Total pages in book: 126
Estimated words: 123065 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 615(@200wpm)___ 492(@250wpm)___ 410(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 123065 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 615(@200wpm)___ 492(@250wpm)___ 410(@300wpm)
“And the remaining three?” Apep asks.
“I’ll do it.” Daggon steps forward. “It’s my duty and purpose to help create within the rules of the gods.” He shoots a glare toward Apep, who was the only deity to go off on his own and mate with humans. At least now the gods mate with their own kind to create more lesser gods for the ones suffering here for eternity. We honor them by giving them family from the strongest gods left, and they honor us with their songs and worship. And when I ascend to Mount Olympus, I’ll watch over them shining from the sky.
I nod my head as the chants lower into soft cries.
I look toward the mountains.
A storm brews over Olympus. A reminder of what’s to come if I fail.
I swear in that moment, temptation sweeps forward, and I can hear the bell on Cleo’s foot as she paces back and forth. But then, finally, blessed silence.
Why does my heart lurch with each movement of the bell?
I look across to Enki. “You owe me.”
“I won’t do it.” He knows me too well.
“A favor then.” I step in front of him. “Remove it, before I call Anubis forward.”
Apep stumbles backwards. “You would dare call Anubis and involve him in something so trivial? Since when has a god needed help in the trials? You want us to remove something so you can succeed, the point of the trials of humanity is to fully understand what you are giving and taking away…remember, I would love for you to stay, we can battle every morning before you decide to rise, and you can shove me down to the depths where I belong. We’re old, we do need exercise and remember this is the final one, is it not? The final daughter? You can’t get help from anyone, it’s against the idiot gods’ rules.”
Everyone goes silent around us.
I pull my dagger from my belt and hand it to Enki. “I know you know what I’m talking about. I can’t do it myself. Drive it in.”
“Cyrus.” Enki holds up a hand. “Think about this.”
“I have.”
“For what? Five seconds?” Daggon swallows and looks down at the ground. “You may not be able to get it back once it’s gone, then what sort of god would you be on Olympus? What sort of sun shines without its heart beating within his chest?”
I nod, throat thick with momentary sadness at my future loss, but her future isn’t part of mine; this is how things must be. My single regret is I only kissed her once, I only felt that passion once, and soon I’ll feel nothing. I need to feel nothing in order to finish what was started. “Good.”
“It has to grow!” Enki yells. “Listen, you’re already an asshole, don’t make it harder on the rest of us.”
Kratos is the only one who’s silent.
Eerily silent.
And then he outstretches his dagger. “I’ll do it.”
“Son.” Apep shakes his head. “Do you know how hard it is to grow a human heart, let alone one for a god? It could take centuries. Say he passes his trial, what good does it do to humanity to have a sun that cannot shine? Then again, if you want to destroy him, be my guest, I’ll be waiting to devour him the minute he goes hard as ice.”
“I’ll only lack feelings for her, the rest of the world will shine.” It’s the truth. “And this is something I can’t do myself.”
Enki locks eyes with me. “You said it yourself, she’s different. He’s faltering. His heart beats with the cadence of her bell, I can feel it in his breathing.”
“Is this true?” Apep asks with a smirk.
I can’t meet his eyes, the man I hate but can’t kill…yet. “I’m not sure, but I won’t risk it. Then again, you wouldn’t know, you were pathetic and chose to lose.”
Apep grins. “From the looks of it, I’m already clearly winning if you can’t even finish one small task, do I need to kill her for you, God of the Sky?”
I let out a roar as lighting flashes across the sky. Enki’s eyes blaze white with rage and determination. I know he hates this as much as I do, but it’s time to leave, it’s time to finish Chaos once and for all.
Are humans fickle?
Yes.
Are they idiots?
Yes.
But are they our idiots? Is it our job to protect them from chaos itself? From the chaos that exists in this world and chooses to? Absolutely. I’m not just doing this for me, at least that’s what I tell myself, I’m doing this so I can destroy him once and for all. Humans will still make mistakes, but at least they won’t have him whispering darkly in their ear while they do it.
I give Kratos a slight nod.
He flips his sword around; the spike faces my chest. His left-hand grips me by the back of my neck and slowly he drives the spike into my heart, I feel every emotion since meeting Cleo, since calling her here, her anger, the kiss, the moments I faltered while holding her in my arms.