Arthur moved to the washroom. As if reading his mind, his phone began to ring in his hand. He answered it knowingly.

“She’s here.”

“Don’t let her leave! I’m coming over now.”

“Char… She’s fine with me. Let her stay a while,” Arthur had picked up the phone as inconspicuously as possible, hoping that his niece would be none-the-wiser and frankly uninterested in who was calling. They were already wrapped tightly in a blanket and watching an old Simpson’s episode. “I think she just needs a break from being at home.”

“You mean to say that she needs a break from being around me,” Charlotte challenged her brother with the sounds of a boot being zipped up the side. She exhaled heavily over her phone. “Look, I know that I was harsh, but the girl needs to figure out who she is and I know she isn’t all this ridiculous non-binary, genderfluid B.S that they teach her in school nowadays… Maybe I should have kept her in the Catholic system”-

They were veering off topic and Arthur knew he had to rein it in to get off the line.

“Let her stay a night. I’ll give her the bed, and I’ll take the couch. By morning, who knows? She might be a different person”-

“A more respectful young lady, I hope!”

Arthur sighed, “don’t expect a miracle. Just stay home Char. You can trust me, okay?”

There was a contemplative silence from the other end. For a moment, Arthur believed she might stick to her word, and drag her daughter out of the apartment by an ear anyways. He breathed a sigh of relief when he heard her response.

“Fine. But no junk food! No staying up past eleven- and you’re still clean, right?”

“What kind of question is that?” He snapped.

Charlotte shuddered a breath. “I’m sorry, I just need to be sure she’s safe.”

“I’ll take care of her, don’t worry.”

With that finalization, Arthur hung up and made his way to the living room. He sat on the couch beside his guest who still seemed to be shedding the odd tear or two between commercial breaks.

“s’at mom?”

“Hm?”

“Was that mom?”

“Oh, no,” he brushed off. “Just work wanting me for the evening.”

“I’m not ten anymore, you don’t have to lie to me.”

“Well, if you knew who it was, then why’d you ask?”

The question floated over them without a response. Arthur bent over the sofa and stole the remote. The TV flicked dark.

“Talk to me?”

Their face was lost against a sofa pillow. There was a muffled noise and a low grunt.

“What was that?”

“I said no. I don’t want to talk.”

Arthur opened his mouth to reply, but before he could, the kettle he had set on the stove began its whistling. He abandoned his post, just for his niece to switch the tv on again. His hand brushed past one of two cans of cocoa mix where only one of them actually contained hot cocoa. He found the right one and started mixing a cup. He watched his niece from the short leap it took to reach the kitchen in his small one-bedroom apartment.

The last time he had seen them, it was the end of February. Since then, his niece had looked worse than the last time they had stepped through his door. Last time, it was about school. A few choice students from their grade had decided to flick old pennies at the kid during a chemistry test. They failed the test, quite miserably, and it wasn’t unexpected. They never were very bright.

It was Jess who cornered them after class, with some quip about his niece being as worthless as the pennies that had landed in their hood. They had shown up in the same dark coat and reddened knuckles and refused to go home.

It was mid-March now, and Arthur wasn’t exactly sure what inspired the impromptu visit this time. He wanted to know. A Lysol commercial started and his niece lowered the volume as he handed them their mug.

“She said I was useless.”

In the silence that followed, Arthur took a deep breath. Useless? That was mean of Charlotte, but not as bad as he thought it would be. It was certainly not the worst he had ever heard. In the poor effort to lighten the mood, he laughed slightly.

“Why? Cause you don’t do chores? Like a normal kid?”

His niece swallowed and rubbed one eye.

“Yeah? No… I don’t know.” They admitted. “There was too much… noise.”

“What do you mean, ‘too much noise’?”

         “She started talking, and Maleficent was hissing, and then I… started yelling and then all I heard was… sirens… Like ringing… In my… in my head.” They sipped their cocoa. God, it was amazing. And it was calm here. It was quiet. It was warm and comfortable. And they could hear themselves. They could finally hear their own voice. Only, now made them realize how insane they sounded. “It’s alright. It’s gone now.”

         Arthur tried to disguise his concern for their well-being by shifting into the corner of his couch across from them.

         “Who’s Maleficent?” he asked.

         “The stupid cat!” 

          Arthur sighed. Charlotte never mentioned getting a cat.

         “Maybe your mind is censoring all the kinds of things you don’t want to hear?” he mentioned casually.

         They grunted. Arthur held his hands up to his face and rubbed both eyes.

         “Look,” he started. “I’ve been where you are. More times than I can count… There are certain things in this world that we can’t control. There are certain people in this world we can’t control… But I will tell you something”-

         The sounds of The Simpsons grew louder as his niece tried to ignore him. He leaned over, ripping the remote from their hands.

         “Hey!”

