There’s nothing quite like the terror of waking up and being unable to remember a single thing about yourself, every strained attempt to remember only resulting in you smacking into the steel vault door that’s suddenly right where your cherished childhood memories used to be. Or, where they probably were, anyway. I wouldn’t have known, because I couldn’t fucking remember. All I could feel was this cold pit in my stomach, the sensation that I’d collapsed in on myself like a black hole, that I wasn’t anyone anymore.
Yep, there’s really nothing quite like it. Which is why there’s also the godforsaken sequel: being molded into someone—something—you’re absolutely certain you don’t want to be.
“Your pain is what makes you useful,” the trainer intoned. “Say it.”
“Fuck you—” The cattle prod jabbed into my stomach. My arms yanked at the manacles suspending me, instinct driving me to protect my torso. That was the only thing driving me, I thought numbly, my jaw clenched against the pain. Instinct. I didn’t have much else.
When it stopped, I sagged in my chains with my arms pulling at their sockets, and a bead of sweat ran down my nose and plopped to the tile floor, right in front of the trainer’s boots. The tip of her cattle prod, still warm, pushed up under my chin. I flinched upright. She let out a dry chuckle. “I could do this all day, pet. But I doubt you can.”
“Underestimate me again,” I muttered, “I dare y—”
A short, sharp zap to the sternum shut me up, at least for a second. “Your pain,” she repeated, seizing my chin in her hand, “is what makes you useful. Say it three times, and this session ends, alright? That’s a pretty clear win condition. You’d have to be stupid not to accept it.”
I loosened my jaw, made like I was going slack with defeat. “M … my …”
Her fingers slipped on my sweaty skin as her grip tightened. “Yeah?” she prompted.
I jerked my head to the side, and my teeth closed around flesh and bone. I tasted blood before she screeched, and before she had the presence of mind to electrocute me again. The prod drove deep into my stomach, but I clenched my jaw down harder against the pain, against the screaming in my ear. You’re gonna hurt with me, motherfucker.
Finally I couldn’t stand the electricity anymore. I released her mangled fingers, and her blood dripped down my chin. She reared back and didn’t waste a second in driving the cattle prod into my stomach, zapping me so long it began to burn. “You son of a bitch!” Her boot drove into my leg, and as it buckled, the prod dragged up my chest.
I was seeing stars by the time it ended, colors swirling in my vision like they were trying to brighten up the plain tile of my cell. The trainer hissed in pain, flexing her injured hand. I couldn’t see how good I’d gotten her, but I could still taste her blood, so I had to assume it was pretty goddamn good. I spit some of it out by her boots.
She just glared at me. “You don’t eat until you say your affirmations, you goddamn brat. Enjoy starving.” She hooked her cattle prod into her belt and left, slamming the door behind her.
I wiped my face on my shoulder and grinned after her. Facility: zero. Me: one.
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Vex swore to herself as she lunged for the nearby alcove, deftly dodging the line of azure-bright lightning that ripped apart the cavern floor where she'd stood but moments before. Her body twisted with her jump, flames licking up the length of her bowstring as she let a single blazing arrow fly at her quarry. She kept her gaze just over the edge of the crag, just long enough to watch it sail...and glance off the dragon's hardy hide harmlessly.
Well, fuck.
"I hate to say it," she sarcastically murmured, ducking down into the alcove and turning to face the rest of her companions, "but I'm starting to get the feeling we're not going to win this one."
"Oh really? What was your first clue?" Vax, her brother, snipped back. The darker and more broody of the two, he was looking especially haggard now—the leather armor he wore bent and singed in places, a scent of ozone radiating off of him, and sizable gash down one arm that, even bound in bandages, she could see was still bleeding.
They were all in a harrowed state, now that she took a second's glance to look them over—Grog, for all his strength and sturdiness, was having to lean on his axe hilt for support; Pike's armor was dented and bent in places, and her face looked vacant and drained from all her prayers; Percy could barely hold either of his guns, and between his broken glasses and split lip, he looked like he'd been through the worst bar fight of his life; and Scanlan was doubled over against the alcove beside her, half of his lute still gripped in a bloody hand.
Really, it was only her and Keyleth that still looked ready for more—sure, they'd both exhausted themselves in the fight so far, but neither of the two half-elven ladies were showing much wear or tear...odd...
"We should fall back," Keyleth suggested, worry stretched across her face as she, too, noted the sorry state of their party. "We can't go on like this—if we can make it back to the portal—"
"It won't matter."
