The following morning when Hypnos arrived at the Whimsy, the three of them formed a formidable family front to receive him. An Ning was in her usual working clothes while Nian Zhen and Castor were dressed similarly in black robes each wearing a copy of An Ning"s magic ring on their left finger.The decision to allow Castor to fight wasn"t easy for An Ning and Nian Zhen. Castor was only fourteen and even if his grandfather had spent several months teaching him magic, he was merely a child playing soldier. He was not seasoned enough nor possessed of a heart robust enough to fight monsters and expect to win.
But Castor had gone to them and explained why he needed to do what he must do for his twin sister. Again, it all boiled down to choices, and love for family, and a fierce refusal to accept death or defeat even if it was in his face staring right back at him. An Ning didn"t have the heart to refuse him either because his reasoning and that of his father and others in the family had been oddly the same even if the circ.u.mstances were different.
Li Cheung never gave up on the love of his life even if he had to use subterfuge to win the right to possess and marry Hippolyta. Her own father An Ma had been adamant in refusing to divorce Yu Yan because he feared for his daughter"s life. Her mother had been the same. Ceres had kept her sanity and her will to live even behind bars because of her daughter. The Amazons who were abandoned on that barren island to rot had been the same. As long as there was breath in their bodies, then the fight continues, winning was achievable despite the odds.
Nian Zhen stood behind An Ning and gazed at his son with his chest twisting in pain. Parents always look out for their children. They cover their backs because that pretty much defines what parents do. However, he never expected to see his own son marching into a battle whose outcome they had no hope of ascertaining. He wanted to protest and yes, give up, for Pollux and the rest of his family"s sake but he wasn"t sure An Ning and Castor would come out of this alive even if he did. His crimes were too numerous. His sins even more horrendous. And his beloved woman and the son he had never ever seen until several months ago were the ones paying for his accrued IOUs with interest.
He looked at An Ning and took comfort in the tranquil calmness of her face. She stands with him and by him and to him that meant everything. They had been at their worst ever as a couple but survived separately and together against the odds. He just needed to put a little bit faith more in the power of his dreams that he and An Ning will grow old together and perhaps live a life of love and comfort in the coming years ahead.
This time, Hypnos was alone when he arrived. There was no warning of his coming either. Just a slight vibration between the two time parallels and he was there. He looked at the three of them, grim-faced and obviously raring to fight him but he only smiled, as if to show them how pathetic he really thought they were.
"So, it"s a no then?" he leisurely asked, raising his eyebrows at Nian Zhen.
"Where is my daughter? Where"s Pollux?" demanded Nian Zhen.
"Are you sure you"re up to this?" Hypnos asked, still smiling, still c.o.c.ky. "Hades is not as easy peasy as you think, you know. He always get what he wants."
"I"m curious," An Ning said. Hypnos turned to her with a supercilious smile on his face. Ah, the little woman. Always had to put in her little cent of curiosity, he was thinking. His smile froze though when he met An Ning"s eyes: cold, calculating, deadly. "Why now?"
"What do you mean?" Hypnos asked, getting his breath back. "What are you talking about?"
"Hades waited until Nian Zhen killed all those people. So many of them. Why didn"t he get him at his first 100 kills?"
Everyone looked at her with varying expressions on their faces. Hypnos was still nonchalant, still smiling. Nian Zhen, however, was conscious of Castor besides him. Castor had stiffened at his mother"s words. His eyes immediately flying to Nian Zhen, who met his gaze clearly yet with a spark of something like a silent plea in it. Perhaps it was due to his upbringing or to something else he saw in the man staring right back at him that inescapably moved him but Castor took a single step forward which brought him closer to Nian Zhen"s side. Nian Zhen gripped his sword hard until his hand almost bled, too moved by his son"s silent support to speak.
"I"m just an underling. How do I know what the great man thinks?" Hypnos scoffed.
"Well, don"t mind us being impolite then," An Ning smiled then lunged at Hypnos with her blade.