“What happened?” Lilis could immediately tell something was wrong with Achlys when she arrived. He was simply sitting there, staring at his own hands.

“I… I hit Deimos.” Achlys admitted, and it was easy to tell just how much it seemed to bother him. He was shaking, his eyes wide open, and sweating. He clearly wasn’t sober, but he wasn’t fully drunk, either.

Lilis’ eyes widened at his admission, taking a long moment to process it. “W-what? Why? Is he okay?”

Achlys’ breath hitched, his bloodshot eyes darting to meet hers. “I slapped him. He… I don’t even remember what he said, it just. I snapped. I didn’t hurt him too bad, but I hit him.”

Lilis glared at him, though it wasn’t hateful. She was mostly frustrated because none of that made sense. Achlys never had anger problems before, not even when he was drunk. “I’ll talk to him. We will be talking about this later. This can’t go any further.” She meant it, too.

Achlys nodded silently, going back to staring down at his shaking hands.

Lilis gently knocked on Deimos’ door, before opening it. “How ya doing bud?”

Deimos didn’t respond, staring at her in… fear. He was afraid she was going to hit him, too. He was sitting on his bed, curled up as if to protect himself.

Lilis stepped into the room, closing the door behind her. She… wasn’t really sure where to begin, but she sighed softly. “Honey, you know I won’t hurt you. Can you tell me what happened?”

Deimos shook his head, still silent, though he did seem less closed off at least.

It hurt her heart to see her brave little boy curled in on himself. “Well, let me tell you it won’t happen again, okay?” She moved forward slowly, waiting for him to pull away before she patted him softly on the back. Despite his fear, it was clear Deimos wasn’t physically hurt. Not surprising, given his body was stronger than Achlys’, thanks to his sheer magical capacity. Even so, psychology rarely cared about such things. “I don’t know why he hit you, but you have my full permission to stop him if he ever tries again. I know you can.” She smiled softly.

The final line brought out a wet chuckle from Deimos. Clearly, he’d been crying before. What baffled her about the whole situation was how Deimos seemed to react to it. He wasn’t a stranger to minor pains, with his training from Orion and Jorge, but he reacted as if he’d never had any sort of pain before. What was going on inside his mind?

“I’m gonna go deal with your father, alright? Let me know if you need me.” She wanted to make damn sure this would never happen again. There was no excuse for this, even if Deimos had insulted him somehow. This was too far, and it was becoming clearer and clearer this alcohol dependency couldn’t stand.

Stomping into the living room where Achlys was, Lilis paused as she heard him sobbing. She peeked around the corner, curious as to what he was doing.

“I can’t even fucking raise a kid right.” He cried softly, covering his face with his hands. “Damnit… I’m a fucking failure.”

Lilis frowned, a sense of pity welling up inside her. She understood, of course, how frustrated he was that he couldn’t find anything to do with his life now. She’d suffered the same thing, after all. She tentatively stepped forward, putting her hand on his shoulder. “You’re not a failure, Achlys.” He flinched, staring up at her. She smiled softly, trying to reassure him. She understood, now. It was a mistake. Something happened, clearly, and it set him off while he was at his lowest. She shouldn’t be so sympathetic, she knew, and yet… This was the man she loved. The father of her precious children. “Achlys, look at me. You have to stop.”

He knew what she meant. He nodded slowly. “I… I’ll try. I have to. Is he…”

“He’s shaken up, but he’s not physically hurt.” Lilis didn’t notice Achlys flinching slightly at that. Hearing that his son was stronger than him, even after all those brutal experiments, was… unfortunate. “You’ll have to apologize to him directly. Later, of course. For now, let’s get you to bed. I’ll take care of Dawn when she gets home.”

Achlys slowly nodded, standing shakily. She helped guide him to their bedroom and helped him lie down. She waited for Dawn in the living room, not sure what to tell her. What could she tell Dawn about what happened? Her brother was clearly scared of their father now, in some capacity, while her father was bound to show blatant guilt for a while yet.

“Great…” She rubbed her temples. Deimos would get better eventually, especially with this being a one-off, as well as nearly being a teenager. What was less certain was how Dawn would feel. Kids tended to hold a grudge, and she knew for a fact that Achlys would only worsen if his precious little girl turned against him, too. For a while, she internally debated whether or not she should tell Dawn, but ultimately, she decided against it. Dawn wouldn’t understand yet. Deimos would, she’d just have to talk to him about it. After all, this would never happen again.

