It was a beat down.
That was the only way to describe what transpired between the three.
As Emmett rushed towards the twins with inhumane speed, they scrambled away, already looking worse for wear with shredded clothes and bloods running down the numerous open cuts on their skin.
During their fight with each other they did not look so wary but a single kick from Emmett had them on their guard. As they scrambled from Emmett, taking to the air in an attempt to get away from their gleeful sadistic older brother, they flew up to the point where it wouldn't strain anyone's eyes to look at before they slammed into the basically invisible barrier.
"Stop running Tengu! I am not training cowards, fight until you pass out!" Prince Odysseus called out. I turned to him expecting him to look happy at the bloodshed but he looked serious, his focus so intense it was almost scary, I did nor want that look turned on me.
I shuddered and looked at the massacre before me.
Jessica and Marcus combined forces to attack Emmett, Jessica threw a punch while Marcus swept down attempting to knock Emmett's feet out from beneath him when Emmett's hand grabbed unto Marcus head and used him to propel himself upwards kicking Jessica so violently in the face we heard her bones crunch from the distance while he slammed Marcus's head into the dirt.
They both dropped and didn't get back up. Blood pooling around them. While Emmett stood above them looking down at them barely even breathing heavily with a blank expression.
Another thud sounded and the Prince walked forward as the barrier dropped and Emmett looked up at the Prince,blank expression unchanging.
"Good,you lot are not as bad as I thought, though you're nowhere near where you need to be. Let your wounds heal so you can fight Achilles so I can see your limit." Odysseus said to Emmett.
"What? I thought I was only fighting the twins!" Emmett exclaimed, blank expression morphing of pure panic. "Arthur will kill me."
"I never said you'd only fight each other,I have to test you all. Don't worry,I won't let him kill you. Achilles, try not to finish this too quickly, I have to see his strength so draw out the fight hmm." Prince Odysseus said unsympathetically, Achilles nodded wordless. "Good. Your wounds should be done healing in five minutes, we'll start then."
Emmett said nothing, looking like he was going to puke.
"Why is he so afraid? I get Achilles is stronger than him but they've known each other for a long time,he shouldn't be this scared." I asked Amanda who was standing beside me.
"Well...this apparently happened before I became a clan member but the siblings tried to attack Presh out of some misguided teaching from their hometown about being leaders and not submitting and all that posturing bullshit after they first joined the clan and Arth--Achilles singlehandedly beat the three of them within a inch of their lives,so much so that even with their rapid healing,it took them weeks to recover." Amanda said looking uninterested. Well damn,I'd be traumatised too. "It serves them right anyway,trying to hurt the person who saved you, how foolish. Anyway, as the first clan member, Achilles is automatically the second in authority and the main Knight protecting the clan master. What did they expect? A slap on the wrist. Tch"
Wow, there is too much I don't know about this world, I'm in over my head.
"Alright, enough dilly dally, your wounds are healed enough, step up to the centre and start...And if you allow fear to keep you from fighting to your fullest, I will personally make what Achilles did to you look like child's play, that is what you should be scared of. Now begin." Prince Odysseus threatened as he raised the barrier up and stood beside us. He looked down at me with tilted his head to the side then said.
"Quite curious. I expected you to transform when your clan members released their aura." I bristled and he chuckled. "Calm down tiger, your clan members are actually quite strong, just not strong enough to be part of the King's inner circle,so any newly turned supernatural should have been forced to submit, so its a wonder you didn't. Especially with the fact you're not even an actual vampire but just an enhanced human. Hmm." Just how strong are the people in the King's inner circle?!
He turned back to the two standing facing each other effectively dismissing me. I turned back to see Achilles reassuring and promising Emmett that he won't kill him until Emmett complexion come back.
Then Emmett released his aura and completely transformed soaring into the sky emitting a birdlike screech as he dove towards an untransformed Achilles.
Inches before he slammed into Achilles, Achilles moved to the side gracefully, easily evading him before grabbing unto one of Emmett's wings and bent it so quickly no one saw it but we all heard the sickening crack as Emmett screamed dropping to the ground.
"Let's leave this battle on the ground, shall we?" Achilles asked smiling warmly at Emmett as though he didn't just break his wing in half making it dangle at an unnatural angle with the bone sticking out and Emmett wasn't shouting on the floor from the damage. "Oh get up, you've had worse done to you, don't tell me this is enough to keep you down Emmett." Emmett stayed down. "Have I really let you get this weak? I was so stupid, I have failed in my duties but don't worry, I will rectify that now even if I have to break every single bone in your body to do so. "
Achilles declared ominously, looking for all intent and purposes willing to carry out his threat if Emmett didn't stand up.
No. No. No. I don't think anybody would be able to get up from that! His bone is sticking out of his skin and feathers! It's a good thing I'm not overly skirmish about blood and gore. These people are insane?! And I'll soon be next. I want to run away but I want to live even more!
Emmett staggered up,blood furiously pouring down his back looking severely pale.
"Shouldn't we stop them?!" I shouted,looking over at the twins still lying unconscious beside us where they were carried to.
"Be quiet, don't regulate us to your human standards, do they look human to you?" Prince Odysseus scolded me, giving me a stern glare.
I wanted to protest looking at my friends mercilessly beat each other. However, I knew it was not my place and I was powerless to stop what was happening.
The twins groaned and woke up,wounds almost fully healed,sitting up on the ground, their faces no longer bashed in,flesh and bone reattached and healed as did Emmett's wing as it violently snapped into place and he stumbled, shuddering before charging.
