Chapter Twelve

I woke up to the worst headache.

I felt like my skull had been split open, again, and then smashed with a hammer for added measure. A hot throbbing mess that started at the back of my head and spread to my temples. My eyelids felt heavy because of it and it was hell trying to get them open. My vision was blurry and everything was dark with grayish cast shadows, the dim flicker of what looked like torches.

I frowned, then hissed as I tried to lift myself up. The ground beneath me felt like hard packed soil, straw, and gritty rocks. The air around me was cold and icy, my breath coming out in a cloud in front of me as I managed to lift myself up onto my knees, the toes of my feet digging into the ground as I clutched at my head in pain.

I blinked a few more times, clearing my vision and scanning my surroundings.

I was in some kind of cell. Only a small wooden basin sat in the corner filled with water and a straw mattress in the other corner, thick iron bars separating my tiny cell from a large open room that appeared to be filled with other cells that spiraled up toward the ceiling that appeared to be six stories above. Torches flickered and danced, causing shadows to dance eerily on the stone walls.

I scowled, rising to my feet. My legs wobbled for a moment, but I caught my balance, pausing to frown as I realized I only wore my black leather pants, my armor from before gone. I scanned the cell for a moment, then approached the iron bar. I could feel a pulse through it indicating it was booby-trapped.

I curled my lip and started to throw my hand to blast my way out, but agony split my skull. Pain shot through my veins as burning hot electricity that shot all my nerves and drove me to my knees. I snarled in pain, grasping the sides of my head before my hands slid down to my throat and I froze, breathing hard as I felt a thin metal collar clipped around my throat.

It wasn't Akin's collar.

"You might not want to use your powers for a while." A voice said, making me jerk my head up to see Arikos standing on the other side of the bars, his expression dark and gloomy. He wasn't wearing the outfit I'd left for him. Instead, he was completely naked with only gold jewelry jingling on his wrists, ankles, neck, and gold hoops in his ears. I narrowed my eyes at the jewelry and the fact that he was naked. I hadn't seen that specific type of jewelry in years and the only Atlanteans who wore it....

My stomach contracted.

It was the mark of property, of slaves reserved for entertainment.

"Yeah," Arikos said as if he read my mind, making me narrow my eyes on him, "I think I'd rather be a prostitute." I clenched my teeth, but said nothing. I wasn't sure I could find the words to express myself without wanting to blast him and hurt myself in return. Instead, I sat there on my knees, glaring up at him as he stared at me, a mix of emotions swirling in those eerie silver eyes.

"I belong to Atlan," He spat the Atlantean's name with obvious disdain, "When he found out you were alive through Xenon, he knew sending one of Xenon's siblings wouldn't work, so he sent me to find you and bring you here."

"Why?" I demanded through clenched teeth. Arikos frowned.

"Because Atlan wanted--"

"No," I snapped abruptly, rising to my feet and making Arikos take a step back from the bars, "Why did you bring me here after what I did for you? Or do you always turn people over to Atlan after they help you?" Arikos looked disgusted, but not in me-- himself. He looked away, rubbing at his wrists where a pair of gold cuffs sat with a single hoop jingling on them, perfect for connecting a chain to, to keep him restrained.

"I didn't have a choice," Arikos said angrily, looking back at me, "He promised... He promised he'd let me go if I did this for him." I stared at his shackles, then met his eyes.

"Looks like he lied." I said coldly. Arikos swallowed hard.

"Hannibal--"

"I should've known there was something odd about you," I said in a low voice, "Your timing was too convenient. So I take it you were the one who let the Kirati and the drakus into Hell? The one who kept the barrier open." Arikos dropped his eyes silently, but that was enough answer for me. I moved away from the bars, glaring at the floor, refusing to turn around and give him my back like I had stupidly done last time.

"And the men," I said, making Arikos peek up at me, "You purposely goaded those men into chasing you so you had an excuse to run into me." Arikos winced.

