The Nameless Heir-Chapter 37: The Great Titan War

"KNOCK, KNOCK."

"C’mon, we’re going to be late!" Liz shouted.

She kept kicking the door until Kael opened it. He walked out wearing his new uniform, adjusting the sleeves while Liz fixed his collar.

"See? We’re late now," she glared.

"Oh my dearest, don’t worry. We’ll get there in no time."

Kael closed his eyes for a second. "Okay, let’s go."

"Where—" Before she could finish, he scooped her into his arms.

"Okay, sunshine. Here we go."

He melted into the shadows with Liz in his arms and reappeared inside the classroom in an instant.

"We’re here."

The students were stunned. He had just appeared out of nowhere.

"Never do that again," she said.

"Hey, we’re not late anymore."

They both took their seats. Then Professor Callista Ithaca entered the class.

"Okay class, today we will learn about your purpose."

The students exchanged glances, murmuring among themselves—until she said, "Silence."

The air shifted.

The pressure in the room thickened. Most of the students nearly passed out. The room fell quiet. Heavy. Fearful.

"You’re all still weak. You can’t even endure this much power. That’s why you’re here—to get stronger. So in the next Titan War, you can assist the gods."

She paused. "Any questions?"

Kael raised his hand.

"Is it optional? Like... do we get extra credit?"

She looked at him, eyes burning. "No. You don’t."

"Well then, I don’t want to participate in this death match. Hard pass."

"Child, are you disobeying the gods?" she asked.

"No, I just don’t want to die—"

Liz elbowed him.

"Ow— I mean, I’m sorry."

"Good. Remember, your job is to serve the gods."

Kael didn’t like that. The gods never helped him. Never helped Hades. He knew the truth—they’d sacrifice their children for their own survival.

He looked at Liz and smiled.

"You talk too much. Just listen," she whispered softly.

Callista spoke louder now.

"Today we will talk about the Titan War."

She turned to the board and began writing:

Before gods, there were Titans—twelve beings born from sky and earth.

1. Kronos – Titan of Time and King of the Titans

2. Rhea – Titaness of Fertility and Motherhood

3. Oceanus – Titan of the Great River

4. Tethys – Titaness of Fresh Water

5. Hyperion – Titan of Light

6. Theia – Titaness of Sight

7. Iapetus – Titan of Mortality and Craft

8. Themis – Titaness of Divine Law and Order

9. Mnemosyne – Titaness of Memory and Stories

10. Coeus – Titan of Intellect

11. Phoebe – Titaness of the Moon and Prophecy

12. Crius – Titan of the Stars and the South

"They are the twelve Titans—the counterparts of the Olympian gods. When the next war comes, we must make sure you’re ready. The gods can’t beat them alone. Each Titan has an advantage against their godly counterpart. That’s why they need your help."

Liz leaned over and whispered, "You better be taking notes."

Kael didn’t answer. He just stared forward.

"How did they win without demigods back then?" a student asked.

"Long before Olympus... the world belonged to the Titans."

She snapped her fingers.

Images formed in the air—illusions of fire and sky.

Kronos stood in the center. Towering. Silent. A sickle in hand. Eyes burning like dying stars.

"He was the strongest of them all. Kronos, King of Time. He ruled after cutting down his father, Uranus. But he feared his children. So, one by one, he swallowed them—Hades, Poseidon, Hera, Hestia, Demeter. Gone. Trapped inside."

Kael stared.

The air felt colder.

Liz glanced over. "You okay?" she whispered.

"But Rhea couldn’t stand it anymore. When Zeus was born, she wrapped a rock in cloth and gave that to Kronos. The real baby? She hid him away."

Lightning flashed in the illusion.

"Zeus grew up. He trained. Waited. And when the time came... he made Kronos vomit out his siblings."

The illusion flared. The gods rose, glowing with fury.

"And that’s when the war began."

Everything turned red. Fire. Thunder. Water. Gods and Titans clashing in the sky.

"It lasted ten years. Titans had strength. Gods had strategy. And Zeus... didn’t fight alone."

Three figures rose behind him.

"The Cyclopes gave him thunder. Poseidon got the trident. Hades—he was given a helmet that made him vanish."

Kael blinked.

He now held that helmet.

His chest tightened.

Liz watched his face carefully.

"Together, they stormed Mount Othrys. Hades struck from shadows. Poseidon split the earth. Zeus split the sky."

A flash.

Kronos fell.

"Some say he was sealed in Tartarus. Others say... shattered across time. But the gods stood above the ruins."

The class was silent.

