Zeus [Book One] - Rewriting

Twenty-Seven

Zeus 
| twenty-seven | 

Following Ethan's confession, Hercules had distanced himself from the twins. Now that he knew they were related to Anya, it made his mission harder. How was he supposed to win her over when he was planning on destroying both packs? 

Sighing, Hercules ran a hand over his face, before sitting up in his bed. The early morning light shone through his thin curtains, the soft glow casting a shadow over his face. He moved his hands to run through his brown locks, dark rings under his eyes as he sighed again.

He did not know what he was supposed to do. He cared for the twins, but their being Anya's cousin made things more complicated; he wasn't sure if they would join his side after the war. Tiredly, he forced himself to stand up, stretching his tall frame, groaning as his shoulder cracked. 

"You coming down for training?" 

Hercules did not have to turn around to know that Eli had accompanied Ethan this time. 

"Did you hear me? Are you com-" 

"No," Hercules spat.

From the doorway, Eli rose an eyebrow, although Hercules couldn't hear. "What's crawled up your ass?" 

Hercules turned around, his face set into a dark expression, his jaw clenched as he glared down at the twins. He opened his mouth to spit out an insult, when he noticed the third wolf who stood behind the twins. His eyes narrowed, instantly recognising the young wolf before him. 

Jason. 

Jason stood behind Eli, Ethan squirming as he took a step further into the room. Now Hercules definitely knew it was Jason. Hercules stared at the light haired wolf before him who stared back at his with wide brown eyes. Eli, oblivious to the tension in the room pointed towards Hercules, "Jason, this is Hercules," He grinned towards the older wolf whose dark expression hadn't left his face. "This is our cousin, Jason." 

This had a scoff leaving Ethan's lips, three pairs of eyes turning towards him. The green eyed twin remained silent as he glared towards the windows, his body tense. Hercules rose an eyebrow but didn't comment. 

"So," Eli broke the awkward silence, "Are you going to come or not?" Hercules grimaced. 

Ethan suddenly turned towards him, "Please come," He begged, his eyes pleading as he stared at Hercules. The former Beta couldn't help but grumble under his breath as the puppy-eyed look from Ethan had him nodding. 

"Fine," He muttered. "Give me ten, I'll meet you down there." 

~

When Hercules reached the training grounds, he had to bite back a laugh. Whilst Eli and Jason were sparring, Ethan had distanced himself, stubbornly refusing to train with his cousin. Hercules walked over to him as the younger wolf angrily kicked at the roots of a tree. 

"What is your problem with your cousin?" 

Ethan turned to him, rolling his eyes. "Don't call him that," He spat. "He's not my cousin." Hercules lifted his hands in mock surrender. On the other side of the sparring pitch, Eli and Jason took a break, Jason laughing at something Eli had said. Ethan growled, lifting his hand to slam it into the tree. The sound echoed, causing both Eli and Jason to turn towards them, the pair of them jogging over to join Hercules who just stared at Ethan who panted. 

Eli gasped out, "What happened?" 

No-one spoke as Hercules' hand shot out to grab a hold of Ethan's wrist, bringing the smaller wolf closer to him. Ethan's hand was swollen, his hand bruised, his index and middle finger bent at an unnatural angle. "It's broken," Jason said, stating the obvious as he spoke for the first time.