Chapter 43: Chapter 43

S A V A N N A H

WE STARED AT Kyle in awe and disbelief in the silence that followed his unexpected revelation.

I looked at Søren for some sort of explanation, but he appeared equally surprised; obviously having heard of this part only now as well.

“Your mother was a half-blood god?” Hera was the first to start. “How…is that even…What are you, child?”

She was raising all sorts of valid points —because half-blood gods did not normally live long enough to have descendants. But Kyle’s mother had lived —or more appropriately, survived —long enough to meet someone and settle down. That made him intriguing.

It also raised the question of what exactly made up the half of his DNA.

In other words…what had his father been?

Kyle clicked his tongue. “I do not know exactly what I am, but I can assure you that I do not have any godly powers,” he assured. “My mother, though, was a very skilled pyrokinetic.”

I immediately stiffened.

If she had had fire manipulation abilities but still got hunted down, what chance did I have? My powers were not exactly helping my case in the context of that fact. Luckily for the time being, only Hades and Søren knew about it.

“She might have been executed with some of the others in 2001,” Hera murmured, more to Zeus than anyone else. “But unfortunately, Elizabeth Roland does not ring a bell.”

“It certainly should not,” Horkos remarked.

Kyle glared at the reigning god and goddess as his grip on his dagger tightened considerably. “Oh, I’ll ring a damn bell —because what I’m hearing is that not only did you not hold fair trials, but you also can’t be bothered to remember those from whom you rob lives.”

“Do not use that accusing tone with us, Reaper,” Zeus snapped. “It is not necessary nor practical to remember the name of every half-blood god if they are just going to die anyway.”

Most of us were understandably offended.

“How can you say that?” Kyle demanded, stomping his foot. “How can you trivialise murder? Do mortals mean nothing to you? In fact — that makes it all the worse. How dare you!”

“Kyle, cool it,” Søren said firmly, putting a hand on his shoulder. Kyle glared at him but hesitated, and then reluctantly held his tongue. “…Think about what you’re saying,” Søren advised him.

Then he turned to Zeus.

“He’s really…emotional right now,” the Trainer assured. “He’s just lashing out at you —and you know what? He has got the right to. You took his mother away from him. He doesn’t have anything else. And he will never forgive you for it.”

“You’re damn right I won’t,” Kyle spat. “You gods have no idea of the suffering you have inflicted over the years. It will never be okay.” His voice broke at the end, and he turned around sharply to hide his face from everyone’s view.

There was a beat of silence.

I bit my lip with worry. Assuming that his father was human, Kyle was the child of a half-blood god —so that made him…a quarter-blood god?

I then frowned. That did not sound right. There had to be a word for what he was. Or at the very least, another recorded or known example of his kind.

I titled my head to the side as I studied him. He seemed on edge. I did not blame him for lashing out and screaming at the gods —that was very appropriate. My concern was if the treaty extended to half-blood god offspring too. I glanced at Zeus and Hera, who were sharing grave looks between themselves. They seemed to be having a kind of telepathic conversation —the slight change in their expressions suggested consideration and even a little surprise.

“Was your father a mortal?” finally Hera was the one to ask the burning question. I would have asked but speaking out of turn at this stage felt like an instant death penalty.

“Or…something else perhaps?” Zeus added, narrowing his eyes.

“He was a human mortal,” Kyle assured them with a mocking smirk. “So, as you can see, I’m not a threat to you.”

“The fact that you do not possess any godly powers is irrelevant in this discussion,” Hera quipped, sticking up her nose in a desirably superior gesture. “The issue at hand is if the possibility is still…well, possible.”

“You think as a little mixed blood immortal that I could still get powers?” Kyle questioned, narrowing his eyes right back at them.

“Mixed blood?” Zeus scoffed. “Do not flatter yourself. I doubt there is enough ichor within you for you to even call yourself mixed.”

Kyle growled, but this time it was Chainsaw Guy who stopped him from doing anything.

“All the guy wants is some answers,” Chainsaw Guy started. “You already took away his mother. The least you can do is give him an explanation.”

I raised an eyebrow. So maybe Chainsaw Guy was not as much of a selfish prick as I had previously thought.

I might even consider calling him by his real name.

My attention then turned to Hera, who had stood up and cleared her throat. Her rose quartz eyes swept over everyone, before settling on Kyle.

