"Every debt has its debtor, every injustice has its perpetrator."
This was Xaloc's firm belief. Every gratitude must be repaid and every debt must be reciprocated, not a cent more and not a dime less.
It was due to this principle that Xaloc felt uneasy anytime he visited his grandfather's grave.
One could argue that his uneasiness came from the location of the grave. His grandfather had been buried on top of a hill in the middle of a small forest. It was a cold, silent place excusing the occasional animal noises.
Xaloc did not believe that the location of the grave was the source rather it was the symbolic meaning of the grave. It was a representative of death, the one element that shreds his principles without remorse.
Debt, victim, remorse, regret, gratitude. All these heavy-sounding words are nothing before death.
It was very early in the morning and the sun had not made an appearance yet. Cold winds blew by, causing the youth to button up his school cardigan to the fullest.
He reduced the volume of the music blasting from the headset; he bowed low before the headstone and placed his school bag on the ground.
With slow and almost reverent movements, Xaloc lit a sweet-smelling incense next to the grave. He proceeded to throw again the old flowers he had placed next to the headstone the last time he visited and replaced them with new ones.
White poppy flowers. Those were his grandfather's favourite flowers. His grandmother always said that it was her favourite as well but Xaloc knew that she was lying. Her favourite was the moon rose. His grandmother lied about a lot of things.
His grandfather's grave was a very simple grave considering how wealthy his family is. There was no eulogy or obituary carved, just a white headstone with the words; Husband, Father, and Grandfather all written in a vertical line.
As he tidied around, he spoke of the details that happened last year as if the man was standing before him.
"Dad's company entered the list of
Top 100 in Emerald City so to celebrate he cleared your old home and built a museum above it. Yes, I know, it is very disrespectful."
"Mom had a safe delivery. It is twins again. Their names are Orson and Oscar. Two boys. They are growing up well."
"Maya and Mason are doing well. They have stopped falling sick sporadically." It is probably something that grandma did, Xaloc wanted to say but stopped. "Mason is attending the middle school of my high school. Dad would drop him off today. Maya joined a ballet school, I don't know why. She has this belief that it would go well. I wish her luck."
"Grandma travelled again. I have not seen her all year. She is probably doing those things that you guys quarrelled a lot about. She…" His voice was low, almost as if he was praying as words incessantly fell from them.
"Is he mentally alright.? A voice that was as sweet as a lark asked. Over a thousand meters above Xaloc floated two ladies.
One was a graceful beauty with eight limbs and black stones for eyes. The other was a middle-aged woman with a full face and a gentle but strange smile, there was a wreath of stars placed on her brows.
" I would not be surprised. With the amount of inbreeding, you Greeks have done, it would truly be odd if you all are not mentally insane."
Nyx did not pay her any attention. If not for the Ragnarok would someone as distinguished as her stand in the same sphere as an unknown goddess from the Japanese? She just watched her grandson perform his yearly visitation rites.
However, Jorogumo had no plans of stopping. She chuckled. "Nyx. Humour me for a bit. This your last paramour, was he not your own descendant? The mere thought of that. You know there have been rumours that…"
"Jorogumo. Aether or no Aether. For every word that leaves your mouth from now on, you will lose a limb."
Jorogumo froze. The death of Aether had given her the morale to poke fun at Nyx but the courage instantly disappeared. Aether or no Aether, Nyx was a primordial goddess that existed even before the Titans, and she was a mere nobody.
She glanced at the young boy who was still muttering down below and turned to leave when a bright, cheery voice boomed across the sky. A figure in a chariot pulled by flaming horses manifested before the both of them.
The newcomer was a very handsome man. He was tall with long light blond hair tied loosely into a bun, his blue eyes reminded one of the seas. He was dressed in a brown leather cloth that hugged his body in all the right places.
Following behind him was a much younger man with an oval-shaped face and delicate brows. His hair was a mess of deep violet curls and his beautiful eyes were the lightest shade of purple.
The boy was very beautiful. He was dressed in a white Greek tunic. If there was anything odd about him, it was the golden chains between his two hands that tied him to Apollo's belt.
Jorogumo's eyes widened and she had the feeling that she had seen something that shouldn't be seen.
"Hyacinthus." She murmured out. Wasn't he supposed to be dead? In those days, the tales travelled across all pantheons, how Apollo had gone mad with grief over his mortal lover that he had sought Zeus to make him mortal.
'Don't tell me'. She shivered. Even now that all gods were doing their very best to reserve their energy, Apollo went to the Underworld to resurrect his lover.
She glanced at the solid young man before her. He did not even get the ghost, he resurrected the boy.