"I had to. Hannibal, you don't understand--"

"No," I said with a calm I didn't feel as I stared him down enough to actually make him take another step back, "I understand... You're Atlan's little sex slave. You'll do whatever he wants just so he won't ram his cock down your throat. It makes sense. I suppose the saying is true, then... Milakos fia manis vi los xilas."

Trust not the snake who sleeps in the bed.

Arikos looked sick to his stomach and he vanished from his place in front of the cell. I watched him flee before clenching my teeth and narrowing my eyes.

Treacherous little bastard. I wanted to hate him, but I found it surprisingly difficult. Arikos was a slave, and from the looks of it, he'd been a slave his entire life. All he knew was how to obey, how to fear, how to... Well, how to please. Not to mention, if he was stupid enough to betray me, it meant he was truly desperate to escape Atlan's hold on him. It was pathetic, and I felt sorry for him.

But I planned to relieve his misery by slitting his throat and bathing in his blood.

Not before I killed Atlan, however.

The rage rooted in my new-found knowledge returned full force and boiled my blood.

Atlan. That sick twisted son of a bitch was the reason my destiny was twisted. Part of me wanted to seek out Atropos again and kill her for what she'd done to me too, but there was no way I could do that without rupturing the balance. However, the Source had already consigned Atlan to death. I could kill him and the balance would remain intact, but the longer Atlan lived, the longer the balance would begin to tilt in his favor, and worse...

The prophecy proclaimed I'd either become ruler of Atlantis, or Atlan's pet, and while neither of those results seemed to be in my favor, I think I rather sit on a throne than sit at Atlan's feet.

And how convenient that the stupid bastard actually wanted me in his grasp now, knowing what I knew now. The chances of my working with him were like my chances of winning Iapetus's affection.

And that thought felt like being doused with ice water. While Iapetus certainly held no love for me at all, Lea apparently did and a sudden pain pierced my chest as I reached up to clench my fist over it tightly, breathing hard.

Lea loves me.

My... mother? My mother actually loves me?

I still struggled to grasp that concept. How was I supposed to feel? Happy? Enthusiastic? Relieved? Warm and fuzzy? Yet, I felt none of those things. I just felt confusion, maybe a little sick to my stomach too. I wasn't used to the idea of someone loving me, especially not a parent. What was I supposed to do with that knowledge? Hug her? I wasn't sure I wanted to, because the more I thought about it, the more dirty I felt.

Lea thought I was still her innocent child, the toddler Atlan snatched in the middle of the night and disappeared with.

She had no idea what I was, what I dealt with, what I'd done. She had no idea that Iapetus had bred me to become the monster, the tool, that Atlan wanted me to be. She didn't know, and probably would never understand, all the things I'd done. I'd killed thousands upon thousands of people, ruthlessly, coldly, and there were terrifying moments when I truly savored the blood of my enemies on my face and in my mouth, fueling the wrath that Atlan had cursed on me when he called for my blood. How would she react when she found out I was a cold-blooded killer? A nightmare?

I killed countless people, tortured many more. I attacked Abel the same way Iapetus attacked Lea, and that made me even more sick to my stomach. How would she react when she found out that the son she wanted was the same kind of beast that hurt her? That ruined her life? Even worse, what would she think when she found out what the city of Styx had done to me those two weeks in the club bathroom?

I suddenly understood Raven's fear with a strange, agonizing clarity.

Now I understood why he covered himself, why he tried so hard to lie to his family about what happened to him. While I understood the humiliation to your own ego, I had never understood others finding out about it. Akin knew and I still felt sullied afterwards and was very reluctant to let him touch me, because I didn't want Akin to have to settle for someone that was dirty and used like me. Because I didn't want him to get angry and do the same thing to me.

But Raven... He didn't want people to look at him like a victim, like a twisted shell.

And my fears went beyond that.

If she knew what I had done, wouldn't she think my punishment justified too? Wouldn't she smile and tell me I deserved it? Would she throw me to the dogs too? Love could only take so much before it shattered and I wasn't sure Lea would love what I'd become now.