         “Hey?! I’m trying to help you!” He clicked off the TV again. And gained their attention in the form of a poisonous glare. “Listen to me, alright?! The only future that doesn’t include being belittled and shamed is the future that you plan for yourself. Start by making your own money, finding a job, and some independence. When you’re ready for it, I’ll even teach you to drive- but you need to decide who is in control of your life! Is it you? Or is it everything around you?”

          “I can’t control me when everything around me is controlling, Uncle Arty!”

         Uncle Arty shook his head and then pulled one ounce of wisdom from those terrible N.A. meetings he’d attended more than once.

         “I know… I know… You don’t have control over everything around you. No one ever does. But you have control over what you do”-

         “No, I don’t.”

         “Yes, you do.”

         “No… No, I don’t!”

         “You have more control than you realize”-

         “Arch? Arch? Baby? They can’t hear me! Why can’t they hear me?! What did you do?!”

         “You’re wrong Uncle Arty… I… I don’t… have control… Paimon? Paimon, are you there?” Arch’s voice came out as a mumble.

         “I’m here, sweet thing.”

         Warm metal pressed against their neck, still slick with Arthur’s blood. They weren’t concerned. They were with Paimon. Paimon cared about them. He always did.

         “Paimon, this isn’t about Arch. This is between you and your family. Let them go,” Lyrem’s warm voice cut through the sudden jolt of the past.

         “Their mind is still under the influence of my call. It’s sending their mind back too far- brother, please, let me fix the damage I’ve done to the mortal child”-

         “Pan, you sorry excuse for a mountain goat! Stop ruining these human’s lives! Jump into the Labyrinth! Go on! No one in this family will miss you anyway if you were suddenly lost and forgotten!”

         “Persephone apologize to your brother this instant! Artemis, show yourself properly, and Apollo, put your bloody sister down!”

         These were confusing, unfamiliar, voices. Arch didn’t particularly care. Their eyes were half shut, leaning against their friend, the demon, and they had no reason to return to reality.

         To return to… what they had done. Overhead, they heard Paimon laughing.

         “Oh, Perse,  I am sure you would love it if I simply ceased to exist! I see what deal you made with this mortal family, and I think it’s justice that you become mortal yourself, no? After taking what you did from me? I don’t think any one of these humans will be leaving here unharmed, do you? … And my old friend, Lyrem. Oh, you were wonderful while you lasted, but it seems that our time together is at an end. Quite a shame I wasn’t able to keep you loyally by my side. I did not expect you to grow so soft… And Uncle Hades, you try and try and try to reason with me. But you never once understood that I liked being me. Removing my realm was the last straw. For that, I’ll make your favorite family member suffer…

         Now, I have control over all of you! That’s the way it should have been from the very start. I deserve to be in control. All of you, you’re useless! A worthless, scheming, family! You deserve to be alone! Just like I was!”

         “Arch.” Arthur’s low voice cut through the haze of their memories and Paimon’s speech, and Arch heard him clearer than ever. He turned his head against the table, seeing Arch’s limp form dangling in Paimon’s arms as he threatened to slice open their throat. “Arch, look at me.”

         Their eyes rose to the top of the table. Below their fallen tears they mouthed the words, I’m sorry.

         Arthur didn’t care how sorry they were.

         “He can’t kill you, not here. You fight, no matter how much it hurts, okay?”

Paimon chuckled maniacally. He picked up one of Arch’s shaking hands, and wrapped it around the blade, forcing them to grip it, and released. He stared right at Arthur as he did so.

         Arch didn’t release the blade as everyone watched in horrified wonder.

         Paimon stood upright. Finally, his powers returned. The Labyrinth formed a doorway behind him, it was delayed, but there. Paimon tugged at his beard and winked at the crowd before stepping through.

         “Arch, come with me.”

         Paimon’s hold on them was gone, but it didn’t matter. The choice was easy between remaining in the Underworld to atone for their crimes and jumping into the Labyrinth where everyone would forget them forever.

         They would be happy to be forgotten.

         Arch stood up and backed toward the void whirling behind them. Paimon lightly pulled them by an elbow and together, they crossed through.

 *****

         The worlds twisted into each other. A bright white light mixed with the Underworld’s dreary dark nature. One hand was still stuck in the Underworld as someone decided to pull them back. The grip on Arch’s wrist tightened. Someone else pried the knife from Arch’s hand. Paimon was still holding onto them, but he didn’t expect the forces of the Underworld to retaliate so strongly. Arch felt his grip fade away as he succumbed completely to the Labyrinth.

         “No! Paimon!” They yelled.

         Grunting, they shouted again, to the people holding them back. 

         “Let me go!”

         The void began closing. Without Paimon’s help, Arch was losing the fight. The arm they had dislocated earlier in the year fought against them in the pain. For a second, they thought they might pull it right out of its joint again. But now, the Underworld contained most of their shoulder, and slowly, Arch’s head as well. A fluff of hair was visible through the closing void, and then their feet lifted off the ground, launching them back into the Underworld’s dining room.