Worship

"Oh, am I scaring you? Am I really?" He began with a wide smile on his face, the idea that he was scaring her being so ridiculous that he failed to believe it. The truth only kicked in when he took notice of her shaking hands and the tears in her eyes, his intimidating defensive stance breaking down the moment he knew the effect it was having on her. In fact, he could see just how hurt he had made her with the news about Agnes, and he understood that when the truth really came out, she might not want to speak to him again.

If that was the case, he wanted to get it over and done with as soon as he could. It was better to admit to it now than prolong her pain - and frankly, he didn't think he could go another day facing her and knowing what he had done. Exposing the truth might cause another argument with Apollo, given he had told him Agnes was dead, but he had already decided that his sister came first, and he didn't really want to see her this upset.

"...She's okay, Mary. Agnes, I mean. She's... look, she's fine. I didn't hurt her, not even a little. I wouldn't hurt a mate of yours, I-- It's complicated, I ain't getting into it all, but she's alright. I can bring her back, right now if you wanted. I... I'm so fucking sorry, it was the only option, and... I get you're gonna hate me but it was for the best."
 
“Get her, then.” She firmly demanded, though her voice quivered as she spoke, unable to stop herself from crying, quickly wiping away the tears with her hands as she sniffles, fully avoiding facing her brother. Both once again out of fear and anger. Taking deep breaths to try and steady herself, she shook her head.

“Why? Why would you do that to her?! S-She didn’t do anything wrong, why would you do that to her? S-She... She’s my best friend, she was there for me when you weren’t all because you were acting sketchy? That’s... just get her back, Elijah. Now. You don’t understand h-how fucking mad I am at you,” He babbled out, getting to her feet to walk away under the guise of doing so to make some tea.
 
"Did you want her to die? 'Cos she would have been fucking murdered if I hadn't stepped in and helped her, Mary. I kept you out of it 'cos, hey, I don't want to see you die either. I was always gonna bring her back," he muttered, heading after her whether she wanted him to do so or not. He knew that spilling more details was only going to be detrimental to his relationship, but he couldn't bear to see his sister like this, especially knowing he was at fault for it, despite his good intentions.

"Listen to me, alright? This is fucking important, Mary. I can't... bring her back here. Not now. In the future, sure, but right now, she needs to stay out of town. You need to pretend that she's missing, alright? You can't go telling people about this. When I... When Apollo and I leave, then Agnes can come back to her normal life and do normal shit. Until then she stays outta town. I'll pay for a hotel for her, I'll do that, but if she comes back, she's gonna get killed. I don't want that, I kinda like the girl."
 
"Or what? What's going to happen if she comes back? You'll actually kill her?" She countered, her cheeks flushed in anger as she balled her fist, forcing back the urge to punch her brother to try and get her anger out. She wasn't a violent person like her brother, though, and forced herself back. "What do you mean, 'go'? W-What the hell are you talking about? Where are you going? I just get you back a-and you're leaving?!"

As she babbled out, Mary pressed her fists to her eyes. She wanted to kick her brother out but for all she knew, that meant she wouldn't be able to see Elijah again. That being said, he did kidnap her best friend and told her she had died, so perhaps it was better that he leave, which only left her to panic with anxiety.
 
"Will you just stop?" He grimaced, grabbing her wrists in his hands to try and regain some control of her and the situation. Breathing out slowly, the situation only really hit him when seeing her freak out so much. He didn't really want to be involved in this sort of stuff. He had hurt people, sure, but he had never enjoyed the activities Apollo got up to; it made him feel sick. Marrying him would mean marrying into that entire lifestyle and learning not to argue against it or risk potential death because he highly doubted Apollo's father would keep him alive if he became a critic of Hell and the stuff that went on down there.

He didn't even want to go, though he'd tried arguing against that and ended up caving in. Only now did he realise that he'd be miserable and agreeing to it had been a stupid mistake to make. It took Mary's tears for him to acknowledge that everything he was agreeing to was going to make him miserable, even the wedding. He loved Apollo, but not the family he was from and what marrying him would entail. He wanted normality and that wasn't possible with Apollo.

