Deadpool wouldn't shut up, running his mouth non-stop as he roasted Thor for being a muscle-bound dumbass.
"La-la-la, not listening, not listening…" Thor Odinson kept chanting in his head like a kid plugging his ears—but the veins bulging on his forehead and the way his fists cracked with tension betrayed exactly how close he was to losing it.
Stephen, being the voice of reason for once, offered a more level-headed take: "Gorr can teleport using shadows. It's insanely flexible—tracking him down is practically impossible."
Right then, the glowing screen froze, and a new prompt popped up:
[Which of the following will stab Zeus through the chest?]
[A: Gorr the God Butcher
B: Thor Odinson
C: Valkyrie
D: Jane Foster, the Mighty Thor]
"Wait, Zeus?" Stephen raised an eyebrow. "We talking the Zeus? Big guy, toga, lightning bolts, Olympus?"
"Yep," Thor gave him a sideways glance. "Assuming nothing's changed, he's that Zeus. Also wields lightning. I mean… not gonna lie, I kinda looked up to him."
Deadpool burst into laughter like a drunk hyena. "Are you kidding me?! Oh, this is golden! Thor, you worship your dad—Odin the All-Father—and yet you've got a crush on Olympus' party king? Man, I cannot wait to see you two slap each other with lightning bolts. That's gotta be pay-per-view worthy."
Thor had clearly built up some resistance to Wade's never-ending stream of garbage, because he didn't even bother replying anymore.
Stephen frowned, thinking aloud: "So Zeus is technically on your side? That'd make Gorr his enemy, too."
Finally, the usually-silent Hughie Campbell spoke up: "Then the answer should be A. Seems kind of obvious… are the rest of the choices just there to throw us off?"
Billy Butcher shot a look at Annie, shrugged, and muttered, "Don't care who stabs who. I just want out of this bloody freak show."
Annie, however, was chewing on her lip, clearly deep in thought. "Thor… are you sure the clips we saw are really your future?"
Thor nodded. "Yeah. I mean, technically, it's a different timeline. Or parallel universe? Honestly, I don't really get the sciencey bits. What I do know is, some of those futures already came true, and because of that, we were able to change the outcome a bit."
Annie frowned even more. She didn't really grasp what he meant, but deep down she had a gnawing feeling—like her own future might not be all sunshine and rainbows either.
Hughie was quietly feeling the same way. Sometimes their eyes would meet, and there was this unspoken understanding between them. But they weren't exactly friends. Not yet.
Billy Butcher, on the other hand, didn't give a toss. The guy just had that vibe of "if I'm here, may as well enjoy the fireworks."
Everyone had their own thoughts racing, but time was running out—the screen was already counting down. And just like before, they all scrambled to slap the buzzer at the last second.
This time, Annie was the fastest. She hesitated, then chose A.
Thor, Stephen, Billy, and Deadpool also picked A. Only Hughie went rogue and picked D.
But then—twist time—they all got it wrong!
[Correct answer: B — Thor Odinson]
[Player Annie answered incorrectly — minus 4 points. Player Stephen Strange, Player Thor Odinson, player Billy Butcher, player Hughie Campbell, player Wade Wilson — all answered incorrectly — minus 1 point each.]
"No bloody way?!" Thor's jaw dropped. The last thing he expected was to be the one stabbing Zeus!
Deadpool, totally unbothered by the penalty, giggled like a kid who farted in class. "Oh man, this is gonna be good. Somebody's getting zapped!"
A booming voice echoed from above, deep and stern:
[Player Billy Butcher has reached a negative score of -3.
Level One Punishment will now be administered]
Crackling lightning shot down from the sky and slammed straight into Billy Butcher!
Right before it hit, Billy was still mulling over how the hell he got dragged into this freak circus in the first place. Was it a Vought stunt? Wouldn't be the first time those supe-worshipping lunatics cooked up something insane.
The moment the current hit him, he doubled over like a folding chair, letting out a howl of pain. It wasn't just painful—it was soul-crushingly painful.
It felt like microscopic electric worms were crawling through every inch of his body, lighting up every nerve with pure agony.
But the worst part wasn't even physical—it was like something was reaching into his soul and slow-roasting it over a red-hot griddle. He screamed louder and louder, until it wasn't even human-sounding anymore.
The new players—except for Deadpool, of course—were horrified. Especially Annie and Hughie, who flinched back in shock. Just how much pain did it take to make a man scream like that?
Stephen turned and glared at Thor. "This your doing, isn't it? You control lightning. You cooked all this up!"
Thor looked genuinely insulted. "Are you serious? That's not even close to how my lightning works. Trust me, I've been zapped before—not fun. And FYI, that's just the lowest level of punishment. Stack up more negative points, and it only gets worse."
Still, Stephen stared at him with narrowed eyes, unconvinced. The timing was just too perfect—Thor's the God of Thunder, and the punishment was literal thunderbolts. Coincidence? Hard to believe.
Now Annie and Hughie were also giving Thor the side-eye, clearly unsure if they could trust him.
Thor felt a headache coming on. He rolled his eyes. If I really was behind all this, why the hell would I make myself answer a question wrong?
Then, to everyone's surprise, it was Deadpool who stuck up for him: "C'mon, it's obviously not Thor. Guy couldn't mastermind a grocery list, let alone a cosmic torture game."
Thor let out a long sigh. Even when Wade was defending him, it still felt like an insult.
Meanwhile, the lightning punishment had finally ended. Billy was blackened from head to toe, looking like he'd just crawled out of a coal mine. His cool, rugged vibe? Completely fried. He wiped a hand across his face and left smudged white streaks behind, wheezing hard like he'd just sprinted through hell.
Hughie looked him over and asked nervously, "You—uh—are you okay?"
Billy spat on the ground as he muttered through gritted teeth, "Still breathin'. But I swear, next bolt better finish the bloody job."
____
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