Horkos

Chapter Three: {SAFFRON}

This is the last of the 3-chapter sample provided on Wattpad. The rest of the book will be found on Amazon. It is available for pre-order and will be published on January 20, 2023.

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I've always been frightened of my truth.

The caliginous part of myself that I always knew existed in the darkest crevices of my mind. I fought against the power. That familiarized sizzle in my veins was the enemy, and I was the victim to its magic. I felt its presence in every hidden part of myself, but I internally chanted my normalcy. Nothing was out of the ordinary; my life wasn't momentous or exhilarating or worthwhile. This power wasn't real because fear outweighed my instinctual epiphany that I am more than human. More than the traditional demi-god. Perhaps more than any living immortal.

I hear Hattie scream, and light shines where I hide my truth.

My magic says hello.

I rise from the place where I fell, black droplets of river water falling off the tip of my nose, and I embrace everything that makes me abnormal. Power rushes through my blood. The strings that connect me to every immortal body come alive once again, akin to my fight with Sika.

The long-face huntress's words from our spar in Hermes's mansion return, whispering their words of encouragement in my ear. No matter how small the chance is, she once said with motivation lacing her words. You still have one to slay those who dare to see you as easy prey.

Her honesty becomes my symphony.

There isn't a sword in my hand, but I reach out and beckon one forth without words. Innocent mortals scream, and the sound ricochets through the Underworld, which was once a beacon of peace. The villains believe themselves triumphant with each frightened soul they torment. The handle of a sword smacks into my open palm, and as I curl my fingers around the instrument, my vision is in shades of red and gold.

I'm gliding up the castle steps separating me from saving my best friend and countless others. The staircase was my greatest foe only a few days prior; now, they are nothing more than a slight inconvenience. In what feels like seconds, I am ripping open the doors to the castle and entering my home that has become a battleground.

Streaks of crimson brutalize the previous amicability. The guilty reckoners are still within my home and are laughing at their purposeful mayhem, while the virtuous lay deceased. Freed humans won by my parents are dead upon the floor with their clothes torn by claws and their skin mutilated beyond repair.

I can smell the pungent stench of blood, hear the screech of weapons against the floors before they drive into flesh, and feel the decay of hope with each slowed heartbeat. Wide, unblinking eyes are staring at me, mutely pleading for retribution for their unfortunate demise.

Red blood sticks to my feet as I run past them. Silently, I pledge to avenge each of their deaths.

On my way to find Hattie, I witness every depraved act Kronos's followers have inflicted without a morsel of a conscious. These villains see their slaughter as a proud achievement in their vile existence, but each gasping and thrashing body brings upon a rage within me that will remind them of the gravity of their mistakes. Each time I come across a traitorous human or barbarous titan, I make sure they see the rage in my scowl and the hatred for their crimes in my eyes before my sword slashes down upon them.

Their blood splatters my face and hair, but I can still hear Hattie's screams. She begs for mercy in a world devoid of kindness. There isn't time to process the fact that I am becoming a murderer, my blade an extension of my body. I let the rage and vengeance possess me.