All the demigods lowered their heads, the pain of Hers’ words sinking into them like a blade; in that mont, they didn’t feel strong or chosen or special—they felt small, unwanted, like bugs waiting to be crushed.
And for Kael, deep in his chest, he felt sothing stir—it wasn’t sadness, but anger, sharp—because the gods had never seen them as family, never as their own blood; their only purpose was to carry out the gods’ dirty work, to bleed and die in their na, while the ones on Olympus sat high above, untouched, watching as demigods were thrown into battle after battle... like tools to be used, then forgotten.
Since the gods wouldn’t look after the demigods... then he would.
Kael turned and walked past Hers, his steps slow but steady. He stopped in front of the Holy Knights, eting each of their eyes.
"Don’t worry," he said, voice low. "I’ll bring them back."
He tried to sound calm—maybe even reassuring—but there was sothing heavier behind it. Like he needed to believe it, too.
Hers cut in, sharp and cold.
"And how will you accomplish that?"
Kael’s gaze didn’t waver.
"Let worry about that."
He paused, his gaze sharpened as he turned back to Hers, the shadows around his feet flickering with the weight of sothing divine. Ready to strike if needed.
"But you..." he said, voice sharpening, "you tell Zeus to prepare for their invasion."
The silence that followed felt heavy, and all eyes turned to Kael—the boy who had just commanded a god without flinching.
He turned slowly to Damon, locking eyes with him.
"That’s the ssage Orion told you to send... isn’t it?"
Damon stood there still, then gave a single nod. It was slow, but heavy.
"I won’t bother Zeus with sothing this small," Hers said, casual—almost too casual.
"If they co, we’ll help them find what they’re looking for... and send them on their way."
He glanced at Kael, and for a second, his eyes held sothing unreadable. Sothing he wasn’t saying out loud.
"I doubt anyone will go against the gods," he said, voice low.
There was sothing in the way he spoke—like he already had a good idea of what was coming... and maybe, just maybe, he knew exactly what they were looking for.
His voice turned sharp.
"I’m sorry—I didn’t hear you right, delivery man. Repeat that."
Just then Chiron stepped forward, his voice quiet but steady, trying to reach Kael—urging him to stop, to walk away before this turned into sothing they couldn’t undo.
"Back off, Chiron!" Kael snapped.
Hers moved in, slow but furious. His eyes were wild, and the air around him cracked—divine power bleeding out with every step.
"What did you just say... brat of Hades?" he hissed, voice like a blade drawn in the dark.
Kael stood his ground. He t the god’s gaze without a trace of fear, his eyes calm... and cold.
"Be a good boy," he said, voice steady. "And deliver the ssage to your father."
The pressure around them intensified.
Hers didn’t grow—but it felt like he had. His presence stretched across the field, heavy and unnatural. Kael swore for a second... it felt like the god was staring down at him from a throne in the sky.
"Am I supposed to be scared, mailman?" Kael asked, his voice calm—mocking, like the weight of a god ant nothing to him.
Hers growled, low and dangerous, the sound barely human.
"Kid... you must really want to die."
"Who’s going to kill ? You?" Kael asked, a grin cutting across his face. "A mailman?"
Hers didn’t answer right away. His voice dropped low, thunder rumbling beneath the surface—like the sky itself knew what was coming next.
"Kneel, halflings."
The command hit like a shockwave.
All the demigods dropped to the ground instantly, their bodies forced down by a pressure they couldn’t resist.
All of them—except Kael.
He stood tall, unfazed.
"I don’t kneel to anyone," Kael said coldly, eyes locked on Hers. "But if you kneel... I might pretend I didn’t hear your pathetic attempt at disrespect."
The air didn’t move. Nobody breathed.
Then Hers spoke, voice low and shaking—with fury he couldn’t hide.
"What did you say?"
"Go do your job," Kael said, voice low, defiant. "Tell Zeus what I said."
He wanted this.
He wanted Hers to snap.
And he did.
The god’s face contorted with rage. His voice dropped, trembling with divine fury.
"Bow," Hers commanded. "Bow before your god, or be buried beneath him."
Light exploded from his palm—wild, unstable. Sparks danced up his arm, lightning threading through his veins as he raised his fist, aiming to bring it down on Kael... and erase him where he stood.
But just as the attack launched—
A ripple tore through the ground.
Pride surged up from Kael’s shadow in a blur of smoke, his form towering—eyes burning, rage carved into every movent.
He caught the god’s fist mid-air with one hand, fingers locking around it like iron. Hers tried to pull free—he couldn’t.
Kael didn’t even look at them.
He turned to the students instead, voice calm but sharp.
"All of you—go back inside the building."
Then he looked to Nyx, his tone dropping.
"Cast a barrier. Keep them safe."
The shadows moved like they were alive, dancing around Kael’s feet—slow, restless, hungry.
He didn’t flinch. His eyes never left Hers.
There was no fear in them anymore—only silence. Heavy.
After everything he had lost, this was the gods’ answer?
Arrogance.
Pride.
Threats.
Orion and Selene were still alive. If they moved, they could be saved... and not a single god cared.
Sothing shifted inside him. Sothing cold.
He wasn’t searching for approval anymore.
He wasn’t hoping they’d understand.
He was done waiting.
If the gods wouldn’t change...
Then he would make them.
In a deep, thunderous voice, Pride spoke:
"My king only bows to death—and even it waits its turn."
The words echoed, vibrating through the air.
Nyx’s eyes widened, her body tense.
Chiron didn’t move. He just stared, stunned—like he’d been dreading this mont for a long ti... and now it was here.
They both knew.
The prophecy was coming true.
But it was too early.
Far too early.
And all around them, the students scread—fear rippling through the crowd like a wave.
The Helm of Darkness ford over Kael’s head, piece by piece—black steel and shadow weaving together like smoke given form.
Armor crawled up his body, forged from the depths of the Underworld itself—cold, silent, alive.
The pressure around the school spiked.
Students dropped to their knees. So passed out. So students clutched their chests, struggling to breathe—like the pressure alone was crushing their lungs.
Even with the barrier holding, a few dropped to their knees, gasping, trembling like their bodies couldn’t take it anymore.
Even the strongest among them—the upperclassn who’d faced monsters and walked away—looked pale.
Eyes wide.
Not with fear.
With panic.
This wasn’t just pressure.
It felt like death itself had stepped into their world... and looked them in the eye.
Liz and Caius watched from the back but were protected by Envy.
Hers stood frozen, eyes wide.
"What... are those?" he muttered, voice low—almost afraid.
Kael didn’t answer.
Pride moved.
In one smooth motion, Pride lifted Hers off the ground—his hand clamped around the god’s body like it weighed nothing.
Hers’ winged sandals flailed, kicking through the air, his arms thrashing as he tried to break free—useless against the grip holding him.
But it was useless.
All that moving made Pride’s expression twist—annoyed, almost bothered.
Without a word, he slamd Hers into the ground.
Hard.
The impact cracked stone. The entire school shook. Dust blasted out in every direction—and for a mont, it felt like the earth itself had awakened.
Then he lifted him again—effortless.
Blood dripped from Hers’ nose, trailing down his lip as his head hung low, dazed.
Kael stepped forward, his voice cold, clear.
"I’m going to send you back to Zeus—wingless—so you can crawl and deliver the ssage you were supposed to."
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