Page 55 of Maneater

Hadeon stepped closer, studying me like I was something to be examined, like my awareness, my godhood, didn’t matter. He moved like a scholar observing a specimen, not an immortal. Slowly, he began to circle us, eyes flicking between me and Raithe, quick and calculating.

Raithe didn’t move. His body stayed perfectly still, the only motion was in his eyes as they followed Hadeon’s every step.

Hadeon had copper hair, and the same golden eyes as Raithe.

His skin was pale, unnaturally so, like porcelain.

And that’s when something clicked. That feeling I couldn’t quite name before.

Like something half-remembered, just out of reach.

It was him. Hadeon was created of Vengeance too.

His power came from the same source as Raithe’s.

The realization unsettled me more than I expected. I’d been so focused on Raithe, on myself, that I hadn’t really considered the other demigods. And this was Torhiel, after all. The land of the gods. Of course I would eventually run into another one.

At last, Hadeon spoke, but not to Raithe. To me .

“So, you’re the last surviving offspring of Wrath,” he commented, voice dark and resonant.

“Don’t touch her,” Raithe snarled.

Hadeon didn’t flinch. He didn’t even blink. He just kept circling us, unconcerned.

“Relax, Raithe. Neither you or the sole daughter of Wrath are in any danger,” the demigod said, almost soothingly. “You’re fortunate, I’ve already made a bargain, and for now, my Vengeance is bound elsewhere.”

He smiled, as if he were doing us a favor. “Still, when I felt your presence as I passed through, I couldn’t resist stopping by.”

“And you’ve done that. Now leave us,” Raithe said rigidly.

But Hadeon’s attention returned to me. “I wanted to see you for myself. The infamous demigoddess who defied Torhiel’s summons time and time again.” He sounded half-amused. “Now then, what is your name, halfling?”

“Don’t,” Raithe warned, and I was reminded of what my mother used to say. That names held power.

So I clamped my mouth shut and I kept my eyes down, refusing to answer.

Hadeon didn’t push. He was still. Patient. Tolerant. And I mistook that patience for restraint.

His expression remained calm, almost indifferent, but suddenly, the roots around me tightened with such force that I screamed. They squeezed my lower body like a steel trap, and I was sure they would rip me in half.

“Odessa!” I cried out, voice fracturing. “My name is Odessa!”

Raithe lunged toward Hadeon, shouting, “Stay away from her!”

But just like that, the pain dampened.

“Odessa,” Hadeon repeated my name slowly. He tasted it like a word he meant to unravel, turning it over in his mouth.

“Did you know all your siblings died from bargains too heavy to bear?” he said idly. “But you, your very first bond was a death bargain. That tells me you’re different. I doubt you’ll meet the same end as the rest of Wrath’s children.”

He gave a humorless laugh. “Still, you’ll have to face the other children of greater gods.

They’ve been watching you. Ever since you drank from the Ossirae and sealed your immortality, the shift echoed across Torhiel.

We all felt it. And we all became curious.

Curious about the demigoddess who dared to reject Torhiel’s call. ”

“That’s enough,” Raithe said, jaw tight. “You’ve seen her. Now go.”

But Hadeon’s attention never wavered. It was as if Raithe’s words didn’t reach him.

“It’s unusual, seeing Raithe linger by your side. Most demigods wander alone, and for good reason. When two do cross paths, it rarely ends without blood.”

“I’ve thought of killing Raithe more times than I care to admit,” he added softly, circling us like smoke. “He’s powerful, yes, but it isn’t power that’s rare. It’s potential that matters. And he’s had just enough to keep my interest.”

Hadeon paused, his golden eyes flashing.

“I could have erased him, cut the line, reclaimed my due, put an end to the drain on my bargains. But what would that have earned me? My ossiraen endures. It always will. No, I kept him alive for the possibility. Perhaps one day I’ll see if he was worth the gamble.”

Raithe had finally heard enough.

Without warning, Raithe hurled himself forward, teeth clenched, but Hadeon was faster. One strike, swift and brutal, drove into Raithe’s stomach, folding him with a groan. I cried out, but Hadeon moved like a shadow. He caught Raithe by the back of the neck and slammed him to the earth.

Then he leaned down, voice sharp as a blade.

“Watch yourself, brother. You live by my will. ”

The sight of Raithe on the ground caused something to snap. My Wrath blazed.

“Stop,” I yelled, leveling my eyes at Hadeon even as my voice trembled. “Pathetic. You’ve had ages to perfect your ossiraen, centuries to become what you are. And here you are, trying to intimidate two newly-awakened demigods. All I see is weakness in you.”

Hadeon turned his attention to me slowly, his grip still tight on Raithe. The full weight of his stare landed on me like a stone to the chest. And I was terrified. Every instinct in me screamed to cower, to bend, but I still held his stare.

The ancient demigod blinked, the silence stretching on. Then he laughed.

It was raw and strange, and for a moment, it was hard to tell if it came from amusement or madness. Hadeon dropped Raithe like he no longer mattered and walked toward me, smiling. His steps were heavy towards where I knelt.

I stiffened as Hadeon approached, heart pounding.

I might’ve collapsed if not for the roots keeping me upright.

He loomed in front of me, terrifying in his entirety.

Then he lifted a hand, cool and smooth as stone, as he brushed my cheek.

I flinched and pulled away, but he caught my chin in his fingers and turned my face upward.

“You,” he said, almost reverently, “Daughter of Wrath, carry more potential than I ever imagined. I understand now why he is so enchanted by you. You truly are something worth bargaining for.”

Raithe managed to stand, but whatever Hadeon just said had hit him harder than any blow. His eyes went wide with panic. “No,” he strangled out. “No!”

I looked at him, heart stuttering, trying to understand. But I didn’t have time. The roots around my torso were climbing higher, winding towards my throat.

Raithe ran toward me, fear blazing in his eyes. “Odessa!” he yelled .

I twisted against the vines, panic taking hold, the pressure tightening with every breath.

Hadeon only smiled wider at my struggle.

He intercepted Raithe in his path towards me, slamming into him.

The force of their collision made the forest shudder, but it didn’t matter.

Hadeon was centuries older, centuries stronger.

No matter how fiercely Raithe fought, Hadeon held him back.

But he continued to call for me as I battled the tightening roots.

“Raithe!” I cried out to him. “What’s happening? Raithe!”

Eventually, the roots reached my mouth, muffling my voice, cutting off my cries. Then they climbed over my eyes, stealing my sight. The last thing I saw before darkness claimed me was Raithe’s face, shouting for me. His powerlessness to stop it.

The roots swallowed me completely. My body went still, the numbness spreading like cold through my limbs. My thoughts scattered in a whirlwind of fear and confusion, but before everything slipped away, one moment played back in my mind like an echo on repeat.

Hadeon’s words were masking a darker truth.

You truly are something worth bargaining for.