Demi-god Twin.-Chapter 7 - : Argos.

-Iphicles' P.O.V-

By the time I land back at the campsite, the chaos has subsided, and the scene that greets me is almost surreal.

Anissa and Chiron stand amidst the carnage, the bodies of the assassins sprawled around the firepit in grotesque disarray.

Blood seeps into the soil, staining the earth crimson. The faint scent of death hangs in the air.

As my wings retract with a metallic ring, I barely register the axe flying toward me.

Fortunately, the Goddess of luck is with me. My left wing snaps outward, deflecting the weapon mid-air with a resounding 'clang!'

The impact is heavy and I stumble back, startled, as the axe hits to the ground.

A shallow dent mars the bronze feathers, slightly deforming my wing, glaring under the moonlight.

"Anissa!" I bark,

"It's me!"

She freezes, her hands trembling as her gaze flickers between me and the weapon.

Her face crumples with horror.

"I—I thought you were one of them!" she stammers, backing away.

Her body collapses to the ground, and she begins rocking, her voice trembling as she berates herself. "I could've killed you... I could've killed my master..."

Chiron steps in, his calm, steady voice breaking through the tension.

"Anissa, calm yourself. Your aim wasn't deadly. And besides," he turns to me with a faint smirk, "Stymphalian wings are quite resilient to an extent. They're excellent against piercing attacks but not so much against brute force. You might want to keep that in mind, Prince Iphicles."

I frown, surprised. "You're not even curious about where the wings came from?"

The centaur shrugs, crouching over a dead assassin to inspect the curved blade emblem on their sleeve. "Every hero I've trained had some form of divine blessing. Yours is... unique, I'll admit. But stranger things have happened. The gods have their whims."

I don't think the powers come from any God. Which makes the source a mystery that I'll leave for after I'm through with my vengeance.

I glance at Anissa, still crumpled on the ground. Her hands clench and unclench as she mutters apologies under her breath. Her hair falls in disarray over her face, obscuring her expression.

I offer her my hand and she stiffens, looking up in surprise. A small smile reassures her and she grabs my palm, climbing to her feet.

I snort. "You're both a strange lot. One attacks me, the other acts like wings made of bronze are no big deal."

Chiron doesn't respond, his attention shifting to the assassins' bodies.

I step around Anissa to inspect the corpses, noticing the distinct marks of death: some were cut down cleanly, likely by Anissa's axe, while others bear hoof-shaped impressions.

"Got a little close, did they?" I mutter, raising a brow at Chiron.

He tuts without looking up. "They were too near to shoot. Left me no choice but to trample them. A bad way to go, admittedly."

I smirk faintly. "They deserved it. These were no ordinary assassins. They came for you, Chiron. The king of Mycenae sent them—a 'gift,' as it were."

Before Chiron can reply, Anissa's voice cuts through, low and growling. "Then we should go back and kill him." She stands with shoulders squared, her fists clenched tightly around the axe handle. "No one tries to kill 'my' prince and gets away with it."

Chiron whistles softly. "She's gone mad."

Indeed. I'm slightly surprised at her behavior. She's usually the picture of calm and dependency. But now that picture wants to commit treason.

I approach her, gripping the axe she holds with a firm but gentle hand.

"Anissa, calm down."

Her fiery gaze meets mine, but I don't relent. "The King of Mycenae will get what's coming to him. I swear it on the River Styx."

Her grip slackens, and I nod toward the horse. "Go untie the reins. We're leaving—tonight. I won't risk another ambush."

Reluctantly, she obeys, casting one last glance at the bodies before disappearing into the shadows.

Once she's gone, my Teacher chuckles, leaning on his bow. "You should've seen her, Iphicles. She was like a Spartan on the battlefield. Fearless and vicious."

I frown, unsettled. "She's more than she seems."

---

We ride through the night and into daybreak, leaving Tyrnis territory far behind.

As we journey onward, I test the limits of my newfound wings.

Chiron leads the chariot, and Anissa sits inside, her head resting against the edge, visibly exhausted.

I execute a dive that ruffles her hair before climbing into the air, pushing off with my legs and snapping my wings open.

The wind screams at my passing, and I fail the test.

There's a trick to silent flying. One I have yet to fully master but once I do...my enemies will never see me coming. Currently the metal wings make a lot of noise.

The rush of wind fills my ears as I rise above the treetops, the ground shrinking beneath me. The metallic feathers hum as they slice through the air.

I spot a vulture circling above and push myself to catch it, flapping hard.

The wings grant me incredible acceleration, allowing bursts of speed that I control by angling the feathers.

But as I chase the scavenger, I realize my maneuverability is lacking compared to the bird's natural grace.

My movements are sharp, abrupt, less fluid. Not to mention, they can hear me coming from a mile away.

Still, I manage to snatch two of the creatures from the air, one in each hand, before descending back toward the chariot.

I land with a loud thud, startling the horse. Anissa jerks awake, blinking at the sight of me holding two struggling vultures, long bronze feathers sticking through each.

It takes a few hours to regrow the feathers. I found that out when a new one appeared on the empty spot on my right wing.

Chiron shakes his head in mock disapproval. "I hope that's not lunch."

I grin, tossing the vultures aside and hiding my wings,"What? Still dreaming of the palace's royal feasts?"

R𝑒ad lat𝒆st chapt𝒆rs at free𝑤ebnovel.com Only.

The centaur snorts. "No, but vultures? Really? Filthy creatures. They feed on death."

Anissa giggles, her previous exhaustion forgotten. "You're both impossible."

--

Soon the rough road gives way to a well maintained cobblestone highway. Carriages, carts and other travellers become frequent as well.

"Argos is just over this hill."

Chiron informs me, uncaring at the stares sent his way. Meanwhile, I hide my face with a hood, taking advantage of the Centaur's conspicuous nature.

The weight of what lies ahead settles over me.

I need a plan to present the other two with. A direction to take after Argos.

The goal is clear, To get even stronger, now I just need to figure out the steps to that.