AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Standing, he held the presence of a soldier.
“I’ve been summoned to collect a larger than normal amount of souls. Not in one general area either. They are spread out across Zephyr.”
“Plague?” she asked, having not heard anything from her sisters in that regard.
“No, these are all seemingly natural deaths. It is not an astronomical increase, but something I wanted to make you aware of. This could cause issues at the gates if the trend continues.”
She nodded. It wasn’t unheard of to have a larger number come through or have very little at all. The humans went through waves of change and it was common for the numbers to vary.
Still, she would acknowledge his concern.
“Thank you, Thanatos. Please keep an eye on the situation at hand and let me know if anything else catches your eye.”
He bowed before turning abruptly and walking out the doors the guards had moved to open for him.
She tapped her nails on the armrest.
“Any other concerns?” she asked her audience, hoping this was it for the day. She was tired and determined to take a mental break from everything pressing down on her.
The remaining villagers only shook their heads as the guards opened the throne room doors. She stood up, her legs tingling from sitting for so long, and made her way gratefully out the door before anyone could stop her. She was in desperate need of a break, mentally and physically, and she was going to take it before any more problems found its way to her.
***
Closing her eyes, Persephone sipped her wine, allowing herself a moment of reprieve. She sat in the conversation chairs in one of the sitting rooms, enjoying the warmth of the flames.
Too much was changing. Too many unknowns.
She was so lost in thought, when she opened her eyes again, she jolted a bit at noticing Devon seated in the chair next to her, looking at the flames as well.
“Wine?” she asked, moving a glass to him.
He shook his head, not saying anything as he stared at the fire, obviously as lost in the dark as she was these days. She wondered at his thoughts, he was so quiet as they sat.
“Why would I be made a God?” he asked, his voice low.
She turned to look at him, her eyes taking him in.
“Why would I?” she asked him in return.
He looked at her. “Your parents were Titans. Mine were… not anything powerful.” He turned
away again, leaning forward with his elbows on his knees.
“Are you completely sure your parents were normal mortals?” she asked.
He laughed, shaking his head.
“They were nothing special. To me, my dad was my hero, but he lived and died as all humans do.”
They sat in silence for a while longer. Him, lost in some far away thoughts. Her, lost in him. His posture, his pensiveness. The whole of him before her.
“I am nothing special. I’ve done nothing to deserve this second chance, or this power, whatever it may be.”
“You are certain of this?” she asked, placing her glass on the table between them. He turned his head, looking at her, and simply nodded.
“Tell me of Devon. The Devon who lived, the life you remember.” She sat back in her seat and
watched him as he looked back at the fire.
