|| VIKTOR's POV ||

As I stood before the men who had kidnapped Athena, my mind whirled with a maelstrom of emotions—anger, disbelief, and a gnawing sense of betrayal. How could anyone dare to lay a hand on Athena, let alone orchestrate her abduction?

"What do you know about Athena's disappearance?" I demanded, my voice low and dangerous, my eyes boring into the men before me.

The men shifted uncomfortably under my gaze, their expressions betraying a mix of guilt and fear. But it was the one closest to me, a grizzled brute with a scar across his cheek, who stepped forward, his gaze unwavering.

"It was the godmother Mercery,"...