"I swear on my sword, on my Honor as a Vicar to protect you." He rolled his eyes. He didn't really mean it, because promises really didn't mean much to him.

"Alright." She said. "So..."

She took a deep breath. Her baby riled in her chest, she rubbed his scalp and touched his nose and tried to force a smile upon her face.

"Well, let's take it from the start then, right? I..." She said, and all of them were on their plastic seats with the back legs slanted so that it looks like they were almost about to fall. "I killed dad."

She said it cold, lifelessly.

"I dug a blade through his chest." She said.

"Why?" Apollo asked.

"He found out about Floyd and me."

"That you two were fucking?" Apollo asked.

"That we had a child." She hissed at him. "An innocent boy, yes. And he threatened to take that away."

"He was going to kill your kid?"

"He was going to do something. Lord knows what and we didn't take the risk, so Floyd got behind him and held his neck and arms and I...with the statue piece...I just.,.went at it. And he struggled, and he bled...and Floyd just wouldn't let go..."

"So it was a two man job. Makes sense." Apollo said. "How'd he find out about your relationship?"

The other two were almost impressed by his candor.

"Turnus told him. I know it. I don't know how, but he did." She said. "I don't have evidence, but this is what my gut tells me."

"Goddamnit. This still doesn't answer my question!" Apollo shouted into the air.

"What do you mean? We know everything." Thaddeus said.

Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.

"I still don't know why Turnus killed his dad. I don't know who the fuck the body in the shed is. And what all of this means for us anyway? It's like I answer one question and ten more take its place."

"A body in the shed?" She said. "I don't know about that, sorry. But I think I have an idea what Ritcher and Turnus want. Have wanted, really."

"What's that?" Aenea leaned in, braced for the news.

"He's chasing after it, the emerald tablet. The Tabula Smaragdina." She said. "All of them, all of us. Whether you know it or not."

"What's that?"

"The Philosophers called it the tablet of all knowledge," Apollo said. "An alchemist's masturbatory fantasy. It's said to give anyone any access to any secret they'd so love to know. Any problem, any formula. It can produce any solution to a hundred percent accuracy. A sort of...living Wikipedia, I guess. But more, much more."

"I don't know what they'll do with it. Mother wanted it for immortality." She said. Aenea made a disgusted face. "Some people say you can even predict the future with it. It's a boundless thing."

"And...you'll get this...how exactly?" Apollo asked.

"With the blood of Wolfes. That's how it goes at least." She said. "Mammon promised it to dad. I believe he promised it to mother too, and father. I don't know how it'll work exactly, but I wouldn't put it past Ritcher or Turnus to know. I know it involves all our deaths though."

"Well, that's great, real swell," Apollo said. "These answers were shit. And now I've got another burden on my shoulder. Are you happy?" He looked at Aenea who had her head by the chair's back, it held her chin. Her eyes looked adrift, looking out the window.

"Huh?" She woke up. "What? Am I happy? No. But it' doesn't change much. I'll defend my sister."

"Really? After I shot you?" She asked.

"Yeah, after you shot me," Aenea said. "As a business person, it should always be beneath you to hold grudges. I've got bigger problems anyway."

"They're going to come after you all, you know that right?" Luanne said.

"We'll figure something out. If talking doesn't get us anywhere then..."

"Then we kill 'em." Apollo clapped his hands. It's that easy."

"What about the emerald tablet? Or me? Aren't you mad? I killed dad. Me." She said.

"I never liked him," Aenea said. "Hard to get mad about that, really. It's like getting mad over a strangers death."

"And my kid? He's Floyd's son, you're fine with that?"

"You keep asking if I'm fine or angry or whatever," Aenea said. "What you should be asking is if I'm willing. And yes, I am."

"He's your problem then," Apollo said. "I've got more things to do than run around playing bodyguard again."

"So what now then?" Aenea asked. Apollo raised his hand and just behind him, the doors burst open.

Dolores stepped through, sweating, heaving.

"You left me in there, you asshole." She said.

And they all looked at her in surprise, curiosity. Everyone but Luanne, who looked with a glare more than curious, it looked almost...opportunistic. Wry. Like a smile half-formed.