Leviathan!

Volume 4!

"Are you alright?"

Troy and Vick were staring at Levi, who was chuckling under his breath for no apparent reason. Well, not apparent to them, anyway.

It was just so perfect… and horrible. Vick? Vick?

Volt.

Volt was standing in front of him in a nice pair of slacks, and a spiffy new sports jacket. No where in sight were the spandex, the pretentious thunderbolt symbol on his chest, or the electrified hair. He looked like he just stepped out of a L.L. Bean catalog, for crissakes. "Your… cousin?" Levi managed to say.

Vick turned to Troy, and nodded his head towards Levi. "This must be the weirdo you were talking about."

That got Levi to stop laughing. Glaring up at Troy, he crossed his arms. "Weirdo?" he asked with consternation. Troy was shifting awkwardly from one foot to the other as the two men stared at him as they waited for a reply. Meanwhile, costumers milled around them, oblivious to the strange meeting.

Levi could barely believe it himself. Standing before him was his brother's arch-nemesis. In fact, they could have passed each other on the street! Should Levi call his brother on the phone, and admit that he knew the human alters of both Triton and Volt?

Something stopped him. Maybe it was the thought of his brother storming into the book store, Levi's only place of sanctuary, and destroying everything in sight. Or, maybe it was because Levi didn't really believe his brother could beat Volt, even with the advantage of surprise.

"Ah," Vick said, with a charmingly abashed smile. "It probably wasn't you," He held out a hand for Levi to shake, his eyebrows raising with curiosity when Levi hesitated. Would Volt be able to sense him if they touched? When the moment extended too long, Levi decided he would have to risk it, and took the hand.

"Perhaps not," Levi replied, his voice involuntarily cold. He was staring into Vick's eyes, amazed that he and the superhero were only inches apart, and not at each other's throats. "Tell me, Vick," he said with a tight smile, "What is it that you do… for a living?"

"Not much," the hero replied, his eyes practically twinkling. "I inherited quite a bit from my parents." When Levi didn't respond to this, Vick laughed. "Don't think I'm some lazy bum though!" he said, "I do a lot of… charity work." His hand still clasped Levi's, warming the cold blood running through the villain's veins.

"That's enough," Troy cut in suddenly, practically karate chopping their hands apart. "You don't want people to think the the wrong thing."

"The wrong thing?" Vick replied, cocking his head in confusion.

"Troy is embarrassed because I said you were my type," Levi replied, unable to keep from smirking. If the young man was going to be a little shit, than Levi was going to have some fun with him. "Apparently he's an expert on 'homosexuals', as he says, because he thought my roommate was being abusive towards me."

Vick looked back and forth from Levi to Troy in amazement. "You what?" he asked his cousin.

"The asshole was ordering him around!" Troy replied, waving his hands around. "What was I supposed to think?"

"That it's not any of your business," Levi said under his breath, as he crossed his arms.

"Do you like him?" Vick asked Troy, a small smile playing on his lips.

After sputtering for a moment, Troy shook his head emphatically. "No!" he said, taking a step away from Levi as he said it. "I'm not gay!" He seemed stricken by the idea, which Levi found unexplainably annoying. What was wrong with being gay? "I just…" Troy continued to stutter, "He's like a girl, you know? He needed protection."

Oh, hell no. "Excuse me?" Levi drawled. No matter how many times he had talked himself down from executing this moron, Troy always found new and interesting ways for making the murder justified.

"Ah," Troy said, at a loss for words, "well," He nervously pulled his hand through his hair. "You're just… so slim?"

Levi frowned. He was aware of his physical shortcomings, Kraken had inherited all of the bulky genes. However, that didn't mean he wasn't strong, he was still a demigod, after all. "I suppose you call all men who are smaller than you girls?" he asked.

"No," Troy replied, "just you." He immediately cringed at how idiotic that sounded, and shook his head. "Look, I'm sorry, you're obviously not a girl."

