The Nameless Heir

Kael had been through some things.

Getting locked in a storeroom with a rat the size of a cat? Horrible.

Getting thrown out of a baker's shop window for stealing bread? Painful.

Spending half a day outrunning guards after picking the wrong noble's pocket? Exhausting.

But this?

This was worse.

Orion Aetos, heir of Zeus, had him by the collar, dragging him through the Heraion Academy gates like a piece of luggage.

"Oof—okay, okay, I surrender!" Kael groaned, letting his body go limp.

Orion didn't even blink once.

"You're not fooling anyone here."

Kael sighed. "What if I faint?"

"You won't."

"What if I scream that you're kidnapping me?"

Selene Ithaca, daughter of Athena, smirked. "Try it."

Kael opened his mouth. Orion clamped a hand over his face.

As they marched through the streets of New Olympus, Kael spotted an opportunity— to make this as difficult as he can for Orion.

Struggling under Orion's hold, he said, "Listen, at least buy me dinner first. If you're going to kidnap me."

Orion ignored him.

"Rude," Kael muttered.

Selene smiled, her sharp eyes glowing. "You're loving this way too much."

"Oh, immensely. Nothing I love more than being forcefully dragged somewhere I don't want to go."

"You were stealing," Orion said flatly.

"Allegedly," Kael corrected. "And where is my lawyer?"

Selene raised her eyebrow. "You do not have a lawyer."

Orion sighed. "Do you even know what a lawyer is?"

"Of course! It's… the guy who gets you out of trouble when people like you wrongfully accuse me."

"You mean when people like him catch you running away with stolen gold?" Selene smirked.

Kael gasped, clutching his chest. "How dare you? I found it."

"In someone else's house," Orion muttered.

Kael sighed. "I was borrowing it… with no intention of returning it."

Orion exhaled through his nose. "You're insufferable."

"Oh, but if I was, wouldn't you just let me go?"

Orion yanked him harder.

The gates weren't just big—they were impossible.

Twin doors of obsidian and gold, covered in glowing Olympian runes, loomed so high they seemed to scrape the clouds. Above them, twelve divine symbols flickered, each tied to an Olympian god.

Kael felt small. And he hated it.

The walls stretched endlessly, built from magic-infused marble that shifted colors with the time of day. Statues of Zeus, Poseidon, Athena, and the others stood along the entrance, their stone gazes heavy, watching.

Then the gates swung open, and Kael's breath caught.

Inside, bridges floated in midair, staircases twisted like moving puzzles, shifting as students crossed. A Colosseum rumbled in the distance, sparks of magic flashing through the sky.

Towering glass spires held floating books, glowing runes, and golden statues of past heroes. A library the size of a mountain sat at the far edge of the academy, its glowing entrance pulsing like a heartbeat.

And the sky—Kael had never seen anything like it.

Storms, sunlight, and moonlight blended into one impossible canvas, shifting like the gods were painting it in real-time.

It looked unreal.

And Kael was being dragged into it like a criminal.

They passed a group of girls near a golden fountain. They stopped talking. Their eyes flicked to Orion, then to Kael.

Kael winked, finger-gunned. "Don't mind me, ladies. Just my best friend and I taking a romantic stroll through campus."

Orion dragged him faster.

One of the girls giggled. "You sure you're not enjoying this, Orion?"

Selene actually laughed.

Orion's jaw clenched.

Keal turned toward another group of passing students. "I know what you're thinking. 'Is that the famous Kael Voss, criminal mastermind, being taken into the most powerful school in the world?'

Orion yanked him so hard his feet nearly left the ground.

Selene was laughing openly now.

"Kael," Orion muttered, voice dangerously low, "shut up."

"Oh, but I have so much more to say."

Orion looked ready to throw him into a lake.

Instead, they shoved him into an office that screamed serious business.

Behind an impossibly large desk, Headmaster Callius stared at him like she already knew every bad decision he'd ever made.

"You must be Kael Voss," she said smoothly.

Kael grinned. "That depends. Am I getting expelled already, or do I get a chance to cause more chaos?"

She exhaled, as if praying for patience.

"Touch the orb," she instructed, lifting a glowing sphere off her desk.

Kael placed his hand on it.

The mist inside swirled violently, darkening until it was black as night.

A whisper filled the air.

Not from him.

Not from anyone in the room.

The shadows at his feet twitched, curling like living things.

Then, they moved.

Not randomly.

Toward him.

The room's temperature dropped dramatically. His breath came out cold.

The Headmaster's expression froze. She looked at the orb. Then at him. Then back at the orb.

"That's… impossible."

Orion's grip on his sword tightened.

Selene's amusement vanished.

The air in the office felt heavy. Like the walls had shrunk. Like the shadows were pressing in.

Callius spoke slowly. "You are the only Son of Hades."

She turned back to him, uncertain now. Like she wasn't sure he was real.

Kael blinked.

Then, he grinned.

"This explains so much."

Orion's golden eyes flickered. "No way. That's not possible."

Selene stayed silent. Just watching. Calculating.

Kael reached into his shirt and whistled softly.

From the shadows, a small black creature slithered out and climbed onto his shoulder.

"Come here, my little nightmare," he murmured.

The room tensed.

Orion stepped back. The shadows curled toward the creature like it was their king.

Then, before anyone could say anything—

Kael jumped onto the chair, throwing his arms out dramatically.

"Bow before me, mortals! I am the King of the Underworld! Prince of Darkness! Lord of Shadows!"

A second later, something smacked the back of his head.

He stumbled forward, rubbing his skull. "Did you seriously just hit me?"

Selene crossed her arms. "Did you seriously just call yourself 'Prince of Darkness' in the Headmaster's office?"

"…Okay, fair point."

Callius exhaled, gaze lingering on the orb.

The unease hadn't faded.