"...Apollo will kill her. I told him she was dead so he wouldn't hurt her. I didn't want her to get hurt, Mary. I-I was trying to help her," he insisted weakly, letting her go once the truth was out, the colour fading from his cheeks now it was all out in the open. "F-Fuck, I didn't want this, he-- he said I-- had to kill her and you and-- and I refused to let that happen, obviously. I-I... I'm not a bad guy, I wanted to save Agnes from harm, I just-- he's gonna kill me for this, I told him she was dead, h-he... he hates being lied to."
 
“You shouldn’t have to lie to him,” she whispered, awkwardly rubbing her wrists where she was grabbed, squirming in discomfort at the whole situation. “He... loves you and stuff, you s-shouldn’t have to lie to him. I’m... really uncomfortable with you being here, Elijah,” she admitted quietly, her eyes locked on the floor to keep herself from just freaking out more, especially since she seemed to calm down a bit.

“So you are in a cult?” She murmured, her frown only growing. “Cameron was right, then? B-But... why? Why would you do that? To spite mom and dad? They’re gone, Elijah, you don’t need to keep being mad at them, especially not if you’re going to join a fucking cult. Just... I can’t wrap my head around it. And what? Now that I know your secret, are you going to lock me up, too? Kill me?”
 
"How did I become the bad guy in all of this? I save your friend and I'm being yelled at for lying to the guy that would have killed her; used her in one of his ritualistic sacrifices? 'Cos that's what he does, Mary. Apollo, he does sacrifices and-- and Agnes would have died that way, but fuck me, yeah? I'm the bad one for going out of my way and probably ruining my relationship for saving her," he laughed, though, for obvious reasons, the sound lacked any real humour. Instead, he made a grab for her phone and moved so she couldn't retrieve it from him, only handing it back when he had finished with it.

Cameron arrived not long later, having grown concerned by the text he assumed had been sent by Mary. He realised quickly that she hadn't sent it when locking eyes with a clearly furious Elijah. For all his talk of being brave and able to defend himself, he felt every ounce of that drain from him, seemingly able to denote just why Elijah was so mad just by his expression. "...Look, I-- I can explain, I can--"

"If my sister wasn't here, you'd really see how mad I was. Just take a fucking seat. I had to call him-- he clearly is a backstabbing little rat and Apollo actually thinks the guy's his friend. Can't have you going back on campus and sucking up to him now I know you're working against him, Cameron. I especially can't have you going and telling him that I... told Mary everything, he'll kill me," replied Elijah, pacing back and for as he tried to think how to resolve the situation without leaving for good - but that was probably the only option that kept Mary alive, which was all he cared about.

"...You have no idea how dangerous Apollo is, I'm... I was just trying to help your friend. He got pissed that you guys knew about the cult, so I-- he said we had to kill you both and-- fuck, I wanted to stop that. I can't go back now, can I? He'll-- find out I lied and he won't be happy, and he'll kill you for it, so-- we're going. I have a place, it's where Agnes is. We'll go there -Cameron too- and figure something out," he decided, breathing out slowly as he held the back of his neck. "I... I hope you realise that I'm putting you first, Mary; that I fucking love you. I'm giving everything up to keep you safe, so I ain't the bad guy. I got mixed up in bad stuff, sure, but-- it's all Apollo. I hate what he does, I've told him that. You just don't get it-- it's fine. I-I can't explain right now, just pack a bag. We need to go."
 
“I... I can’t just leave everything behind, Elijah,” Mary reminded, her voice quiet as she watched her brother pace, her hands shaking. “I-I have a career, I have a band, I... I just started my life after getting away from our parents a-and now I have to abandon it? I don’t have some rich, o-omnipresent boyfriend or whatever to be able to get my life back together. Can’t... you just talk to him like a normal person?!” She tried to suggest, desperate to try and keep things as calm as possible despite her shaking.

“G-God, I just wanted to be able to get a normal life getting out of the shithole and now I’m getting fucked over? This is ridiculous - l-let me talk to Apollo, yeah? If you’re so reluctant to talk to him.”
 
