Chapter Ten

I still vividly remembered the day I first saw Dexius.

I'd drifted down to the mortal realm of Atlantis as the kingdom celebrated the birth of their second born son. The parade was huge and extravagant. Dancers twirled and spun across the streets, waving streaks of colorful ribbons, the gold coins of their belly dancing garb jingling and singing in time with drums, flutes, a gently strummed string instrument, tambourines, and a man and woman singing as they rode a top of the imported elephants from a treaty made with a coastal tribe in Africa.

Leashed varg-leopards and tigers roared and hissed, taking long confident strides through the streets, heads low and fangs bared, but they didn't seem to be too dangerous to the celebrating city. Children laughed and ran around the legs of their parents, who waved and called out to the dancers.

The day had been warm and sunny, the air crisp with celebration and the scents of spices and roasting meat from the nearby spits, the smell of smoke wafting through the air.

And as the parade thinned out, the main event came and the crowds shrieked and sang and laughed and cried as if this were the most important day of their history... And for me, it was.

I hadn't attended the celebration for the first born. I'd been too afraid of mingling with the mortals, but Xenon had finally talked me into going. Paranoid of being recognized by the royal oracle, who also rode in the parade on top of a tiger, I disguised myself as a beggar and stood amongst the crowd, watching as the royal family finally appeared.

The king walked ahead first, led by his royal guards. The king was rather handsome with a full dark blonde beard, carefully placed henna tattoos around his eyes like thick eyeliner, and two dots in either corner of his eyes. He wore a deep blood red cape that was pinned with a royal gold emblem over his right shoulder, a brown tunic beneath a plate of bronze torso armor that matched his greaves, leather sandals with a slight heel and leather wraps that went all the way up his legs. He carried his bronze helmet heavily decorated with the gold image of the royal emblem.

Beside him was his queen, a woman of incredible beauty with rich dark chocolate hair that she wore in a curly bun that was heavily decorated with silks and flowers and phoenix feathers. She wore a gorgeous gown of gold satins and red silks that pooled in an expensive train behind her. In her arms, she carried the precious babe for whom the celebration was for. A tiny babe wrapped in a gold baby blanket designed with my symbols for protection, and walking beside them was a midwife, who was murmuring prayers to me to protect the baby.

I had intended to focus on the baby, until I saw who was following his parents.

The first born son.

He was tall and confident, walked with a soldier's march. He wore an outfit similar to that of his father's, except his tunic was deep red. His hair, like golden silk fell over one shoulder, the rest pushed back from his face, his piercing blue eyes watching everyone around him.

My first impression of him was how mature he was, how handsome and regal he was. Royalty and power radiated from his every pore, and he was so incredibly beautiful. My body heated with desire and my mouth watered for a taste of that caramel skin. I was momentarily stunned by the wave of lust I had never felt before.

I was so frozen that I didn't even bother to follow the parade that was making its way to my temple in order to have the child blessed and protected. Of course, I wasn't the only one. I noticed now that the prince had slowed down and everyone was so swept up the parade, they hadn't noticed the way he fell back until it was just him standing in the street.

He made a noise of supreme disgust, catching me off guard.

Now that certainly wasn't a sound befitting a prince.

"Ugh!" He sounded frustrated and reached up, unclipping his cape and letting it fall to the ground. I watched, my mouth falling open in shock as the prince stripped right there in the middle of the street. It wasn't that the Atlanteans abhorred nudity- in fact, most of their training was done in the nude and the public bathhouses were, well, a gathering of nakedness.

But to strip off expensive royal clothing in the middle of town?

He removed everything until he was completely stark naked and I found myself staring at the smoothest, firmest backside I'd ever seen in my life. I bit back a moan as he stooped over, snatching up his clothes and veering off into the jungle. Unable to resist, I followed him, shedding my disguise and following the prince as he made his way through the trees, ducking and dodging branches, ignoring monkeys that had swung down to yell at him, as if they knew that what he was doing was incredibly undignified for a prince.

