Chapter Eight

"I can't believe you bit her!"

"I can't believe you're still here." I deadpanned, standing up straight and turning to face Xenon, who glared at me from a safe distance across the room. He'd burst in here no more than half an hour ago, spent half that time glaring at me, before exploding on me over my reaction to Lea, which granted was a little much, but I couldn't control the hysteria anymore than Xenon could control his now.

Thankfully, Akin had left to go discuss the current situation with Raven and since I was on house arrest for my own protection, I was not allowed to leave. This way, Akin wouldn't beat the crap out of Xenon for barging into our room uninvited. Akin was extremely territorial, especially when it came to Xenon.

"What are you? Some kind of animal? Jesus Christ, Hannibal. I'd think you had a little more civility than that." Xenon ranted angrily, pinning me with those eerie white eyes. I said nothing in response to that, merely gave him an eye roll before I went back to unpacking Akin's things he'd brought over earlier.

The fact that Xenon had mistaken me as civil was almost laughable. Me? Civil? Akin trained me, and he trained me long and hard and well, but there were some things no amount of training could prevent and my biting Lea was one of them. I shouldn't have bitten her... who knew what her blood could do to me? But the moment of panic, the fact that she was lulling me to sleep with some kind of spell, infuriated me and the rage had consumed me long enough to snap at her before I succumbed to her spell.

"She's not what you think," Xenon continued, making me shake my head at one of his favorite things to bitch about, "You don't know the story. Go to Lea and just sit and listen. I'm not even telling you to accept it, just to at least listen to her, Hannibal. She's suffered for several thousand years wondering what happened to you." Now that was another laughable concept.

Oh. She suffered several thousand years? Wondering what happened to me? Gee, yeah, I wonder what happened to me. Definitely not after she dumped me on Iapetus's door step in the middle of the night and left without so much as a goodbye. Hell, I probably even would've settled for a "see ya never, hybrid".

She suffered several thousand years? Oh yes, I'm sure the bowels of the Source were just awful. Sitting there in silence, engulfed by the black arms of a supposed death were just miserable.

That was the kind of existence I craved for those several thousand years. I would've given anything to be trapped in the Source as opposed to the reality of what happened. I would've loved eternal darkness and mock death as opposed to getting beaten every night, getting bit by snakes, being poisoned, and those were just the fun parts. It got worse. But Xenon didn't need to know the extent of it.

No one did.

Not even Akin knew the gruesome details of it all, and he never would. He already cringed at the gist of my stories. I didn't want to scare him or hurt him anymore by explaining in full detail.

"Are you done yet," I asked after a while, taking out one of Akin's shirts to fold it up and set it aside on the bed, "I have more important things to do." Xenon made a noise of supreme annoyance, making me arch a brow and turn to give him a droll stare that he returned with a fierce glare that hardly intimidated me. We both knew which one of us would win in a fight.

"You're only hurting yourself, Hannibal," Xenon insisted, making me once again roll my eyes and turn away to continue unpacking, taking Akin's clothes to the walk-in closet across the room, "Why can't you take a leap of faith for once? You did for Akin, and Akin's done a lot worse than Lea, trust me." His words froze me in my tracks, a surge of anger flooding my veins at his reminder.

He was talking about Akin kicking me out when we first met. About the cold two weeks I spent on my back, on my face, pressed against walls, in every position imaginable, in a filthy public bathroom in Styx. Even though our safe word was "monster", I loathed that word to the core of my soul and hearing Akin direct it at me made my entire world crash down on top of me. I didn't know how to react to it. It was like everything inside me shut down and my world went dark.

"Get out! You're a monster!"

Those words stung even now, after Akin apologized and I forgave him. I never wanted to hear those words come out of his mouth again, never wanted to see his look of betrayal and agony, the tears that fled down his face like an unstoppable stream.

The worst part was that I couldn't find it in myself to be angry at Akin for what he'd done. His reaction was completely rational, normal, understandable. What I did was unforgivable, and even though Abel could still smile at me and even shake my hand made my skin crawl. I hated it whenever he was around, and I hated that Akin invited him to our wedding. The entire day had been spent with me dodging Abel every chance I had. Whenever he started to come near me, I'd bolt.

It was stupid and cowardly, but I didn't want to look at his face.

He made it ten times worse when he finally cornered me in the kitchen.

