“Identity is born in darkness.” (Part 2)
1272 Words
Zagreus stared at it in complete shock.
“I… brought you back?”
The dog immediately pressed against him, licking his face excitedly.
Zagreus laughed in disbelief.
“I never knew I could do that…”
His eyes widened slightly.
“Was that always inside me?”
The dog barked happily, circling him excitedly while Zagreus continued petting it.
For the first time since arriving in the mortal realm, he felt something warm settle inside his chest.
He smiled softly.
“You have no owner anymore,” he murmured. “Why don’t you come with me instead?”
The dog’s tail wagged furiously.
“You can stay beside me while I explore this world.”
The prince grinned faintly.
“You’ll be my Cerberus here.”
The dog barked loudly in agreement, making Zagreus laugh.
“All right then,” he said. “You need a name.”
He pretended to think deeply for a moment before snapping his fingers.
“I know.”
He looked at the dog mischievously.
“Alecto.”
The dog barked excitedly and jumped around him.
Zagreus burst into laughter.
“Perfect. Though you’re far kinder than the actual Alecto.”
He scratched behind the dog’s ears.
“That Fury terrifies half the Underworld.”
The dog barked proudly.
“I think I’ll call you Alec instead.”
Suddenly, shouting echoed from deeper within the alley.
Alec immediately stepped protectively in front of Zagreus, fur bristling as low growls rumbled from his throat.
The prince blinked in surprise before smiling faintly.
“You truly are becoming my Cerberus.”
Zagreus raised one hand experimentally, curious about what else his powers could do in the mortal realm.
Warmth spread across his palm.
Then flames ignited in his hand.
Dark crimson fire.
The flames of Phlegethon.
Zagreus stared at them in fascination.
“This is incredible.”
But almost immediately, Nyx’s warning echoed in his mind.
Blend in.
Do not let mortals know what you are.
Zagreus quickly closed his hand, extinguishing the flames.
Another scream rang out.
This time, Alec sprinted toward the sound.
Zagreus followed calmly behind him.
At the end of the alley, two men were restraining a terrified woman.
Alec barked viciously at them.
The men immediately looked up.
“Alec,” Zagreus said calmly, “down.”
The dog reluctantly obeyed and returned to his side.
Zagreus smiled proudly and patted his head.
“Good boy. I’ll get you treats later.”
“Get the hell out of here!” one of the men shouted. “There’s nothing to see!”
Zagreus barely acknowledged him.
Instead, he studied them carefully.
Dark shadows twisted above both men’s heads.
Corrupted souls.
Then he looked at the woman.
Fear.
Helplessness.
Desperation.
For the first time, Zagreus realized he could read mortals just as clearly as souls in the Underworld.
“Are you deaf?!” the second man yelled. “Get lost!”
Zagreus glanced down at Alec.
“If Cerberus were here,” he muttered thoughtfully, “none of these mortals would still have heads attached to their souls.”
Alec barked in agreement.
The prince smiled faintly.
Suddenly—
Pain exploded through his abdomen.
Zagreus looked down in surprise.
A knife was buried deep in his stomach.
The man holding it grinned wildly.
“Told you to get lost!”
Zagreus slowly lifted his gaze toward him.
Then calmly grabbed the man’s wrist.
“Lost?” he repeated quietly. “No. I believe I’m exactly where I should be.”
The man suddenly froze.
Zagreus’ eyes turned completely black, swallowing the whites entirely, while his pupils burned with two different colors—one glowing crimson red, the other an icy blue—revealing the divine blood of the Underworld running through him.
“What the hell are you?!” the man screamed.
He tried to pull away, but Zagreus seized him by the throat.
“I was born from the womb of the Goddess of Spring,” Zagreus said softly.
Heat spread violently through his hands.
“But to mortals like you…”
Dark fire erupted around the man’s body.
“I am the son of Hades.”
The man screamed in agony as flames of Phlegethon consumed him alive.
Darkness spread through the alley.
The second man released the woman immediately and tried to flee.
“Alec,” Zagreus ordered coldly, “don’t let him escape.”
The dog lunged after him instantly.
Moments later, the man’s screams echoed through the alley as Alec dragged him back by the shoulder and threw him violently at Zagreus’ feet.
The man collapsed, trembling in terror.
Then he grabbed Zagreus by the ankle.
“Please!” he begged desperately. “Please spare me! I won’t do it again!”
Zagreus crouched down slowly and lifted the man’s face.
“When the souls hanging over your head begged you for mercy…” he whispered, “did you spare them?”
The man stared at him in confusion.
“What are you talking about?!”
Zagreus glanced upward at the growing darkness surrounding him.
“Your damned soul must be lonely.”
His voice turned ice cold.
“I suppose joining them won’t hurt.”
Fear overtook the man completely.
Before he could scream again, Zagreus placed a hand over his face.
“Burn in Phlegethon.”
The man instantly crumbled into ash.
A cold wind swept through the alley, scattering the remains until nothing was left.
Silence followed.
Then Zagreus turned.
The woman had fainted.
Immediately, the darkness inside him vanished.
He stared at her for a long moment before carefully lifting her into his arms and carrying her out of the alley.
The moment he stepped onto the busy street, mortals rushed toward him in alarm.
“Oh my God!”
“What happened?!”
“Call an ambulance!”
“I found her being attacked in the alley,” Zagreus explained calmly. “I stopped them, but she lost consciousness.”
The mortals immediately surrounded the woman, tending to her injuries with genuine concern.
Zagreus stood quietly and watched.
And for the first time since arriving in the mortal realm, he felt something unfamiliar.
Kindness.
Real kindness.
Not fear.
Not worship.
Not obedience.
Just people helping another person because they wanted to.
The darkness he felt earlier completely faded away.
A few minutes passed, a hand suddenly tapped his shoulder.
Zagreus turned to find one of the mortal guards standing beside him.
“We’d like to ask you a few questions, sir,” the officer said politely. “About the two men who attacked her. Did you see where they went?”
Zagreus remained perfectly calm.
“I called out to them,” he replied. “But when they saw me and my dog… they vanished.”
“You mean they escaped?”
Zagreus nodded.
The officer sighed before pulling out a small notebook.
“Can I get your name, sir?”
“My name…”
Zagreus stopped himself.
He could not reveal who he truly was.
Nyx’s warning echoed in his mind once more.
Mortals must never know.
He glanced down at Alec, who sat proudly beside him.
“This is my dog, Alecto,” Zagreus said instead. “He helped save her too.”
The officer smiled warmly and scratched behind Alec’s ears.
“You’re a good boy, aren’t you?” he laughed. “Good job, buddy.”
Then he looked back at Zagreus.
“And you, sir? Your name?”
The prince of the Underworld paused for only a second before answering.
“You can call me…” he said quietly, “…Adrian.”
- Writer
