Léan kept an eye on Hades the whole time he was there in their room. The flat, dark sheen in his eyes was clearly his silent way of saying that Hades was not welcome around him, and that if he drew too close, the merman would react aggressively in self-defense. It was obvious that he didn't care for him, not in the least. He watched him like a stalking lion would watch its prey.

Once Hades had left, the siren cooed softly, calling Kratos to him and extending his arms outward. All he wanted to do was cuddle, and then possibly grab something to eat.

"Whichever is less of a hassle for you..." Damon expertly plucked a slow, somber-sounding chord on the strings of his violin, eyes closed, and then nodded silently to himself. Apparently, it was tuned to perfection, now. The musician opened his eyes and then, all of a sudden, fixed Hebs with a curious sort of gaze. "Does anyone else in your family play any instruments?" he asked, genuinely curious. Shadow played the piano. Alfie couldn't play any instruments. But...what about Léan and Rousel? The lives of merpeople were centered around music, traditionally, and while both of them could probably sing like angels, had they been taught to play any instruments? Léan had never mentioned being able to play an instrument in all his life...

...Damon had also asked Hebs about 'his family.' Did he not feel like he was part of the family?

Rousel had just woken up a few moments ago. He was groggy and grumpy, and as such, all that was on his mind was food. There was nothing left in the kitchen, though...so, after poking his head outside and making sure there weren't bystanders that could see his frightening form, he left the tents and started heading for the lake nearby. When food was lacking in the fridge and cabinets, the big merman would often take a dip in the medium-sized lake just a brisk walk away and feast on the fish that lived there.

He ended up a short distance away from Kenichi when he reached it, and he idly nodded as a greeting to him before disappearing beneath the water.

The soft cooing made Kratos turn to look at Léan and his eyes instantly sparkled at the sight of him extending those arms of his. He was unable to resist them as he moved to go into those arms and wrap his own arms around the siren's own. Nipping lightly at his chin, he gave it a little nuzzle and settled back down on the bed, relaxing as he let out a quiet sigh. Surely, breakfast wasn't ready yet. Hebs hadn't come to call them, which meant they had more time to laze about.

Hebs nodded at that and smiled before he'd went on to make coffee. Kratos was going to want one. Him, too. Damon probably wouldn't mind it. The question the other asked, though, made him raise his eyebrows a little as he stopped pouring the coffee into the cup. "Hmm," he hummed thoughtfully as he resumed what he was doing while he continued on, "Other than you, I doubt anyone else can play an instrument. Gian hadn't said anything. Neither has the others. I do know Léan could sing, though." Turning to look back at Damon just after he'd put the pot back, he smiled again. "How many cubes of sugar and milk do you want?"

Kenichi blinked a bit and watched Rousel go into the water. That was enough to break his concentration and he yelped at the cold water soaking the lower part of his body. "Damn it!" he cursed, a deep frown marring his features as he got up to his feet and tried to dry himself.

Léan curled himself around Kratos as best he could. Those legs were like limbs he couldn't control, and he had trouble moving so that they entangled slightly with the human's own pair. He didn't seem to want to move an inch from where he was. He let the silence stretch on for a few minutes before speaking up.

"...I think...later on...we should..." he paused, looking uncertain. "...I mean...I've already tried out my necklace. But...do you..." The siren lost his nerve, glancing away slowly. Kratos had yet to try on his necklace underwater and see if it would really give him the tail and fins of a merman. Léan was so, so curious to see how he would look as one of his own kind, and he did want to submerge himself in water again soon. Being out for too long was not good for his health.

"Léan is a siren, is he not?" Damon hummed, casting Hebs a thoughtful glance. "Most of his kind can play at least one instrument, according to Shadow. Most children will start learning to play an instrument before they can even swim properly. I doubt he owns such an instrument, if he does play one...but...my guess is that he does. I was just curious, is all. I like having someone to share my musical interests with..." The virtuoso peered up at Hebs again when he asked about the sugar and milk. "I like my coffee very sweet and creamy," he replied simply, playing another chord on his violin. "Whatever amount you think is best..."

