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Epimetheus had no quarrel with Zeus,
He lived quite happily amongst the other Greek gods and goddesses.
Zeus however, had been angered by the actions of man and Prometheus.
He sought to punish them with seven deadly sins.
Epimetheus was drawn indirectly into this punishment.
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The hand on my wrist tightened, never letting go. Epimetheus smile was uncanny as they roamed down my body, making me want to puke. "Let's get you out of here, shall we?"
"Don't touch me!" I thrust out my hands, willing my ability unto my fingertips. He teleported to a farther distance at the last second, laughing as he went.
All around, Zion, Liam, and Pharoah were killing off the beast-sized crocottas one by one. They kept coming, dividing like body cells and never relenting. The good news was, they were dwindling in size. The rate of dead crocottas superceeded their rate of division. I was amazed at the speed Zion, Liam, and Pharoah administered their killing blow.
Epimetheus circled me. His new body was wearing cargo shorts and a summer t-shirt with a matching bucket hat. "For a second I was worried you were going to teleport yourself out of here. But as I predicted, there's no way you'll leave until you are sure Pedro is safe. And that weakness of yours is the one thing that will ensure my victory. It's not too late to run."
"I'm not a coward like you," I snarled. I promised Pedro I was going to get him out of here and I intend to do just that. My eyes searched the titan's body, looking for anything on him that may be connected to Poseidon. There was nothing. If I was going to get the sea god out of here, I'd have to first break through that stupid barrier.
Epimetheus hummed in thought. "I did tell you that I could get back Hunter so long as you're here. Want me to prove it?"
Out of the corner of my eyes, I witnessed Liam disemboweling two huge crocottas at once while Pharoah crushed one crocotta with his Gravity-like abilities. With every flash of daylight, I knew Zion had also succeeded in burning a crocotta to crisp.
The remaining crocottas alive were only a handful. It was satisfactory, and yet I was worried. The more they use their ability, the weaker they get.
Epimetheus snapped his fingers and instantly, Dimitri was teleported into the clearing. He fell on his knees, wincing when someone grabbed his hair and pulled his head all the way back to expose his neck. A crooked dagger was held straight to his carotid pulse.
I glanced up, only to find out that the owner of the dagger also had Epimetheus' face. Everyone halted almost immediately. Liam looked between the two Epimetheuses. He gritted his teeth, already deciding to take one down.
"Come any closer and I'll kill him," The two titans said at once, mirroring each other like they were clones.
Liam was already moving but he was instantly stopped by the sin of pride.
"Liam, don't," Pharoah said.
"Ah," Epimetheus turned to me. "Of course, the sins wouldn't care about Dimitri. But they do care about you. And anyone you care about becomes someone important to them as well. Isn't that right Liam?"
The sin of Lust turned to me. I don't know what he saw in my eyes, but whatever it was, it made his shoulders sag an inch. Nevertheless, a torrent of rage still rocked behind his ruby-red eyes. I clenched my fists, even if I charged in there, I couldn't leave Poseidon unprotected.
Epimetheus tugged on Dimitri's hair, making him cry out. A line of blood trailed down the side of his face. His chest heaved, his arms stuck to his side like they were glued there by an invisible rope. My eyebrows furrowed.
The titan released a cruel smile, clearly enjoying this. "It wasn't easy getting the god of wine. He is a formidable foe. I had lost 46 of my temporary vessels to him. Still, it was nothing a little illusion, teleportation, and body control couldn't fix. I had to wear him down a bit."
Illusion, teleportation, and body control,
"Mimicking," I whispered, capturing everybody's attention. "Your ability is mimicry. You copy the abilities of anyone around you. Including mine."
The titan grin was a full-on display. "Exactly. And you darling have all seven sinful abilities locked inside you."
It made sense now, Dimitri's arms were glued to his sides because Epimetheus was controlling his body using Liam's ability. Does that mean he could copy Zion's ability? If so, why didn't he use it before?
He could've hurt Pharoah or Liam at any time. Zion definitely wouldn't be harmed because it was his domain. But still, something wasn't right. And the fact that he could divide crocottas and teleport, could that mean...Do I have those abilities?
I released a shaky breath. "But Hunter isn't here."
Epimetheus smiled. "True. But he is bonded to Dimitri after all. A bond doesn't always go one way. In very stressful situations, one where the bond initiator is in danger, it can reverse roles. which means that Hunter can probably feel Dimitri's pain as we speak."
As if to prove his point, the titan drove the crooked dagger into Dimitri's shoulder and his hoarse scream echoed through the forest. The cry was so loud that it spurred birds into the air. My heart caved. My feet wanted to move; to intervene and save him. Dimitri had always been the protector. But right now...because of me, he was in danger.
Epimetheus knew about Hunter's bond. I cursed myself. Of course, he knew. Nothing ever gets passed him. My gaze went to his white eye -- so white, it looked like an endless fog. The titan had mentioned the eye could see everything.
