The Shadow in the Dungeons PV Finished

Aamon's pulse pounded in his ears, so loud it drowned out the strange sounds of the dungeons. The skitter of vermin, the creek of ancient floors and tired walls, but a dull hum in this place where Percival Gray had cornered him. Yet his threats were just words. It never devolved to violence. Still, Aamon's breathing was shallow, his chest tight. Outwardly he tried to keep his expression blank. He failed, the fear moved past his eyes and furrowed his brow, deepened the creates about his downward-turned mouth. The first year tried to force it back, he knew that his fear would only feed the predator standing before him.

But inside, the terror was a storm.

Gray loomed closer, his threats hissing out like steam from a boiling kettle. Each word felt like a lash, sharp and stinging, but Aamon's mind scrambled for clarity amidst the chaos. He was no stranger to being cornered. This was simply another game of survival, and he play perfectly. He just needed to list, to understand what he wanted, what he cared about.

Yet beneath the fear, another emotion stirred—resentment. It curled in the pit of his stomach, bitter and hot. Who was Gray to dictate his fate, to insult his family, to treat him like a pawn? And who the hell was the pink lady to him to be talking about her like that? 'Winnie is more valuable than a pawn on a chess board, she's something beautiful that deserves to blossom in today's shitty world.' Someone had a bad case of white knight syndrome, only he had no idea how to be a hero, he just wanted to be her hero.

The ember of anger sparked, but Aamon shoved it down. Not yet. Not here.

He swallowed hard, his voice trembling "I'll... I'll tell him," he stammered, nodding quickly, eager to obey. His wide eyes darted to the floor, then back to Gray, never lingering too long.

But even as the words spilled out, his mind worked furiously. If Percival wanted to step into his world, he wouldn’t find it so easy to navigate. Aamon knew his father. The man was not cruel, he was brutal. The sink or swim sort, but he wanted you to tread water with an albatross. More than that, Thaddeus Athanatos wasn’t a man you summoned like a common servant. And if Gray thought otherwise, well...

A plan began to form, hazy and fragile but taking shape nonetheless. If Gray wanted to tango with the Athanatos family, Aamon could use that. Maybe he couldn't fight Gray head-on, but he could turn the board, shift the pieces. Understand his values, focus on his ego.

Carefully. Patiently.

His hands clenched and unclenched at his sides as he forced himself to meet Gray’s piercing gaze. “But you should know…” He hesitated, biting his lip for effect, before pressing on in a quiet, broken voice. “If you go to him... my father isn’t like my brothers. He doesn’t play fair. He doesn’t... have rules. You think you’ve seen monsters, but you haven’t. Not yet.”

He glanced away as if ashamed, his shoulders hunching inward. "He won’t care about me, or you, or Winnie. He only cares about his name. If you threaten that… you won’t leave the room alive.” Truths, but he knew that Percival would not step down, not when he so easily dominated a boy a fraction his age. If anything, he would probably want it more. If anything, he was probably going to take that pink lady down with him. He liked her, but it was obvious grey really liked her.

Once the brothers knew of that, the girl would likely be torn apart. Or in Harper's case, hurled from a window.

The words carried an ominous weight, layered with a desperate truth that wasn’t entirely feigned. Let Gray know he was the bigger predator; let him see Aamon was trembling on his feet. In these, there was no reason to lie. Nothing to obfuscate. If anything, encourage the meeting. Meet his father, warn him of his son's dalliances, of Percivals meddling. All would be well, just not for Percival Grey.

“I’ll deliver your message,” Aamon added quickly, glancing back at Gray. “But if you really cared about Winnie… you should have kept her name out of it.” An ominous statement that would prove true in coming weeks, Percival had just drawn a target on Winnie's back. "This is going to end bad."

Inside, the resentment simmered. He would deliver Gray’s message, sure. But he’d do it his way, on his terms. Gray wanted a war? He’d get one. But he wouldn’t see it coming and Aamon would only have to do exactly what Percival demanded.

OC: As we are at 3 weeks and I have been told that Percival was intending to finish this thread up, I am preparing to post an exit post in this thread.

Aamon had given Percival his warning. He did not give the wrong address, but he did give the wrong bedroom location. He had given Percival Erin's bedroom. Erin, a part-Veela and recent graduate from Hogwarts was his second cousin. After graduation she had started to live with Vladimir in Hogsmeade. Erin was a troubled woman, plagued by more than 'the change' that threatened to transform her into a hag, she suffered from the same maladies many Athanatos women suffered from. This feminine hysteria. He did not understand why Vladimir would waste his time on the girl, she was nothing special but Vlad was a disgraced former heir, there was likely some sort of political shenanigans at work that he did not fully comprehend.

Honestly, it was Percival's funeral if he crawled into Erin's window. His only regret would be not being there to see it.

Of course, he did not know that it was not Vladimir that was protecting Erin but rather it was Erin protecting Vladimir. That forces outside of either of their control were at work undermining the former heirs control.

Aamon would awkwardly slip beneath Percival, holding his breath as he did so. He was not going to look forward to seeing the elder snake in the dorms. In fact, he intended to avoid the teen until they graduate.

Note: Vladimir is presently fighting Marshall as time has passed since this thread has started. Feel free to join. Otherwise if you make a visit, we will work out the circumstances.