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statement, so hurt by it that I was mute for several seconds before I found my tongue.
    “Daddy, how can you say that?  It’s Truly.”
    He had the decency to look immediately contrite.  When he attempted to speak, he fumbled and mumbled incoherently.
    “That’s not what I, uh, I meant, um, it’s just that, uh…”
    Finally, he trailed off uncomfortably.  My paranoid antennae twitched at the scent of deception in the air.
    “What is it you’re not telling me?”
    My eyes narrowed on my father and, even though he couldn’t see me, I saw him look away as if he could actually feel my displeasure and suspicion.  He was visibly disconcerted.
    “Nothing, sweetheart. It’s, um, nothing.”
    I stepped forward until I was standing within inches of my father’s wide chest, looking up into his reddened face.
    “Dad-dy,” I said warningly, letting the invisibility fade.
    “Madly, don’t give me—”
    “Tell me, Daddy.  I’m not leaving this room until you spill whatever it is that’s bothering you.”
    When I watched my father’s lips clamp shut, a gesture I knew meant he was finished with the discussion whether I was or not, I turned my gaze to Aaron.
    “Do you know what this is about, Mr. Saint?”
    He slid his gaze to my father and then quickly away before he turned back to me and cleared his throat. 
    “You must not know about—”
    “Aaron!” my father warned.
    “She needs to know what she’s dealing with, Hennessey.  She needs to know the risks, what’s at stake,” he argued defensively.  When my father huffed and stalked away, Aaron returned his gaze to me and continued.  “Madly, although whoever is behind this has provided proof that Truly is alive and well and unharmed, certain rules have been put into place with regard to rescue attempts.”
    “Rules?  Like what?”
    “Well, if anyone is caught in an attempt to free Truly, it summons Leviathan.”
    I heard Jackson’s gasp mingle with my own.
     

 
    CHAPTER FOUR
     
    “Leviathan?” I whispered.
    Aaron nodded solemnly.
    “Does that mean…”
    “Yes, Rumpel is one of the Lore that was freed.”
    That would always be the case.  Where Leviathan was, Rumpel was never far behind.  The monster was solely under his command and had been ever since Lucifer had given Rumpel the creature as a gift for services rendered. 
    A creation of Neptune, Leviathan had started out as a source of protection for Atlas.  Unfortunately, the creature was very susceptible to outside influence and could become particularly unruly.  It wasn’t hard for Lucifer to infect and corrupt it, turning it into a tool of evil that tortured the Mer for many years before Lucifer gifted it to Rumpel to use as he saw fit. 
    Since that time, Leviathan had been mostly absent from Atlas.  Rumpel had reportedly chosen to use Leviathan on dry land.  It could shift into many different forms, wreaking havoc on Rumpel’s behalf.  Rumpel’s capture and subsequent imprisonment, however, had led to the inactivity of Leviathan.  For many years, all of Earth’s inhabitants had been safe from its carnage. 
    Until now…
    “How do you know?  Are you saying you’ve seen it before?”
    I followed Aaron’s eyes to my father, who was staring morosely at his feet.
    “What happened, Daddy?  Tell me.”
    He looked ashen beneath his tan, almost green with upset and shame, which made me even more apprehensive.  I didn’t prompt him again, but simply waited until he began his story.
    “When the alarms first went off to notify us of the breech, I got a note advising me that Truly had been captured from school and was being held as insurance.  I was under strict instructions not to try and find her and not to test the shields and get help.”
    I remembered Jackson telling me that my father had been the one to break free just long enough to get word to Transport about what had happened.
    “What happened?  Did they catch you on the way back in?”
    “No, no they didn’t,