“Right, before dawn, they’ll all be at your door,” I say, bored, standing tall. I’m ready to leave the room when he calls me.
“And Theo.”
“What?” I don’t bother turning towards his shadow.
“There are favours I owe the gods that stand against your family, which will be called upon. Be warned that the day is approaching when you will have to make it clear that we favour no side.”
“I already know that,” I reply scornfully.
I do.
“Good, you know your path; let nothing become a distraction.”
I raise an eyebrow. Now what dumb shit is he fucking spouting? “What could fucking distract me? I know my goal, our goal. I know what I need to do.”
I look in his direction, feeling the weight of his power, but I hold my own, allowing my aura to swirl around me, my eyes turning milky white.
“We exist to cause discord.”
I look away, frowning.Youfucking do.
“No kidding,” I reply sarcastically. “I want to get some sleep before I go on the hunt.” I shove my hands into my pockets.
“Of course… I am getting a little bored. I look forward to the day I get to see you use your full power and your weapon properly. You’re rather boring in most of your fights.”
That would mean answering a billion fucking questions.
“Well, I have a feeling that day isn’t far. I know what I will have to do once they know the full truth,” I answer.
His lips stretch into what would be a smile, but there’s nothing pleasant about it.“Of course.”
I reach for the handle when I look back at him. “What was the second deal you made with the witch?” He knows who I mean.
He cocks a brow.“Well… why not ask her?”
His words echo in the air before he disappears.
Yeah, why the fuck did I think he’d answer?
I step out of the bathroom and glance towards the room where most of my division are chatting, lounging around.
“Hey, Theo, want to watch a movie?” one of them asks.
“No thanks, you carry on, bro,” I answer lightly before entering the room I share with one of them.
I drop onto my bed and close my eyes. It’s going to be a long night…
I walk throughthe quiet house. I left this one for last because I knew what awaited me. The floorboard creaks under my weight, but no one would be able to hear. My fog surrounds us, seeping beneath every door, spreading silence to every corner of this house.
The smell of blood and death from the previous targets clings to me. A reminder that can’t really be washed away. You think with time, you’ll get used to it, and in a way, you do. I remember my first few jobs; I vomited after, refused to do it again until Hades intervened, reminding me of the price to pay if I refused him. So, I did what I had to, killing the innocent, the defenceless, those who had barely lived. Men, women, children…
But even if I say I get used to it, every single life I take breaks something in me that can’t be fixed, fracturing the armour that wraps around the real monster inside of me. Every death is slowly bringing me closer to becoming that monster. Once these emotions become numb, once there is nothing left to fight for, then I’ll become the harbinger of death that Hades truly wants me to be.
Two years of this, yet it feels like an eternity already.
But I’m selfish, too. I’m ok to do what I need to so I can protect those who I care for. Like I said, I’m not a selfless hero. I will choose the ones I love over the masses. Fuck the world, fuck being selfless.
I push open the door to the master bedroom, the smell of whiskey hitting my senses.
