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Cerberus

Chapter 9: Labels

Flynn sank down into his body, the last thing he remembered before he left Hecate’s prison was that warm family hug. He blinked, the world still coated in red from the glasses he wore, Damian’s talisman.

“You fucking bitches,” a deep, angry snarl filled the room before the kitchen table was shoved to the side, some of the contents spilling onto the floor as Cerberus pushed himself away from the table, turned, and stomped his way out of the kitchen.

“Cerberus,” Hemala scolded him like a child, but Kamila put a hand on the nightingale’s shoulder.

“Let him go,” the barn owl instructed. “He can’t go far, and he’s being forced to help in a task he wants nothing to do with. The least we can do is give the mutt some space.”

“I do have some questions for you though,” Flynn narrowed his eyes and looked at Hemala. “You said you guys have a cure for a hellhound bite, but then when we were with Hecate you all made it sound like you needed to still figure that one out.”

“True,” Hemala smiled and put a hand over her beak. “We do have a traditional cure, one that would work, but you wouldn’t really be you afterwards.”

“What?” Flynn furrowed his brow.

“In order to remove a hellhound bite,” Tiahna spoke up. “The only way currently is to either carve out the flesh that’s afflicted and heal it as fast as possible, or remove what it’s burning.”

“It’s burning me, though, right?” Flynn cocked a brow. “How would that work?”

“It’s not burning you,” Kamila spoke up. “It’s burning your mana.”

“So you’d have to remove me from my mana? Wouldn’t that kill me?” Flynn was getting confused.

“The hellhound bite burns through people and scorches their entire magical network,” Tiahna shrugged. “Leaving them a husk, but if we were to sever your connection to magic, the fire would burn itself out.”

“Like snuffing a candle,” Hemala added. “The rest of the candle is still there, but…”

“It can no longer burn,” Kamila finished.

“So, if I didn’t join you, you were going to make it so I couldn’t cast magic at all?”

“You would be the one to make the choice on that,” Hemala answered. “You’d give up magic forever and you could return to your normal life. You’d just have to switch careers. People do that all the time.”

Flynn thought about that for a minute, the family he just found seeming very sharp and calculating. Flynn may want a family, but he wasn’t about to switch one viper pit for another. He trusted the three sisters in the sense that they needed him, but how deep did this sisterly bond really go? He wasn’t ready to throw caution to the wind and move into their guestroom just yet.

“I think I should check on Cerberus,” Flynn stood up.

“Brother, what did I just say,” Kamila’s brown eyes glared at Flynn, the wolf pausing. Clearly the barn owl wasn’t used to people not taking her words to heart. The three sisters didn’t have a leader, but they sure as hell knew who was in charge. Flynn didn’t want to upset his new family, but he also didn’t want to be a pushover anymore. He had been jerked around from hellhound to hellhound, from dealer to dealer, from demigod to god. He wasn’t about to let that trend continue.

“He’s my responsibility,” Flynn spoke firmly and glared right into Kamila’s eyes, refusing to back down. The owl glared back before standing up with a sigh.

“Do as you wish,” she waived the wolf off. “We’ll get working on a proper talisman for you. Just don’t upset him more than he already is. We need him focused and sharp for the trials ahead.”

“Thanks,” Flynn’s shoulders relaxed as he made his way after Cerberus. “I shouldn’t be long.”

“We needn’t start our hunt today,” Kamila answered picking up dishes and moving them to the sink. “Take all the time you need. We’ll be here when you get back.”

“I’m just going to talk to Cerberus,” Flynn cocked a brow.

“You have an entire life outside of these four walls,” Hamala smiled and helped clear the table. “Go back home, sleep on this, and come back when you’re ready. You have plenty of loose ends to tie up before we get down to business.”

Flynn was going to protest, but then he remembered his sister’s clairvoyance. Maybe he should just go home and figure things out.

“We’ll call when we have your talisman ready,” Hemala reassured him.

“But…I don’t know where my phone is,” Flynn shook his head. “How will you call me?”