Her expression did not show any remorse, nor pity. She was as still and neutral as a statue; passing silent judgement. Her husband stood by her side with a similar look —but there was a hint of regret glinting in his sapphire eyes; as though he understood what had been done.

“The half-bloods were killed off because of the danger they posed to both the divine and mundane worlds,” Zeus explained. “Their inherited powers are unpredictable and clearly threaten mortal lives. Revealing the truth about offspring of the divine would be catastrophic for the mundane plane.”

I gawked at him. If that were the case, then how much of a threat did I really pose as a Grim Reaper. Or potentially, even Kyle?

“…Reapers are no exception,” Zeus then added, glancing directly at me.

Hera then stepped forward. “I am not going to stand here and lie to you that I regret or feel sorry for the death of your mother,” she started. “And I am not saying that I wanted her dead, either. My feeling towards the half-bloods is pure indifference. It does not affect me, and I certainly never wish to be involved in the actual executions. But,” she sighed, “I understand the human condition and the love of family. After all, I am the goddess of it,” she said rather smugly, placing a hand on her chest self-righteously. “So, I am prepared to offer you a deal. In exchange for taking your soul, you will have immunity in the Underworld to be reborn into a favoured upbringing which I will oversee myself.”

“Excuse me?” Hades quipped, with an edge to his voice. “You have the audacity to attempt to override my ability to assign judgement on the dead? What gives you the right —”

“This is not an offer that will be repeated,” Hera warned, completely ignoring the younger god. “Nor will it be offered to anyone else. Think very carefully about your answer.”

I gasped as everyone’s jaws dropped. What she had just said seemed unreal. I looked at Kyle, who had not immediately reacted, but whose facial expression was of one musing. I frowned in disbelief.

No way.

It looked as though he were actually thinking about it.

“What kind of a deal is that?” Abigail then demanded in outrage, glaring at the goddess. “How is it fair?”

“Silence,” Hera snapped. “I was not speaking to you, Reaper. This concerns Kyle only.”

Everyone looked at the Reaper.

His head was bowed, and he still did not say anything. But then I frowned as I realised something. Maybe it truly was a feasible option. He had no family and he was somewhat immortal. Doomed. This was a kind of existence out of which he could not get.

Maybe it was a good deal after all.

“Kyle, please don’t do this,” Abigail then pleaded. “You know that you can’t fully trust the gods.”

“I take offence to that,” Hera hissed.

“I don’t,” Zeus shrugged.

“Well, I too am offended,” Horkos spoke up again, much to everyone’s annoyance —not just the deities. “I am the god of oaths. If any god deserves to be trusted, it is me.”

“What a load of bullshit,” Hades immediately scoffed. “I cannot believe my ears. If any god shouldn’t be trusted, it is you. You are supposed to be the god of oaths, but you always manage to go out of your way to be a two-faced conniving little —”

“I beg your pardon, but I am in fact the god of oaths, and not the god of justice,” Horkos cut him off.

“The only thing that you are the god of, is the god of screwing people over,” Hades raised his voice slightly, and I felt his hand quake beneath me.

Horkos’ eyes pulsed a warning as he growled. “How dare you —”

“Enough,” Hera sighed, reaching up to rub her right temple. “You two are going to give me a headache.”

“And you fight like little children,” Zeus remarked, rolling his eyes.

Hades snorted. “You would know, brother.”

“What was that?” Zeus sneered.

The gods could have carried on insulting each other and bickering forever if you let them, but we did not have the luxury of such time.

I supposed that if you were a god and had spent millennia with the same beings and pretended like you were all one big happy family; you too would have snapped at every chance that you got.

“Would everyone just shut up!” Kyle finally shouted, silencing the throne room. His shoulders heaved up and down in anger, before he stomped his foot and growled. “…I am trying to make a really hard decision right now. I don’t know if it’s right, but it doesn’t feel…wrong.”

I blinked.

Abigail was about to kill someone.

No one was happy to hear the words that had just come out of his mouth —except for Hera. She stood there with a rather smug smile on her marble face.

“So, you would really throw all of this away for another life?” Abigail asked him. He turned to face her. He did not look guilty.

He looked like this was something that he had to do.

“…How can you be so sure that she’ll keep her end of the deal?” Abigail then spat, glaring at Hera in disgust.

“I swear upon the River Styx,” Hera answered, her eyes widening in earnest. “He has no reason not to trust me,” she assured.

No one looked too sure about that.

