NINETEEN

  The boy wanted to escape his mortal prison. Trying to play the insane was easy. Shouting, pleading, and hitting his head against the wall…the husky soldier replied with a laugh. They got used to it. So, he began telling stories to them.

  ***

  Dimitri still couldn’t believe what was happening. What he saw right in front of his big eyes. That woman was a monster. His teacher had only wrath and darkness inside his immortal heart. As he was moving up and down the cold, dark blue walls, trying to find the exit, there was the queen with a dreadful gaze as she was holding a black box.

  The boy couldn’t stop admiring her beauty. Even when her face had such sorrow, her mortal features were stronger than those of any other god he had met. No wings or horns, or insects crawling on her face.

  ‘’Your grace’’Dimitri swallowed and tried to bow, and hoped that the Queen didn’t see his blushing face. How pretty she wasinh her mourning attire?

  ‘’You saw it, didn’t you?’’She asked. ‘’What your teacher has done.’’

  He lifted his face up.’’Most of it’’He tried to forget what he once believed about his teacher, and yet he also wished everything was a lie.

  ‘’Will you abandon your teacher?’’She asked gently.

  The teacher gave me a house.

  Did he?

  gave me knowledge,

  what do you know?

  He gave…

  Who is this teacher you are talking about?

  The boy responded with silence. ‘’I already knew that he was a bad person, but I hoped that he would…’’He cut off his words. ‘’He would change, but the scales showed the result after he spoke.’’

  The Queen's brow arched. ‘’You think that’’Her lips trembled. ‘’What do you think those rusty scales do?’’

  The boy blinked with innocence. ‘’Judge you for your sins?’’

  And Queen Persephone laughed. ‘’They judge you for your truth. They judge the breaking of your hubris’’

  Oh.

  Dimitri’s eyes widen. All the cruel things he said were lies. His teacher was so prideful that he would rather lie than admit defeat. And he would rather curse everyone than reveal his weaknesses.

  ‘’But why? He wants to save someone, but why does he feel wrong about doing it?’’

  The queen smiled as if the boy already knew the answer.

  And then another question struck his half empty brain.

  ‘’Why are you here?’’His voice was now soft with the curiosity trying to escape.

  ‘’I want to help you’’She explained.

  ‘’Why?’’ The boy asked again, and the queen smiled once again.

  The gods are being forgotten. And the king of the underworld starts to forget.

  Zagreu, she called the mortal boy. Zagreus knew the boy knew he was gone. But why would he want everything to be forgotten? Were they so prideful to free someone outside the punishment? Hermes did say that the man inside the prison could help them.

  And there were the mourning eyes of the woman once again. She tried to take a few deep breaths before offering the box.

  ‘’No matter what you will choose’’ She whispered close to him, and Dimitri could now smell the sweet scent of citrus and pomegranate coming from her braided hair.

  ‘’Don’t let him take those things.’’

  And the queen let out a soft motherly kiss inside.

  ‘’Tartarus is not only a prison’’She whispered again, and Dimitri tried to remember the last time someone treated him so kindly. ‘’It will trap your mind and soul until it’s too late and stay for eternity.’’

  The boy simply nodded and saw the woman walking away. A few seconds passed, and the boy took a look at the box. Flowers were carved in the black wood with gold splashing to the keyhole. But the boy opened it at ease to simply see Hermes’ staff and the knife.

  ‘’Good job’’Spoke Hermes right behind him as they both stayed in the dark walls. Dimitri understood that he actually came to the underworld, and there was a worry tingling his spine.

  ‘’Don’t worry, kid, I haven’t seen your teacher yet but’’There was that smile of deception, and the boy took a better look at him. This time, his feet belonged to a ram as a pair of wings grew around his ankles. From his forearms through his neck, silver fur was being dressed above his skin, while there was the dark mourning clothing on his waist and torso. For a second, the boy thought about how serious he looked compared to the other times. As if he were holding the entire power in his fingertips at that exact moment.

  ‘’I will meet him soon’’His sharp fingers tried to grab the box, but the boy backed away.

  ‘’I have the dagger’’He explained.’’Now, do as you promised’’

  The god clicked his tongue. ‘’Not yet, I need you to do one more-’’

  The boy shook his head with the sudden face of fear hitting his heart. He began walking backwards, and the god kept flying at his side.

  ‘’What will you do, kid?’’ His wings from his head moved up.’’Will you give them to your teacher after everything you saw?’’

  The boy narrowed his eyes as he felt ashamed for the fact that he saw the trial. He knew that the scales were now about the truth, but the boy still could see the horrors.

  This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

  ‘’You think that you will be safe with him?’’He chuckled.’’No, the only thing that he will do is use you and leave you alone.’’

  A second of silence. ‘’You are right’’The boy admitted.

  ‘’All along, you were right that my teacher was cruel, he would hurt me, and he did.’’His eyes looked up to the god.

  ‘’But the teacher was not the only one that I saw in the past’’

  Hermes’ mouth parted.

  ‘’I saw what you did to her’’He let out a growling tone.

  ‘’That was a long time ago.’’Hermes pouted.

  ‘’Not long enough for her to still hate you’’

  Her petrified expression when she always knew he was near. Haunting her slowly, making her lose her mind.

  The boy kept his high ground as he tried to make the god leave.

