Elves and Demigods

Chapter 30 - Apollo

 Trigger warning: This chapter contains creulty 

~Punishment~

Apollo and Will were caught as soon as they jumped. The fog wasn't normal, it wouldn't let them sink down. Instead, their bodies were paralyzed in it. It felt weird, like Apollo didn't have a body anymore. Moreover, a loud horn was sounded, and it sounded way too much like a fire alarm.

The next minute, Lady Gisela, Vespera and Memory were at the balcony, making the two boys levitate up into the balcony.

Lady Gisela crossed her arms sternly. "You disobeyed a rule. I hope you remember what happens now".

Will trembled and shook his head. Apollo felt just as scared as to what would happen to them now.

Vespera, despite the lack of emotion she always showed, nearly looked gleeful. "What you have done cannot be overseen. You will have to be punished for even thinking of escaping". 

"We just wanted to go for a walk", Will said.

"That is not allowed either".

"You have been very naughty", Lady Gisela wagged a finger at them like they were little boys who tried to prank their neighhour. "Follow Memory to the punishent room". She pulled something from a pocket in her dress. They were two sets of handcuffs. "Normally, we would bind you using our abilities, but you are talentless, hence, it will be useless". She then commanded Apollo and Will to stretch out their hands and clapped the cuffs onto their wrists.

Memory led them away. When the boys passed their dormitory, Piper, Jason and Fitz gave them sad looks. Apollo tried to apologize to Will, but when he looked at him, Will turned away. Apollo wanting to run away again, but feared that he would be caught.

The punishment room was far away; there were too many turns in the corridor to keep track of their location. Apollo wondered if it were his imagination, but the path seemed to get darker the deeper they went. Finally, they reached a steel door than looked really heavy as Memory pushed it open. And inside...

Will gulped audibly. At the back of the large room was a slab of metal, on which dangled five sets of cuffs. Five sets. For five members of the Team Prodigious. Did they get punished a lot, for the Neverseen to have such preparations?

Right in front of the thing was a swivel chair. The person sitting on it turned around on it. He or she wore a black cloak with a white on its sleeve, masking their face. 

"Are they here for Shadow Penalization?" Her voice was that of a female's.

Apollo couldn't help but tremble at the words shadow penalization.

"Yes", Memory said. He moved ahead to whisper something in the woman's ear.

"I think they have punishment and torture all mixed up", Will said to Apollo in a barely audible voice.

Apollo looked at his brother (Ahem). "I'm really sorry Will. I got you into this mess". Will shrugged and looked away.

"This is Gloom", Memory told the two. "She has always been your punisher". With that, he left the room, pushing against the heavy door. 

Gloom beckoned Will and Apollo forward, toward the wall with the many cuffs. 

She did Will first. She undud his handcuffs and secured the cuffs on the walls around his neck, wrists and waist. His hands were positioned so that they were outstretched on either side. The cuff in his neck was probably a little too high because Will raised his toes a little. It was the same for Apollo, but he had to go a little higher on his tiptoes.  Because of their spread out arms, their hands touched. Apollo wondered why Will was taller than him, while he was the younger brother. 

Gloom returned back to her swivel chair, pulled it a little forward and swished her hands. "Get ready". Without giving them any time to get ready, however they could do that, black wisps poured out of Gloom's finger tips, heading in the tied-up boys' direction. Apollo took a deep breath to brace himself.

Then the pain. 

It was indescribable, the misty black wisps of shadow seemed to travel through him, strangling him from inside. Apollo shrieked, his and Will's screams echoing through the room. The pain didn't stop, it only worsened and intensified. Tears streamed down Apollo's face. He tried to beg Gloom to stop the torture, but couldn't force a word out of himself. He felt his heart on race, his insides burning and freezing at the same time. He tried to thrash in his binds but couldn't move, couldn't see, couldn't breath, couldn't think. More ear-piercing screams, more pain.

He only felt relief when he passed out.

He was being chased by a fire monster threatening to eat him alive. Apollo ran faster, as far as his weak legs could carry him. It caught up to him within no time. The monster stretched out a paw, grabbed him and held him up to its face. The face was that that of Gloom's. "You shall be taught a lesson", she said in her whispery voice. She opened her jaw, much wider than possible, and shoved him down her throat. 

Apollo woke up, covered in sweat and screaming. It took him a while to realize what he witnessed was just a dream. Only the fire monster part though, he knew he had actually been tortured by Gloom. 

"We heard your screams", Jason said, his face suddenly appearing above the bed Apollo just noticed he was on. "I'm glad you're awake, but Will... He may not make it". 

Apollo was already half out. Jason's words made him feel worse. His vision got blurry again. As he blacked out again, the word punishment rang through his mind and he returned to him previous nightmare- right from where he left it.