Percy's crisp voice cut the ginger half-elf off, commanding attention even through the pained wheeze he made while speaking. "He's put himself between us and the portal—the only way back to Emon is through him. And even if we did get back, the sovereign won't listen to us."
Pushing up off the wall, and staring as best he could through the cracked lenses of his glasses, he fixed them all a steady gaze. "This has to end here, one way or another."
A tense, heavy moment of silence draped over the hapless crew, broken only by the distant rumble of massive footfalls over stone as, beyond the relative safety of their hideaway, Brimscythe continued to scour for them. Surprisingly, it was Grog that spoke up first—hand raising like he were in a schoolroom, though with a faint wince. "Right, but...how? We can't rush him—we did that already, and it didn't work."
"He'll see a head-on assault coming from a mile away, and his lightning breath will shoot it down before it can even get halfway," Vax muttered, tugging tighter at the makeshift bandage for his arm.
"What about that weak spot Gilmore mentioned?" Vex asked, shifting to try and steal a glance at the massive dragon without being noticed. "If we could get the drop on him, maybe we'd be able to get in a shot without being noticed."
It was a long-shot, of course—even in the moment Gilmore had mentioned it, it had sounded more a legend than a truth. But striking at the point where "the river splits into two" was really their best bet. The only question was...where was that "river"? Her eyes narrowed as she caught sight of the massive beast prowling between the massive stalagmites, gaze cutting across his form with shrewd swiftness, searching for anything that might be the "two rivers".
"We would need a distraction for that, enough to get him to drop his guard," Percy muttered, pinching the bridge of his nose. "What in the hells would distract a dragon, though?"
"What about tits?"
If the silence after Percy's comment had been heavy, the one after Scanlan's was absolutely deafening. Vex whipped her head away from the edge of the alcove to shoot the gnome a look of utter disgust and shock—and she wasn't the only one, as Keyleth took a step back, her face ablaze with a sudden blush, clearly more than a little perturbed. Before anyone could say anything, though, he held up his hands for mercy, his expression surprisingly serious.
"Hear me out, at least! It's no secret that General Krieg was a bit of a womanizer—there's stories about him in basically every town in Tal'Dorei. And besides, you all saw the painting we walked through to get here," Scanlan added, a bit of wryness coloring his tone at the end.
"Oh right!" Grog chimed, before chuckling. "Heheh, dragon tiddies."
"Right?" Scanlan nodded, and continued. "And maybe it's just me, but he hasn't really been paying the girls too much mind. It's just us guys that have been really beaten up...and Pike, but that's—"
"That was...a mistake," the cleric admitted with a sheepish grimace. "I don't even think he knew I was there when he brought the rock down on Grog..."
"The point is—" Scanlan cut back, pushing off the crag to stare the two half-elves down, "—he might lower his guard if you two come out from hiding and pretend to surrender. Maybe offer yourselves up to him, just to sweeten the deal? Just enough so that Vax or Percy or Grog can get in close for a sneak attack."
Vex held her breath for what felt like ages—the verbal lashing she'd wanted to levy at the pint-sized pervert fading as he'd made his points...and as painful as it was for her to admit it, they were some very good points. And while she would love to have some counter-offer or other plan they could consider...they really didn't have anything else. Not unless they could figure out Gilmore's riddle—and with the way things were going, they simply weren't going to have the time.
Breathing out a slow sigh, she turned to Keyleth beside her. The redhead's cheeks were turning a lovely shade of pink at the suggestion, but she could see the wheels turning behind her eyes in much the same way as her own. She cracked a smirk and leaned over to prod her with an elbow. "I mean...what do we have to lose but dignity?"
Keyleth let out a small squeak at the jab, but did seem to lighten up a bit. "I mean, our lives, maybe...but I get what you mean."
"That too," Vex nodded, placing a hand on Keyleth's shoulder and giving it a faint squeeze. Her gaze turned back to the rest of their crew, landing specifically on her brother's face. "We'll do our best to distract him—take that time to try and get into position, and maybe find that weak spot. Be careful, we only have one shot at this."
As the rest of Vox Machina nodded solemnly, Vax met his sister's gaze, and held his breath. "Be careful," he repeated.
Something inside Vex's chest clenched hard at that look—the weight behind his words hitting her deep—but she steadied herself and nodded back, before turning to Keyleth and gesturing her to follow. Quiet as could be, the two slipped away from the alcove, stepping out into the open air of the cavern—out where the dragon would clearly see them. The dragon...that was now nowhere to be seen.
