Pawn of the Gods Old Version (E-Book)

Prologue

Shouts invaded the small space, ripping through the log walls. Our home was so tiny, whispers traveled from end to end without trouble—the reason my dolls and I had to stop sharing secrets.

A thud sounded from outside, rattling the cabin. Mama tucked the blankets tighter around me. I reached for Daria, but Mother was already there—picking her off the rickety bedside table and tucking my doll under my arm.

“Do you remember the story of Olympia, my darling?” Mama perched on the end of my bed, smiling softly. No matter how much gray snuck in her golden-brown curls or how much bigger the dark circles under her eyes grew, she would always be the prettiest, most beautiful mommy in all five dominions. She would smile when I told her that too.

“No,” I replied, though I did. 

Mom tsked under her breath. “Well, we can’t have that. Should I tell you the story?”

I nodded, relaxing onto my pillow as swords clanged beyond my window.

Mother waved her hand and swirling light painted my ceiling—spinning, moving, darkening, brightening, and coming together. I gasped at the starry, celestial sky. 

Mama said her power was useless. It provided us with neither food, medicine, shelter, nor income. But I loved it. In a world full of ugly, scary things, my mother made it pretty with just a wave of her hand.

“Long ago,” she began, “the gods of Olympia ruled the heavens, hades, and everything above, below, and in between. But they were not like other gods, and do you know why?”

My answer spilled off the tip of my lips. “They liked humans.”

“They were fascinated by humans,” Mom whispered. She tickled my nose with hers until I giggled. “The way they lived, worked, and died. How they loved, toiled, and strove for more. Instead of staying high above them on Mount Olympus, the gods couldn’t resist interacting with the mortals who shared their shape, but not their power.”

My eyes widened at the changing figures. Glowing, beautiful beings threw lightning, raced chariots across the heavens, and rose from sea-foam. 

“The gods bestowed great gifts on the mortals they favored—from wealth and riches to children born of god and man. Entire cities flourished under their patron god’s indulgence, while the enemies of those people suffered under their god’s wrath.

“The Grecian people believed in the Olympians so fiercely and with such devotion, their faith became an unstoppable force that fed the gods and made them unstoppable in turn. With the gods on their side, the Greek empire stretched wide—conquering many civilizations. Then—”

“—away! Lead it away!” a voice shouted, tightening Mama’s brow. “Back toward the fields!”

“Then the Roman empire claimed Greece and all in its path,” Mama said, a touch louder. “But the Romans were wise, my love. They may have changed their names, but still, they too worshiped the gods of Olympus. They hoped the gods would favor them too, and grant them a vast kingdom and the power to defend it. Everything was perfect until… it wasn’t.”

I clutched Daria tighter. This was the best part of the story. “What happened, Mama?”

“Oh, my dear. Zeus, Hera, Athena, and the gods granted the mortals much, but they asked for much more in return. Women bore Zeus’s children only to suffer terrible curses and messy ends at Hera’s hands. The townspeople gave poor offerings in Poseidon’s temple one day, and the next, their home was washed off the map. Maybe all of that could’ve been endured if not for—”

“—the monsters,” I whispered.

Lips pursed, she nodded. “With the gods’ great capacity for blessings, came their great capacity for evil. They birthed humans, fire, the seasons, and drove the sun across the sky. They also birthed sirens, cerberi, harpies, and hydras,” she said. “Monsters hated the gods. Some used to be mortals. Some were gods or the children of gods that were banished from Mount Olympus. They weren’t worthy enough to sit on a throne beside Zeus and Hera.”

“That made them angry.”

“Very angry,” Mama agreed. “But, of course, they couldn’t take their anger out on the mighty, immortal gods of Olympus, so instead, they went after the next best thing—their favorite pets: the humans.

“Endless attacks. Constant battles. Legions lost. Families wiped out. Villages burned down. The people were fighting a war from within and without. They were at the end of their rope when whispers spread of the Christian god.” Mama gestured again and my small room filled with huddled people in sandals and tunics—whispering and sharing texts. “At first, those in power did their duty to drive out this new god and all talk of him, but it was all too late. 

“Here was a god that asked nothing of them but their faith. He wouldn’t strike them down for having no temple offerings. He wouldn’t seduce and then abandon them to the punishment of his jealous wife. He wouldn’t turn a blind eye while monsters of his own creation destroyed everything they built. 

“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.

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