The black cat remained seated on my bed, it had this innocent gaze of curiosity, to who I was. It tail wrapped neatly around its paws, but I was captivated by it's beautiful, silver-white eyes watching me.
I tilted my head slightly and asked in a casual tone, "Harmonia… when did the castle get a cat?"
Harmonia smiled gently. "Just a moment ago, young lord. Lady Helena stopped by with Second Son Jason. She said the cat is yours. A birthday gift."
My eyes opened wide. Jason was here. Not my uncle Jasen, but Jason Blud. The second oldest of son of the Blud children. Why was he here. The better question was why was both of them here?
Was it for me because of my birthday or were they eyeing the competition. I didn't see Jason here when the family assembled. I know that when not doing missions for the clan, I believed he was supposed to be engaged to one of the daughters of the house of Heracles.
I looked back at the feline.
Its fur was a deep black and glossy, almost shimmering under the firelight. The coat was thick and pristine, with a faint sheen, this cat was definitely a good breed. Its silver-white eyes were striking, unnatural in their clarity, almost reflective.
I approached slowly and extended my hand. The cat didn't flinch, it looked like it actually welcomed my touch. When I stroked its head, it leaned into my touch and began to purr, low, steady, and sounding content.
Harmonia's smile widened.
My attention then shifted to the envelope beside it. It was Black but with a gold seal. And my name on it in gold letters.
I waved my hand across it to sense for mana. After a moment felt nothing and my silver chain did not react in anyway. So, I figured this was picked it up and broke the seal carefully.
The script was elegant and firm.
It read.
To my youngest son, Adonis. Happy birthday.
I have heard from Atreus and Seris that your training is progressing well. I trust Harmonia with your education, and she has nothing but words of praise for how intelligent and diligent you are. I am not surprised and am pleased to hear of your progress.
I send this letter, so you know I am proud of you, my child. I will be watching your development more closely moving forward. So, do not think that you can start slacking off now.
When you begin the Agoge, I can do nothing for you, until you enter the advanced Agoge class. But before then, should you ever require something, this is my personal communication frequency.
From your mother,
Seraphine Blud.
I stared at the letter longer than I intended. In my first life, my birthdays were ignored. It took me a while to find out when Adonis's birthday was.
In the Greek pantheon galaxy. The old Latin names from Rome were brought back in a mix of culture along with the western calendar. While other Pantheons used their own dating system and names.
Ianuarius (January)
Februarius (February)
Martius (March)
Aprilis (April)
Maius (May)
Iunius (June)
Quintilis (July)
Sextilis (August)
September, October, November, December are the same as well.
The original Roman calendar, attributed to Romulus, had 10 months (304 days), and did not have a seven-day week. Apparently when then new era began when the gods returned. The gods made humans accept the best parts of branching or mirroring pantheons. From the lore it was said that it was to make things easier, when establishing a near society.
Especially considering it's a system that was used for hundreds of years. So many civilizations use the seven-day system but keep the old name.
Sunday is Sol after (dies Solis), day of the sun (Sol)
Monday is Luna after (dies Lunae), moon day (Luna)
Tuesday is Mars (dies Martis) day of the god of war, Mars (Mars)
Wednesday is known as Merc, after (dies Mercuri), day of the messenger god Mercury (Mercurius)
Thursday is lov (dies Iovis), after day of the chief god Jupiter (Iuppiter)
Friday is Ven (dies Veneris), after day of the goddess of love, Venus
Saturday is Sat (dies Saturni) father of Jupiter, Saturn's day (Saturnus)
When Jonathan read this in the book's original lore, he dismissed as world building. After living it for nearly two decades, he has gotten used to it. But there is a universally agreed galactic calendar date. This began happened when the gods returned.
On Earth the gods returned in the year. Two thousand, five hundred. Which became the new date of 0 GR (God's Return). Humanity left for the stars in 20 GD. The current year is 513 GD (God's Departure). Jonathan thinks he remembers that the start of the original story from the book was in 528 GD.