Vex glanced about warily, before looking back to Keyleth again. "Follow my lead," she murmured, before moving her hands to her outfit.
With a deft touch, she undid the top few buttons of her blouse, enough to let her large, soft tits bounce free, and began to strut forward, her heels clicking loudly over the craggy floor and echoing off the walls. Keyleth stared a moment, then whipped her gaze about to the silence around them as she moved to follow Vex's every movement, her own sizable chest soon on display as her druid vestments loosened.
"Oh Brimscythe~" Vex called out in a sensual, sing-song sort of voice, cupping a hand to mouth to let her voice carry further. "Where are you~?"
Her call was answered almost instantly by the cracking of stone and the crackling of lightning—a massive stalactite, so massive it had stretched from the ceiling to the floor and was as wide around as a redwood—had cracked and crashed to the ground, and rising over it to loom in all his monstrous majesty was the indigo-scaled Brimscythe, baleful wings rising like a mantle behind him. Lightning crackled in his maw, and his storm-grey eyes were narrowed with focus as he stared down from his perch at them.
Focus...and intrigue.
Vex swallowed hard—well, they had his attention. No going back now.
Turning back to Keyleth, she moved to press herself against her, their chests squishing lewdly against one another, and she reached back behind herself to hook a hand on her leggings. Keyleth, immediately getting the message, reached back as well and slid her pants down in time with Vex, the two flashing their plump and round backsides to the massive beast, and the redhead even sliding her hand further back to slide and pump her fingers between her cheeks and over her folds.
"Hey Iron Storm~" Vex crooned, flashing an enticing smile the dragon's way, "It must get really lonely being the only dragon around here~ why don't you loosen up a little~? I'm sure the two of us could help you out~"
Her suggestion was met with the bassy crocodile-like hiss from the dragon's throat as he stared the two of them down, piercing gaze dragging over them both. Massive claws the size of greatswords crunched and scraped across the crumbled stone as he stalked over the fallen stalactite, and his wicked maw curled with a sneer. "What trick is this, little elves?"
His question—spoken with that resonant rumble—sent a shudder through the both of them, but Keyleth caught herself enough to speak first. "No trick," she lied, leaning further into Vex's frame and swaying her hips tantalizingly behind her. "There's just no sense in fighting anymore~ you're clearly so much stronger than us, so we decided to surrender~"
"Exactly~" Vex agreed, twisting to bump her hips with Keyleth's, their round cheeks bouncing off each other and rippling enticingly. Her cheeks darkened with a blush—swallowing her pride as she showed herself off to the vicious dragon. "And if we're surrendering, we might as well offer ourselves to you, to prove it~ so come on over, big guy, and let us take such good care of you~"
Take the bait, she silently pleaded. Please, dammit, take it.
The bone-deep rumble of Brimscythe’s growl filled the empty cavern air as he appraised them both once more—his gaze locked on the hypnotic sway of the two elven asses before him. For a long, tense moment, he made no move…then, the rumble grew louder, and Vex realized suddenly that the dragon was chuckling. She leaned further into Keyleth, holding her as the dragon stepped closer, his massive frame looming over them both and casting them into shadow as his eyes burned down at them.
“Foolish little elves~ surrender will not save you from my fury, but perhaps you two will prove more worth alive than as snacks~”
Vex swallowed hard at those words, doing her best to keep her face from slipping, even as her gaze darted to the crags surrounding them. Now—now would be a good time for that sneak attack, before they actually had to—
It was Keyleth's gasp that pulled her attention back, and she felt her own breath hitch in her chest. The dragon had moved to loom over them both, the wide expanse of his stomach a ceiling over their heads, and half-crouched on his haunches—his pelvis just above their heads. And as his monstrous growls rumbled over them again, the two half-elf ladies were frozen stiff, watching as a seam in the crotch of the massive beast split open, and something began to slide out into the cool open air over them.
No. Make that two somethings.
Unwittingly, Vex's immediate thought was of Gilmore's riddle. "Where the river splits to become two." She doubted this was what the text had meant, but it certainly came to mind—as the two impossibly massive draconic shafts slid out of their sheath and bobbed before them—both bulged at the base, with knots larger than either of their heads, and shafts longer than their entire torsos. Large ridges and studs ran up and down the lengths—the kind that would make for a delightfully pleasant sensation if they were perhaps a tenth the size, but as they were...
