A Betrayal Too Deep

Chapter 17

Valerius and Harry

Harry moved into the living room, it was completely different from Valerius' home he knew without looking that he was extremely uncomfortable with the place. Valerius' home looked like a Roman museum whereas Harry's house looked homely with light colours spread around blending in perfectly with the few darker colours. The bedrooms were the same, he made it light inside since no sunlight could get in the house without turning him into a fried pile of ash. It had only taken him a single day to get the house decorated, courtesy of magic. Turning to face him, his eyes and face impassive, as he regarded Valerius flashing back to fourth year at Hogwarts. Where Ron was standing before him, looking awkward and sheepish, he didn't understand why it evoked that memory considering Valerius had no expression on his face. The worry lines around his eyes though made him feel slightly guilty, but he cursed himself silently he had nothing to be sorry for.

"You have not been returning my calls," said Valerius emotionlessly, he hadn't really expected Gilbert to become his squire despite Harry's reassurance. When the letter came he'd been stunned, Harry truly had came through for him. The fondness had grown exponentially from there. He respected Harry, as a friend and confidant not that he confided about much, just his family and their expectations. It didn't help that Harry had chosen to get to know him, where no one else would give him the time of day. Then this had happened for no reason that he could understand, and he just wanted answers and for things to go back to the way they used to be.

Harry blinked, outwardly it would seem Valerius didn't care, but Harry could feel how hurt he was by the wall that had sprung so suddenly and unexpectedly between them. He was also extremely angry at himself for caring, for allowing himself to feel anything in the first place. He had been fine on his own, or so he convinced himself he was anyway, and now he was in for a world of hurt it was just not fair.

"No, I haven't." stated Harry coolly, despite the fact inwardly he felt as if he was destroying any relationship he had with Valerius for good. Did he give him a second chance? How did he explain everything without revealing their relationship (Valerius and Zarek) he didn't understand how they couldn't see it. Both men looked so alike it was rather a scary sight to behold. He'd known the second he saw him swaggering down the street. There was just this presence around him, one that made Harry want to protect him and show him love like nobody else had before. Probably wouldn't be accepted, but Harry couldn't help how he felt, he reminded him of Ash, Remus and Sirius all wrapped into one person admittedly a very hot guy at that. The only problem was - he was shorter than all of them, it made him feel like such a child. None more so than Ash, but that was okay, because he really as a child compared to the Atlantean's standards.

"Why not?" asked Valerius haughtily, standing defensively in Harry's living room.

Harry looked away, gritting his teeth, memories of his human days returning to the forefront of his mind. The urge to throw Valerius out was strong, but he couldn't, no matter how mad he was at him he couldn't willingly cause him harm. He wasn't that kind of man, not even after what he'd been through.

"Harry?" called Valerius a hint of concern shining through his black orbs. Unconsciously taking a step forward before realizing his own actions he stepped back completely stiff once more.

"Have you ever really looked at Zarek before? I mean really looked at him?" questioned Harry, turning back to face him his chin gutting out defensively.

"Why would I want to do that?" sneered Valerius coldly, speaking with the same distain he had when speaking of his grandfather.

"If you had…you would already know the answer to that question." stated Harry shaking his head, he was walking on dangerous ground.

Valerius twitched, the urge to strangle the boy was strong, honestly he hated riddles and only the Greek leader could get away with it. Why would he ask such a question? Did he feel sorry for Zarek? didn't he realize he had too? It had only lead to both of them being punished painfully.

"Just answer my question." stated Valerius calmly, but on the inside he was anything but.

"Sorry Valerius, I wouldn't want you to associate yourself with a slave." sneered Harry his own black eyes flashing angrily.

Valerius froze completely baffled by the statement, Harry was far too young to have been a slave, unless of course he had been lying to him. Slavery had been abolished since eighteen eighty three in the United Kingdom. Sixteen eighty five in America, he should know he'd been around those times. "That's impossible, slavery has been abolished since eighteen eighty three…you cannot be that old." he said adamantly.

"Yes because that's when it really stopped," said Harry dryly.

Valerius let out a nearly inaudible growl.

"I know how Zarek feels, I was never good enough, and when you so callously said those words…it brought me back to the time when my Uncle often muttered it under his own breath." stated Harry his face slightly pained as he thought on it.

Valerius said nothing, unable to articulate how he felt, even worse he knew better than to ask why his uncle would do such a thing. Hell his own brothers had killed him, he's hid when his own father and grandfather were brutally murdered by Valerius and his old slave Zarek not necessarily in the correct order. There was of course the things his father had put him through, as if he had been trying to beat the humanity out of him. There was just no knowing Human nature, no matter how long one observed it. There was good and there was bad, even Valerius had to admit that at the end of the day.

"I…said those things out of habit, Harry. I didn't really mean them." admitted Valerius, the hatred between the two of them ran deep. Mostly on Zarek's part, he'd be happy never to see him again, he was a part of his past, one that he didn't like to dwell on. It brought up dark memories, he lived in the past as it was, without reliving everything.

"And I thought this shit on who's worse the Romans or Greeks was bad," said Harry, irritated beyond belief. His magic flared at his expressive anger. "Damn you to hell Valerius, I finally fucking took a chance and look how it turned out! I should have known better than to hope anyone could change! That by some miracle you would be different! Not even a bloody Dark Hunter is different from the idiots I knew."

"I am not an idiot," said Valerius defensively. Despite the subjects change, he wondered what Harry meant about looking at Zarek, what did he expect him to see? Something different than the man used to look when he was a slave in the roman time? Well that might be true, they'd all changed, the last time he'd seen Zarek…made him queasy just thinking about it. He'd never really been able to look Zarek in the eye, after what he'd done, or rather what his father had forced him to do.

"That's what you took from that?!" shouted Harry angrily.

"Alright," conceded Valerius, opening his mouth a few times and then closing it clearly unable to say what he wanted to. Eventually he plucked up his courage and said those awful words he hadn't said in his immortal existence. "My apologies."

"And you think it makes everything alright do you?" snarled Harry, "Do you know how many times I've heard that from someone only to be stabbed in the back?"

"I did not stab you in the back," said Valerius trying to remain calm and at least respective but it was extremely hard. Coming at this time had been the wrong thing to do, he couldn't even leave until darkness descended on them again. Out of all the decisions he'd made this wasn't the worst one, but it was ranking up there in the top ten or twenty at the very least.

"No you didn't but you may as well have," said Harry coolly.

"Very well," said Valerius stiffly, his face closing off any emotion.

Harry froze in dread when Zarek teleported into the room, even more so when he saw the goatee he had previously supported during the meeting was gone. He didn't even need to look over at Valerius to see the truth dawning in the room, the emotions were enough along with the memories he was experiencing from both of them. For the first time Harry began to realize that Valerius had been speaking the truth, he really hadn't meant what he said, it was merely a habit he had.

Both brothers stared, one in disgust the other in horror.

Time may have well stopped as Harry stood in the middle, waiting for something, anything to move or happen. Praying that his flat wasn't about to be destroyed. Thankfully Zarek's Dark-Hunter powers would be draining fast, preventing him from at least unleashing hell upon them. He thanked fuck he'd barred his windows with magic, so that not even Zarek in a fit of insanity could fry them all.

The last time it was pretty unrealistic and im not sure how to go about him being confronted would Zarek just leave? and Valerius have to come to terms with it alone? will Zarek still become a god? or will both Harry and Zarek just be immortal as they are right now with their powers? R&R PLEASE!