Leviathan!

Volume 3!

Leviathan heard the cement where his head had been crack not a millisecond after he jumped out of the way of Triton's spear.

"Come here little fish," the superhero taunted, stalking towards Leviathan after pulling his spear out the broken concrete. His weapon, a sparkling, golden staff with a nasty spear which arched in a curve, was clasped in his large hand. Pulling his arm back, he again took aim for Leviathan. "I want to serve you for dinner,"

"How dare you speak to me that way!" Leviathan hissed.

He dodged another jab from the spear, and circled around Triton. What would he do? It was definitely Troy under that mask, the young man he had taught how to decorate book displays only a few hours before. Should he kill him anyway?

Laughing, Triton stepped closer to him. "Why shouldn't I?" he said, "I heard you're the worst super-villain in all of Capitalia." He stopped, and flashed a megawatt smile. "Not even the humans are afraid of you."

That little punk.

Just as he was about lunge at Triton, there was a loud flash. Then, Leviathan's cold blood ran colder when he heard his brother scream in pain. Turning immediately, he sprinted towards the yelling, and found Kraken on his knees, Volt's hand wrapped tightly around his throat.

Leviathan pulled out Sea Fang, the saber passed down through generations of Leviathans, and rushed at Volt, only to find his way blocked as Triton appeared before him, the staff of the superhero's spear clashing against Sea Fang with a resonating clang.

"You do not want to stand in my way, young man." Leviathan hissed. Triton smirked, and pressed harder against Leviathan's blade.

Enough of this. With faster-than-the-speed-of-light accuracy, Leviathan slashed at Triton with his free hand, his sharp nails leaving a bloody streak under the hero's eye mask. Distracted, Triton could barely fend off the flurry of jabs from Sea Fang that followed. With a finishing blow, Leviathan sent the young superhero flying into the wall.

Not bothering to see what happened to Triton, Leviathan turned and rushed towards his brother, who was clawing at Volt's hand, his lips turning blue.

"Not so fast," Volt said, pointing his finger at Leviathan, a small ball of electricity growing at it's tip.

"You'll kill him," Leviathan breathed, staring, wide-eyed, at his brother.

"Isn't that the point?" Volt said, smiling. He lessoned his grip on Kraken's neck, allowing for some air to pass through the villain's throat. "But, maybe I'll let him live. If you do something for me, Leviathan."

Kraken wheezed his disapproval, but Leviathan ignored him. "What?"

Lifting his arm up, so that Kraken had to get to his feet, Volt dragged the villain towards Leviathan. "Take this piece of shit, and leave Capitalia."

Leviathan had a better idea. Backing up to the place where Triton had hit the wall, he picked up the woozy superhero, and placed Sea Fang against Triton's throat. "Or," Leviathan said, "I could refrain from slashing your buddy's throat, and you'll let go of my brother."

"Don't do it," Triton said.

Leviathan sighed. Heroes, they're always so… heroic. He pressed the blade a little harder, just about to break skin. Grimacing, Triton shifted as he tried to struggle out of Leviathan's grasp. "Why did you even bring this rookie?" Leviathan said, looking up at Volt.

Volt didn't answer as he considered the position Triton was in. "Don't get too cocky, Leviathan," he said finally, "It won't be too good for your dear brother over here." He squeezed tighter on Kraken's throat for added effect, causing the villain to gag.

"Watch it!" Leviathan said, losing control of his blade. Hearing a gurgle of pain, he looked down to see a line of blood dripping down Sea Fang. He had accidentally cut Triton.

Static pierced the air again, crackling through the empty bank. Turning his gaze back to Volt, Leviathan almost flinched from the unbridled anger in the superhero's eyes. "Fine," Volt said, "At the same time?"

Leviathan nodded, and held up a hand. Counting down from three on his fingers, he shoved Triton away from himself just as Volt pushed Kraken towards him. Grabbing his brother's hand before Kraken could do anything stupid, he dragged him towards the exit of the bank.

"We have to kill them!" Kraken roared, but Leviathan ignored him.

Once they were out on the street, the two super-villains began running at breakneck speed. "We should wait in the bay for things to die down," Leviathan yelled at his brother as buildings zipped by. Going to the sea would be the only way to shake Volt.

When they reached the port, both dived in with inherent gracefulness. Leviathan let out a sigh as the frigid water ran over his skin. It was like coming home. They swan down into the depths for several minutes, and then floated in the dark as Kraken recovered.

'You're going to get yourself killed," Leviathan said to him telepathically, looking over at his brother through the water.

'At least I'm not always running away with my tail between my legs,' Kraken replied.

