Genesis [malexmale]

Chapter Forty-Five

Chapter Forty-Five

There was a split second of silence, stunned horrified silence, before the room exploded with shouts from gods and demons alike. Meanwhile, Menoetius was frozen, muscles locked, dark eyes staring up at Atlan on the screen. Arikos stood at his side, his hand squeezing Menoetius's so tight, his knuckles turned as white as his face.

"You're fucking stupid if you think we're going to hand him over to you," Cerberus burst out angrily, his red eyes flashing as he bared his fangs at the screen, "We don't need that cocksucker back that bad!"

"Seriously! Go fuck yourself!" Theo announced adamantly, only pausing to glare when Abel touched his shoulder to silence him.

"We're not handing Menoetius over," Lucifer agreed with a cold glare, and he paused to look at me, his expression grim. This wasn't about his hatred for Zeus. It was about maintaining one of our major pieces in this game. That was his attempt to reassure me, but it really did nothing to ease the rising panic in my chest. The fear felt like a balloon filling, to the point of exploding, and I found it difficult to breath. I glanced back toward Menoetius, who appeared to be trying to figure Atlan out.

Atlan only smiled at him, as if Menoetius was the most precious creature in the room.

"It's not up to you," Atlan spoke, and his voice silenced the protests to growls and glares, "I hope to hear from you within the next twenty-four hours. It's more than enough time to recover your strength before our next battle. I'm thinking Atlantis is rather lovely this time of year. Wouldn't you say, hybrid?" Hannibal's eyes widened and Akin sucked in a sharp breath. Instead of getting in a screaming match with Atlan on camera, Hannibal patted his pockets frantically until he could find his phone. His first thought was his mother and uncle back on Atlantis, and Atlan was taking advantage of that weakness.

"Oh, and as added encouragement, in case you decide that you have a chance at sneaking into my home and rescuing your damsel," Atlan drawled, making everyone's heads snap up to stare at him, "Here's what your king looks like right now." The camera panned around to the place Atlan had been glancing at earlier. Bile surged up my throat and I covered my mouth, my knees going weak, and I wondered what strength was left in me to stay standing.

Zeus was chained up to the far wall, golden shackles weighing down his ankles and wrists, his arms forced back behind him with a chain that led to a gold collar around his throat. Blood dribbled past his lips, oozed in strings to the floor at his feet, and his lack of clothing revealed bruises and welts across his beautiful skin, blood streaming from open lashes. His blond hair was stuck to the sides of his face with sweat and blood, and one eye was completely swollen shut. Dropping my eyes, I noticed a blood soaked rag wrapped around his hand, where a finger appeared to be missing.

"For every hour beyond the allotted time I've given you, I will take something more from him. Enjoy the sight of him with all of his limbs intact now. Because I plan to take more than just a finger next time." Demeter cried out, covering her face and choking on a sob. Hestia grabbed onto her arm and they stepped in close.

"Son of a bitch," Poseidon whispered beside me, his hands trembling as he took a step back.

"Twenty-four hours," Atlan repeated, then smiled, "It's a good thing our time zones are only off by an hour, hm?" The screen flickered off and the room was plunged into an eerie cold silence. The only sounds came from the humming of the equipment and Demeter's soft sobs as Hestia held onto her and looked at Poseidon, worriedly. Poseidon looked sick to his stomach, then vanished a moment later. Perhaps to avoid making a scene like his siblings. Poseidon wasn't much for public affection. And while they panicked, the rest of the room drew their eyes to Menoetius and myself.