I followed him right until he dropped his clothes and shot up into the trees. I frowned, confused as I came out of my hiding place amongst a tangle of vines. I looked around before approaching the prince's pile of clothing. I stooped down to pick up the prince's cape and stood up, drawing it to my nose.

A shudder wracked me. It smelled of sweat and soil, and a distinct smell of spices and herbs.

"Who are you?" A voice demanded. I froze, a cold wave of terror filling me as I dropped the cape and whipped around to see the prince standing there with his sword pointed at me, his eyes narrowed. I had never been confronted by a mortal, and most certainly not a mortal with a sword in my face.

"I-I-U-Uhm..." Think, Anexius, think! He's a mere mortal and you a god! Stop stuttering like a fool!

"Answer me!" The prince commanded and this time, the tip of his sword touched my throat and a chill crept through me.

"How dare you," I managed at last, relieved to find my voice, despite it's slight tremor, "How dare you speak to me like that! I am a god! Lay down your weapon!" The prince glared.

"I don't believe you." He stated. I stared at him, baffled.

"What?"

"How am I to know that you are not some beggar pretending to be a god so that you may kidnap me, or steal my garb?"

"Why would I steal your garb?"

"You can't want it simply to smell it," The prince said dryly, then paused to raise an eyebrow, "Unless there is something else you want from me." Confused, I tilted my head at that and the prince's angry expression melted into one of amusement. It was a sexy, beautiful look that made my heart pound and my cock hardened as he lowered his sword and took a step toward me.

"Were you merely watching in hopes of my noticing you?" He asked, his voice dropping an octave and taking on a husky growl that made me shudder.

"N-No, I-I was just-"

"See," The prince said in a mocking tone, "You are no god. A god would not stutter nor shy from a prince's touch. If anything, he would have taken me by now." Anger sparked in me at his tone, a tone I'd often heard my siblings use as they mocked me and taunted me for everything they could think of. From the way I did my hair, to the way I dressed, to the way I protected our people, and even the fact that I was a virgin god. They would find any reason to mock me, and the prince's mockery infuriated me.

"Shut up," I snarled suddenly, making his eyes widen, "You cannot speak to me in such a manner! If you dare speak another word to me, I will never protect your infant brother." The prince's eyes hardened.

"Beg your pardon?"

"Beg until your knees are raw from kneeling in the filth," I sneered at him, "I will not be mocked!" The prince stared at me for the longest time, then stepped back and folded his arms over his chest.

"If you're a god, prove it." He stated. I scowled.

"Prove it? I am a god. I do not need to prove it to a pathetic mortal like you." I responded heatedly. The prince's mouth quirked up, as if I amused him. I wanted so badly to hate that smile, that smile with a faint dimple in the left cheek, one that begged to be nipped at.

"That's a lame excuse," The prince replied, making him sputter indignantly, and he laughed, "If you are a god, then you will prove it. It should be no problem, right?" I narrowed my eyes, but said nothing. The prince, satisfied with my lack of a response, took that as an agreement and hummed as he looked around the jungle, eyes drifting up to the tree canopy where something moved behind a tree limb, he then turned to me with a smile.

"If you are a god, then you will have no problem taking that snake and allowing it to bite you." He said. I tsked at such a childish show of godhood. Still, something in me desperately wanted to please him. It infuriated me, but I did it anyway. I threw my hand up at the canopy and the branch broke, causing the snake to land in my arms. The prince's eyes widened and he took a step back. The snake hissed and whirled at me, yellow eyes flashing and pupil thinning with its rage before it lunged at my throat, but before it could bite me, the prince lunged out with his sword and beheaded it, causing its body to slide out of my arms onto the jungle floor. I scowled, looking at him.

"Why did you-"

"Fine, fine," The prince said, looking annoyed, "You are a god." I frowned.

"Then kneel and beg for apology." I commanded. Much to my chagrin, the prince laughed.

"Absolutely not. I am a prince. I bow to no one."

"And I am a god! I also bow to no one! You are an arrogant mortal and you could be tried for hubris."