"Obviously," Vick cut in, not used to being ignored. He wrapped a well-muscled arm around Levi, causing the villain to shrink back slightly. "So," Vick asked, with a wink. "I'm your type, huh?" His face was inches away from Levi's ear. It would take only a millisecond to reach over and scratch his eyes out. Blinding Vick would be the best tactic to defeating him in battle…

What would Kraken say if Levi were to kill Volt? His older brother had been battling with the superhero for years, and was never able to get the upper hand. Respect was only an inch away…

"Levi?"

Dragged back to reality, Levi realized that Vick was still attached to him, waiting for an answer. "What is it that you like about me?" the hero asked, his tone smug. Before Levi could answer, Vick was detached from his shoulder with a sudden shove. Troy had pushed him away from the villain, his expression tight.

"Alright, alright," Vick said, holding his hands up. "Kind of possessive, aren't we, cousin?"

Troy ignored this. "We need to work," he said, nodding towards the door. "I'll meet up with you later." Vick took the hint, and with a mock salute to Levi, he spun on his heels and headed towards the door. When he was safely out on the sidewalk, Troy turned to Levi, and grabbed his arm.

"Why do you let men hang on to you like that?" he asked.

Levi searched the hero's earnest face, incredulous that Troy was being serious. "Like this?" he asked, lifting his wrist, with Troy's hand firmly attached. He waved his arm around for extra measure, demonstrating that the hero would not let go.

"No," Troy replied, as if he were stating the obvious. "I'm not like them, I'm watching out for…" he trailed off.

"What, my honor?" Levi snapped, his annoyance growing by the second.

"Basically!" Troy said, his voice growing louder. "It's not like I want to fuck you!" They both grimaced at the cuss word as several patrons looked their way. Troy leaned in, quieting his voice. "It's not like I'm trying to fuck you," he repeated.

Levi's mouth was hanging open. How did he wind up in this mess? One moment he was having an abnormally nice discussion with his brother about lunch, and now this moronic brat was clawing on to his arm, acting as if he were some white knight, and Levi was a virgin maiden.

"Look," Troy continued, trying to make his tone sound reasonable. "I've read how… homosexuals tend to be more, I don't know, promiscuous, and I think… well, you should really be more cautious."

"What. Are. You. Talking. About?" Levi hissed, trying to jerk his arm out of Troy's grasp. "Have you lost your god-damn mind?"

"I just know how guys are!" Troy replied, insisting on taking Levi down the road to crazy-town. "They only want one thing,"

Levi bit his lip to keep from screaming. "I am a guy," he said, pointing towards his chest. It was decided, he was going to maim Triton the next time they had a showdown. What did Troy think he was doing? The man was certainly taking the 'hero' thing too far.

"Hello?" came an alarmingly cheerful, yet timid voice. "Levi? Troy?" It was the manager, staring at them with obvious confusion. "We've had several complaints at the counter…" Levi quickly clawed Troy's grip off of his wrist, and turned to the manager with the most apologetic look that he could summon, which wasn't much of one at all.

"My apologies," he said, "We were… having a disagreement."

"Yes, well," the manager replied, eyeing Levi's twitching eyebrow, "I know that he's new, but I would expect you, Levi, of all people, to show some decorum."

"It's my fault," Troy cut in, nudging in front of Levi. "I made him angry." Once again, with that achingly obnoxious earnest expression. Levi rolled his eyes as the manager tittered appreciatively, placing a hand on Troy's buff arm.

"Oh, that's all right," she said with an incandescent smile. "I'm sure that the two of you can work your differences out,"

Troy flashed his own charming smile, "Of course," he said, his eyes sparkling. "I'm so glad you understand, manager."

When she walked away, Levi took the moment to speed walk as fast as he could in the opposite direction. He would hide somewhere between History and Religion until the end of his shift, and then he would book it out of the store. No matter how frustrating living with Kraken had ever been, nothing seemed more peaceful than going home and arguing with his brother about which bank to hit up next.

