Disagreements and Misunderstandings

Chapter 23

Christmas and the New Year passed by and Julián's life was much better. Happy even.

He and Percy had developed a strong friendship that had turned into something more, unspoken but ever present. For Julián, sleeping together was out of the question because he feared Orion's reaction and for Percy, the bedroom issue never crossed his mind.

Once again, the parade of rich and important people began. Julián fell into a sullen silence each time he saw any of VIPs and preferred to walk away with Lýkos while Percy stayed in the house to shake his tail to everyone who might had been useful for his future.

Had Orion no forbade him to curse anyone or anything, Julián would have been very happy to tell people his true thoughts about their manners. His petty revenge on Orion was to acquire the Ipad of his dreams -on his account- and use it every night in the bedroom to read for school.

Julián was ostensibly pulling the device out each time a visitor entered in the living-room. Some were brave enough as to address him but Julián would not reply -and to hell with politeness no matter what Percy said- or glare at them and predict their impending dooms half jokingly.

One was foolish enough as to offer him a hefty sum of money but it was turned down with a “what's the use of your papers or gold to me, if there will be nobody to want it?”

Percy went home for the holidays and both men were left alone. Julián was certain his mentor knew everything, but Orion continued with his unflappable attitude towards the world.

Beginning of January, Julián became restless and in the middle of their dinner together Orion said sternly to the youth.

“If it pleases you, you may sleep with the young one under certain conditions. One, he will not penetrate you; second, he will not ingest your seed under any circumstance; and third, it will be done here, under my surveillance.”

The clattering of the silver against the china dish made Orion fear the worst for that set he liked so much.

Julián gaped at Orion for a long time. “Do you agree to... a ménage à trois?” he asked.

“No, I have no intentions of participating in your games. I only set these conditions so the human is not harmed. I'm not in the mood for tossing bodies out of my home.”

“What the hell is that supposed to mean?”

“A simple precaution.” Orion shrugged, already wondering if KPM Fulda would be still manufacturing china sets or if he would have to look for an antique dealer. There was a small chip on the delicate dish and how he loathed incomplete sets.

“I never killed anyone in my life! I would never do it!”

“Inadvertently.” Orion said. “If you and he desire each other, there is no reason to stop it if it is done taking some precautions. Consider it our version of the safe sex.”

“Why can't we do what we want?”

“He's not one of us and it could be too much for him. I'm sure you will find a way to enjoy a pleasant evening while you follow these three simple rules.”

“What could happen if I don't?”

“The moon dust flows through your veins; it is a deadly poison for those who haven't survived it.”

The white and green tureen simple flew over the dining room and crashed against the wall behind Orion.

“You nearly killed me!” Julián shouted and rose from the table.

“It was a possibility, yes but I took all the precautions I could to protect you. Call the maid to clean this,” he added as he glanced at the mess of broken china pieces and creole lobster soup staining the Persian rug.

“I hate you.” Julián said coldly.

“No, you don't. You're only throwing a tantrum. Grow up of them before they do any harm upon you. My brothers wouldn't be so accommodative as I am.” Orion warned him seriously. “My patience also wears thin, Julián. This is my last warning.”

“You turned my life upside down for who knows what and now you threaten me?”

“I turned nothing. You came to me.”

“Great, blame it on the dog.” Julián spat. “Beware yourself, warlock because I can also curse you.”

“You may try, Julián. Don't complain about my retaliation.”

Julián jumped backwards the sudden pain in his hands was excruciating, as if he would have been bitten by millions of burning needles. Shocked, he looked at his palms and they looked fine and rosy, though hurting to the point he couldn't move his fingers.

“They will be better tomorrow,” said Orion.

“How?” he babbled. Each move, no matter how small it was, sent ripples of pain along his arms, right to his brain.

“I'm just a warlock,” Orion mocked him. “Next time, this will last for much longer. Remember that my ability to keep track of time may be a bit elusive, Julián.”

The boy bit his lips to the point of breaking them. The fear of a larger punishment prevented him to shout “monster”; he only watched from one corner of the room how Orion calmly finished his dinner and walked away.

The burning pain didn't decrease. It only adopted the form of a pulsing wave. Julián only stood there as he feared to move.

'You went too far, Julián,' Lýkos deep voice sounded in his head and he watched how the wolf jumped on top of his chair. 'A pity to waste this,' he said before he devoured the abandoned piece of sirloin.

