"Remember life when you and Dessy were that age? Genius children. Intelligence off the charts. Abilities no one had ever seen. Yet your father routinely beat and starved you both and for sixteen years kept you in isolation. Dessy for twenty. Is that harm?"
Pietas crossed his arms over his chest. "My father..." He shuddered.
"Mahikos is a brutal, bloodthirsty monster."
Pietas looked at him, naked pain in his eyes.
"You can admit what your father did to you, especially to me. More than anyone, you know what it's like to be isolated and abused. Yet that's the environment you subjected this girl to."
"Have a care, Cyken." Pietas straightened and turned aside. "Do not say that. I didn't know."
"If you'd known, would you have cared that you put a child in harm's way to get what you wanted? No, I think not. Not if you got your way."
"That's not true. I'm warning you." The air chilled. Unlike Luc's gift of Pyro, Pietas created ice, not fire. "You're pushing me."
"Pushing you? If I don't, who will? Yes, I'm pushing you, and why shouldn't I? You put that girl into an abusive situation to get what you wanted." The room's temperature dropped so fast Luc saw his own breath.
"Stop!"
"Why? Because it's cold?" When would Pietas ever see the truth? "If you don't like what you're feeling, then stop. Only you can control yourself. I'm not responsible for how you react."
"That's not true. My father made me this way."
"That's childish and you know it. You're thousands of years old, Pietas. When are you going to grow up?"
"You will not speak to me like that."
"No, I'll talk to you this way because no one else will tell you the truth. You can't face what you are. That's why you don't control yourself. Go ahead. Lose control. I'm not afraid of you. I will not back down. I refuse to allow you to misuse a child. If you aren't man enough to accept the truth, go ahead and freeze me." Luc leaned closer. "I dare you."
Face contorted, Pietas trembled. Frost coated everything within reach. "Cyken, please!"
"Go ahead! Blame your father." He threw up his hands. "That's what you do, isn't it? Condemn Mahikos for creating you with this ability, but you're the one who's ruthless. You demonize your father when it's you who's bloodthirsty."
"Stop." The wineglasses shattered. "Please."
"No! Do it!" Fists balled, Luc took two steps and planted himself in front of Pietas. "Freeze me solid. I don't care. Nothing I say or do will ever reach you, will it? No. Because you"-- He punctuated his words with a finger jab into Pietas's chest --"are just like your father."
Ice crackled over Luc's skin and frigid air leeched every vestige of heat from his lungs.
