Zelus (Perseus Reimagined) (BXB)

Chapter 28

The wind tousles my hair and runs through my feathers; a wave of comfort washes over me as though he is near. I take in the comfort and smile to the memories we've created, for I'll always cherish them. No matter how many lives I'll live.

???

 ALEX, JUST WHAT THE HELL is going on with me?

I've adjusted the ways of living in Seriphus, the practices of this century. I accepted my new identity, but why is it not accepting me? A year—or more—and I'm still unable to fly or use my powers.

I've sought the wisdom of Nike each day, training harder and focusing fully on my powers, but nothing seems to be working. It's not the Goddess's fault for she has given me her time to perfect my skills.

There's something wrong with me.

My powers are hidden within me, I have seen them, felt them, but I could never catch them as if my hands are oily and they just slip right out my grasp. My wings had lifted me before. The wind was refreshing under them, but no matter how hard I tried, they wouldn't support me anymore.

What am I doing wrong? Was I given this body because it had lost its full capacity? Or am I missing something?

Since yesterday, my mind couldn't comprehend what had happened at the beach. I still remember my submerged body, the crystal-clear visions it gave me, and the suddenness of my powers summoning every crustation to shore.

Even as I stand on the castle ground, in the party hosted by His Majesty, King Polydectes, my mind constantly drifts into the scenes of yesterday. Every now and then, glancing down at my hand, superimposing the green auras that travel around my fingers, wondering why they would not answer me now.

I don't know if it's an honor to attend a party of this century or the opposite, as it is nothing but a chaotic nuthouse. The energy matches a bar in the twenty-first century, minus the loud, obnoxious music, various drugs, and strippers shoving their junk against a pole.

I stand at the corner of the ballroom, close to the exit, observing the guests enjoying themselves. Musicians played the lyre and other instruments close to the throne space where Perseus's mother was present.

A face that belonged to an angel. Her slim figure was snug like a glove in a long, rose-red dress with golden lining on the edges of the top. Diamonds decorated her arms and neck as a crown that gleamed with golden light delicately sat across her forehead, complementing her dark, curly locks. She possesses a beauty that could charm every man—and woman— in the room as though it was her gift bestowed from Aphrodite. She rests on the right side of the king's throne in grace and poise. Her eyebrows were pulled as though she was pissed, stiff as a statue with her hands resting on her thighs, observing eyes scouring the crowd before her.

The king is partying with the crowd. Our school is in the palace, and sometimes we'd see him checking up on us, ensuring progress was being made. It's like he's the headmaster, constantly monitoring the halls and classes to ensure the teachers and students are doing their job. However, he would have to take extreme measures if a student fails to keep up with their studies. Rumor has it that he's exiled a student to an intensive military school as a punishment because of it. In military school, the training is three times harder than it is here. They ate scraps and slept on tar, enduring the cold of the night and heat of the day. They're treated as slaves, which in their logic, will evolve the students into becoming champions during battle.