“Don’t worry,” Hemala smirked. “It’ll find you.”

Flynn wanted to know more, but he also didn’t want Cerberus to get too far.

“See you all soon,” Flynn reassured them and went to catch up to Cerberus.

***

Flynn never caught up with the hellhound. He didn’t want to tug on his leash either. Sure, the guy was an asshole, but Flynn knew what it was like to feel helpless. Even though the majority of that helplessness over the past few days came from that frigid asshole, he could relate all too well. And in the end, he wasn’t a monster.

Flynn decided to take his sisters’ advice and go home for now. He shuffled the streets in his airy clothes, and despite the crispy breeze, he didn’t feel cold. The glasses must be helping him a lot with his innate ability. He took the glasses off for a brief moment, and sure enough, mist started to roll from his lips, and when he put them back on, his mouth warmed back up to normal temps. Flynn gave a deep sigh as he got to his apartment.

He pulled the spare key from their hiding space behind the fire extinguisher and opened the door. He entered the apartment and closed the door behind him, his home feeling cold and foreign to him.

But he quickly realized he wasn’t alone.

“Nathan?” Flynn cocked a brow as he looked over into his roommate’s room to see the ferret packing an overnight bag.

“Flynn?” Nathan stood up and came to his door, leaning on the frame. “Was wondering if I’d even be able to find you before I came back.”

“What do you mean? I live here,” Flynn chuckled, though Nathan didn’t seem amused.

“We can talk when I get back from my parents’ place. My dad is being discharged and I want to be there to help my mom with some of the housework while he’s recovering.”

“Oh my god, that’s right, your dad,” Flynn had completely forgot that he had been hurt in the line of duty, but at least now he knew he was okay. “I’m glad that he’s okay.”

“Yeah, sure,” Nathan rolled his eyes and turned back to packing his bag.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Flynn cocked a brow.

“Nothing,” Nathan was short as he zipped up his bag and slung it over his shoulder.

“No, that’s not nothing, what’s happening?”

“Why don’t you check your phone,” Nathan huffed. “It’s on the table.”

“You had my phone? How?” Flynn was very confused, but he went to the table and sure enough his phone was there, the screen full of hundreds of notifications. Flynn was sure most of them were from Aaron, but that didn’t explain how his phone made it to Nathan.

“I’ll let you know if anything changes with my dad,” Nathan’s tone was dry.

“If your parents need extra help, I’m willing to come and—”

“No!” Nathan snapped. “No, you’ve done enough already.”

“What’s that supposed to mean!” Flynn stood up. “Do you have any idea what kind of shit I’ve had to deal with these past few days?”

“Cut the crap Flynn,” Nathan spun around, his eyes glistening with angry tears. “I know you went to your old drug dealer, Damian!”

“I…What?” Flynn blinked. “Nathan, it’s not what you think.”

“Yeah, I’ve heard it all before,” Nathan huffed. “I’m not dealing with you right now.”

“No, seriously, Nathan, it’s not what you think!” Flynn stepped forward and put a hand on Nathan’s shoulder.

“Don’t FUCKING touch me!” Nathan shouted, spinning around and slapping Flynn’s hand. “Do you know why I had your phone? Because Damian came to the library looking for you! He attacked Aaron! I had to taser the fucker to get him to stop!”

“Damian…came to…you tasered him?” Flynn’s mind was reeling. “When did you get a taser?”

“The day after you had that fucking freak in our apartment!” Nathan huffed. “Flynn, just leave me alone. I don’t feel safe around you right now, and I’m not going to bring your bullshit with me to my parents’ place. I don’t have the time or energy right now, and if dad ever found out you were using again…please, just try not to fucking overdose before I get back.”

“What the FUCK!” Flynn snarled. “I’m trying my fucking best right now! I was drugged, nearly raped, and you think I wanted all that!”

“Fuck off Flynn! I’ve heard it all before,” Nathan stomped his way to the door. “Save it for the hotline people who are paid to give a shit. I’m not going to sit here and listen to your bull!”

