Apollo's Protection

by Anna Edwards

  “Foolish girl.” One of the newly arrived guards kicks me and drags me to my feet. “Pluto will see you suffer for this. Nobody escapes the island.”

  I’m weak and in so much pain that I don’t really register being dragged along the corridors of the dark prison and out into a large room. Creatures that look like men line the walls—they aren’t human, though. I don’t know what they are, but they don’t move, not even a blink. It’s unnerving, and I want to escape even more. I’m thrown onto the floor, and the staffs are pointed at me again to keep me there.

  “I have to thank you, Orca. I like them feisty. She’ll be perfect for my program.” A deep voice fills the room, followed by the booming laugh of another.

  “She gave us a good fight when we took her. A beauty from the oceans—a daughter of Neptune no less,” the man called Orca replies.

  Orca, a scary looking man, places his hand under my chin and lifts it, so I’m forced to look up at both men. My heart tells me instantly who the other man is in the room. Shrouded in the darkness of his position as leader of the Underworld, Pluto stares back down at me. He’s my father’s brother and my uncle, albeit via adoption. Neptune does not share blood with Jupiter and Pluto despite the human world thinking he does. It’s a story that’s been wrongly told for a long time.

  “Perfect.” Pluto motions for me to stand, and I’m roughly handled to my feet. I want to call forth water to drown them all, but I know I can’t. I’ll be beaten down before I get a chance. “Remove her bikini Orcus.”

  “What?” I spit out at him.

  Orca strips me naked before I have a chance to react or protest further.

  “Beautiful.” Pluto casts his lustful gaze over my body, taking in every inch and curve. I’m not a small girl. I fill out a bikini, but I do like to exercise and take care of myself, so my body has often been commented on as pretty. I shake my long brown hair to try and give myself some coverage over my breasts, and my hands move downward to cover my neatly trimmed pussy.

  “What camp do you suggest we put her in?” Orca questions and retrieves a clipboard from one of the creatures lining the room. “We need more in three and seven.”

  “Hmm.” Pluto strokes his chin, his lecherous gaze still on my body. He reaches out and shifts the hair covering my breasts. Wrapping his hand around my sensitive flesh there, he tests the weight of my tit. I try to pull away, but one of the guards holding a staff behind me sends a bolt of electricity into my body, and I scream out in pain.

  “What powers does she have?” Pluto asks his associate, and Orca flips over a sheet of paper. What the fuck is going on?

  “Mainly water related: drowning capabilities, teleportation, fast swimming.”

  “Any energy abilities?”

  Orca scans down his list.

  “Not diagnosed. She’s still developing. Neptune has kept her sheltered.”

  “Is she a virgin then?”

  “What the hell? How dare you talk about me like that.” I make to slap Pluto’s face, but I’m stopped by his strong hand.

  “I’ll talk about you as I want, Eva. I own you now.”

  “Nobody owns me,” I defiantly inform him.

  Pluto laughs in my face.

  “Foolish girl. You’ve no idea what your future holds.” Pluto grabs me as he speaks and pushes me into a side-room that appears to be an office with a large desk in the center. He presses a button on the desk and a screen materializes on the wall opposite. It shows a room containing four women at various stages of pregnancy. “If Jupiter thinks he can stop me by taking gods and goddesses away from me, then I’ll show him. I can still be victorious by creating my own. This, Eva, is what you’re here for … to breed my army.”

  “I’ll never do that.” I try to escape from him. But my vulnerability to his plan is already evident from my naked state. “What kind of monster are you?”

  “The kind who’s the King of the Underworld.” He licks up the side of my face while one of his hands trails lower toward where I’m desperately trying to cross my legs together.

  “I’ll never submit to you,” I whimper, tears pooling in my eyes.

  “Then I’ll take you by force.” He whirls me around and lays me out over his desk. His erection digging into my backside.

  “Please,” I cry out, and he presses another button on his desk. This time, the face of my lover, Fontus, appears on the screen. He looks tired and weak. He’s covered in blood and appears to be digging in the middle of nowhere with a crowd of people. I don’t understand. What is happening to him?

