Chapter 349: Save your Sympathy
Poseidon shook his head as his eyes moved around the blood-spattered room. "As sick as they were, you really have to wonder what was going through their minds in their last moment's consciousness."
Chary chuckled as she wiped the sweat and blood from her brow. "Well, I don't know about this one but the last thing that went through the one over there's mind was his own dick by way of his mouth…"
Poseidon's brows lifted as he nodded in approval. "I assumed you girls would work well together, but I didn't expect it to be this efficiently."
"What can we say, Jos's previous… activities… were a huge help, and her ability to shift ages helped tremendously with trapping them. It cut our usual time in half." Chary bragged as she helped move the unconscious man.
"I see." His attention moved to the door as Jos stepped back into the room, a damp towel draped around her shoulders. "How do you feel, dear?" He asked as he took in her fatigued expression.
"I'm fine. Just a bit tired." Her gaze moved over the two men who were being loaded up onto gurneys. "What will be done with them?"
"They will be held in holding cells until all the victims are recovered. Then they will be punished legally for their actions." Poseidon answered, following her gaze to the men.
"And if they're not properly punished?" She asked.
He walked over and clasped her shoulder, noting that she'd lost weight in just the few days since he'd last seen her. "They will face a just punishment, dear. Do not worry. Once a case is turned over to us the punishment falls on our courts to deal out."
Jos frowned. "Nothing short of endless torment would be enough for either of them." Her frown deepened. "Raped to death by an ogre just to be brought back to life and have it happen all over again for eternity wouldn't be harsh enough…"
Poseidon chuckled as he pulled her into a hug. "You are something else, my dear. I do hope this work will help you realize a few things."
She arched a brow up at him. "Like what?"
He shrugged as he smiled down at her. "That being a monster has less to do with how you were born and those things outside one's control and more to do with the actions we are in control over, my dear."
Jos let out a heavy sigh. "I get what you're trying to say… but I don't think it applies here…" She met his eyes directly. "I would have killed them…"
He continued to smile as he bopped her nose. "I know you would have, dear. That is why you're now part of a team and not going at it alone. Wanting to kill vial trash like that doesn't make you a monster. It's much more about learning how to hold back and see to their just punishments as much as honoring the victims."
Chary came up behind them and through her arm over both their shoulders. "Not that we don't get to take a few out here and there." She added with a wink.
Jos nodded and pulled away just as a text lit up her phone. She glanced down to see that it was from Shelly. She let out a frustrated sigh. "Damn…"
Poseidon arched a brow as he leaned over her shoulder. "What is it, dear?"
"Shell wants to come to visit." Her gaze moved to Chary and Scylla. "Would it be alright for me to give them the address to the townhouse? If not, I can meet them somewhere else."
Chary and Scylla both agreed at the same time. "See if she can give us about an hour to warp up here. We'd both love to see her and the baby too!"
Jos frowned as she nodded. "Alright, but please don't mention what it is we are actually doing. I don't want to worry her."
Scylla sent her a sad smile. "Don't worry. You can count on us." She leaned against the wall as she sighed tiredly. "I'm too tired to stir up unneeded drama anyhow." She rubbed her sore neck as she turned her attention to Chary. "Are you about ready to head back?"
"Of course!" Chary sent her a wide smile as she walked over and scooped her tired wife into her arms. "I wasn't joking earlier when I said I couldn't wait to peel this dress off you." She whispered against Scylla's lips before giving her a teasing kiss.
Poseidon chuckled. "You see." He said nodding toward his daughter and daughter-in-law. "Most outsiders would think they are monstrous beasts incapable of emotions such as love… but for those of us who have gotten to know them…" He sent her a wink.
Jos blew out a breath in mild irritation. "I get what you're trying to do, but I believe it's a bit different don't you."
