( Perseus's POV )
When Perseus finally woke up from his slumber after being knocked out cold, two days had already passed.
"So you have finally awoken..... brother" A voice entered his ears, as his hatred towards that voice was what jolted him awake.
*CLANG*
As he regained his senses and looked around, he realized he was inside a dungeon cell, bound by chains on all limbs.
Memories of the war against the Elites then flashed through his mind, as a cold sweat formed on his forehead.
"We are...." He began to speak, hoping that it was the Elites that had captured him, however, Sophia cut off his hope before he could even complete his sentence.
"Yes, We are being held captive by father–" she said, as Perseus started to feel weak at his knees, as his entire body began to tremble.
"You have messed up big-time brother. Father is extremely mad at you.
I don't know whether you being knocked out cold when he first saw you is the reason behind why you are still alive or is it the reason behind why you will be tortured even more than usual" Sophia said, as she seemed to have accepted her fate in the past two days while Perseus was still out cold.
As Perseus tilted his head, he saw Sophia being pitifully tied inside the same prison cell as him, with all four of her limbs also being chained together.
For a moment, his anger towards his sister flared as per his usual habit, however, as he noticed her swollen lips and bruised face, somehow his brotherly instincts took over and his anger towards her deflated.
"Did they hit you?" He asked, sounding concerned as although he was scared for his own life, he tried to mask it as best as he could.
"Why do you care if they hit me or not?" Sophia snapped back, as after the betrayal that Rocky gave her, she no longer trusted anyone.
"I don't care. I'm just asking because if they are going to do the same to me, I can be mentally prepared for it–" Perseus replied, as Sophia turned silent listening to his reply for a while.
"You are right... It was undignified of me to hit your mother. However, I felt extremely nauseous when I looked at her face and couldn't help myself.
You see, boy, it's not your failure that irks me, but rather the thought of how you, despite being my flesh and blood, are so incompetent that does.
At your age, I had single handedly won Floor21 for Olympus without the help of any army.
Yet you lost it. And lost it quite spectacularly too.
Initially, I was okay with your failure, however, then I began to think about it some more... and the more I thought about it, the more I felt like perhaps it's not me who is at fault here, but it is your mother who is.
She must be the one you get your imperfections and tendencies for failure from, because I'm simply perfect.
However, her imperfection..... those sadden me quite a lot." Escanor said, as Perseus felt goosebumps run down his spine listening to his father's narcissistic words.
"But worry not.... For I have removed all her imperfections.
You see, I loved your mother a lot.... She was the most gorgeous mortal I had ever came across and I had a soft corner for her in my heart.
Lately, I found that soft corner hardening whenever I glanced at her face and hence I decided that instead of letting that soft corner inside me die.
It's better that I cherish the memory of her perfection forever instead" Escanor said, as he clapped his palms twice, to signal to his servants to bring in the object.
*Clap*
*Clap*
Upon his signal, his underlings brought in a covered steel plate to the prison cell, however, before they even revealed what was inside, both Perseus and Sophia already got a premonition as to what it could be.
"NOOOO—" Sophia shrieked, while Perseus felt his eyes drop open, as he kept deluding himself that nobody could be this heartless of a monster.
However, as the servant revealed the decapitated head of their mother within, Perseus felt his worst fears come true, as it was today that he realized just how heartless of a bastard their father really was.