My stomach slid further into despair and I slumped back against the furthest wall, drawing my knees to my chest and wrapping my arms around them, gritting my teeth in frustration.

Just when I thought someone else was going to love me, I had convinced myself once again that it was impossible. Part of me debated not telling Lea and hoping she loved me anyway, but I didn't want her to find out through someone else, especially not Xenon. I would have to tell her myself and when I did, I would expect more than her wrath. Hell, if I was lucky, she might kill me.

Then again, that would all depend on whether or not I could escape this shit-hole.

The air rippled and pulsed with power and I narrowed my eyes, rising slowly to my feet against the wall, keeping a safe distance from the bars as three figures materialized beyond them.

A petite woman with short black hair that was wildly styled like she was struck by electricity, her dark skin a stark contrast to her pale eyes and heavy black makeup done around her eyes and fingernails painted in a similar color. She wore a short pine green and black layered dress and tall boots with spiked heels.

The second man was much taller than her with the same dark skin, and he wore gold armor that was a snug fit to his muscular frame. His dark brown hair fell mostly to one side of his face to hide severe burn wounds that puckered and pinched his skin and distorted what was probably once a handsome face, and his eerie white eyes only made him more sinister.

But it was the man between them that grabbed my attention. His features were so strikingly familiar, yet I couldn't place it. He was extremely tall, my height, if not taller by an inch or two, a rare thing nowadays. His dark hair was slicked back from his face, his silver eyes flashing menacingly and my eyes widened as I recognized those swirling silver irises and my skin prickled with goosebumps, stomach cramping.

Arikos.

He was more than just Atlan's sex slave.

He was Atlan's son, and judging from the fact that Arikos had Atlan's silver eyes and not the white eyes of the Khalian created from Atlan's blood... Arikos was Atlan's biological son.

Rage pooled hot in my stomach and I ground my teeth together so hard it was a miracle my teeth didn't shatter. I clenched my fists, pressing them against the wall to keep from launching myself at the bars to kill the god who stood tall and proud on the other side of the bars with a calm expression as he scanned me from head to toe.

"You look almost exactly like Lea." Atlan said, voice icy cold. As if the very idea of my features compared to Lea's was foul. I narrowed my eyes.

"You look like Arikos." I responded. Atlan scowled, as if he had no idea who that was before it dawned on him, and me.

Jesus Christ. Arikos and I had more in common than I thought. This prick didn't even know Arikos's real name, or at least, it took him several seconds to remember it.

"Ugh," The woman behind him protested in disgust, "Atlan, you named that thing?"

"I most certainly did not," Atlan assured her quickly, then glowered at me as he approached the bars carefully, "I look nothing like that pathetic cockroach."

"He has a name, asshole." I responded menacingly. Atlan's eyes flashed.

"As do I, hybrid."

"Let's not use names," I decided, pushing away from the wall to come out of the darkness of the cell, holding my head up to meet Atlan's glare squarely, "I don't want you to taint the sound of it with that mewling voice of yours. You sound like a bitch in heat." Atlan's jaw ticked and he bared his fangs that oozed with saliva.

"Father," the other man warned, "Don't waste your energy on him. That's not your job." Atlan shot Zelus a quick glare that silenced him instantly before Atlan's eyes shifted back to me.

"You're right, Zelus. I have more interesting plans for you, hybrid. See, several thousand years ago, I was more than positive I had killed you. Left your bleeding little corpse in the woods for the leopards to devour, yet here you are. More than ten thousand years later, sitting in my cell and daring to meet my gaze... You're more like Lea than ever now. Defiant, treacherous, and a slut." My eyes flashed menacingly and I started to blast him when hot electricity exploded in my throat and choked me, making me gasp for breath. I breathed hard, clutching at my throat, glaring up at Atlan through my hair to see him smirking.

