41. A Tooth For A Tooth
Regos & Theos
The dungeons were cold, but Theos’ anger flipped its temperature as soon as he stepped inside. He strode forward, leading the way down the long dark staircase to the lowermost holding cell in the belly of the castle. Raising his hand and stopping Kheos and Regos from following him further, he walked up to the metal bars that separated the small cell from the hallway. Alanis and Zyadon were huddled together in the far corner, shivering from the cold that had no doubt penetrated them down to the bone. They cringed under his attention, recoiling further into the back wall.
“Your punishment awaits mortals,” Theos said as calmly as he could. Neither of them spoke, and he continued. “You,” he pointed to Zyadon, “did not yet find your mate, yet you lusted after mine. Your fated mate will be assigned to someone else, and you will live forever wondering what your mate would have been like.”
He turned his angry attention to Alanis. “You did have a mate. Your bond will be broken, but The Fates will spare him the pain. His memory will be erased, and he will be reassigned to someone else. He will have no memory of you, or your plans, or your intimacy, or anything else. You will suffer for eternity bearing a one-sided bond, along with whatever punishment my brother decides to offer you both.”
Theos felt Regos stand straighter behind him. Darkness surged into all the cracks and crevices of the dungeon and their cell, Alanis’ muffled shriek the last sound before the scene around them changed entirely.
Zyadon’s scream blended into Alanis’ as they looked around. Theos, Regos and Kheos were all standing midair, hovering over the Gabkquran sea. The two mortals fell to their knees, trembling and groaning in confusion as they tried to comprehend what they were seeing. There was nothing below them save the six hundred and sixty-six thousand foot drop to the surface of the sea. Theos rolled his eyes, irritated by their senseless sounds of fear.
“Regos, if you would be so kind as to greet your new guests.”
He stepped forward, back to his human form, which he used to greet and escort mortals across the veil between life and death. He looked first at Zyadon, then at Alanis, amusement tugging his lips upwards as they tried to cower away from him.
“Running away from me is never a good idea,” he remarked casually, eyes glinting with hunger. “Death never plays games with his food.”
As their mortal brains struggled to comprehend the deities before them, Regos hummed deep in his throat.
“You,” he started, pointing at Zyadon with disdain. “Your punishment will be the same as hers,” he directed his attention to Alanis. “You were both eager to touch and to use what was not rightfully yours, and so, you will be touched and used by someone who will never be yours. A tooth for a tooth. ”
Alanis tried to cower away from him again as he strode towards her, and he chuckled darkly. Grabbing her chin, he pulled her thin, sallow face upright to look into his red eyes. “For you, it will be most excruciating, to feel someone’s touch while you still carry the weight of your own broken bond.” She struggled to get out of his grip, flailing and tugging backwards. His vice grip on her chin turned her skin a deep bruised purple.
“The charges against you in particular, are incredibly unsavoury. You have been found guilty of conspiracy to murder, betraying your best friend, my sister to be raped, and joining in the orgy that was assaulting her.” Regos tilted his head down at her, enjoying her horrified expression. “What do you have to say for yourself, darling?”
The bruised purple of flesh spread across her skin at the point of his hold. Eyes bloodshot and frightened, she directed all her energy into cringing away from him. Her left arm, broken from the effort, dangled by her side, limp.
“Nothing to say for yourself?” Regos tsked disapprovingly, “Very well.”
Zyadon flinched when Regos struck her across the face, her body falling limp. Dragging her to her feet by the throat, his claws indented her windpipe as her working hand clawed at his hand .
He hushed her, clearly amused. “I’m not going to let you die. You haven’t even heard your full punishment yet, darling.” She flinched away from his smile, trying to pull herself away from being so close to his face. He grinned. “Trying to get away from me is futile. Your eternity will be spent with me in the afterlife anyway.”
Her eyes widened, and a choking sound escaped her throat. It was unintelligible, but whatever word it had been, it was laced with fear.
