The Hybrid [malexmale]

Chapter One

Chapter One

"That's right, ladies and gentlemen, the Atlanteans have returned."

Nothing made me lose my appetite like hearing that phrase over and over again like a broken record, everywhere I went. It was bad enough hearing it come from Xenon's mouth, but the media was having a field day with it. They'd already booked several interviews with the desdios cult that continued to worship the Atlanteans. Even worse, they were converting people faster than bunnies made babies in the spring.

Anyone who hated Hades or Lucifer and anyone associated with them for the Titan war a few years ago were jumping on the Atlantean bandwagon with pitchforks, ready to avenge loved ones who'd fallen during the war or simply wanting to stick it to the man.

It was disgusting.

I lowered the coffee from my lips to stare through the window of an electronics store that had the news playing, attracting more customers to come and watch with wide, fascinated eyes. A woman even mumbled how good it was while her child chewed on his jacket sleeve and a man snorted in distaste before walking away. Of course, the man next to me had the same opinion as I did.

"The world is full of friggin' idiots." Raven declared, glaring at the monitors. I nodded in agreement, ignoring the glares from the viewers who stupidly cheered on the Atlantean return. We ignored them, moving away from the televisions and heading down the street toward our usual gym hangout in Portius.

"It's cliched," I agreed, taking a sip of coffee and enjoying the warmth it provided on a cold spring day, "They'll just end up as cannon fodder." Raven grimaced at that, licking his lips before taking a gulp of his own coffee from a foam cup that matched my own.

Raven was one of my Master's many brothers. Tall with a mop of black curls, a beautifully angelic face with piercing blue eyes set under dark heavy brows, and decked out in leather from his turtleneck to his steel-toed boots and gloves, Raven was probably the only creature in the world I could effectively apply the term "friend" to. He was the highly intelligent leader of Lucifer's armies and the only full-blooded angel child Lucifer had, and one of his duties was to stay informed about the current war that was a hot poker up both our asses.

"At least now we have new punching bags." Raven offered over the whole situation. I smirked at that, taking another swallow of coffee before throwing the empty container into the garbage outside the massive training facility that was generally reserved for soldiers, but Raven was allowed to bring in whomever he pleased, whenever he pleased.

"True. And an excuse to buy new armor." I added as we made our way down the hallway toward the reception desk where Raven showed his ID and got me a visitor's pass, before we headed to the locker rooms to change into our work out gear.

"Oh, tell me about it," Raven agreed enthusiastically as he stripped his shirt off and tossed it into his locker, "I heard Hades made new armor out of hydra skin." That didn't surprise me.

The Greek god of the Underworld was more than just a pompous ass who presided over his own realm and just so happened to be sleeping with Raven's father. He was also the most whacked out evil scientist villain you'll ever encounter. He'd invented enough technology to finally set us ahead of the mortals and he loved to bask in the glory that brought him... as well as rubbing Zeus's nose in it on a daily basis considering Olympus was still a bit behind on even mortal technology.

Suffice it to say, Hades was not someone you wanted to anger.

And unfortunately, I was one of the main contenders on his hit list.

Oh the joys of being me.

I stripped my clothes off, irritated that we still wore winter garments even though it was spring. The weather had gotten out of control with the Atlantean arrivals, and the real spring was late this year. Ice still crusted just about everything and occasional snow flurries would blanket the dark sky. But warmed by the facilities heating system, I opted for a spandex tank top and sweatpants, pulling on a pair of finger-less gloves.