One shots- various fandoms

GoW {DONE}

"Deimos!"

Huh?

"What're you doing? No brother of mine will be a coward, come fight me!"

Atreus stumbles back and grabs for his bow; he grabs at nothing but air."I got lost, I'll be leaving now." the boy yells to the other, too afraid to get any closer. One of them has a spear and shield. Atreus doesn't even have shoes on, he reasons to himself. And father always says to avoid unnecessary conflict. Which might be his father's version of a joke, but he can't tell.

"Lost, is that what they call it now?" the older boy shouts back. "Maybe you lost your balls too!"

That's... a creative way to call someone a coward. Atreus knows the boy only says it to rile him up, and father says smart men, gods, should not fall for tricks played by mortals.

Technically, Atreus is a demi-god. "I don't have a weapon!" Atreus scoffs.

"I'm tired of your excuses, boy!" The older throws his shield and spear to the side; throws his hands up and beats on his chest. "Any more excuses, Spartan? Or should I not call you that? After all, cowards are not worthy of the title." The bastard licks his teeth and clenches his jaw revealing razor-sharp teeth, waiting to maul on Atreus once he gets the chance. If he gets the chance.

He got the chance. He actually bit Atreus. Atreus grunts as his self-proclaimed brother pulls Atreus's limp body towards himself, still showing his teeth. "Is that all you have, little brother?" the other growls in Atreus's ear. "Do my lessons mean nothing to you? A Spartan warrior never lets his back hit the ground. Get up!" The older boy turns his back to Atreus, not worried about any surprise attacks from him; which makes Atreus fume.

He pushes himself up and leaps for the forgotten shield. (Atreus looks into the shield's reflection. That's not his face. His fiery hair has turned to a short muddled brown, his bright icy eyes are no longer there. it's all different... except the scar. That is still carved into his cheek.)

Even with all the noise he makes, the Spartan doesn't turn to face him, his back unprotected. Atreus grits his teeth, Does he really think I'll give up that easy?

"Hey!" Atreus shouts, not wanting to attack someone from their blind spot. "Now who's the coward? Face me!" But the boy doesn't turn, he doesn't even twitch. The boy is focused on something that Atreus can't see. He gets a strange feeling in his gut; one of dread?

The demi-god walks over to the other boy. "...Brother?" he hesitates, If I want to help, maybe I should play along.

"Deimos..." the boy whispers.

"I'm here, brother. Are you-?"

"Deimos!" The older wails, his voice cracking. Atreus jumps away and instinctively blocks his face with his hands; whenever someone screams that desperately, they don't have much control over themselves.

The boy is screaming still; Atreus turns to what the other is staring at and he freezes. He gawks at the twisted tree, amber shining between the spaces in the trunk of the tree. He stares at the intricacy of the branches; how they all intertwine at some point to bulk up the tree, make it stronger, steadier. He follows the twists and turns of the branches, the amber that seems to flow beneath the surface, and how the tree eventually begins to unravel, leaving only a handful of long, thick rope-like branches dangling about, not long enough to touch the floor. The other has stopped screaming; disappeared completely, but Atreus doesn't notice.

Instead, he continues his trek, down the strange branches. His eyes seem to slow, -trying to spare him maybe?- but once he gets to the end of the blood-red branches he sees a man suspended in the air, feet nowhere near the ground. And Atreus is ashamed, ashamed, and scared. To think he stood admiring the tree's beauty while a man hung by his limbs. How did he not notice? The stench is enough to make the boy forget about the flowing amber he'd never seen before.

Maybe he could've saved the man from this horrific death. if only he wasn't so weak. So lost. Atreus looks at the man's face, ready to apologize when he sees the same muddled brown hair, the ugly jagged scar seared into his face. It can't be, it can't.

Who is he? Why am I here? Am I dead?

Atreus whips his head around. He sees nothing but sad, gray stone, elaborate columns, and the tree's long, twisted roots covering the walls; leaking from underneath the stone tiles Atreus stands atop. Behind the dangling body is an opening that lets Atreus see the sky. His gaze locks on the rocks that curve up to the sky; on to the dark clouds and thunder that instill fear and weariness into the boy. The sky seems to be a blend of the darkest greys and blacks Atreus has ever seen. He can feel the static of the thunder from where he stands. He braces himself but the strike never comes.

The man hasn't noticed Atreus yet, but he starts to talk. He starts to curse.

Brother, he chants, like a broken record.

Too cruel, Why me? Atreus can't respond. He doesn't know who the man is or why he's here. Yet, once he hears the man's groans of pain he wants nothing more than to free him from this horrific place. Even if he has to de in the process.

It scares Atreus to feel this way, but he can't help it. He would give his life to this man; would give his freedom.

You, he whispers. It should've been YOU!

A voice speaks from behind Atreus. "I know, brother. I wish it were me." It's the boy from before. His robe was tattered and stained. There's blood on him, it soaks him, and stains his skin. The boy apologizes while the man wishes for the boy's death. Atreus feels every emotion going through both men. Can feel the sting of betrayal, the streams of regret. He can taste the absence of life; on the tip of his tongue is a taste so pungent, so acrid he can feel it claw at his tongue. In his mouth. Moisture gathers in his eyes and he's not cognizant enough to stop the tears from falling like twin streams.

His body starts to shrink, he doesn't even remember growing, and he shakes. Shakes until his surroundings get so blurry it can't just be his tears causing it. He starts to hear voices in the distance. No, just one.
His father.

"That's enough Atreus." he hears from the sky. "Come back to me." It whispers. Atreus wants to obey, he really does. But... what about the brothers? Why can't he stay and help? Hands made of gods-know-what come from the sky. They grab at Atreus's limbs, but he swats them away.

"Leave me! I'm not done!" He shouts. At who, he does not know. The hands continue but he slips away towards the tree. He claws at the trunk. He can feel himself getting big this time, and can see his hands grow stronger. He scratches and pulls at the tree until the rope-like branches become more and more slack. Then,

They let go.
But the hands come back. And they grab hold of Atreus's arms. "Deimos!" He shouts, and both boys turn to look at him. (Deimos's age has regressed? When?) "Deimos, stay off your back!" He repeats this like a mantra but neither move. The hands are pulling, pulling and the brother are doing nothing, nothing! "You're no Spartan!" He shrieks. And one giant hand comes to cover his mouth. He still yells. Yells until his throat feels dry. The sky is calling to him again. "Atreus!" It yells.
It soothes. "It's alright, come back now, son."

Atreus goes limp.

When he opens his eyes, it isn't to the boorish grey, or the various blacks and greys. Instead, he sees firelight shining onto pale as the moon skin. And he once again sees amber, but now in the iris of his father's eyes.

"Boy," Kratos growls out. "What do you know of Deimos?"