Scattered

20

Onyx Myths

'So tell me, darling... What is it that you want to ask me about?'

When the question was finally served in a silver platter before Olivia, all she could do was gape at him. She had so much to ask, so many doubts, so many assumptions and accusations that none came out when she wanted it to be acknowledged.

The burning stare that Keres had fixated on her didn't help either. She squirmed in her seat and wished that she didn't wear denims that were making her legs sweat.

'Um...I-I... You. You have wings.' Olivia took a deep calming breath to get her mind in order. Keres took a long drag of his wine.

'Yes. That is correct.'

'Oh... Okay...'

Somehow, his answer was still shocking to her. Perhaps a part of her still thought... no, hoped that he would deny everything and laugh at her before sending her packing off. But turns out, she was not signed up for normalcy.

'Okay. Okay.' She took another deep breath and another sip at her wine while he silently observed her. 'You do realize that it isn't normal right? What are you? Are you an angel in disguise?'

'I do gather that it isn't quite normal for you mortals to see or interact with something beyond their norm. And no, I am not an angel. Especially not one in disguise.'

'Then?' Olivia prompted impatiently.

'What do you know about the Greek mythology?'

'Greek mythology?'

Olivia parroted his words adding confusion to the tone. Olivia was genuinely lost. She couldn't understand why he took a leap from telling her who he was to a history lesson.

'Yes, Greek mythology.' Keres' eyes were back on her wide ones, 'Have you heard of it?'

'Um, yeah. I had taken culture and mythologies as my minor in my university. So... yeah, I do know quite a bit. It's something about Zeus being the king and Hera being the queen of all Gods and a whole bunch of other Gods for different things.'

'And you would be correct. Zeus and Hera lead a panel of twelve Gods and Goddess who help rule the humanity and other realms. They may be the rulers but there are hundreds of other Gods, Goddesses, demi-Gods and other creatures who are responsible for different impact on this world and beyond. Moreover, they are also not the most powerful... there are creatures like the Titans and Primordials that had ruled the realms before the Titans were overthrown in the Titanomachy war bringing the rule of Gods.'

Olivia was silent for a moment. 'Um, listen. I am really glad that you had opened such an expensive bottle of wine for me and gave me lecture of something that doesn't matter anymore but... that's exactly what it is; fairy tales that doesn't matter. Can I get a less long version of who you are?' She paused for a second when a thought occurred to her. 'Are you part of a government experiment or something? Are you a national secret?'

Keres stared at her unblinkingly, making her squirm.

'No, I am not an experiment.' He finally said and Olivia let out a breath she was holding.

'Thank God! I really thought I was getting into a government issue or something.' Olivia sighed gratefully and took a sip of her wine. 'So if you are not a national experiment then what are you? Tell me a short version, please.'

'I am Keres, the Greek God of violent Death.'

Olivia sat on her chair dumbstruck for a moment, not really processing what she was hearing. 

'What?'

'I am the God of violent Death; the son of Erebus, the God of darkness and Nyx, the Goddess of night. My twin brother Thànatos is the God of peaceful Death.'

Olivia was speechless. Yes, she was expecting for an answer that involves some supernatural element but what he said was too far-fetched to fathom. Not only he single handedly ruled out all the religious beliefs that she had ever known, he had institutionalized something that she had viewed fake as the truth. Olivia struggled to accept the information she was provided especially since her brain couldn't laugh it off or ridicule what he told her. Not when she had a first-hand experience of who he really was.

Dark soulless eyes staring at her emotionlessly... pale waxy skin... '...This is your neighbor's shade. Or what you call her soul...'

He was the God of violent Death...

Everything clicked together. And she had witnessed him reap a soul with her own eyes. It all made sense to her; even the darkness he chose to shroud himself in, a domain his father ruled.

'S-So...Greek myths... They-They are t-true... All... A-All of it?'

Olivia couldn't look at his face, let alone stare into his dark eyes. She was busy letting everything sink into her and consume her. Her mind had fallen down the rabbit hole and she struggled with accepting the reality and what was being told.

'Yes. There are a few common misconceptions but generally, all of them are true.' He replied, his voice softening as if he was trying to somehow help her move past it.

'Then... what are you doing here?' She asked, finally being able to look at him without sprouting goose bumps. 'What are you doing here getting involved in a case with humans?'

'It is a long story.' He told her after a sip of his wine, 'And believe me when I tell you that it is better if you hear the longer version of it.'

Olivia cleared her throat and took a shaky drink of her beverage, finishing it bottoms up. She wiped the corner of her mouth on her crop top's sleeve.

'I have time.' She said finally. 'Lots of it, apparently.'

NEXT UPDATE: 14 July 2019