Adonis's birthday was Februarius 9th, 507 GD.
Adonis didn't know what to feel. As he looked at the letter, all he could think was the years of emptiness. He had learned to let go of the feeling of his birthday and celebrating it. In his past life he only celebrated it three times. With people who he really cared about.
My hand continued stroking the cat absentmindedly. "Harmonia," I asked quietly, "why would Sister Helena give me a cat of all things?"
Harmonia's expression shifted into something knowing. Like she noticed something before Adonis had.
"Young lord… that is no ordinary cat."
My hand paused mid stroke. "It's not. I hope it's not something that will do me harm."
Harmonia shook her head. "No, it's not young lord. Otherwise, I or Captain Atreus or Seris would never let this creature anywhere near you or this castle. It is a Nemean Feline. From New Greece. And if I am not mistaken… this one is an offspring of Lady Helena's own companion."
My eyes widened sharply. A Nemean Feline. In the books, they were one of the rare magical creatures brought back into the world. They were rare even among demigods having them as pets or companions. They rarely breed because they have an extremely long span. The bestiary said they can live up to one thousand years. And they grow stronger the older they get.
The downside is that they have less of a reason to breed, due to this due to the biological "trade-off" between longevity and fertility, and to avoid overpopulation.
Jonathan remembered his teacher saying that. When the gods came back, they even revived some of their creations. The bestiary said that the Nemean feline, was a mythical beast, usually described as the offspring of the monsters Typhon and Echidna or, in some stories, Orthus and the Chimera. It was nurtured and sent by the goddess Hera to terrify the region of Nemea and act as the first challenge for Heracles (Hercules).
Some accounts identify the Nemean Lion as the offspring of Selene and Zeus as well. No one still knows the most accurate part, because the gods involved. Haven't clarified. But the Selene sect, does see the lion and it's offsprings as one of their sacred animals.
Once they bond with you, they are loyal beyond reason. They are born with high resistance to magic and physical damage. They are nearly immune to curses. But are known to be very temperamental. Almost impossibly difficult to tame once they reach adult hood. That why some trying to breed them and imprint on them young. Which only works 1 out of 10 times. The only ones in the books to ever get one was.
Helena Blud and Alcides Argos.
House Argos is one of the branch houses under the Blud Clan. This is the house that belongs to the descendants of Heracles. Alcides who happens to be Adonis's cousin.
These felines are fierce. Like honey badgers, but with divine blood. Helena in the third book had traveled with a massive Nemean Lion, the evolved form of these felines. Alcides had what they called mutant variant Nemean Lion.
A lion that has evolved from constant battle, divine intervention or to bring forth a new species variant. These variants were also known as the AO (Alpha& Omega). Since whenever one is born a new species or variant is set to be born. They are always powerful and worth a lot of money, anyone who manages to find one as a companion is said to be set for greatness in their future.
Harmonia continued softly, "It is a girl from my examination young lord. She will need a name. So why don't you give her one."
I looked into those silver-white eyes of Her's. For a moment, I wasn't in Mars Castle. I was somewhere else. In my first life, a whole different lifetime. A memory I rarely allowed myself to linger on.
I remembered her. The first woman I allowed myself to be open to. The first woman I loved and trusted with my life and secrets. These felines silver white eyes looked just like Her's.
"Arionna," I said quietly. That will be her name."
The cat blinked once, then gently head-butted my palm.
Harmonia smiled warmly. "That is a beautiful name, young lord. Arionna means, most holy, "sacred," or "silver."
I nodded once, then asked, "Are Brother Jason and Sister Helena still here?"
"I believe so," Harmonia replied. "They went to the training hall. For a Sparring session with Atreus and Seris."
"Okay. I would like to thank Helena and meet my brother as well."
Harmonia nodded. "Yes, Young lord."
Minutes later, Harmonia and I walked toward the training hall. Arionna padded silently beside me. The moment we entered, the sound and a strong wind hit us first.