“No,” Flynn snarled. “No! This isn’t bullshit! You have to listen to me Nathan, I didn’t want this, I didn’t want to do any of this! It’s Cerberus and Damian, and all the other stuff!” Flynn was so mixed up in his own head he couldn’t articulate his thoughts. “They’re hellhounds!”

“Really?” Nathan paused, half out the door. “Give it a rest Flynn. Next you’re going to say you shared a blunt with bigfoot. Why would demon dogs give a shit about some junky?”

“Junky…?” Flynn squeaked, his heart pierced by that insult.

“God damn it Flynn!” Nathan took a deep breath. “I didn’t mean…I’m not going to argue with you right now, I can’t,” Nathan closed the door.

“Nathan?” Flynn felt like he had just been sucker punched. Every fiber of his being wanted to scream, to yell, to shout, but his lungs couldn’t pull in enough air. Once he finally did, a sob broke his lips. “Nathan…I’m sorry…I’m sorry…” Flynn collapsed onto the floor, holding his phone to himself as he shivered in anger and regret.

It really wasn’t his fault. This all happened because of some twisted, fucked up sense of luck. It wasn’t because he wanted to be a…a junky…

The glow from his mother’s revelation and Cerberus’s heads all felt so surreal compared to his real life issues. There was no way he could convince Nathan…unless he made Cerberus confess to him, but who’s to say he wouldn’t just freak out. Flynn felt trapped. It was like no matter how hard he tried, no matter what angle of explanation, it would all just seem like a desperate junky trying to explain away his addiction.

“Cerberus,” Flynn mumbled into his knees. “I know you don’t want to be here, but…could you come over here.”

He felt the hum tingle across his connection, the order gentle and wanting. Flynn didn’t know who else to turn to in that moment, and he knew the headless hound didn’t want to see him, but Flynn had no one else to turn to. He waited a few minutes before there was a knock at the door. Flynn sniffed and got up, walking over to open it up, hoping to maybe force a conversation with Cerberus.

“I know it’s kind of fucked up,” Flynn was still looking at his feet, his head hung low. “But…I really don’t want to be alone.”

“Oh honey,” the voice that came from beyond the doorway wasn’t Cerberus’s. Flynn’s eyes shot up and there, before him was a pitch black Great Dane. “You know I’d always come when you call.”

“Damian!” Flynn tried to slam the door shut, but the hound slammed his shoe between the frame and the door before forcing it open, making Flynn fall back on his ass.

“Damn right, skank!” Damian snarled. “You think your little roommate could keep me in the pound for long? Half those fuckers are on my payroll.”

Damian kicked the door shut behind him and pounced, pinning Flynn to the floor, his powerful hand gripping the wolf’s neck.

“Open your mouth,” Damian snarled, practically foaming around his lips as he prepared his innate ability. “I’m not going to let you get away from me this time.”

Flynn struggled, kicking as best he could, but the Great Dane had him pinned. He couldn’t let the hound spit in his mouth. Once he had that in him, it would be over. No, but maybe…

Flynn kept his mouth shut as best he could and whipped his head to the side, his glasses flying off. He then turned to face Damian and he took a deep breath before blowing out icy air. It was like a lance of steam, only instead of being boiling hot, it was blistering cold. Damian yipped, recoiling as Flynn got ready to shoot another breath when the Great Dane’s other hand clamped down on Flynn’s mouth so hard he thought his jaw was going to break, Flynn’s teeth biting down on his cheek and causing the coppery sour taste of blood to fill his muzzle.

“You fucking skank,” Damian snarled.

Flynn wasn’t done yet. Damian had adjusted just a bit and Flynn was able to go for the hellhound’s jewels. He slammed his fist between the hellhound’s legs, the dog yipping and jumping away, freeing Flynn from him as he cupped his bruised balls. Flynn didn’t know how hard he hit him, but Damian looked like he was going to throw up.

