Page 75 of Odette's Vow

The men had slaughtered the sacred cattle.

Helios would not let this go unpunished.

I glanced at Odysseus, still sleeping beside me, oblivious to the unfolding betrayal. What good would it do to wake him and tell him? The men were already lost, their fates sealed the moment they decided to take what wasn’t theirs.

The night stretched on, and with each passing moment, the air grew heavier, charged with a strange energy that made the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end. The sky darkened, the night far from over, and an unnatural stillness settled over the island. Even the wind seemed to hold its breath, waiting for the inevitable.

A sudden crack of thunder split the sky, and I flinched, my heart leaping against my chest. The heavens opened up, and a torrential rain fell, drenching the island in a matter of seconds. The fire sputtered out, leaving us in complete darkness. I could hear the men’s laughter in the distance, their voices high and wild as they feasted on the forbidden meat, completely unaware of the storm brewing above them.

But it wasn’t just the rain. The very ground beneath us seemed to tremble, a low rumble that grew louder with each passing second. The sea, calm and gentle moments ago, nowroared like a beast unleashed, waves crashing against the shore with a fury that matched the storm.

I tried to scream at them to stop, to beg them to listen, but my cries were swallowed by the howling wind. They were beyond saving, and so was I.

Odysseus stirred beside me, his eyes fluttering open, confusion etched on his face as he sat up, taking in the chaos around us. He got up quickly after that, his attention snapping to where the men had gone, realisation dawning across his face, like a sunrise that did not want to break.

He knew what this meant – what the gods would do in response.

But it was too late. The sky lit up with a blinding flash of lightning. The gods had been defied, and now someone would pay the price.

26

Οdysseus

The clouds tore apart, and an unnatural light flooded the sky, searing my vision. The golden glow that I had fallen asleep in now blazed with a ferocity that scorched the very air. The atmosphere thickened with an oppressive heat, the kind that presses against your chest until you can barely draw breath, and sweat beaded on my skin instantly. I wasn’t alone. Around me, the air grew thick with the pungent stench of fear and body odour.

I tried to open my eyes against the blinding light, but it was useless. Helios himself had descended in fury, his form a smouldering silhouette behind my clenched eyelids. I could almost see his chariot of fire, drawn by four blazing horses, but I didn’t need sight to feel his wrath. Instead, my eyes were torn to the earth beneath us as it shuddered in terror.

Before I could even comprehend what was happening, the grass and sand beneath the men bubbled and hiss, transforming into molten glass that clung to their feet. The air filled with their screams, inhuman, guttural wails of agony that pierced my skull and lodged deep within my soul. I knew, even in that moment, that those screams would haunt me for the rest of my days, echoing in the darkest corners of my mind. But itwas the smell that truly marked this as a divine punishment – the nauseating stench of charred flesh, the same flesh that had greedily devoured Helios’ sacred cattle, now roasted by the god’s relentless fire.

The men flailed, their bodies writhing in torment as the divine flames consumed them, searing flesh from bone with an unceasing, unholy heat. Blind with pain, they staggered towards the ocean, driven mad by the agony that refused to relent. One by one, they plunged into the churning waves, their screams swallowed by saltwater. When the last head finally disappeared beneath the waves, leaving only the steaming surface of the ocean as a grim testament to their fate, I forced myself to look back at the island. The lush, vibrant glade that had teemed with life only hours before had been obliterated, scorched to a desolate wasteland.

And in that moment of silence, of utter devastation, I realised that there was no one left but myself and Odette.

Almost immediately, the wind died down to an eerie calm, the sea as still as glass. I watched Odette walk towards the ocean, her vision fixed on the horizon. There was something different in her posture, a tension that made me wary.

She wasn’t doing what I thought she was doing, surely – we had just survived.

Onlythe two of us had survived.

I stood and approached her quietly, unsure of what to say, but as I reached her side, I heard her mutter something under her breath, soft enough for the wind to carry away, that made my blood run cold.

“I revoke my vow,” she said, her voice trembling with resolve. “I revoke it, and I offer myself in its place, for nothing can be worse than what you have already put us through.”

My heart hammered against my ribcage.What vow?

Before I could ask, the sea beneath our feet churned once again until a whirlpool formed beneath us, its gaping maw widening with every passing second.

“Odette!”

My voice was swallowed by the roar of the water, but she turned to face me, her expression calm, almost serene. Our last remaining ship tilted dangerously, before there was a deafening crack and the boat was torn in two, the mast splintering as it was swallowed by the whirlpool.

I reached for Odette, who stood too close to the lip of the vortex, but she was already slipping from my grasp, her body pulled towards the ocean.

“NO!” I lunged forward, the force of the water dragging me down.

I caught one last glimpse of Odette, her now shoulder-length hair swirling around her like a dark halo, before the water closed over my head. The pressure was immense, crushing the air from my lungs as I was spun helplessly in the current. My vision blurred, and I fought to stay conscious, to keep my eyes on her.

I failed.

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