Chapter Six

"Wake up, shitfuck!"

Whoa. For a second, I honestly thought I was waking up to that when I realized I was dreaming. I opened my eyes, relieved to find it was a dream I recognized and not one of the warm visions that put me at unease. This one was so familiar that I could still smell the stench of blood wafting through the air around me, the hot sand burning my face, Menoetius's steel toed boot jamming into my ribs with the force of an elephant.

"I said up, hybrid whoreson! On your feet!" This time, his foot slammed into my nose and instantly agony shot through my skull. I snarled and rolled onto my feet, grabbing Menoetius and shoving him up against the nearest object, which happened to be the post that I had been chained to overnight. Menoetius bared his fangs in my face and shoved me back. I stumbled, then hissed as the chain choked me and I breathed hard, reaching up to wipe the blood away from my nose.

"You have balls attacking me like that." Menoetius sneered, taking a step toward me. I pinned him with a withering glare, but said nothing. Speaking only infuritated him further and I was in no mood to deal with his perpetual PMS mood swings. Even though I wanted to point out that he was the one who started it by kicking me awake.

"As much as I'd love to leave you chained here for the Greeks to find," Menoetius growled, moving to the chain around the post, "Father wants you on the front lines as we lay waste to the Atlantean-Greek port of Dionsus." I said nothing, narrowed my eyes on him in silence as he severed the chain and used his magic to dissolve it. I rubbed at the welts on my throat from where the chain had dug into my throat while Iapetus dragged me around by it last night. Menoetius spat at my foot, then raked me with a disgusted sneer.

"Clean your face up. You look disgusting."

Whose fault is that? I wanted to snap back at him, but I withheld it as I watched him saunter off, looking high and mighty in his gold and burgundy armor that glinted menacingly in the sunlight overhead. I turned away and headed for the nearby street in the woods we were camped just outside of. The smell of pine needles, of the olive trees in the distance, of the sea air spreading throughout the trees. I could hear the soldiers rousing behind me at the camp, chatting and shouting, horses nickering and stomping at the ground, of prisoners whimpering pitifully.

I ignored the sounds and drifted to the stream, sinking down to my knees and scooping handfuls of water into my face, taking occasional sips to soothe my parched throat. I threw my head back, taking a deep breath and closing my eyes to enjoy the short moment of peace, the warm sunlight against my bruised face.

I heard a twig snap and my eyes flew open. I was on my feet, whirling around with my sword drawn and the tip of it just barely grazing Epimetheus's face. He curled his lip and whacked the sword aside. I said nothing as I sheathed it.

"Damn, hybrid," He said mockingly, "You have some shitty aim."

Trust me, asshole, if I was aiming for your throat, I would've slit it before you even had a chance to notice.

"We're at the front lines today. And by we, I mean you, and we'll be right behind you. So get a move on. Take a couple prisoners with you and set them loose. Kill them before they reach the fortress in Dionsus, understood? Otherwise, they'll know we're coming." Epimetheus explained. I frowned at that, unsure as to why he would want me to set the prisoners go, then kill them... until it sank in and I forced my expression to remain stoic as Epimetheus gave me one last disgusted sneer and stalked off.

Let the prisoners go, make them think they've escaped, then crush their hopes... along with their internal organs.

It was sick, but I didn't dare disobey an order. Iapetus had me whipped in those days and I hated it. I wasn't sure what about him kept me from disobeying. Even with whippings, we both knew I had enough power to take him down, yet I couldn't.

I looked down at the vambraces on my forearms, the tight leather with protruding stones sharpened to perfection to keep any and all attackers off me. They were still stained with the blood of my previous victims... and now they were only going to get even more blood soaked. A sick thrill rushed through me as I bared my fangs at them before heading toward camp at a deadly predatory lope that let the other soldiers know I wasn't in the mood to deal with their taunting today.

Most of the soldiers knew better than to approach me. Even though I was Iapetus's whipping boy, and my brother's favorite source of torment, I could easily put a foot soldier's head through a wall with no problem.