“You FUCKING BITCH,” Damian shouted. “I’m going to make you into a fucking brood whore!” Damian got his legs beneath him as Flynn scurried to the window and out onto the fire escape. “Fuck you skank! You’re not getting away from me! I’m going to have my boys gang bang you into next fucking week! I’ll have them fuck some respect into you, you fucking bitch!”

Flynn was just able to slip out the emergency window when Damian pounced, the man gripping Flynn’s ankle through the window. Flynn hipped and turned to blow another lance at him, but Damian was ready this time, he had turned on the sink inside and was controlling the stream of water to shoot a lance of his own. A large glob of water smacked the wolf’s face just as he breathed out, his maw freezing around a block of ice.

“Not so tough now, huh you—GAH!” Flynn spun and slammed his free foot down on Damian’s wrist, making him release his other leg. The wolf spat out the ice in his maw and jumped down the steps, the railing keeping the hellhound at bay as he continued to descend the steps. Flynn was normally scared of heights, but his phobia was currently being browbeaten into a corner as his hellhound drug dealer was snapping and snarling at him. The guy was too big to fit out the window, so all he could do was watch.

At least that’s what Flynn thought.

Red energy glowed around the Great Dane as the pipes in his apartment rattled, all screeching like nails on a chalk board as the water in them screamed. The brick grew darker, the stone drinking in the water as the mortar fractured and squirted out streams of pressurized water. It was like watching a fire hydrant slowly erupt as brick after brick was forced away from the building until the window burst from the wall, the Dane forcing his way out onto the fire escape, flexing and breaking the window pane around him before slinging over the side and slipping down the fire escape like some snarling ape. He was too large for the stairs, so instead he opted to climb down the sides like it was a ladder.

Flynn just got to the bottom of the escape and was releasing the ladder when a foot paw dented the railing beside him. The wolf screamed and slid down the ladder like it was a fireman pole, his feet hitting the ground hard and causing his soles to hurt, but nothing was broken.

Flynn wasn’t going to wait around to see if Damian faired any better. The wolf booked it, running as fast as he could, huffing out cold puffs of air.

“FLYNN!!!” Damian roared, his voice echoing off the walls. The Great Dane spat in a puddle, the water instantly rippling as it sang. Damian commanded it to shoot forward, the song going from a crystalline hum to a whistling screech as it shoot forward like a bullet. Flynn felt pain shoot up his shoulder, the water having grazed it. The water had struck him so hard that the pressurized impact sliced through his clothes and cut a tinny slit through his skin.

“Fuck,” Flynn hissed as he tried to cover the wound, only for it to buzz. Flynn’s eyes went wide as Damian’s innate ability started to hum down his arm.

“I got you now bitch,” Damian snarled, his horns flashing into reality as he clenched his fist. Instantly Flynn’s shoulder muscles cramped, the veins pushed up against his skin like angry worms as the wolf let out a pained scream.

The pain shot down his arm and over his neck, the blood in his veins screaming so loud his vision was blurry, but he could still move. Flynn didn’t stop running. He just needed to get out into the street. He just needed to make it to a busy street!

“What the hell man!” Some guy shouted as Flynn ran into him.

“Help me!” Flynn grappled at the guy’s arm. “He’s after me!”

“Fuck off me tweaker!” The guy shoved Flynn out of the way. Flynn stumbled and scraped his hands on the sidewalk, but kept running. He bounced into a few people as he ran, but Damian came prepared.

“Stop that criminal!” Damian emerged from the shadows, brandishing an EC Badge. “Move! Out of the fucking way!”

Flynn was being hindered by the crowds of people while the part in his wake was kept wide open as Damian flashed his badge. If anyone looked close enough it was clearly a fake, but when you were running, no one noticed. They just got out of the way.

“Please! He’s not an officer! Please someone! Help!” Flynn screamed, but the people around him pushed him off or got out of his way. A powerful hand gripped onto his shirt and yanked back. Flynn screamed, letting the clothing slip off him, a half-naked man running through the streets wasn’t helping the situation, but he wasn’t going to let Damian catch him. If he did, his freedom would be forfeited; Damian’d hide him in a hole where he would never be found.

