Chapter 1

The gods anxiously looked down at their creation—who had lost control of himself for decades, and now that he had changed, he was becoming nothing but trouble. He was no longer known as the “Messenger of the gods” but a god, and had won the title fair and square. He showed those who stood against him that he was not one to shy away from bloodshed for those accused of disloyalty.

He was vicious. The gods watched him as he slaughtered his victims who were nothing to him but a bunch of toys to play with, making sure to leave a horrible mess even for those foul enough to appreciate a killing spree.

He was seductive. His appearance far from ugly, as was expected in light of his reputation, equaled those of the male gods in the room. And he knew it so well.

He was ruthless. As they kept watching him, they became horrified at the rate his power grew each day, so much so that his power was becoming too much even for the gods to handle. They feared he would use it against them.

It wasn’t a secret that they couldn’t have been more neglectful and devious to him as a boy. They took him from his home when they saw he was useful, and turned him into what he had become. The gods sat in silence around the glass-like table with distant eyes. Finally, one spoke—Alstha, the goddess of war and knowledge.

“Something must be done immediately! He is murdering hundreds of innocent lives by the minute!” she exclaimed outraged.

“We cannot do a thing. We made sure of that when we made him indestructible,” Eccasto, the god of intelligence and instinct, spoke regretfully.

“And whose bright idea was that?! We’ve all seen what the boy can do. I swear, something terrible will happen to us if we do not find a way to stop him,” Fate spoke.

The gods froze as the latter rarely spoke. His words were like the law and if he was threatened for their future, then this could mean far worse than they thought.

The boy trained with Alstha for war and knowledge; Eccasto, for discernment; Fate, for intelligence and preparedness.

He had been trained by the gods, except for one who they thought he would not need in his missions—Luna, or as people called her, Mother Luna. All eyes turned to her as she cocked her brow in question.

“What?” Her melodic voice echoed through the vast room.

“You’re the only one with powers he wasn’t trained with,” Fate spoke with caution yet mirth.

“And?” she questioned. The gods looked at Fate curiously.

“Mother Luna, what is the one thing you give your children that none of us can give?” he asked, standing from his chair and making his way to her.

“A mate,” she answered proudly.

The other gods gasped in surprise at what Fate was planning of. Fate tsk-tsked, took her hand, and kissed it softly.

“I can give a lover and take one away,” Fate said.

She snatched her hand back forcefully and her beautiful features were marred by an animalistic expression. Her lips parted, her teeth bared, and her angry eyes narrowed in warning.

“Be calm, Mother Moon. I will not harm any of your . . . innocent children.” She calmed herself slowly, but the wild look in her eyes remained.

“Hope. You give your children hope. Hope for having someone to cherish, to trust, and to love.”

“Yes I do. But what of it?” She sounded exasperated, echoing the thoughts of every other god in the room.

“The boy has nobody to love. No family and no one to call his own. Look at him. He comes and goes as he pleases. He’s free, too free.”

It finally dawned on them and they agreed, but they didn’t fully grasp the end game yet.

“Send him a warrior! She will tame his heart!” Alstha yelled with glee.

“No, send him a heartless girl. He will pin for her affection, and his instincts will let him do nothing more dangerous!” Eccasto said.

The other gods yelled out their thoughts and opinions about who she should be and why, but Fate raised his hand and shut them up.

“No.” The gods looked on at him flabbergasted, not comprehending how Fate could not see the brilliance of their ideas.

“So, who shall I mate him to, Fate?” Luna asked with excitement in her eyes. Everyone knew she loved matching couples together, even the most impossible pairs.

“She will be gentle like the autumn breeze, catching him off guard. This will fuel his desire to know her,” Fate said, giving Eccasto a pointed look.

“But, she will also be stubborn and defend herself against him with bravery unlike anything he has ever known. She will get him off his high horse and let his feet touch ground once more to teach him humility.” Fate looked at Alstha.

“She will be be beautiful, of course, but not the kind of beauty he’s accustomed himself with. This will open his eyes to see people for who they are and not for how they look. She will bring him peace and joy. He will hope for things he thought he would never want. She will tame his whole being: power, spirit, soul, and heart.”

The room was silent until one of them spoke.

“Will she be his undoing?”

“Can you do it, Mother Luna?” Fate asked, challenging her.

She replied with a smirk. She lifted her hands from the table. Mist surrounded them. The sun suddenly set, and the moon rose to the clouds. Luna chanted under her breath like usual, but this time everyone watched closely, knowing that their future was ironically at stake. For once, Luna did something different.

She brought her wrist to her mouth and bit it, allowing the blood to flow and drop generously before the wound sealed. Fate’s eyes narrowed.

The blood slowly began to take solid form, then blue blood appeared, making the others hiss out.

“It’s the boy’s blood!”

“What are you doing?!” Fate shouted, alarmed by the gleam in her wild eyes.

Luna continued to chant, ignoring the other gods. Both of their blood began to merge. Luna’s blood took on a purple hint right before touching the boy’s. The drops of blood clashed for a moment before becoming one and vanishing into thin air. Luna tilted her head to the side before blinking.

The gods glared at her.

“What did you do?” Repeated Fate, an edge to his tone .

Luna gave him a wide smile and said, “Behold! The birth of Vivian Grey.”