As steel met steel. The air was humming with force. We saw Seris and who I believed to be Jason Blud were in mid-exchange. Both wielded training blades with great skill and force.
Seris was aggressive, and relentless. Her strikes came with sharp angles and explosive bursts of speed. Each swing cut through the air with enough force that even from the entrance, I could feel the displaced pressure brushing against my skin.
The surprising part Arionna sat next to my foot calmly and just watched unbothered.
Jason met Seris's strikes head-on. Their blades blurred, colliding so fast it became difficult to follow. They movements when not collided, were l like predators circling and striking simultaneously.
Then Seris vanished mid-swing as her blade approached Jason in a horizontal slash. One instant she was in front of him. The next she reappeared behind him, blade descending toward his spine.
Jason did not look back. He shifted his wrist and blocked her strike behind his back, steel grinding against steel.
Then he pivoted, and what followed was terrifying. His counterattacks were not elegant in a flamboyant sense; they were brutal in precision. Heavy powerful strikes, but they were controlled, he never overcommitted to a strike or movement. His stance, form and reaction time was all efficient. Like a beast disguised as a man.
Seris grinned as she absorbed and deflected his attacks, her battle aura began to flare. As a white reddish mist began to from around her body.
I saw it clearly. Which means wo things. She was powerful and she was ready to cut lose. Jason's aura wasn't appearing, but I felt the air around him shift. Like he was becoming more dangerous. Like a predator waiting to pounce.
This was getting intense, and that's when Atreus's voice cut through the hall. "That is enough, you two. Seris. This is meant to be a friendly sparr, not your bloodthirsty habits running wild against the Second Son."
Seris paused then exhaled sharply and stepped back, lowering her blade. "You're right. Dammit Atreus, things were just getting good. My apologies, my lord."
Jason rolled his shoulders casually, blade resting against his shoulder. "Don't listen to him," he said lightly. "You're one of the few warriors in the empire I can push against and still enjoy myself."
Atreus gave him a dry look. "Why not your older sister Helena?" he asked.
Helena, leaning against one of the pillars, arms crossed, responded without emotion. A stoic expression on a beautiful face. "My brother only fights me when he needs to push himself. But he rarely learns anything from our battles. Apparently, he says it's like fighting a tsunami, unless you have the proper skill, you're just going to drive yourself crazy."
Jason smirked faintly. "That's not entirely true. But I'm not the one who said, but father. And that was after several elite warrior's faced over the years, and all of them lost their wills to be one."
Helena didn't respond to Jason's statement. Her gaze shifted toward the entrance. "We can debate that later," she said calmly. "We have guests."
Their attention shifted toward us. And then I saw him clearly.
Jason Blud.
He had another name
The Sword of Sparta. The best swordsman of the Spartan Empire and the whole Greek Pantheon Galaxy. He has learned multiple sword styles in the empire and the different houses. From what I remember hearing about him; he stays in the empire to defend it and leads the empires military as a first response until the Patriarch takes over.
He stood at six feet tall. Lean but had a powerfully muscular physique. Brown Sun kissed skin it was more on the darker side, just a shade or two lighter than the Patriarch's. He had Gold-amber eyes, that mirrored Helena's stoic. He had black hair in a near-buzz fade.
His presence was strong but felt quieter than Leonidas's, but no less sharp. In my past life, he had been a legend. Possibly one of the greatest swordsmen in the whole universe. It was hard to say because there the warriors from, The Dragon's Galaxy. This was also known as the Easten galaxy by the readers. This was the galaxy where every Asian mythology merged and created the Celestial Court.
They were a closed off society, that were in more civil war then the rest of the galaxy after the Oath. They spent generations recreating their old powers. Like ancient China, Japan, and more. They are one of the few civilizations that can compete with the Spartan empire for powerful warriors.
But even they could acknowledge Jason Blud as a powerful warrior and amazing Swordsman. There was a rumor in the family. that the Matriarch secured a deal one a clan of their society. One that was formed by their society calls. Half breeds.