“Can you help me?” he asked through his pain.

'I'll open the doors for you so you can go to him and sleep there.'

“I will not go to him!”

'You will and do nothing else. Look contrite and he might lift the punishment earlier.'

“He had no right to do this!” he whispered furiously.

'Humans were cleverer in the past,' the wolf jumped out of the chair and sniffed the remains of the soup on the floor. 'Did you eat this? This lobster was not fresh. You should flog the servant woman.'

“Why do you say that?”

'Because either she's stupid or is robbing you with her shopping list. My meat was not good either.'

“That humans were cleverer,” Julián said as he fought the tears.

'Because they knew to keep distance to the half-gods; respect them if they wanted to keep their heads attached to the rest of their limbs.'

“Will I be like him?”

'You already are.'

“Can I beat him?”

'No, you can't. Neither I or any of us can. He has grown very powerful over the millennia.'

“What can I do?”

'What you used to do; be nice to him and leave everything to us. It's not much to ask. Learn some respect, boy.'

Lýkos walked over the door and pushed it open with his powerful paws. 'Come on, I don't have all night.'

“I don't want to be with him.”

'Stop being so ridiculous.' Lýkos admonished him. 'You'd better ask for his forgiveness and be more kind to him or you will experience first hand his wrath.'

“Why is he like that?”

'How else would he be? He's a leader and he fought against an army of men alone. Thanks to him, we are what we are. If the Moon Good chose us to champion his battles, it was because of his courage and cunning.'

Full of pain, Julián walked towards the open door. The stairs seemed to be larger than they really were. Julián watched how Lýkos took the first steps up and wondered if he really could climb it up. His hands and arms felt as if invisible fire strings were holding them. The pain pulsated in hot waves or they were replaced by acute pricks that took his breath away. Each step was a torment.

Nearly exhausted he arrived to Orion's bedroom's door. He would have preferred a hundred times to go to his own bedroom or somewhere else, but he knew that Lýkos was right. The best would be to settle it down and carry on with their lives.

Lýkos waited until Julián felt ready to enter before he pushed the door open. The wolf didn't enter as it was his custom and took several steps backwards, hunching his head between his shoulders to look humble and submissive. The Seer was quite furious.

Hesitantly, Julián entered in the room and walked up to the centre, as if waiting for permission to come closer to the large bed. Orion only looked at him once and picked up his book, once more ignoring him.

Julián came closer and nearly screamed of pain when his fingers tried to unbutton the shirt. He sat on the bed and then laid down on his pillows closing his eyes to subdue the pain.

“Forgive me,” he whispered and didn't know if Orion had heard him at all. “I didn't want to be so rude.” he added.

For all answer Orion left his book on the night table and turned around in the bed, looming over Julián. The boy felt his heart cringe with fear as this man was not the gentle and overbearing giant he was used to know. This man, if he could be still called so, was something different; powerful and deadly.

“I didn't mean it.” he added in a whisper.

Orion unbuttoned the shirt for him, exposing his torso to the chilly air in the room. His hands unbuckled Julián's belt and roughly put his trousers down, throwing them to a corner of the room.

“Have you understood that you are no superior to me?”

“Yes, you are the master here.” Julián replied softly and Orion took his wrists in a strong grip making the tears come to his eyes. Biting his lips to suffocate a cry, Julián held Orion's hypnotic gaze.

“We do not serve men.”

“Yes, it will be as you say.”

“Stop thinking on them as they will not care for you and exploit every weakness inside you to get their ways.” Julián's hands were pulled over his head and firmly kept there.

“You lead us.” Julián whispered “And we obey you,” he added, hoping the fire hold on his wrist would be lessened.

Pushing the boy's legs open with a painful kick of his knees, Orion crouched in front of Julián. “Guardian, do you accept my reign over you?”

“Yes, I do. Please release me. I'll be good from now onwards.” he pleaded as the pain was increasing more and more.

Holding his hands in a stronger grip than before, Orion penetrated Julián with a violent push. Julián cried as he felt torn in two but the man on top of him didn't care at all for his pain. Without stopping or waiting for him, Orion rode Julián in an brutal way, as he had never done before.

Julián tried to fight or at least disentangle himself form the iron hands that kept him prisoner, but it was useless. Orion was built in stone and each of his thrusts felt like a dagger finding its way through his flesh. Finally the boy realised that fighting would not help him and the only way to stop him was to show him that he was truly subdued.

