Note: Thank you everyone! Your comments are the best. Big thank you to Java1 and AkatsukiOfNight
"What are we doing?" Atreus asked as he slung his bow over his shoulder.
"I am teaching you to fight,"
"Fight?" Atreus questioned, confused. "But I already know how to fight,"
"No- you do not," his father said, "Not without your bow and arrow."
The boy faltered, wondering why his father chose a time like this. "But what about-"
"Atreus," His father interrupted, lifting up his hand to silence him.
"Hit me."
"Again with this?" Atreus pouted, "Why now?"
"Because I am your father and you do as I say, boy,"
Atreus threw a half-hearted punch, which Kratos did not bother blocking.
"Hit me as hard as you can," he ordered.
"But I'm not as strong as you!"
"You need not be strong to defend yourself in unarmed combat."
The boy stared at his father.
"The temple," Kratos told him, tapping the side of his son's head, "The bones of the skull are weak here."
Atreus nodded a little, listening intently.
"The eyes, nose, throat-" Kratos jabbed the front of Atreus' neck gently, "A powerful blow to the front can cause death by crushing the windpipe."
The boy frowned, "…Okay, but I'm not strong enough to do that," he mumbled, his self-consciousness taking over.
His father shook his head, "Even to induce shock and severe pain will give you the upper hand. Do not be afraid to hit a man where he is most vulnerable."
"….The heart?"
Atreus heard Mimir snort out a laugh from behind Kratos, "Oh my dear, sweet boy."
His father didn't find his son's innocence so amusing, pinching the bridge of his nose.
The boy felt his cheeks warm when he realized what he'd meant. "Oh… I get it," Atreus mumbled, shifting his weight from one foot to the other.
They sparred for some time, his father's anger flaring whenever Atreus made a mistake, lost his footing or did not hit hard enough. Kratos would not let him move on until he performed to his standards.
Atreus was panting by the end of it, tired.
"Better," his father grumbled. "We will practice again at nightfall,"
The boy did not know what to think of his father's sudden interest in his abilities - or lack of.
They continued through the dark carven to reach the other side of the mountain. There were numerous obstacles in their way. Traps involving deadly spikes being one. It frightened Atreus just looking at them, his stomach churned.
Kratos looked around, unwilling to risk his son's life.
"To the left, brother- Atreus can fit through there," Mimir spotted an opening.
His father nodded in agreement, "I will meet you on the other side," he told his son.
Atreus was hesitant. He didn't want to be separated from his father. Going to the lake near their house was one thing, but being in a dark dingy cave alone was another.
"You'll be okay?" Atreus asked quietly.
"I will be fine, boy."
The boy mentally prepared himself as he got on all fours to crawl through the small hole. He coached himself under his breath, "You're okay... You're okay." The dark tight space didn't stop his heart from hammering in his chest though, feeling something slither past his hand.
Atreus yelped, hearing his father's voice. "Boy?!"
"I-I'm fine," Atreus called back, his face heating up in embarrassment. He felt better once he saw the light on the other side.
He crawled out, getting to his feet and dusting himself off. He began walking towards the trap to see if he could spot his father. That was before a pair of thick arms encompassed him.
"Thought I could hear a rat in the walls,"
Atreus' blood ran cold at the voice. His heart sank to the pit of his stomach.
"What? No kiss hello?" Modi whispered hotly against Atreus ear.
The boy shook, unable to find his voice or move. His body and mind completely shut down.
Modi chuckled behind him. "Time to go home, little one,"
It was only when he picked Atreus up that his body came back to life, kicking and screaming. Dread filled every part of the boy. The thought of going back to the source of his nightmares. To endure the pain that ate away at his very soul.
He tried to elbow Modi in the ribs, scratch his arm, but the man captured his wrists in one hand, and let his other hand wander down Atreus' body. "I'll tie you to the bed this time- make you moan like your mother... Your daddy know you enjoy being handled like a woman?"
Atreus thrashed against Modi, "Get away from me!" he yelled. He could hear the excitement building in the man's voice. It was sickening. "If you don't want me to be your big brother- I can always be your daddy instead."
It happened in the blink of an eye. - as if Jörmungandr himself slammed into them. An anchor grasped his arm as the world almost spun upside down. Kratos moved fast – the fastest Atreus had ever seen. Kratos caught Modi off guard, slamming his fist into his jaw – blood coating his father's knuckles. The impact, and clear sound of flesh, bone and teeth made Atreus coil back.