…Right?

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It had been well over a hundred days since he’d been struck by Achlys, but Deimos still remembered it clearly. He’d avoided his father as best he could since, but eventually, he had no choice.

He stared at the front door, swallowing nervously. He didn’t have any excuses now. He hadn’t told anyone, but he’d actively stayed away from home until he knew his mother was there. Usually, he spent the days with Sophia, or with Orion and Jorge. Anywhere but home. He steeled his nerves, remembering his mother’s words. He was stronger than Achlys, and only getting stronger. It wasn’t surprising. Mr. Dresco had explained to them before that magic seemed to rely on one’s sense of self, and his father was clearly losing himself. Deimos was only really starting to find out who he was.

Deimos opened the door quietly, hoping his father wasn’t drunk. The smell of alcohol in the air dashed those hopes immediately. His father sat in his usual chair, looking notably different than he did last time. Gone was his head of hair, replaced by wrinkled skin, a telltale sign of premature aging. His clothes no longer fit him properly either, as he no longer took care of himself. Deimos couldn’t help but grimace at the sight. Once, his father had been an inspiration. A man willing to sacrifice himself for his children and wife. Now… now he was a drunkard who refused to even take care of himself.

“Deimos. You’re home.” Achlys grunted, taking a drink from the open beer in his hand.

Deimos flinched, but nodded slowly, shutting the door behind him. “Yes.”

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“Good, good. Your sister won’t be home for another…” He stared at the clock on the wall for a long moment. “Two hours.”

“Three.” Deimos idly corrected.

“What?” Achlys narrowed his eyes. “Bah. Whatever.” He shook his head. “Just go… do whatever.”

Deimos stared at him for a long moment, shaking his head slowly. “What happened to you?” He muttered.

Apparently, he’d been a bit too loud. Achlys stood to his feet, scowling. “You.” He spat. “I was happy before you came around.”

Deimos froze. He could tell Achlys meant it, too. Did that mean… “I didn’t ask for you to be my father.”

Achlys’ face scrunched up even further in anger. “And I didn’t ask for such an ungrateful brat!” He raised his fist, ready to strike Deimos.

To his surprise, Deimos easily caught the fist, eyes glowing with his own righteous fury. “Don’t. Maybe once you were stronger than me, but those days are long gone. You’ve let yourself go, and I’m only getting stronger.” Deimos clenched his fist, slowly crushing Achlys’ hand. He let go and stepped back. “Just leave me alone unless you fix yourself.”

Achlys stared in fury as Deimos went off to his room. He knew Deimos was right. Even Dawn was stronger than him now. Nevermind that she focused entirely on healing, she was still just that far ahead of him…

Part of him knew he shouldn’t act this way, but that part was buried under years of self loathing and hatred for the world. A larger part of him just wanted to take his anger out on someone. He knew, however, that he was the weakest in the house.

…Except one.

----------------------------------------

“Nonsense.” Mr. Dresco waved his hand.

“I’m telling the truth!” Deimos protested, a bit desperate.

“Deimos, your father may have been dishonorably discharged, but I’ve met the man. He’s no child abuser.” Mr. Dresco looked down at him, a condescending look on his face. “Now, I don’t know what happened to you, but blaming your father is no way to go about it.”

Deimos clenched his fist in frustration. “Why does no one believe me.”

“Deimos…” Mr. Dresco sighed. “I understand you may be frustrated, but you have to understand adults view the world differently. Your father is far from the worst I’ve seen, and he clearly adores you and your sister. Even if he tried to hit you, you’re stronger than him. There’s nothing I could do about it.” He shrugged carelessly. “According to law, you’re his.”

“I am not property.” Deimos scowled.

Mr. Dresco actually flinched at his tone, raising his arms to placate the boy. “No, no. I simply mean that… your home life is his to determine, by law. Your punishments and such. I’ve no cause to believe he is actually abusing you.”

Deimos took a calming breath before silently walking out of the classroom.

Sophia was waiting for him, as always. “Didn’t believe you?”

Deimos shook his head. “Nope. Same with Orion and Jorge…”

Sophia grimaced. “Same with my parents… Ugh, why doesn’t anyone believe you?”

