Genesis [malexmale]

Chapter Thirty-Nine

Chapter Thirty-Nine

Despite the assurances, the nightmare about the possible future had me on pins and needles. Not to mention, it was the second day I hadn't seen Zeus, or rather, anyone had seen him, and I needed a distraction. So, I decided to drop in on Akin and Hannibal.

According to a text from Arikos, he, Menoetius, and Amenti were also going to be there, which meant I could check on everyone at once. My talk with Hades had assured me Hades was the same as usual; ornery as fuck, but he seemed somehow... more open. While I knew he would have days where the guilt would once again eat away at his brain until he was exhausted, I had a feeling his good days were going to outweigh his bad days. It helped knowing Lucifer was there with him, so I didn't feel guilty about leaving him after opening up such a festering wound.

In the meantime, as the afternoon sun cut a swathe through the moody gray clouds overhead, I dressed in a pair of black jeans, a gray top and a darker gray sweater, sliding into my boots and heading out the door after a lengthy morning run. I was front and center at Akin's penthouse less than half an hour later. After having Akin buzz me in, I passed the front desk man and security guard, both of whom had eyes that were glued to me until I stepped into the elevator and gave them a brief smile.

What was that saying Lea like to say?

I make their hearts go doki doki?

Slang was becoming more and more confusing as the years dragged on.

I headed up to the top floor, passing the only other penthouse up there, which belonged to the Deadly Sin, Greed, otherwise known as Jericho. And I actually liked this particular Jericho. His sense of humor was dry as a cracker and it was shared with his current beau, Constance, the Deadly Sin of Wrath.

I approached the door and only had to knock once before Akin answered. He looked to be in good spirits, judging from his flamboyantly gothic attire. Was that even possible, flamboyantly gothic? I mean, his top was long sleeve, made of black mesh, and appeared to be on top of a lime green tank top that matched the seams in his black tripp pants and the buckles on his black boots. And, finishing off his strangely cute look today, a zombie Hello Kitty scrunchie that he used to put his hair up into a ponytail that streamed down his back and to his waist.

"Hey, John! Glad you're here. I think Arikos wanted to talk to you about something. Hannibal too," he added with a nod as he stepped aside and I came in. I smiled at the lovely modern and clean interior, that was almost similar to Zeus's, except a bit more rustic and a bit more friendly. Instead of bare stark walls, there were photos of Akin and Hannibal, family photos from Akin's side of the family that involved his siblings, and then one of Akin's mother. And, I noted with amusement, all the ones of Hannibal were generally taken when he wasn't paying attention because he was too busy focusing on Akin, or trying to get behind someone else to get away from the camera.

Unfortunately, it was rather difficult to hide a male that was toeing the seven foot line and ripped as a motherfucker.

I followed Akin into the living room where Arikos was sitting with Menoetius at the breakfast bar, both of them watching with twitching smiles as Amenti set up her stuffed toys around Hannibal on the sofa. While Amenti appeared to be having the time of her life, Hannibal sat stiff as a board, watching her warily as if waiting for to suddenly whip a knife out and cut him. It was almost sad, really, to see someone distrust so much that they didn't even trust a child. But then, Hannibal's experience with children wasn't exactly bright either considering his brothers had gone out of their way to torment him every waking moment of his childhood. However, children only displayed what they saw their parents do. And Hannibal's father was a monstrosity that taught his sons well.