Rousel emerged a moment later after hearing Kenichi complain, one of the fair-sized lake fish clutched in the coils of one of his powerful black tentacles. "What'd you do now?" he teased playfully, arching a dark eyebrow.

Kratos was pleased that Léan had come on all over him. Honestly, it made him all the more possessive of the other. Pulling him close and tight against him, he didn't mind their tangled legs at all and even pressed a small kiss onto the siren's lips before he'd spoken. When he'd heard him, though, he was well aware of what he'd meant and he stroked his cheek lightly with his thumb. "After," he started as he rested his cheek on Léan's forehead, "After Damon gets his legs back."

That shouldn't be too long seeing as Kratos was ready to talk with Damon and Hebs over breakfast. Before Hebs had to leave in three days time, he had to make sure Damon was going to get his legs back. Kain wasn't so happy either with the way she's trying to mess with the barrier he's set up so she wouldn't touch even a hair of Léan's.

Hebs nodded at Damon's question and glanced over at him before he'd resumed making the coffee and prepared the breakfast. He didn't know that. At least, Shadow hadn't told him about sirens playing an instrument. He's only heard about the song, though - at least, overheard it - that could make any man captivated. Idly, he wondered if Kratos would be able to do such a thing with him having the ability to turn to a siren. The thought from Kratos had crossed his mind, of course. "Jae," he started as he smiled, "He can play the piano. If I remembered right, his mother was a genius. Seems like he's caught onto that ability." Why Jae hadn't become a professional pianist, though, he wasn't sure. In his memories of the past, Jae was a genius in music just as he is in baking.

"But, he'd prefer the kitchen... his dream's to make every person who'll taste his cakes smile." It was a cute dream and definitely achievable. Jae was a great baker! Once he'd made Damon's coffee, he put it in front of him and smiled again. "Well then. We better start eating breakfast. Kratos looked like he has something important to tell us."

"My pants. You distracted me and-" The male whined as he frowned and looked up only to have that frown disappear. It was replaced by a look of surprise. Since he was already wet, he might as well get into the lake. "Whoa. That's cool," Kenichi pointed at the fish, "I didn't know this pond had fishes."

Léan hummed softly to show Kratos that he understood why it would have to wait. Despite knowing that they had to get up for breakfast soon, the siren showed no signs of actually wanting to get up from his comfortable position. He wanted nothing more than to stay all curled up with his dear human, isolated from the rest of their family in the peace and quiet. It was a shame. Though the merman had started opening up and trying to give his all to Kratos, he still had yet to open up in general. He was still closed-off and unfriendly around the rest of his family members, even though he knew they cared about him.

The wall he had up was immense, indeed.

"Ah, the piano," Damon mused as he reached out for his mug of coffee. "My personal favorite instrument, next to the violin, pan flute, and harp...I probably should not mention that around Jae," he suddenly added, glancing away as he gently blew on the surface of the hot coffee. Damon was such a sweet person, and he had willingly let go of Shadow...but he still wasn't willing to, well...put himself out on the market, so to speak. If Jae really wanted him...judging by Damon's thoughts, it was definitely not going to be easy to woo him. He had a wall up, as well...but it wasn't a wall like Léan had up. It was different..

The fish in Rousel's coils was still flapping around, trying to get free. But the powerful limb was wrapped tightly around it, literally crushing it to death. As Rousel turned toward Kenichi, a sinister snapping sound ripped through the air. "Of course it has fish...there's a whole world underneath the water, after all."

Kratos wouldn't mind at all if he had to carry Léan in his arms. In fact, he'd missed it. "Breakfast should be ready," he mumbled. The smell wafting from the kitchen through their open window told him enough. His sense of smell heightened since he was a kid so he was pretty much an outcast of the sorts. With strange things usually happening around him, it's not a surprise that the unknown was labeled as 'a knack for trouble' by the strangers and relatives who knew him.