Leviathan's jaw sat rigid as he ignored his brother's comment. The idiot was always one false move from getting them both massacred by Volt, and now they had Triton to contend with as well, apparently.

Triton… a.k.a Troy.

What were the Gods thinking when they had Leviathan run into the young man before meeting his superhero alter-ego? Were they testing Leviathan's penchant for evil? It would be so easy to kill the unsuspecting Troy… Leviathan had the obvious advantage, his villain persona still being a secret.

'What are you thinking about?'

Kraken was staring at him through the dark. He obviously felt bad about practically calling Leviathan a coward, but was too proud to admit it.

'What do I need to do to gain your respect?' Leviathan said. 'Do I need an arch-nemesis like you have with Volt?'

Kraken laughed. "You? Getting an arch-nemesis?" He shook his head. 'Levi, you're much better off as a side-kick.'

'What if my arch-nemesis is a sidekick?' Leviathan replied.

'That would just be sad.'

'Kraken!' Leviathan said, his voice rising slightly, 'I'm serious.'

'You're talking about that kid with Volt, aren't you?' Kraken said.

'Yes.'

That could work, right? He wouldn't have the obligation to kill Troy for awhile, since the arch-nemesis relationship is supposed to last through a few confrontations. He wasn't ready to be a murderer, not yet.

Kraken was staring at him. 'Did that kid get you to, or something?'

'No,' Leviathan replied, 'He just seems like a good… beginner arch-nemesis.'

Snorting, Kraken smirked at Leviathan. 'Like villain training wheels?'

…Asshole.

''''''''''''''''''''''''''

Levi paused at the door of the employee break room when he saw Troy sitting at one of the crappy fold-out tables. A horde of female employees were buzzing around him, screeching concerned words.

"How did this happen!" one breathed, putting a hand over her mouth. She was staring at a long cut slashing across Troy's cheek. Leviathan couldn't help but admire his handy work, it was a nice, clean cut.

"Just an uppity kitten," Troy replied with his charming smile. "Don't worry, with a little discipline, he'll be quite tame."

They all glanced over when Levi snorted. "It kind of looks like he has the upper hand," he said, unable to resist.

Laughing, Troy leaned forward. "I'm just letting him think he does," he said, winking. "I'll have the little cutie under my thumb in no time."

"Right," Leviathan said, masking a snarl. Cutie? Who did this punk think he was? Turning away from the gaggle of females preening over Troy, Levi stuffed his bag into his assigned locker, and clipped on his name tag. Maybe he could find it in himself to kill this idiot after all.

Out on the floor, he dodged several customers as he made his way to the attached coffee shop. He still had ten minutes until his shift, leaving just enough time for coffee and the newspaper. Sitting down after getting his drink, he flipped open the paper to find Volt's arrogant face flashing up at him.

'THERE'S A NEW HERO IN TOWN!' the headline read, referring to Triton, who was standing next to Volt. The article listed his recent accomplishments, ending with the stunning defeat of the bumbling villains Kraken and Leviathan.

"Great," Levi muttered, as he glanced at the chart detailing just how much of a failure he and his brother were. Twenty attempted bank heists in the past year, with not a single triumph. 'Don't quit your day job,' the article mocked. "Don't worry," Levi said, 'I won't.'

'Won't what?' he heard. He looked up to see Troy standing over him. The young superhero pulled out the chair across from Levi and sat down without an invitation.

"Uh," Levi replied, "I won't…" he trailed off, not even bothering to cover.

Troy stared at him, waiting for the villain to finish his sentence. When he realized that Levi wasn't going to continue, he let out a small laugh. "You really don't like small talk, huh?"

Levi shrugged, taking a sip of his latte.

"Right…" Troy said, tapping his finger on the table. "So, you follow superhero stories?" He was gesturing at the story.

"You could say I'm a fan," Leviathan replied.

"What do you think of this new guy?" Troy pushed, pointing at the picture of himself.

"Arrogant."

Troy sat up, taken aback. "Oh?" He sounded disappointed.

"I much prefer Volt," Levi said, deciding to have a little fun with the kid. "He just seems so… valiant."

"Levi," Troy replied, "I never thought I would hear you say the word valiant,"

Taking another sip, Levi quirked his eyebrow. "Well," he said, "I guess Volt just brings it out of me."

Troy pouted at him, in the most ridiculous fashion. Rolling his eyes, Levi set his cup down and folded up the paper. With a sigh, he tilted his head to the side. "I take it you're a Triton fan? How is that possible? He's brand new."