Apparently, the Matriarch was going to have Jason make a secret heir in that clan, that could be a bridge between our empires and clans. I don't know if that was true, from what the book lore said Jason was engaged to a daughter of the house of Hades.
Looking back at, Jason never tormented me. But never protected me openly either. But when I was exiled, he had watched from afar. Once or twice, he intervened subtly during my mercenary days. From getting e more of a payout or happening to be on the same missions.
He did nothing without reason. Unlike Pleistarchos, he was more of man of the people, instead of a political leader. He and my Master had known each other. When I asked my master if she was teaching me because of him?
She never answered me directly saying, does it matter. She said she can't teach idiots, and I wasn't one, not to mention we are both in a transition in our life's.
I wonder if I ask him will he introduce me to here. Maybe he will also know about the fangs of Cerberus books as well.
Helena walked forward first. Arionna padded closer to her briefly before returning to my side.
"It's good to see your doing well little one."
Jason's eyes flicked down to the feline. "So, she accepted him," he murmured.
Helena gave a slight nod. "I would say so, but then again, she is still a kitten. We shall see what happens when the youngest gets older.
Jason then looked directly at me. His gaze wasn't hostile; it was like he was assessing me. Which at this point is normal in this family.
"Little brother," he said evenly. "Happy birthday." He said in a calm tone. But there was something behind it. Like a hint of curiosity.
I felt like I was dealing with the Matriarch and Patriarch at the same time. Helena then stepped beside him, her lavender eyes studying me more openly.
"You've grown stronger," she said simply. "I hear nothing but good things about you from Atreus and Seris. They say you remind them of me and Jason. So, we had to come see it for ourselves.
Jason's eyes narrowed faintly. "Agreed. While I don't think you have the same raw potential of our sister here. If someone compares, you to me then that must me you have a good amount of potential."
I held their gazes. "I try not to waste time; I want to spend every second I can improving myself and enjoying my life." I replied.
The corner of Jason's mouth lifted slightly. It looked like he was smirking, from my statement
Helena spoke next. "Jason heard about your display before the family."
Jason added, "Interesting mana. Not something normally seen in this family. I saw the recordings from the castle."
Jason didn't elaborate past that. But he didn't need to, I understood immediately. He had come to see for himself. No way in hell someone like him would just come here for a birthday. Especially to just deliver a cat.
And the fact that he was here with Helena, despite their well-known tension, meant something bigger was moving beneath the surface.
From what I know about these characters. Jason hated unnecessary alliance, especially with horrible people. He was the leading opposing side when it came to the Blud clan civil war. While Helena disliked politics all together.
Yet here they stood together. To evaluate me. But the bigger question is why?
To see if I was going to be a possible threat, a future ally, or are they here on someone else's command.
The only people I know that have close to that authority is the Matriarch, Patriarch, the High Council, and the Grand Regent. The Last two are only in times of extreme emergency if there is no decided head of the clan or family.
The High council is the head of the houses along with the main house members leading the empire and clan. The Grand Regent is the last line of defense for the Sparta Empire. They are meant to be one to stop the other houses or clans, from taking over if they be not worthy of the throne.
The Grand Regent is said to be a powerful warrior from outside the Blud clan. But they kill all unworthy usurpers from ascending the throne. Such as the Zues or Poseidon houses. Otherwise, if a civil war breaks out in the Blud Clan for the throne, they will not lift a finger to help out anyone. They remain neutral throughout the entire process.
I don't know what their end game is. But I do know that in this family nothing was ever simple. I might as well play along and see what I can do.
I then said. Tell me brother Jason would you like to have a sparring match with me?
Seris eyes widened, while Atreus smirked.
Helena face didn't make a expression, but Jason said calmly. "I would like that bother."
A moment later the two children of Blud stood across from each other. Adonis stood with spear in his hands and Jason had a wooden training sword in his hands.
I know why he chose that. In the hands of a true master anything is a weapon. But also, he doesn't want to hurt me. Which is good for me.
Jason stood tall and composed. "Now Adonis, attack me when you are ready."