"This new world has many intriguing toys. This is one of my favorites. It picks up on your heart rate when it becomes erratic due to the use of your magic. It senses it sparking through your blood and it triggers enough volts of electricity to down a hydra," He paused to study me before smiling even further, "Oh, and don't worry. Xiphrus gave me what little he could while Xenon was in captivity here. I managed to pick things apart to find out more about you."

"You named yourself," He began, ticking off his fingers with one hand, "You were hidden from me by Iapetus's powers, by his foul stench, and that of his tainted blood. You served as a slave to the Greeks for years after Iapetus tried to trade you for his freedom. You committed the same crime against one of Hades's sons as Iapetus did to your mother. Like father, like son, right? But unlike our pantheon, who couldn't care less what happened to Lea after her attack stripped her of her innocence, the city of Styx took their revenge on you, didn't they? And you let them."

"No wonder why the Moirai want me to kill you," I sneered suddenly, making Atlan's eyes darken, "You never shut the fuck up. Is that what this is? You're going to talk me to death? Have mercy, all powerful Atlan of Atlantis, and fucking kill me so I don't have to sit here and listen to another slurred word from your mouth. Oh, and at least I'm not fucked up enough to rape my own son." Atlan's eyes flashed and he snarled, moving for the bars, but the woman caught his arm and yanked him back.

"Atlan," She snapped angrily, "Can't you see he's trying to goad you into attacking him? Don't let him off so easily. Get to the point." Atlan glared at her menacingly, making her back off a couple steps, then he turned to pin me with a glare.

"Let's see how much you run your mouth when you're trying to stay alive." He spat at me, then waved his hand at me. The air around me pulsed and grew hot before black smoke coiled around me, obscuring my view. I cursed, blinking against the smoke, then waving my hands through it to dissipate it.

I was no longer in the cold dark cell underground. Instead, I was blinded by sunlight. I shut my eyes tightly, cursing before I heard the sound of people shouting and cheering. I blink my eyes open and squinted, staring up at my surroundings.

I was in an arena filled with hot sand that burned my bare feet. I cursed and stumbled back into the shade caused by the towering stands around me. I panted hard, glaring at the stands that were filled with Atlantean gods, their servants, and the people who had defected from Hades and Hell to come here. Their screams and cheers rose up in a deafening roar that made my ears want to bleed.

Sitting in a special place across from where I stood at the center of the stands under a purple canopy of expensive silks and satin was Atlan with the man and woman from earlier. Worse, sitting at Atlan's feet on his knees with his eyes downcast, Arikos sat in timid silence, his eyes glaring at the floor, his hands chained together, leading to a longer chain that connected him to Atlan's cushioned seat.

"Gods, goddesses, and allies," Atlan's voice boomed over the roar that died down the moment he spoke, "For thousands of years we've waited for the moment to put this arena to good use and now that time has come! Let us watch the cursed hybrid god battle for his life against all those who wish to challenge him! Power of his Atlantean blood, and cowardice of his Greek blood!" The roar rose up against with a vengeance and I curled my lip at his pathetic speech.

Who are you calling a coward? As I recall, you're the one who felt threatened by a toddler.

"Our first challenger enters the arena!" Atlan shouted, and the roar echoed fiercely. I cursed and whipped around to glare at the sudden power that appeared behind me. A tall woman with chocolate brown hair that fell over one shoulder in a tight braid, white eyes flashing insidiously. She wore a black steel-bone corset, tight leather pants, and a tank top beneath her corset. She pulled a barbed whip off the holster around her waist and I narrowed my eyes.

Now that brought back unwanted memories. She was like the female version of Cain.

"Here, kitty, kitty," She mocked, snapping her whip in the air at her side, "Come to mama Vinion." Khalian, I realized. She was Xenon's sister... Arikos's sister. The way her foot work slid through the hot sands, boots spiked all the way up the back and at the toe, perfect for shredding my skin if she tried to kick me. Her body was toned and well-muscled from hours of working out. Not just any training, but ancient Atlantean training.