Brimscythe's voice rumbled over them again, and his hips shifted, the massive members swinging like two clubs in an ogre's hands, with enough force to make Vex and Keyleth stumble away from each other. "Well~? You said you two submit~ then show it~ show your worth~" he growled with a taunting chuckle.
Vex bit her lip, dread settling over her like a shroud, and she looked past the two shafts—as well as she could with how massive they were—to Keyleth across from her. There was no getting out of this—not until the surprise attack went off, and until it did, they had to keep the dragon distracted. And...well, from personal experience, there were few things more distracting than...this.
Keyleth met her gaze, a pained grimace on her face...before she stepped up and squished her chest against the lower of the two cocks, a hand moving to stroke and slide up and down the ridged length.
Dammit. She was gonna kill Scanlan when this was over.
"Of course, Lord Brimscythe~" Vex cooed once more in that submissive and supplicant tone, moving to mirror her companion and squish her large and soft breasts against his upper shaft. Her breath caught in her throat, catching that first whiff of heady musk—like petrichor and ozone—making her nose rankle, but she bit her tongue and simply began to stroke and pump her hands along his length.
A hiss of approval rumbled in the stomach-ceiling overhead. "Good~ always a treat to find new pets that know their place~"
Vex grimaced in disgust at that, but said nothing—they only needed to do this for so long, she reminded herself, just long enough for the guys to make their move. She pumped her hands steadily up and down the length, palm scrubbing and dragging across the thick veins and studs—there was only so much she could do, though. If they wanted to keep his attention, keep him distracted, she’d need to up the ante…
Sounds of suckling, smooching moans drew her out of her thoughts. Clearly, Keyleth had the same thought, as the redhead had gone from simply sliding her chest and hands along the lower cock to instead sliding herself down the length until she had moved to the tip. Her hands cupped her breasts and squished them around the underside of his shaft, stroking up and down, as her lips and tongue moved to drag and kiss across the head—prodding her tongue at an entrance as large as her own slit, and sucking softly.
Damn. And here she thought she was the kinkiest member of Vox Machina.
Vex watched the younger half-elf work at her cock a moment longer, almost entranced by the sight, before turning her focus to the shaft before her. She did say all they had to lose was their dignity...oh, fuck it.
She took a step back and moved her hands to her tunic, lifting and tossing it to the side, before following it with her leggings, leaving herself totally nude aside from the thigh-high boots she wore. Biting her lip, she slid her hands up over the massive cock before her, caught her breath, and in a quick motion pulled herself up, mounting it like a horse—her thighs squishing around its girth, her stomach and tits against its upper-side, and her lips hovering just over the massive head.
A deep rumble vibrated through her in response, and she felt more than heard the dragon’s amused chuckle roll over her. “Getting comfortable down there, little elf~?” She could hear the grin on Brimscythe’s face, and shuddered as she felt his cock throb under her.
“Of course, darling~ I just want to make sure I’m doing everything I can to please you~” she crooned, and with her knees clenching tight around the cock’s midsection, she began to rock her body back and forth—large tanned tits rubbing up and down his shaft, her hips rising and rolling to hesitantly grind her folds against the large ribbed ridges. Her breath hitched, and she groaned, moving slow and careful. “Everything to serve you.”
Vax, where the fuck are you?
“Everything~?” A deep chuckle rumbled in the scaled ceiling overhead, and something about it…sent a shudder of dread into her stomach. “Then let us see how you take…everything~”
Before Vex could question what the dragon might mean by that, she felt it—felt the ridges of his cock under her stiffen and shift, then felt a sudden surge. Her eyes widened, and her body arched, as a sudden jolt of electricity zapped through the massive draconic mass she was riding. Out of her sight, at the tip of the other cock, Keyleth let out a sudden squeal, her lips stinging as lightning lashed across them and her tits, and her body jerked, her heels clicking on the rough stone as she struggled to hold herself up.
A wicked laugh roared through the cavern, and another surge of this electricity shot through his massive shafts—not enough to physically harm either of them, but enough that Vex felt her body jerking and moving on its own. Her folds pressed against one of the stiffened ridges, and she gasped as wave after wave of shocking pleasure crashed over her—instinct warring with her own reason as her hips began to grind more earnestly down into the shaft under her. She arched and writhed, struggling to catch her breath.
Gasping, she clung to the cock, holding on for dear life. Her gaze strained for Keyleth, and she felt a pit of shame plummet through her—the younger elf, with her lips right on his cock, was in an even sorrier state than her, her eyes rolling back, her body arching backwards—she was dropping to her knees, and dragon moved with her, pushing his cock down onto her and smothering her with his length. He was going to crush her, and she could do nothing but moan in protest.