At least the pain in his shoulder was subsiding. Damian mustn’t be able to hide his hellhound self while using his innate ability to that degree. Flynn just huffed and kept running, only to get pushed into a lamp post. Flynn saw stars, the world spun as he clung to the poll. Just as things came rushing back into clarity his hands were forced behind his back and he was pinned against a car.

“Stop! Someone please! He’s not a cop!” Flynn shouted, but even from his standpoint he knew he looked like a tweaking junky being pinned by an officer, even if the officer looked like a pimp.

“Nothing to see here,” Damian shouted with a smirk. “The EC will handle this,” the Great Dane growled as he pulled some cuffs out of his back pocket and leaned into Flynn’s ear. “I remember how much you loved these.”

Flynn screamed, struggling against the Dane’s hold. He couldn’t get away, he couldn’t run, he couldn’t fight, and the only magic he knew was stitching and healing. He screamed out again, frost billowing from his muzzle and frosting the windows of the car he was pinned against. He heard the first cuff click onto his wrist.

“Get your SHIT STAINED CLAWS OFF HIM!”

That’s all Flynn heard as Damian’s body was launched off to the side by a ball of muscle and fur. Flynn stumbled to the ground and hit his elbow hard. He gasped and sucked in a pained breath, but at least he was free. He managed to get his hands beneath him just as some screams and shouts came ripping through the crowd. Flynn coughed and reached up, a shaky hand gripping the handle of the car door. He pulled himself up, huffing out mist as he stood and saw why people were screaming and running the opposite way.

There, in the center of the intersection a car had burst into flames, Damian’s body slammed into the hood as Cerberus slammed his fists into his face. The flames started red and billowed out dark smoke from burning oil, but blue static rolled through those clouds as Cerberus’s horns flashed into existence, gold accents glinting in the blue light, his fists beating Damian into the hood of the car, the demonic energies lashing out and ripping across metal and glass, stirring a panic.

“Don’t you DARE lay a hand on him you FILTHY FUCKING MUTT—” Cerberus was caught off guard as a blast of water came rushing out from behind them and knocked the hellhound off the Dane.

“Fuck,” Damian coughed, blood oozing form his maw. “Fuck you, you headless PRICK!” Damian’s horns burned into reality, the screams filling the intersection as sirens were heard in the distance. It didn’t take long for someone to call the EC in this city.

If the hellhounds heard, they didn’t care. They were seeing red. Cerberus got up, his eyes filled with rage as a snarl ripped his throat as more icy blue mana surged through his fur, his horns growing larger as he fed off his reserves, his veins glowing. Damian on the other hand was snarling, smearing the spit and blood from his mouth and smacking the stream of water that was gushing out of a fire hydrant a few feet away.

They lunged at one another, a thick stream of water arching from that broken fire hydrant and shooting forward, like a cannonball. Cerberus’s hand encased in lightning, palmed it, and sliced it apart, the blast turning into a shower of electrified teardrops that sprayed across the intersection, several cars losing their paint jobs as those teardrops burned across them, ripping away their coating like individual claws before burning off into blue flames, the mana so potent it was causing metal to burn.

Several people screamed in pain as they were clawed by the water while running away. Flynn could already see the hospital beds filling up at his job, his hands rapidly stitching victim after victim.

“Flynn!”

The wolf blinked, there, pulling out of the car was Nathan. Flynn glanced down at the melting frost on the windshield and saw the taxi company logo glowing through on the dash.

“Nathan?”

“You’re a hellmage?” Nathan was speechless, his eyes wide with fear.

“No, I’m not—” Flynn was cut off as a splash of mana infused water smacked Nathan and ripped through his coat, the ferret screaming out in pain, then an ear splitting howl ripped the air. Flynn glanced back at Cerberus, his collar glowing and burning into his neck.

The command echoed across their connection, the one he made what felt like ages ago.

Don’t hurt Nathan! Don’t hurt Nathan! Don’t hurt NATHAN!

