Chapter forty eight

Moonlight spilled through the open window, giving Denys a beautiful view of the dancing moon beneath the dome. Even if it was cruelly cold, It gave him the opportunity to gather his thoughts.

She will bring death to this realm.

Denys became pale and turned away from the light. The rendezvous with Talia had made him temporarily forget about the far delicate things like wielding the damn trident and being a good king but despite the potions and the goodwill he kept on with, Denys did not know peace.

It was fair to say, every time he laid his eyes on Talia, He felt incredibly evil for holding the truth from her but he liked how she saw him. Ever since he found her in the waters; a victim of his mother's blind rage, She had seen him as a savior. Selfish as it sounded, Denys wanted it to stay that way. Why else would destiny give them the eternarine? Talia subconsciously slid a palm over his chest. Her eyes were closed and she looked like the definition of peace. A contrast to everything he was. His soulmate was next to him at the moment but Denys knew their happily ever after was never going to happen. He had done nothing but hurt her.

A king puts his people before himself.

  His mother had said that but Denys believed the entirety of everything he had fought for had been for the dwindling honor of the Poseidons. Her talk had worked at the time but the more he pondered on the topic, the deeper he descended into an endless pit of conflict. Hiding the truth from Talia was not a deed he was doing for himself. It was an act he was following because he shared his mother's paranoia. Plus, if the prophecy had any truth in them. He was bound to lose Talia. She would become her father and possibly a greater threat than Simon Andre.
Shifting the heavy cover that made the cold night less miserable aside, Denys pulled up his pants, tugged on his shirt, and slipped into his shoes. Before leaving the room, He made it to Talia's side. The pale moonlight made her hair look polished. Denys wanted nothing than to slid next to her and remain by her side till it hurt but he had to confront someone.

"You probably can't hear this, but I will tell you my secret after the contest. Still, it does make me afraid. I'm afraid it will be another stupid decision of mine but I do want you to live. I promise you, Talia, You won't end up like him. I will make sure of it."

Planting a kiss on her forehead, Denys marched out of the room and into the garden to confront his greatest bane, Poseidon.

The garden was always a shade brighter even at night. It was made of liquid magic pouring directly out the eye of the goddess of nature after all. The royal garden the people of the North had heard held the desolate remains of the late king had not always been green. Looking around, Denys could see buttercups blooming gold. Every soul would dispute him if he said this was the arena that still made his stomach churn. He could still see hazy flashbacks of Orion and him training day and night to please Poseidon. It had been the site he lost Orion. It had also been the landmark of Poseidon's last battle before he was ended by the spear of Simon. 

Denys dared to look up at the frowning sculpture. It was overbearing as ever but he swore he would finish what he came here for.

"Hello again Father," Denys began, collapsing into the wet soil. "Mareel ends tonight and I will be wielding the trident again in hopes that I am actually worthy to rule the seven seas. But something is different today father," Denys paused, staring into the stony eyes of Poseidon. Something was indeed different because, for the first time since he has stepped into the arena, He hadn't tried to get his father's validation. "For the first time, I don't even care about the trident or ruling the seven seas. Sounds blasphemous, doesn't it? Wait, No. No, it doesn't. You've done crazier things like that for the woman you loved. So father, Disappoint me today as always. If I don't lift the trident then the prophecy will never come to fulfillment. Maybe she can be saved after all."

***
Sybil spent the rest of the day in her room. Her sisters were yet to return despite the night being in full bloom.  Without them around, the room felt big and lonely, and all Sybil could do was cuddle with her familiar and try not to think about the kiss from before. Her night and denial were going fine until she heard a soft knock at the door.


"Elodie? Is that you?" Sybil asked but she didn't get a reply, and after a while, whoever was at the door knocked for the second time.

Throwing off her covers and scaring her cat familiar, Sybil jumped to my feet, eager to snap at whoever it was since they found it so hard to make words. As she walked to the front door cursing, she noticed water twist into her room through the keyhole like it was a living breathing tentacle and turn the knob open.

Sybil stared in horror as the door swung open, missing her face only by an inch and she came face to face with a pair of malevolent golden eyes.

"Sybil, right?" The Western Prince inquired.