There was a difference in military training depending on the peoples and the time. Ancient Atlantean training methods were rigorous and harsh. Much like the Spartans, young warriors, men and women, were taken from their homes before they reached puberty and forced to face situations that tended to kill most adults. Children that were killed were never mourned if they couldn't defend themselves. Atlantis had some of the strongest warriors in history and it was what made them unstoppable. The only reason the Greeks won the war was because Atlantis sank and what few soldiers were left on Greek soil were captured and tortured until death.

But judging from Vinion's movement, I gauged that she fought like a snake. She danced and hovered, watching for the right moment to strike and when she struck, she struck hard and fast. It was like Cain's fighting style, except Cain had raw strength behind his blows and he never used whips or chains in an actual battle. He loved feeling the flesh and blood on his hands as he killed his enemies.

Vinion wanted to slice me up in the hot sand and leave me to suffer for the next competitor, and while this game pissed me off and I wanted no place in it, I knew standing there defiantly would be stupid and get me killed.

And for once in my life, I did not want to die.

"Come on," Vinion mocked, snapping her whip at the sand a couple feet in front of me, "I heard stories about the great and powerful hybrid that killed entire armies single-handedly while dancing in their blood. Show me the blood thirsty god of chaos and blood lust." I curled my lip, and normally would've attacked her without hesitation because I didn't care what happened to me, didn't care about making them suffer, but I'd learned fighting alongside Akin that quick merciful deaths made things go by faster and easier.

Unfortunately, Vinion was connected to the Source through Atlan's blood in her veins and while Atlan was on the Source's hit-list, Vinion probably wasn't as she was technically her own entity.

Not to mention, I'd like to see the look on her face when I kill Atlan in front of her.

A sick thrill rushed through me and the corner of my mouth curved in a smirk. Vinion's eyes flashed menacingly and she snarled, rushing me and swinging the whip out at me. I ducked and rolled across the hot sand, popping up to my feet and ignoring the roaring crowds around us and drinks that people were throwing into the arena. What I wouldn't give for someone to throw a sword in here.

Because of the collar around my throat, I couldn't use what little magic I had to summon a sword or even spells. I was stuck with my bare hands, not that that was too much of a problem. I'd been in a situation similar to this where Menoetius and Atlas had jumped me one night as we came close to the end of our Atlantean campaign. My powers weren't restricted, but I hadn't used them so as not to alert Iapetus to the fact that I was trying to kill his sons.

He found out anyway and that was the only reason our battle had stopped.

Now there was no Iapetus to stop me.

No drugs. No brothers. Nothing.

Blood lust surged through my veins as if a dam had collapsed and I bared my fangs as Vinion lunged at me, throwing her whip out and I whirled out of the way, barely avoiding getting my shoulder ripped open. I rolled across the sand and hopped back to my feet, used to the burning hot sand as I ran across it to Vinion, who cursed and tore her whip back.

Pain exploded in my back as the whip slashed across my flesh and I stumbled, slamming into the hot sand. I hissed at the way it burned my palms and the skin on my back split open, letting blood pour out onto the sand, staining it red. I whirled around as Vinion slashed at me again, but I ducked and rolled and panted hard in agony as the sand burned my back and stuck to the wound.

Another sharp pain exploded in my back and I choked in pain, slumping back down onto the sand, breathing hard as Vinion's whip struck across my back before I could move again. The crowd in the stands cheered and leapt to their feet.

I ground my teeth together.

Oh fuck this.

Anger shot through my veins like a potent poison and I whirled around before Vinion could retrieve the whip, catching its barbed end in my fist, feeling it sink into my flesh, drawing blood that oozed down onto the sand. Vinion curled her lip and went to yank the whip back, but I pulled back first and Vinion yelped as her feet left the ground and I swung her around so she smashed into the wall. I tore the whip from her grasp and wrapped it around my fist, stalking toward her.