"He'll get better," Troy said, hunching over the table. He considered Levi for a moment, as if he were debating saying something. "About yesterday-"

"Time to work," Levi cut in, standing up. Walking away from the young man without waiting for a response, he went to hide in the stacks. He didn't know what Troy wanted to talk about, but if it had anything to do with the day before, than it was probably best to avoid the superhero.

As he stood in between Fiction and Art, he heard a couple of the female employees giggling an aisle over. "Do you think he has a girlfriend?"

"I don't know, but do you really believe a cat did that to his face?" a more sensible girl, in Levi's opinion, said.

"Who cares!" the other girl said, "If he's a bad boy, than he's a bad boy with a job in a bookstore! How sexy is that?" They both erupted in giggles again, causing Levi to roll his eyes.

"Bad boy, huh?" he heard against his ear.

He had been so distracted by the girls, that he failed to notice when Troy had come up behind him, and was now hulking over Levi's shoulder, one hand placed over him, against the stacks. Before he could duck under the arm and move away, Troy 'shhhshed' in his ear, causing a slight tuft of breath to blow against Leviathan's pale skin.

"I mean," one girl continued, "He's just so tall, and those blue eyes?" She let out an exaggerated sigh.

Levi could feel the heat of Troy's body radiate against his back, and tried to ignore how it warmed his cold blood. Suddenly, something caught his attention.

"You smell like the sea," he whispered.

He saw Troy's hand grip the stacks a bit more tightly, and immediately regretted his words. What a stupid thing to say.

"So do you," Troy replied, almost inaudibly.

Without thinking, Levi elbowed Troy in the stomach, thankfully remembering to hold back his strength just in time. It felt like elbowing rock. Ducking away from the hero, he practically skittered away towards the exit of the store.

He came to a full stop when he saw who was standing at the entrance. Wearing a crisp sport jacket, long hair slicked back, Kraken looked almost presentable. And suddenly… he seemed like the most comforting sight in the world.

Rushing forward, Leviathan wrapped his arms around Kraken without thinking, pushing his face into his brother's chest. "Mmmph," he murmured. His body drew in the icy coolness of Kraken's temperature, chilling his own blood down.

"What are you doing?" Kraken said with some skepticism, but allowed Levi to continue hugging him.

When Levi didn't answer, Kraken let out a sigh, and patted his brother on the head. "I stopped by to say sorry, and ask if you wanted to have lunch together later.'

"He's having lunch with me,"

Levi stiffened, recognizing Troy's tone. His brother sensed his discomfort, and placed an arm around his waist, holding him in tight. "Excuse me?" Kraken said, his voice dangerously low.

"Who are you, anyway?" Troy continued, "Are you really just his roommate?"

Before Kraken could leap at the kid, Levi pushed away from his brother. "It's alright," he said up to Kraken. "We can have dinner later."

Kraken stared at him for several moments, and then shrugged. "Whatever you say, kid." He turned to walk away, but before leaving the store, he pointed at Troy. "Hey," he growled, "I'm watching you."

Levi watched him walk down the street before turning on Troy. "What the hell was that about?" he snarled, crossing his arms. "I never said I was having lunch with you."

Troy was staring at him angrily. "What are you doing with that guy?"

Blinking, Levi stared at him with confusion. "With… what?"

"Look," Troy continued, "I may not know how it is for you people, but no one should have to deal with abuse in their relationship."

Levi's mouth clenched, if only to keep from laughing. Kraken and he? In a relationship? "You people?" he asked, when he was able to tamp down his mirth at the idea of he and his brother in an incestuous relationship.

"You know," Troy replied, "The.. The homosexuals."

"Right," Levi replied, crossing his arms with amusement. "So what makes you think the relationship is abusive?"

"The way he dragged you around yesterday, the bruise on your neck, him apologizing for whatever today."

Levi unconsciously brought his hand up to his neck. Somehow, yesterday, he must have been hit by something, which caused a bruise. "None of that proves anything," he said, stuffing his hand in his pocket.

"That's what all abuse victims say," Troy growled.

Levi considered him for a moment, and shrugged. "He's not my type anyway," Blood type, maybe. Smiling he walked over to Troy, and stood next to the young superhero, surveying the store. "My type would be…"

He glanced at the entrance. "Him," he said, gesturing at a tall, well-dressed man in his thirties entering the store. "You know, mature."

"Uh," Troy replied awkwardly. Levi looked over at him.

"What?"

Before the young superhero could answer, the man they were discussing walked up to them, and clasped Troy on the shoulder. "How's the new job?" he said. Levi's eyes widened in embarrassment, and glanced down at the ground.

"Levi," Troy said, voice cracking. "This is my cousin, Vick."