The Nameless Heir

"Damn, you guys look horrible. Was the room service that bad?"

Orion didn't answer. He just pulled him in, arms tight, as if he needed proof he wasn't a ghost. Relief broke across his face, raw and unguarded.

"You've grown so much. So fast."

He didn't move, caught between words. What came instead was a laugh, quiet and jagged.

"Puberty." The word felt thin, but it was easier than admitting the pull in his chest. He hugged him back anyway.

"Glad you guys are okay."

"I thought I was late." The words left his mouth before he could stop them. His gut pulled tight, that same knot that always came with the thought of failing.

Orion's grip loosened at last, but his hand stayed on his shoulder, reluctant to let go.

"We've been here for only four days," Orion muttered. His voice carried weariness he remembered too well. "Last time we saw you was two days ago… in that dream."

His mouth twitched. He didn't smile.

"Guess time works different here."

Selene stepped in, blade still raised. Her gaze stayed locked on him, steady yet unsure, as if one blink might break the illusion.

"You really made it."

He tilted his head, almost smirking.

"Did you doubt me?"

Her fingers eased slightly on the hilt. She shook her head.

"No. I just wasn't sure you'd make it in time."

Orion finally put him down.

"We thought we were done for. There is someone hunting us, and she's strong. Selene and I barely escaped her."

He exhaled, a breath that felt too heavy. His smirk came late, thin.

"Good thing I showed up, then."

Liz stayed quiet; she didn't want to disturb the brotherly moment they were having. Selene glanced at her.

"You look different too, Liz."

He grinned.

"Yep, she's the queen of the Underworld now."

The looks on their faces were priceless—wide-eyed, lost. He spread his hands.

"What, you missed a few things? Fine. Quick recap."

He rattled it off in one breath, words tumbling out too fast:

"After you guys left, Hades died—rest in peace, Papa—then I became a god, then I beat up a god, then the whole Olympian club decided they hate me and want me dead, and then these other people from somewhere else entirely and they also want to kill me. So yeah, you guys missed a lot of the fun."

Liz smacked him on the head.

"Shut up."

He rubbed the spot, giving her a wounded look.

"Seriously, violent. Why, sunshine, I was trying to share my trauma."

Orion and Selene both laughed.

"Seems like you two have gotten close."

He nodded.

"Yes, we did." Liz's face turned red.

A grin spread across his face.

"So… did you two get any closer? Four days alone?" His voice dropped to a whisper. "Did you guys… do the thingy?"

Both Orion and Selene flushed red. Selene's hand shot up, and she smacked him on the head.

"Okay, that's it!" he snapped, rubbing his skull. "That's enough, you all can't just hit me as you please. I'm a god now—stop hitting me, or I'll send you both to the Underworld myself."

Selene and Liz started giggling.

Orion stepped forward, expression shifting to something more serious.

"Jokes aside… are the gods ready for the invasion? I told the other Holy Knights to prepare. Are they ready?"

His tone hardened.

"No. They didn't care. They didn't even want to come and save you guys." His jaw clenched. "That's why I almost killed Hermes."

Orion's eyes widened.

"You… you beat a god? For real? I thought you were bluffing."

"Yes," he said flatly. "But don't worry. I have an entire army prepared. They won't have a chance of winning. Still…" His gaze flicked between them, voice quieter. "I'll need your help."

Orion placed a hand on his shoulder.

"We'll all be with you."

Selene nodded in agreement, glancing around.

"So… how are we getting out of here?"

He gave them a disappointed look.

"I can't leave until I beat that damn, stupid, annoying Titan. But I can send you guys home."

They both shook their heads.

"We'll support you."

"It's going to be really scary. Just saying."

"Didn't I kick your butt while training?" Orion muttered.

He smirked.

"Yes, during training I was a beginner. And now I'm a sword master." He paused, eyes hardening with a hint of challenge. "I guess we'll see who's the better swordsman."

Orion glanced at the burning treeline, his fingers already closing around the hilt at his side.

"Yeah… seems like we've got company."

It was the girl from before—her eyes faintly glowing red in the firelight—and with her came a pack of undead. Most of them carried the scent of Hades' blood, children twisted into something unrecognizable.