"If Apollo was a normal person, I'd invite him over for a cup of tea to sort this out. He's not normal, Mary. I love him but I'm never gonna get a normal life with him-- and trust me, he'll kill us for this. I haven't even told you everything about him but he'l still kill you for what you do know-- so if you got a death wish, call him, go for it. I'm gonna think you want to live, so quit talking shit. I know the situation, and this is for the best, yeah?"

"...I think-- I mean, I... he's right. Apollo, he's-- there's something about him, right? We said this, Mary. If Elijah says he's dangerous, he... he probably is," began Cameron, growing pale once realising what he had gotten mixed up in. He had voluntarily got involved, though he had no idea just how bad things were. He never knew anything about sacrifices and murder; he probably wouldn't have got involved if he did. But he wanted to survive, even if that meant abandoning his life for a while to do so. "I... can help you pack, if you'd like? I just-- I don't want to die, Mary. We ave to go, I... trust your brother, I think."
 
“It’s just - it’s not fair!” She blurted our, tears once again stinging her eyes. “You don’t understand, Cameron. You don’t understand how... how hard it has been to get where I am and now I have to give it all up because of something I had nothing to do with? I-I just wanted to hang out with my brother and get our relationship back on track and now I have to abandon something that I’ve put money I don’t have into, something I’m passionate about? This... I know this is for the better apparently but don’t fuckin’ expect me to just be giddy to get rid of a life I’ve worked so fuckin’ hard for. I-I’m going to lose my apartment, lose my band, lose my job. I... I’m fucked.”

Nonetheless, amongst her anger she did reluctantly move to her bedroom, growing uncomfortable when realizing that she would most likely lose everything she cared about because of her brother’s stupidity. She clenched her fist and held back the urge to punch Elijah as he moved to pack.
 
"...I can give you money if you wanted. You can start over somewhere else, Mary. You're talented, you... and Agnes can do that. I'll help you out, financially. I have money. I just-- I'd rather you hate me for a while and stay alive than letting you stay here, be happy for about a week before Apollo works out you know about him -which he will- and kill you. Hate me all you want, I'm doing the right thing," began Elijah after a long few minutes, leaning in the doorway as he watched the two pack. It hurt him to see his sister have so much hatred for him, especially when he knew it was all his fault for blabbing the secret to her when drunk, but he couldn't change that. All he could do was try and protect her, even if it meant her being so disgusted and angry with him for uprooting her like this.

It was just much, much better than the alternative.

"Apollo isn't-- he's not really-- he doesn't like you and he wouldn't hesitate to hurt you if he really felt it was necessary, Mary. I... I'm sure he loves me but he would probably kill me if he knew I lied to him like this. I'm leaving my life too-- I have to go, though. I don't want to do what Apollo wants me to do. This is for the best," he nodded firmly, fiddling with his phone to block Apollo's number. He didn't want to just abandon him, not when he loved him as much as he did, but he knew that was for the best. He didn't want to be involved with Apollo if it meant having to lead a life he really didn't want, or, most importantly, endangering his sister. As much as it hurt, she came first. "And hey, we can go anywhere together, have fun. It'll be... it's for the best and we can make the best out of it, Mary. I've always wanted to go to Ireland, we could go there."
 
Apollo was a demon, a very strong and powerful demon at that. It was no surprise that he could sense something was wrong, especially when Elijah hadn’t come back. He was oblivious, of course, to what exactly was going on but he knew it wasn’t good. He had assumed the meeting with his sister would be a genuinely calm and fun one - after all, while he found Mary to be annoying, he didn’t necessarily want to cause unneeded harm to her when she meant so much to Elijah - but it shouldn’t have taken that long to have breakfast and chat. Naturally, Apollo began to call the members of his cult as he lounged on his couch impatiently. The dinner with his parents was nearing and he didn’t want to look like a fool. Eventually, Apollo called Cameron.

“Cameron~! Hey, I have a few questions,” the demon began casually as he twirled his mint green hair between his fingers absently. “Now I trust you, perhaps more than I should, that you will be honest to me. I know that you know I can force it out of you. Do you perhaps know where Elijah is? He hasn’t come home and I’m getting worried,” he admitted genuinely, a growing frown on his lips.
 