  “I think you know who he is don’t you?” Pluto leans over and whispers into my ear.

  “Fontus.” A tear drops from my eye and pools below me on the table.

  “Orca, I think it’s time to see if she really intends for me to take her against her will,” Pluto instructs the other man.

  Orca disappears and reappears next to Fontus on the screen. People scatter, but Fontus remains where he is, and apart from briefly glancing up, he continues to dig as if Orca means nothing to him.

  “He refused to help create my army. The future goddesses of the Underworld need the power from the surface in them as well. This is his punishment—it’s designed to break him and make him submit. Maybe I don’t need him anymore now I have you.”

  “No,” I scream as Orca grabs Fontus by the collar of his tattered shirt and throws him to the floor. Orca then balls up a bolt of energy in preparation to throw it at my friend. In Fontus’ weakened state it will injure him badly, possibly even kill him. I can’t let that happen. “Please,” I beg.

  “You know what you have to do.” Pluto rustles with his pants behind me, and I know that he’s removing his dick from its confines. I don’t have a choice.

  “I’ll do whatever you want,” I cry. “Just let me see him. Please, let him go.”

  “Nobody leaves, but I won’t kill him, yet.”

  Pluto presses another button on his desk.

  “Take him to camp seven. Eva will be along after I’ve finished with her.”

  “As you wish, sir.” I see Orca’s response on the screen. He flattens the energy ball, and it disappears into nothing. The screen goes blank, and I’m speared in the next instant by Pluto’s hard cock. It’s beyond painful, but I have to take it if I’m going to have any chance of seeing Fontus again.

  Confusion numbs my brain. Weak. Hurt. The thoughts shifting through my mind are short and fleeting. I don’t remember where I am or how I got here. The one thing I do recall is the male who is currently standing over me.

  “Move.” His words are as menacing as his ugly face. Hulking, muscular, he’s bigger than any of the other men I’ve seen. They all fear him. He radiates an aura of unforgiving hate and evil.

  I flinch with the echoed memories of painful, cruel, brutal fists meeting my body when I fought him previously.

  “Please.” Crawling to my knees, I try to rise only to stumble and fall back down. Stones cut into my palms already slick with blood and blisters from my toiling. Darkness reigns around us, pierced only by glowing white orbs that hang motionless and radiant, providing us with enough light to see to our tasks.

  Laughter rings out above me. “Pathetic. A minor god groveling on the ground like a half-starved dog.”

  A god? I don’t know what he’s talking about. Everything before I woke up here is a blank. I don’t even know my own name. Put to work with the other slaves, I have no idea why I’m being punished or what I did to warrant my imprisonment. Huddled together, the other prisoners watch on with terrified eyes—their emaciated bodies are clothed in nothing but dirty rags and makeshift garments they’ve scavenged from those too weak to work.

  Finally managing to gather some strength, I rise to stand before him, shivering with the sharp chill in the air.

  “Who are you? Why am I here? What do you want with me?”

  “You’ll remember soon enough once the waters of Lethe we made you drink wear off. Even with your powers, you couldn’t stop
them from making you forget.” A rough, large hand grabs my shoulder. Dragging me forward, his head dips down, so he can stare intently into my eyes. “You’ll beg for another sip into oblivion when you do get your memories back, and you won’t be the first.”

  My memories have been wiped? Frowning, I try to grasp something on the edge of my consciousness that weaves in and out, eluding me … a name. The beauty of a smile. Soft and warm … a voice as it whispered over my skin under the heat of the sun.

  My jailor chuckles. “Try not to strain something in there. Not that it matters if you do. I think you’ll be more accommodating now we have your pretty little playmate.”

  I meet his pitiless gaze. His expression drips with smugness.

  “Playmate?”

  “Eva.” He says the name slowly as if it’s somehow important to me.