This—this had been a mistake.
Vex grimaced, biting her lip as another wave of euphoric electricity lanced through her—her body sliding up and down the shaft, betraying her. They needed to stop this, they needed to stop him—
“Hey! Big and ugly!”
Never had Vex been more happy to hear Grog’s bellowing yell. Relief crashed over her, and she let a smile spread across her face, just as Brimscythe’s snarl shook the room. She did let out a startled gasp as she was flung off his cock, landing in a heap on the ground. Her body tense and shuddering, she collapsed beside Keyleth, the lingering electricity—and, if she were honest, fading edge of her climax—immobilizing her. But that was fine. She didn’t need to fight—she’d done her part.
She felt Brimscythe’s shadow rip away from over them, then the sounds of combat pulling further and further into the cavern. Pained and furious roars shook the cavern and her chest, and she groaned as she rolled over onto her back, staring up at the ceiling overhead. Waiting to hear the sounds of combat finally fade. Waiting to hear of her teammates success.
“We never speak of this, agreed?” she joked to Keyleth, looking to see if the redhead had recovered. “What we did here, we carry to our graves.”
“Hm.” The redhead made barely more than a grunt in response—though, she couldn’t fault her, after what they’d both been through. Her face appeared vacant and distant, her body lightly trembling like hers was.
Vex sighed, closing her eyes. They’d be fine, once they had a chance to rest. But there would be no forgetting this—especially not the last bit. Despite herself, she couldn’t help but reimagine how that dragon’s cock had felt under her—how the electricity had sank into her, and shocked through her body. Perhaps that could be something she could look into, herself, once they finished up here—
She paused, ears twitching. Hearing something. Something approaching.
And not the slow footfalls of her friends.
No. Wings.
Realization crashed over her in the same moment that Brimscythe’s body did—a wicked grin across his face as he stared down at the two elves, victory in his face. “That was a nasty trick you two pulled—and all for nothing, I’m sorry to say.”
Vex’s jaw dropped, a pit of horror filling her, and she struggled to push herself up. “N-no…” she gasped—then, again, louder as she saw a scrap of familiar black leather wedged in the dragon’s teeth. “No!”
“Oh yes, little elves~ but don’t worry~ I won’t go back on my word~” the dragon chuckled darkly, his shadow looming over them both again, massive cocks once more swinging into view. “You two will keep your lives~ so long as you are willing to sate my desires~”
The horror turned to terror, turned to dread, and Vex scrambled to try and pull away—only to suddenly feel two hands on her shoulders. Her eyes widened, and she looked up, relief again—in her shock, she’d failed to notice Keyleth getting up, and moving behind her. She was still here, maybe she could—
“As you wish, Lord Brimscythe~”
A sensual smile spread across the Druid’s lips—her eyes still vacant and distant, but there was something else there now…something dark, and hungry. Vex’s jaw dropped—but before she could get a word out, she felt the breath knocked from her lungs as the heavy weight of draconic cockmeat smacked down onto her, pinning her down. “Very good~ at least one of you knows her place~ and the other will learn it soon~”
Vex wheezed, her body shuddering as she felt the cock slowly slide down her body—down, down, until she felt the tip move to press against her ass. Her legs jerked and spread under him, and she gasped out. “N-no! N-not there! K-Keyleth, please, he-he’s gonna break me!”
“Good~” Keyleth simply purred, the already-mind-broken half-elf caressing her cheek as she held her in place. “Then get broken, so you can serve our master~”
That was the last thing Vex heard before she felt the dragon’s hips swing down, and her world exploded into painful, agonizing pleasure.
Whumper presses the button on Whumpees shock collar, but it malfunctions and doesn’t turn off. Instead of a little zap like Whumpee is used to, they’re being electrocuted until whumper can find some rubber gloves to safely remove the device. The damage done is probably severe, and almost kills Whumpee. Its bad enough that Whumper considers using a different form of punishment from then on.
mining but whump (especially pre-industrail safety guidelines)
black lung, silicosis, falling off the ladders, carbon monoxide poisoning, mayve whumpee's the bird they bring down, cave ins, electrocution, axphyxsiation, trapped under rubble, boss is working Whumpee until they die, dynamite accidents, amputation.
