Chapter 82 Trust
ZEUS
The door to Father's office seals behind me with that soft hiss. I don't look back. There's no point.
One chance.
His voice still rings in my head. Like he’s doing me a favor. Like I haven’t earned more than scraps.
I’ve fought more than Darian for the position of next in line, I’ve proved myself every single time, but nobody sees it.
They’re all blinded by Darian’s birthright, so much that they’re willing to eliminate the only person who’s making him reconsider his disorder for the throne.
If this isn’t stupidity, I have no idea what else it could be.
I walk fast through the corridor, anger pulsing in my veins. The Haven is cold by design. No warmth, no softness. Just function. Like Father wanted. Like I learned to be.
At the end of the hallway, I veer toward the residential wing. The farther I get from his office, the tighter the knot in my chest grows. I need space. I need time. I need to think, come up with a new direction to steer my boat in.
But of course I get neither.
“Zeus?”
The voice stops me mid-step. Familiar. Too familiar.
I turn and see them both Adrian and Kelvin, walking in from the south wing, gym bags slung over their shoulders. Must’ve just gotten back from campus. Kelvin’s grinning, all bright-eyed like the world hasn’t changed in the last week. Adrian, as usual, looks like he’s already five minutes into a conversation I didn’t agree to have.
Kelvin drops his bag. “Hey! Did you…did you guys find him?”
I say nothing for a beat. My hands flex at my sides. “He’s back.”
Kelvin’s eyes light up. “Seriously?”
“He’s in his room,” I say.
Kelvin doesn’t even wait. He’s already gone, jogging down the corridor like it’s a reunion, not a containment. Idiot. He’s always been the softest of us.
Which leaves Adrian.
He doesn’t move. Just stands there, arms folded, watching me like he’s been waiting all day to corner me.
“So it was you,” he says.
“What?”
He steps closer. “You’re the one who brought him in.”
“Obviously.” I gesture behind me. “You think Father broke a sweat himself?”
Adrian’s face doesn’t move. “And what? You just happened to be the one who found him?”
“Would you prefer he was still out there bleeding?” I snap.
Adrian shrugs, calm as ever. “I’d prefer he was still free. Prefer he didn’t walk into whatever trap you’ve been laying.”
I laugh, sharp and humorless. “You think I set him up?”
“I know you did.”
The air shifts. I square my shoulders. “You don’t know a damn thing.”
“I know you’ve been circling this for months. Ever since he started asking questions, challenging Father. You’ve been feeding both sides, just like you always do. Making sure Darian burns while you stand close enough to feel warm, but not get caught in the fire.”
“Careful,” I say, low. “You’re accusing a lot for someone who hasn’t been here.”
“Maybe,” Adrian says. “But I’m still smart enough to see how this plays out. You think you’re safe because you’re useful right now. But you’re not. You’re a match in a dry house. You’ll light everything up if someone doesn’t stomp you out first.”
My jaw clenches. “You’re full of metaphors today.”
“And you’re full of shit.”
I step closer. “You don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“I know Father doesn’t trust you. You think he doesn’t see through you? That he’s stupid enough to trust you blindly? You must be so blinded by your delusions, you don’t realize we all can see that you want the ticking throne for yourself. ”
“Watch it.”
“No.” Adrian’s eyes flash, not with anger, but something worse, pity. “You brought Darian back because you thought it would make you look good. But all you did was ruin the one shot father had at finding Iris. Now Father’s pissed. And you? You’re just standing here pretending it didn’t blow up in your face.”
I feel it. The shift. The pull in my muscles. The red.
“You don’t know the plan,” I say. “You weren’t in the room. You don’t know anything.”
“I don’t need to be in the room to see what kind of man you are.”
I move before I think. I don’t even realize I’ve shoved him until his back hits the wall with a dull thud.
He grunts, fists up, but I’m already on him, not throwing punches yet, but ready.
“You want to keep pushing me?” I say, low and steady. “You want to find out what happens when you go too far?”
Adrian breathes hard. “This is who you are, huh?”
I push him again, harder. “I’m warning you.”
He swings. Wild. Sloppy. Catches the side of my jaw but barely. I retaliate fast with one clean shot to his ribs, another to his shoulder, sending him staggering.
He lunges again, but I twist, grab the front of his shirt, and slam him to the floor. Hard.
Adrian groans beneath me, wind knocked out of him.
I stay standing.
He looks up, face tight with pain. “Go ahead. Prove me right.”
My fists curl. I want to hit him. Just once. Just enough.
But I don’t.
I step back instead, breathing hard, adrenaline still pumping.
“You don’t get it,” I say. “None of you ever did.”
Adrian coughs, pushing himself up slowly. “We get it. We just don’t want to be apart of it.”
I glare down at him. “Stay out of my way.”
He wipes blood from his lip, still staring at me like he’s searching for something he won’t find. “Or what?”
I lean in slightly. “Or I stop holding back.”
Then I walk away.
Not because I’m done.
Not because he’s right.
But because I’m not wasting time on people who don’t see what’s coming.
Let them judge. Let them doubt.
They’ll all fall in line when it matters, or fall altogether.