“…I lost my mother,” Kyle then said quietly. “I can’t see my father —he won’t recognise me for me. I have…no reason to stick around. Not even as a Grim Reaper,” he murmured, glancing downwards. He dropped his dagger, and it hit the marble floor with a melodious clang. “So, I’ll take your offer, Lady Hera. I will give up my soul.”

The goddess smiled triumphantly and clasped her hands together in what appeared to be excitement.

“No!” Abigail cried, lurching forward.

Chainsaw Guy immediately grabbed her at the waist and stopped her from moving too far. “…Kyle, please,” she pleaded, struggling to escape Chainsaw Guy’s strong grip. “Please don’t do this. Remember what we talked about. You are not alone.”

“I have made up my mind,” Kyle announced gravely. Then he softened as Abigail stopped struggling, looking at him with indignant eyes. “I’m sorry. There’s nothing you can offer me that will make me stay. Thanks for trying, though,” he smiled weakly.

Abigail shook her head, as tears started streaming down her face. I looked between her and Kyle; confused if anything. She was trying extremely hard to stop him. That was not what I was confused about —of course wanting to save Kyle from a scheming goddess was a valid cause. But what I did not understand was why she was so…angry.

What was their relationship?

“I am so glad you have agreed to my offer,” Hera gushed as she picked up her skirts and scurried over to him.

Søren and Chainsaw Guy took several steps backwards in disdain; taking Abigail with them. Even Phee-Phee cowered away from the vast goddess; ducking behind Søren and dimming his flames.

Kyle, however, did not move an inch and bravely stood his ground; looking Hera right in the eyes.

It was a moment to be described as, ‘staring down certain death’.

“Let this be a milestone and example for all mortals with divine blood in them,” Hera smiled. “Perhaps we just might offer this to half-bloods instead of executing them, after all.”

“So, you won’t execute Savannah, then?” Kyle concluded rather hopefully. I bit my nails nervously and hoped along with him.

But Hera laughed dejectedly like it was intended to be an offensive joke —with the marble around her eyes unable to crease like skin, so she looked manically creepy. Her smile wavered as she did not manage to get a reaction out of the Reaper.

“…I said that I might,” she murmured, turning up her nose. “Besides. You no longer have to concern yourself with her —or any of these rebellious creations, ever again,” she smiled wider, before raising her hand.

Everyone froze, uncertain of what she was going to do. Abigail and Chainsaw Guy seemed to have an idea though, because their eyes grew to the size of saucers.

“Have a pleasant next life,” Hera smiled. Then she slowly waved her hand from side to side.

A white mist wafted out from the centre of her palm, curling through the air down towards Kyle. The mist enveloped him; circling around his body like a masochistic shiver of sharks.

Kyle became nervous then.

I drew a sharp breath as I noticed how the mist began fading away and taking his form with it, starting from his feet.

He looked up at me guiltily when his bottom half had completely disappeared. He mouthed the words, ‘I’m sorry’, before closing his eyes and succumbing to the mist —leaving a shower of dust where he had been.

I blinked, and a tear slid down my cheek.

“No…” Abigail gasped. “…No, no, no!”

Chainsaw Guy still had his grip on her, to keep her from charging at the goddess and only to be consequently flicked at the wall like a small irritant bug.

So, she turned to me instead.

“This is all your fault,” she accused. “You made him do it. He would still be here if it wasn’t for you. It’s all your fault!” she screamed, fighting against Chainsaw Guy.

“No, I didn’t mean to cause anyone harm…I didn’t ask him to sacrifice himself —” I panicked, desperate to be understood as genuine.

“It’s all your fault!” she cut me off, crying again. “It’s all…your fault,” she sobbed. I dithered as Chainsaw Guy pulled her away into a hug and shot me a look. I had never felt worse; so torn up.

“It’s not Savannah’s fault,” Søren defended me. “It’s not anyone’s fault. You did what you could. There is nothing more that you could have done.”

Abigail continued crying and did not seem like she wanted to hear any of it.

I looked up at Hades for some sort of reassurance, but all that he could offer me was an unconvincing shrug. I indignantly rubbed my no doubt reddening face, before folding my arms and turning my back to what was left of my rescue team. I could not face them after that.

Abigail was right.

I should have done something, not just stood and watched. I clenched my fists and dug my fingernails into my palms.

“You are right. Kyle made his choice,” Hera then sighed, dusting her hands and turning to walk back to her throne. She paused, before glancing over her shoulder nonchalantly.

“…Now it is time for you to make yours.”