"Why do I always promise something really fucking stuoid to mom?" I fell down to my bed. I had so much pent up energy and no place to put it. I was stuck in Sonia's and Milo's place. If I'm like more correct, I was stuck in Sonia's workroom where Milo had put a bed for me. I was always with Sonia when adults in my life were out kidnapping people and other parent activities. I didn't mind it. It was nice to sleep while listening ti soft hums of Sonia's inventions.

Sonia sat in her workdesk. She seemed to draw graphs but I have never really understood what Sonia did. I didn't even try to figure what any of Sonia's machines did.

On Sonia's other hand, there was a a keypad that Sonia was tapping. Milo made it to her for moments when she couldn't sign. Sometimes she used it to rant in a way I can fully understand everything. "I don't know why it didn't work. Milo and I have worked on it for month. Just one swing and it could release energy field that could shield from anything."

I stood up from bed and walked next to Sonia. "Even if it would work, we would have still failed."

Sonia made a noise out of frustration. She knew I was right.

"But hey, it sounds dope when it works." I tapped Sonia's head. I don't know how to comfort Sonia. I have tried very hard for 14 years, but I still don't know how to do it. "I am not my mom. I don't know if she did or didn't like this nor your shoes, but I love them."

"Maybe I should just give up. I will never be as good as Milo." Sonia tried to smile at me but she was too tired. I tried to protest, but Sonia turned her eyes away from me, and wouldn't look at my hands. Well, it is late. We haven't slept all night. I just have been thinking about mom's promise. Tomorrow I will hear everything I want to hear. I wanted to pretend that I had hard time figuring out what I would ask first. I know excatly what I want to know.

I fell back to the bed and looked outside the window. Because Sonia loves to be just as weird as her uncle, her workroom is on top of a literal half made robot. Robot was in the middle of Milo's workshop, surrounded by Milo's other inventions. Because the workshop was right in the middle of Tartaros, and workshop's windows were huge, I had the best views on Tartaros. My favorite thing to do was to stalk people outside the windows. At this time of day, there wasn't usually anyone to stalk. Today wasn't an usual day.

Far away, probably in the courthouse, were lights. Mom was back. I couldn't stop smiling. Maybe this is what Sonia needed: distraction. I rushed next to Sonia. "Mom, Serena and Milo... They are always the happiest after a succesful operation."

Sonia got up quickly. I didn't have time even to react before she was sliding the robot to get to the ground. I loved this version of Sonia.

We ran outside without a good idea how we could get in the courthouse. I knew if they found the person they were looking for, they were going to have a public interrigation. I couldn't wait to see it.

We just had a problem. We were told not to leave Sonia's and Milo's place. We couldn't just waltz right in. Sonia opened the door just outside the workshop that headed down under ground. We had to go through Troja.

After Gorgos and their loyal subjects won the first battle between Ashphodea, people escaping Ashphodea's rule started coming in every day. Most of them were escaping some evil faith they had at home. Because my mother is a "saint that can do no wrong", she will let everyone in who needs it. When more and more people started coming in, Gorgos needed to figure out how they could get more living spaces without destroying walls that kept her safe. So, they built more space inside the mountain Tartaros was in. The more people come here, the more big Troja will become.

Even I'm annoyed that mom used so much time building houses to people she has never met, I had to admit that Troja is beautiful. Big problem with Tartaros was that even tough it has been altered, you can still sense the past in every wall. Troja... Troja was mom's other kid. It was so bright even tough it was under ground. It felt welcoming, like a home.

I completly forgot how many other probably wanted to hear the interigattion too. Big group of people was huddled around the courtroom. Right outside the courtroom was a big screen where we could see all of it clearly. We could watch the interrigation and hide in the middle of people. We could only get caught if the most loyal Gorgo people would be here.

Samuel Vera, the most loyal of the Gorgo helpers, was walking towards us. We couldn't escape. We could only make sure he didn't know we weren't allowed to be here.

"Edan and Sonia! What's up kiddos?" Samuel hugged us so hard, my legs rose quickly from the ground. Samuel loved to hug which was kind of painful, because Samuel's body was made of metal. He was literally inside a robot body. "I heard from the married ladies that you two had a test today. How was it?"

