The Warriors of Aregon--Vol 1

CHAPTER FIVE, PT 1

"ZIOS!"

The god ducked out from behind a pillar of jagged rock, his face slightly pale and sweaty, but he might've just been doing some weight-lifting to pass the time.

"Oh! Genex! There you are. I was worried you weren't going to show!" He looked down at the gleaming blade Genex had clutched in his left hand, holding it so tight his knuckles were white. "What's that out for? It's a bit early in the training session, don't you think?" He laughed, but he sounded nervous. The laugh sounded forced.

"I knew you lied to me!" Genex exclaimed, waving his sword angrily as he talked. Zios, still 50 yards away, took a step back, as if worried the sword would lash out and bite him.

"I—I—I didn't—" Zios stuttered, sounding actually scared for once. It was a refreshing feeling, though part of Genex felt guilty for thinking one of his mentor's fear was fun.

"Yes, you did!" Genex yelled, trying to just go with it and not let the adrenaline get too far away. "I know everything now! I know the truth!" Genex held up his sword.

"No!" Zios ran forward. He paused, staring up at the sky. Suddenly, with a crack of lightning, Osires came tumbling out of the clouds.

He slammed into the ground, righting himself with a stern, "No Underworld, Genex!" Obviously, Genex ignored him, thrusting out his sword and pulling himself forward until he tumbled out of the Realm of the Gods.

"WHO DARES COME NEAR MY—Oh good gods, kid, not you again." The heavy voice of Pantheos boomed out over the cavernous entrance to the Underworld. "When are the others going to come collect you?" the god complained. "I don't have time for this! I'm a busy god! If the others aren't going to come, I might as well just incinerate you. I don't have all day to babysit."

Genex felt the air around him heat up, slowly becoming electrically super-charged.

"Wait!" He helped, holding out his sword and trying to sound brave. The live cremation stopped abruptly, Pantheos seeming surprised to have someone talk back to him. He waited in silent surprise for the demigod to go on.

"I..." Genex didn't think this would be hard. This whole time, he had really just wanted to find his family. But... he shook his head, but the thought came back. What if Pantheos didn't believe him and just incinerated him anyways?

"It's me! Genex! Your..." his voice caught, but Pantheos didn't speak, as if he was holding his breath in anticipation. The air in the cavern was getting thinner by the second.

"Your son. The one from the prophecy."

Genex expected some sort of giant banner to fall from the ceiling with confetti and a bunch of reanimated corpses yelling, "Welcome home!" or something nice like that. Instead, Pantheos just snorted.

"I only have one son, kid. You don't need to specify."

Genex bit his lip. Pantheos didn't believe him, and he was going to get incinerated without ever finding a home and making it up to the other gods. Shadows began funneling from the top of the cavern, blocked from Genex's sight by a few jagged stalactites. They solidified on the ground into a young man, probably in his early 20s, wearing an iridescent silver cloak over a deep maroon suit. He pushed a pair of sunglasses up on his head.

"Genex." He strolled up leisurely, placing a hand on the demigod's shoulder. "Calm down. I believe you. Your panic is making all the skeletons you're standing on top of restless." The god smiled warmly, ignoring Genex tripping and looking nervously at the ground. "I've been waiting a long time for you to come home."