Marcie walked softly up the stairs, hearing the murmur of voices through the door left ajar, watching Ares carry the bags into another room. A dog sat in the hallway, tall and fierce, and she looked at it, trying to appear confident, like she belonged. The dog considered her, smelling the familiarity of her, but didn't soften at all. He just watched her as she walked to the door, then let out one bark. A warning to Ares that someone was coming.
She went in anyway, looking around the room again, her eyes going straight to the spot where Tragos had been. Someone had been thorough in their cleaning. Some books had been removed and furniture shifted, but the blood had been scrubbed out of the floor. She felt like she was staring at that spot for ages, but it really had been only a few seconds before Ares' voice made her jump.
"What the fuck do you think you're doing here?!" he demanded, striding across to block her entrance, narrowing his eyes at her.
Marcie looked up at him, then across towards Melpomene, and back. "Where is he?" she asked, her voice not nearly as firm and demanding as she'd planned. "What did you do to him?"