Hel, Hades, Thanatos, Osiris, Anubis, Are all the gods of the underworld dead or are they just deciding to turn a blind eye?
She looked at the muttering boy, this evil old woman with wicked intentions and this obsessed lover. She had come to the Mortal realm to look around but she had learnt a very important lesson. The Greeks are crazy. They are insane.
"Japanese?" Apollo asked the moment the goddess left. "There is just something about them that I hate. Aunt, what are you doing here? I am planning to return to Shangri La? Do you want to join me?"
Nyx looked at the god beside her. "Are you sure you should be leaving Shangri La without any guards? Music, Prophecy, Light, Healing. Do you know how attractive you are to stray gods or injured gods?"
Apollo laughed. "You are worried about me. What next, is Father also going to rise from the dead? What about you? Aunt Nyx, am I also attractive to you?"
"The same as a plate of rotten eggs."
Apollo held his stomach as he wiped away little peaks of tears. "I forgot. Aunt Nyx should have her own plan. Don't worry about me."
Apollo's smiling expression vanished for a second reminding Nyx that this jovial little grandson is one of the most powerful gods that have existed, both before and after the Ragnarok. "I have someone that would miss me very much." He glanced at the youth who was giving him the most poisonous sneer he could manage. "How can I die? I am Apollo, this world would not survive without me."
He was not only powerful, he was also one of the most narcissistic gods to have ever existed.
Apollo's bright blue eyes lazily glanced down at the figure that was now sweeping the grave and its environs.
"30% purity in your Domain and 49% purity in Hypnos's Domain. That is pretty high for a descendant. How good is he?"
With that, he flicked a finger
**
Xaloc intuition pricked. Danger was coming his way. He pulled down the headset and his sensitive ears caught the noise from the left side of the hill.
He quickly pulled a large kitchen knife from his school bag.
Xaloc bent and picked up the broom, however, his entire body was tense as he was ready for anything.
From the corner of his eyes, he saw a fast-approaching wolf, His eyes widened.
It was a Siberian ice wolf. It does not favour environments like this so what was it doing here?
The wolf's speed was very fast and its black eyes had a dull, golden sheen. Xaloc stood straight up and his black eyes turned even darker.
The moment their eyes met, the wolf stumbled and its movements slowed, almost as if it was sleepy.
Now!
Xaloc jumped. His lithe form held the branch of the nearest tree and leapt on the back of the wolf. With one smooth movement, the dagger stabbed under the right side of the ear.
The pain instantly woke the wolf up as it let a loud howl as it struggled to shake off the body on him.
Xaloc held tight to the back of the wolf. He pulled out the dagger and stabbed again, this time lower, straight into the wolf's stomach, he tried to push that odd energy into the dagger.
The wolf blinked as it was hit with a bout of drowsiness and its movement slowed. Xaloc's movement however grew faster as he stabbed the wolf till it tumbled over.
Xaloc sighed and he jumped down looking at the bloodstains on his clothes and around the grave feeling a bit annoyed.
"Why did you come here to seek death? Now my clothes are ruined and I can not make it to school before eight. Grandfather's headstone is also stained and I did not bring a brush. Grandpa, I would come back to clean later. I can't be late for school." Xaloc muttered as he dragged the caress of the wolf behind him.
Apollo's eyes gleamed and he licked his lips, "He is just like Hyacinthus. My dear, do you remember when you killed that boar in front of me? You were magnificent, my love. Magnificent."
Hyacinthus lowered his head and gritted his teeth. Knowing Apollo, he knew what was coming next.
"I want him. Aunt Nyx, what would you want for him? You have other grandchildren, he should not matter much." Seeing Nyx's strict and unyielding face, he suddenly realized. "Unless…"
The Ragnarok had really changed everyone, "Aunt Nyx, you are even more callous than mother. What would the rest of the Greeks think if they knew your plan?"
Nyx smiled. For all his playfulness, Apollo's wits are at the same level as his sister's. The moment he saw Xaloc, Nyx knew she could not hide it from him.
"Hel is enjoying her long-sought freedom. Thanatos is guarding his injured brother. Hades is in recovery. and Anubis is in mourning." She saw Apollo's smile stiffen. In the Death Domain, among all the pantheons, Anubis strictly followed the laws and rules of the world, bending them for nobody.
"He would not mourn his pantheon for long. Apollo, keep my secret and I will keep yours."
"That sounds nice." Apollo said in a cheery voice as he watched Nyx leave.
A line of goosebumps danced on Hyacinthus's skin. Apollo was extremely scary whenever he used that voice. A trace of pity aroused in his heart, both for Nyx and the young man beneath them