Cursed [malexmale]

Chapter Two

Chapter Two

"Did you hear me? Anexius?" Atlia's pitiful whispers of fear cut through my momentary shock, yet all I could muster was a silent cold stare that I hoped would convey my feelings well enough.

Atlia didn't have a hand in Dexius's destruction, but that's just it; she did nothing. She fled and left him there to suffer. She did nothing, and when I had called for blood, she had hidden behind our siblings while Atlan attempted to calm me, telling me that what was done was done, that nothing could change what had happened, that Zelus had already taken Dexius's soul to Xandria where he was resting in peace, but I refused to believe it after what my siblings had told me they'd done to my Dexius.

That buried rage began to surface. The empty hole in my chest was filled with white hot anger, searing through my veins like molten lava, ears ringing with the screams of the Source from the day it had taken down the pantheon at my request, my sacrifice.

"Help you," I said, and I watched the muscles in Atlia's slender pretty body visibly tense as she sensed the underlying threat in my voice, "Help you as you helped my Dexius when our siblings held him down and beat him and violated him until he couldn't move, then threw him in the ocean as if he were trash?" Atlia's eyes widened and she took a nervous step back as I straightened to my full height that was well over hers.

"Anexius," She stammered, and there was something about the way she was speaking, the way her eyes darted around that told me she was feeling rushed for time, "Anexius, please, I had nothing to do with what happened to the Atlantean prince. I didn't know he was your lover- I wasn't even there when our siblings attacked him! I was helping my champion in battle! You can ask Lea, she was there as my backup!" I curled my lip. It was the same lame excuses my other siblings, the ones who pretended to be innocent anyway, had given to me. How they didn't know, they weren't there, they saw nothing, but there was a gleam in their eyes that betrayed their lies.

And while I didn't necessarily see that gleam in Atlia's eyes, I saw the red cloak of rage descend upon me and I drew so close to Atlia that she had to crane her neck up to stare at me, the blood draining from her face, hand trembling over the bloody wound in her side.

"Rot in the darkest depths of the Source, you self-righteous bitch." I sneered and she managed a squeak of fear as I stepped away from her and snatched my book up from the bench, moving to head inside.

"Anexius, no, please! Wait!" She ran and caught my elbow. Rage surged through me and I whirled around on her with a hiss, making her snatch back fearfully. The scent of her fear suffocated me and angered me further. It was real and harsh, frantic and borderline hysteric. It clawed at my inner goodness, a goodness that I had long thought dead, but I didn't dare let it rear its head now. I latched onto the anger and bared my fangs at her.

"Get out of here. If Atlan doesn't kill you, Apollo will for intruding on his grounds. Or, let's get creative, and say that Zeus happens to be making his rounds. I might actually warm up to the god if he were to wring your tiny neck and break your spine." I threatened. Atlia whimpered helplessly, clutching at her wound and stumbling as if my words honestly wounded her and a pang of guilt shocked me, so I quickly retreated into the temple, slamming the back door shut. I squeezed my eyes shut, and for a moment, a pulse of power made me wonder if Atlia had tried to follow me inside, but when I turned, Atlia was nowhere to be seen.

I frowned, moving back toward the door, opening it to step outside onto the stone steps that led onto the gravel path. I scanned the flowery gardens and the forest that lay beyond, but there was no sign of Atlia anywhere. I scowled, reaching out my powers to feel for her, but there was nothing.

She teleported, I told myself as I turned back inside. To be safe, I was going to avoid the garden until Apollo returned.

But the further I moved away from the garden, the further my gut twisted into an unbearable knot and my mood darkened. I ground my teeth together as I made my way toward the receiving room, hoping to at least sit on Apollo's throne until he arrived. He wasn't very fond of my presence there without him, but what he didn't know didn't harm him. I kept that in mind as I drifted into the receiving room, which was the only room in the temple heavily designed based on classic Doric themes with tall ribbed columns with statues of Apollo and his past lovers and small pools decorated the area. His throne was actually just a large red and gold chaise set on a dais with gold stands on either side to occupy his obsession with pizza and soda pops.