  Eva? Anxiety spirals through my chest, but I’m not sure why. Some unknown subconscious reaction to a woman I have no memory of. I fear for her—that’s clear. They have her—that’s also clear.

  “There we go.” His lips curl up in an unpleasant grin. “Something's stirring in there. She’ll be joining you in camp seven once Pluto’s finished breaking her in.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “He gets first taste of every female we bring through here. The desk in his office is his favorite place to fuck them. He’s gotten quite attached to that piece of furniture.”

  Rage consumes me fast and raw. Before I even realize what I’m doing, my fist finds his square, unyielding jaw with surprising force. His head snaps to the side with the blow, but it doesn’t take him down.

  Tongue snaking out, he licks at the trickle of crimson from the cut on his lip. “We’re going to have fun with you two. Maybe I’ll let you watch when we get one of the others to impregnate her. She might enjoy watching as we breed you as well.”

  Exhaustion at my show of defiance has me wilting. I have nothing left to give. All my strength is drained. The hand clutching my shoulder transfers to the back of my neck in an unforgiving grip, and the air shifts around us.

  One moment, I’m in the cold of a black and harsh world—the next, a warm breeze caresses my skin. Swaying in disorientation, it takes a second to find my bearings. Lush vegetation lies in abundance around us, exotic and green, and a multitude of flowers bloom in bright splashes of color. The heat of the sun is welcome as it beats down from above. What looks like a hotel is nestled in a clearing. The white painted building is grand and Victorian in style. It’s so out of place in the jungle surrounding it I have to blink twice.

  “Welcome to camp seven.” Thrusting me forward, my captor sets my tired legs in motion toward the structure. “There is no escape. If you try, you’ll be hunted down and punished. If you are a repeat offender, then we’ll strap you down permanently and breed you like an animal in a laboratory.”

  Long strands of grass tangle around my legs as we walk up the path, hindering my movements. “That’s sick and twisted,” I spit at him, wondering if what he’s telling me is true. This place can’t be inescapable. There has to be a way to get off.

  “It’s the method we used when we started, but we’ve found better results from letting our stock copulate in a more natural way.”

  Their stock? Others like me? The thought sickens me. I don’t understand their motives. The misery they’re causing. Why do they need us to breed?

  Eva.

  Whoever she is, she must mean something to me, considering the despair I feel at the knowledge this is her fate too. Will I remember her when I see her? Can I keep her safe? She’s already been violated by Pluto … whoever that is. What else has he done to her? Have they taken her memories just as they stole mine? How can I prevent us both being used and bred? Panic and worry churn inside me. I don’t protest as I’m directed into the waiting building.

  Taking the steps two at a time I make my way up the narrow stairs. Photos and paintings of old cemeteries grace the deep ruby-red wallpaper. The aromatic smells of cigars and spices are thick in the air.

  New Orleans.

  Miles away from where I should be looking, but the one sure place I know I can find answers. So far, every lead I’ve had has come up empty, and for some reason, I can’t shake the feeling I’m running out of time.

  Stepping through the open door, I take in the room. Masks of all descriptions are hanging from the walls. Strings of colored beads have been draped from hooks. Glass jars filled with herbs crowd a table, interspersed with white skulls. Stitched together with material and buttons for eyes, several voodoo dolls lay scattered on a rocking chair. The sounds from a half-closed door draw my attention. From the groans and moans, the occupants are having themselves a good time. Pushing the door open with my foot, I discover a couple in the throes of foreplay. Spread out on midnight-blue satin sheets, an ivory skinned beauty arches her spine, her luscious breasts thrusting temptingly into the air. Her hair, the color of deep red strawberry wine, spills out over the pillows. Between her legs, her dark-skinned lover looks just as fine as he pleasures her with his mouth. They’re unaware of my presence. So lost in passion and the moment, nothing else exists.

  Leaning my shoulder against the doorframe, I cross my arms and watch the show. I’m tempted to join them. Lose myself in the rapture of their youthful, flawless flesh and find a heady bliss. Work before play and all that. I need to find this demigoddess before my father starts breathing down my neck. I’ve come here for Selene’s help.