He stopped his wriggles and moved his head backwards so Orion could have access to his neck, the ultimate proof of submission.

The bite on the crook of his neck and shoulder was not as painful as he had believed and he began to silently cry because he felt that Orion had slightly reduced his tempo and brutality. He heard him groan as he climaxed inside him and his sperm run inside him as it if were a corrosive liquid.

Orion withdraw from inside his body and left the bed, still looking at him seriously but not as furious as before. Julián wanted to crouch like a ball but each of his muscles ache, punctured by thousands of needles. He remained motionless and grimaced when he felt the stench of blood on his cotton linen. He could only put his arms down to cradle his midsection. He had no strength left. For a second he thought he would die of his injuries but he dismissed the thought as he didn't care at all.

Julián lost track of the time as he slowly tried to breath, using the fresh air to calm him down. He felt his inner wounds close and he hated himself it.

Orion's hands pushed him to one side of the bed and Julián knew his anger had subdued too. The pain still engulfed him, but Orion was not a threat anymore. Through his half closed eyes, he saw the huge stain of blood under him and wondered how much blood he had lost.

He didn't care.

He only watched how took the sheets away and threw them to the basket. For a second his mind wondered if the cleaning ladies would be able to see it or not. Most probably not and Julián imagined that Orion could fuck his own “son” in front of them, on top of the dinning table and they wouldn't know it.

“Please, stop now,” he pleaded Orion. “I don't want to fight with you.”

“Now you understand, Guardian.” Orion replied with a hard voice.

“Why did you have to use sex to punish me?” Julián didn't dare to use the word rape as it could make the monster come back.

“This is no sex or making love as you call it. Sex is meant for procreation. We will never produce children. When we do this, we communicate and become one. My own force enters in you and you grow stronger. It is a ritual. This is why nobody but me can do this with you. You would kill the person when you take him or her to the underworld as you do each time we are together. When this happens, I am allowed to cross the threshold and return stronger than before. You take the death out of me. If I were to let you become dominant or free, then the realms would fall into each other.”

“I have never seen a threshold when have sex,” Julián protested softly.

“Because you're too young. But it is there. We have seen it, Sartanos has seen it. When Guardians come to the living realm, it is because the Moon-God wants to punish men for what they did to us.”

“No, it's not like that,” Julián refused through the pain.

“The first time, the future plague of mankind was revealed to me, I felt so full of joy because it announced me of your coming. I mistook many for you, but finally you were here.”

“Are you calling me... “death bringer”?” Julián breathed labouredly.

“No, no. You don't bring anything.” Orion said immediately. “It's the Moon-Good who has decided to send death upon men. As the years passed and humans became more and more evil to each other, I became more and more alive.”

“Do you want their destruction?”

“It's the God who wishes so. It will be a great satisfaction when humans die out.”

“You told and forewarned them.” Julián said. “They look upon you as their friend. How can you betray them like this?”

“We are on opposite sides, Julián.” Orion took the silent Julián in his hands, forcing him to sit on the bed and helped him to get his pyjamas on. Carefully he helped the youth to lay down again over the pillows and covered him with the new and fresh covers. The shirt lay abandoned over the heap of clothes in one corner.

Orion walked around the bed and took his place, laying on one side. Not caring if Julián wanted or not, he put his arm around the boy's torso and came closer.

“Please, everything hurts,” he protested softly but Orion increased his hold over him. He became pliant in his arms and hoped Orion had finished with his punishment and returned to be once more the generous protector he had known.

They laid with their bodies laced together for a long time as Julián felt more and more drowsy. He firmly shut down all thoughts about people. He had enough with the pain felt around his arms and hands. It had diminished but it still was painful.

“Is it not enough? I'm truly sorry. Get this away too,” Julián pleaded on the brink of tears as Orion spooned his body against his even closer.

“I said tomorrow, Julián.”

* * *

Percy returned, but Julián's fire was well extinguished and not even the traces of the embers remained.

The young lord was a bit shocked to find that the over expansive Guardian was now quieter and much more reserved than before. True, he still accepted his company and studied with him, but Percy could feel the gigantic and looming wall built between them.

For Percy those were bad news as his superiors wouldn't be happy with his work.