''''

"We've already tried the Credit Union on fifth," Kraken said irritably as he clicked through the hundreds of television channels. He was stretched out on his tattered Lay-Z-Boy, wearing nothing but a tattered wife-beater and a pair of boxer shorts.

"We've tried all of them," Leviathan grumbled, as he thumbed through the phone book. "We're on a second round, remember?"

Kraken 'hrrumphed' from his chair in answer, and continued to watch the television as Leviathan searched for more banks. They sat like this for several minutes, until Kraken twisted around in his chair, and looked over the side at Leviathan. "Hey," he said.

"What?" Leviathan replied after a pause.

"What was that about at the bookstore today?"

Leviathan's hand clenched on the page he was turning for a moment, and then eased up. Could he just play dumb, and Kraken would let it go? Probably not. "It was nothing," he said finally, resuming what he was doing.

"Like hell it was," Kraken replied, sitting up on his knees so that he facing backwards on the chair, elbows resting on the head. "That dickweed looked like he wanted to throw a punch." He drew in a long chug from a can of beer, and continued his thought. "Did you do something to piss him off?"

"It wasn't me that he was going to punch," Levi replied, refusing to look at his brother.

"Oh, really?" Kraken said, smiling, "He wanted to take me on?" He seemed amused by the prospect for a moment, until a through struck his incredibly thick skull. "Why?" he asked, his tone growing serious.

"He thought you were my abusive boyfriend," Levi said, hating the words as they came out of his mouth.

There was a loud burp from the other end of the room as Kraken took another drag of his beer. "You, and me? How fucked up would that be, right?"

Levi took in the sight of his brother smashing the empty beer can against his forehead. "Very," he replied.

"Little punk," Kraken sighed as he settled back down into his lounger. "If you were my old lady, there's no way he'd able to stop me from doing anything." He jerked up in surprise when the phonebook went flying by his head, and smashed into the TV. "Hey!" he yelled, "Why the TV?"

"I missed," Levi replied. He stood up and walked around the chair so that Kraken was facing him. "I am not a woman," he said, glaring at his older brother. Kraken leaned back in the chair with a confused expression on his face.

"I know…" he said, unsure of where Levi was going with his pronouncement.

"So," Levi said, advancing on Kraken menacingly, "I would not be your old lady,"

Kraken shifted uncomfortably. "Ok, ok," he said. "What's the big deal?"

Sighing, Levi shook his head and returned to the kitchen table. His brother was too stupid to know he had insulted Levi's manhood. When he realized that the phonebook was on the other side of the room, a sudden surge of annoyance shot through his veins. "Fuck," he breathed, slapping his fist down on the table. He needed to get out of there.

Without giving Kraken an explanation of where he was going, Levi shot out through the door, and hoofed it down the street to his bus stop. He didn't usually like going back into town after work, but there was nothing in their neighborhood to do. Maybe he would relax at a coffee shop, or go back to the book store and actually browse instead of work.

Getting on the bus, he was relieved to find it mostly empty. As he took a seat at the back, he wondered why Kraken was being so lazy. Usually it was his older brother who was driving the search to find a new hit, but all he had done since Levi returned from work was sit in his disgusting lounger.

Levi sat in silence, pondering his brother's change in attitude as the buildings rushed by. So lost in his thoughts, he barely registered when the bus came to a complete stop, and suddenly a loud crunching noise rang out down the aisle. Alarmed, Levi looked up to see the roof of the bus caving in. "What in the…" he began to say, when he felt the bus lift off the ground.

He looked out the window, and heaved a tired sigh. Wrapped around the width of the bus, was a giant, purple claw, attached to an even larger, purple arm. Standing up, he calmly walked down the aisle, and kicked open the door of the bus. "Leave," he roared at the driver, who was only happy to oblige. The rest of the passengers skidded out just as the bus went airborne, lifting up towards the sky.

