Chapter fifty two

What is a god? Denys asked himself. Many mortals believed a god was a moral compass perfect in power, wisdom, and goodness. A creature that deserved to be worshipped. But Denys knew better. Sometimes the gods' mortals believed for protection were the cause of their suffering. All they did was feed of their worship then wreck damage unto them to squeeze out more. The way Denys saw it, gods were just entitled powerhouses whose hunger could never be satisfied. Hunger was the driving force. It was always the driving force. His hunger was the desire to protect someone. It was why he had saved that poor girl in the first place. Denys wanted to accomplish something. Anything. For a time, he had succeeded. She revered him as the god he wanted to be and not the weakling he truly was. She refused to judge him despite the incessant questions that kept popping up and the secrets he kept. As he marched into the garden to face his destiny and choose what the future of the second realm was going to be like, Denys looked at the oceanic above, tracing the signatures of Mareel that still lingered in the air. He pondered on whether he was making the right choice. Was he going to give up the dream he had waited on for years on end to protect a girl who could be the ruin of everything his family built? Common sense would have kicked in for anyone but Denys was a god and gods were selfish immortals looking out for their stomachs.

"Good luck Prince Denys," Ade said, walking beside him.

Denys swallowed. Imagining the disappointment on his mother's face when the Westerners gained control of all the seven seas. But there was a light at the end of the tunnel, Denys consoled himself with the fact that the trident would not just be going to the hands of any random family. It would still belong to the house of Poseidon.

"You will need it to brother."

Denys' words made the Western Prince recoil so fast, one would think it was some threat.

"How..."

"You said it yourself so I put the pieces together. Yemoja was so certain her family would be in possession of the trident despite knowing my stone-hearted father would only let it go to a Poseidon no matter how much he resented me. So do your best brother."

Denys noticed Ade scowl like he was expecting something more. It was evident he did not expect the son of the great Poseidon to be so chill about his father spreading his seeds around like Hades but Denys did not care. He no longer looked for the dead Poseidon's approval. If his ancestor was not pleased with him, the fool could stick it up to his ass. But Ade wasn't buying the act, he doubled his steps and managed to block Denys' path and getting too close to his face.

"Your attitude... It is different" He said. Suddenly, his sparkling sunset eyes widened. "You don't plan on putting up a competition."

Denys shrugged, brushing past him. He could sight the towering stone figurine of what was left of Poseidon in the middle grounds of the garden and around it were some high-ranking members of the council, their mothers, the imperial god, Zeus, and Hera.

"I won't have it." Ade sneered, holding the Prince by his tunic like he was asking for a fight.

"Let go of my shirt." The Northern Prince warned.

"You are doing it for her sake, Aren't you? You think my refusing your birthright, you can prevent her fate right?"

Denys did not answer but his guilt was visibly evident and the demigod had his answer. What Denys could not understand was why Yemoja's son was pushing him to be opposition. Didn't the turn of events benefit him already? It left a hanging question as to what the Western Prince hoped to achieve by making such a wild move.

"Why do you care? If this benefits you, why do you care so much about my decision?"

Ade snickered, shoving a hand into his pocket and retrieving a folded piece of paper, and handing it over the already curious Prince.

"What is that?" Denys cautiously asked, collecting it. It scented of Ash and the paper was brown. It looked like someone had tossed it into a fire before changing their mind that they wanted to keep it. Unfolding it, Denys took a quick read.

"Dear Denys, I will never be able to thank you for saving my life even when you didn't need to. I'm thankful you didn't hate me despite all my father had done to your family. But I cannot let you sacrifice your happiness for my sake. I cannot bear the thought of being the one to destroy the last of your family so, I have agreed to Persephone's deal. By the time you read this, I would be gone and you might be King. Don't fret, I know you will make a good leader. Have a good life, Denys. Until we meet again."


It shattered Denys. Every single word. Several questions plagued his mind. What was he supposed to do now? What was he fighting for? But the top dollar question was what Talia's fate would be if he failed to lift the trident? Persephone's hunger was for that damn trident to be retrieved and if he failed in that aspect, she would look for an appetizer to satisfy the pangs, and knowing how quick his mother leaned to the offensive, Denys was sure Talia would be the first target and he could not afford for that to happen.

"Why did you show me this?" Denys inquired. "Why the fuck are you helping me? I know it cannot be from your goodness of heart so just spill it, what is your game?"

Ade gave a nervous laugh. "You seem to forget I fancy the demigod too but it is evident I won't be the one getting her."

Denys was not satisfied with his answer but it let it slip. He crumpled the paper in his hands to crisp dust and marched down to the garden to whip that shit out of his father's greedy grip even if he had to desecrate the late god's remains to do so. He walked quickly to the middle grounds of the garden, ignoring the side whispers of his people wondering why he was conversing with the enemy. Once Ade made it to the trident, the lifting ritual officially began. The Oracle walked forward, like a haunting figure constantly reminding Denys what would happen if he returned a failure after this.

"Mother Neptune," The Oracle began, invoking the power of Mareel. "We call upon you to bless this court, open hearts, and reveal destinies."

Denys turned to look at the trident once she was done with her prayer or whatever that was. He didn't understand what was to happen next. Was he to pull the trident at the same time with Ade then fight to the death to determine who ruled the seven seas. The lifting was an impromptu one after all.

"What happens now?"Denys asked.

"You can both have a quick match to decide who gets to lift first. It is only fair." The Oracle answered.

"Screw that," Zeus cursed. "My nephew is lifting that thing first. The demigod should not even be here doing this."

A loud crack suddenly lashed directly at the dome above them. With a lightning hit that far, it was evident it was Zeus. Denys realized it would probably be an unwise time for Denys to unravel to his stepbrother to his uncle so he kept his mouth shut and obeyed his uncle's instructions by going first. The second Denys put a firm grip onto the trident, a loud boom followed. It was different, louder, and closer than the lightning hit from before. It momentarily diverted the attention of the congregation from the trident to the castle where the sound emerged from. There were several screams from within the building. Some sounded like people in agony or just pure terror. There were thick wisps of smoke twirl skyward like dance partners of the unpredictable wind. This, Denys noticed and when he made an effort to take a closer look at whatever commotion was ensuing, Ade clamped his hands to the cold metal of the trident and pulled with all his strength but this time, It flew out of his father's grip like melted butter.