Total pages in book: 74
Estimated words: 69923 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 350(@200wpm)___ 280(@250wpm)___ 233(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 69923 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 350(@200wpm)___ 280(@250wpm)___ 233(@300wpm)
“Before the gods of Olympus knew it, their temples were torn down and churches were built in their place. Down came their statues and up went the cross. The humans were turning their back on them and soon they had no choice”—she waved and swords clanged in the air—“but war.”
I kissed Daria’s forehead. “They went to war with the Christian god.”
“Yes, they did, my love. And they lost.”
I sighed long and deep as I always did at this part. It was so obvious to a ten-year-old like me that all the Olympian gods had to do was be nicer to the humans, but like Markos Adamos who kept throwing dirt at me when I walked home from lessons, some people just can’t help being a stupid turnip head.
“The Greek gods or the Roman gods, the mortals stopped worshiping them under any name, all throughout the world. And without their faith to sustain them, the gods grew weaker and weaker until they were nothing but pale copies of their former selves. I ask you, sweet Aella, what is a god who has no one to believe in him?”
Shaking my head, I said sadly, “He is nothing.”
“That is what they were becoming. Nothing.” The battle, the gods, and the stars winked out, leaving my room in darkness. “The gods faded from existence as they did from the hearts and minds of man, so in one last effort to save themselves and live to see the day Mount Olympus was restored, they reduced their forms down to their very essence and scattered into pieces.”
The space lit at the very end of her sentence, filling with dozens upon dozens of tiny, glowing orbs.
“Those pieces spread through the earth, finding the strong and worthy, and burrowed into their souls. Today we call them...”
“Demigods.”
Grinning, she nuzzled my nose again. “There’s my smart girl. I knew you were fibbing about forgetting the story. Will you tell me the rest?”
“The demigods had great power, but they weren’t safe on their own. Monsters could feel the es—es—”
“Essence,” Mama said.
“They felt the es-sence of the gods in the people and attacked them. So, from all over the world, demigods came together and created Olympia,” I cried, throwing my arms out. “Where we can live together and protect each other.”
“That’s exactly right, my love.”
“Surround it! Get on the other side!”
Mama threw another tight-lipped frown at my window. “That is what Olympia is all about. Demigods coming together to live, protect, and fight for one another. The legend says the gods bound to our souls so that they’d live on in our belief. One day, we’d grow strong enough to put the gods back on their throne and reclaim this world in the name of Olympus. But you know what I think?”
I shook my head, even though I did.
“It doesn’t matter if the legends are true, or how we demigods came to be. What matters is the life we’ve built together: one where people of all colors, creeds, and power are bound—living and fighting side by side.
“There are wars in Olympia, but they are not between neighboring villages. There is theft, but not by five-fingered hands. There is murder but...” Her gaze drifted away. “It is not us harming one another.
“That cannot be said in another town, village, or city beyond the border of Olympia. Here, we take care of each other. That is why you never need be afraid, Aella. You will always have defenders. You will always have shelter. And you will always have family.” She stroked my dimpled cheek. “No matter what happens to me.”
My smile faded. Mama ended her tale in the usual way, until that final sentence. “What do you mean? Nothing’s going to happen to you. Right?”
But she wasn’t looking at me. Standing up, she edged toward the window. “I need you to remember that, Aella. You’ll never be alone. Here in Olympia, we’re all sons and daughters of the gods. We’re all fam—”
A piercing crash rocked our home on the foundations. I screamed, losing hold of Daria as I leaped across the bed, reaching for Mama. My fingertips brushed hers as the door blew out of the frame and bowled my mother over.
A fearsome, terrifying face filled my vision. Bulging red eyes reflected me—casting my own small, pale-faced terror back in mocking. Its jaw unhinged, singeing my nose with the hideous smell of sulfur and blood wafting on its breath.
I screamed as her claws came down on that small, pale face.
Aella
I jerked awake, gasping. Panic gripped me as darkness hit my eyes, transporting me to another time and place.
“...we take care of each other. That is why you never need be afraid, Aella. You will always have defenders. You will always have shelter. And you will always have family. No matter what happens to me...”
Sitting up, I scoffed. “What a load of crock.”