"Jeez," He had exclaimed, surprised, "You have no idea how hard it is to get a word in with you. You're really good at avoiding people, you know that? Anyway, now that I've finally got you, I wanted to say congratulations, Hannibal. I'm glad you and Akin finally tied the knot. I don't think I've ever seen either of you that happy before. Really. I'm happy for you."

His words made my stomach churn. How could he do that? How could he just approach me, touch me, even congratulate me?

It just made everything worse. It brought back cold memories, both from my lapse in sanity and the moment Akin found out that I really was a monster. It was so painful that it stole my breath away, and rage boiled my blood at the fact that Xenon would dare to remind me of that, to remind me of things I really, really wanted to forget.

I couldn't find words to reply to Xenon, so I forced myself to ignore him, else I actually hold him down and beat him bloody. I walked into the closet and started to hang Akin's things up on the hangers, ignoring Xenon, who'd approached the entrance to the closet.

"Hannibal," He tried again, and even though his tone was gentler, it infuriated me that he was speaking to me as if I were a child, "Please. You're about to make one of the biggest mistakes of your life. You've made too many of them as it is. Just sit and listen to her, no more than two minutes. Two minutes is all she'll need to tell you the truth."

Oh, please. What truth? That she actually loved me and wanted to hold me and try fixing the damage that was already done? I wasn't a charity case, and I wasn't stupid. I'd given up a long time ago trying to get my family to love me.

There was a time when Iapetus had smiled at me, handing me food, and even went as far as to call me his son. And I went to bed that night sobbing in relief because I'd thought he hated me, then I choked on my own blood later on from the poison he'd put in my food. I woke up the next morning and Iapetus had been furious. When I tried to go into the house to ask him what happened, he'd slapped me and threw me out of the house, but not before informing me of the truth.

"Bloody fucking hell! It's like no matter what I do, I can't get rid of you! Damn Lea for bringing you to me! Damn her to the depths of Tartarus! And don't even think about touching me you little wretch, or I'll rip your little fingers off one by one and feed them to you, do you fucking understand me? Stay out of the house, hybrid... Stupid child. You honestly think for one second I would ever fucking call you my son? You're nothing, but a pathetic by-blow Lea kept in order to torture me."

Five-year-old me cried, but adult me understood completely. I learned after that, that parents weren't there to love you, but to harden you. It was why the parental affection I passed on the streets disgusted me. I couldn't comprehend that kind of coddling, especially to infants that could easily one day become blood thirsty soldiers. Everyone started out as an infant, supposedly sweet and precious. I'd seen Akin stop to cuddle many babies, including our friends, Bella and Kristoff, when they had their children. Akin adored them and savored the title of godfather, but I wouldn't go anywhere near them.

"They're not going to hurt you, baby. Come on, just come inside and at least look at them." Akin had tried once, but I remembered shaking my head.

"No, master. Please. I really rather just wait outside." I insisted. Akin frowned.

"It's not safe for you to be out here. Someone's going to attack you."

"I can handle it."

"You really rather stay out here and get attacked than to go in there and look at your godchildren?" Akin asked, upset. The pain and anger in his voice cut me to the quick, but I refused to go inside, and Akin spent the rest of the day ignoring me because he was angry. He couldn't understand my aversion to children, or why I tensed every time Bella picked her children up to kiss and hug them. It churned my stomach.

"Hannibal," Xenon was saying when I mistakenly zoned back in, hanging a shirt up before moving back into the room to unpack Akin's shoes, "You have to face the music sooner or later. Lea's not going to hurt you. Jesus, she saved your life." I scoffed at that as I withdrew a pair of shoes and went to place them in the closet.

"Oh yeah, totally. Because her curse for me to survive a steel beam crushing my skull wouldn't have done the trick." I responded. Xenon wiped his hands over his face before clenching his fists.

"That wasn't her curse."

"No, you're right," I said suddenly, backing away from the suitcase and making Xenon scowl suspiciously, "It wasn't her curse. Goddess of curses? No, I'll bet you it was one of the other thousands of people out there who hate me. Someone with a really sick sense of humor. And you know what? That makes it all better. I should go find Lea now, hug her and pretend nothing ever happened and we'll all live happily ever after in Lucifer's palace eating cupcakes." Xenon glared at me.

"You're so fucking impossible! If I didn't love Lea so much, I'd go over there and test out that immortality of curse of yours against the wall repeatedly." He sneered. I shrugged.