Slowly bringing the siren into his arms, he shifted to bring him into his arms and moved to get up to his feet. He purposely tightened his hold on him to show everyone that Léan was his and his alone. Upon arriving at the dining table, he seated himself in his usual seat and nodded once at Hebs who'd put his food in front of him.

"You probably shouldn't," the snake man said with a chuckle before he'd moved to set up the table, putting down Alfie's, Gian's, Damon's and his food. He had unconsciously made one for Shadow, too, so he had to add that up to Alfie's plate. "And, what will we have to do first, Kratos?" The doorbell had kept Hebs from sitting down and he moved to the front door to answer it. Strangely enough, it was Jae and he'd blinked in surprise. "No job today?" he asked as he stepped aside to have Jae come in. Jae shook his head.

"Thought I'd hang out here before I head to work. Is that okay?" Hebs smiled and he led the other to the dining table after shutting the door behind him.

Kenichi flinched at that snapping sound. He actually pitied the fish. "And, you're just tempting me to go out under there. Is it deep?" he asked, crouching down a bit to dip his hand into the water.

"That's good. I'm hungry." Léan had taken to eating more human food as of late. Especially now that he had legs, raw fish did not taste the same to him. Once he took the necklace off, that might change. Perhaps Kratos would acquire a taste for raw seafood, too, then? The merman curled himself around Kratos as the human picked him up, closing his eyes and giving a soft purr. Though he would never admit it out loud, Léan loved being coddled and babied by someone he cared about. Shadow had babied him far too much since he had become part of the family. He was spoiled, honestly, but...after having gone through all the things he had in his past...

...didn't he deserve comfort and luxury? He was, after all, still broken deep down even though Kratos was slowly starting to pick up those scattered pieces. Once they arrived at the table, the merman immediately began curiously studying the food. He never did eat a lot when he ate human food.

Damon made a small humming sound before glancing down at his food. The sight of Damon eating was either one of two things--a common sight or a pitiful sight. Today, it was pitiful. He obviously was not in the best of moods, despite his calm appearance. He barely ate any of his food--instead, he played with it more than ate it. When he had been alive, Damon had struggled with bulimia and serious problems with his self-image. Had all the drama from Shadow the other day put a damper on his mood and his self-esteem?

He did, though, take notice of something because he wasn't focused on his food. "Are Alfie and Gian still asleep?" he asked, curiously.

Kratos set Léan down on the chair beside him and pulled him close. Apparently, the life man liked babying Léan. It was disturbing and unexpected of Kratos who usually wouldn't spare a second glance at anyone else. Gian came with a wide yawn and stretched out his limbs. He didn't bother waking Alfie up; seeing as they slept late. "I'm bringing this to the room... we'll be eating in our room." The boy's cheeks flushed just a bit as he grinned sheepishly at Hebs who'd only smiled knowingly.

Once Gian was out of the scene, Hebs looked back at Kratos who'd glanced at the time in his wristwatch. "We'll be out. Everyone else should be in the villa. Especially Damon."

Alfie, of course, was dead to the world. He was having a rather pleasant dream that he didn't want to wake up from. There was this unbelievably stupid, silly grin on his face. So, it was pretty much a given what he was dreaming about. He shifted, tossed, and turned, as he slept, totally dead to the world.

Léan picked at his food at first, just like Damon did. But he eventually did start eating at a normal, healthy pace. Damon, on the other hand, wasn't too eager to eat. He finally gave up on trying to fake it and instead sighed, setting his silverware down. "I'm sorry...I'm not feeling too well. I don't seem to have much of an appetite." He regretted those words almost as soon as they came out of his mouth--Jae was here, after all.