  A soft cry emanates from the bed, a faint flush infusing the skin of the redheaded beauty as she comes. Trailing kisses up her thigh, the young man moves to cover her with his naked form.

  “Sorry to spoil your fun, and as much as I’m enjoying it, we need to talk,” I interrupt.

  Startled, they both jump at the sound of my voice, and with lips parted, their gazes swing toward the door.

  “For fucks sake, Apollo, you almost gave me a heart attack,” Selene snaps. Gathering a blanket off the bed, she tosses it to her lover, who’s now kneeling above her. “Cover yourself, Theo.”

  Hastily wrapping it around his hips, he throws me a look of anger and distrust.

  “Who the hell is this?” he asks with an American twang in his accent.

  Slipping into a white cotton dressing gown, Selene leaves the mattress in a hurry.

  “An old friend.”

  “Very old friend,” I tell him with a quirk of my lips. “Known her family for years.”

  Rolling her eyes at me and raking her red locks out of her lovely face, Selene takes Theo’s muscled arm.

  “Trust me, Apollo isn’t going to take no for an answer. Why don’t you get dressed and go down the street and buy us some beignets?”

  Theo collects up his clothes, and she plants a kiss on his lips before fussing him out of the room. I move inside as he goes begrudgingly to do her bidding. Closing the door with a click once he’s left, she turns and leans against it.

  “What do you want?”

  Sliding my hand into the pocket of my pants, I fish out the necklace I’d found on the beach. “I need you to tell me where the owner of this is.”

  She eyes it as if it’s something poisonous that might bite. Tightening the belt of the robe more securely around her slender figure, she pads to a cabinet.

  “And what are you willing to give in exchange?”

  There’s always a charge with oracles. Not many seers exist, and they all have a hefty price when it comes to acquiring the use of their talents. Selene is the best I’ve discovered. Gifted with sight beyond all others in her line of work, she’s never let me down, yet.

  Rifling through a drawer, she finds a cigar and a lighter. Bringing one end to her lips, she lights the other end before taking a drag. I watch the smoke curl up into ribbons above her, the smell is strong and potent.

  “What do you want?” I counter while hooking a thong that’s been discarded on the end of the bedpost and dangling it in the air.

  One eyebrow rising faintly, she’s
not affected by my charming smile.

  “A favor to be carried out at a later date.”

  It’s against my better judgement to agree, but for some reason I can’t fathom, I find myself doing just that.

  “Fine.”

  Abandoning her cigar in an ashtray on a cabinet next to her, Selene comes toward me to collect the piece of jewelry. Taking a seat on the edge of the mattress, she holds it between her delicate hands. The precious jewels twinkle in the sunlight streaming in through the window. Eyes closing, her expression becomes blank.

  Dropping the thong on the floor, I wait patiently for a vision to find her. I understand to some degree what she experiences. Part of my many gifts is to see prophecies. It’s not something I experience all the time, but when I do, it’s like being hit with a planet. Days of pain follow and flashes of things sometimes I’d rather not see.

  Unease ripples across her features. “She’s in a very dark place. So much fear and hopelessness around her. Pain ...”

  “Where is she?”

  Crouching before Selene, I observe as her shoulders tense. Then straining backward, her whole body vibrates with agony as she writhes.

  “Things are changing ... I see a jungle ... things lurk among the trees. There’s a building that’s not all that it seems.”

  “Selene, I need a location.”

  Teeth sinking into the plumpness of her bottom lip, her eyes move rapidly behind the lids.

  “An island ... she’s on an island.”

  I know better than to touch her. One distraction and whatever she’s connected to could break the fragile chain. It’s something I’m not willing to lose.

  “Do you think you can tell me where?”

  “There’s something about the place ... there’s magic like I’ve never felt before.” Eyelashes finally fluttering up, Selene slumps, and the length of her hair tumbles forward, shielding her face. “I can try. But, Apollo, I sense danger and death even for creatures like you.”