His gaze locked on her. He turned to Orion.

"I'll take the girl. You guys handle the others."

Orion hesitated, confusion flickering in his eyes, but he didn't argue. He nodded once.

He shifted his attention to Liz and Selene.

"You heard him. Let's move."

Orion moved first. Lightning cracked across the ground as he burst forward, faster than the eye could follow. His blade tore through the front line, and an electric chain whipped out after it, snapping from body to body. The dead screamed as the current ripped through them, burning them to dust where they stood. One after another, they dropped, the smell of char filling the air.

Selene crashed in beside him, shield raised. She caught a strike on the iron face and shoved the attacker back with a grunt. Her sword followed, clean and sharp, cutting the corpse down before it could recover. Another lunged—she met it with her shoulder, then her shield came up again—bash, block, slice. The rhythm was brutal, efficient.

Behind them, Liz stood her ground, bow drawn. Arrows flew in steady rhythm, each shot covering the gaps Orion and Selene left open. Her aim was sharp, every shaft biting into exposed flesh. A few shots burned with faint light, but she kept the stronger ones back—too dangerous to use with the others moving so close to the line.

And still, no matter how many they cut down, it didn't stop. The girl lifted her hand, and bodies jerked back to their feet. Others clawed their way out of the dirt, pulled up like the ground itself was feeding her. For every corpse that fell, another stood in its place. It didn't end.

Orion kept tearing through the front, Selene smashed and cut whatever broke past him, and Liz's arrows hissed past their shoulders to catch what they missed. The press of bodies never let up. The girl just kept making more. It wasn't about winning—she was playing the long game, trying to tire them out.

If he wanted, he could have taken control of the undead. But where was the fun in that? He rolled his shoulder, a faint grin tugging at his mouth.

"Alright… time to show off."

He drew his sword and shot forward, tearing through everything in his path. Undead crumbled around him, split apart before they even realized he'd passed. By the time she looked up, he was already in front of her.

"Hello, my dear sister." His grin was sharp, almost lazy. "Been keeping busy? Raising the dead, looking spooky? Happy to see your handsome brother?"

He brought his sword down, but she caught it on a small shield.

"You see, summoning the dead is my thing. I can't have you take that away from me."

Her eyes burned with rage as she kicked off the ground, shield snapping up and knocking his arm aside.

"I've been waiting for you… and now your time is up. I'll kill you!"

Steel flashed from her other hand, but his form slipped into smoke, gone before the blade could touch him.

"Damn. Is this how you say hello to your brother?" His voice drifted from the haze, mocking, too calm.

She swung her shield wide, teeth bared.

"Shut up! You killed Hades!"

He leaned back, letting the edge miss by inches.

"Technically, he chose his end."

Her short sword came down hard. He stepped aside, smooth and quick, her strike hitting empty ground.

"Shut up!"

His look said it all—flat, sharp. Are you serious?

She threw her arm out. The soil cracked. Hands clawed up, dozens at once, dragging themselves free. They swarmed, weight piling on until he vanished under them.

Her breath caught. For a heartbeat, she thought it was done.

Then his voice rose from inside the mass, colder than the grave.

"You dare lay hands on your god?"

The air thickened. Pressure rolled out of him in waves, choking, crushing. Her chest locked; her lungs refused to pull in air. The corpses around him froze mid-motion, shivering like their strings had been cut.

Shadows bled from his frame, twisting, alive. He lifted one hand. A snap rang out.

Every corpse collapsed, dragged screaming into blackness until nothing was left but silence.

He stepped through the clearing dust, eyes fixed on her. His tone didn't rise, didn't need to.

"You won't listen to me. But there's someone you will."

The sword shifted in his grip, shadows crawling along the edge.

"Shadowbane. Third Form—Mage Slayer."

He moved. The air cracked. She barely saw it—just the blur of his blade and the rush of force.

Then her body hit the ground.

A familiar, ominous voice cut through the air.

"A son of Hades, killing a daughter of Hades… what a tragedy."

His head tilted, smirk sharp.

"Oh, look. The coward finally came out of hiding."