"Not in the slightest, my dear. You are the only one who sees it another way." In a blink of an eye, they were standing in the center of the townhouse. Poseidon gave her shoulder one more good squeeze before releasing her. "Oh, and I almost forgot." He took her hand and placed something small in her palm before squeezing her hand tightly closed. "Before you leave the states, my dear…"
Jos glanced down into her hand to find a single key. She was still staring in a daze as new faces materialized in the room. Her eyes met Poseidon's in question, but all he did was nod and turn to greet Shelly and Rin. He held his hands out for Cam as the small child began to squirm in his father's arms. Jos swallowed hard as she pushed the key into her pocket. She hadn't even gotten her hand pulled back out when Shelly's arms engulfed her in a tight hug. "Shell!" She puffed out in a breath.
Shelly held Jos out at arm's length, a heavy frown on her face. "You've lost weight… and you have darker circles under your eyes than an actual raccoon."
Jos ran her free hand through her damp hair as she glanced away. "Um… thanks for the compliments…"
Shelly gave her a gentle shake. "Come on! What's going on, girl!" She took Jos's hand and began leading her away from the living room when she realized she didn't know where to go. She turned back to Jos. "Um… where is your room?"
Jos chuckled as she pointed to the hallway. "The one at the end. Feel free to lead the way."
Shelly smiled widely. "You better believe I will." She shouted over her shoulder. "We'll be back in a bit."
Rin only nodded between talk of Cam's new achievements with Poseidon, the god of the sea glowing with the pride of a proud grandparent all the while.
Shelly dragged Jos down the hall and to the indicated bedroom. "Aright, are you gonna tell me what's going on or not?"
Jos let out a sigh as she crawled onto the bed. "Where to start…" She studied Shelly. "You probably wouldn't believe half of it if I told you…" She tilted her head as she took Shelly in fully. "Wow… they are growing big aren't they…"
Shelly smiled as she flopped down onto the bed beside Jos. She grabbed Jos's hand and brought it to her swollen belly. "They just started moving a week ago." She smiled brightly as she held Jos's hand against one of the babies and watched Jos's mesmerized expression. "As excited as I am about the babies… you'll not get off the hook that easily. You and Arei split up? AND I had to hear about it from Russ?!"
Jos frowned as she laid back on the bed. "I wouldn't say split… exactly… I just need some time away from him." Jos's brows knitted. "Wait… Russ? How did he find out about it?"
"Well because Arei was brought over to fill in for R-… um… well…" She clamped her mouth tightly shut bringing Jos back up into a sitting position.
"Who's holding back and hiding things now!" Jos declared in exasperation.
Shelly narrowed her eyes. "Well, I guess if you're truly interested, you'll call one of them yourself. I mean if the two of you are only separated, that is." Shelly sent her a sweet smile.
Jos ground her teeth. "You remember that time when you were being a brat, and you made me promise to tell you straight the next time you were being a brat? Well, you're being a brat. You can't just strong arm me into talking to him."
Shelly shrugged. "Then give Russ a call. His coronation is coming up soon are you planning to attend?"
Jos frowned as her gaze moved toward the open window. "I was going to… but not if Arei will be there…"
Shelly's brows furrowed as she brushed away a few loose strands of Jos's hair. "What happened between the two of you? You were so happy just a few weeks ago."
Jos let out a heavy sigh as she retrieved a hair tie from the nightstand and began racking her damp hair into a messy bun. "We want different things… Her eyes moved to the engagement ring on the nightstand. "I hadn't realized just how greatly they differed until… I was face to face with his overwhelming joy at something I wanted… something I hadn't realized exactly how greatly I had wanted." She blew out another breath. She forced her gaze that had unintentionally fixated on Shelly's belly away. She fidgeted with a thread from the bedding as she continued. "I need time to decide which I'm willing to live without." She bit into her bottom lip as she held back the many other things that had been bothering her. She knew better than to get Shelly mixed up with the children of Nyx. "There are other issues I'm dealing with as well… many that I need to work out before I go back to being a regular part of any of your lives."
Shelly nodded. "I understand…" She searched Jos's tired face. A smudge behind Jos's ear caught Shelly's attention. Her brows furrowed as she swiped it onto her finger. "What is this? Did you do a facial earlier?"