"Sure, go ahead. The rest of my family's already done it. It's like a rite of passage. Here, why don't I even start you off?" I asked, moving toward the wall. Xenon shouted an Atlantean expletive that made me smirk as I turned to watch him flip me the bird before storming out of the room, slamming the door shut behind him so hard that a crack shot across the ceiling, making me raise an eyebrow as I stared up at it, avoiding the bits of plaster and paint that sprinkled down to the floor.

"I don't think Lucifer would appreciate that!" I called after Xenon. I waited, hearing another string of Atlantean swear words. I shook my head and lifted my hand, waving it at the ceiling and healing the damage. A sharp pain crept through my fingertips and I cursed, drawing my hand down to stare at it.

I wasn't ready to use most of my magic yet. I was still healing from the damage the dragon had dealt me. According to Akin, all my bones had been broken and my skull split open. Something that would've killed any normal person, hell, maybe even a supposed immortal. However, I was cursed to live through any manner of attack, and somehow, Akin had convinced Hades to heal me, something I still would never understand.

Hades would relish at watching me die slowly and painfully. If anything, he'd probably let me die, then in the morning when I woke up, he'd break all my bones again and laugh while I suffered.

Whatever Akin did to convince him was a miracle.

I turned back to the suitcases to finish unpacking everything and tucking them safely away. I was tempted to go down the hall to grab something to drink, but Akin had specifically forbade me from drinking alcohol. I caved into temptation too easily and ended up drunk off my ass, something that always upset Akin because A) I could be a nasty drunk, and B) Akin liked to be there when I was drunk so he could torture me... pleasantly.

A shudder crept through me as I sat on the bed, remembering the last time I'd gotten drunk. Akin had somehow talked me into wearing a pair of black lacy panties and tied me to the bed, taking pictures to save as his phone background before he spent the night teasing me, sexually and verbally.

Now it was awfully tempting to do it, but he probably wouldn't treat me as nicely if I did it without his permission or presence, so instead, I left the room to head to the kitchen for a bottle of water. I debated getting something to eat, but Akin promised to take me out to eat after ditching me in the palace for so long on my own. Unfortunately, that trip was going to require a couple of bodyguards that I really didn't need.

I took the water back to my room and went outside on the balcony, climbing up to sit on the smooth stone that was cold to my bare feet and hands. The air outside was chilly, but not to the point where I really needed a shirt. I didn't get cold easily, not really. I only wore a pair of sweatpants. I sat on the rail and closed my eyes, tilting my head back against the wall, inhaling the salty scent of the ocean mingled with the faintest spices coming from the inner city. The wind nipped at my feet and nose, turning them a tender shade of pink.

I took a swallow of water, staring out over the black sea that churned and crashed against the cliff sides surrounding it.

I wonder if floating in the Black Sea for eternity was as nice as death. Probably frigid as hell, considering the Black Sea was icy cold year round, but never enough to actually freeze. Otherwise, it'd be the largest ice rink in the universe.

I take that back; Nilfheim probably has several.

I sighed, closing my eyes for a moment before frowning as I reached into the pocket of my pants and took out Lea's charm. I narrowed my eyes at it, annoyed by its presence and the fact that, even if I threw it out to sea, it would probably reappear in my pocket a few seconds later-- or on my bed, just to freak me out. I ran my thumb across the deep ridges and indents that formed the dragon and the sword piercing through the center of its form, like the dragon was wrapped around it protectively.

A strange feeling suddenly descended upon me. I frowned down at the charm as I watched everything around it fade, until I only saw darkness and the charm at its center. And then that too faded and I blinked rapidly, jerking my head up. The second I did, everything came into focus.

Or at least, something did.

It was the garden from my dreams. Except this time, I was looking at it from a third person perspective instead of my own. The garden looked the same as always, beautiful and lit up with dozens of colorful flowers and green plant life. The pond was surrounded by a row of colorful rocks, and from my place across the garden, I watched someone come into shape. It started out blurry before clearing, and I found myself watching Lea.

Oh great, not another one of these dreams.

But instead of crying, Lea was seated with her legs folded beneath her, wearing a thin red and gold gown with straps that draped over her shoulders and down her biceps in transparent silks. Her hair was pulled into an elaborate bun on her head, but a few stray curls bounced on her shoulders while she laughed and the next time I blinked, a child was sitting in her lap, laughing.

