Chapter Two

I woke up to the sound of my phone ringing before stopping and just as I turned to try and sleep again it started to ring, forcing me to sit up and grab it.

"Yes?" My voice was raspy and it was clear I had just woken up.

"I've been calling for thirty minutes!" Zeus' voice boomed through the phone, causing me to flinch.

"Sorry, dad. I fell asleep late last night." I tossed the blanket off me and let my feet settle on the cold floor.

It would seem my house had a Permanent chill to it since my dream and no matter how high I turned the heat up it never fully got warm in the house. I was just glad the dogs weren't too bothered by it.

"Late? Were you out banging some girl? Doing that will only make the talk worse and make me look bad!"

I rolled my eyes, "I wasn't out last night, just had a hard time sleeping."

"Guilt from a failed marriage will do that. Anyway hurry up and get over here; something urgent happened." The line went dead.

Ah, my dear dad, always the most insensitive when it came to me: his least favorite child. He would never say it but he was the one who told me it'd be best if I moved. He said it as a suggestion but everyone knew it was an order.

I quickly got ready before putting food out for the dogs. I attempted to turn the heat up before teleporting to my fathers' throne room. When I arrived there was more than just me and Zeus there, and seemed to be more serious than I thought.

Death was standing in the center of the room as Apollo leaned up against a wall with a frown on his face; he hated meetings the most. Eris was standing next to Andronika, who was one of the strongest female warriors of Olympus, and of course there was Athena because a meeting wasn't complete unless she was attending. We used to work alongside each other but she had grown distant after my separation from Aphrodite.

"Nice of you to finally join us." The sarcastic tone belongs to none other than his mother. She stood next to Zeus as he sat at his throne, overlooking the area.

"Sorry." I bowed my head and moved back a few steps so that Death was the center of attention.

"As some of you know, a god was found dead this morning by his wife." Death's voice carried throughout the room, catching the attention of Eris and Apollo as their faces shifted into surprise.

"I went to go collect his soul but it wasn't there and I can't seem to find it." He continued and even though you couldn't make out his face, you knew he was not happy.

"That's impossible!" Eris spoke up.

"Gods don't just turn up dead!" Apollo shouted.

"Well one just did!" Zeus yelled as he sent a glare towards Eris and Apollo, making them bite their tongue with a displeased face.

"It would seem that other worlds are having the same issue. They all act as suicide and no souls can be found. In fact, Hell has had five, Aztec has had three, Heaven has had two, and Kamigami has had five. We have experienced one so far but it seems as if that is only the start of it all." Athena said.

"How are we just now hearing about this?" I asked, which brought several eyes to me.

"Because it just now became important." Hera glared at me, making me avert my eyes to the marble floor.

You mean unless it affects us it's not important. I keep myself from saying that out loud as I let myself ponder on why this was happening and I couldn't help the sinking feeling in my gut telling me that it might be connected to my dream. I didn't dare say that out loud though; I didn't need any more hate thrown my way.

"A few nights ago I felt a shift in The Origin. The kind that alerts all death gods and their reapers to be ready for an onslaught of souls. I talked with the other death gods from different worlds and we came to a list of things all the people had in common before they died." Death announced.

"And those things are?" Zeus pressed.

"They each experienced drops in temperature in homes and their bodies. The homes we visited were all cold enough to see your breath and the bodies felt as if they had been chilled on ice for weeks. Their partners, friends, and family said they were all paranoid days before, swearing that there were dark shadows following them and taunting them. It would seem that each one had a history of depression or we're depressed around the time. They all had trouble sleeping and couldn't stand to be around any animals. They also had hollowed out eyes and seemed to be crying black substance that also came from their ears and nose before they died."

"That's fucking gross." Andronika grimace, which ignited a conversation between them all as I stayed silent.

I stared at the marble floor as some of the things Death said registered in my head. I had some of those things checked off rather anyone knew or not and it fueled my worry. It strengthened my thoughts that my dream had to be related to what was happening- that I was somehow related to what was happening. This only made the urge to find him, the man from my dreams, even more.

How am I gonna find a naked man from my dreams in real life? I rolled my eyes to myself before pushing the thoughts to the back and focusing back on the conversations that were being tossed around.