Jae had heard it, yes, but he didn't mind it at all. He'd only smiled slightly at Damon. "I should be the sorry one, intruding like this." Hebs quickly waved his hand to dismiss the apology and put his hand on Damon's arm. "It's all right. Jae, maybe you could make a fruit shake for Damon to drink?" Once the man was out of sight and into the kitchen, Hebs turned to look back at Damon. "What's wrong, Damon?"

Kratos had to point his fork at Damon. "Bad vibes will only make Kain stronger." He was silently telling Damon to resolve whatever issues he had now. The sight of his siren eating made him smile just a tad and he resumed eating his breakfast as well.

"...N-nothing. I just...I don't seem to have much of an appetite," was Damon's slow, controlled response. When Kratos pointed his fork like that and spoke those words to him, those emerald irises of his flicked to settle on Kratos. For a moment, they looked darker than usual--hollow, almost. But just for a split second before they returned to normal. He chose not to grace Kratos' words with a response. He was clearly bothered by something today.

His mind would probably provide no clear answers if Hebs were to look. Damon's mind had always been very hard for Shadow, ane expert, to read. So a novice would have a very hard time indeed sifting through all of the virtuoso's tangled, jumbled thoughts. The only thing that was obvious for sure that was Damon was feeling down today.

Léan chose to ignore everyone at the table but Kratos, only looking at him when he did glance up from his food. When he caught him smiling, he arched a curious eyebrow in return, but continued eating.

Hebs couldn't find anything indeed. But, that wasn't new. After all, whenever he'd read Damon's mind, all he'd get are muddled thoughts, one after the other. It was hard to keep track. "All right." The snake man nodded and smiled slightly. "We'll call you then once you've cheered up a bit. Do you want to go back to your room?"

Kratos had seen that eyebrow of his raise and he immediately lost his smile. It was replaced by an embarrassed look as he silently ate his food. He was rather quick that morning and was leaning back in his seat, enjoying his glass of water. "I'll have things prepared. We'll meet outside, at the back."

Damon's thoughts were clear a lot of the time, clear and open. But when he was deliberately trying to hide something, or when he was upset in some way, his thoughts become so, so muddled like they were at the moment. Having lived with Shadow all his life, perhaps it was a skill he had developed to try and counter against the man's mind-reading skills. It was certainly a skill that worked well, as Shadow was always thrown off when he tried to read an unwilling Damon's mind.

Damon laid his hands down in his lap on top of the violin that he had not touched since he'd attempted to eat. "...I...think I need to rest for a while." His voice was hollow. It was more than obvious that something was very wrong with Damon. Would it be a good idea to leave him alone in his current state?

Léan finished shortly after Kratos. He immediately leaned against him, closing his eyes and waiting for the other to hold him. He didn't want Kratos to have to waste his time--it was a waste of time, in his opinion--helping Damon out. But he wasn't going to stop him.

Of course, Hebs wasn't going to let him be. He was going to have Jae accompany him, see if the boy could have Damon drink the drink he'd made. Jae had come out with the glass and he'd noticed the thick air about in the dining table. It was instantaneous. He knew it was Damon who was seemingly having a problem. Setting the drink down on the table, he turned to look at Hebs who'd nodded his way and Jae immediately went to the back of Damon's wheelchair to bring him back to his room.

Upon arriving there, he'd remembered about the drink he'd made. "Ah, I'll be right back, Mr. Barrow!" The boy was quick on his feet to get back to the dining table.

Kratos, on the other hand, pulled Léan close. If he had a choice, he wouldn't be helping Damon out at all. In fact, he didn't want to. But, Shadow and Hebs pushing him like this told him enough that he had no choice but to say 'yes'.

The look on Damon's face was downright pathetic--it was like his plans had been foiled. He relaxed after a long moment of contemplation, though, and instead closed his eyes, leaning back in his chair. "All right..." he murmured, quietly accepting the fact that Jae was going to watch over him. He didn't know what he was going to do or why he was going to do it. Maybe his thoughts might clear up once he was in his room...