The child from my other vision, the one that was screaming.

Me.

Tiny, barely the height of my knee caps now, with purple and gold hair decorations that matched the loose tunic and flowy pants that puddled around a pair of tiny feet that kicked at the air.

The sound slowly came to.

"You silly little boy!" Lea was laughing, tickling him while he giggled and wriggled in her arms before reaching his hands up toward her face. She leaned down to let him cup her face, pulling their faces together so they could rub noses.

"Mya mya! Do the magic stuff! Please!" He exclaimed excitedly, pulling on strands of her hair. Lea smirked and pulled the boy up further in her lap so his back was to her chest and she held her hand out toward the pond. The water rippled and twirled for a moment before rising out of the pond in a misty swirl that shot into the air before bursting apart to shower them. The boy squealed in delight and waved his hands up in the air while Lea laughed.

"I want to do magic stuffs too!" He said with bright blue eyes that stared up at her mother with a kind of devotion I never remembered feeling. Lea smiled, reaching down to tuck a lock of the boy's hair behind his ear.

"Oh, pasios. You will do more than little water tricks one day," She murmured, then proceeded to brush the hair back from her son's face while her smile faltered between a look of pride and a look of fear, "Some day, you will be a great leader, milos." His eyes glowed at that.

"Really?"

"Nea," She agreed with a nod, tilting her head to study him for a moment in silence before she grinned, "But until then, you're a sneaky little rugrat!" She tickled him and he burst into another round of laughter and squeals, wiggling to escape her embrace. I felt the air around me stir and ripple, making me frown and turn to see the god called Zetnos emerge from one of the archways, wearing his flowing black robes, his matching hair coiled into a loose bun.

"Zeh zeh!" The boy shrieked suddenly with excitement, then bounced off his mother's lap and ran to Zetnos, whose look of sternness faded the moment he saw the boy. A smile split his face and he stooped down, scooping the little boy up into his arms and giving a small spin as Lea chuckled, dusting herself off and getting to her feet.

"And how is my nephew this morning?" Zetnos asked, his deep voice a rumble inside his chest that I felt vibrate the very air around us. The boy beamed up at him.

"Sunny!" He replied. Apparently it was a common response because Zetnos laughed.

"Wonderful to hear," He said, then looked up as Lea approached, and his features softened further, the quick flicker of his eyes and the way they dilated was an obvious indication of his affection for the goddess, but he didn't act on it at all and merely smiled as she neared them, "Lea, you look beautiful today." Lea scoffed at that.

"Are you kidding? I look like a wet dog." She retorted, making Zetnos smile even further.

"Nay, more of a flower speckled with morning dew." He replied. Lea visibly blushed, clearing her throat and reaching up to subconsciously brush wet hair back from her face. Their silent exchange after that was short lived because the boy began to grow restless, kicking and squirming in Zetnos's arms, so he placed the child on the grass between them where he rolled in the grass and chased insects. Lea and Zetnos watched with smiles, but Zetnos's began to fade slowly.

"Lea... Atlan is growing suspicious." He murmured. Lea's smile vanished and her expression became fear stricken as she turned to look at him.

"What?" She managed. Zetnos winced at the fear in her voice and swallowed.

"He's asking other gods to spy on your worshippers, to see if they bring you any offerings that relate to your child. I've been able to hold off his suspicions until now, and I tried to convince him that you were simply in hiding after..." His voice trailed and his expression hardened. Lea looked away as if ashamed to meet his eyes now as she wrung her hands out. They stayed silent for a while as Lea's eyes followed the boy as he ran around the garden with an unbelievable amount of energy that had him rolling, jumping and splashing in the pond, terrorizing the fish and frogs. At least until a butterfly fluttered by and he chased after that.

"Let me take him." Zetnos said suddenly. Lea's eyes widened and she turned to stare at him.

"What?" She asked. Zetnos took a deep breath, then seemed to strengthen his resolve as he watched the boy fall down in the grass at their feet with a dreamy smile. Zetnos smiled back faintly at the child before looking up at Lea, who was staring at him in disbelief.

"Atlan is not allowed to enter Xandria. It is my domain and was given to me by the Source itself. Its power runs through the catacombs. Let me take the child with me to live in Xandria. I will do everything I can to raise him to become the god he is to be. Once he reaches the proper stage, I will release him back into Leanorius and he will do as the Fates foretold." He explained. Lea's eyes welled instantly with tears.

