Apollo

| 1992 - Bed |

San Diego, California, Amato Training Grounds 1992

23 Years Old

"Again!" Andreas yelled, filling the hand-to-hand combat room with such hate and disgust that every soldier lined against the walls winced. Apollo had been chained to the roof for two hours as each and every man working under his father got their turn to hurt Apollo however they saw fit.

Luckily for Apollo, most of the blows came in the form of a weakened punch to the leg or ribs. He might have fallen victim to his father's unusual punishment, but that doesn't mean the men were dumb enough to actually hurt him. The soldiers had far fewer rules than the pure-blooded Amato family, so having to beat their superior for loving a black woman was against most of their moral codes.

"Are you done yet, son?! Have you learned your lesson?" Andreas was seething in anger. the vein on his forehead was protruding with every word he spat. At this point, it was unclear if he was more angry at the crimes his son had committed or the way Apollo truly found the whole ordeal amusing.

"Fuck you," Apollo said breathlessly after a particularly hard punch to the gut. He smiled, bloody teeth and all, as his father stepped forward to him with the whip. "Is that all you got you saggy fuck?"

The whip cracked over his back, slicing through his previously damaged skin. The sadistic young man laughed at the pain, not because it didn't hurt, but because he had finally broken his father and therefore won an unspoken competition between the two ill-tempered men.

Andreas had been pushing the idea of a young, fertile wife on his son for years now. The conversation wasn't new. Andreas only became more obsessed and wound up every time Apollo would tell his father about his relations with Lorelei.

Again, he was careful to not impregnate his young lover, but he couldn't help himself when he came home late with her lipstick smeared all over his white shirt. Apollo loved to play games and his favorite kind were the ones he won. He had won the ongoing battle of who his future wife would be, and as a last resort effort, Andreas had him kidnapped in the night and chained to be beaten into submission.

He hadn't realized that power has a snowball effect and right now, Apollo was an avalanche. "Again!" Apollo laughed loudly as he swung his legs in preparation for the next hit. "More! Give me more, Papa!"

The energy in the room was turning scary. "I'm going to kill her!" Andreas yelled as he swung his weapon as hard as he possibly could into his son's back. "I'll kill that fucking girl and make you watch it! You will not ruin this for me!"

Apollo threw his head back in a genuine laugh, one that made his insides hurt from the humor and not from the broken ribs. They both knew Andreas wouldn't touch Lori. Apollo was a crazy motherfucker, one that had been specially trained by the best of his father's men. Andreas stood no chance against the monster he created.

The whip dropped to the floor with a loud thud and Andreas walked around his son's bloody body until they stood face to face. His nostrils flared at the smile Apollo held. He looks so much like me, the withered father thought. It disgusted him that such a disgrace took on his own features.

Andreas landed one final blow to his son's face, hard enough that Apollo's head snapped to the side. It wasn't good enough, though. What Apollo lacked in structural power he made up for in strength and endurance. "Untie him. Leave him to bleed until he's come to his senses. Your new bride will be waiting in your chambers, Apollo."

"If that bitch touches anything I'll skin her alive." Apollo gritted as he was dropped to the hard floor. His words weren't a threat, they were a promise.