Contents
35. The Plan
Overview
Augustus carries an unconscious Alexis through the villa, reveling that he and Kharon have secured a binding marriage. Discovering scars and hints of hidden trauma, Augustus resolves to force her secrets into the open and avenge her. Anticipating conflict when she wakes, both men prepare for war while asserting possessive control.
Summary
Augustus narrates carrying Alexis, newly married and unconscious, up the villa’s grand staircase as his and Kharon’s triumph settles in. They relish that their plan worked: they are now bonded to a powerful Chthonic Spartan equal, believing this union makes them stronger and secures Alexis as "perfectly ours."
Their elation sours as Augustus replays Alexis’s panic when she realized the manipulations behind the wedding. He notes her fear and collapse, then fixates on alarming signs: jagged wrist scars, Persephone’s claim that Alexis wasn’t born heterochromic, and evidence she once slept in a cardboard box with her brother. Concluding that Alexis hides dangerous secrets, Augustus decides those responsible must be tortured and slain.
Expecting resistance when Alexis wakes, Augustus and Kharon ready for violence, their guns concealed beneath ceremonial togas. Augustus insists there is no escape for Alexis and frames their love as both sweetness and poison, quoting, "Love is rich with honey and venom," as they brace for the inevitable confrontation.
Who Appears
- AugustusNarrator; exults over the binding marriage, notes Alexis’s trauma, vows to force her secrets and punish abusers.
- KharonCo-husband; smug partner in the plan, armed, accompanied by unseen hellhounds, preparing for conflict.
- AlexisUnconscious bride; shows panic, hidden trauma and scars; focus of Augustus and Kharon’s possessive resolve.
- PersephonePreviously noted Alexis’s eyes were not naturally different-colored, hinting at concealed history.