“There it is. I was getting a little impatient. I thought you would never recognize me.” Regos commented sourly, obviously offended.
She was lurching away from him wildly, and his grip around her throat tightened harshly. The vertebrae in her neck cracked and shattered, and wincing, her movements stilled.
“My name is Regos. But you will address me as Master, mortal. Since you liked watching my sister get violated so much, and you were so willing to join in, your punishment will be exactly that. You will watch yourself get violated, by me.”
A gargled, disfigured sound of protest came out of her throat, blood leaking from her lips as her face turned purple and she tried to speak. Regos smiled .
“Yes, yes, I know. Isn’t it exciting? You secretly like women more than men even though you’re biologically wired to mate with a man and produce his children. Your mate might have even been willing to let you indulge those desires. But apart from him, and this werewolf next to you. You’d sooner just die than be looked at and touched by a man.”
The disfigured woman nodded, the broken bones in her neck mashing together to make a horrid sound.
“You will meet the rest of your punishments as we get….” He looked down over her body, pausing for a moment before his eyes went back to hers and a devious smile graced his lips. “...acquainted. You are hereby cursed to enjoy the rape you so cruelly inflicted upon another, and loathe yourself for all the eternities because you have fallen for the body of the god who will hurt you in all the ways you hurt the woman you once swore to protect with your life.” He pulled away from her ear to look down into her face, and smiled. “This is your official welcome to The Hells. I will be there to show you to your cell shortly, but for now, The Leviathan will escort you.”
His hold on her throat loosened, and she fell, no longer being held in the midst of the three gods by their interest in her presence. The sound of the Earth rumbling reached them, and the sea tremored as it split, the largest of the riyzze rising out of the water up to its shoulders, mouth opening with a roar to swallow down Alanis’ screaming, thrashing body from the air. It disappeared below the ocean with another roar, and Regos directed his attention at Zyadon, whose pale skin was turning green with unease and desperation.
“And you,” Regos cooed, hauling the trembling werewolf upright to face him, “It would be better if you didn’t struggle against my hold. I don’t want to mar your pretty little neck. At least, not yet,” Regos murmured. Zyadon winced, trying to lean away from Regos’ sharp teeth and wicked smile. “Your punishment will be the same as hers. You were the Alpha of your pack, confident in your superiority and your unchallenged seat, and now, you will be my needy, defiled, sex slave. You will crave my cock with a desperation that would drive you to enjoy anything I gave you. Including your own rape.”
Zyadon’s face paled at Regos’ cooing voice, and he swallowed thickly. Regos’ smile widened. “Already craving for it, are we?” he asked quietly, watching Zyadon’s lips tremble with shame. “All of the sudden, you want me to bend you over.” Regos grin was murderous. “Not to worry little mortal. You’ll get what you want, but only when I want it, and you don’t.”
Regos directed his gaze down to the rippling surface of the water. “The Leviathan will escort you too. ”
When the beast rose up again, Regos released his grip on Zyadon, sending him falling into its mouth. When the roar of the riyzze below them had descended once more into silence, Regos turned to his brothers. Theos turned to walk away.
The bright smile on Regos’ face dissolved into confusion and hurt. “Just like that? No handshake of appreciation? Not even a thank you?” he ground out as casually as he could manage. Theos didn’t offer him a response. “I have so often gotten the impression that neither of you enjoys my presence, and now I no longer can deny the truth.”
“Should I?” Theos retorted, stopping to whirl around.
Kheos watched the interaction silently.
Theos took in Regos’ expression of hurt, and he tilted his head at his brother in confusion. “I thought you were teasing me like you usually are. I didn’t expect you to be offended.”
Regos shook his head. “I have never been teasing. It’s just as well you thought I had been.”
Theos’ mouth gaped open and closed. It was Regos’ turn to walk away, and though Theos called after him, he did not turn around.
“Go back to your mate and your happily ever after, Theos. I’ll get back to work.”