I made my way over to the slaves that were gathered in a huddle, wearing their shackles and tunics, preparing for another cruel drag across the ground, dragged by horses. They instantly hissed and gathered closer together when I approached, but their attempt to hide together did nothing.

Without a word, I grabbed the first one I could yank away from the huddle. A tall slender blonde Greek man with an infected gash on his shoulder, making him break out in sweats. He was mortal, so he would die anyway of infection in about a day. He writhed and kicked against me to no avail as I moved for the second one. A man who was shorter and stockier than the first, a sweaty mustache, and a disgusting glint in his eyes. He was an Atlantean warrior we'd captured trying to rape one of the women in the villages.

What I found abhorring was the fact that despite saving the woman from being assaulted by this guy, Epimetheus had taken the woman for himself and eventually killed her. The hypocrisy of it was baffling.

I chained the two men together and grabbed the chain leash to them, yanking them behind me as I moved on ahead of the group. Our troops were taking their sweet time to prepare, probably hoping I'd die on the scout mission. Or at least, that's what I called it. It wasn't the front lines. It was them sending me ahead to clear their path and make their job easier. I was expendable... and also one of the stronger creatures they had in their ranks.

We traveled across a back path toward Dionsus, a fortified Greek port that was also labeled as Atlantean since Atlantis was their main trading partner. I walked in silence, keeping the prisoners at a steady pace behind me.

"Please, let us go," The Greek man pleaded, "We won't attack you or turn on you. We'll get help and you can join us. We won't treat you like those people do."

"Give up," The Atlantean warrior snorted, "He's an attack dog, not a person. Attack dogs have no mind of their own. Isn't that right, bitch?" I said nothing, kept treking along, taking note of my surroundings, listening to the birds that had gone silent as we approached, the animals that scurried from my path. It was like they could sense the evil inside me approaching.

"No," The Greek man snarled at him, then yelped when I jerked at his chains and he scurried to keep up, "Please. I don't know which god you are, but surely you're too powerful to be with those-those other gods." The Atlantean laughed at his feeble attempts to sway me. I waited until we were near a clearing before I stopped, the prisoners behind me also halted, taking huge steps back from me to make sure there was enough space between us. I could smell their rancid fear in the air, the stank of sweat and urine on their clothes, the matted beards obscuring young handsome faces.

Kill them before they reach the fortress in Dionsus, understood? Those words burned my conscience.

Loud and clear, asshole.

I dropped the chain and waved my hand, making the chains vanish. The Atlantean narrowed his eyes on me and didn't budge. He wasn't stupid. He knew what I was planning to do. Unfortunately, the Greek was too stupid. He attacked me, reaching for my sword, but I caught his wrist and twisted him away from me.

"Go." I commanded. The Greek glared at me.

"No. It's a trap. I know it is. Don't be a fucking coward and attack us as we attempt to flee. Face us right here, right now." He ordered. The Atlantean said nothing. If anything, I could see his guard lowering. He knew I was going to kill him whether he fought or not, and he was accepting his imminent demise. So much for giving them hope. I said nothing in response to the Greek, who gave a fierce war cry and lunged at me again.

I spun out of his way, taking my sword out and bringing it around in one fluid motion, beheading him. His corpse fell to the ground, blood pouring from the wound, his head rolling aside so his glazed eyes were staring into nothingness, his mouth still open. I turned to the Atlantean, who curled his lip at me.

"May your gods grant you peace in death, dog. Because ours will not." He said a second before I approached him and jammed my sword up into his chest cavity, puncturing his heart and killing him instantly. I shoved him off the end of my sword, stepping back to stare at the deep red blood that soaked my blade.

My vision darkened and flashed to red, my fangs elongating in my throbbing gums. My heart rate sped up until I felt like it was going to shatter my breastbone, the heat of blood lust rushing through my veins. My senses skyrocketed and I heard the sound of approaching troops coming from the direction of Dionsus.

Of course. They knew the troops were already on their way.

But at least this time it wouldn't be a sneak attack on me.