"Shut up!" Zeus' voice echoed off the walls, silencing everyone besides Death, who hadn't spoken in the first place.

"Olympus will just have a curfew, everyone in the house before midnight and if anyone is acting suspiciously it's to be reported to me. Anyone who shows more than two of the signs will be taken into custody by Andronika. Eris and Apollo will spread this around and Athena will work along with Death to figure out what's going on." Zeus finished and looked towards Death, who nodded his head in approval.

"And me?" I asked, wondering if I was only here to listen.

"Watch those in your...little neighborhood and since you're closer to the entrance of Olympus so make sure no one enters without permission from me or Hera," Zeus ordered and I nodded to show I understood.

I ignored the snicker from Eris as she tried to hide it in a cough because everyone knew it was a dummy job. The entrance of Olympus was monitored by a barrier that always alerted Zeus or Hera when someone entered from it. Plus it was pointless to monitor if whatever was causing all this knew how to teleport or go through world portals undetected, but I said nothing as we were dismissed.

I teleported back home before anyone could speak to me and when I landed in my living room, where it actually seemed to be a bit warmer than when I left. I checked the thermostat and it showed the house was actually warmer. Although there was still a slight chill to the house it lessened my worry to know that whatever was going on wasn't happening instantly.

I made my way to the back of the house where a sliding door was waiting. I opened it and stepped outside and locked eyes on the dogs running around the backyard, seeming lost in chasing each other, digging, and using the restroom. One of the great things about having powers was that I had charmed the yard to incinerate any poop/pee they might do and to revert the yard back to how it looked before they started playing.

As I watched them relax I tried to think of how to find the man from my dreams. I knew the forest from somewhere but I couldn't figure out where. The need to find him was strong and I knew that he was tied to everything. My gut told me so and I wasn't about to ignore it when too many things are happening.

I could just go back to sleep! The idea came out of nowhere and I quickly rushed back inside. I closed and locked the door behind me. I reached my room and shut the door, leaving it cracked just in case the dogs tried to come in. I slipped out of my shoes and socks before laying on my back, letting my head rest on my pillow. I closed my eyes and tried to will myself to sleep, which didn't take much effort seeing as I was still tired. I found myself slipping to sleep within a few minutes.

I opened my eyes and I was standing in the same forest, but this time it was a different location. The ground was as cold and wet as I remembered but this time the wind wasn't biting at my skin. I could hear different animals in the distance and the sound of an owl ringing its voices into the air.

I slowly turned around in a circle before stopping when I saw him. He didn't move but stared at me with red eyes, drawing me in. I walked towards him but this time not as slow because something told me he wasn't dangerous. Well, at least not to me anyway.

When I stopped walking I was arm's length away from him and could make out dark tattoos covering tan skin. I could have sworn they weren't there before but they seemed to fit his entire aura. I reached out to touch the one located on his chest, over his heart, but before I made contact his hand wrapped around my wrist.

"Ares."

I gulped, "That's my name but how about telling me where to find you?"

"Ares." I felt a burning sensation from his hand on my wrist but this time it didn't hurt. This time a need to let it consume me built up inside me.

"Where can I find you!?" I shouted in frustration.

"Owl." His gaze locked on a black owl, sitting on a tree branch staring at us.

"Great you like owls." I huffed as I tried to pull my hand from his grip, but his grip tighten and the burning sensation built up even higher as his eyes seemed to glow red.

"Ares!" He screamed and I manage to snatch my hand away, stumbling back some.

When I gathered my balance, I looked up and he was right there. His nose could have touched mines if I moved even an inch more. His burning red eyes seemed to hold me captive as I watched his mouth open but the only thing that came out was the singing of an owl.

I shot up from bed, "Owling Night!" I gasped as I felt like my body was burning up all over again.

Owling Night was a forest located in the Berber world, a dead world that had its entire pantheons wiped out during a war they had with the Celtic world. The place was filled with dead lands and forests that held a variety of creatures. The Owling Night forest was famous for its endless maze and hooting owls who drew you to madness, often resulting in death.

"Looks like I'm going to Berber."