Empires are not brought down by outside forces, they are destroyed by weaknesses from within.

[daddy_luthor]

Lionel stood at the window of the padded cell for a long time, watching his only son struggle in his own mind, his hands in his pockets. He stared at Lex's blank look and idly moving lips, unable to look away if only so the doctors and nurses around him wouldn't see the emotion in his eyes. A Luthor didn't show emotion to those undeserving, it was

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[capable_of]

Today on his way to the compound, Lex took the long route down by the ocean. He hoped the calming sound of the waves would help relieve his ever increasing nerves, caused by the almost constant headaches and lack of sleep. It was beginning to wear on him - that and hiding it from Anatoly who would only worry over nothing. Something was eating at him, Lex only had to figure out what.

He'd been looking down at his feet, the repetitive motion oddly helping the pounding in his temples when he saw someone ahead of him. He looked up...and had to pause to rub his neck at the ache that popped up with the motion. Then once his vision focused again, he looked to see who it was.

He couldn't believe his eyes. In fact, his first thought was that his brain was playing tricks on him after so many nights without sleep. But when the vision didn't go away, Lex had to take a deep breath to stop himself from panicking. His father was the absolute last person he wanted to arrive here, where Lex had made the life he'd always wanted. His father, who managed to ruin everything Lex touched as some sort of perverse lesson. Lex would even take the Clark who hated him over this.

Normally Lex would be composed and ready to do battle by now, but his current condition caused him to take a few extra moments while his father hadn't seen him. Deep breath, in and out, and...

[daddy_luthor]

"Lex." Lionel said with surprise as he spotted his son down the beach. This was not the pale, gaunt shell of a person he'd left in the care of Belle Reve only moments before. This Lex was strong and whole, if a little worn around the edges. He had more color then Lionel had ever seen, though he was still paler then most, and he was dressed in casual clothes, something Lionel hadn't seen him do in years, since Princeton.

Lionel wondered for another moment, and only a moment, if that no-good doctor had slipped him some of Lex's drugs. But no..again he remembered that she didn't have the mental fortitude to even consider crossing him. So if it wasn't the doctor's fault and Lionel couldn't be hallucinating, it must somehow be Lex's fault.

"Lex, what have you done now?"

[capable_of]

"Hello to you too, Dad." Lex said before bursting into maniacal laughter, his tiredness adding a layer of hysteria to it. Of course it was his fault, a whole magical fucking island that was unexplainable by anyone from any number of worlds was his fault. Love you too, Dad he thought bitterly, though he kept his features neutral if slightly tight.

"I hate to break it to you," Lex said once he managed to stop laughing, "But I had nothing to do with this. I was brought here same as you. Well, not the same. Mine involved an airplane, but you always said I had to be more dramatic about everything." It was after he spoke that Lex realized he probably shouldn't have revealed that bit of information until he found out when Lionel was from. Any chance he had to learn things about home was most likely gone now.

Lex didn't care if he had to drink himself to sleep tonight, he needed to get a full night's rest if he was going to have to go toe to toe with his father, even here which was more his home turf then he'd ever had. He couldn't make such elementary mistakes if he wanted to protect his new-found life from this vulture.

[daddy_luthor]

What was Lex going on about? Brought where? And an airplane...

Lionel rolled his eyes and his tone turned condescending. "Now Lex, you were rescued from that island months ago. You must stop using that as an excuse to fall down on the job. Now, just tell me what you did and we will fix it so we can go home and get you the help that you clearly need!" He took a few steps forward, closing this distance between them in long strides and holding out his hand to put it on Lex's arm.

[capable_of]

Lex recognized the gesture for what it was and yanked his arm back in a more blatant movement then he normally would deal with his father but at this point, it got the job done and that's all he cared about. His patience was wearing thin and he could not afford to lose it when dealing with his dad. "Dad, this is not my fault. Look around you. How in the fucking world could I get you from Kansas to a tropical island in the blink of an eye? Not even all the strangeness in Smallville could do that!" He took a moment to take a deep breath, a moment of weakness yes, but a necessary one. And he had to resist the urge to rub his neck. "Look, try to follow and for once, believe me. This place blows Smallville out of the water when it comes to the unexplainable. It brings people from different places and times here magically."

He held up his hand before his father could interrupt him. "I know. You think I'm hallucinating again. But I can prove it. There are other people here, almost 300, and every single one will back me up. Not even I have the skill to get them all to lie for me." He barely managed to not sound bitter at the last bit.

[daddy_luthor]

The only thing Lionel believe about Lex's whole speech was that Lex certainly believed it. Lex had believed he hadn't been alone on that other island as well. How in the world was he supposed to believe such a ridiculous story and from a man who was known for hallucinating when under extreme stress? But...it seemed Lionel had no other choice at the moment.

Not trying to touch Lex again, he put his hands out in a calming gesture. "Alright Lex, calm down. Show me what you're talking about. Prove it and I'll believe you." Or he would try anyway. Try, until he could get down to bottom of all this and get Lex back to Bell Reve where he so clearly belonged.