Chapter Thirty-Six
The Breaking Point
Nicodemus
(Since the beginning of time…) Claude began morosely, (there have been three sets of God’s chosen to care for the universe. The Second Set of Gods, the ones before your parents, are the Gods responsible for killing the Originals. Seraphine comes from this batch, and she is the only one to survive the final battle against the current Gods. By that time, between beating the Originals and fighting the new generation, the Second Set were absolutely worn out. They trained your family until they were perfect then let them take the position, happy to move on after so many years of fighting...)
“The second set were our teachers, as Claude said. They were fearsome Gods, who truly cared for the universe like the Original Gods had. They were incredible mentors to us, and fought until their last breaths to keep the universe intact.” Dad said, cutting my Shadows an odd look.
“Um, ok? Where is this all leading? How do you all know so much about this, about all of this? You guys have known more about this book and Successor nonsense than anyone yet?” I accused, glaring at my Shadows demonically.
They all looked to one another before sighing, {We know because… We were the Second Set of Gods chosen to rule the universe.} May whispered.
My heart stopped beating.
My entire body shut down, and I stared forward with a glossy, wide eyed, terrified expression. My Shadows cringed at the sight, and worriedly, Alice came over to try and touch my arm. [Nick… Honey…?] She whimpered.
Jackson clutched his arms tightly,
{Not right now, Jackson.} May barked, nodding to me.
Blaine and Dad worriedly stood and tried to read my expression, but it was broken beyond belief, yet still completely deadpan. Claude desperately tried to find his words as under the blanket, I laid my palm flat. Slowly, a small dagger made of stone began to form under my fingertips. Jackson felt me using his element and turned to raise an eyebrow at me,
The room filled with screams as Dad bolted forward and grabbed my arm, fighting violently with me to try and rip the stone free. Despite his efforts, I continued jaggedly ripping it across my throat, making blood spill down my shirt and the bed sheets. “GODS DAMNIT SOMEONE HELP ME!?” He screamed in terror.
Blaine, Galaxy, and Deveraux reanimated and finally got a grip on me; Deveraux ripped me off the bed while Galaxy and Blaine desperately clawed to move my arm away from my throat. Dad grabbed anything closest to him and tried to contain the bleeding as I began screaming, a broken sound that made everyone in the vicinity of my hospital room croak. “I CAN’T TAKE IT ANYMORE…! I CAN’T TAKE IT…! LET ME DIE! LET ME DIE…!” I screamed bloody murder, tears flooding down my cheeks and mixing with the blood.
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Lysander, Freya, and a few nurses bolted into the room, slamming the door shut on everyone they had moved into the hall. My Shadows stood in the corner, purely petrified, as the Gods picked me up and desperately tried to lay me flat on the bed again now that they had a better grip on me. I continued to rip at their hold and scream sobs, throwing my head back and wailing for them to finish me off. My father’s heart was shattered; I could see it in his eyes.
Galaxy, Devereaux, and Blaine were speechless. They were so astonished that all they could do was follow directions Lysander barked out to them. Freya yelled to hold me as still as possible before she slid a needle into my arm, her eyes wide with worry as she pushed the serum into my system. As this began to take effect, something inside of me snapped. My eyes flashed black, and in a last minute effort, I summoned every ounce of my energy and tried to use it against them. Dad shrieked and threw himself over me when he felt what was coming, clenched his teeth together, then spasmed in shock as the vibration rocked through his bones. His eyes rolled back in his head, and he slumped off the side of the bed before hitting the floor with a deafening thud.
“ATLAS!?” Galaxy shrieked, which made Mom throw the door open and cry out in horror. Dad was echoing a horrible, low moan that crawled from the back of his throat, and he twitched violently from the blast he had absorbed.
“DAMNIT LYSANDER, GET ME MORE SEDATIVE!” Lysander bolted out of the room and returned with two more injections, which Freya jammed into my arm and forced into my system. To their astonishment, it barely affected me, making them both swear. “This isn’t working! We need to do something before he kills himself or someone else!?”
Lysander went to say something as the door slowly opened, and a figure ghosted into the room. He floated to my side, his face masked by thick, white bandages. He raised a bandaged arm before laying his hand on my cheek, where he brushed his thumb across my skin to wipe my tears away. “Placidos facientia somnus... Go to sleep, my love…” He whispered, in a voice that made every bad thought leave my mind.
Against my will my body fell slack, and I flopped back into the bed. The three Gods that were restraining me gasped in relief, and slowly loosened their grip to stare at my lifeless body in shock. Mom was holding Dad to her chest on the floor, trying desperately to help his body bounce back, and sobbed in relief when it was finally over. “Odysseus…?” Blaine breathed in shock.
Odysseus turned to the group, his voice low as he spoke, “He should sleep for at least twenty four hours. Should he wake up and slip into another episode like such, I will be back to help.” He stated so calmly that it was unsettling.
“What did you do…? How did you know…?” Galaxy asked, astonished.
“Particeps Potestatis.” Odysseus simply said, which made everyone gasp a little before he looked back down to me and caressed my cheek lovingly. “Claude, Alice, May, Jackson…When you have a chance, please come see me. I have set up a portal for you to travel through. We need to have a discussion as soon as possible. I have information concerning the situation with Halcyon...” He paused, his hand shaking slightly, “If you wish for Nicodemus to live, then you will come find me.”
“How do you know about all of this, when you’ve been in your room recovering for days?” Blaine snapped, standing in equal parts confusion, worry, and anger.
“That is my business.” Odysseus snapped back, making his father blink in shock.
Claude stepped forward slightly, (Lets go then, now. Whatever you have to say is important enough to me, especially when it concerns Nicodemus’s safety.)
Odysseus nodded once before leaning down to kiss my forehead softly. He left his lips there for a moment before sighing and standing once more, “Stay here and watch him.” He barked to the Gods, who nodded hesitantly. “Ashlynn, use this,” he tossed Mom a vial of gold liquid, “It will help restore Atlas’s energy.”
“What is it?” She stammered nervously.
“Does it matter?”
“What is with all of this transparency?!” Galaxy cried.
Odysseus slowly turned to him, his eyes pure gold and dangerous, “How does it feel to be on the flip side of the coin for once?” He menacingly shot back. Galaxy’s eyes widened as Odysseus looked to the sky, where, a moment later, he dissipated as a ray of light from the room.