The boy was set back on his feet, unharmed. Kratos raised his arm to shield him, signalling his son to get behind him. Atreus saw the fury in his father's eyes, intense and endless. He rejected the use of his weapons.
Modi spat out blood, failing to block Kratos' unforgiving punches, landing with the most sickening sounds. Modi's pain and pleads for mercy only seemed to spur the Spartan on more.
Blood thirsty.
The moment Kratos moved in to gouge out Modi's eyes, Atreus could not watch any further.
"No!" Modi sounded pathetic. Weak. "You kill me and all of Asgard will come crashing down on you!"
"I will kill them too." He heard his father growl.
Atreus normally would not consider himself squeamish, but this was too much for him. He ran and hid behind a pillar, his back sliding down until he sat on the floor, hugging his knees.
The boy squeezed his eyes shut and covered his ear as Kratos forced another spine chilling scream out of Modi. The sounds penetrated through, the tearing of cloth and then flesh assaulting Atreus' ears. Following an inhuman wail that echoed throughout the cave. That would stay with the boy until the end of his days.
The raw strength his father possessed always left Atreus in awe. Gradually, the agony that erupted from Modi's mouth died down, and all the boy could hear was the sound of his father's angry shouts and fists pounding solid muscle.
The strong scent of blood filled Atreus' nose, making him sick. He built up the courage to see what his father had done. Both Kratos' fists hit, beating mercilessly. Modi's face was no longer though, his skull completely caved in, his neck broken and torn.
The boy had never seen his father so furious. Atreus moved towards Kratos situated over Modi's corpse. He hesitated when he stood on something soft, hearing it squish under the weight of his small boot. He looked down, his face growing paler.
Modi's genitals. Ripped off his body and discarded.
His father knew.
He knew.
Atreus side stepped, wiping the sole of his boot on the ground instinctively. He was nauseated, hysteria looming over him.
"Father?" Atreus' voice was small.
Did he hate him?
"Father?" he said a little louder, shaking.
His father either did not hear or ignored him, consumed in his fury.
"….Dad," Atreus whispered, barely audible. The word felt foreign on his tongue, but he needed him to listen. His bottom lip trembled as he reached out to touch his father's shoulder tentatively. "That's enough… Dad!"
His hysteria mounted and overwhelmed Atreus, leaving him to hyperventilate and sob uncontrollably. He couldn't breathe properly. He turned his back to the gruesome scene. He needed to get out. He needed air. His palms began to sweat, his stomach flipped and knotted. He couldn't focus.
A disgrace.
Atreus collapsed, expecting pain to burst through his head when he hit the stone floor. But large, protective arms broke his fall.
"I…" Atreus wheezed, feeling as if his throat was closing. "I can't-"
"Breathe, boy! Breathe!" His father ordered, his strong features hardly recognizable under the blood.
He tried, gasping. His vision turned spotty.
"Atreus!" his father called, stern.
"Stay with me, boy. Focus,"
Atreus clutched at his father's arms, trying to do as he was told.
Slowly, he began to focus and looked up at Kratos' face. He saw him breathe in through his nose and exhale out of his mouth, wordlessly demonstrating for his son to follow. Atreus did so, watching his father carefully until their breathing was in sync.
The boy reached his arms up, silently begging to be held. He was so utterly grateful when his father answered, pulling him into his lap and holding him close. Safe.
Once Atreus was held, his breathing became better. He pressed his ear to Kratos' chest and listened to his strong, steady heartbeat.
Atreus let his eyes shut and finally relaxed.
They stayed like that. He didn't know how much time passed before he spoke up quietly. "I tried- I didn't want it-"
He was hushed quietly, "I know," his father murmured, his voice the gentlest he'd ever heard.
Atreus felt his bottom lip wobble, pulling back to look at his father's face. He tried to wipe off Modi's blood.
His father said nothing, but Atreus swore he could see guilt in his brown eyes. The boy slid his tattooed hand behind his father's head, closing his eyes as he pressed their foreheads together gently.
"I-I'm alright… I promise."
It was what his father needed to hear. Atreus didn't want to worry him.
Kratos didn't disown him in disgust or shame. That alone would've hurt more than anything Modi put him through. Atreus could feel the sorrow seeping through his father's pores. He swallowed, voicing the words he wanted his father to hear.
"I love you…" Atreus had never uttered those words to his father.
He ducked his head back under Kratos' chin when his father tensed, fearing he said too much. His heart dropped for a moment before he felt his father's arms tightened around him a little more.
He didn't say it back, but he didn't have to.
Atreus knew he loved him too.