She leapt to her feet and tore out a dagger, racing at me with an angry battle cry, but I spun out of the way and caught her wrist in my hand, twisting it and snapping the dagger free before ramming my barb-wrapped fist into her stomach. She choked and grabbed my wrist, trying to throw me back, but I barely budged as I punched her in the stomach again, then threw her off by slamming my fist up into her chin, causing her to fly back through the send.

I breathed hard and flung the whip out into the sand, spraying Vinion's blood across it as she choked and panted, struggling to get to her feet. My vision flashed from normal to red as the scent of her blood permeated the air and fed the hunger for blood making my fangs throb in my gums. I cocked my head and flung the whip out through the air so it caught Vinion around the throat. She screamed in agony, then threw her hand out at me and sent a blast of fire that I barely dodged, but instead of letting go of the whip, I gripped it tight and dragged it with me as I dodged, causing Vinion to face-plant in the hot sand with the whip tightening around her throat.

I stood up and yanked hard, dragging her across the arena until she was at my feet. She choked and struggled for air and I wrapped the rest of the whip around my fist to jam into her face, but she vanished before I could hit her and I snarled, whirling around to face Atlan, who pinned me with a menacing stare.

"Not till death, hybrid." He warned. His words infuriated me and I bared my fangs, then pulled up short to see Arikos staring at me with wide silver eyes heavily outlined with kohl. I snapped my mouth shut and stepped back, reaching up to cover my mouth as disgust swept over me.

Jesus fucking Christ. I just reacted like a dog being told no.

"Fuck you," I shouted at Atlan, who frowned down at me as he stood up, "I am not your entertainment! If you want blood so badly, come down here and let me rip your body into tiny pieces, or better yet, I'll plunge you straight into the hellhole that is the Source. What say you to that, Atlan, King of the Atlanteans?" Atlan glowered and I saw him visibly tense, and a few gods settled into tortured silence at the reminder of their prison.

I waited in silence, watching Atlan's expression become murderous.

"Drak!" He shouted suddenly. I scowled, then tensed as I felt a ripple of power behind me and whirled around to see Drak appear there. Drak was tall with light brown hair swept back from a stern stoic face, his deep set white eyes narrowed. He certainly wasn't dressed for a battle, though, wearing a black pinstripe vest over a long white button up shirt and dress pants with expensive loafers.

"No!" Arikos shouted abruptly, jumping to his feet and jerking at his chains. I blinked and turned to stare at him, surprised by his outburst. Atlan snarled and backhanded Arikos so hard he slammed into the dais where Atlan's seat was and didn't move afterwards. I cursed and started toward him, but Atlan whirled back around to glare into the arena.

"Drak!" He commanded. I spun back around just as Drak flicked his hand and a blast of energy slammed into me so hard that I had the breath knocked out of me as I bashed into the wall of the arena then sank into the sand. I panted hard, struggling to push myself up onto my hands and knees, peering up as Drak walked toward me with a calm cool that put me on edge.

He carried himself with an air of confidence, royalty... and deadly precision. There was something about him that I found familiar and it made my skin crawl as he stood over me with cold eyes, his hands flat at his sides. He was stiff and stern. Something about him made my stomach churn.

"Up." He ordered, his voice a deep authoritative rumble. That single word set fire to my temper. It was his air of dominance that offended me. No one ordered me around, except Akin. No one commanded me, but Akin. And I would accept no other Dominant, except Akin.

Defiantly, I stayed crouched on the sand and glared up at him, watching him narrow his eyes. I knew exactly what Dominants liked and disliked... and Drak was going to be easy to piss off. I rose slowly to my feet, standing at my full height so I towered over him by a god few inches. He looked positively disgusted, and I went to punch him in the throat, but he spun out of the way and twirled up behind me to grab my arm and forcefully twist it behind my back.

I snarled and tore my arm away, moving to hit him with a spinning hook kick, but he ducked and came up behind me to catch me around the throat with his arm in a headlock. I bared my fangs and sank them down in his arm, but he barely flinched.