Cerberus jumped backwards, but wasn’t out of the fight. The collar started to fade but that moment was enough for Damian to get back into a fighting stance and shoot off more water.

“Nathan, we need to get you out of here,” Flynn came around the car, but before he could shield the ferret, he smacked away the wolf’s hand, screaming.

“Get away from me!” Nathan shrieked, his eyes wild as he dropped his overnight bag and started running.

“Nathan,” Flynn heard the fear in Nathan’s voice like a knife to his heart. Sure, Nathan had been mad at him and they got into some legendary shouting matches, but the unbridled fear in Nathan’s voice was something he had never heard from him.

“Stay away from me Flynn!” Nathan was trying to run, but hit a car and had to get around it. “I saw that thing protect you! That’s the fucking monster that you fucked with the other night! That thing is a fucking Demon!”

“Nathan,” Flynn tried to go after him, but the ferret just screamed and ran.

“Get away from me!” Nathan pulled something out of his coat, it looked like a remote, but as soon as he pressed a button on it, electricity surged and crackled. “Stay back!”

“Nathan…” Flynn put his hands up. “I would never hurt you. Just let me heal you.”

“Don’t come any closer!” Nathan kept his taser up, aiming it at Flynn and backing away slowly before turning and running away as fast as he could.

“Nathan!” Flynn shouted, but the ferret was gone. Flynn’s heart ached, but the adrenaline surging through him didn’t’ give him time to process. He needed to get himself and Cerberus out of there before the EC showed up. By the wailing of sirens, they didn’t have much time.

Flynn turned to the fighting, lighting and water surging through the air, steam kicking up as the two of them fought it out. Anger and confusion roiled in Flynn’s gut. He was mad that this was happening to him, angry that this was forced upon him, and more than anything, that it was ruining his life! He took a deep breath, a cold surging into his lungs like he was breathing pure spearmint.

“Cerberus, back off,” he mumbled, waiting for the command to force Cerberus back before he let out a scream. His voice rippled the air, his breath surging through the soundwaves. Frozen fractals splintered in the air like angry needles that swarmed in waves. Flynn poured his energy into that scream, every ounce of power, every bit of strength he had as the force of a blizzard billowed onward.

Damian screamed, covering his ears as the blizzard kicked up around him, the water droplets turning into icy shards that redirected themselves back at the Dane. Glass cracked from the vibrations before frosting over with shattered petals and ripped butterfly wings. The water Damien was controlling shot back at him, freezing on him in sheets. The fire hydrant’s stream became a billowing of snow before freezing into a pillar of ice. The fall air became viper biting cold, any moisture freezing into dancing flurries before getting caught up in the wave of rage that Flynn was screaming.

Fangs of ice formed on his muzzle, sheets freezing over his skin before creating a firm helmet with glowing blue eyes. Flynn didn’t know where his breath was coming from, but he refused to stop, he wanted to let his anger out, his rage, his frustration. Tears streaked the mask as he continued to shout.

Then it was over. He stopped, the stream instantly stopping and hovering in the air as a frozen cloud. Flurries glittered in the sunlight, the air was misty with the moisture that was still freezing in the air. The cars were covered in frozen sheets that whipped off into sidewise icicles. In the center of that screech was a lump of ice in the shape of someone shielding themselves from the blast where Damian once stood. It was too frosty to see inside, but Flynn could feel the rage coming from that frozen pupsicle.

“Holy shit,” Cerberus panted, looking over at Damian and back at Flynn.

“God damn it,” Flynn felt the rage in him die off as he slumped against a lamppost, his icy mask falling away from his face and shattering into indistinguishable ice chunks. Flynn just felt weak, his body still flowing with mana, but that scream wasn’t just fueled by magic. He felt his legs give out, but before he could fully fall, strong, powerful arms scooped him up.

“Damn, princess,” Cerberus was still breathing heavy, his breath catching fog in the cold air. “You sure you needed me to help you?”

“I…” Flynn sniffed and curled into Cerberus’s chest. “Just get me out of here.” Flynn’s voice broke.

