Chapter 14: The Eldest Heir

In a storm-soaked Rome, Augustus carries an unconscious Alexis and supports a deteriorating Kharon while dragging three gagged, chained Titans to a hidden Chthonic safe house. He verifies they still bear Alexis’s golden tags, secures them to ceiling hooks in the cellar, and returns to triage his allies.

Preparing a shower, Augustus notices blood weeping from his eyes and worsening headaches, signaling unsettling changes in his power. Refusing to dwell, he undresses and bathes Alexis with care, praising her strength and intellect while privately grieving the manipulation that bound her to them. He recalls the humans’ reverence for the "Angel of Rome" and questions who protects her as she protects others.

Kharon, missing an ear he gave to Alexis, joins the shower. The men argue: Augustus doubts they’re good for her; Kharon insists she needs their monstrous protection, invoking Hades and Persephone and condemning Achilles and Patro for abandoning her. Mid-conversation, Kharon collapses from blood loss and exhaustion.

Augustus administers scarce Olympian tech—purified adrenaline mixed with a sleeping agent—to both Alexis and Kharon, inducing a healing coma, then applies Asclepian healing mist and fresh bandages. He tucks them in; Kharon clings to Alexis in sleep, and Poco, freshly washed, curls against her. Hellhounds and Fluffy Jr. rest nearby, the latter mid-molt.

Armed and on guard by the door, Augustus watches over them through the night as the marriage bond thrums with contentment. He vows in Latin to raise hell for Alexis, even as the ominous transformation of his own power lingers.