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I was thinking long and hard about what to do for today's theme. Ultimately I decided on the parallels between Julia and Ilsa bringing Ethan back to life by having to shock him with electricity. These two moments give me feels.
The lightning cracked down on the deck of the ship so hard it bobbed and dipped threateningly into the waters. His vision flared white as his skin prickled from the sheer heat of it against the chill of the wind as it lashed against him. Odysseus’ heart stuttered and he felt his stomach drop.
Zeus was just as intimidating as he had been that night in Troy almost twelve years ago, in the infant’s room where he’d given Odysseus an impossible choice in what to do. He expected to see lightning bolts striking down around him, to feel it humming against his skin as he watched his men die.
What he didn’t expect, in any capacity, was for Zeus to grab him before anyone could react and pull him close enough for him to feel the humming of power under the divine skin. Just as his cheeks flushed and he was about to yelp, partly out of surprise and partly from pain of the stab wound that had begun to bleed through the bandages...Zeus began to move, made Odysseus follow along and his heart skipped a beat when the god began to sing in a rich, dark voice.
“Pride is a damsel in distress
Hiding away where only I can undress her”
Odysseus couldn’t help the gasp, the way he twisted as Zeus’ broad hands slipped up his chest, ran along the edges of his tunic and tugged as if to pull it off before they slipped back down. Humming power followed every movement in almost soft pulses, quick fingers pulled his tunic up.
“Try all she can not to confess
In the end, it's all the same once I apply all the pressure”
His head fell back in a pained cry as fingers dug into the bandages, into the wound and his knees threatened to give out. In an instinctive act that in any other situation would’ve likely gotten him killed, he grabbed onto Zeus’ forearm.
There was a rumble of thunder in the air and against his ear, amused and a huff of what could pass for a chuckle before the grip loosened a bit. Then he was twisted around to be with his back against the god’s chest, that strong arm wrapped tightly around his waist despite the hiss under his breath.
“Thunder, bring her through the wringer, show her I'm the judgment call
The one who makes her kingdom fall~”
Odysseus’ shudder was a full body one, it was an easy threat for the king of Olympus to make, with the power of the heavens under his fingertips it wouldn’t be any stretch of the imagination for Zeus to be able to easily destroy what he desired, to leave scorches of ruin and blackened earth where buildings stood and people once lived- he was spun, his footing stumbled as he ended up half arched into the god’s chest.
“Lightning, wield her, use and yield her, show her what she can't conceal
For true nature will be revealed~”
The arch in his back curved more as the god leaned down, one hand on a hip to hold tightly and the other trailed up his chest in a slow caress as he started to pant. Zeus leaned in close, inches away as he grinned darkly.
The mortal was reminded of a trident under his chin, the sound of waves crashed around his ears, the deep abyss the sea around an air bubble, the sensation of a hand clenched tight in his hair to pull it back and expose his throat-
“Tell me, Odysseus
If I were to make you choose
The lives of your men and crew or your own
Why do I think they'd lose?~”
The voice in his ears jolted him back to the present, rich and dark like thunderclouds instead of sharp and fluid like crashing waves, he gasped like a surfacing diver out of his memories to focus.
The sound of his name in that regal tone made him shudder from head to toe, attention completely focused on the King of the Gods. Zeus wasn’t offended by his momentary lapse in concentration though, an amused yet dark grin flashed with teeth.
“Enlighten me, King of Ithaca
Since hunger was far too great
I wonder who'd take the weight of the damned
And suffer a gruesome fate to the”
“Thunder Bringer, here to ring your
Ears until you're deaf with fear and
Spear you while your death is near”
Odysseus’ head fell back in a pained shout, the scream barely locked in his throat as Zeus’ hand slammed itself on his wound, as he felt pure power flood his veins. The sound of sizzling, popping, the scent of burning flesh and cooking meat lasted for what felt like an eternity as the injury was cauterized but was really only a few seconds as his body jerked and twitched under the sky king’s touch.
It felt like his body wasn’t his for a second or two, tugged along the way Zeus wanted it to be directed. It was so easy…between one heartbeat and the next his body was his own as he heaved for air, tears in his eyes and body trembled like a leaf.
“Lighting wielder, here to yield your
Time for you have passed your prime
Sublime you for your act of crime”
A hand was suddenly at his throat, fingertips hot and crackling as they ran a path of danger and threat along his neck. A phantom slice to indicate the crime he talked about. But despite it his back couldn't help but arch, his head fell further back to give more room.