"No biting." Drak ordered. His voice infuriated me and I snarled, twisting my body to get partially behind his, hooking my leg behind his and grabbing onto him as I flipped him around my body and onto the sand on his back. I went to slam my fist into his throat, but he rolled out of the way and leapt to his feet, jamming his hand right into my side.

Pain rocketed through me and I stumbled, falling to one knee, breathing hard as I clasped my hand on my side. There was no exterior damage, but I could feel the bruising on the inside... He'd hit my kidney. I breathed hard and looked up to glare at Drak, who stared at me coldly.

"Up." He ordered. Rage boiled my blood at his command and I lunged for him more fiercely, aiming to crack his ribs, but he dodged back and swung his arm around into mine to block, then rammed his fingertips straight into my rib cage and pain crackled through me. It was enough to tell me he'd just fractured a rib. Obscene pain pulsed through me, but I forced myself to ignore it as I caught his arm that was blocking me and twisted it sharply, but Drak vanished before I could break his arm.

I cursed and stepped back, then hissed when I bumped into him. I whirled around, but the back of his hand came across my face so hard that I fell back into the hot sand, shouting in pain as the sand seared the open bloody gashes on my back from Vinion's whip. I panted hard, laying there and glaring up at him as he approached me. He was going to try and stand over me.

Yeah, not in this lifetime, asshole.

I flipped onto my feet and rammed my head against Drak's before he could react and he cursed, taking two steps back and grasping his head. I bared my fangs at him and he glared at me.

"You need to be disciplined." He stated. I started to send a god bolt at him, then stopped before the electricity could hit me from the collar I wore. I cursed and reached up to touch the collar. Drak cocked his head.

"Will you behave now?" He asked. I shot him a dirty look and grabbed a handful of sand, tossing it at his face and he hissed, taking a step back to reach up and cover his eyes. I moved to the right and got in front of him, ramming my fist up into his solar plexus, making him choke and double-over, so I could grab his head and bash it down on my knee. Blood poured from his busted nose and he stumbled back, trying to catch his balance, but I knew better than to let someone like him get a moment to recover, so I kicked him hard in the stomach and sent him sprawling into the sand.

"Oi, hybrid scum!" I paused as Drak stumbled back into the sand and I whirled to see a woman appear in the arena with us. She looked like the female version of Drak, but her hair was done in a tight ponytail, exposing a widow's peak, and her outfit was more suited for a battle as opposed to Drak's formal wear. I narrowed my eyes at her as she withdrew a sword and pointed it at me.

"Back away from my brother." She ordered.

"Make me." I challenged. She curled her lip and started to stalk toward me.

"No," Drak spoke so suddenly that his sister froze in place to stare at him and I turned to eye Drak cautiously as he stood up straight, reaching up to daintily wipe the blood from his nose, stared at it smeared on his hand, then looked up, "I already claimed him. Return to your seat, sister, else you take his place." His sister's eyes actually flashed with fear and she lowered her sword. She swallowed for a moment, still hesitant to leave, but when Drak took a step forward, she squeaked and vanished from the arena, reappearing in the stands, looking sick to her stomach.

I turned back to Drak, who pinned me with an eerie stare.

"You're violent," He said, moving toward me and I backed up to put some space between us, which seemed to amuse him judging from the way his mouth twitched, "But, cautious. Battle-honed. Even with the collar restricting your magic, you fight with pure, raw strength developed from centuries of training and fighting for your very life, a life you don't necessarily seem to value, judging from some of the moves you've shown in such a short period of time. You know how to react when someone appears behind you, which means you're accustomed to being attacked from behind. You recognize my style of fighting as an attack on the interior. I've already fracture your rib and damaged one of your kidneys. If you keep fighting me, I will rupture your lungs and watch you choke on your own blood. Then I'll strike your stomach and you will fall on your back and you will panic when you realize you can't breath. And I'll take my moment to deal a final blow that'll severely damage both your physical form and your mental state, which is already unstable enough as it is."

"So tell me, hybrid," Drak continued, meeting my glare, "Are you willing to suffer that humiliation at my hands in front of all these people, or will you go to your knees and accept defeat like a good boy?"