Léan purred with satisfaction, liking how his dear human had pulled him so close. The merman didn't want him to move from that spot. But he knew that Kratos had priorities...and he wasn't going to fight the decision.

It was at this point that Alfie finally started stirring from his sleep. It was a deep sleep, as he seemed groggy even after his eyes had been open for at least ten seconds.

Jae took the glass from the dining table and quickly went to Damon's room to push the other to the side of the bed. He put the glass on the bedside table and crouched down to look up at the man. "There has to be something wrong, Mr. Barrow... what is it?" Knowing quite well that he was prying, the boy didn't much care. He wanted to be helpful and the only way to do so was to be forceful. Damon didn't seem like the type to share anything at all. "I only know you for a few days but you wouldn't be looking like this if nothing is wrong." Worry was etched on the beautiful boy's face. That much was obvious.

Kratos brought his siren up and gave Hebs a glance before he'd brought them both back to their bedroom. Setting him on his lap as he seated himself on the bed, he put his hand on his knee and gave him a light kiss. "I'll only be gone for a bit." The life man tilted his head a bit. He'd already taught Léan how to walk so all he needed was practice. Surely, he was going to need some lessons on how to use a fin if he was going to be the one to try on the necklace next.

Gian had set their plates down on the bedside table. He wasn't exactly hungry. That was why when he'd gone back to their room, he'd quickly fallen asleep beside Alfie again. Snuggling up to the other, he had his leg over the other's scaly tail while he buried his face into his chest.

"...I do not want to talk about it. Really...all I want to do is rest. But..." Damon chewed on his bottom lip, his grip tightening for a moment on his violin. He looked like he was contemplating something--something that may or may not be a good thing. He glanced off to the side, not wanting to meet Jae's eyes. He didn't want to see the concern and start feeling quite bad--after all, he was a sweet person...and knowing that he was upsetting someone else, even if he was trying to ignore it, was a terrible feeling.

"Perhaps...I just need someone to sit by my side while I rest," he murmured, in a final sort of tone. It was obvious that he wasn't going to talk to Jae. He did not trust Jae just yet. Damon was friendly to everyone, for the most part, but it did take him a while to trust people and start slowly opening up. He had not known Jae long enough, and he didn't want to confide in him just yet.

Alfie snuggled against Gian in return. "Mm...don't you dare move...I'm sooooo comfortable..." he groaned, arms tugging the human closer to him. It was like having a heat lamp on over him--the other body sleeping next to him was so, so warm. Figures that Alfie didn't want to get up just yet. Just as quickly as he'd woken, he'd drifted off again into a comfortable daze.

Jae was disappointed when Damon had said that but he couldn't blame him. After all, he'd only known Damon for a few days now. The boy put on a gentle smile. It was an obvious contradiction to what he was currently feeling. "All right," he said, moving to get up to his feet and take Damon from his wheelchair. He didn't ask this time if he could touch him. Rather, it was necessary for him to do so. Setting Damon down on the bed and taking off his shoes, the boy tucked him in and sat by the bed, his arm resting on it. "I'll be right here. I'll protect you." As if that wasn't enough, Jae had taken Damon's hand into his own and gave it a tight hold. He wasn't going to allow Damon to pull away. Not this time.

Gian wasn't aware he was feeling warm. In fact, he was feeling the complete opposite. It was like he was coming down with a slight fever. Strangely as it was, he was fine last night. "Don't want to move, too," the boy mumbled as he slung his arm around Alfie and pulled him tight, "You're warm..." Like Alfie, he, too, fell asleep.

Damon sighed softly when Jae picked him up, not protesting but obviously not fond of it. He was tired of being carted around like dead weight. He wanted the usage of his legs back so badly that it hurt, almost. Damon had been pretty much helpless for the last few months of his life, and although Shadow had taken good care of him, the man had babied and coddled him far too much. He didn't like feeling so helpless, so child-like. He preferred to do things on his own, most of the time. Damon was a sweet and friendly man to most people, but he did like having time to himself.