I went to the nearest tree, sheathing my sword, breathing hard as I yanked myself up into the trees and slid behind the trunk, pressing myself against the bar, feeling it scrap my palms and scalp. I held my breath, listening to the footsteps thundering across the ground, the horses trotting along for a split second before they seemed to sense me. They whinnied loudly, a couple even throwing their riders, the soldiers all shouting at once. I could hear their commander ordering them to disperse and scout the area.

They know I'm here.

I narrowed my eyes and held my hand out, summoning the black claws that came as yet another deformity from my cursed blood line. My fangs oozed with saliva, despite the sudden dryness of my throat that hungered for the blood that pumped the hundreds of hearts that beat down below. I inched to the edge to see a soldier passing by the tree I was in.

My vision burned bright red. I no longer saw the features of the soldier inching around below. I only saw a red shadow figure walking below, hear his heart beating a hundred miles an hour, smell his potent fear and panic. I felt like a lion hunting its prey. The fear was sending me into a frenzy until I couldn't take it anymore and I launched myself from my spot, slamming into the soldier so hard that his skull broke on impact, sending blood splattering across the ground.

I flipped onto my feet just as a pair of soldiers came running to attack me, shouting for the rest of their troops. I bared my fangs and threw my hand out, sending a blast of dark magic that clamped over them like a giant fist and squeezed so tight that they exploded, blood soaking the ground. The metallic harsh scent of the blood went through me like a lance and I growled, baring my fangs at the massacre that didn't end with those three soldiers. It continued as I whirled on the approaching enemy.

Yes.

That's it. Come closer.

If I could laugh, I would've. They were stupid as they whipped out their swords and charged me as if they even stood a chance.

That was the reason Iapetus insisted on sending me ahead of their troops. They would get the byblows I missed on my murderous rampages. He knew nothing would stop me until he came and beat the shit out of me. It was the only fleeting moment of pleasure I could get, and when it was all over, Iapetus's beatings and my guilt drowned me to the point where I wanted to get so drunk I didn't know which left was.

Good thing I didn't have to worry about it, because Iapetus had eventually developed a better way to subdue me.

I remembered the feeling of blood running down my face as I smashed a skull in my hands, remembered the men shouting and screaming around me, calling for a retreat that would never come to fruition. I bared my fangs and grabbed the nearest soldier who tried to escape, grabbing him and throwing him face first into a tree, grasping the back of his head by his hair and dragging his face against the bark, leaving a smear of blood.

I threw him aside and moved onto the next soldier, grabbing him and breaking his arm off. One by one, the soldiers around me fell until the ground was soaked in so much blood that it splashed around my feet. Oddly enough, I felt a bubble of laughter welling up inside me, a smile tugging at my lips as I flashed my fangs in another soldier's face, watching him scream and piss himself before I grabbed him by the shoulders and bit down into his throat, shredding it open so his blood spurt in my face and into the air.

"Hybrid!" I whirled around, hissing as Iapetus approached on his horse with his men behind him. The soldiers who'd all glared at me and avoided me like the plague earlier now hung back, watching me with a potent stench of fear. Even Iapetus seemed to reek of it, and I smirked, lunging for him, only to find Atlas and Menoetius grabbing me from behind. I snarled at them and jerked at their grasp, almost slipping free of it, but they held fast as Iapetus snapped his fingers and Prometheus came forward with a small clay bowl of wet scented leaves.

I bared my fangs at him when he drew near, but he ignored it as he pulled out a couple of leaves and Menoetius grabbed the back of my head, reaching a hand around to part my jaws. I snarled and writhed, almost escaping until Prometheus crammed the leaves in my mouth. I twisted in their grip, choking on the bittersweet taste in my mouth.

It didn't take long for the psychoactive drug to work. My vision cleared of the red smudges and my heart rate started to slow down considerably. I stopped fighting Menoetius and Atlas's grip until they released me and I hit the ground like a ton of bricks.

"Ugh," Menoetius said in disgust, nudging me in the ribs with his foot before looking up at Iapetus as he approached on his horse, "Look at this mess. It doesn't even look like he killed all of them." Iapetus didn't say a word to that, just scanned the blood soaked clearing, then narrowed his eyes at me.

