Son of Blood and Malice

Chapter 1:

Chapter dedicated to my friend Elias who could not stop laughing about Jason being hydrophobic. Those who have read the Starcrossed series by Josephini Angelini will recognise some of the characters.

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Flickers of light adorned the sky as Jason wandered throughout the February darkness. Whenever he walked past the street lights they would start to flicker, as if the light was sowly pulling itself towards him. This made people stare in disbelief as they would pass him by during the evenings. 

To avoid suspicion, Jason always walked home alone through the dark with only the light emerging from himself guiding his way. If he could, he would avoid being near the lights, but he had to take this way home after football practice. Fortunately for him, the streets were empty this evening. 

Raindrops as heavy as marble beads poured down from the weeping skies. No sane person would willingly head outside in this weather. 

Except him. 

For Jason had no fear of the downpour. The raindrops would never reach him. 

He cannot remember a time where rainfall had ever soaked his clothes or hair. His mom always joked about the trouble of bathing him as a small child, explaining how it seemed like the water would avoid his touch. Water would only graze his skin if he himself allowed it. Rain was no exception. 

The umbrella he gripped tightly was only there for show. No water had seeped through his clothing, even though he stepped in deep puddles. The rain showed no signs of stopping, and the pitter patter increased its intensity. 

He started humming to himself to distract himself from the loud patter from his umbrella. If he didn't, he would probably lose focus on the road, which to him wasn't unusual.

"There is a house way down in New Orleans, they call it the rising sun."

No one was out to hear his hums. The heavy downpour blared in his eardrums, making it almost impossible to hear anything else but his own singing.

"And it's been the ruin of many a poor boy and God I know I'm one."

Jason could not take it anymore. The slams of the raindrops were echoing in his mind, and he felt as if he was going to lose it. Loud, repetitive noises caused his jaw to clench and his skin to crawl. He wanted to punch the rain, fight it, make the ants underneath his skin disappear. 

He started running, faster and faster. So fast not even the flickering lights could keep up with his speed. 

In mere seconds he abruptly stopped outside of the gate to his house. In his hand was a bent umbrella, completely rendered useless for further use. His mother would kill him for breaking yet another one. 

Strong rays of light clouded his vision as he opened the gate. He needed to learn how to control the bending of light soon or the neighbours would be suspicious.

The home of the Delos family always shone in the dark even if the lights were out. The front door opened with a creak. In the doorframe stood his twin brother Ajax, smiling broadly with his arms raised in a welcoming hug. 

Whenever the lights would bend, that's when Jason would be home. 

The beams of luminescence gathered around Ajax like he was drawing them in, surrounding himself in the shining lights. They would swirl around him, illuminate his body. 

Even in the darkest nights the light would find its way to Ajax. For Ajax was beloved by the sun, blessed by the radiant god of healing. 

A true scion of Apollo.