Page 12 of Beasts of Shadows #1

The Hag and Zeus

(When the family tree becomes a circle).

Calea’s fifth husband was, rather notoriously, her own grandson—Zeus.

Their brief alliance was forged in rebellion. Together, they overthrew Kronos, Zeus’s father and Calea’s son. With Calea’s guidance, Zeus liberated his swallowed siblings from Kronos’s belly and led the charge to imprison him in Tartarus.

There, Kronos became more than a fallen Titan. He became a vessel—hollowed and filled by Thantos, god of Death, grandfather to Zeus, father-husband to Calea, and by this point, the architect of more than one divine catastrophe.

But family loyalty is rarely eternal.

At the first sight of his sister Hera, Zeus turned from Calea. Whether it was love, fate, or sheer ambition that pulled him away is debated, but the betrayal cut deep.

Calea eventually retaliated. She took his head—literally. And as his divine blood spilled across the land, it marked the Trojans, foretelling not only their fall but the long war that would see Greek victory written in blood.

—Reema

P.S. If you’re seeing patterns of betrayal, divine possession, and repeated bloodline manipulation—good. You’re finally reading this the right way.

∞∞∞

Our schedules are regimented, leaving little room for downtime. There’ll be no hour-long lunches lazing under a tree, no hacky sack circles or ultimate frisbee games between classes.

I’d never given much thought to the college experience. Before my conscription, my plan was a gap year working with my dad’s record company before pursuing marketing—hopefully somewhere exotic.

Van Ritten was clearly built on the same principles as places like Harvard and Princeton. Excellence. Scholarship. Power.

One thing’s for sure—this is not a liberal arts university.

“You think this is bad? Cody’s schedule is way more packed. He goes from sunup to sundown, with double the field exercises.” Cat nudges me playfully against the wall as we head to the evening conscription class. It’s the only class I haven’t been to yet—and the one I dread most.

Nikolai will be in here.

I’ve seen him in passing, but he’s mostly ignored me. I’m hoping it stays that way, though I keep my expectations low for a reason.

I undo the top two buttons of my blazer, tugging the ascot until it hangs loose. I’m so over this whole getup.

“Field exercises?” I ask.

“Sure. They’re the best way to earn patronage. Gods love popping into field exercises and weighing how we do. The more gods willing to vouch for you, the better your chances of survival. Brings you up in the rankings, too.”

This place isn’t about education—it’s bloodsport dressed up in a blazer.

“I’m not completely defenseless.”

“Puh-lease. You’re like a lost little puppy with all the dog catchers ready to take you out.”

“Guess I should start biting.”

Cat winks and swings into our classroom. Maybe here—finally—I’ll get answers. Who I am. What I can do. Why the hell I’m here.

The professor behind the desk narrows her eyes at us, then taps pointedly at the clock so we know we’re late.

But only by a minute.

“You know,” Nikolai drawls before the woman can speak.

I grimace at the sound of his voice. That smug, velvet-laced cadence slinks under my skin like a toxin. I hate that it makes something low in my gut twist.

“Some mortals who can’t get it together serve detention on the Bonfire Moon.”

“Quit trying so hard, Nicky Boy,” Cat says, ruffling his feathered locks as she passes him on the way to the back. “It’s giving desperation.”

His easy grin suggests he finds the comment amusing. Then his attention flicks back to me—almost like he thinks we’re sharing a secret.

When I find my seat, Cat leans close.

“You gonna ask for a pencil next, or just go ahead and jump him?”

Damn her and the ability to read emotions. And fuck me, for my traitorous body being so vocal.

“I bet if I killed you, no one would notice,” I mutter.

Cat scoffs. “You don’t have it in you.”

That’s where she’s wrong, of course. But I keep those thoughts to myself.

“What an eclectic mix we have,” the professor murmurs, looking out over the group of at least fifty of us, now settled into our seminar seats.

Her clipped tone has nothing on the antlers sprouting from her forehead.

Her feet are in stylish military boots, though I suspect there are hooves within, judging by the brown-and-white fur creeping past the hem—just subtle enough to pass for tights.

I try not to gawk. I fail.

“I’m Dr. Anu Kite. As a former school counselor, I’m here to make your transition into the real world as smooth as possible.”

Her gaze settles on us. “And Miss Wyatt, I hate to say he’s right, but he is. Late again and you’ll serve detention—locked outside the dorms at the October Bonfire Moon.”

Nikolai’s face is hungry. I can only imagine what this unknown creature has in mind if I’m trapped out there again.

“We read you loud and clear,” Cat answers.

