Chris clamped his mouth shut.
Cassandra saw the sneers and glares they collected as Phoebe led them toward a hallway on the left.
"What do they do with the Apollites who turn Daimon?" Chris asked as soon as they were away from the other Apollites.
"No Daimons are tolerated here since they require a steady diet of human souls. If an Apollite decides to go Daimon, they are allowed to leave, but they can never return here. Ever."
"Yet you live here," Kat said. "Why?"
"I told you, Urian protects them. He was the one who showed them how to build this place."
"Why?" Kat pressed.
Phoebe stopped and turned to give Kat a measuring stare. "In spite of what you might think of him, Katra, my husband is a good man. He only wants what's best for his people." Phoebe's gaze went to Cassandra. "Urian was the first child to ever be born a cursed Apollite."
Cassandra gasped at the news. "That would make him-"
"Over eleven thousand years old," Phoebe said, finishing her sentence for her. "Yes. Most of the warriors who travel with him are that old. They go back to the very beginning of our history."
Chris whistled low. "How is that possible?"
"The Destroyer protects them," Kat answered. "Just as the Dark-Hunters serve Artemis, the true Spathis serve her." Kat sighed as if the conflict pained her. "Artemis and Apollymi have been at war since day one. The Destroyer is in captivity because Artemis tricked her into it and she spends all her time plotting Artemis's torture and death. If she ever gets out, Apollymi will destroy her."
Cassandra frowned. "Why does the Destroyer hate Artemis?"
"Love. Why else?" Kat said simply. "Love, hatred, and revenge are the most powerful emotions on earth. Apollymi wants revenge on Artemis for killing the one thing she loved most in the universe."
"And that is?"
"I would never betray either one by saying it."
"Would you write it down?" Chris asked.
Kat rolled her eyes.
Cassandra and Phoebe shook their heads.
"Oh, yeah, like the two of you weren't thinking the same thing," Chris said.
Phoebe motioned them to follow her again. She led them down a corridor that was lined with doors. "These are apartments. You will be given a large unit with four bedrooms. Mine is down a separate hallway. I would have liked to have had you closer, but this was the only one available that was big enough to accommodate all of you and I didn't think it wise to break up your number."
Cassandra wished she were closer to Phoebe too. She had a lot of catching up to do with her sister. "Is Wulf already there?"
"No," Phoebe said, averting her gaze. "He was taken to a holding cell."
Cassandra was aghast, then angry. "Excuse me?"
"He's our enemy, Cassie. What would you expect us to do?"
"I expect you to release him. Now."
"I can't."
Cassandra stopped dead in her tracks. "Then show me the door out of here."
Phoebe's face mirrored her disbelief. "What?"
"You heard me. I will not stay here unless he's welcome. He has risked his life for me. His home was destroyed because of me and I will not live comfortably while the father of my baby is treated like a convict."