He set his violin, with his free hand, on his nightstand before settling down for good. He didn't try to pull away from Jae's touch. There were two sides of Damon at war in his head--the logical side and the typically quiet, very disturbed side. The look on his face was forcibly blank as these two parts of him went at war, but as soon as they really started battling in his head, the carefully wound thoughts he used to conceal his concerns unfurled for any mind-readers to see...

Like Damon, Léan was also feeling rather bothered. About his problem with his legs, that is. He too felt far too helpless for his own good. He knew that once Kratos put his necklace on, he would surely feel just as helpless with a tail...but right now, the siren was the one feeling helpless. He didn't want Kratos to leave him alone, of course--he reached out toward him. But he dropped his hands, knowing that he had to go.

Those thoughts of Damon's were troubling when it had crossed his mind. Wiping his hands dry with the towel and tossing it onto the counter, the male let out a quiet sigh and had his fingers run over his hair. He rubbed the nape of his neck and made his way to Damon's room. The sight of Jae worried while he held Damon's hand and seated himself by the bed was pleasing him but he doubted the boy could be of any help with the way Damon was now. At least, Jae should get to know Damon to have an effect on him just like Kratos and Léan were to each other.

"I'll take care of him from here," he said as he smiled, "Could you maybe continue washing the dishes for me?" Jae was hesitant but he'd nodded. It looked like he wouldn't be going to work now, not when Damon was feeling all sorts of low. Damon was, at least, lucky to have someone care so much about him and even one who's willing to forget about himself and his life. "You'll be getting your legs back," the snake man started as he sat by the bed and put his hand over Damon's own, "You just have to trust us. We will give your legs back whatever it takes." The slight gush of cold wind told Hebs enough that Kain was hearing what they were talking about and he smiled a little in amusement.

"Time to tell our old family member that we don't do things this way and let them be." Hebs leaned down to press a gentle kiss onto Damon's forehead. He tightened his hold on his hand and turned to look over his shoulder. Kratos was by the door.

Kratos was by the door with his arms crossed over his chest. He hadn't wanted to leave Léan but he had to. He just needed to finish this and get things over with. "I just need your head clear and your clear want to have your legs back. Nothing else." Turning to look at Hebs, he gave him a nod as two other corpses - one that took the form of Hades and his seemingly right hand man, Judas - stood a little behind him. "The magic might backfire and you might get hurt if you think of something else," Hades piped in with a rather freakish grin.

Damon seemed genuinely surprised to see Hebs at the door, and even more surprised when the scaled man asked Jae to leave. The surprise quickly faded into something else--a rather morbid and uncertain curiosity. He didn't know what Hebs' intentions were. Had he seen through his mental ruse? Did he want to confront him about it? Maybe he hadn't seen enough to make any decisions about it, yet.

He absently squeezed Hebs' hand, closing his eyes when Hebs leaned down to place a friendly kiss onto his forehead. He opened his eyes, then, and was about to speak when he noticed Kratos by the door. Despite feeling down, Damon immediately began to sit up, unreadable eyes meeting Kratos' without any hesitation whatsoever. There wasn't much that frightened Damon, after all. He was not intimidated by Kratos. He was intimidated by Shadow when he knew the other was angry. But...Shadow was perhaps the only person who could really scare him.

When Kratos mentioned having to just think about his legs and about nothing else, the emerald-haired male looked quite skeptical. He raised an eyebrow ever so slowly. The thoughts running through his head clearly displayed that he wasn't very confident about doing this. After all, there was no way he could just...not think about anything else.

Hebs was well-aware of Kratos’ words not helping Damon at all. In fact, it seemed to be pressuring him. “There isn’t a need for you to do it right away,” he started before he’d smiled slightly at the virtuoso, “But it should be good for you to try, at least.” Turning to look back at Kratos, he seemed to stand there impatient with his arms crossed. The features he had on and the thoughts he was giving Hebs was enough to tell him that they were going to be starting soon. At least, with Hades and that mate of his around, it should be time.