When a pair of yellow eyes came into view, Levi marched up to the window, and poked the giant, purple snout facing him. "Put me down, Ragerous," he said.

'Leviathan?' replied the monster, using telepathy. 'Where's your brother?'

"I'm Levi right now," Levi replied, "Kraken's at home."

Ragerous Rex was one of the few villains in Capitalia that the sea demigod brothers were friendly with. He was also the only one who knew their human alters. Unlike Leviathan and Kraken, he rarely had a purpose in mind when he came out to play. Ragerous just liked to cause anarchy.

"Can you do me a favor?"

Levi groaned, and checked his watch. "What?"

"Let me carry you around a bit, and just like… scream and shit."

Levi stared at the yellow eyes dubiously. This was not what he had planned to do with his evening. "Rage…" he said, ready to back out. He felt the bus shake slightly.

"Don't forget, I caused a distraction for you two dolts during that one heist."

Rolling his eyes, Levi sighed in acquiescence and climbed out the top of the bus. "Make it short," he growled as Ragerous wrapped his other hand around his body. Dropping the bus with a loud crash, Ragerous started back down the street with a loud roar, shaking the buildings around him.

"Scream!" he said, as he swung his fist up and down.

Levi clenched his jaw for a moment, and then bit the bullet. "Someone!" he yelled out as loud as he could, "Anyone! Help me!" He heard a low chuckle in the bottom of Ragerous' throat, and blushed. Losing the last of his dignity, he let out a yell that reached down to the streets. "Help!"

Suddenly, there was a crack in the air as something whizzed by Levi. "Of all the god damn heroes," he grumbled, as a thunderbolt crashed down feet away from where Ragerous was clutching him.

"Oh my god," said someone from behind him.

Levi's stomach dropped when he recognized the voice, and turned to see Triton floating midair, staring at him with wide eyes. "Le-" Triton began to say, but caught himself. "You," he continued, "Don't worry, I'll save you."

'That's cute,' Ragerous said, making Levi look up at him. 'Is he new?'

Before Levi could answer him, there was a sharp screech through his mind, and Levi looked over to see that Triton had sunk his spear into Ragerous' arm. Meanwhile, Volt had reappeared, throwing thunderbolts towards the monster's throat.

Ragerous was already trembling in pain, as he rocked back and forth. 'Shit,' he said, 'When did Volt get a sidekick?'

Levi looked up at his friend, and saw that the villain was clearly in danger. "Rage," he said, "Drop me,"

"What?" the monster replied, "You won't be able to save yourself without revealing your alter."

"Trust me," Levi replied, "You'll have a better chance at getting away from only one of them,"

Without another word, he felt the grip around his body loosen, and suddenly he was plummeting towards the earth. His inherent instinct was to change into his alter, but Leviathan could not come out to play, unless he wanted the entire world to know who he was.

None of that mattered. Almost as soon as he was dropped, he was then caught. Landing on a pair of muscular, sturdy arms, he looked up to see Triton's face looming over him. The hero was looking out with determination as they flew away from Ragerous, towards an office building in the distance. "Put your arm around my neck," he said, without looking at Levi. The villain complied.

When they reached the building, Triton landed down on the roof with surprising grace. However, he did not drop Levi to the ground as expected. Still holding the villain in his arms, Triton drew in a long breath, as if he was trying to contain his anger. "What were you doing?" he said, finally.

He staring at Levi with fierce seriousness. Wondering if he should somehow subtly remind Triton that he wasn't supposed to personally know Levi, the villain decided to play dumb instead. "What?" Levi breathed, trying to sound nervous, which was virtually impossible. His words came out sounding annoyed more than anything else.

The hero's grip on his body tightened. "Do you know how much danger you were in?" he asked.

