Mortal

Chapter 30

The party lasts for a few hours. Eventually, it's time for the banquet. Zeus calls everyone into a dining hall, and we all sit down. Well, all the deities do. I am not allowed to sit at the table. I am forced to kneel down behind Phareth's chair.

I hear Zeus giving a speech, but I don't listen to it.

I feel myself start to get hungry. All I've eaten since breakfast is a slice of chocolate cake. It's now past noon.

Phareth taps me on the shoulder. I look up. He is holding a small plate. On it is a sandwich, and a few cooked vegetables. I eagerly take it. Phareth presses his finger to his mouth as a shushing signal. There's no way he's allowed to be giving me this. If we were caught, I'm sure he'd get into serious trouble. Eldwinus would have gotten slightly mad and yelled, but Zeus seems to have an even worse temper.

I quickly eat the food, looking up every so often to make sure nobody sees. The food is amazing; I've never tasted anything so good.

When I finish, I give the plate back to Phareth. He puts it next to his to make it look like he ate it himself. What a strange world this is, where I have to eat food in secret.

Zeus stands up.

"Now that everyone is here, I will now announce the next candidates. If I call your name, you are to stand up and walk over to Demeter. She will take you to the trials."

A mortal servant walks up to Zeus with a piece of paper and gives it to him. He reads from it.

"Nyada Dayani of Sky Haven!"

Nyada is one of the candidates? What are the odds?

She walks over to the door, where Demeter is standing.

"Septimus Flavius of Aurileia!

Agmundr Falk of Marinsola! Roah Newbrix of Mikroa! Arunix Rux of Dyoma! Eaura Agnes of Olympus!"

All the deities stand up. Zeus flips the page to reveal the last candidate.

"Narin Ariz of Silvania!"

The final god stands up. He is tall, and is very buff. His hair is deep blue, and his skin is light blue. The sight of him makes me slightly nervous.

When he walks past me, he gives me a look. I don't think I'm going to like him.

Once all the deities are next to Demeter, she leads them out the door.

"Everyone else, you are dismissed!"
I follow Phareth and Tsareth out of the palace. Once we are outside, they teleport us back home.

Looking at the clock, I realize that it's almost midnight. Phareth and Tsareth go into the shower. I go to bed.

When I get in bed, I quickly find that I can't sleep, because I'm scared I'm going to have another nightmare. I try holding my panda plush, but that doesn't work either.

I get out of bed and levitate down the steps. I get downstairs just as Phareth and Tsareth are getting out of the shower.

On the way to their room, Tsareth affectionately ruffles my hair.
Since I can't sleep, I sit on the couch. I find Phareth's sketchbook in between the couch cushions. I decide to look through it.

Phareth has many drawings. Most of the pages are filled in. I see one of me. I've been drawn as a little child. A pacifier is in my mouth, and I'm reaching up as if expecting to be held.

I laugh. He has intentionally drawn this to appear cute. Of course he did.

I decide to draw something of my own. Taking the pencil out from the last used page of the book, I start to draw.