Chapter forty five

Talia wondered if he would stop her. She wasn't doing this because of the attraction that sizzled between them. Her first true kiss was to invade his mind. As his kisses tickled along her jaw and up her cheek, where he nuzzled into her hair, his breath hushed across her ear and his touch sent shivers up and down her skin. Talia coiled against him, glancing through every piece of his painful memories in distress. It wasn't like she had imagined. Beneath the smile, There were monsters the god was unwilling to face, and forcing him to relive all his fears repeatedly made her feel like a monster.

"You know Talia," he whispered luckily into her ear. "This is not what I imagined our first kiss would be like but I will take it."

"What!?" She gasped, breaking the kiss.

Did he know? He knew and he still let her raid his mind. What kind of being was he? Talia's conscience ripped in half. She took a step back, genuinely ashamed at what she had done.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean-"

"Don't be, " He retorted quickly and offered Talia a sheepish smile. Whipping curls of his generously long hair behind, he took a much-needed breath of air. "I didn't want to stop you, I figured it was better to show you I am not your enemy. So, what did you see?"

He got over it fast and did not seem to mind but it hit Talia differently. She had doubted him. She had doubted the on that had been by her side since the beginning.

"I have to go." Talia blurted, making a run for it. The atmosphere hummed as she ran. Earlier, he had asked her what she saw but she couldn't bear to speak of it. While she was in his head, Talia had seen what it was like to lose family firsthand, to repeatedly be called a failure by someone who was supposed to protect and have an uncanny phobia for failure. Yet, he had managed to striker her as someone who never had a bad day in all his years. To think she believed she was the only person the universe kept fucking with. As her steps quickened and with her mind still engulfed in conflicting thoughts, Talia completely missed the sight of what was in front of her. She had bumped headfirst into the jaws of a pale young woman that appeared out of nowhere. The distorted view in front of her slowly came to focus. The lady in question was saying something but all Talia could hear was a loud ringing. She noticed the lady was unbelievably youthful. Not one imperfection troubled her porcelain white skin and when she smiled, two white canines shimmered down at Talia. She was a vampire. Still dreary from the hit sustained and with a metallic taste rinsing her mouth, Talia made an attempt to talk.

"Sorry, I didn't see you there." Talia managed.

The girl leaned to meet Talia's face.

"I've been looking all over this forsaken kingdom for you." She said.

Talia was sure she was hearing it all wrong but the girl's smirk was pretty damning and the crazed look in her oily black eyes suggested Talia might have heard right.

"What?" Talia whispered, not quite getting it.

"I felt it." The vampire continued. "The rage that filled your heart. It rekindled the flames of the underworld. It is fascinating to know what your sheer will alone can accomplish. I indeed chose right when I accepted Maveth's offer. You are the right demigod to carry my mantle."

Talia recoiled hearing the vampire mention her mother's name. There was also a mention of the underworld. In seconds, the missing piece was chugged in and Talia choked realizing who she was speaking to.

"Hades?"

The vampire put a finger over my lips and said, "I prefer the term papa."

Adrenaline insanely flooded through Talia's system, pumping and beating as if threatening to puncture her veins and escape. Talia was sure her heart would explode as her eyes widened with fear. This was the God that was the cause of all her problems. The man who spawned her and abandoned her just as quickly showing up hours after she was attacked by one of his disciples. Coincidence? Talia knew differently. There were a thousand things she had planned to do. A thousand things she had imagined herself saying once she got the opportunity and now that she got it, her tongue was tied.

"What do you want?" Talia stammered, fading in and out of her own thoughts.

"I came to congratulate you on finally accepting your divinity." He said. "Also, don't tell anyone we talked. Never mention this to a soul. Especially that boy that catches your fancy. I'll keep visiting Talia. I think we have so much to catch up to."

The vampire's eyes flicked and Hades was gone. Her sclera repeater and she seemed disoriented about where she was and how she got there.

"What happened?" The vampire asked in a low voice.

"I do not know," Talia answered, focusing on one last burning fireball bouncing past her.

***

"Knock Knock
" A voice called from the halls, making Denys jump.

A familiar dark-skinned god stood opposite his door. His face donning a petrifying glare.

"I know you." Denys' voice exited in a whisper. "You are Yemoja's son right?"

Ade's brows furrowed, ignoring the question as he threw his thoughts into the mix.
"How long will your facade last?"

"Excuse me?"

"Talia." Ade specified. "How long do you think you can keep lying to her face before she realizes the games you and your mother are playing?"

A pang of guilt surged through Denys but it wasn't a weakness he could show upfront. This was an enemy. Someone that threatened to take all he had worked for away from him. How did he even get to know about Talia's situation? Considering his purpose was to contest for the trident, Denys wondered why another god had taken interest in Talia. The more Denys thought about it, the worse his clarity muddled. He suspected this was a mind game the westerners had decided to whip up to weaken his resolve for the competition now that Mareel was upon the second realm. If that was the case, there was no way he was going to give the bastard what he was here for.

"Why do you care? My business is mine and mine alone. If you know what is good for you Western Prince, stay away."

The Western prince did not seem to be fazed by the threats of the Northern prince. He walked up to Denys. His smile was quick to come. Almost like he knew he had gotten what he came for.

"Seeing the poor girl being tossed around, lied to, and endangered is certainly not a way to reciprocate the affection she has for you." He sighed. "The second she got up, She rushed to your side like a lap dog. It's disappointing to know she thinks of you as some kind of savior when in fact you are just fulfilling mommy's dearest wishes and of course leading her on to believe you are on her side."

Denys' couldn't stand for it. He would not be slandered like this. He was not a monster. He detested that anyone would even regard him as such. He hated that the worthless words of the Western prince were getting to him but in truth, it was. There was an insatiable urge to jump for a clap back. Denys needed redemption. He had to have it.

"I saved her life. If I wasn't by her side, I could have let her die. Our relationship might be a complicated one but I still don't see why it bothers you so much that she trusts me. I was sure you were doing this to mess with my head in time of the competition but no, It's something else. Do you fancy Talia?"

The sudden shift in Ade's demeanor was all the answer Denys could ask for. The Western prince had a crush. He grabbed the discovery and molded it to a weapon.

"Yes. That has to be it. But I hate to break it you Westerner, She doesn't feel the same way. She probably will never share the affection you seemed to have garnered for her and no amount of threats can change that. So what is your game now? Are you going to rat me out? Are you going to tell her my secrets because she cannot give you the love you think you have for her?"

Denys' paused to see if his assault had the intended effects. He saw it. In the Western prince's eyes. Deep pain accompanied by an infallible rage. Denys wondered if he had crossed the line.

"Actually no." Ade retorted. "I cannot bring myself to do it even if I wanted to. I hope she gets the truth soon and sees you for the monster you really are brother."

Denys choked. "D...did you just call me brother!"

But Ade didn't bother to reply or even stop walking. He strode down the stairs without for once sparing a glance behind him and while it was a slip up on the path of the Western prince, the words 'brother' destroyed Denys.