Helix

Animalistic

24 AD

"What are you?"

Helix was tired of not knowing what was happening around him. It had been almost thirteen years since he'd learned that gods were real and anything but kind. Six since chance had pulled him into Sal's path, forever changing the course of his life. Yet, after all that time Helix still felt like he barely had a clue what was happening around him. That was going to end. If he was to survive, he had to learn as much information as he possibly could, starting with what type of being Cinix was.

Cinix quirked his eyebrows slightly, "I am
an Aos si."

"What the fuck is an aos si? And how come you can shift like me?"

"Like you?" He laughed, "I don't turn into an animal. In fact, one might say I am currently in my more animalistic form."

Helix found that comment somewhat offensive. Since when was being human animalistic?

"Which god made you then? Or are you one of those creatures from this place you mentioned earlier?"

It seemed it was Cinix's turn to be offended. His face contorted into a derisive frown, "Neither, I am from another place entirely."

"Another place?"

"Yes." Bending forward Cinix drew in the dirt on the ground. "Here is your world, the mortal human world. Layered, around, on top of, and through your world, is the Specter." He drew two stacked circles one slightly bigger than the other. "Inside the Specter is the Underworld and Elysium. The only well-known ways to either are through the doors in the Fate." He placed two more circles next to each other on the outside of the Specter circle, then he began drawing more circles, these ones not touching the others. "But there are quite a few other worlds out there. Some connected, some not. I am from one such world, Sidhe."

Helix watched him point to a circle, fascinated. "How did you get here then?"

"That is a long story." He leaned back against the wispy wall. "One I will save for another time."

Slightly disappointed, Helix asked a different question, "Are you and Hades a thing?"

"A thing?" Cinix's warm laughter echoed in the space, "If lovers of connivence and casual lust are a thing, then yes." His bright eyes took on a playful glint, "But if you are asking to ascertain if I would be open to a relationship with you, then no, Hades and I are not something you should be concerned about."

Helix choked on air. Coughing, he tried to regain some composure. That explained the strange flirtatious behavior earlier.

"I'm not-"

A piercing shriek just outside the cave caused both males to jerk to their feet.

"Pretas," Cinix whispered. "Do not let them touch you. Their touch is unbelievable pain."

Helix nodded his understanding, "We should get out before we are trapped in here."

Cinix shook his head, "No time."

The blanket over the entrance billowed in a gentle breeze then stilled as if frozen. Between the wall and the blanket a bone-thin hand slipped. Faintly glowing white fingers bent into claws and gripped the blanket.