"Zetnos, if you take him, and Atlan finds out..." Her voice faded. Zetnos shook his head.

"I don't care, Lea. The only two people in this world I care for are you and your son. If it comes to it, I would die for both of you without any hesitation." He responded sternly. Lea reached up to wipe her tears away, then looked down at her son, who yawned and leaned against her legs. She stooped down to bring him into her arms, cradling him as he snuggled against her to sleep while suckling his thumb. Lea clenched her teeth, but kept her grip gentle as she looked up.

"Zetnos. Thank you... Thank you so much for everything you're doing for us. I have never known a god to be so kind as you. I don't care what Atlan or Xanius claims... You are a god of good, Zetnos. Your sacrifice for him, for me, and for our pantheon will not go without rewards." She promised. Zetnos smiled, leaning over to press a chaste kiss to Lea's cheek, then he leaned over to kiss the child on his head before meeting Lea's eyes.

"The only reward I wish for is that you and the child make it out of this alive." He murmured. Lea sniffed back her tears and stepped into Zetnos's arms, still cradling her sleeping son to her chest as Zetnos curled his arms around her protectively.

The sunlight overhead blinked once, then twice, as a massive cloud cover slowly began to take over and when I looked back down, the scene had changed. Everything darkened further and further until I blinked again and found myself staring up at black rolling storm clouds overhead that growled and rumbled, lightning flashing silver outlines behind the clouds as rain sprinkled down on my face.

I sucked in a sharp gasp, then shot upright, looking around quickly. I was back on the balcony outside my room, soaking wet with freezing rain and the charm clutched in my fist. I opened my hand to stare down at the palm. I waited for another vision to consume me, but nothing happened.

"Hannibal! Oh my god! How many times do I have to tell you?!" Akin's angry voice made me look up to see him coming out onto the balcony, wearing a long black raincoat that looked rather slimming on him. I really couldn't find it in me to respond, so I just stared at him as he approached me, slowing down when he seemed to realize I was in some kind of state of shock.

"Sweetie? What's wrong?" He asked, eyes darkening with concern as he came over and got on his knees beside me. When I said nothing, real worry glowed in his eyes as he took my face in his hands and studied me.

"Baby, say something." He pleaded, wiping cold rain water off my cheeks. I blinked a few times, turning my head to look around the balcony for any sign that my vision had taken place here. The only different was that instead of sitting on the rail where I was in the first place, I'd woken up laying flat on my back on the ground... and now I was freezing cold and it hit me all at once until my teeth were chattering.

"Oh, baby, come on," Akin said, taking me by the arms, "On your feet. I'm drawing a hot bath right now." I obeyed without question, letting him take my hand and lead me into the room so he could hand me a towel to dry myself with while he turned the tub on, adding some soaps to the water so it bubbled and smelled of patchouli, turning the water a tender pale purple.

I said nothing as he helped me out of my pants and undressed himself before he got in the tub behind me and pulled me against his chest. I closed my eyes, the musky aroma and hot water soothing me, and even more so were Akin's arms wrapped around me, his heart beating just near my ear.

"Hannibal, are you going to tell me what happened yet?" Akin asked softly, brushing the hair back from my face. I blinked, then tilted my head up to look at him as he looked back at me with soft, cool blue eyes that glittered with concern.

I honestly wasn't sure where to start in answering his question. Was I okay? No. No, most definitely not. What happened? Even I wasn't totally sure.

"I had another vision," I said at last, voice monotone and I felt Akin hesitate in rubbing soap on my shoulders, "It... was different than the other ones. I could hear and see everything that was going on around me... Like my dreams, my memories."

"What happened?" Akin asked softly. I frowned, staring into the bubbles that floated on the water around us, twinkling in the lights and softly popping with sudsy whispers. I lifted my fingers through them, watching the water part and ripple for a second. I sent a slow soft flow of magic through my fingers, unsure where it came from.

Almost all of my magic in the past was hot and fiery, the perfect match for my inner turmoil and rage. This magic was gentler, tender, and felt like liquid as it shifted from my fingers to the water and without moving my hands any further, I watched the water tremble for a moment before a stream of it rose into the air, dispersing as a soft mist before it sprinkled down on our heads.

