Category : Books-Fiction

Sub Category : Adventure

[Prolouge]

“Zeus, what are we to do? The Unknown have already gotten Athena and my sister!”
  “Zeus? Are you alright? Do you need to rest?”
  “There is no need, Hera. I’m fine. As for what to do, I have no idea.”
  “So my sister sacrificed herself for nothing? Is that what you are saying?”
  “No, Apollo, you misunderstand me. Athena, Ares, Aphrodite, Poseidon, Hades, Persephone, Artemis and so many more; all their sacrifices were not in vain. We will defeat him.”
  “‘Will defeat him’?”
  “Yes. We are not strong enough now, but we can seal him away, until we are.”
  “It is a dangerous spell though; to use it is to accept the cost of a person's soul.”
  “I will do it.”
  “But Apollo-”
  “Hera, with all due respect, I simply cannot live on anymore. Without my family and friends, I am lost.”
  “If that is what you wish.”
  “Oh Hera, do not weep for me; I am merely a man who has lost his way out at sea.”
  “You were always a noble man and we will never forget that.”
  “Hera, step away please; I am about to start.”
  “Ah, you best be going; you would not want to make your husband jealous.”
  “Oh Apollo, never lose that sense of humour!”

~~~~~

“It is done. We have lost everything.”
  “Hera, do not weep for our loss; weep for our victory.”
  “But he will come back.”
  “Indeed.”
  “What are we to do then?”
  “We need to start nursing the priests and priestesses back to health.”
  “Zeus, are you listening to me?”
  “Hera, you attend to the Eumenides; you were always more favoured among them compared to me!”
  “Zeus! Stop running away!”
  “A solution will come in time, Hera. We just need to be patient.”

[Chapter 1]

“Syonan! Start getting ready or you’ll be late!” Syonan woke up drowsily to the sound of his mother’s voice from downstairs. As he rubbed his eyes, he started getting dressed and picked up his bag. When he got to the dining room, he was greeted by his father, who was reading the newspaper.
  “‘Morning dad,” he grabbed a spoon as he chomped down his breakfast.
  “Good morning Syonan,” his father returned. “You really do need to fix that alarm clock of yours. You can’t have your mother wake you up for the rest of your life.”
  “Yeah, I know," he said, gobbling up his cereal. "Anyway, I’m off.”
  “Is Grace giving you a lift today?” his mother asked from the kitchen.
  “Yup!” he answered as he tucked his feet into his sneakers.
  “Tell her I said hi!” she said as her head poked out from the kitchen door. “And do try to work up some courage; I want grandkids sooner rather than later.”
  “M-mom! I’m 16!”
  “Stop embarrassing the poor boy, Crystal,” his dad - thankfully - interrupted. “Besides, that’s what we have Jason for!”
  A neigh came from outside.
  “Well, looks like my ride is here. See you!” Syonan rushed out the door before anyone could comment about the slight streak of red on his cheeks. He looked up to see his friend on her sleek pegasus.
  “Hey Grace! Thanks for giving me a lift; Spitfire hasn’t been feeling well these past few days.”
  “No problem. Now come on, we wouldn’t want to be late!”
  He climbed on behind her, grateful that Nebula was a very patient pegasus compared to most others. After some floundering as he got up, he slid his hands around her waist, feeling them fit together like two matching puzzle pieces.
  As they took off, as always, he took the time to look at Utopia from a bird's eye view. This beautiful island in the sky truly was worthy of it's name. Formally a refuge for the gods, now it was a thriving city away from danger. Zeus and Hera, as one of the few survivors of the Genocide, had created this city in the clouds from scratch.
  “Enjoying the view?” Grace asked from in front.
  “Very much,” he grinned as they landed on the school grounds.
  When his family had discovered that he had powers, they recounted to him about how it was practically a carnival in their home. He remembered back when his seventh birthday had passed, Zeus himself was there to admit him into the Academy of Magic and Ability, or just the Academy for short.
  This was where Syonan learnt that there were people, simply known as reincarnations, for the fact that their powers stem from the soul of a dead god from the Genocide. According to Zeus on that fateful day, if the body were ever somehow destroyed, the soul would still live on, but it would need a body to inhabit. In the case of Ares and Apollo, their souls went to him.
  “However,” he had cautioned the extremely excited 7-year-old then. “Your powers might be slightly diluted since you have two souls.”
  And to find out that his longtime childhood friend was also going as the reincarnation of Aphrodite was the cherry on top of the sundae.
  “Hello Syonan, Grace.”
  He looked over from the stables to see Hera tending to the garden in front of the Academy. According to what he had learnt from the History professor, Hera seemed to have mellowed down a lot, especially in matters that concerned her husband. She was mostly a stern but very caring teacher compared to the days of the past when she would literally hunt down any woman Zeus had gotten together with.
  “You have to give her credit though,” Grace had once commented offhandedly, “If she had put up with all that cheating, she deserves a medal!”
  “How are you two?” Hera asked them in greeting, which they responded with a smile. “Good to know,” she said before facing Syonan. “Zeus and I need to see you after classes. Do not worry, it has nothing to do with your grades,” she reassured once she saw his alarmed expression. She dismissed them to class before they were late as she said a quick goodbye.
  Now Syonan sat in his class as he doodled in his notebook, Grace diligently taking notes next to him, wondering what it was exactly that they wanted to talk about.