Julián answered all of his questions with vague answers or a simply “I don't know. Ask Koiranos.” Much to his chagrin, Percy tried to lure the boy to his bed but he only made a fool out of himself.

The first flowers blossomed and Percy was as empty-handed as the first day he had been invited to the house. He had used all his diplomacy to convince the Seer to give his superiors the cure as they were sure it existed, but Koiranos only smirked each time he spoke about the great pain the world would face.

Forcing him to speak was useless and dangerous. It never ended up well for the people who came too close to him. For Percy it was incomprehensible why so many at the highest levels trusted him with their lives.

That his family had been asked to provide a “companion” for the Seer's Guardian was incredible. From a nameless clerk, waiting for any kind of opportunities in a shabby office at the MI5, Percy had been elevated to the Parnasus of State Secretaries and top Aides who endorsed him with the noble task of spying on the Seer as much as he could and get the little “Spanish Chav” to speak and help them.

And those powers that be were getting nervous around he and his lack of success.

His opportunity to reverse the odds showed up one Sunday morning when Koiranos announced that he was travelling to the north to visit some friends. Of course, he invited the boys, but Julián refused as he had to study for his finals. Quickly, Percy did the same.

Lýkos, on the other hand, had had enough of the city and gladly shook his tail, hoping he would be taken too. The days drove on and Julián only studied and prepared his essays without paying any attention to the rest of the world. The next Friday evening, Orion took the car and wolf and drove away with the promise of coming back in four days.

On Saturday, Percy did his best to lure Julián into talking but Julián was more interested in finishing a paper due for next week than in communicating with his former flare.

Julián felt absolutely cold in the inside and loathed to participate into anything related with the living world. Reading and studying were safer for his mental well-being than chasing after a young British lord (or evading the chase as this was the current case).

Orion, as usual had left all his papers laying in disarray over his desk. The hundred of pages, carefully written with a pen in those small and complex symbols, were left abandoned and unprotected.

Julián was well familiar with those papers and was sure that they contained prophesies but he didn't care at all. After all, they were impossible to read and Percy -in his opinion- was only wasting his time by trying to steal them.

“Don't bother.” Julián said with a smirk. “No cryptographer in the world could decode them.”

Percy left the papers again on the table and looked at Julián, gauging him. The Guardian looked unimpressed at his actions as if he didn't care at all that he had been caught with his hands full.

“Can you read them?” Percy had seen the breach in the wall. Julián had no cried for help or done anything else. Surely, he must be aware of what the papers contained; plans; prophesies; information given to adversaries; and perchance a cure.

“No. It's an old form of Linear A, but he has changed over the past... let's say 3.000 years. You have more chances to find a copy of the Iliad signed by Homer than to understand what he writes.” Julián nearly smiled at the calculated expression that went by Percy's eyes, classifying and assessing such an important information.

“We need to read this papers. You know how important it is for us, mankind to find a cure or a way to stop it. You're one of us; you are not like him.”

“Mankind or the British, no let's better say the NATO top heads? You're always shaking your tails to the Americans.” Julián said with deep disgust. “Even if there were a cure, it's useless. Most people already carry the thing.” He said with real compassion. “Christ! The Russians at least were brutal but honest people.” he mumbled.

“Do you have any idea what is to die? Do you want this for all of us?”

“Dying? Oh, yes. Every Saturday night when I was coming home with a guy I met half an hour ago.”

“Julián, you're a decent fellow. Can you not help us?”

“I don't know how.”

“Talk to the Seer. Ask him to help us. We will give him anything he wants.”

“He wants nothing from you.”

“We could force him.”

“I wouldn't try it, unless you want to add a nuclear disaster, assorted catastrophes over the Western world and who knows with what else he could come up.” Julián said tiredly.

“Wouldn't you like to help your friends?”

“My friends deleted me from their Facebook contacts,” Julián replied sarcastically. “Not interesting enough and save me the teary family chapter because for them, I'm nothing.”

“Not even your little nephew?”

“My nephew? No, no, no. Carlos had nothing to do with Jenny's girl. She even says that.”

“The baby he and his girlfriend are expecting. Did you know nothing about it?”

Julián was shocked. Carlos had told him nothing, yet they hadn't spoken since Portugal, and that was... a year ago?

The younger brother frowned.