"I didn't know you had an affiliation with water." Akin murmured, moving his hand to rub up and down on my chest. I frowned.

"I don't," I admitted, "I generally work with fire and shadows."

Magic was more than simply conjuring clothes, tools, weapons, and teleporting from place to place. Generally, elements came in to play when someone was especially skilled with magic. I never really considered myself well mastered in magic because no one would teach me, and what little magic I did know how to use, I had learned on my own through trial and error. The burn mark on my side came from sheer stupidity in trying to use fire magic on Menoetius. It literally backfired on me and would've killed a normal person. I was never so lucky.

And elements weren't just the basics; water, earth, fire, and air. Elements branched further out into things like shadows, darkness, electricity, biotechnology, blood, light, and so on and so forth. I'd only ever been able to practice fire magic and shadow magic, because it was what suited me best. Water was too gentle and soft and delicate for me. I had never bothered.

The fact that I could do something like this only made me more sick to my stomach.

"Lea taught me," I said after a moment, making Akin frown at me curiously, "At least, I think she did. I don't know. My vision showed her teaching me water magic. And then Zetnos showed up."

"Your uncle?" Akin asked. I nodded, cocking my head to look at the water warily now, wondering if I should even be sitting in it anymore.

"He was talking to Lea, telling her that Atlan was suspicious of her harboring me, so he was going to take me to live with him in Xandria," I explained, then scowled now, "But I don't remember anything about Xandria, Leanorius, Atlantis in general. I don't remember ever staying with Lea or Zetnos. I don't even know what Atlan looks like, let alone why he would make a big deal about Lea having me or enough to send a fucking dragon after me. This whole situation is giving me a headache." Akin sighed and put his arms around me, resting his cheek against my head.

"Well, sweetie, do you want me to tell you what I think honestly?"

"Please."

"I think you should listen to Lea," Akin started, making me tense for a minute until he kissed my head, "No, let me finish before you go on another tangent. I'm saying listen to her. See what she has to say. When she's all done, take some time for yourself and consider it. Look into it. Think about it. Once you have all the information you have, you can decide whether to trust her or not. It's your call, and no one else's. No one can force you to believe her." His response was totally logical. It made sense. Normally, it would be something I agreed with right away.

But this situation wasn't normal.

This was Lea. The woman, the goddess, I spent centuries loathing because she abandoned me like everyone else, because she made it so that not even death could relieve me of suffering. Why didn't she want me? Did she sense the monster inside me long before anyone else?

"Stop that," Akin said suddenly, making me blink and look up at him as he gave me a stern glare, "I can see the look on your face. It's the look you get when you're mentally beating yourself up." I wasn't even sure how he could pick up on it considering half the time my face was expressionless. He reached up to take my chin and tilt my head back so our eyes were meeting.

"Hannibal, know this. Whether or not Lea is truthfully trying to reconnect or not, it doesn't mean there's anything wrong with you. I will still love you, always and forever, just like I promised. Until the day the Source finally decides to rupture and recreate everything from scratch, and maybe even after that, I will love you. Because you are perfect and beautiful and smart and wonderful and because you are you." He told me sternly. I stared at him, the intensity of his blue eyes stealing my breath away as I parted my lips to try and find a way to respond to that, but he leaned down and captured my lips instead.

I allowed his tongue access to my mouth, trembling at the softness of his mouth and the way it took immediate control of me. I melted against him and felt my worries slipping away as I let him kiss me, hand sliding down to cup me between the legs, stroking me to hardness. I quivered under his touch, gasping quietly as he gently fingered the tip of me, coaxing out a dribble of pre-cum.

"You're a good boy, Hannibal," Akin purred softly, nuzzling my head as I groaned and stretched out against him, "You've become an amazing, beautiful man, and if no one else can see it, fuck them." I sank my teeth into my bottom lip, arching my hips and gasping sharply as I released on his hand, feeling heat creeping into my face as I panted while he tugged at me until I was empty.

Akin pressed his lips to my head, taking a deep breath as if he enjoyed the scent of me. He rinsed his hand off in the water, then went back to stroking me, both cleaning me and making me hard again. He slid his other hand down my wet back until he could wedge a finger up inside me and I hissed through clenched teeth.

"Bend over." Akin whispered against my ear. I obeyed without question, instantly missing the feel of his hands on me as I pulled away to lean on all fours in the water, causing it to splash against my face. Akin leaned over top of me, his hair tickling my back as he dragged his tongue down my back until he could bury his tongue inside me. I gasped hard, almost slipping into the water and Akin laughed against me.