With her heart in her mouth, Sybil nodded, memorizing the perfect spell to protect herself with. If he had not revealed who he was, if he had the guts to break into her room knowing she was inside, Sybil knew he was dangerous.

"Good," He smiled. "Where is the dreamcatcher?"


Sybil was very afraid of this man but the mention of the dreamcatcher emboldened her to ask, "Why the hell are you asking?"

"Because I want it," Ade said leaning to the edge of the door, his arms crossed, and a smirk on his face.

Sybil sent a mental call to her sisters, willing her familiar to take on its berserk form to send a warning to the demigod but her familiar remained in the bed. Its mind was blank all through their mental link. It was like...he was afraid of the demigod. Sybil remained calm. All she had to do was stall for a few minutes before her sisters showed up and put the demigod in his place. He could bleed after all.

"So the rumors are true?" Sybil inquired not waiting for a reply before she added further insult to his injury. "We heard it was in fact Yemoja that freed the demon. Did she perhaps send you to retrieve it in time for the competition?"

Ade was quiet. He looked behind him and out of the corner of her eyes, Sybil saw four women step out of the shadows. A peculiar thing to them is they were all pale with exposed fangs. Were the vampires working with him?

Sybil stepped back, muttering a spell that caused a fire to light up at the entrance to her room. It didn't lick at the wood but it sure was hot enough to keep them away.

"What is this!" Sybil screamed, torn between facing the vampires or teleporting herself and the dreamcatcher away. Protection spells were far more easy compared to teleportation which needed a complex chant and some blood. Sybil knew she would be dead or worse before the demigod got what he wanted.

"Just give me the dreamcatcher and nobody has to get hurt."

Sybil telepathically stripped a chair of all its four legs and made up her mind to propel it into the hearts of the vampires. It was very risky considering they were still following Ade's orders and if she messed up, even the Western Prince wouldn't have a say in how she was going to go down. Sybil knew Vampires were point-blank sociopaths but this was an entirely new ball game. What was the big idea? As the broken legs slithered their way to the door, unseen to the enemies in the hallway, Sybil noticed Elodie walk in on them.

"What the hell is happening?" She demanded, taking a battle stance. Elodie then faced Sybil and asked, "Is this the little run-in you were talking about?"

What happened next was a blur Sybil wished she could have prevented. A vampire whooshed at Elodie before she could even complete her spell and its claws sank into her throat, tearing it like it was cheap rubber and causing blood to spill and taint the white shirt she was wearing crimson. At that moment, Sybil's magic failed her and the vampires took good use of her stunned state to rush in. Before Sybil could drive the stake into any longteeth's heart, their claws were on her own throat.

"For the last time, where is the dreamcatcher?" Ade demanded.

Sybil was quiet. She had seen it for the second time. Someone she cared about had died in her very sight and all she could do was watch. The inferno within her blew hot but just like it did with Storge, She could do nothing but look on like a goddamn fool. She contemplated ripping open the cover that kept her powers in check. She could take a few of them down before she went out herself. It would be worth it, right? She would get to see Storge again. She would get to let go of all that anger and self-hate. It sounded like a good bargain up until Ade continued;

"Trust me, You don't want to end up dying in the hands of another god. I heard that's how your brother went out."

His words completely destroyed Sybil and it seemed like he had a purpose for saying it because the second those words were dropped, A vampire leaned in and said, "Where is the dreamcatcher?"

Like she would just tell her.

"My wardrobe," Sybil replied, surprised that she revealed where it was hidden.

Ade made his way to the wardrobe and ripped it ajar, nullifying the lock spell. Like Sybil had spilled, the dreamcatcher was right there.

"Now that you have it, What are you going to do to me?" Sybil demanded, "Kill me?"

"You do seem to be begging for death," Ade retorted. "I would grant that wish but you are close to Persephone. She will notice you are missing and that might hinder what Hades has in plan."

"Hades?" Sybil mused. Talia's father orchestrated this. "Why?"

"Considering you will be compelled to forget everything, I don't see why I cannot tell you." Ade continued, "You see, Shit is about to go down and I just here to see Hades through with it."

Then he cut a thread and let the darkness trapped within spill into reality.