The ocean stretched out like an endless canvas, waves lapping against the jagged cliffs of the Forgotten Isle. The storm had passed, but the sky remained overcast, clouds hanging low like the gods themselves were watching.
Gravill wiped the blood from his brow, the trident still faintly glowing in his hand. The weight of it felt heavier now — not just from the battle, but from what it meant.
Poseidon's weapon. His birthright. His curse.
They walked in silence, Owen leaning on Lucien as the Silverfang pack prepared to depart. The werewolves lingered by the treeline, their eyes flicking to Gravill with something between reverence and fear.
Gravill couldn't blame them.
He had killed their alpha's son.
"Owen," Gravill started, voice rasping like stones grinding together. "I..."
"You don't have to say it," Owen interrupted, his voice rough but steady. He winced, holding his side where the wounds were still closing from the trident's light. "You already said it with this." He gestured to his healed body.
Gravill swallowed, throat tight.
"I can never undo what I did," he whispered. "But I'll carry it. Every day."
Owen placed a hand on his shoulder.
"If you ever need us," Owen said, eyes sharp as steel, "call. No matter where you are, the Silverfang will come."
Gravill nodded, the words lodging themselves in his chest like an anchor.
The pack disappeared into the forest, leaving the trio standing on the cliff's edge. The sea breeze tugged at their clothes, and Nicholas, still bleeding from a gash on his forehead, rubbed his temples like he was trying to scrape something out of his skull.
"We need to move," Nicholas said, glancing at the sky. "The gods won't stay silent for long."
Gravill turned toward the horizon, heart pounding like the surf below.
"Let them come," he muttered. "I'm not running anymore."
---
The Journey Begins
They followed a crumbling pathway along the cliffs, the ocean a constant presence to their right. The trident guided them — Gravill could feel it, a faint tug in his chest, like the sea itself was calling.
Nicholas limped behind, exhaustion written into the lines of his face. Elsa kept her eyes on Gravill, worry etched into her every step.
"You're quiet," Elsa finally said, voice soft.
Gravill didn't look at her.
"My father let my mother suffer alone," he said, bitterness dripping from every word. "He let me grow up hated by the ocean. And now he wants me to carry this." He lifted the trident, the golden prongs gleaming dully in the gray light.
Elsa's fingers twitched toward him, but she stopped herself.
"You don't have to do this alone," she whispered.
Gravill's jaw clenched, but he nodded.
Nicholas exhaled sharply behind them.
"I didn't want to tell you," he muttered, voice heavy. "But you should know."
He held out the message — the one from Poseidon's hidden followers. Gravill read the words, fingers trembling.
"Gravill is a threat to the gods. They will come for him. Protect him at all costs. When your quest ends, bring him to us. Bring him home."
Gravill's heart twisted.
Home.
He didn't even know what that meant.
"We should find them," Nicholas said. "Maybe they can explain why the gods are so afraid of you."
Gravill nodded, chest hollow.
He didn't feel like anyone worth fearing.
---
The Underworld Stirs
Hades stood before a wall of writhing shadows, the Hematoi recoiling like serpents at his feet. His eyes burned with cold fire as he traced invisible patterns in the air, muttering ancient words.
The shadows twisted, taking shape.
A creature rose — humanoid, but grotesque, its skin slick and black like oil, eyes glowing with abyssal light. It knelt before him, head bowed.
"Find the heir," Hades said, voice dripping with venom. "Test his strength."
The creature dissolved into smoke, slipping into the cracks between realms.
Hades reclined on his throne, a cruel smile tugging at his lips.
"Let's see how long you survive, little heir."
---
The Guardian of the Cave
By nightfall, the trio reached a sea cave, its mouth yawning open like the maw of a beast. The trident tugged harder at Gravill's chest, the pull almost unbearable now.
"We rest here," Nicholas muttered, collapsing against the cave wall.
Gravill sat by the entrance, fingers trailing over the trident's surface. The glow pulsed, faint but constant, like a heartbeat.
He didn't sleep.
And when the creature came, he was awake to see it.
It slithered from the ocean, water dripping from its twisted limbs, eyes burning like twin suns. It moved like liquid shadow, its form flickering and reforming with every step.
Gravill stood, trident raised.
"Nicholas, Elsa — wake up."
The creature lunged.
The fight was brutal — fast and vicious. The monster struck like a tidal wave, claws scraping against the cave walls, its body twisting to avoid their attacks.
Nicholas's magic barely singed it. Elsa's blades couldn't pierce its skin.
But the trident burned it.
Gravill called the ocean, and the sea answered. Water surged into the cave, wrapping around the creature like chains. The trident blazed, and Gravill thrust it forward, releasing a torrent of energy that engulfed the monster.
It screeched — a sound like shattering glass — before exploding into black mist.
Gravill collapsed, chest heaving, vision swimming.
Elsa caught him before he hit the ground.
"You're burning out," she whispered, fear thick in her voice.
Gravill blinked up at her, consciousness slipping away.
"I can't stop," he murmured. "Not until it's over."
---
The Dream of the Sea
In the darkness, Poseidon's voice whispered like distant waves.
"They will break you... unless you break them first."
Gravill woke with a start, heart pounding. The trident pulsed in his hands, its glow softer, but persistent.
Nicholas and Elsa sat beside him, their faces pale and drawn.
"The gods won't stop," Nicholas said, voice grim.
Gravill wiped the sweat from his brow, eyes hardening.
"Then neither will I."
He stood, the trident gleaming, and stepped out of the cave onto the beach.
The sea stretched before him, endless and vast.
And the war was just beginning.