As his body moved on its own to submit to Zeus’ touch, despite the threat and danger, despite the situation not at all being the right moment for it, Odysseus suddenly understand exactly why Zeus had been able to bed so many, everyone knew about the ones that weren’t willing and it was despicable that the King of the Gods didn’t know the word ‘no’ then again the Titan Goddess hadn’t been the best to teach him that-but regardless there had to be some that were entirely willing even knowing who he was, what Hera might do to them when she found out. And no one ever knew about them because Zeus’ cruelty was all they focused on in the stories for the most part.
The hand at his neck pulled away and he was righted up, a hand curled around his jaw as Zeus spoke one word, oddly softer, but still with that undercurrent of command.
“Choose.”
Odysseus blinked a few times, his mind struggled to get itself from the state of near ecstasy and pain to actually think properly. He panted and echoed confused, lost in a way.
“Choose?”
Zeus looked almost soft, sympathetic in a way, completely at odds with his former confidence and pride. His breath caught in his chest and his heart skipped a beat, it…it felt almost tender. Almost sweet, even if it shouldn’t have been.
“Someone's gotta die today
And you have got the final say
You?
Or your crew?”
His head was turned to the side, to the faces of the stunned, fearful crew that had seen the entire thing. Unable to grab their Captain from the Sky God’s grip, forced to watch as he was pulled along like a puppet. The guilt and shame and the pure horror on their faces tore at his heart.
His knees shook, his heart ached as he shook his head hard, unable to look away from them, he felt like he was back in the infant’s room all over again. Faced with an impossible choice he didn’t want to make, he couldn’t do this again. He felt like he was going to fall to his knees, tears filled his eyes as he half cried. He couldn’t do this, he couldn’t, not again, not more pain.
“Please don't make me do this
Don't make me do this!”
Gold, the color of the divine, of ambrosia, of power, of royalty-of lightning flashed and filled his vision with a rolling rumble of thunder that echoed to the point he almost felt deafened. When his vision cleared…he was in another space.
It reminded him of Athena’s Quick Thought, but instead of ticking clocks it was the white noise of static and sparks that made his hair raise and his chest felt tight, hard to breathe like the air was thinner.
Zeus’ hair curled around him like a living stormcloud, lightning arced through the currently storm black curls as the god tipped his chin up, sparks danced along his skin and made the human king tremble. That soft, almost tender tone again.
“Don’t you remember what you heard as you left Scylla’s cave? We are the same you and I”
“I…”
Odysseus couldn’t help but finish, his voice fell in harmony with Zeus’, just like he had before with Scylla as his head spun, partly from the thin air of this space created by Zeus’ power. Partly from being overwhelmed by everything.
He was not that prideful, not that stupid to think he was the same as one of the gods, but…that hadn’t been the point of it had it?…Scylla was a monster, and one could argue Zeus was too in many ways. Odysseus had sworn to do anything to get back to Ithaca, that he’d become a monster if that was what it took…and he had.
He could make out the voices of his crew, all of them seemingly all around him, repeating his own words back at him.
“When does a comet become a meteor?
When does a candle become a blaze?
When does a man become a monster?
When does a ripple become a tidal wave?
When does the reason become the blame?
When does a man become a monster?”
How many times had he heard that now? How many times had his own words all those years ago back at Troy come back to haunt him? To remind him of how much suffering he’d gone through, how much he could’ve prevented…..
“I can take the suffering from you”
His knees shook as he heard Penelope’s voice through his crew’s, tears in his eyes as his heart ached. It didn’t sound like the siren had, just too perfect to the point it was off, it sounded like she was right there, like he could reach out and grab her and never let go-
He tried, he reached out half blind out of desperate longing, out of need to see her again. To be with her, with his son who he hadn’t seen since he was a mere babe-
“Let me take the suffering from…”
He blinked as he only found his hand empty, the wisp of clouds almost lovingly seeped around his fingers. He was back on the ship, the rain pelted against him like ice yet he wasn’t entirely cold as Zeus’ chest was at his back, arms slipped around his shoulders like a weight in an embrace that was familiar yet alien and so warm.
Odysseus panted slightly, his head spun from endorphins of the increased oxygen, from what had just happened. His mind was split between being focused on the god wrapped around him and Penelope….oh his beloved Penelope.
Of course he’d heard her say that she’d take his suffering, that was what Penelope did for him, would do for him when he’d be home….her and, Telemachus, thinking of them was how he’d stayed sane so long, after so much death and bloodshed, even after he’d finally understood what it meant to be ruthless, to be a monster in human skin…they were all he could focus on.