Jos's eyes widened at the blood. She quickly grabbed Shelly's hand and rubbed it onto the hem of her tee-shirt. "Yeah… But I'm not sure if it's safe for pregnant mommas, so…"
Shelly arched a brow as her gaze moved over Jos once again. "Alright… if you say so…" She pursed her lips together. "If something else was going on, you'd tell me… right?"
Jos hesitated. "Yeah… as long as it was nothing that would cause you harm…"
Shelly frowned. "So no, then?" She grabbed Jos's hands and squeezed them in her own. "Promise me you'll talk to someone… that you'll ask someone for help if things become too much for you? Look at everything that has happened. There are a lot of people around you who care, and they… we are not weak people, Jos. You don't always have to be so strong or suffer alone. Let someone help you for a change."
Jos forced a tired smile as she nodded. "Alright… I'll think about it…"
Shelly scrunched her nose and lips. "I guess that's as best as I'm going to get from you…" She pulled Jos into a hug. "Get some sleep, yeah?"
Jos shook her head. "Nah, I'm still good. Besides, I haven't seen baby Cam in a while. I wanna go catch up with my favorite lil man."
Shelly giggled. "How long are you going to keep calling him 'baby' Cam? He's a Gen ya know…"
Jos pretended to think it over. "300 hundred… maybe then he'll be old enough to act like something other than a baby… I mean he has your brother's blood running through his veins as well after all."
Shelly busted out in laughter. "I'll make sure to tell Russ you said as much next time I talk to him!"
Jos's smile faded. "Yea… You do that…"
Shelly patted Jos's knee. "Stay here and rest, and I'll bring Cam in to see you."
Jos nodded sleepily. "Alright, sounds good." She said with a yawn as she snuggled against the soft pillows. She'd nearly forgotten why she'd been avoiding such soft, comfortable bedding until it was already too late.
Russ was reclined against the all too familiar bed. His arms were resting behind his head and his legs spread wide apart. Jos covered a gasp with her hands as frustrated tears began to burn her eyes. "There's more to it, isn't there? More that you didn't tell wolfy girl?" His eyes opened, finding hers immediately. "More about her brother and your feelings where he is involved." A grin spread across his lips as he held out an arm to admire his current flesh. "I have to say the kid is a looker. The two of you could have had breathtaking children… still could… Isn't that what keeps battering your poor scrambled mind?"
Jos shook her head frantically as she tried to deny the thoughts she would never have the will to utter aloud. But there was no point in denying them. His wide grin was enough to tell her he knew well enough what he was talking about and exactly which nerves he was treading along. She squeezed her eyes tightly closed as he continued.
"How many times have you asked yourself whether you made the right choice in letting the pup go?" He sat up in the bed and crawled seductively toward her. He captured her chin in his firm grip. "You're right you know. He would have been more than thrilled to have any child you bared him, monster or otherwise. I've seen the dreams myself. And your curse would have prevented him from ever being anything less than fateful. Ha… what am I saying. He'll forever be your loyal lap dog." His grin widened as he let his fingers dig into her face more forcefully. "Would you like to see just how troubled his dreams have been of you lately? The poor boy has been absolutely tormented between his love for you and his sense of responsibility to his new blushing bride-to-be." His eyes lit up even wider as he continued on. "Oh, but you should visit her dreams. It may even be enough for you to fight for him back. After all, she has very selfish reasons for staying with our handsome prince."
Jos shook her head. "I don't care what her reasons are. They are better together than he and I could ever be."
"If you say so." His words tickled her lips as he brushed his lips past hers. "Then tell me, why are you not jerking away from my touch as you usually do?"
Jos forced a smile. "Because you do a horrible job emulating him. It's easy to tell the two of you apart."
He chuckled as he moved his lips to hover just above her slender neck. "Then maybe I should switch back to a guise I'm better suited for, don't you think." He nipped her neck lightly before leaning back.
Jos's breath caught and tears began overfilling her eyes as the perfect imitation of Arei sat right in front of her, a taunting smile curving his lips.
CREATORS' THOUGHTS 
Jacquia_comics
Jacquia_comics (Heavy sigh...) Poor Jos...
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