Then Callista’s voice softened.

"But not all Titans were destroyed. Some were spared. Some hid. Some... wait."

The illusion flickered. A pale man stepped forward. Empty eyes. A cruel blade.

"Iapetus," she said. "The Woundmaker. He survived."

Kael raised his hand. "How did they defeat him? How did he survive?"

"Hades held him back. Long enough to seal him. But no one ever truly defeated him. Not even Kronos."

She turned to the fading image. "If he ever rises again... we don’t need another war. We need a weapon."

Kael’s fists clenched.

His shadow twitched.

Liz was still watching him.

The class went on, but Kael heard none of it.

Hypnos’s voice echoed in his head.

The Underworld would fall apart if nothing was done.

He thought his father’s sacrifice would fix everything. But it didn’t. And now... the burden was his.

If he failed, Khronos would rise again. And Kael knew the Titans would come for him—and everyone he cared about.

He wasn’t ready. Not even close.

He’d used his father’s power once. It almost killed him.

Still... how was he supposed to kill a Titan?

The gods couldn’t do it. Why would he be able to?

This world made no sense. His thoughts spun in every direction. He needed to focus.

One step at a time.

First step: training.

Then the professor’s voice pulled him back.

"Mr. Kael, are you sleeping?"

"No, madam."

"Then what did we learn today?"

"...Stuff."

Laughter broke out. Liz snorted, trying to hide it.

"Well, class is over. I’ll see you next time, Mr. Kael."

The sun was bright as they left the class. Liz wanted to walk. Kael wanted to go talk to Nyx... but she asked in a way he couldn’t say no.

They walked side by side.

The stone path behind the academy was warm. Peaceful.

Liz hummed—soft, pretty. Birds followed her.

Then Kael hummed.

The birds scattered.

He kicked a rock in defeat while Liz laughed.

"You’re unusually quiet," she said, glancing over at him. Her voice was light, but her eyes were curious. "What, did the Titan lecture break your brain?"

Kael smirked. "I’m just thinking how I can skip the next war. Maybe I’ll pretend I’m a healer or something."

She raised an eyebrow. "You can’t heal."

"That’s why I said pretend."

"Coward."

"I never said I wanted to be a hero."

She smiled, brushing her hair behind her ear as a breeze passed. "Good. Because you—"

He cut her off before she could finish. "Unless I have to save you. Then I don’t mind becoming one."

She blinked.

Kael looked straight ahead, pretending to be casual. "For you, I’d enter Tartarus."

She stared at him.

Then punched his arm.

Not too hard.

But not too soft either.

"Ow," he said, rubbing the spot with a dramatic pout. "That hurts."

"Good," she muttered, cheeks slightly pink. "Flirting while we’re walking home? Shameless."

"You liked it."

She looked away.

"I tolerated it."

He laughed quietly.

They stopped at a corner shop and grabbed ice cream—hers, mint and honey. His, vanilla with crushed cinnamon sticks.

They wandered slowly, the path warm beneath their feet, the sun falling in gentle waves across the trees.

Kael licked his spoon. "You know... this is nice."

Liz gave him a side glance. "What, me putting up with you for more than five minutes?"

"No," he said, smiling. "You walking next to me without running off to kill something."

She shrugged. "I do that too."

He looked at her.

She looked at him.

And for a second, they just... walked. Together. No gods. No Titans. Just them.

Kael finished his ice cream too fast.

Liz handed him the last bite of hers without saying anything.

He blinked. "You’re giving me your food?"

"Shut up before I change my mind."

He took it carefully, like it meant something more than just dessert.

But it did.

When they reached the fork in the path, Kael slowed.

He didn’t want to leave yet.

He wanted five more minutes.

Maybe ten.

But he has things to accomplish.

So he smiled softly, gave a wave.

"I’ll see you later, sunshine."

She stopped walking. Looked at him.

"Don’t do anything dumb."

"I’ll try my best not to."

He hesitated. Just for a second.

Then turned and walked away.

The warmth of the day faded behind him.

Birdsong grew quiet. The scent of blossoms thinned from the air. His shadow stretched longer with every step.

And the night—cold, vast, familiar—like everything else in his life...

Was waiting.

"Thanks for reading this rewritten Chapter! I had to rewrite the classroom scene and showing more of Kael and Liz’s quiet moments together. They both deserve some peace... even if it never lasts long. I am slowly tring to build toward something much bigger for Kael’s relationship with the gods, his burden as Death, and the impossible path ahead. If you’re enjoying the pacing and character dynamics, feel free to drop a comment."

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