Bite Me

Chapter 4: Bros B4 Hoes

"I was born in a time before time was truly recorded, so it's hard to pinpoint my exact date of birth. I'm Hades first child." Devin watches me carefully as my eyes grow wide in disbelief. "I told you I was old."

"So, what, you're thousands of years old?" I ask, unwilling to believe it. He nods, his eyes still guarded. "That's crazy. You don't look a day over 25."

"That's part of immortality. You don't age, or rather you can look any age you want." He grins. "Anyways, when I was born, Hades didn't get me right away. I grew up in the human world, just like you. Except the world I knew is nothing like the one you do. My mom noticed that I had some type of fire influence when I was 5 years old. She knew that I would be seen as a threat, so she kept me hidden for a long time. She would tell me stories of our dad, and I grew up believing he hated me. Why else would he abandon me to a word that could never understand me? When I was 16, I stopped caring about what people thought. I went out and set fire to things I shouldn't have."

"Whoa! You had your fire gift since birth?" I ask, and know it sounds nervous coming out. The truth is, I'm beyond shocked that he showed signs of his power while still mostly human. I had assumed that until they got immortality from their dad, they were still human like me. "I assumed that you didn't get gifts until you went to the Underworld?"

"For everyone else, they tend to show some signs before they go through the trials, but I was the first, so of course I had to be different." His eyes narrow at a distant memory, and his voice holds hints of torture. I hadn't thought about what it would've been like to be the first of his kind. "The people of my village treated my mom like a disgusting whore. They would abuse her, use her, hurt her." Devin's eyes glow with a special kind of hatred when he speaks of his village, and a lump forms in my throat at the sight. "I hated our dad for abandoning us, for abandoning her. She had to do what she had to do because she had me. If my dad hadn't left, she wouldn't have been reduced to begging the worst of the worst for food. I didn't have all this technology to keep me sane. I just ended up a hateful being. I had so much anxiety and fear inside that I wanted to die." He goes silent for a moment, the heartache obvious in his voice.

"Being human is hard." I agree softly. If anyone knows how he feels about his humanity, it's me. I'm currently in the middle of my biggest human crisis yet, the anxiety gripping my chest at the reminder. He chuckles softly and meets my gaze again.

"It is hard. A few years later, when I set the village on fire, Hades came to me. He explained what he was, and why he thought that leaving me with my mom was better than bringing me into the underworld. He really did just want to keep me safe from the other Gods. When he realized what humans did to us, he brought me to the Underworld and taught me everything he knows. When he saw what I could do, he decided to grant me immortality. We spent days collecting souls together. He saw how strong it made me, and what else I could do with the power. He decided then to bring all of his children home." Devin smiles at the memory.

"What was your mom like?" I ask, fighting back a yawn. I am not an athletic person by any means, and all this walking in the woods has me wishing for my bed. Devin sighs happily, his eyes warming.

"She was kind, and very beautiful. She had a way of making even the loudest talker listen. When I came along, I ruined her life." His tone turns slightly bitter. "She could've had the whole world in her palms, but she chose me."

"I'm sure you were the best thing to ever happen to her Devin." I reach for his hand, squeezing it tightly in mine, after a moment of hesitation. He doesn't let go, and I pray that he can feel the good vibes emanating from me. I don't like seeing him sad, it's unnerving after all of his hopeful grinning.

"That's what she always told me. If she could see me now, she would be very proud of all that I've done." He smiles again and sits up straighter.

"Can you not see her in the Underworld?" I would be lying if I said I wasn't hoping to at least see my friends again in their death. I've left them behind, and although I accepted that outwardly, inside it still hurts to think about never seeing them again.