"Go ahead," The prince goaded, putting his hands on his hips, "I fear no one. No one, except maybe snakes and cicadas." His random comment made me look at him in confusion as he paused to consider his response.

"Cicadas?" I asked. The prince shuddered and shook his head.

"They're gross and ugly and they know no personal boundaries. Have you any idea how many of those monstrosities fly into my window at night? Abhorable! I need a netting to keep them out, else I may set fire to my room just to be rid of them." He added with a pout. For the first time, in a long time, I laughed. An honest laugh that made the prince smile faintly.

"What is your name, prince of Atlantis?" I asked.

"Dexius. And you, sir god?"

"Anexius," I murmured as I stepped closer to him, watching him cock his head and smile mischievously, "My name is Anexius."

That day was seared into my mind, every part of it, and tears choked me. I was relieved to be walking ahead of our group through the catacombs of Xandria, so that no one would see the weakness burning through my veins and down my cheeks. I reached up, brushing my tears away in frustration before I focused on the path in front of us.

"We're about to reach the main chamber." Hannibal said, appearing at my side. I said nothing and ignored his quick glance at me before he moved ahead to lead the way.

Sure enough, we entered a large chamber with several chandeliers made of skulls and bones, and the only real piece of furniture was a black pedestal where an obsidian scrying orb sat in silence. We fanned out through the room to look around. I looked around, until my eyes landed on Hannibal, who was drifting toward a tunnel that broke off from the main chamber. I followed him into the tunnel and saw him disappear into a room to the left.

I paused near the doorway to see him standing in a bedroom, a very poor and drab bedroom that could only belong to Zetnos. Especially judging from the photos that sat on the nightstand of both Hannibal and Lea, as well as an ancient small painting done of an infant and Lea, and I could only guess that infant was Hannibal.

"Zetnos lives here." I said. Hannibal looked up from the photos, then nodded and averted his eyes. I frowned.

"I take it, from that painting there... that Zetnos helped Lea take care of you as a child." I said. Hannibal nodded again, but a strange veil came down over his face. It was an air of sadness that tugged at my heartstrings. I knew, vaguely, what it was like to love something so much and have it taken away from you. But I couldn't imagine having a parent love you, then living your entire life thinking they hated you. My heart ached for the hybrid, but a sound down the hallway snatched my attention away and I stepped out of the room into the tunnel just as Menoetius, Apollo, and Arikos were approaching.

I stared down the tunnel in the opposite direction, recognizing it from my dream.

Without another word, I went down the tunnel and headed toward the direction from my dream. I continued until I found the path that veered off to the left, and followed it. The entire time, my heart was beating a heavy beat against my ribcage, so hard that it hurt as anxiety filled me.

"Dexius?" I called out after a moment, uncomfortable the only sound being the sound of my heart beating. I waited and listened, my breath coming in shallow gasps as I ran my hand along the skulls on the wall, then paused at a corner to a hallway that across in front of me. I remembered Hannibal turning right in my dream and followed it.

"Dexius?" I tried again. I was only met with my echo, and faintly the sound of Arikos calling after me, but I ignored him and continued on, moving faster now.

"Dexius!" I called. My voice echoed back. Panic ran through me, but I struggled to stamp it down. It was going to take a while to find Dexius down here. Xandria was a huge place, and he was probably in Amunka, not Trikos. He was a prince. The mortals may have loathed him, but he wasn't loathed by the gods, not all of them. His soul had to be here somewhere.

"Dexius!" Wouldn't he come if he heard me calling his name? Did he know I was here?

"Dexius!" He'll come. He always came when I called him. Even if my cry was silent and only a longing in my heart to see his face, he somehow knew when I needed him and he would always come running. He would appear in my temple and I would sense him there from my home on Leanorius. I would take him back to my home and make love to him until the hole in my heart was gone.

"Dexius!" He would wrap his arms around me and I would suddenly feel like everything was alright with the world. His whispers of comfort, his sweet nothings, his silly ramblings about anything and everything.