“There are, of course, exceptions to that rule,” Dr. Kite adds, turning toward the chalkboard. “For instance, if you had a note from a faculty member.”

A note from Cat’s mom would carry more weight than anyone else’s.

But Cat already made it clear—we’re getting no help from Irene Wyatt.

She sent Cody away to private school because she was scared of him.

She’s always prioritized her career over hands-on parenting Cat.

And she clearly has no interest in meeting her bastard brother’s spawn.

Not that I blame her for that one.

“It won’t happen again,” I vow, digging out my notebook.

Dr. Kite perches on the edge of her desk, arms folded. “You’ve probably noticed most professors are done with you the second you’re out the door. Or maybe you haven’t even met your professor—just their senior teaching assistant doing the real work.”

She pauses.

“I’m not like that. This is a seminar class, and I’m here to answer whatever questions you have.”

“Who’s Professor Sumner?”

I didn’t mean to ask it. But the words are already out there, drifting through the room like smoke. Every head swivels toward me—especially Dr. Kite’s, her luminous green eyes narrowing.

“What?”

I lick my lips, realizing I’ve committed now. Nikolai’s stare pierces the back of my skull. The least I can do is follow through.

“Who’s…Professor Sumner?” My voice tapers off as the agitation between Dr. Kite’s horns grows visibly more intense.

“Don’t tell me we have another female eager to join his fan club.”

The accusation is insulting. Especially since I haven’t even seen the guy.

“Someone named Professor Sumner sicc’d bogeys on me during the assessment,” I say flatly. “I want to know why.”

Nikolai scoffs, draping his arms over the back of his chair. “You’re hardly worth the energy of a god. Even one sidelined to teaching.”

“Nikolai,” Dr. Kite warns.

“Glad you’re paying such close attention for someone who thinks I’m irrelevant,” I fire back.

He might be right. But gods help me, I’m not giving him that satisfaction.

I take a breath and look to Dr. Kite instead.

“Maybe I’m not worth it,” I mutter. “But neither are most of you. And yet here we are. I have visions—sometimes. They’re not even reliable. Why would a god want me dead before I even stepped on campus?”

“Who are you, again?” Dr. Kite asks, sliding her arms back over her posh three-piece suit. The gesture makes me feel small and insignificant—like a child. I hate the feeling, and I study the chalkboard above her head to keep my composure.

“Nari Harper.”

“She’s my cousin, Dr. K—.”

“Shh.”

Cat slumps into her seat with a pathetic shrug.

Dr. Kite moves across the rows faster than I expect, until her palm is pressed to my forehead.

What the fuck?

“Another descendant of the Wallace Clan?”

I expect Cat to jump in, to remind her that she’s Cody’s sister. But she seems content to sit back and let me flounder.

“I… Cody said…”

“Cody Wyatt?” Dr. Kite prompts, her eyes growing brighter now.

I catch Nikolai’s gaze across the room. He looks fascinated. His stare burns the side of my face, like he’s cataloging every secret I didn’t know I had.

“I thought I knew the Wallace Clan family tree,” Dr. Kite continues. “It’s easy enough—most of them died in the London bombings. But I don’t know you.”

“Doesn’t… seem like such a bad thing… when you say it like that,” I try to joke. But the words fall flat, and even Cat shakes her head at the attempt.

Finally, Dr. Kite turns on her heel and strides back to the front of the room, as if nothing unusual just happened.

“Teachers don’t target students,” she says briskly, shutting the conversation down. “I’d imagine the bogeys only said that to get in your head. And you’re letting them.”

Her lips twist in disappointment.

“I’d worry more about moving up in rank, or getting to places on time—before you anger your actual professors.”

She settles back on the desk and scans the room.

“Now, who has a real question?”

#

“I think we got off to a bad start.”

Dr. Kite slows her movements, hands still in her satchel. She shifts enough to catch me in her glowing stare. After a long moment, she sighs and beckons me in front of her.

“Walk with me, then. I need a coffee.”

The halls are mostly deserted. Cat ran off to meet Bri, and the rest of our class dispersed the moment they were released.

I should feel off, standing beside a Shadow Realm creature that I know nothing about.

Instead, I feel safe. I learned long ago to trust my instincts, so I lean into that feeling.

I plan to apologize for being late and the Professor Sumner questions, but the longer we walk in silence, the more agitated I get, and my primary concerns boil to the surface.

“I don’t belong here,” I say, clenching my fists to keep from swinging against the wall.

“Most people don’t,” Dr. Kite says with ease.

“No, but I really shouldn’t be here. My visions have only ever anchored around my ex-boyfriend, and I didn’t even know I was a member of the—what did you call them? Wyatt Clan?”