The God & The Shadow

Chapter 6

VERONICA

"Who are you?" I ask. I can't believe he's here. I can't believe he attacked me. What the hell is happening?

"Darling, I think you already know." He said with a smile on his face.

"Humor me." I whispered as I deepened my hold on the dagger, drawing blood from his neck.

He laughed, a sound I'd save and loop forever if it were possible. He smiled while he brought his left hand to touch my cheek, causing me to drive the dagger a bit deeper. His smile grew, finding the blood drawn something joyous rather than deadly.

Darkness that didn't come from me wrapped around us, teleporting us to the throne room I saw in my dreams. I never broke the stare I held with his oceanic eyes, never breaking the hold I had on my dagger.

"Veronica, put the dagger down." Tarrin says from behind me.

Bemused, I turned around to see Tarrin with my team and Hermes. He was waving at me, other hand in the pocket of his blue suit. He looked... happy to see me, as if I were an old friend of his.

I listened to Tarrin just because I was shocked. I let go of the dagger, watching it drop then turn to nothing but smoke that faded out of existence. Warren whistled at the sight of it, giving me a thumbs up after.

I approached Tarrin, noting his gaze had locked with the man behind me.

"What is happening?" I ask him sharply.

"I thought I strictly told you to not associate yourself with the gods?" He asked, still staring at the man.

I snickered, "If you think I approached the asshole, you're deeply mistaken, Tarrin. He attacked me after I killed your wraith."

"Darling, attacking is a bit too much. I did not hurt you." The man said, stepping closer to stand beside me.

I rolled my eyes at Tarrin, stepping away from their reach, then standing beside Olivia who had a look of shock and excitement on her face as she watches Hermes.

"What's going on, Tarrin?" Gideon asks. I realized that they never retrieved Agatha; either they failed to release her or she was never really here.

Tarrin sighed, running his hand through his hair. "Demitricus is now a suspect to the recent fires taking place in London. It seems your missing brother had been in the mortal realm all along."

Demitricus was missing? How come we had never heard of it before? Surely we would have felt the absence of the God of Balance and Beginnings, right?

The man sighed, "I don't think my brother would join whatever petty squabble mortals have with the gods. If he were, he would set the whole world on fire, not giving a fuck about the consequences."

"He's right, brother always was the most dramatic." A man that entered through a door behind the throne says.

"Alec, good to see you." Tarrin says as he takes in Alec, who I presume is Ealdread, now donning a new, more modern name.

"What's going on, Tarrin? Why are you interfering with the mission?" Gideon firmly asks, putting emphasis to his name rather than honorifics to establish that they were equals, not one lower than the other.