Return of the Titans

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

I was awakened by a bucket of rain water and a not-so-gentle bashing of my head.

The attack came out of nowhere. One second, I was dreaming of my room back at Prison Grove. It might have been too spacious but it had a bed, something that I would kill to have right about now. Then, suddenly, a surge of lukewarm water was poured over my head, and as I stuttered awake, a hand boxed my ears so hard that they rang.

That wasn't Benjamin.

"Rise and shine, falseblood," a husky voice growled through the ringing.

That definitely wasn't Benjamin.

I struggled against my chains, only to realize that the resistance against them was gone. I was still sitting on the floor, and I heard the chains jingle around my wrists, but they no longer were chained against the wall. That was beyond good news, but before I could even think of trying something, Benjamin's scared whinnies met my ears.

I awoke to see Maria, as usual, fighting tooth and nail against her assailants. Two Lion-men of equal girth had her pinned against the wall, but since she was out of her bonds, she gave them a run for their money. It was like she was in a daze, body contorting as it turned in their hands, and her teeth flashing as she sought to grab hold of their scruffy throats.

"I'll kill you all!" she screeched. "I'll tear out your eyes and force your livers down your throats, you oversized Neanderthals!"

Yep, typical Maria.

Benjamin was farthest away from the assault but he was still affected by it. He huddled in a corner of the cell, soggy straw coating his withers. His face was flushed red and he visibly shook. Jay, protected from the sudden attack by lying in his friend's arms, tried his best to still him by pulling his face toward his whenever the centaur tore it away. But the longer that Maria raged on, the more panicked the look in his dark eyes became. When one Lion-men came after him, the centaur pressed himself flat against the wall, salty fat tears streaming down his round cheeks as he cried for help.

I went to go toward him but was abruptly pulled back by my antlers. I was forced back against the wall, my neck aching from the sudden twist. A twinge of pain exploded behind my eyes but before I could even cry out, my face was shoved into that of Lion's.

"I wouldn't do that, child," he growled. "You're much too important to have to kill over."

"Leave them alone!"

I didn't mean for me to sound so pleading. Now was the perfect time for the Frankie that took down a Giant with her bare hands to show up. What happened to the child that karate-kicked a Lion-man in the chest when he tried to hurt her friends? What happened to the girl that wasn't afraid of meeting an unstable god?

Not here, I tell you that.

Lion rumbled deep from within his throat, amused at my display of weakness. It made my already-low heart sink even further. "No need to be defensive, falseblood," he said. "Wherever you go, they come, too. My lord wishes to see the children that killed most of my men."

"You're welcome," Maria spat.

Lion stood to his feet and held out his hand to me. I was reluctant, for obvious reasons. It was like being asked to trust in a man after you watched him burn your house down. You would have a lot of questions pertaining to his mentality, but mostly, uncertainty ran rampant. Would you believe an unstable man? Er, monster? I certainly wouldn't and didn't, but after watching Ben's major freak out, I also didn't want that to continue on.