He had forgotten to wind up the old clock in the mantelpiece. Orion would be upset upon his return as the thing was so delicate that it took a lot of work to make it function again without a glitch.

“Wow. You know how to play your cards, but it's really not up to me, Percy. Get lost before Orion smells you were touching his papers.” Julián replied and began to carefully turn the golden key on the mechanism. He winced when the clock complained with an unnatural metal whimper.

“What happened to you? You care about nothing.” Percy repeated with emphasis. “You were so in love with this man. Ahmed. Do you want that he pays the price too?”

“Did you dare to dig your big nose into my private life?” Julián asked in shock. “Shit!”

“We could help you both. I know how miserable you are here.”

“On the other hand, everything we did was on Facebook and Instant-YOU,” Julián mumbled miserably, ignoring Percy totally.

“Not much of privacy there. Maybe his wife read it too,” he realised and hit his forehead with his palm.. “And then, she wasn't so happy about the husband she got. Coming from your far away country and finding this. That was a truly lousy start,” he mumbled and regretted his harsh words. 'Orion was right, he wasn't for me.'

“Julián, he's single again.” Percy whispered coming very close to him. “We could help you both.”

“I doubt very much that he wants to see me.” Julián replied sadly and Percy knew he had finally found his token.

“Why? I think he might regret all what happened. His marriage wasn't doing well at all and he even lost his children. His family forbade him to see them.”

“They're not his children,” Julián sighed moving away from Percy. He walked to the desk and began to gather Orion's papers carelessly, just to make a pile out of them, stash them somewhere with a lock and forget all about them.

“His nature is not my fault. He was more than happy to jump to my bones. Besides, that's ancient history,” Julián shrugged and contemplated the newly formed stack of paper in front of him. “I will not tell it again, Percy. Go away, now.”

“Why don't we go away together? You hate to be here.”

“To be honest, I hate it less than being with my family.” Julián answered earnestly.

“Tell your people that you don't want troubles with Koiranos. I've seen how it is, and he plays dirty. Dirtier than any of you.”

“You have no idea how dirty we can be.”

“Oh yes, I can imagine so, but you wouldn't like to find the royal baby hanging from a velvet rope because his nanny thought he was the Antichrist or something along those lines. Orion's sense of humour works in a funny way. Or perhaps, one of his immortal buddies in San Francisco decides to shut down the net. After all, if a plane crashes, the markets go berserk or if you have no e-mail, it means nothing for them.”

“Koiranos is an iceberg, but you are not. Where's your heart? I'm sure you know a way out of this mess. A cure.”

“There is one.” Julián said softly and Percy looked at him expectantly. “Go back to the forests and kill your own Bambi as they're not contaminated; grow your own vegetables but add nothing to them; go to the North Pole and live with the Eskimos, but they already drink Coca Cola. If you do that, if you give up everything Modern, the pathogen inside you may die.”

“This is absurd!”

“There is your cure.”

“It's impossible! There would be no civilization! Only hunters and gatherers. The planet hasn't got the capability to sustain the entire world population.”

“You've got what you wanted. I guess the Russians followed his instructions. Perhaps the Chinese too. They're too clever to be caught with their pants down. Do the same or enjoy the time is left before it starts. I can't do a thing. Don't take it on me. Take it on the idiots who created it.”

“There should be something you can do.”

“You're demanding that we do a God's job. That's impossible. Orion has given people all what he knew.”

“All what he gave us is useless. If many cases had not arisen around the world, I would have labelled him as a charlatan.”

“Maybe he's wrong.” Julián suggested not very convincingly. “If you'd sit for awhile and think all over then you'd realise your beliefs are nothing but sheer madness.”

“Is that your last word?”

“Yes, good-bye.”

Julián watched how Percy left the room and felt a pang of sadness. They had got along and it didn't take to be a genius to realise that in his future there will be not many friends for him. He was cut off from mankind, just like Orion was.

Lýkos had been able to make more friends at Oxford than he. Everybody knew him by his name and the wolf was quite celebrated each time he decided to grace the humans with his presence.

If the other “Warriors” were arrogant pricks like Sartanos was, Julián was better off. His hopes about them were dim and in fact, he feared the moment when he would have to meet with them.

His time in London was over.

If there was any other human being whom Julián could get close, that person would be his nephew or niece. That baby could be risen to be a healthy person and live throughout all his natural life.

He only had to sit and wait for Orion's return.