How Samuel came to Tartaros was the most interesting story I have ever heard. Milo had found him five years ago in a hospital. Samuel had had some sort of virus that made him quadriplegic. I don't know what Gorgos were looking for but Milo liked Samuel's creative cursing so much, he basically adopted him as his dad. Milo brought Samuel to Tartaros and built him a suit that gave Samuel the skill to move again. After that Samuel has been ruining my plans.

"Mom said we can renew it. We had it today, but today's mission messed it up." I tried to lie as convincing as possible. Samuel put us back down. "You know, the Izaiah Jones thing..."

Samuel's look turned grim. "Oh, so I guess you have to wait a little bit. I's gonna be a rough couple of weeks for your guardians, so... be easy on them. It isn't easy to see ghosts." Samuel looked at Sonia and smiled with reassuringly. "I'm so sorry kiddo."

Samuel left. Me and Sonia looked at each other in confusion. What did he mean?

"I don't want to think about it, but you must know what I'm thinking about." I didn't want to admit it, but I knew what she was thinking. I couldn't think about the words "ghost from the past". So many people have died ever since we started to fight with Ashphodea. Sonia lost her parents. I thought of my dad. I don't know if he's dead or not but he's been gone so long he could be a ghost. We started to have either hope or absolute fear. Is this why we were suppose to stay home?

The giant screen started working. We started to see the courtroom. Gorgos were sitting in their desks. In front of them was a man on his knees who like he was maybe in his fifties. His face looked... Something wasn't right with his face. Next to the man were two guards that kept the man from moving anywhere.

Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

"I don't- I- I don't know what you're talking about." His voice was weak and he looked like he was in pain. "I haven't- I haven't done- I haven't done anything- anything wrong."

"Anna Eklund would disagree, don't you think?" Milo sneered. He stood up and walked closer to the man. "Just say your real name and this is over in a second. You don't have to pretend anymore."

"My name is Izaiah Jones. I used to work with I.C.T.A as a-" Before the man could finish, Milo punched him in the face. *Why do you care? You seem to already know your answer."

"We want you to say it. Say it to the people of Tartaros." Mom seemed so happy just hours ago. Now she looked... scary. She looked like she wanted to punch their prisoner herself.

"Is this what you do here? You are torturing an innocent person for entertaiment. I am not the person you think I am. Try to fucking understand it." Milo wanted to punch Izaiah again, but mom stopped him. Instead, mom whispered something in his ear that made him smile.

"What's my real name?" Milo smiled widely. "You are an former I.C.T.A scientist and you have worked with our close aquitances in Ashphodea since the start of our war. You should know my real name. Not my codename Stheno. What's the name my niece uses when she's talking to me?"

Izaiah's lips were quivering. His head was fully white. "Louis... He never let me- I haven't-" Izaiah looked like he was about to cry. When the look on Gorgo's faces didn't change though, he immediately changed. He started at Milo with disgust on his face. "You are still that spoiled brat, you little-"

You could hear the screams of shock around me. Izaiah said a woman's name. All of the Grogos smiled. Milo walked back to his seat. "I wasn't born as Stheno. I was once just a kid who lived with a man who hated me. Thankfully I was saved by my sister and her... crew. They are the only ones who know the name I was born with."

Sonia sank their nails into me. She looked like she could faint at any moment. You could also say it about Izaiah or whoever he was. I tried to drag her away from the screen, but I couldn't move.

"Dear people of Tartaros, 15 years ago there were only three people who knew that name. Me, my dear sister, and his pathetic husband." Milo stood up again. "15 years ago my sister and her husband died in a explosion that made us win the first battle. No-one other me should know that name. So why do you know it?"

Milo raised the man to the air by his robotic arm. Izaiah, or whoever he is, tried to escape but it was no use. One small man was no challenge for Milo, who could raise thousands of kilos just by his robot arm.

"Tomas Erik Henriksson. You are accused of treason and the murder of Sonia Henriksson. Prove your innocence to the audience who will choose your punishment and wheter you are innocent or not." Mom's voice was cold. She tapped Milo to the shoulder so he would drop his brother in law.

Man, who I guess was Sonia's father, slumped back to the floor. "You are lying! I didn't... You can't blame me for he death. Anna was insane. If you can admit at least a little, how she actually was, you would know I couldn't kill her. Killing her was impossible, as much I tried. Everyone around her were under her spell, like you too. You too. You like to pretend to be these scary rebel leader, but you are still the idiot teenagers who thought Anna was some sort of goddness. She was a monster."