His beloved wife, his dear son….they were his light, his drive, his very threads of sanity…he couldn’t be without them. He couldn’t leave them behind. He swallowed hard, he felt like he was going to throw up, he felt like he was never going to forgive himself….but he already blamed himself for everything else, what was one more time?
“Captain?…”
Eurylochus’ voice made him tremble as he looked over at each and every one of his remaining crew, by the look on his brother in law’s face-his sister was never going to forgive him for letting her husband die on the way home, even if he’d never say what exactly happened-he already knew what choice Odyssesus would make.
Because he’d have made the same choice if it was him that was only focused on Ctimene.
Odysseys’ voice was choked, watery and already grieving as he responded, as he tried to keep his vision clear and not let tears mix with rain.
“I have to see her….”
He expected rage, he expected Eurylochus to move to try to grab him from Zeus and stab him again, but his second in command, his brother just spoke in a matter of fact, resigned yet sort of detached hopeful tone? It was something that made guilt begin to curl like sour milk in his stomach.
“But we’ll die.”
The next two words that slipped out of Odysseus’ throat felt like shards of glass, were filled with so much pain it was almost a physical thing, his sorrow and regret thick like tar in his throat as he teared up, as he fought the urge to break down into sobs.
“I know”
Only he didn’t get the chance to cry as he was yanked off his feet, pulled up into the sky as Zeus leapt up into the air with the screech of an eagle reverberating in the sky. The wing tattoos on his arms glowed and lifted out of his skin to flare from his back, the stormclouds swirled around them both until the mortal king couldn’t tell the difference between them and the god that held him.
All around him he heard Zeus’ voice again, his back arched as power flooded through it, as pain lit up every nerve. His scream was lost in a boom of thunder.
“Thunder, bring her through the wringer
Show her I'm the judgment call
The one who makes her kingdom fall
Lightning, wield her, use and yield her
Show her what she can't conceal
For true nature will be revealed”
His body didn’t feel like it belonged to him anymore, a passenger in his own mind as the god of thunder forced his mortal form to take what it wasn’t meant to. Muscles locked up and convulsed and twitched, it felt like his blood began to boil, senses fired on all cylinders and knew nothing, his body began to glow, sparks flew off his skin, everything felt white hot and agony. Then just as he began to feel like his heart was going to explode from how fast it raced, he felt broad hands curl around his face and lips on his.
Instinctively in the confusion and pain he kissed back in a plead for any release from this torture, what flowed through in response was pure sensation that registered through every nerve ending as torment and suffering and he faintly tasted blood mixed with something almost sweet.
As his vision began to blur, his body felt less like it was going to melt into a puddle of ooze and more sturdy, more put together. Zeus pulled away and gold glittered on his lip as the sound of sizzling crackling filled his ears.
Then Odysseus was in freefall, body surged down towards the deck as if thrown it was just enough time to process what had been done to him, gold flickered to white as he made contact. Wood splintered and shattered, exploded underneath the symbol of raw fury he’d become at the god’s touch, he thought he made out his crew screaming, barely made out bodies being flooded by light, for a few split seconds he thought he heard Eurylochus…
Take some 3 am Barry (The Flash) whump because I have a problem.
~
Barry seized up and spasmed for who-knows-what time. His head hit his chest and there were faint voices rotating around him. Something was burning, he noticed. The smell went through his nose and he grimaced minutely.
“-e’s- ill- con-” words couldn’t make it through his dazed state. Where…? Even thinking was difficult, mind foggy and head throbbing.
“-ful- ill- im-” A small groan made it through his lips.
“Don’t -are- we - infor- as- it-” Everything was too loud, when he tried to open his mouth to say something, no sentence came out. Where am I? The fog was clearing in his head. Where am I? A flutter of panic came with it because the burning from earlier was him. A ring of red burns around each of his wrists, hidden under the metal cuffs encasing them; electrical burns. They stung and everything in him wanted to cry out, but his body still hadn’t caught up with his mind and everything was heavier than lead.
“—And if he dies under interrogation?” Dies? Interrogation? Oh crap.
“He’s a speedster.” Someone reached down and lifted him by the chin, someone with piercing blue eyes and an expression that screamed danger. RUN. but at the same time– Oliver? His friend tightened his grip and he fought another grimace. “He can handle it.” Oliver met his eyes, cold, cruel, this wasn’t the Oliver he knew. “Up the current, 500 milliamps.”
