CHAPTER 61: PUNISHMENT

When Leonidas spotted a shallow pit camouflaged with dried leaves—likely a trap once used for catching animals—he didn’t hesitate. He forced himself into the cramped space, barely able to breathe. His body pressed tightly against the earth as he tried to still the frantic pounding of his heart.

In the distance, he heard Hades finish counting. Ten.

Then—silence. Even the insects seemed to hold their breath, as though the forest itself waited for what would come next.

Leonidas stayed still, straining to hear any movement. But there was nothing. No footsteps. No rustling. Just silence.

Minutes passed. Maybe hours—it felt like forever.

Finally, when it seemed like no one was near, Leonidas let out a quiet sigh of relief and cautiously poked his head out to get a better look.

"Oh, there you are," a voice said smoothly.

Before Leonidas could react, a hand fisted in his hair, yanking him out of the hiding place with brutal force. He let out a sharp groan, clawing at the prince’s hand, but Hades’ grip didn’t loosen. He was dragged across the forest floor, twigs and broken branches tearing at his clothes and scraping his skin.

Only when they reached the front of the cottage did Hades release him, letting him drop like discarded dirt.

Leonidas stumbled upright, panting hard, eyes wild. Rage surged through him. If he was going to die, he’d at least try to fight back.

Wiping the blood from his lip, he squared his shoulders and raised his fists in front of his face.

"Oh? You want to fight?" Hades said, sounding genuinely amused. He began tugging off his gloves slowly, flexing his fingers. "How exciting."

With a roar, Leonidas lunged at him, throwing a punch aimed straight for his face but Hades sidestepped easily, as if he were bored. Leonidas spun, frustrated, and aimed another blow.

Again, the prince dodged effortlessly. Leonidas stumbled from the force of his own failed strike but caught himself before hitting the ground.

"I’ll rip that fucking smile off your face!" Leonidas spat, his voice dripping with venom.

"I’m right here," Hades replied coolly, his tone thick with mockery.

Leonidas charged again, and this time, his fist connected with the prince’s cheek. The satisfying crack made him chuckle triumphantly—until the smirk was wiped from his face a heartbeat later. Hades caught his wrist effortlessly, tightening his grip.

Hades flexed his jaw, a cruel smile curling at the corners of his lips. "Like I thought, you hit like a child." He stepped forward with an almost bored expression. "Allow me to show you how to hit like a man.

Then his fist smashed into Leonidas’ jaw.

The impact launched him several feet backward. He hit the ground hard, groaning and clutching his face as agony exploded through his skull. His jawbone shifted unnaturally, and when he spat, a thick glob of blood splattered the dirt, along with six teeth.

Fury surged through him again. He forced himself to his feet, staggering slightly, before raising his fists once more.

With a grunt, he lunged and landed a desperate punch to Hades’ side—but before he could recoil, another blow met his face. Hades’ fist slammed into his jaw and mouth, shattering what little strength he had left. Blood filled Leonidas’ throat, nearly choking him as he collapsed to the ground.

"Still fucking weak," Hades muttered, his voice flat, bored.

Leonidas coughed violently, blood pouring from his nose and split lips. He looked down, dazed, as five more teeth lay scattered in the dirt like crushed pearls, staring back at him.

Hades stepped forward, his boots crunching against the dirt as he walked up to the broken man. Without a word, he kicked Leonidas hard in the chest, sending him tumbling onto the ground, gasping for breath. The prince was relentless, following up with another brutal kick to his stomach. Leonidas groaned, blood spilling from his mouth and nose as searing pain shot through his body. His limbs felt heavy, each breath a battle as he clutched his abdomen, unable to move without pain consuming him.

With a cruel sneer, Hades crouched down and yanked him up by the hair. The prince’s cold eyes glinted in the dim light as he forced Leonidas to face him, his bloodied face a grotesque mask of suffering.

"The devil who gave you the power to become a shapeshifter," Hades growled, his voice dangerously calm. "What did he want?"

"Fuck you," Leonidas spat, a fresh trickle of blood dripping down his jaw and staining the ground.

The prince’s grip on his hair tightened, his fingers digging into Leonidas’ scalp as he wrenched his head back violently. "I’m only going to ask once. What. Did. He. Want?"

Hades’ voice had lost its playfulness, now laced with lethal intent. Leonidas could feel the prince’s anger crackling in the air, his body trembling from both fear and pain.

"I... I..." Leonidas stammered, his throat dry with fear. "He wanted me to take Lilith away from you... because... because he mentioned something about her ruining his plans of you accepting who you truly are."

"What else did he tell you?" Hades pressed, his voice low and dangerous.

"Tha-That’s all, I swear!" Leonidas gasped, his eyes pleading. "He didn’t tell me much about what he wanted to do. He just said my job was to take Lilith away, and I didn’t ask any more questions. I swear on my life!"

A moment of silence passed as. Then, without another word, he released his grip on Leonidas’ hair and rose to his feet. Just when Leonidas thought he was done, a brutal fist slammed into his face, the sound of cracking bones echoing through the night.

Leonidas’ world went black as the pain overwhelmed him.

When Leonidas finally opened his eyes, he immediately realized he was in the cottage and bound to a chair by powerful magic. His wrists and ankles were painfully restrained, every effort to move met with resistance that caused his muscles to bulge.

"That’s useless," Hades’s voice sliced through the darkness, and the gleam of a shiny blade flashed in his hand.

"Let go of me! I’ve answered your questions! What more do you want from me?" Leonidas screamed, struggling against his restraints.

"Your life," Hades replied coldly, pulling a small chair toward him and sitting down in front of Leonidas. "I couldn’t kill those bastards who worked for you for touching her, but fortunately, you’re here to carry their sins."

Leonidas’s frown deepened. "If... if you didn’t kill them, then who did?" His gaze sharpened, narrowing as a realization hit him. Lilith... she must have killed them. "S... she’s truly a witch?" He stammered, his voice tinged with disbelief.

Hades’s lips curled into a cruel smirk. "I told you I would kill you if you touched her again. And like a foolish man, you did exactly what I warned you not to." His tone grew darker, every word dripping with venom as he dragged the blade along Leonidas’s arm, the cool steel biting into his skin before digging it into his palm.

Leonidas screamed, his entire body jerking violently in the chair, but Hades didn’t flinch.

"You made her bleed," Hades hissed, pulling the blade out and watching the blood seep from the wound. "You made her cry."

Leonidas winced as Hades placed the blade against his finger, twisting it to tear away his fingernail.

"I didn’t like that. I didn’t like how frightened you made her," Hades said softly, before he methodically removed another fingernail, his eyes locked onto Leonidas’s face, savoring his pain.