Deimos Dawson: heir of pantheon

Chapter One

                                 The outlook

Being the child of two of the strongest deities isn't fun, it hurts mentally and physically. It gets you killed, and if you can't die, it gets you tortured. If you're a normal kid reading this, please stay that way and live a normal life. If you're reading this because you think you're like me, I suggest closing the book and trying to live a normal life. Don't go out searching for your power, don't go trying to ignite that spark in yourself, because sooner or later, they'll come for you.

My name is Deimos Dawson. I'm ten years old. Until last week, I was just a normal kid with adoptive parents.

But everything changed when my brother died. He had an incurable disease, and the last thing he asked was for me to kill him. I remember standing there, trembling as he whispered his last request. His eyes were desperate, pleading. "Deimos," he said, his voice barely audible. "You have to...it's the only way for me to pass my powers to you. They can't die with me." I shook my head, tears rushing down my face. "I can't," I sobbed. "I can't kill you."

He gripped my hand weakly and put his sword in it. "It'll be okay," he said, his voice shaking. I did as he asked. The moment life left his eyes, something changed. The air grew heavy, the sky turned orange, and chills ran down my spine. It was like I could see Death itself – the Grim Reaper – standing before me.

He looked exactly like the stories: dark, hooded, gloomy. He even had a scythe. But when I saw him, it wasn't like how people said it would be – scary or intimidating. He seemed more scared and confused than I did.

As he turned to leave, a surge of confusion ignited within me. I left my brother's side to chase after him, following his trail as he phased through objects to lose me. like a dog chasing a squirrel – I was devoted, close enough to touch him but scared of what would happen if I did.

Soon enough, I tripped and fell, and everything seemed different – in slow motion, even. I groaned in pain as I raised my hand to touch my left cheek. Death paused, as if concerned about me – was he worried about me? As I lay there on the ground, my cheek still throbbing, I noticed Death hesitate.

In that split second, I made a decision that would change everything. With a burst of energy I didn't know I had, I lunged forward and grabbed his leg. The world around us shimmered as reality warped in ways I couldn't comprehend. Death's form solidified under my grip, no longer ethereal.

"Please," I gasped, my voice trembling. "Why can I see you? What's happening to me?"

Death stood motionless for a moment, his dark hood hiding any expression. Then, slowly, he turned to face me. I felt the weight of eons in his gaze.

"Δαιμος," Death spoke in a whisper that seemed to come from everywhere and nowhere at once. "You can see me because...you're my son."

The words hit me like a physical blow. I released my grip and fell back onto the ground. My mind reeled as I tried to make sense of the situation.

"Your son?" I repeated, my voice still trembling. "But how? What about my parents...my brother?"

Death knelt beside me, his scythe dissolving into the mist. "You weren't supposed to find out this way," he said, his voice a mixture of concern and resignation.

He reached out with an ethereal hand – surprisingly solid – and helped me to my feet. I swayed up, dizzy with the weight of revelations.

"Your mother," he continued, his words carefully measured. "She's Life itself. She wanted to give you something neither of us had – a normal childhood." He paused, his shadowy form seeming to ripple with unspoken emotion.

"And the boy," he said softly. "The one whose death you witnessed – he was your half-brother." Born of Life's essence, charged with safeguarding until this moment.

The revelation crashed over me like a tidal wave, eroding everything I thought I knew about my existence. I stood there, reeling as the true nature of my place in the cosmos was revealed and began to unfold before me.

I was something more – something beyond human understanding.

As I looked into the fathomless depths of Death's hood, I realized that my journey was only just beginning..