“You do.” Deimos smiled gently at her, grabbing her hand to hold as they walked. “That’s enough emotionally. I just want someone to actually do something.”

“I can imagine. Well. You know what I mean.” She huffed. “He’s such an ass to you! He knows he can’t hurt you, so he’s just trying to mess with you as much as he can.”

“It’s working.” Deimos sighed, running his free hand through his hair. “He waits until I’m alone then starts telling me stupid stuff.”

“You can always come over, you know?” Sophia pointed out.

“I don’t like running from my problems.” Deimos shook his head. “Besides, I know he’s lying. He’s been calling me a little monster, ya know? It’s almost funny.”

“I dunno, I don’t think any human could have handwriting as bad as yours…” Sophia grinned teasingly.

“Oh shush.” Deimos huffed, rolling his eyes fondly. “My handwriting’s not that bad.”

“I’m surprised you haven’t accidentally summoned a demon.” Her grin only widened, before she shook her head. “But no, don’t listen to him. He’s just mad because he can’t hurt you physically. He’s lashing out. It’s… kinda sad, really. Why not tell your mom, though?”

Deimos shook his head. “She’s… she’s been coming home dead tired lately. Bruises and stuff from patients. I don’t want to add more to her plate.”

Sophia tilted her head. “Won’t bringing other people in only make it worse for her?”

Deimos shook his head. “I’m worried he’d hurt her to shut her up. She’s about the only person he could now. If someone else gets him away first…”

“Oh! I see now.” Sophia hummed. “Still, be careful. He might be too weak to hurt you, but he’s… well, insane. You never know what people like that will do.”

Deimos huffed. “I will. I’m not stupid, ya know?”

“I never said you were.” Sophia rolled her eyes, stopping as they arrived at her house. “I’ll see you tomorrow, okay?” She gave him a peck on the lips before darting into her house with an excited giggle.

Deimos stood there for a long moment, a dumb look on his face. “She’s going to be the death of me… I’m okay with that.” He huffed, grinning widely as he marched back home. His mom would be home today, so there was no worry about Achlys being mean again.

----------------------------------------

Lilis flinched as Achlys threw another bottle against the wall, shattering on impact. She knew he’d kept drinking, but she’d held out hope that he would change, that something would get better. Unfortunately, it never did. Instead, it only got worse. He never tried to hit Deimos again, that she knew of, but he’d taken to being aggressive otherwise, throwing things and drinking more. Nevermind how he’d taken to talking about her and Deimos, accusing her of cheating on him, and Deimos of being a bastard child. She was more offended by the latter than the former, honestly. She knew it wasn’t right, but… she’d married him.

It would’ve been easy to divorce him. It was her family home, and she was the one with a job. She’d definitely keep the kids, and the house. What worried her, though, was how Deimos and Dawn would react to it. Deimos had distanced himself from Achlys, sure, but he was still his father. Dawn… she still had no idea how bad Achlys got. Whenever she was around, Achlys doted on her, as if nothing had changed. Instead, when they were alone, Achlys threatened her.

She’d know he still had connections from his youth. Jorge and Orion were proof enough of that. She didn’t know how far those connections went, though. For all she knew, he might be friends with some higher ups in the Drex Syndicate. They might’ve operated primarily on Sima, but they had always tried to get their hands in every pocket. Being on a different planet, in a different empire wouldn’t matter much to them. It was a longshot, but Achlys certainly acted as if he were under protection.

Another part of her just… didn’t want her children to grow up without a father. She’d heard the statistics. Abused children healed, but children without fathers filled the jails and morgues.

Achlys stood, towering over her, a hand on her shoulder. “Now, are you gonna fucking listen or not?!”

Lilis flinched again. He’d been demanding she stop spoiling Deimos, which she didn’t think she was. Said he needed to be disciplined more firmly, that he was out of control. She knew something happened, but… It only changed his target.

She told Deimos and Dawn her bruises were from a rowdy patient. She’d lied to her children to protect them from the knowledge that their father had become a monster. “I-”

She froze, hearing the door open. Her eyes darted to the clock. It was around the time Deimos usually arrived.

She turned, slowly, to the door. Deimos stood there, one hand still on the door handle. His eyes were focused solely on Achlys’ raised fist.

She’d failed to keep the family together, she could tell by the look of raw fury on Deimos’ face.