I heard people whispering around me. Everyone around me thought Anna Henriksson was a wartime martyr. They thought that about Sonia's dad too before all of this, but here he was, alive and bitter. He didn't die side by side with love of his life. He had been working for the other side. No-one knew what to belive. I didn't know what to belive.

Sonia looked like she was fainting. I tried to keep her standing still but I saw how everything was affecting her. I tried to drag her away from the screen, but I get slammed into Samuel.

"You lied to me boy", Samuel said and puts me and Sonia on her shoudler. Fuck.

"It was lucky for me that I got a messenge from Miss Eurydale to keep you away from Troja almost soon as I met you. As I messenged to her back, I heard you were supposed to be back at smithy." I signed.

"Mom never said we have to stay inside." I tried to get out of Samuel's grasp but I couldn't win his metal arm. "I am the son of your boss! You shouldn't be this rough. We can walk."

"I am well aware, kiddo. I also know you are trying something and I am scared of you step-mom more than you." Samuel laughed. He opened the door that leaded up to Milo's work.

"Oh you should. Rena is the scariest person I have ever met. " Hades. On the top of the stairs was Milo. He was smiling so wide, I almost forgot his brother in law had come back from the dead and he had punched him so hard I was afraid he would kill him.

Milo eyes kept going to Sonia while Samuel lowered us into the floor of the workshop. Sonia was just numb. She was deep in tought and didn't react to anything or anyone.

"Alirighty, I'm off to vote. He is as guilty a person could be. " Samuel tapped Milo's shoulder. "We are going to get revenge to that traitor. I have so many ideas for punishment."

I wanted to go take care of Sonia but Milo pointed towards his desk bit away from Sonia. It was just a corner filled with drawings and prototypes. There were two pictures that didn't relate to work: One was an old picture of him, Serena and mom. Other was a picture of me and Sonia as toddlers.

"So, you heard the interrigation that turned into a trial?" Milo sighned and sat down on his chair. "I really wished this was the day you didn't do something impulsive but I guess that was just..." He looked like he either wanted to drink something strong or punch something.

"How could I have known you were going to punch the shit out of Sonia's dad who we tought was dead? I was told since my infancy that he blew up to bits before I was born. Usually people don't survive something like that."

I stopped my very passionate speech when Milo hits the table next to him. "Edan! We- We didn't know that this was going to happen." Milo breathed in and out. He massanged his forehead. "Izaiah Jones was a man who we have tried to find for years for a project we might have to give up on. Turns out, Sonia's father took that man's, his former collegues, identity. If we had known he was still alive, we would have killed him long time ago."

The first battle between Ashphodea and Tartaros was brutal. A lot of people died. Mom told me that Anna and Tomas sacrifised themselves to save their family. It was a cute story about true love. Now I'm thinking it was made up to cheer a poor orphan girl. Tomas's rant shattered that story by itself. Now there was only questions. I could ask dozens of questions. Could Anna be alive too? What did Tomas mean by calling Anna a monster? How did he survive? But, instead of all of these good questions, I asked something kind of stupid: "What project do you need a therapist?"

I could see Milo shrink in his chair. He tried to say something but he closed his mouth to think. "I... Punishment for not listening to your mom, you and Sonia are going to spend the morning tomorrow with Samuel. You are on secret door duty. Go talk to Samuel first thing in the morning."

"But-"

I sighned. I wasn't stupid. I couldn't make him talk anymore. Instead I nodded. Milo smiled a little. "This is for your own good. I promise, I will tell you everything after we have dealt with... you know who."

"Fine." I smiled the fakest smile I could. I wanted to scream, yell that I was tired of those same promises. I wanted to demand answers now. I just couldn't. So I just smiled. I could figure out their secrets other ways.

"Thank you Edan. I will promise I will answer any of your questions in no time." Milo turned towards his table. I started to walk back to Sonia. I didn't want to admit it, but in my head I tried to form a plan. I needed to talk to Tomas, only person who knew answers to my questions. Maybe he was more willing to actually answer them too. Sonia needed to know his father. Maybe he knew about my dad too.

For years I thought I was a product of Serena and mom, but after my classmates explained to me why I was wrong, I still couldn't get mom to admit who my real father was. I even stopped calling Serena mom. I just always heard "We will explain it later."

I was tired of waiting. I will get my answers. I just had to come up with a plan first.