“I ain’t your fucking cabby,” Cerberus huffed, but his collar glowed and he got to moving, hauling Flynn as far from the sirens as he could.

The cracking and crumbling of ice echoed off the walls as the frozen figure snarled, the ice glowing red with the power surging inside. Cerberus heard the sirens and he wasn’t going to stick around to find out what was going to happen to Damian. He couldn’t give two shits about that pompous dick. He was sure the EC officers would be able to nail him for something this time. Being a drug dealer was understandable, but an actual demon, now that’s something even money couldn’t get him a pass on.

Damian was stuck, but Cerberus had an order to fulfil. He wasn’t about to have his collar kill him and send him downstairs.

***

Flynn found his strength after a moment and decided to simply follow Cerberus once they got far enough away. The hellhound was walking down the streets and it was like no one saw him. Flynn would have expected more people to stop and gawk. Though, now that he thought about it, the big guy must use some sort of stealth talisman.

“Come on, it’s just over here,” Cerberus grunted as he held a broken chain-link fence open for the little wolf.

“Where are we going?”

“Just move,” Cerberus huffed.

Flynn looked down and made his way under the fence and was quickly followed by the big lumbering hellhound. Cerberus continued onward to an old abandoned building not far from where that rave was going on. That all felt like so long ago.

“Wait, isn’t that rave spot not far from here?” Flynn blinked.

“Yeah,” Cerberus huffed. “They make a fuck-ton of noise, so I might as well enjoy the parties when they happen.” He lifted a garage door that was dented on the bottom where his fingers warped the metal. He forced it up, much to the metal’s screeching protest. They both went in and Cerberus started to glow to show the pup the way as they went through an old mechanic’s workshop. Flynn wasn’t much of a cars guy, but he knew a sports car when he saw one. Sure enough there were a few of them on bricks and on lifts.

“Are these yours?” Flynn cocked a brow.

“You think these tinny cars can hold all this?” Cerberus gestured to his body. “Nah, but I know how to chop a car for parts, and the parties nearby attract some really stupid grease monkeys.”

“So you work your own chop shop?”

“It pays the bills,” Cerberus shrugged and lead them through the shop before opening a door on the far wall.

Flynn didn’t know what to expect, but he wasn’t expecting what he found.

The room had old shag carpeting, thick fibers that hugged his toes. A broken couch that was sinking into itself where Cerberus’s thick ass had slammed down on it several times. The bed was a plane mattress with some torn sheets with some mystery stains from previous romps. Neon lights flickered on around the place when Cerberus snapped his fingers. Some of them were old signs Flynn would expect from Vegas or Hollywood, but some of them were in foreign languages. A setup with a TV was along the far wall, the screen cracked, but working. There was even an old jukebox. There was a small kitchen with a breakfast nook. The fridge looked like it was ancient, but still rattled with life. The outside looked more like some red and chrome monstrosity from a bygone age.

“Make yourself at home,” Cerberus huffed, peeling his shirt off and slapping over the back end of a chair near the door.

“This is where you live?”

“One of my dens, sure,” Cerberus shrugged. “I’ve been around the globe a few times. I bet the one in Pompeii is still there under all that ash and soot somewhere.”

“It just feels?”

“What? Dark and dingy? Can’t exactly squat someplace loud and proud,” Cerberus sat down on his couch, his king pendant bouncing between his pecs.

“I was going to say lonely,” Flynn didn’t have a filter, but Cerberus wasn’t about to kick a dog while they were down.

“Well, fuck you too then,” Cerberus huffed. “You can leave whenever you want, but wait until night when the EC slows their roll.”

“Don’t worry, I wasn’t going to cramp your style or whatever,” Flynn sat down in a chair in the breakfast nook. It was just a card table and folding chairs.

Cerberus huffed and opened his arms. “Come on, I bet you’re frozen to the bone after unleashing that blizzard.”

“Huh?” Flynn lifted his head up. “I’m…actually feeling fine.” The wolf huffed out, frost wafting in the air. He hadn’t lost his ability.

