Nero, Adonis, Pumpkin, and Diamond split up for the day to work on the next people on their hit list. Pumpkin and Diamond headed for the red light district while Nero and Adonis went to Ascension Hills. As Adonis drove through the clean, pristine streets of the nicest part of Atlaan, Nero reminisced about the first night he met Alto.

He was so afraid to shoot Luoh two and a half years ago, and the person he used to be would never recognize the person he was now.

He didn’t regret a thing.

After some time they came upon one of many large estates in Ascension Hills. This one had large golden gates, a wall, and even a security booth to get inside. Bushes and shrubs littered the outside walls, and vines crept upwards the wall. Adonis parked the car a few feet away from the entrance.

The name Diona was on the side of their gaudy golden mailbox.

Adonis had returned home.

“Are you sure you want to come back here," asked Nero. “You’re really going to kill her?”

“I’m not. I just want to talk," he said. “She didn’t used to be so bad. She just needs her medication."

“You don’t need to do this. I hate seeing you upset.”

He gripped Adonis’s arm and was trying to do what Alto told him to do, emotional support for friends and what not-not.

Adonis smiled with his eyes. He had gotten used to wearing his face mask for so long, he did it even when he wasn’t wearing it at home.

“Don’t take this the wrong way Nero, but I don’t want to be like you.”

Nero moved his hand away from Adonis, his face showing he was hurt, because he had made great strides in the past two years, he was sure of it.

“I’m not that bad,” said Nero. “I’m better now. I eat cheese now and cry less.”

“That is not what I meant. I mean I don’t want to become obsessed.”

Nero’s sad face changed to that of offense.

“I am not obsessed! I’m fine!”

“How much have you slept the past few days," asked Adonis.

“Sleep is for the weak ," Nero hissed.

“Every day you prove me right. You were kidnapped yesterday , and now you’re out here with me!”

“ I have a strong work ethic," Nero replied.

“Right. Sure. The only thing I’ve seen you work hard for is this crackpot revenge plan and figuring out how many calories are in spaghetti."

“It’s really hard. Do the calories on the box count when it's dry or cooked?”

“I just want to deal with my issues, okay? I can’t keep avoiding everything until it comes back up in a bad way."

“I get it, but... I still think you should kill her. ”

“ I am not killing my mother, Nero," grumbled Adonis. “You and Alto think that whenever you have a problem you can just kill someone, and it goes away!”

“Yeah, and it works ," Nero scoffed.

He began to shuffle through the glove compartment for his cigarettes and found them. They weren’t his favorite, but they would have to do. Nero snapped his fingers and the end of the cigarette began to smoke, and his sword grumbled that this was not what his divine powers should be used for.

“Just stay in the car," groaned Adonis. “I just want to talk to her for a bit.”

He took a long drag and sneered at Adonis.

“I don’t see how talking to your mom has anything to do with our Revenge Week," said Nero.

“It does," said Adonis.

He tugged on his mask. After a few years, he still wasn’t accustomed to the heat, but it was better than the stares. At least with it on, people assumed he had a cold.

“I want her to see how well I’m doing without her."

Nero took another long drag and blew out smoke through his nostrils. “Fine," he replied. “I’ll stay put. But if you’re gone for more than an hour I’m coming inside.”

“Please don’t,” Adonis begged. “I’ll be back quick, okay? Don’t scare the neighbors while I’m gone.” Nero stuck his tongue out and hung his arm out the car window.

“I’m going to scare everyone !

Adonis smiled with his eyes again and got out of the car, leaving the keys in the ignition in case Nero needed the AC.

Adonis approached the security booth and hesitated to speak. The guard looked at him and then looked back at his phone. “Can I come inside," asked Adonis. I’m here to see Maia Diona."

The guard didn’t bother to look up from his phone screen.

“No. I don’t know you.”

“Please…... I’m her son.”

The guard looked at him with suspicion. “She doesn’t have any kids, I never see anyone come by here," he replied. “Who are you?”

“I am her son, Adonis," he repeated.

Adonis stood there, uncomfortable and uncertain. He was a large and tall man, and he knew without trying that he scared others. He tried not to. He wasn’t very good at it, and it just made him cautious around others.

The guard did not believe him nor trust him.

“Take off your mask," he commanded.

Reluctantly Adonis braced himself for the man’s reaction as he took off his mask, and he got the exact reaction he expected.

“Put it back on," he said dismissively.

Adonis quickly did as instructed and asked again if he could come in.

“No, why would I let some cut-up weirdo come inside?”

Adonis decided that it would not be a good use of his time to continue with this man.

Nero was surprised to see him come back so soon.

“You got cold feet," he asked.

“Won’t let me in.”

“You gonna give up that fast," Nero jeered.

“No, you can get me in. Do that thing .”

Nero now knew he had the upper hand in another imaginary confrontation he had made up in his mind.

“Why should I? It hurts with this watch," he groaned, clutching his wrist, whimpering.