"Dexius-" My voice cut off into a gasp of surprise as I went to take another step and my foot went through the air. I cried out as the floor gave way and I found myself falling through icy cold air that lashed at my skin. The fall lasted for what felt like eternity, to the point where the lanterns from the tunnel above had vanished and I was falling straight down through the air before slamming into a jagged surface that knocked the air from my lungs and definitely split my knee open, effectively shattering my knee cap and busting my leg. Instant pain exploded in my skull and a low moan spilled past my lips as I lay there, breathless.

Everything hurt, everything ached.

How far had I fallen? For how long? Did I fall through all three levels?

Had to. Was I in Mialosk then? A strange dread tugged at my stomach at that realization and I listened to the darkness around me. I swore I heard something scuttle past, a distant wailing, a deep demonic moaning. The air was thick and icy cold. The feeling of misery and woe and hatred and rage simmered in the air around me.

I swallowed thickly, blinking against the oppressive darkness. I waited to see if the others would notice where I'd gone, but when I looked up, all I saw was darkness. No faint glow of lanterns, not even a pinprick of light. Just complete darkness.

Breathing hard against the pain pulsing through me, I rolled over slowly, growling in pain before I managed to sit myself up. I heard something shuffling in the darkness and I narrowed my eyes. I waved my hand, conjuring an orb of light, only to regret it a second later, a scream catching in my throat.

The walls around me were made of some kind of foul smelling bloody raw flesh, rising and falling as if it were breathing, as if it was fucking alive. A strange silver mesh was pressed against it, keeping it from piling into the tunnel. Black ooze dripping in between the mesh links, pooling out onto the floor that was made of jagged rocks and several strange rat mutant things fled from the light, screaming in fright.

I looked down the hallway, gasping hard at the darkness that stretched on for eternity, and back the other way down the hall was the same sight. I looked down at my leg, flinching at the pain there. Blood splattered around my leg, the bone peeking out at me. I closed my eyes and waved my hand over the wound, sending as much energy down into the wound as possible to clear the damage enough for me to walk.

A long pained wail rang through the halls and I gasped, losing the orb of light and plunging myself back into the darkness. I listened as the wail echoed and slowly faded away. I finished healing the damage and slowly pulled myself up, trying hard not to go near the walls that made my stomach churn.

However, the moment I stood, I felt something stir in the darkness around me. Panicked, I swung my arm out, but I was met by empty space. I hesitated, then conjured another orb of light, this time the scream in my throat tearing free as an eyeless monstrosity looked back at me, its jaw dislocated and opened to reveal a thousand sharp teeth, black veins spreading across pasty white skin.

One moment it was crouched in front of me at eye level, and the next it was standing to its full height in front of me, its long spindly body taking up most of the tunnel and it drew a thin skinny arm up to reveal its razor sharp claws. It reached for me and I screamed again, throwing the orb at it and making it scream and reel back. I threw my hand out to send a blast of fire at it, but only smoke sputtered and a second later, I was back in the darkness.

The creature screeched and I felt it shuffling through the dark toward me. Too panicked to try and make my magic work again, I spun around and ran as fast as I could, my recently healed leg throbbing in pain.

The adrenaline shot me through the dark tunnel, my lungs aching as I slammed my eyes shut, trying to teleport to no available. Just when I thought I was going to slam into a wall, something caught me by the arm and tore me aside.

I started to hit something, but my hand landed against a solid chest and a second later, a bright light flashed and I found myself back in the catacombs of Trikos with the lanterns around me, lighting up the skull lined walls. Panting hard and reeling from the fright, I barely noticed that someone was trying to grab me by the shoulders as I frantically searched the tunnel for the creature that had been chasing me.

"Anexius!" A voice snapped me out of my terror and I turned to stare at the man who was clutching my shoulders, glaring in my face. Tears obscured my vision of a piercing pair of blue eyes, thick blonde hair over a broad muscular shoulder, a wide gold ceremonial necklace around his neck.

"D-Dexius?"