Cyrus emerged from the shadows, his silver eyes sharp and unreadable.
"We have a problem," he said.
I turned, already feeling the weight in his voice.
"It's your mother."
The air left my lungs.
"What happened?" I demanded.
"She's in trouble," he said. "Something is wrong in the Underworld."
I didn't hesitate. Didn't think.
I turned on my heel and started moving.
I didn't care who saw me. I didn't care if I had to rip open the earth myself—I was going home.
Then, the sky cracked open.
A pillar of golden light slammed into the courtyard.
The air thickened. Magic pulsed. Divine energy crashed over the Academy like a tidal wave, pressing into every bone, every breath, every soul.
I knew that presence before I even saw him.
Hermes.
A god had arrived.
The entire school was outside, gathered to welcome the Holy Knights back from their mission. But now, every single gaze locked onto the new arrival.
And then—
They all knelt.
Every. Single. One.
The students. The professors. The Headmaster.
Even the Holy Knights.
All of them dropped to their knees before him.
All except me.
I stood alone.
The weight of his power crashed down harder. The courtyard fell into complete silence.
Hermes descended from the sky, his golden sandals touching the ground without a sound. His radiant presence sent shivers through the crowd. His cloak, woven from the threads of the heavens, rippled in the breeze. His golden eyes—ancient, calculating—landed on me.
"Kael Voss," he said, his voice carrying the weight of command. "You and your father are summoned to Olympus."
I didn't react.
Then, his voice hardened.
"You stand accused."
The whispers in the crowd turned to shock.
"Accused?"
"Of what?"
"What is happening?"
I didn't flinch.
"Of what?" I asked, voice even.
Hermes' gaze sharpened. "Monsters have been rising from the Underworld. They are appearing on the surface. The gods believe this is no accident."
My jaw clenched.
"You think the Underworld is responsible?"
Hermes' expression did not waver. "The gates of the dead are stirring. And Olympus will not stand idle."
I stepped forward, my voice cold.
"The Underworld has nothing to do with it."
"Then come to Olympus and prove it."
The weight in his voice was undeniable. An order. A divine decree.
I did not move.
The Holy Knights shifted.
People whispered.
"Olympus?"
"A summons?"
"What does Olympus want with the Underworld?"
I stared at Hermes.
Then, I spoke.
"That's impossible."
The air grew heavier.
Hermes narrowed his eyes. "Impossible?"
"My father is dead," I said. My voice was steady. Firm.
Silence.
The weight of my words crushed the courtyard.
Someone gasped.
The Holy Knights stirred.
Even Orion—always composed—looked shaken.
But Hermes?
Hermes didn't react.
No surprise. No hesitation. No grief.
Nothing.
Like he hadn't known.
Like it didn't matter.
The slow-burning rage inside me cracked open.
"You didn't even know, did you?" My voice came out calm. Cold. "You had no idea that my father is gone. That he fell while Olympus did nothing."
Hermes was silent.
I stepped forward, my voice sharp as a blade.
"Where were you when Kronos returned?"
"Where were you when my father fought alone?"
"Where were you when he—"
"Silence."
Hermes' voice snapped like a whip.
The pressure doubled.
Students winced. Some collapsed under the sheer weight of his power.
I stood taller.
"You will watch your tone, mortal," Hermes said. "I have not come for your questions. You will answer the gods' summons."
I clenched my fists.
"The Underworld has nothing to do with the monsters on the surface," I said. "If something is threatening Olympus, it is not my father's doing."
Hermes' golden eyes narrowed. "And yet, the gates of the Underworld are opening."
I stepped forward.
"If anyone is behind this, I will find them myself," I said. "And I will cast them into Tartarus. Forever."
Hermes' gaze darkened.
"You will come to Olympus, Kael," he commanded. "You will kneel before the gods and answer for your realm."
My blood boiled.
I stepped closer.
"I do not kneel."
The whispers turned to panic.
"What is he doing?"
"Why isn't he kneeling?"
"He's going to get himself killed."
Orion's voice was low. "Kael, just kneel. This isn't the time to—"
"No."
Silence.
Dead. Absolute. Silence.
Hermes' rage snapped.
"You dare defy Olympus?"
A divine punch shot toward me—too fast to dodge.
But it never landed.
A hand caught it.
Not mine.
Pride's.
The Sin of Pride manifested in an instant, his obsidian fingers wrapping around Hermes' fist.
The impact shook the entire school.
Hermes' eyes widened.
The air trembled.
Then, a deep, inhuman voice rumbled through the battlefield.
"My king does not bow."
Pride's grip tightened—and he slammed Hermes into the ground.
BOOM.
The entire Academy shook.
The Holy Knights leapt to their feet.
The students screamed.
And then—
The other six Sins rose from my shadow.
Sloth. Lust. Envy. Wrath. Greed. Gluttony.
They formed a wall of monsters behind me.
Hermes struggled beneath Pride's grasp. He was a god.
And yet, he could not rise.
I stepped closer, voice steady.
"Tell Zeus this."
Hermes looked up, dazed.
"The Underworld has nothing to do with your war."
Then, softer.
"But if you send another god to threaten me—"
The Helm of Darkness rose from the shadows, sliding onto my face. The world dimmed, twisting into something ancient and unholy.
"—I will remind Olympus why they fear the dark."
Then—
The Sins attacked.
Hermes didn't stand a chance.
Wrath struck first, his massive form hammering the god into the dirt. Envy followed, her twin blades slicing through divine energy. Gluttony crushed his ribs, the impact shaking the school itself.
Hermes didn't have time to react.
Seven monstrous warriors tore into him.
By the time it ended, the God of Messengers lay broken and bloodied.
The Holy Knights had drawn their weapons.
The crowd was silent.
Even Orion looked like he didn't know whether to fight me or fear me.
The Helm of Darkness vanished.
And suddenly, I was just a boy again.
A broken, furious boy.
"My father gave his life while you all did nothing," I said, my voice quiet but sharp.
"I do not listen to gods."
I turned to leave.
"I only listen to one person."
My voice softened.
"My mother."
Then I stepped past the frozen crowd.
Before I left, I stopped.
I turned.
My gaze met Lyra's.
"Good bye"