“Why are you doing this? Just tell me what you want, Nero.”

Nero pretended to act coy and ignorant.

“I don’t know what you mean," he said. “I don’t want anything . I just don’t want to feel more pain. I’m fine here in the car.” He quivered his lower lip and Adonis rolled his eyes.

“Just do it or else I won’t get you what you want.”

“Fine."

Nero mumbled some strange things to himself and Adonis had no clue what he was saying. He looked embarrassed and was unsure of how to ask for what he wanted.

“What are you so shy about," Adonis chuckled. “I’ve seen you walk around naked but you’re afraid to ask for a favor?”

Nero flared his nostrils and huffed. He got out of the car and tried to look as strong as possible, but came off as an indignant pomeranian.

“I want a book on tape," he announced.

“That’s… that’s it ?”

“Yeah...Alto hasn’t given me my allowance yet," Nero mumbled.

Adonis tried not to laugh because he knew if he did he wouldn’t get Nero to help him. He nodded and hid a giant grin under his mask.

Nero and Adonis made their way around the estate walls looking for an empty spot. They found a spot surrounded by shrubs. Once no one was around Nero grit his teeth and placed his hand on the wall.

Tears fell down as he tried not to make a noise while they attempted to break and enter, most likely the least nefarious of the crimes they’ve committed. A tunnel appeared through the wall, and they walked right through, into the Diona Estate.

Adonis easily made his way through the large garden. Nothing had changed, it was very frightening since Adonis had not been to his home in years. Everything looked eerily similar to the day he had left. A part of him felt that he was imagining it in his mind, that this entire house was frozen in time while the rest of the world kept on spinning.

“You can go back now," Adonis offered.

“Pfft. No," Nero replied. “It’s boring in the car."

Adonis suddenly stopped.

“Did you take the keys out of the car," he asked.

Nero shook his head.

“Why not!?”

Nero shrugged.

“Alto can just buy a new one anyway, what's the problem," Nero asked.

Adonis shook his head and continued through the garden trail. They used to be barely able to afford rent, most of their food was from the food bank, and they had no furniture.

Now Nero treated a car like a disposable butt wipe, and Adonis wasn’t sure if they had come very far, or if they had gone so far then went around, back to where they started.

The soft sounds of the garden fountain made him relax, as the familiar sounds of home came back to him, and he tried not to dwell on the past. It was futile since he was literally in the past, his house unchanged, his problems staring him in the face.

Nero looked around, bored out of his skull, thinking that this was no different than the car, no emotional attachment to a home he had never been in, the most interesting thing about it the various bushes cut up to look like lions, tigers, and cats.

They made their way through the garden and opened the sliding glass doors to a hallway.

“Let’s be quiet so they don’t hear us," Adonis whispered.

“Why? It’s not like they can do anything to us, I can just set this place on fire."

“Nero. We are not killing my mother. That is final," he repeated.

Nero pouted as they walked down the hallway, trying to remind himself that this was all for his book on tape that he couldn’t get since he spent all of Alto's money his money tracking down his enemies.

When they turned a corner, Adonis halted in surprise that they had been caught. Nero grimaced as he stared at the estate employee. He looked just like Adonis. He was a similar height as well, and Nero bristled at the sight of him.

He always wondered what Adonis looked like without the scars on his face, but didn’t want to find out like this.

“Ah, are you the new hire," the man asked.

Adonis started to sweat when he realized the man looked like him, except his eyes were a different color, and so was his voice. The man was so used to the similarity of all his male coworkers that he had assumed that Adonis worked there with him.

“Run," Adonis shouted.

Nero and Adonis ran past the employee and his protests, through the halls until they reached the main staircase.

“Which way," Nero asked.

“I think it was left.”

They ran through the halls of the magnificent house, past confused staff and avoiding the small robot vacuum cleaners gliding along the floor like silver manta rays. Adonis felt even more disturbed as all the male staff held some resemblance to him, and he tried to avoid their faces as they ran through the halls.

Adonis and Nero finally reached a large ornate wooden door. It had twisted handles, and at the knob were golden wings on its ends. Adonis stood in front of his mother’s room feeling like a child again, worried he would be chastised for entering without knocking.

“Open the damn door," Nero said, agitated and impatient.

“This is hard for me, okay?”

“I know you are afraid to kill her, but you are no longer a virgin, Adonis."

Adonis blushed at the apt metaphor and closed his eyes, taking deep breaths to try and slow his racing heart. His mouth quivered and he grimaced, once again thankful for the mask that no one could see him when he was sad when he was happy when he was angry.

His emotions were his, and his alone , after all the years his mother took them from him. He took a deep breath and put his hand on the doorknob. He released, still not ready, still afraid of his mother.

“Fuck it," Nero huffed.

Nero opened the main chambers, much to Adonis’ dismay and he began to panic, still emotionally unprepared to meet his mother after seven years.