NOTE : YOU CAN STILL READ THEM IF YOU DONT WATCH NETFLIX BLOOD OF ZEUS
Kassia and Apollo were distant figures, exchanging only fleeting glances and casual acknowledgments. They existed in their own orbits, seemingly unaffected by each other's presen...
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Kaelis had always been a good boy,listening to his mother when she told him not to cross the river. "Never cross the river, Kaelis.Beyond it lies a very,very bad world," she would say,her eyes dark and full of worry.And Kaelis,only five,would nod.He didn’t want extra chores or to upset his father with a scolding.But when his parents started to fight, it scared him more than anything.
They always fought about the same thing—the river.His mother feared what lay beyond,while his father seemed desperate to go.Kaelis didn’t understand why,and that made his small heart ache.
The mind of a five-year-old is naturally curious,though.Kaelis wanted to know what was so frightening on the other side.Why was his mother afraid,but his father wanted to leave so badly?
He remembered the stories.His papa often spoke of a kingdom in the sky,full of wonders and beauty.When Kaelis asked who lived there,his father’s face grew sad,and his voice became quieter.His mother never liked those stories.She would say the place was cursed,filled with despair and pain,and Kaelis had always wondered if she was right.
Papa would smile,though,and tell him in secret, "Your mother’s heart is fragile,my boy.It feels too much.That’s why we need to take care of her." And Kaelis believed him.But even then,his curiosity burned.
He would glance at the river sometimes,wondering what lay beyond the flowing waters.What was so terrible about the world there? And why did his father always want to go somewhere his mother feared so much?
Kaelis stood at the edge of the river,the gentle rush of water whispering in his ears.His small hand clutched his necklace,the one his father had given him.He knew he wasn’t supposed to cross.But something deep inside him,a pull he couldn’t explain,urged him to take just one step further.
Kaelis felt a gentle tug on his sleeve,and when he turned,he saw Rua,a delicate blue butterfly,perched lightly on his shoulder.Her wings shimmered with a soft glow,the intricate patterns catching the sunlight as she fluttered nervously.
"Rua,"Kaelis said softly,his eyes wide with curiosity and fear. "What’s over there?."
—Please don't go,little one—Rua’s voice echoed empathically in his mind,her small form quivering. —Lady Kassia would be furious—
"I want to know,"Kaelis whispered,curiosity overriding Rua’s warnings.
Without further hesitation,Kaelis continued toward the river.His small feet,unsteady yet determined,stepped closer to the water’s edge.Being a godling,the river posed no real threat to him; he could walk across it without even getting wet.But the moment he crossed,an invisible force seemed to lash out,a sharp pain shooting through his head.He stumbled,whimpering,as the strange sensation overwhelmed him.
Rua,still perched on his shoulder,flitted nervously. —Please! Turn back,Kaelis.Go home!!—
But Kaelis’s curiosity was too strong.He had always been warned not to cross,and now that he had,he needed to know why.The moment he set foot on the other side,the world felt different,strange,like something he wasn’t ready to face.Sounds he couldn’t identify filled his head,whispers and murmurs that made no sense to him.Everything was too loud,too overwhelming for someone so small.