  ‘’She hates you so much that she tried for centuries to resent you. But you both haven’t realized that you and she are the same.’’

  Hermes chuckled.

  ‘’The way you speak, you lie, you pretend to care, even the way you breathe is the same.’’

  ‘’Careful, boy’’

  ‘’You are telling me to choose between you and her?’’His voice arched. ‘’I say that you both go kill each other-’’

  Hermes sneered and tried to attack the boy with his claws, and the boy instantly drew the covered dagger out of the box. Immediately, the god stopped and stared at the boy. Not with pity or with mocking.

  But with a simple fear.

  Dimitri’s big eyes opened even wider as he realized something fast. The god had lied to him.

  There was the bitter taste inside his mouth once more.

  ‘’You said that it can hurt Teacher’’

  Hermes nodded, and Dimitri moved the dagger closer to his silver neck.

  ‘’Why are you the one who runs?’’

  ‘’Come now, kid, relax.’’ There was a light chuckle, and he tried to move his arms to open, but the boy kept the dagger at a close distance. The god was terrified of him. He had power against him.

  ‘’Without this, right now the only thing that can hurt the teacher is you’’ He let out a rasp. ‘’Why? What is this?’’

  ‘’Why don’t you lower the covered blade?’’He still tried to move, and Dimtri could feel the power now shifting between him and the god.

  So, he took a deep breath and touched the cover of the dagger.

  ‘’Why shall I do it, Herald of the gods?’’ The boy rasped and gripped the blade even tighter.

  He had the power now, and he wouldn’t lose it. Not now that he had finally felt how good it is.

  ‘’Give me my memories back or.’’

  The god laughed.

  ‘’What memories?’’The god tilted his head to the right.

  And the boy’s gaze sharpened. ‘’My memories, the ones you stole.’’

  The god flew now as he was restingino his bed and let out a humming melody.

  ‘’Funny, I forget what memories those were exactly.’’ His pearly white teeth glanced and the boy gulped.

  ‘’The memories I had about….’’

  His words were cut off. Where was he again? He took a look at the obsidian walls and the dark, empty cells while a green fire was blazing on each torch. That wasn’t the home that he wanted to return to.

  Return where?

  Strange, he could remember he was being hunted by soldiers in Crete and then found the ship. Did the ship guide him there?

  His heart raced fast as his eyes looked down at the dagger and a strange necklace. It must be valuable, he thought, and placed the necklace inside the box while he hid the dagger in his fabric.

  ‘’Oh, what’s going on, boy? You want something that you lost, and still, you can’t remember what it was?’’

  Who was that? The sweaty boy looked up and began screaming and falling to the ground. The monstrous man faced him, confused.

  ‘’What’s the matter Dimitri?’’ The snaky voice rasped.

  ‘’Demon, get away from me.’’ He shouted, and the monster growled.

  ‘’Calm down, Dimitri.’’

  ‘’Who is Dimitri?’’

  Who was that boy? With no name and no memories except that he was an orphan and a runaway and a thief. And that someone once gave him a name. But that someone is now gone from his head.

  The lips of the monster widened with security.

  ‘’I am a friend’’His voice was so sweet for a monster. ‘’You can’t remember your own name? But your parents gave it to you’’

  The boy shook his head. ‘’No, it was’’His mind began spinning.’’I can’t remember’’

  The monster hushed. ‘’It will be alright. I will help you remember.’’

  There was warmth on the monster’s claws. A naive warmth that made the boy with no name move closer to him. As if he wanted to follow the demon forever.

  ‘’Boy’’A rough voice shouted, and the demon vanished.

  Now, in front of him, there was a strange warrior of a man with a painful gaze. His hands were covered in red, while his panting was heavy. His wounded eyes looked down where there was a box. How did it end up there?

  The man in green opened the box and was concerned as if something was not right.

  ‘’Boy’’He cupped the young man’s cheek. ‘’Where is the dag-’’

  His words were cut as he was looking at the empty expression that belonged to the boy. Who was that strange man?

  But there was a soft smile coming from his face. ‘’Are you alright, Dimitri?’’

  That’s your name. The god whispered.

  So, Dimitri nodded.

  The teacher sighed with relief and helped him get up, but the boy passed out on the man’s lap.

  Such a familiar scent. And he couldn’t understand where it was coming from.

  In his sleep, the boy remembered everything. Who he was and what his reason was there.

  And that monster that was now in front of him was the herald of the gods, Hermes.

  ‘’What did you do to me?’’He shouted at the god. The boy could still feel his mind mushing left and right, being a simple statue for a few seconds, not even knowing who he was or what his name was…

  ‘’Why didn’t I know my name?’’ asked Dimitri, and he replied with a shrug.

  ‘’Honestly, I don’t know, but you saw what is happening if you continue questioning me.’’ He leaned close to his stiff shoulder, and the boy replied with a snarl.

  ‘’So, from now on, you will do as I say or else’’He cupped the boy’s face and pulled him closer, studying his expression.

  ‘’I will make sure that I will let your soul haunt the earth for eternity. No elysium, asphodels, or tartarus. You will simply be there’’’He chuckled.

  With fear in his soul now, the boy could understand how easy the power could be at fingertipsands. And also how easily it was to escape. He could no longer fight, he could no longer argue or even speak.

  ‘’Do you understand now?’’His claws dug deep into the flesh.

  ‘’Yes, sir.’’