"Pitch a post and keep him there. It's to rain today. It should wash him and his mess."

The mess you wanted me to make, asshole. I couldn't get my jaw to work long enough to speak, though, so I lay still as Menoetius groaned and complained about having to take care of me. If you could call it "care". He yanked me up by the burgundy cape of my armor, catch my elbow, and practically dragged me away from the group.

"Gods, you reek," Menoetius chided me in disgust, "You're a fucking animal, hybrid."

"Mmm." I replied emptily, making Menoetius laugh.

"And high as fuck. Do you even know where you're at?" He asked mockingly, shoving me up against a tree. I just slid down to the ground and sat there with my legs sprawled out, hand kneading at the dirt as Menoetius moved away to conjure a post to hammer into the ground to chain me to. I just watched him, trying to find it in me to be angry, but the drug made me feel heavy and sleepy, but not enough to actually sleep. Just enough to not really care about Menoetius's words or the fact that they were chaining me up again like a dog.

"Honestly," Menoetius ranted, slamming the hammer down on the post, "You're pathetic. If it wasn't for that psychotic rage, we'd probably have killed you. I bet it was another curse laid on your head by your mother. I hear that bitch laid waste to a Greek port further north. You must get it from her." I didn't say anything to that, just sat there and watched as Menoetius slammed the hammer down on the post, burying it in the dirt. He waved his hand and conjured a long thick chain, then turned to face me, bringing the chain around my neck, then jerked my face close to his.

"Gods," Menoetius sneered in my face, jerking the chain against the back of my neck, "You're so fucking pitiful. Like a rabid dog. You tore those men apart without a care in the world, and you could tear our army apart, yet somehow this pathetic chain is enough to keep you prisoner here. How pathetic can you get?" I just cocked my head and Menoetius curled his lip, wrapping the chain around my throat, nearly choking me in the process. He shoved me back into the tree by my head. I just slumped against it and stared up at him as he spat at me before stalking off. I watched him go, then rolled over, falling away from the tree, breathing hard.

A couple hours later, after the troops had settled down, a few of the soldiers came and poured their drinks on me, but I was still too high to give a shit, so I just licked the wine from my armor. That seemed to amuse them. If I were sober, I would have broken their necks.

I closed my eyes and waited for the memory to continue, but when I opened my eyes again, I wasn't chained in the clearing anymore.

I found myself laying in the strange garden from my vision. The sweet scent of flowers spiraled around me, the hot sun warming my skin, the rustling of leaves in the ocean breeze... and the faint sound of someone speaking. No, two people. Confused, I slowly lifted myself from the ground, moving toward the sound, only to go absolutely still when I saw two people standing in the outdoor hallway surrounding the garden.

I recognized the woman instantly.

Lea. She looked different in this vision than she did in real life. Still, beautiful with dark caramel skin, long curly black hair, and piercing blue eyes, but instead of her modern fashion, she wore billowing red and gold robes that flowed around her like an expensive waterfall. Her gold jewelry jingled when she moved, and her hair was done in a Grecian bun with gold tinsel woven in.

She was with a man I didn't recognize... and yet, I somehow knew who it was a second after that thought passed through my mind.

Zetnos, Xenon's uncle. He was incredibly tall and surprisingly dwarfed Lea, who wasn't short by any means. His long black hair was braided down his back, his eerie green eyes watching Lea with a strange tenderness. He wore flowing black robes with gold stitchwork.

I remembered none of this, and yet...

They were talking, but I could no longer hear their voices, just see their lips moving. Lea looked terrified of something and she was speaking fast. Zetnos winced every so often and put his hands on her arms. I expected her to slap him away, but she didn't. In fact, much to my surprise, she caved into his arms and started sobbing against his shoulder. He wrapped his arms around her tightly, squeezing his eyes shut as his own tears fell.

Now that was odd. What could she possibly have to cry about?

You don't know the full story, Hannibal.

Of course, I thought bitterly. Shut up, Xenon. This is none of your business. I told you to leave me alone, to make sure she left me alone.