The snake man didn’t let go of Damon’s hand. He had stood up to get the wheelchair and stroked the back of Damon’s hand. “Shall we?” Kratos and his two other companions had left to start the magic. Kain will be a hard one to deal with but Hebs was quite positive that Damon will be getting his legs back today. He had to because he didn’t want to leave Damon as he is should he go chase after Shadow. The snake man waited for Damon to have him help him back to his chair so they could leave to the back door, where all the graves were.

Jae was finished with the dishes but he stayed in the kitchen. It confused him why it smelled like a rotting corpse and looking out had surprised him – not freaked him out. That was Kratos, if he remembered right, with two other strangers that were leaving footprints on the shiny, wooden floor. What’s… happening? The boy waited for Hebs and Damon to follow after them (at least he supposed that was what was going to happen) and watch. He was curious and if this had something to do with Damon Barrow, he wanted to know.

"...I have a bad feeling about this," were the forlorn words, the only words, that came out of Damon's mouth as a response to Hebs. He was looking and feeling rather gloomy as he shifted, ready to be helped into his chair. Even though Kratos and his friends probably knew what they were doing, Damon was definitely not eager about this. He was even more uneasy because Shadow was not home. Shadow was usually there during potentially dangerous events for back-up, and the fact that he wasn't there was putting Damon off even more than he was already.

The graveyard outside, to anyone paying close enough attention, was crowded with spirits. Some were stronger than others and thus more easily detected. Kain was one of the strongest in the graveyard, of course. But the other spirits there...could they not find peace? Why were they all hanging around like that? Was it possible for Kratos and his companions to help them all to where they belonged? If they could, surely the graveyard would lose some of the creepiness it had. And...it would set the minds of the various spirits at rest, as well.

Besides Kain, there was only one other really powerful spirit. Kain was at the very back of the graveyard, attempting to hide from Kratos, Hades, and Judas for a while so she could figure out a game plan and resist them. There was another spirit with her, as well--a male. He wasn't too tall and he was lean and very pale. He bore an eerie resemblance to Léan with his slightly curly white-blonde hair and icy blue eyes.

This one was called Erudito. He was an extremely powerful freak with the difficult-to-control power to bend reality as he so pleased. Shadow was intent on keeping him very, very dead. Was it possible that he was working with Kain?

Kratos had noticed that. The extra presence - a much stronger one than Kain - made him frown at Judas' and Hades' way. "Don't look at me like that," the God of Death said as he motioned for Judas not to mind Kratos and carry along with what he was doing, "I didn't even know about him until now. It's like she's been hiding him." All of their focus had been on Kain, not on this Erudito.

And, as Hebs came with Damon, he pursed his lips a little. Hebs obviously did not expect to be seeing another one with Kain. "Who is he?" he asked Damon, raising his eyebrows a little out of sheer curiosity and a tad bit of annoyance.

Erudito had been in the generation of Shadow's freaks that included both Kain and Damon. So of course, Damon recognized him once the power Kratos and his friends had over the area began to affect him. Normally, he wouldn't be able to see spirits. Damon fidgeted in his chair, seeming a little uncomfortable. "That is Erudito," he replied, nervously playing with his fingers. "Another of our family that has been dead for a long time. He has the unstable power to bend reality as he so pleases...Shadow always had a hard time controlling him."

Knowing that he was being spoken about, Erudito gave the approaching group a sideways stare--his eyes were cold and emotionless, like two chips of ice--before returning his attention to Kain. Kain seemed much more concerned about the approaching group--particularly Kratos, as she knew what he could do--and she stood up almost at once, shuffling to half-shield herself behind Erudito. He must have had a great deal of power. He wasn't intimidated by Kratos, Hades, or Judas at all.