By the time he called, Elijah was already at the apartment, his time dedicated to plotting where next to go. He couldn't settle whilst still in the country, especially not when his secret apartment was situated not as far from the university as he'd like. He had more or less zoned everything else out, leaving his sister to fuss over Agnes and the injury he had reluctantly given her to be able to tie her up in the apartment. After an apology (one he knew had landed on deaf ears), he resigned himself to a bedroom and left the other three trying to wrap their heads around the situation. It had unfortunately slipped his mind that Cameron was a way for Apollo to make contact, and he unfortunately realised that when stepping out of the bedroom to see the other man on the phone, pale and clearly panicking.

"Hey, Apollo, I-- I don't know where he is," he replied as he awkwardly tried to work out what Elijah was furiously mouthing at him. "How would I know? You know I'd tell you if I did know, Apollo. I haven't seen him since yesterday-- I can try calling him if you'd like?"
 
"I would love it if you could... but it seems he's blocked my number, so I assume he doesn't really want to speak to me right now. Now I figured you would know on account that I am aware that you and his sister are in a blossoming relationship and he allegedly spent time with her this morning. Now I'm not mad at you, Cameron, you've done nothing wrong. I wouldn't be mad at you if you told me the truth because I can tell in your voice that you're nervous about something." He noted, his voice calm as he spoke though he was far from calm as he sat up on the couch, exhaling deeply.

"If you are lying to me and you do know where he is, remind him he has a meeting with someone very important, someone that he can't avoid. I'm not one to turn to violence but I can't say the same for Him," he explained slowly as he tapped his painted nails on his leg, his eyes locked on the wall. "I don't want anyone to be involved but Elijah, hm? Call me back when you contact him."
 
Having successfully motioned Cameron to put the phone on loudspeaker, and gesturing for his sister and Agnes to be as quiet as they could, Elijah cringed at the references to Apollo's father. He had been absorbed in his research, but that didn't mean he was oblivious to the fact time was ticking by and seconds were getting closer to the all important dinner he had absolutely no intention of attending.

Seeing how anxious Cameron was getting left him no chance but to snatch the phone from him, talking quietly once the speaker was off. He didn't want to talk to Apollo, knowing the guilt would just eat at him and whatever he did say would only hurt the demon, but what choice did he have? To leave Cameron on the phone until he blurted out what was happening? He didn't want to implicate him in any more lies, even if that meant reluctantly taking the phone instead.

"...I'm not going to the dinner, Apollo. You shoulda worked that out. I ain't coming back, it's over. I'm done, alright? I'm fucking done with you and your bullshit, I can't do it anymore. Alright? Piss off and meet another guy or whatever, I-- I mean, I love you, I do, but it's done; I choose my sister and-- and her safety means more to me than you do. And she's never safe around you and your family, so I-- it's over."
 
"... what?" Came Apollo's voice, his usually empowering tone quieting the moment he heard Elijah speak. "Elijah, don't - don't be ridiculous. If you loved me, you wouldn't just run off all of a sudden like this. You're an adult and... a-and you're acting childish. I suggest you calm down and return home so we can talk about this face-to-face instead of you running off and avoiding your responsibilities. I'm disappointed in you, really."

As Apollo spoke, he had gotten to his feet, his eyes nervously glancing to the clock before he slipped on his shoes quickly. Time was of the essence and not only did he want to avoid embarrassment from his father, but he also knew the consequences that would result from Elijah abandoning Apollo. Tugging on his coat, he did check his appearance with his usual level of vanity.

"You do know the consequences of this, right?" He quickly, whispered, his tone more out of fear than anger. "I'm absolutely fucking furious at you but you don't... understand my father, Elijah. This won't end well for you if you don't come to this dinner. All of your efforts to save your sister will be for naught, you do realize that, right? He's Lucifer, Satan, M-Mephistopheles, whatever you humans call him. He knows where you are and he will kill all of you, no matter what I say."
 