"I hate people like you," I responded, watching him narrow his eyes, "You talk too much." I started for him and Drak sighed before dodging my next few attacks. I cursed and whirled around to punch him with a right hook when he vanished, but he didn't appear behind me. I scowled, then gasped as he appeared behind me when I turned.

He faked me out.

I started to turn on him, but he jammed his hand right into the center of my back and I choked, stumbling forward, gasping hard for breath. I tried to spin around and hit him, but he vanished and I spun around again, but he didn't reappear anywhere near me for a moment as I struggled to catch my breath.

And suddenly he was in front of me. I had no time to react as he slammed his fingertips into my chest and sent unbelievable agony spreading through me. Blood bubbled up my throat and poured past my lips as I stumbled back, trying to suck air into my lungs, only to drown in my own blood. I stumbled, losing my balance long enough for Drak to slam his fist into my stomach, knocking me back into the sand.

He started toward me, but I rolled onto my stomach and tried to get up. My vision tilted and swayed as I tried to suck oxygen into my lungs. More blood rushed up my throat and dribbled past my lips into the sand. I only hear the muffled roar of the crowd, of a strange buzzing in my ears, my vision darkening at the edges.

Drak appeared beside me and kicked me hard in the ribs, knocking me onto my back as I choked and dug my fist into the sand, trying to throw it at him to buy myself some time, but he stomped on my wrist and I winced in pain. I tried to roll away from him, but he swung himself on top of me and sat on my chest, making it even harder to stay calm. I managed a choked snarl and tried to punch him, but he caught my wrist and pinned it into the sand over my head.

He leaned down close to my face, his lips brushing mine and his eyes boring into mine.

"You asked for it, hybrid," Drak murmured, making me curl my lip in disgust, "You could've saved yourself the pain of a public humiliation. I would've made this private. Remember that this was your choice." Confused for a moment, I scowled until he covered my mouth with his, slurping the blood from my mouth into his. My skin crawled in disgust and I tried to buck him off me, but he didn't even budge. I struggled to breath, feeling more blood trickle from my nose. Drak pulled back to lick my blood off his lips before he reached down and hoisted one of my legs up at a painful angle.

"I am your new master now," Drak said calmly, making my eyes widen slightly, "Maybe I can train you better than your previous master." Magic rippled through the air and a second later, I was laying naked on the sand, breathing hard as I tried to wrench my leg away from Drak, who pulled my leg up higher and there was a sickening crack that made me choke in pain.

Panic began to swell up inside me. Why did this suddenly feel so familiar? Why did it look so familiar?

Crack.

That sound... Abel's leg. I did the same thing to his leg when I attacked him, because he tried to kick me in the face again. So I broke his leg so he couldn't kick me... My eyes widened as Drak got between my legs, gripping my wrists and forcing them into the hot sand.

"Get off me!" I choked breathlessly, trying to writhe away from him, but he held me fast and stared into my face.

"I am the one calling the shots right now, hybrid. Open your legs."

"Get off me!"

"Open your legs."

"Get off! Fuck you!" I snarled and managed to choke back the blood filling my mouth so I could lean up and sink my fangs into his throat. Drak cursed and a second later, pain filled me and I choked, my fangs leaving his throat as I fell back against the sand, arching my back to try and escape the pain that invaded me from below. Drak breathed hard, glaring into my face.

"You asked for this, remember that. Now let everyone watch." He panted in my face and pushed his hips up against me. I clenched my teeth and tilted my head back in the sand, trying to escape it, but the collar shot more electricity through me to prevent the use of my powers and I groaned in pain. My vision dimmed and I tilted my head away from the screaming and cheering crowd, until my eyes found Arikos, who must have woken up and was leaning against the railing, his silver eyes pained.

Hannibal, I'm so sorry. Hannibal.

No more sorry than me, I thought bitterly and shut my eyes tightly, trying to will myself to the same dark place I went to during my time in Styx.