"Maybe you should lean over the edge of the tub so you don't drown yourself, sweetie." He recommended. I wondered briefly if maybe that peaceful moment before death would make it feel all the more perfect, but I didn't want to scare Akin, so I obeyed, setting a towel down as I leaned over the edge of the tub, gripping the edge as Akin returned to tonguing me from behind.

I panted, closing my eyes and focusing solely on the wet feel of Akin pushing inside, curling and suckling until he moved back, wiping his mouth before he hummed, scanning the things on the side of the tub. He plucked a strawberry bottle up and flipped the cape open, pouring it out across my back and ass. I hissed at the cold feel of it and Akin smiled, setting the bottle aside before he reached his hands down to massage the strawberry scented liquid into my skin. I hissed as he dug a couple fingers inside me.

I slumped against the tub, letting Akin take over and do all the work. I was too exhausted and drained to bother working hard at this. I just relaxed into a state of peaceful euphoria, moaning freely as Akin buried his fingers inside me hard, but purposely missing the spot that made my toes curl.

"You're clenching tightly," Akin commented, leaning down to kiss my cheek, "You're docile. You're not too tired are you? We can stop, if you want." His fingers left me and I growled low in my throat, making Akin laugh.

"Or not." He admitted, then positioned himself to bury deep inside me. My toes curled as I reached back with one hand to spread myself open for him and Akin bit his lip with an eager hiss before he caught me around the waist and jerked me upright just as he plunged himself deep inside me all in one thrust. I gasped out loud, tilting my head back against his shoulder as he ground himself up inside me and reached down to cup me and stroke me. I trembled, panting hard as he roughly began to roll his hips against me.

"If you're a good boy, we can do this again tomorrow. But I want to give you time to think about what we discussed, all right, baby? Can you do that? Let me know if you agree." He added, slowing his thrusts to an agonizingly slow stroke against my insides. I swallowed hard.

"Yes, master, yes." I gasped, trying not to reach back and sink my nails into his hips impatiently. Akin smiled against my ear, kissing down along my throat to my shoulder.

"Yes, what, pet?"

"Yes, master, I'll think about our discussion."

"Now, tell me what you want now."

"You," I groaned, "You, master. Please." Akin shivered in delight.

"Good boy," Akin moaned, picking up the pace and making me gasp hard, "You're awfully desperate, pet. Do you like my cock inside you?" My whole body shuddered and I came so close to coming, but Akin cut me off with a harsh squeeze to my cock and I choked, whining low in my throat.

"Answer me, pet."

"Yes, sir, yes."

"Yes what?"

"Yes, I like your cock inside me, master." I breathed, feeling heat claim my face and Akin laughed, thrusting particularly hard into the sensitive spot inside me that made stars dance across my vision.

I wasn't sure what it was about Akin's dirty talk or his teasing, but it really brought me to the edge of an orgasm. The trembling, breathless moment that reminded me of a roller coaster car reaching the highest peak of the ride, floating there for a moment, before the orgasm hit me and the car shot down the ride, making my heart thrum against my chest and my whole body tremble as I came, panting hard.

Akin continued to thrust against me until he hit his release, pulling out long enough to empty his load on my back. I leaned against the tub, still breathless and slowly coming down from the euphoric high. Akin slumped against me, wrapping his arms around me and kissing me on the cheek and ear before we emptied the tub of water and rinsed off in the shower instead, seeing as the tub water was now dirty.

Afterwards, I sat on the bed as Akin dried my hair off, standing there with his towel wrapped around his narrow hips.

"You know, after this whole thing with the Atlanteans is over, we should go on vacation," Akin was saying as he toweled my hair before setting the towel aside and grabbing a collar from the rack in the closet so he could clip it around my throat, "I'm thinking somewhere sunny and warm. I hear Japan is beautiful during the summer. Or, oh, even better, we can go during their sakura season and watch all the blossoms fly around." I cocked my head as I watched him get me a pair of pajama pants.

"I like their pork dumplings." I stated, remembering the numerous Japanese restaurants I'd gone to with Raven, considering it was his favorite kind of food, and I'd come to find that my own favorite food was rooted in their culture.

