Page 11 of The Chosen Son

Dragging myself to my feet, I moved through the pipe away from city hall, retreating. I couldn’t stand the idea of seeing my brother’sface after that. He would apologize and ask me if I was okay. Well, fuck him and his pity! I wasn’t okay! And I wasn’t sure I ever would be again.

But then my mind replayed the image of the young sidekick. Cameron. I wondered what his story was, where my brother had found him. He certainly had plenty of power. In fact, he seemed to have more than he knew what to do with, but I had a few ideas…

Decision made, I circled back and made my way back up to the street level. I needed to get another look at him. That omega was something special, and my brother didn’t have the tiniest of clues. That assistant of his was stronger than he was—a human, stronger than a god.

I was watching from out of sight when I saw Cameron stumble. Curious… It was almost as if he had too much power; I knew what that felt like, the toll it could take even on an immortal body such as mine.

And now, I didn’t have enough. Maybe he might let me borrow it.

Chapter 5

Cameron

It was getting late.The light around the curtains grew increasingly brighter, and I knew I should get up, but I just… couldn’t.

I barely remembered how I got home last night, just Phobos and his usual stream of nonstop chatter, so he must’ve driven me back. I’d slept like the dead, with no memory of waking or dreaming for the past 12 hours, but I was still entirely drained. My limbs were too heavy, and even opening my eyelids was a struggle. What the fuck was wrong with me? Even when I’d saved the world from Nefarious, after literally coming back from the dead, I’d just been a little sleepy the next day. Now I felt like I’d been hit by a ten-ton semi-truck. I felt hungover, even though I hadn’t had a drop to drink.

It had to have something to do with the new skills I’d somehow acquired. I’d always felt an affinity for the elements, being able to manipulate them a little, but nothing like this. Creating fire and ice from the air! That would’ve been handy to have ten years ago.

Fighting Nefarious, it hadn’t been a fair fight, not on the surface anyway. He was a grown man, and I was nothing but a child, just 14 years old. It wouldn’t have been considered a fair fight if it had been about physical strength. But in the end, it had been my power against his, and as he choked the life from my body, I’d simply entwined our souls and dragged him down with me. It had been a sick game of chicken, trying to see who could outlast the other. In the end, we both died… and only one of us came back. But maybe I didn’t come back unchanged. Had I somehow brought something back with me? Was that it?

And maybe now the underworld wanted me back—because I sure felt like I was dying.

I finally forced my limbs to move, and when I sat up, the room spun around me like I was on a rollercoaster. I groaned, resting my feet flat on the floor while I waited to regain my bearings. This was bad. Maybe I needed to see a doctor.

As I sat there, I began to parse through the memories from last night’s charity gala. The edges of my memory felt foggy, almost like I was watching it happen from the outside. Had I really battled with a god on the front lawn of city hall? And not just any god but Phobos’s hot evil brother. He’d really painted quite the picture, with his dark hair, violet eyes, and the way he’d filled out that tux, but then he’d revealed that he was the one behind all those kidnappings! Why were the bad guys always so good-looking? Probably to be a temptation for the good guys, to test their virtue or something. Well, when I’d first laid eyes on him, I hadn’t been feeling particularly virtuous.

I sighed. More likely, it was all just a dream. Maybe I didn’t have any new powers at all.

I stared down at my palms, and even before I could form a thought, they began to tingle and steam. “Shit.” I quickly shook my hands out, dispelling the building frost. So much for the dream theory.

Glancing at myself in the mirror, I didn’t look any different. There was nothing visibly wrong with me. My eyes looked clear, my skin rosy with sleep. It seemed impossible that everything I was feeling on the inside was just… invisible.

One slow, cautious step at a time, with a hand braced on the wall in case I fell, I made my way to the kitchen. I would grab a quick snack then head to the doctor’s office, though I had no clue what kind of lies I would have to tell them.

As I stepped into the kitchen, I bit back a groan when I saw Phobos, all bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, stirring something on the stove, the counter covered in dirty dishes, evidence of his cooking. “Morning, sunshine!” he sing-songed. “Hope you’re hungry, I made cinnamon-bun oatmeal.”

He spun around, brandishing his wooden spoon at me, but his smile slipped. “Oof, you look rough.”

“Uh, yeah, I didn’t sleep very well. I’m pretty sore after the battle.” That was a lie. I was more numb than anything.

Phobos nodded in understanding. “Mm, yes, that makes sense. Well, eat up, and we’ll have you on the mend in no time. I can’t be without my sidekick.”

As I mindlessly shoveled food into my mouth without even tasting it, I listened to Phobos give a rundown of what he’d picked up from the various news outlets. “Valleywood Entertainment is going on about how it was all a publicity stunt for an upcoming movie. The Mischief Daily is actually the closest in speculating that it was more than it appeared, but they’re just a gossip rag. Nobody takes them seriously.”

I paused, my spoon halfway to my mouth. “And what about that statue I damaged. Will I have to pay for it?” They wouldn’t arrest me, surely.

Phobos flapped a hand in the air, like he was shooing away a pesky fly. “Don’t worry about it. Azazel had that hideous thing installed in front of city hall as a joke. Loki is glad to be rid of the thing. No harm, no foul.” There had actually been quite a bit of harm, I thought. “Besides, Azazel mentioned how he thought he could pitch this as a film idea at Valleywood Studios.”

My bowl was still half full when I pushed it away. I just wasn’t hungry, not with the ringing in my ears getting louder. I leaned heavily on the table and forced myself to stand.

“So, what are we doing today?” Phobos asked. He was in full-on golden retriever mode; I could almost see his tail wagging. “We could drive through the rougher neighborhoods, listening to my police scanner, see what we can drum up. I’ll even buy you ice cream.”

I hesitated. “That sounds… nice, but—”

He cut me off, his smile growing a bit strained at the edges. “Nah, you’re busy. I get it.”

“Next time,” I said kindly. I hated disappointing my new friend.

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