leap in my chest. Who could it be? Could it be….
“Honey! I’m home!” I heard Eros’s voice.
A smile spread across my face and I ran out of the kitchen. There, at the door, was my husband. He was covered in blood but had a big grin on his face. I couldn’t stop myself, I ran towards him, jumping into his arms.
“LYKOS!” I screamed, tears rolling down my face. He was home. He was safe. Eros spun me around as I held him tightly.
“You missed me?” he asked.
“Of course I missed you! Are you okay?” I asked, kissing every inch of his face. He winced when I kissed his nose.
“I’m fine, Aren,” he said, “Let me just shower off the blood.”
I slid off him, taking his hand and leading him to the master bathroom.
“What happened? I was so scared,” I said.
“Kronos kidnapped me, Din, and the Moirai.”
I let go of his hand, gently lifting his shirt over his head. The memories of last night returned to me. He had disappeared in front of me and I hadn’t been able to do anything.
“Are they okay?” I asked, observing his injuries. Bruises covered his chest. I ran my fingers over them. There was a large amount of blood on his side. The sight had me crying more.
“Nyxie… she died,” he whispered.
“She…what?” I looked up at him but he turned his back to me, turning the shower on.
“She…she gave her life for ours.”
I wrapped my arms around his torso, resting my cheek on him. “Oh, Lykos…I’m so sorry.”
He took his pants off, ducking under the spray.
“She is…” he mumbled something under the water.
I pulled him out from under the water. “She is?”
“The Titans are locked up.” He ignored me, scrubbing the back of his head. Gold ichor dripped down his torso, making my stomach twist. I grabbed a cloth from the shelf, wetting it under the water before scrubbing his chest.
“All of them?” I asked. “K-Kronos too?”
Eros leaned against the wall with his palm, sighing. “He escaped, but we’re fine, Nyxie is fine.”
I squinted at him. That lying son of a…
“You just told me she was dead!”
“And she’s not anymore.” He chuckled.
I punched his chest before freezing. Right. He is injured. “Sorry.”
He smirked at me, kissing my lips once more.
“It was close there for a while,” he whispered.
Touching his cheek, I looked at his nose. It was definitely broken. “Well, I am so happy to know you are okay. Do you need ice for that?”
“I’ll be fine, Aren. There’s no need to fuss.” He gave me a small smile, pushing my hair behind my ear.
“I was so scared, Lykos,” I said, my lip trembling.
“I’m sorry,” he said, kissing my tears. “I’m home now. I was worried you would come chasing after us.”
“I couldn’t leave our daughter. I’m so sorry I didn’t try to find you.”
He pressed his face into my neck. “Aren, I’m so fucking happy you were here.”
“Do you think anything is going to come between us again?” I asked him.
“Things will always try to come between us and fight to tear us apart, but it won’t matter, they’ll fail. They’ll have to. The only thing I care about is you and our daughter. In the end, that will always bring me back to you.”
I turned off the water, stepping out of the shower and grabbing a towel for Eros.
“And all I care about is you and her, as well. Oh and the boys,” I said, wrapping the towel around his waist.”
“I’m glad they made it on your list.”
“Well, we are one big happy family,” I said, leading him to the bedroom. “You should rest.”
“Are you going to sleep, too?”
I helped him into bed before slipping in beside him.
“I’ll lay with you.”
“Aren…” he said, resting a hand on my stomach, “do me a favor?”
“Yes, Lykos?”
“Will you…will you not sleep near me?”
My heart dropped in my chest and I stared at him. He must be joking, right? After years of not sleeping in the same bed, he wanted distance between us?
“W-what?” I whispered, my voice breaking.
“I… I’m worried that I will hurt you in my sleep.” He shut his eyes.
A tear rolled down my cheek and I remember what happened the other night. He was different. He could have hurt me. I kissed his cheek.
“I’ll go watch tv…have a good rest.” I choked back a sob.
He grabbed my arm.
“Aren, don’t go. I mean, just don’t fall asleep.” He moved, wincing. “Please? Just lie next to me?”
I laid back down. “Okay, Lykos.”
“I’m too weak to fight the nightmares…” he muttered, laying his head on me. I ran my fingers through his hair.
“Shhh, my husband. Sleep. I’ll be here for you when you wake up.”
He closed his eyes. “I love you, Aren.”
“I love you, too.”
I watched as his breathing slowed and his body relaxed on mine before I flipped the tv on. His arm was locked around my waist and it made me smile tenderly. Don’t worry, Lykos. I will help you get rid of these nightmares.
Clio is portrayed by Alice Callisto. Alice Callisto is a pen-name she goes by to share her fiction writing with the world. Callisto is also a streamer who loves to play games like Skyrim to Call of Duty. She is a big fan of ancient history and enjoys learning new things. Callisto has been writing since the age of sixteen on various different platforms, but only started taking it seriously recently. She is currently working on a project for #NaNoWriMo which involves dragons. Follow her on Twitch and Twitter to make her day.
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