This was ridiculous. "It's not like I wanted to be kidnapped by a monster!" Levi snarled, almost indignant. Who did this kid think he was? There he was, in a hero's pose, cape swirling in the wind, while Levi remained nestled in his arms.

"Set him down, Triton," Volt had arrived, landing before them. He was watching his sidekick with curiosity, having already recognized Levi from the bookstore.

"Volt…" Levi breathed, unable to stop a surge of fear through his veins. He was at his weakest, in human form, and there was Volt, the only hero who could possibly kill him and Kraken. The situation had certainly reversed from earlier that day.

Triton had heard Levi whisper Volt's name, and held the villain closer to his broad chest. "I was the one who saved you," he growled. Levi looked up at Triton, and realized that his arms were still wrapped around Triton's neck. He could feel the warmth from the hero's skin seeping into him. Their faces were only inches apart.

"Triton," Volt said, this time more forcefully. "Set him down."

"No!" Triton said suddenly, causing Levi to flinch. "He can't protect himself out here… it's not safe for him in the real world.. I, I need to take him back to headquarters with us."

Volt's voice lowered, but remained calm. "Triton," he said, raising a palm. "It's ok, he's fine now."

"I want to take him," Triton said, stepping back from Volt.

"That's kidnapping!" Volt said, calm facade breaking, "You're supposed to be a superhero, goddamit!"

This seemed to shake Triton of his reverie. Loosening his grip, he allowed Levi to set his feet on the ground. "Right," he said, dejected. "Fine."

What the fuck was this? Was Triton a child? Levi wanted to smack him in the face, but refrained. He had to keep playing the part of scared human. Taking a step away from the hero, he realized that Triton had kept a strong grip on his wrist.

"Go," Triton said to Volt, "I'll catch up in a moment." With a confirming nod, Volt launched off of the roof with a loud crack, and flew quickly out of sight. Standing silently for a moment, Levi wondered what the hell would happen next. He looked over to see Triton appraising him quietly.

"I'm sorry,"

Well, he wasn't expecting that. "What?" he replied.

Triton sighed. "I'm new to this whole superhero thing," he said, running his hand through his hair.

Levi snorted. What kind of excuse was that? He never kidnapped anyone, and he was a supervillain! He looked up to see Triton smiling at him. "What?" Levi snarled.

"I'm glad to see that you can keep your prickly attitude, even when being thrown around by a giant, purple dinosaur."

This boy was a moron, and it was time for Levi to remind him of that. "Do I know you?" he asked, with a raised eyebrow. Triton shifted uncomfortably, a blush blooming across his cheeks.

"No," he said. "You don't." He sighed, and then flashed his trademark grin at Levi. "Next time, don't call for help from just anyone, call my name." He stepped towards Levi suddenly, and combed his fingers through the villain's dark tresses, ending at the back of Levi's neck. Pulling him in closer, Triton pressed his lips against Levi's, rejecting the villain's attempt at backing away.

He didn't force entry with his tongue, but made sure to lightly nibble on Levi's bottom lip. When he pulled his head back, he smirked at Levi's shocked expression. "Don't call for the police, don't call for Volt," he said, and then placed a light kiss on Levi's forehead.

"Call for me."

''''

Kraken jerked awake when the front door crashed open, and Leviathan came storming inside. "Get up!" Levi yelled at his brother, "We're villains, aren't we? Let's do some villainy!"

The older brother watched as Levi marched to where the phonebook had landed, and started flipping through it, mumbling 'bastard' under his breath. Was Kraken the bastard? "Levi," he said, almost cautious, "I thought you might want a break from that?"

Levi glared up at him. "A break?" he hissed, "Why would I want a break?"

He shoved the book under Kraken's nose, pointing at the name of the city's largest bank. "Where hitting here, and we're doing it tomorrow," he said, waiting for Kraken to challenge him. When there was no protest, Levi slammed the book back down on the ground, and stalked to his room, slamming the door behind him.

Kraken didn't know what had gotten into his brother, but he liked it.