“Oh come now,” Cerberus cocked a brow. “I promise I can’t get you high anymore, unless you want it.”

“No, Cerberus, really, I’m fine,” Flynn put a hand over his heart, the cold still there, but it was being pushed back by something. “Maybe my mother did something while I was in her prison to help enhance my ability.”

“If she could do that, then she’d have done it sooner,” Cerberus dismissed Flynn’s thought. “Come on, get your bitch ass over here.”

“Why do you care?” Flynn said it flatly, not as an insult, but as a genuine question.

“God, you’re such a brat,” Cerberus stood up and scooped Flynn into his arms before laying back down on the couch. Flynn fought it at first, but that chest was so warm, and Cerberus’s musk was so inviting. He simply sighed and relaxed into the beast. The tension melted from his joints, but it wasn’t because he was cold. That was a nice change of pace.

“Better?” Cerberus asked.

“Uh hu,” Flynn sniffed.

“Good,” Cerberus huffed.

They sat there for a long time, the hellhound turning on the news and looking at the warnings to stay indoors about a hellmage on the loose.

“You know this is going to put a damper on your search for my heads,” Cerberus bounced his pecks almost in the way one would nudge someone to get their attention.

“You happy about that?” Flynn asked.

“Sure,” Cerberus huffed. “You know they’re going to say that you’re a hellmage now and I’m your familiar. The Exorcism Core will be up our asses the whole damn time.”

“A hellmage?” Flynn pondered the idea. “Honestly, I don’t know if I have it in me to care right now.”

“Really? Sounds like your life is kind of over as soon as your boss gets ahold of this. Your little EC turd friend Nathan too.”

“I don’t want to talk about it,” Flynn nuzzled further into Cerberus’s chest. “Why don’t you want to get your head’s back?”

“I don’t want to talk about it,” Cerberus spat Flynn’s words back at him.

“Too bad, tell me,” Flynn sniffed, the collar around the hellhounds’ neck glowed.

“Fine,” Cerberus huffed. “Because I don’t want the years I spent on earth to be pointless. The sacrifice I made and everything it meant. Not like Hades would forgive me either way. He isn’t the merciful type. Especially if we give necromancy a foothold in the real world again.”

“Well, what if we could create a magic to seal up the hole in the underworld Hecate created?”

“It would take a lot more than just one goddess and a coven of her crotch goblins to seal that hole. Hades himself can’t seal it. He did the equivalent of throwing caution tape around it and armed guards. I’m not about to anger him again, at least not by choice.”

“Why? Even if it meant you could fix it?”

“I’d rather leave it broken than try and fix it and make things worse.” Cerberus gestured around his room. “Sure, my life isn’t the tits, but this is about as merciful a punishment you’re going to get from one of the big three.”

“Cerberus, I really want to do this,” Flynn pushed up to look the wolf in the eyes. “I don’t know why it’s so important to me, but it is. I want you to be on board, because I don’t know if we’re going to be able to do this without your support.”

“I know you can’t do it without me,” Cerberus huffed and looked away. “But I don’t have a say.”

“You know I’m in this because of you,” Flynn cocked a brow. “I wouldn’t have had this bite, and you wouldn’t have been bound to me.”

“Yeah, because your mother’s meddling with the fates got me tangled up in your bullshit.” Cerberus growled. “I should have learned by now to avoid the cute ones.”

“You…you think I’m cute?” Flynn’s ears folded back.

“I don’t fuck with no ugly bitches,” Cerberus rolled his eyes. “And with a bod like yours, how do you not have confidence for days?”

“Not everyone is a massive hellhound with a knee knocking dick,” Flynn sighed and flopped forward onto the mutt’s chest.

“Yeah, and not everyone is a clueless demigod, huh?”

Flynn chuckled and nuzzled into Cerberus’s chest. “I know you didn’t mean to…but thanks for helping cheer me up.”

“Don’t thank me just yet skank,” Cerberus snorted, but a smirk crept on his muzzle. He always did have a soft spot for the helpless cute ones.

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