"Of course you do," Akin laughed as he pulled my pants up and did the drawstring, "You know, every time I mention vacation, you mention food."

"I'm nearly seven feet tall and over two hundred pounds of muscle."

"You eat like a horse," Akin pointed out, "And yet you still maintain that figure. Then, for some reason, I eat just a fucking cupcake and I gain twenty pounds." I rolled my eyes and pulled him into my arms, letting him snuggle against me.

"You're not fat, if that's what you're getting at."

"No, just pleasantly plump."

"Not even."

"Are you arguing with me, pet?"

"No, I'm politely disagreeing, sir."

"Mm," Akin smiled anyway and kissed my chest before leading me to the bed so we could lay down and get comfortable under the blankets, "Well, you're lucky it's an agreeable disagreement. Otherwise, I'd spank you for it."

"I wouldn't mind that."

"Of course not." Akin laughed, then playfully pinched my butt-cheek before pulling me against him, "Gah, you're so adorable. We should really look into buying more toys for you. I had to leave the vibrators at home. Not sure I want the cleaning lady to come in here and find those. The last one threw them out and I was so pissed. None of that lady's business what we do anyway." I just smiled and settled under the covers, wrapped around his waist as he went on a small rant about people being nosy fucks. His rants always amused me.

And even better, they lulled me to sleep. Somehow. I hoped to the gods I would have a peaceful and deep sleep, but I don't know what stupidity possessed me to even pretend to hope for it.

My dream was deep and dark and cold. I was stumbling through trees, bushes with twigs that whipped me so hard they sliced clean through my flesh, blood oozing down my body. I couldn't see much, just plants and jungle. Considering my latest stream of visions, I assumed this was another strange vision about my time in Atlantis, or what Lea and Xenon probably wanted to tell me was part of my life in Atlantis. I wasn't completely sold.

Everything was thick and humid, hazy to the point where a layer of fog had settled to the jungle floor that was littered with leaves and vines, tree roots that arched their backs out of dark soil. The sound of crickets chirping and insects broke the silence, the distant sound of waves and the salty sea air mingled with earthy scents of soil and plants. I could hear my feet hitting the ground, my breath coming out in terrified gasps, the sound of someone else breathing in front of me.

I felt the cold ground beneath my bare feet, a grip so tight on my wrist that it was any wonder my wrist hadn't snapped. No one grabbed me like that, and yet I couldn't find it in me to pull away. I heard quiet little sobs following a second later before something moved in front of me and the person dragging me came to an abrupt stop with a deep animalistic growl.

"Shut your damn mouth!" The grip on me released and the back of someone's hand came across my face so hard that I fell back against the ground, scrambling desperately to get away from my assailant.

"Don't you dare move, bastard child!" A massive hand sank into my hair and yanked me back across the forest floor, dropping me at their feet.

"That stupid bitch," The angry voice snarled from somewhere above me, "I told her to get rid of you. I warned her and now she's put this entire pantheon in danger! And I should've known Zetnos was up to something. He rarely comes to Leanorius by choice. I've seen those disgusting looks he gives Lea... If I wasn't so sure Zetnos was a coward, I'd assume you were his bastard, but I know that face anywhere. Once a Greek, always a Greek... No, a hybrid. A monster." A whimper slipped past my lips and I tried to slink away, but a strong grip caught my shoulder and whirled me around before slamming a hand into my face, gripping my head.

"I'll show that bitch to try and overthrow me. She thinks she can put a bastard hybrid beast on my throne? Think again, Lea. Let's see you try and take my throne when your bastard rape child is dead." The voice sneered, then a sonic boom pulsed around my head and a scream tore my throat raw and bloody as agony exploded in my skull. I sank to my knees and screamed in pain, tears streaming down my face.

A second later, I woke up with a shout, throwing my arm out to shove the blankets back, breathing hard as cold sweat soaked through the blankets and Akin yelped, shooting upright to clap the lights on before he caught me to his chest when I squirmed. My entire body ached, and it definitely didn't come from the activities Akin and I engaged in before bed. It felt more like I'd had all my bones broken all over again, my breath coming out in desperate pants.

"Hannibal? Sweetheart? What's wrong?" Akin managed, stroking the wet hair back from my face as I breathed hard.

I had no idea how to answer him, because truthfully, I had not idea what was going on anymore.

But I had a sinking feeling that the only way to find out was to confront Lea.

Shit.