As Emmett attacked Achilles with a barrage of punches and swipes with his talons, Achilles swiftly dodged all of them and delivered deadly blows in retaliation.
Bones crunching with blood and skin splattering on the floor. Achilles obviously was able to end the fight but was drawing it out until Emmett was completely drained.
I looked away.
A heavy presence flashed behind me as a hand curled around me and gripped my face, forcing my face to the scene before me as a face leaned down to press against mine before a deep voice spoke.
"Look at this hybrid." I closed my eyes,I don't want to live like this. "Open your eyes." The deep voice commanded and my body obeyed against my will.
"This is your life now hybrid, whether you like it or not...Or maybe would you rather I kill you now,hmm? Just a snap of your pretty little neck and you'd be free from all this. Should I?" The voice asked as his hot breath brushed against my cheek.
"Should I end it all? It will be painless." He whispered, voice as soft as a siren call as blood splattered against barrier in front of me as a scream pierced through the air while the grip on my face tightened to the point of bruises.
I wanted to squeeze my eyes shut but I couldn't.
I wanted to run away but I couldn't.
I wanted to hide but I couldn't.
I want to be strong but I couldn't.
I couldn't do anything but I didn't want to want to die.
I was pathetic and I hated this,I wanted to hate them for making me feel this way,for making me question myself,I had never asked for this,I was never supposed to suffer this but I couldn't. Why would I? When I could see them suffer in the most bloody quality before me. When they have been going through this for centuries.
The bond from the link increasing my feelings for them and my understanding of what they are going through but still leaving me with clear judgement...It was cruel.
I couldn't hate them but I couldn't protect them or even myself for that matter.
But I didn't want to die. Tears escaped from my eyes and I shook my head no, my voice failing me as emotion rendered me speechless.
Tears dripped unto the hand that held me before it released me going to my shoulders with the face still besides mine.
"Then look. Look at them, look at your friends bleed and scream. Watch as they suffer because that's what happens in this world. The weak are preyed upon and dismantled, that is what will happen to your friends if they remain weak. Look at them now because next time, it might not be your friends who are pulling the punches out of love but your enemies ripping them apart,some might even go as far as to violate them out of sick and twisted pleasure.
"The world favours the strong Chelsea, its a fact that every living creature knows, our species even more so. That's why your friends are fighting now,to keep everything they love safe from those who wish to take it. Ask every one of your clan members what they had to go through to get where they are today. Especially your clan master, she has one of the most painful stories I've heard till date and I'm over a thousand years old. I'm going to make you go last, so you can see your friends suffering until you do everything in your power to prevent this from happening again.
"If you want to survive, if you want to become strong, if you want to stand in this world of predators. Then Adapt little hybrid, adapt and fight. Even if you don't like it, even if it hurts,even if you never asked for this, even if you want to die. Push on, fight, live because that's the only thing you can do. It's what every living creature does, it might not be enough sometimes but that's what you have people for,and when everyone around you is strong,then you in turn will be stronger.
"So adapt, because it is the only way to survive. And remember we are here to help you, even me, though you may not like me very much because of what I have to do." Prince Odysseus concluded in my ear before straightening up with his chest brushing the top of my head just as Emmett collapsed, a disfigured piece of flesh rapidly healing while Achilles' face was the embodiment of pain as he stared at Emmett before seemingly steeling himself before he picked up Emmett and walked towards us.
I looked around and all of my clan members looked as though they were in pain, the twins gazing at their older brother with raw pain in their eyes then a hunted look entered their eyes as the clan link flashed with terror as they recalled the day they almost died. Amanda bit her lip and looked away as Achilles laid him on the ground besides his siblings who just stared at him as though they were looking at a ghost. Do ghosts actually exist though?
The atmosphere sombre as we all fell into our heads cursing our weakness and the society we now must live in while Emmett whizzed besides us.
The feeling of defeat dominant in the clan's link.
Suddenly a rush of strength filled the link, whispers of love and encouragement filled our heads as well as apologies for bringing us this pain upon us, promises to make it better, promises of protection, that as long as they live, we will survive, feelings of hope and love flooded the link,embracing each and every clan member, with visions of victory storming our minds, flashes of joy from defeating trials and growing stronger pulsed in our veins.
Persephone.
She felt our pain and despite also going through even worse,she still stood strong, carrying us upon her shoulders, sacrificing herself for our safety.
Reminding us why we do this....other than continuing to breathe, of course, but also for the woman who literally saved us. Even me,let's be honest, if it was any other person I stumbled upon what I did I'd be dead. It wasn't my fault I did but it also wasn't hers or any of theirs either. Life just fucked us over. She decided to not only keep me alive but also add me to her clan despite the protests, I had a feeling if she hadn't, the other clan members except maybe Emmett would have gone behind her back and killed me to keep themselves safe and free but she turned me, forcing their hand.
We got a little hope,no it didn't suddenly make us fired up and feel like we could knock down the King with his court on their asses but it was enough to keep us going...to try.
So we did.
Prince Odysseus yawned.
"Are you all done with your little moment now? I like to go on without that damn brat's presence filling the air. What? Yes I can sense her,do you know how much power it takes to communicate with your clan from a long distance. It's stifling." Prince Odysseus said distasteful even though his voice was warm.
"You kept calling her a brat but you're only a hundred years old than her" Achilles said laughing, his eyes relaxing.
"Best damn hundred years of my life. Now come on Achilles, its time for us to spar...like the good old days,even though I'm obviously stronger than you now." Prince Odysseus said with a teasing note, his face becoming boyish and even more handsome as he looked at his old friend.
"I won't be so confident yet Ody, bring it on." Achilles said returning his grin.
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