"She doesn't want to hurt you." I stiffened and I whirled around to see Xenon standing there, except he looked nothing like he did now. Now, Xenon walked around like the poster child for the goth punk community. During his reign in Atlantis, his long black hair flowed loose down his back, his white eyes glowing brightly, and he wore heavy black and red robes with a flowing himation with the symbol of a phoenix sewn onto the back, his sacred symbol. I frowned as Xenon pinned me with a harsh glare.

"Am I dreaming or are you forcing me to see this?" I asked. Xenon gave me a droll stare.

"I'm not real. It's your subconscience telling you to listen to me, you stubborn jackass."

"Oh, what," I said in irritation, "Something about my subconscience wanting me to listen to Lea and her bullshit. Why should I believe anything she says?"

"Why should you believe anything Iapetus said," Xenon argued, making me frown as he waved his hands around at the garden, which suddenly wilted around us, cloud cover blocking the sun, "He's the one who told you how evil your mother was and you believed him why? Since when has he ever said anything that was true?"

"Since always," I said without thinking, making me scowl, "Iapetus may have been an asshole, but I don't remember him lying to me." Xenon gave me a pitying stare.

"Everything that came out of that bastard's mouth was a lie," He said stonily, making me narrow my eyes in irritation, "He used words to force you into submission and beatings to terrify you. He wanted you to be the perfect attack dog, and in order to keep you under his thumb, he told you bullshit about your mother to scare you into staying with him, into thinking that Iapetus was the only one who could handle you."

"I don't see how any of that is a lie," I said dryly, making Xenon tsk, "And why should I bother with you if you're not real? This is just my hidden doubt."

"Exactly," Xenon said, then rolled his eyes, "Christ, you're battle smart, Hannibal, but when it comes to emotions, you're a fucking retard." I curled my lip at that and went to punch him in the throat, but he vanished in a cloud of smoke and reappeared behind me, making me whirl around. I went still, though, as I watched Xenon come up behind Lea, who was still hugging Zetnos. He hugged her tightly as well, squeezing his eyes shut.

"I'm sorry, Aunt Lea." He murmured. I cocked my head, confused by that when there was suddenly loud screaming from out of nowhere. I blinked and the moment I did, the scene changed. I was no longer in Lea's temple garden with her, Zetnos, and my subconscience that for some reason had taken on Xenon's form. I was, instead, standing in the middle of the jungle outside the temple, deep in the jungle. I could hear crickets chirping, an owl humming in the distance, and the sound of a large cat roaring before going silent.

And still the screaming continued. It sounded like a child screaming the more I listened to it.

Alarmed by the noise, I headed toward it, shoving aside large fern leaves and vines, spider webs trying to climb to my skin as I made my way toward the screaming that was choked up by sobs. It sounded like the child was in utter agony and misery. Just when I thought I wasn't going to find the kid, I broke through to a small trail, seeing a huge shadow leering over a child dressed in royal robes, curled up and covering his ears.

I moved toward the shadow, and the moment I did, it snarled and vanished into the darkness. I went to the kid, who still screamed at the top of his lungs. The sound was absolutely chilling. It sent goosebumps over my skin, made my ears rings and my head ache. He sounded heartbroken, in complete and utter agony.

I didn't know what to do.

I wasn't good with children.

If anything, I hated them. Akin never understood my fear of children, my hatred of them. Everyone saw children as sweet and innocent, but they had no idea the cruelty they were capable of. I was five-years-old when I came to Iapetus and my brothers not much older than I. They instantly started in on me, jumping me when I came around corners, sneaking snakes into my bed at night, killing any animal I dared to bring home to keep me company. Hell, they'd even burned me with a cattle prod when I was seven.

Children were as capable of evil as adults were.

But the child curled up on the forest floor didn't look like he wanted to hurt anyone. He was just screaming and crying. I swore I heard him call out mya mya at some point, but I couldn't be sure. I couldn't really see his features either, just his black hair and his robes cloaking a tiny body. The kid couldn't be more than five-years-old at the oldest. He was sobbing uncontrollably now, raking his little fingers in his hair.

