Zelus (Perseus Reimagined) (BXB)

Chapter 39

Jon, one thing I've learned about life is that people are responsible for making it difficult.

???

HORROR MOVIES PORTRAY THE FOREST as a hunting ground for demons and creature that attacks people, but it's not what I'd say.

Time is relatively unclear when it comes to living in a century where clocks aren't made. However, I could tell it was past four in the morning as the surrounding had become chillier. Mist accompanied the trees on higher ground. I raise my chin to the dark blue sky, the color of the deep sea, and clouds sprawl as far as the eyes can see. The moon hides behind them, leaving a fading light in the sky. I always knew the night holds many mysteries that can either be calming or the opposite, but today I discovered there's beauty in it too. The sky before dawn was like a dress made by Aphrodite. Any maiden wears it, she'd shine brighter than even the queen of a kingdom. Her beauty bewitches everyone around her. They're compelled to take her in as hard as they try to resist. The sky is like that sometimes, simple yet elegant.

The night orchestra simmered at this hour; owls remained superior with their calls from miles away. Though the leaves crunching beneath my feet are louder than them as I follow Alex—I can't believe I just said that—to wherever he's taking me. He remained quiet since the unknown expedition started, and I worried, thinking I had fallen for another one of Dolus's traps.

"Where are we going?" I interrupt after hours of silence.

"You'll see," he responds, hunching over a branch in his way, and then I did too.

I realized the further we went, the steeper the ground became. At some point, I had to use all my strength to ensure I did not lose balance and slide down to the end. The weight of my wings isn't helping. Alex is walking just fine with his hands in his pockets, as though he's immune to death if he falls.

Or maybe he is.

Is he a ghost? I don't know. He is tangible, and his skin is ice cold most of the time, but his eyes are alive, and his voice is exactly how I remembered it. He lacks the height, though, as for once, I'm taller than him. Am I happy about that? Absolutely. When we were younger, he'd mock my height by resting his elbow on my head. I stopped growing taller in high school, but he continues to, and shit, that's just not fair. He's already a tower; what's next? He'll be the new tower of babel?

Now that the table had turned, I couldn't help but scoot closer and compare our height, and seeing his head next to my shoulder made me pounce with joy in my mind.

"The silence is killing me, you know that?" I speak. "I mean, how would you react if someone you loved for years had died and suddenly returned as though their passing never happened?"

"Well, I'll start by saying, you've never looked better," he dodged a lower branch while I slammed into it. They tasted... earthy. He laughs, waiting for me to catch up as I spit the taste off my tongue.

"Thanks for the warning," I said sarcastically.

He reaches for my hair, pulling out a single leaf I've missed.

"Honestly, I don't know what you want me to say, J," he sighs, twirling the leaf with his fingers. They were pale as though his blood had been sucked clean from his body. "Life after death isn't as simple as humans perceive it to be. And I'm not allowed to expose the secrets of the universe."