"And what fucking responsibilities do I have, Apollo? Come on, enlighten me. I'm not dating you, I don't think I have any responsibilities to you anymore. Let your father come and track me down, I don't give a shit. I don't want to sit at a table, pretending everything is fine-- I ain't doing that. I hate everything about you; your father, your home, the shit you do. I'm not a monster; I'm not a fucking murderer either. I hate you when you act like a... a monster, Apollo. I just want to be normal. Have a cute house, a dog, go and see my sister every weekend for dinner or something. I don't want to be involved in your world," he replied sternly. In contrast to the other, he was determined not to let the emotion affect his voice. As difficult as it was, he sounded as detached and as cold as he desired to be. If it sounded like he didn't care, then hopefully Apollo would get over it quicker.

"Go and have dinner, you're going to be late if you don't get a move on. Tell your Dad that I'm gutted I can't be there but I have better stuff to do. I'm gonna take a nice bath, dye my hair, paint my nails-- better than sitting down with the fucking Devil, yeah? I'm not gonna speak to you again, Apollo. Stop calling Cameron, he won't answer either."
 
"You're being irrational," he countered, offering a nervous laugh in disbelief to try and keep himself calm. Neatly locking his dorm, he hurried to his vehicle. "I'm trying very hard not to make you do anything you don't want to do by force, Elijah. I'm really trying to compromise with you. I was willing to allow you to see your sister, I was willing to let you go out and whatnot. Hell, I don't even fucking ask you to get involved with any of the rituals. All I ask of you is to meet my father and you act like a coward and run away? Do you know how pathetic that makes you sound? Do you know how upset I am?" He blurted, clutching his steering wheel tight now as he hooked his phone into the speaker.

"This is ridiculous," he murmured, shaking his head as he started up the car. He was going to go to dinner whether Elijah was there or not, even if it was just to see his father. After all, he hadn't seen his family for quite awhile, having instead spent most of his time in the human world. "I'm trying to do this for you and your safety. Look, you know what? We'll see how this all goes for you, how about that? I am a demon, don't forget that." He reminded firmly before reluctantly hanging up, his face beetroot as he made his way to the restaurant with intense dread.
 
Mai, this time in her human form, had spent the best part of fifteen minutes convincing Apollo's father that his son and Elijah wouldn't be long and that, really, it was their fault for arriving too early at the restaurant. Her words weren't listened to, which made waiting at the table with the man as moody was he was incredibly difficult. She had been trying to cut her habit of smoking down, but she had turned her back on the resolution the moment she had to listen to the man for fifteen minutes straight, escaping outside for a cigarette or two.

Her relief at seeing Apollo pull up was short-lived, the woman's smile faltering when noticing he was alone. Hopelessly glancing around for any sign of his boyfriend, she soon realised he wasn't there and approached the other with a grimace.

"What the fuck, Apollo?! Please tell me he's coming. Your father is in a bad mood; he's expecting to meet your boyfriend. I... can stall him for another ten minutes if Elijah is stuck somewhere? I can't stall the man that much longer, though. He's in a foul mood."
 
"Elijah isn't coming," Apollo replied flatly, trying his best to stay calm. His voice wouldn't convincing enough to hide his tear-stained cheeks and sniffles, though, and he knew that it would only make his father angrier as he neatly adjusted his outfit. Wiping his eyes on his sleeve quickly, he shook his head. He didn't want to bring any attention to it but it was hard not to notice just how upset the demon was by his general disposition. Hesitating at the door, he urged Mai to show him their table only to cringe at both the sight of his father and the fact that it was a four person table.

Of course, Lucifer's stormy expression was to be expected. He had a bad feeling about the night for the last few days and the fact that his attempt at a surprise had been ruined because of Mai only made him more annoyed. All of the anger from his face faded the minute he saw his son walk to their table, sniffling and clearly upset. He immediately got to his feet and wiped Apollo's eyes with his handkerchief, only to look around and immediately notice a lack of Elijah.

"I knew this would happen," Lucifer sighed, his anger only returning at the realization. "I knew this would happen if you were with a human, Apollyon. Just - take a seat, yes? You don't need to worry about your little 'boyfriend'." He firmly reassured, patting his son's shoulder before returning to the table, his frown growing to a grimace when noticing the empty seat.