Jesus. The kid wouldn't stop. He had a pair of powerful lungs if he could keep screaming for this long.

And even worse, the more he screamed, the guiltier I felt. Akin would want me to do something about this... I wanted to do something about this. In the past, I would've probably killed the child to put him out of his misery, but I wasn't like that anymore... At least, I tried not to be.

I knelt near the kid and touched his shoulder. He screamed and jerked his head up to pin me with a familiar pair of deep blue eyes. My eyes widened and I fell back on the ground, breathing hard as I moved away from the kid.

Shit.

That's me!

I recognized the face, the eyes, the scar under the right eye, the small unexplained one, and the other scar that ran just in front of my right ear. It was so familiar, and yet... What was I doing here as a child? What was this supposed to mean?

"Listen to your instincts," A voice said and I jerked my head around to see Xenon standing in the shadows of a nearby tree, his expression grim, "You always rely on your instincts, Hannibal. Instincts never lie." I looked back at the child version of me, who now wailed and covered his ears. I winced, then looked back at Xenon.

"I don't know what they're trying to say!"

"Because you don't want to," Xenon argued sternly, then gestured to the child-me that was screaming at the top of his lungs again, "It's literally screaming right in front of you and you don't want to see it because you're a coward." Fury broke through the panic and I swung myself to my feet, stalking toward him and grabbing the front of his robes, jerking at it angrily.

"I am not a coward!"

"Yes, you are," Xenon threw back, baring his fangs, "You're so scared of one tiny act of kindness, one tiny bit of hope, that you're willing to throw it all way to stay hidden in that warm nest you call home." I shoved Xenon back and he barely budged, pinning me with a menacing glare.

"I get that you're happy with Akin," He spoke more calmly now, "Trust me. Everyone can see it. You've never been happy until you met Akin. He's everything to you. He taught you how to be kind, how to hope, how to love. But you're too afraid to accept anyone else. You keep comparing them to Akin. You keep telling yourself that no one else will love you and you're finally getting a chance to have someone else come into your life. You let Akin in, and Raven. Why not Lea?"

"Because she doesn't love me," I exploded, lunging for him, but he stepped back out of the way as I snarled at him, "She got rid of me! She blamed me for what Iapetus did to her! She dumped me on his doorstep and didn't even allow me the mercy of death to escape what he did to me!" I breathed hard, fury and hurt rushing through my veins. It burned like a motherfucker and I hated it.

"How do you know that?" Xenon returned. I shot him a dirty look.

"I told you why."

"Because Iapetus told you... So even though he's locked in Tartarus, you're still Iapetus's dog. Akin may have given you the collar, but Iapetus holds the leash. And so long as he does, you will never truly love or be loved." Xenon spat. I stiffened, then went to lash out at him, but he vanished in a column of smoke. I cursed, then whirled around at the child-me that was now choking on pathetic sobs. I started to approach him, but his image rippled as he looked up at me tearfully.

"Mya mya." He choked, then vanished. I winced and withdrew, reaching up to cover my ears, breathing hard as I tried to fight the pain that started to rip through me.

No. This was just a huge fucked up nightmare. That's all it was. I ate something bad or Lea didn't save me and actually just infiltrated my mind to try and make me believe whatever bullshit lie she planned to tell me when I woke up, or maybe I'm dead and this is my punishment.

None of this was real.

I knew what the truth was. It wasn't just Iapetus telling me about my mother. Everyone else told me of her unrelenting cruelty and blood lust. I'd seen it myself; the one time I encountered Lea in battle, she attacked me without knowing who I was and the moment she found out, the look on her face was pure horror. Iapetus laughed at me then, and I remembered feeling his open palm across my back.

"Look at that, hybrid, not even your mother can stand the sight of you." He mocked. After that, everything was a blur. I just remember waking up shortly after, chained up to a post, groggy from the drugs they used to calm down my rage. There was a piece missing, I knew that, but there was always a piece of my memory missing after I came down from a high.

Gods, wake me up. I don't want to think about this anymore. I don't want this.

I don't want to hope.