Dimitri's eyes flickered a weak purple, a sign he was low on power. He struggled against Epimetheus but one word from the titan and his body locked up once more. Rage filled me at the thought of the titan using Liam's abilities against my friend.
Could I use the same ability on Epimetheus? Will we be able to execute it in time?
Immobilizing the titan didn't mean he'd be completely powerless. But it was still worth a try. The only problem was, I was still lacking in my Pandora powers. But Liam wasn't. I met the sin's eyes silently hoping he got a gist of the thought running through my head.
"If you use any ability on me, I will kill him. I swear it." Epimetheus warned, his eyes dead serious.
Liam bared his teeth but didn't make a move. How did Epimetheus--
A roar vibrated through the forest, shaking my very bones. A drakon flew into the clearing, breaking a few trees with its weight. It was the shifted form of Geovanni, the sin of greed. A small figure dressed in black sat on his back, snuggled between the long row of horns that stretched across his spine.
Hunter slid down the drakon, jumping down the gaping height to land on the ground. The gigantic drakon curled his tail around Hunter, teeth bared like he was seconds away from burning anyone who came close to the triplet. Hunter's eyes were wide, his hair disheveled as it landed on Dimitri.
"Like clockwork," Epimetheus smirked.
"Hunter, get out of here. Now!" Zion's voice was laced with urgency. My heart ached at his attempt to keep his remaining brother away from the titan,
Hunter stood his ground, his eyes widened as he took in Poseidon. His voice shook as he spoke. "When I got to Liam, Dimitri wasn't there. I thought he had gone on the lookout as an excuse to avoid me." He turned to Epimetheus, his gaze solidifying to anger. "You teleported him away, isolating him because you knew you couldn't win if Liam and I were present."
The titan tilted his head. "You stole Poseidon's pendant. Is it still on you by any chance?"
It wasn't. I trusted Liam to take the pendant from Hunter and give it to Eros. The god of love is probably miles away from here, the pendant in a safe spot no one could find. Epimetheus wouldn't be bothering Pedro anymore.
The tip of Hunter's fingers turned black, before crawling up his arms. "You want to kill me. Is that it?"
The titan scoffed. "Not really. Not yet. I suggest you keep Hades down unless you want your loverboy to end up in the underworld." He dragged the dagger out of Dimitri's shoulder, the sound of the metal slicing through flesh and bone echoed as Dimitri screamed once more. Blood dripped down his shoulder, never stopping.
He wasn't healing.
Hunter clenched his fists. The dark skin slowly receding. He grunted, his eyes alternating between pure black and amber as he fought to keep the god of the underworld down. His body shook with the strain, his knees nearly crumbling but he managed to succeed.
"Hunter," Dimitri's voice didn't waver even though I knew he was in excruciating pain. He swallowed, his Adam's apple shifted against the awkward stretch in his neck. Yet he held Hunter's eyes with a strong gaze. "It's not safe here. You need to leave."
"Shut it," Epimetheus snarled. "Or I'll kill you either way...or better yet, I've always wondered what the god of wine would taste like--"
"What do you want from me?" Hunter drew back the titan's attention.
Epimetheus smiled at him. "Ah, Hunter. Vulnerability doesn't look good on you. And to think the god of the underworld has a weakness? It's fascinating. I don't blame you, really. I mean, Penny is my weakness, but I don't think any of you have the balls to threaten her life."
He arched an eyebrow expecting any of us to act. Hunter glanced at me for a second, something passing over his eyes for a moment before blinking it away. I wouldn't be surprised if Hunter or Hades were willing to sacrifice me for Dimitri. But then, that will mean he'll have to fight through Liam and the others, leading to chaos and destruction.
"Alas, it's too late now. If any of you move towards her, the wine god gets it." He slid the knife back to Dimitri's neck. Epimetheus jerked his head to the water well. "Open it."
Hunter turned to the dilapidated structure like he was seeing it for the first time. He stumbled back eyes wide as he fixed his eyes on the well like it was a creature that had crawled up from the ground.
"You know what it is, don't you?" Epimetheus scrutinized him. "Of course you do. You are Hades."
"What is it?" Zion said as he turned to Hunter. "What do you see?"
Hunter shook his head, completely speechless as he physically tried to distance himself from that 'thing.' He backed into Geovanni. The sin of Greed growled, sensing the threat and curling his body in an arch around the triplet. He lowered himself to one knee, wings outstretched as he gave Hunter the option of climbing onto his back so he could fly him far from here. Hunter remained on the ground, words stuttering out of his lips. "You-you're crazy."
Epimetheus laughed. "Quite the contrary. I'm just doing what should've been done a long time ago."
"What does he mean?" Pharoah asked. His tails coiled and twisted as he tried to piece out what was strange about the old crumbling structure.
"What is it, Hunter!?" I screamed at him, needing answers.
"Tartarus," Hunter said, his eyes wide with terror. "He wants me to open the gates of Tartarus."
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