Prince Ezra
I directed Tobias to take me to Apollo's house immediately as soon as we landed back in Talos. My head was still swimming with the claims Ebrahiem had made and even though a better part of me would have loved to hold off the conversation until tomorrow I knew I had no time.
Two days wasn't a lot of time to consider whether you would or would not collaborate with a well known assassin. A part of me wondered if this was a trap. Another way to get more blood from the royal family however I knew Ebrahiem wouldn't take the chance. He had far more to lose.
Apollo could shed light on a few things for me before I made my conclusion. I couldn't go to Iris, she was probably just as much in the dark as me since she didn't live in the palace anymore. We were all used to the front Adonis had portrayed that I found it difficult to know that there was any other version of him.
"Prince Ezra, Thea is requesting your audience as soon as you're done," Tobias informed me as I climbed out the car.
"Noted," I sighed, already feeling the migraine coming in.
Apollo was already waiting by the door as I climbed the stairs to his mansion. "You look like you've had a day," he chuckled when he saw my loosened tie and wild hair.
"You have no idea," I sighed and was grateful when he led me to his bar.
He poured us both a shot of whiskey before we sat down. "Tarek seems to be keeping you busy."
"He's keeping me disciplined," I groaned and leaned back on the ridiculously soft couch. "Whenever I think I finally have a hold on this Prince thing he pulls a blindfold over my eyes to show me that I'm not even close to where I thought I was."
"You have a good mentor in that field," he smiled, "you're the first Prince within Kommos that had Arab blood. Our country is so fascinated with keeping things pure that it's amazing how they've welcomed you with open arms. You've been a good symbol for diplomatic channels especially with Turkey. Our history with them has always been so complicated."
"It's crazy to know that it's just across the pond yet there is still years of conflict between the two countries that needs to be solved," I sighed. "It sometimes feels like I'm not getting a hang on it."
He hummed thoughtfully before he took a sip of his whiskey then smacked his lips together. "When Adonis first became King, none of us knew what to expect. He himself sometimes seemed to be in over his head with his ambitions, he stumbled and fell but eventually got a footing. You'll get there too."
I nodded slowly and looked into my glass as if it would give the answers to the universe. "Is- Is Adonis unwell?"
Apollo looked at me with a raised eyebrow, "In what sense?"
"Is he unwell in his mind?" I stretched out my shoulders to brace for the answer. "I met a military head from Morocco today and he mentioned that Adonis isn't well. That there are rumors. I didn't want to look like a fool and argue with him about it therefore I let it go but- is it true? Is Adonis not okay?"
My older brother ran his fingers through his blonde wavy hair and let out a sigh that told me that my suspicions were in fact correct. "Cloud asked us not to tell you, he didn't want to discourage you from your work but yes Adonis isn't okay."
It felt like a hole had been punched through my gut as I shifted in my seat in order to brace for the full impact of his words. "Depression?"
"Doctors diagnosed him with PTSD and depression. He gets nightmares sometimes," he frowned. "We both served in the military but never have we faced death the way Adonis has. The surgeries are taking a toll on him. He and Cloud had a huge argument the other day because he didn't want to do the next one. He's starting to give up."
"Shit," I lowly cussed once again to myself more than to anyone else. "Why didn't anyone tell me? I could have come home."
"Ezra, when you told us that you and Ezekiel were together, how were we supposed to lay more damage on a bleeding wound? It was a shock to us. Especially with what we had found out about us, about Ezekiel being our biological brother. We were still in shock over the fact our mother was not as perfect as we thought, her affair with Stravos put us all in a loophole then to find out you two were in a relationship.
"We just all found our own ways to mourn and for you that was travelling. We couldn't deprive you of that."
"I was selfish," I grunted, "I was so focused on myself that I didn't take time to realize that the whole family had lost someone dear to them. I only had Ezekiel for eight months. You've all had him your whole lives. I should have thought of the psychological impact that would have had on Adonis instead of being a coward and running away."
"Adonis felt like he had taken Ezekiel from you," Apollo confessed. "With their arguments and the fights they had the last few days before his death. He felt that if he had just listened to Ezekiel that all of it would have been preventable. He worried that you would blame him. That you would hate him if he forced you to stay since he blames himself for Ezekiel's death."
"He couldn't have known this was going to happen," I argued, "Ezekiel had his suspicions. I was helping him trying to figure out what it could have been but I was a child. It didn't feel real to me that danger was lurking around every corner."