The Messiah [1]

14: Athena

"You're a sick fuck." She spit before throwing herself at him.

They grappled with each other, but the king had the obvious upper hand; something Athena realized quickly as she was once again thrown to the ground. Her whole body was shaking as she forced herself to stand, limbs protesting against the pain that was almost blinding. Blood seeped from a gash above her right eye, as well as from the cut on her lip and the scratches on her hands - the room reeked of copper.

Before she could even take a step, let alone try to attack him, the king dashed forward, his body moving with the sleek grace of a predator. Athena backpedaled, fear winning over her previous disgust as she suddenly realized how easy it would be for her death to occur now - here in this room, alone and by the hands of a man she hated. Surely, her life couldn't be snuffed out so simply?

The king kept coming, the thud of his boots suddenly matching the heavy tattoo of her heart. Her fear was palpable, a sudden burning on the tip of her tongue like she'd tasted lightning; Athena couldn't breathe, her lungs spasming as they tried to feed oxygen to her deprived brain.

"There it is - that's the fear I was looking for." He laughed, face contorting into a terrifying mask of cruelty. "I am in control of everything. I hold your life in the palm of my hand."

Athena gasped as her back pressed against the cold stone wall - and suddenly there the king was, pressed against her, his hand at her throat as he pushed her up the wall until they were face to face. An aberration from her worst nightmare, his form seemed to flicker in front of her eyes; one minute a devil and one minute the human she knew him to be.

"I own you." The king spat, hot breath wafting over her face as he pressed harder against her neck - his eyes were wild, pupils huge as he laughed when Athena whimpered. "You will be my ultimate weapon."

Writhing in his arms, her fingers clawing at the hand that pinned her to the wall, Athena felt her mind detach from her body - as if suddenly she had nothing but the baser instincts of an animal fighting for survival. Her body convulsed as the king continued to squeeze her throat, her consciousness fading as she lashed out with her last shred of power.

Suddenly, he was gone.

Athena fell to the floor in a crumpled ball, her hands instantly going to her throat as she wheezed - sucking in gulps of air that made her eyes burn and her ears ring. As if sensing the evil that still lurked nearby, she curled into a ball, her head tipping upward to look at the demon from her nightmares.

Above her the king stood, blood trickling from his nose and an expression of feral pleasure on his face. Without another look, he turned and walked from the room, the thud of his boots echoing in the cell. His words were the last Athena heard before she passed out.

"Get a doctor. The seal is broken."

Φ

A soft wind ghosted over her body, raising goosebumps and drawing a shiver from Athena. She woke slowly, reality filtering into her consciousness gradually - like sand falling through an hourglass. The white light clouding her vision eventually faded, leaving behind color spots that left her feeling disoriented.

Distant shuffling reached her ears, and she turned in response, the ground cold beneath her.

"Are you awake?" whispered Theo, whose face swam into focus moments later.

Athena groaned, crawling onto her hands and knees until she was stable enough to tip backwards and sit down. Hesitantly, she reached up - fingers threading through her thick hair as she sought out any injuries that needed immediate attention.

Theo shifted toward her, one hand catching the edge of Athena's chin. "How are you feeling?"

"Fucking terrific." She hissed, slapping his hand away and shoving herself to her feet despite the immediate pain.

She watched at Theo stiffened, rising from where he had been squatted next to her with a fluid grace despite his old age. He was attired in simple clothing that befitted a scholar; slacks, a button up and a lab coat so white it hurt to look at. Athena had to stop herself from wiping her dirty hands all over it.

"I know you're upset." Theo began, voice even as he walked toward her - his brown eyes alight. "But look at the positives. We've broken the seal on your magic - though a portion of it is still bound, you can now access some of it."

His words brought Athena to a halt from her agitated pacing - despite the fiery pain burning in her left side, she whirled on Theo.

"What do you mean I can access some of it?"

Theo sighed, the lines in his face sagging for a moment before another elated ripple of energy made him smile. "You've broken the first seal - and our testing shows that you have two. Whoever sealed your magic was extremely powerful, but we can break through it. If we've done it once, we can do it again."

"You want to do that to me again?" Athena snarled, stalking forward toward Theo.

"Now there's no reason to become upset, I'm sure we ca -"

Before Theo could finish guards crashed through the door, guns raised as they poured into the room. Athena immediately raised her hands in a sign of peace, but was still hurled to the floor - once again tasting copper on her lips. Before she could even cry out, they shoved a black bag over her head and she was taken.