The thing about godhood no one tells you?
It's lonely at first. Then the orgies start.
---
Cassie leaked the video.
I didn't ask her to. I didn't even know she was filming. But somehow, between round two and round "I've lost feeling in my legs," she managed to prop up her phone and record me shirtless on the balcony, drinking scotch, explaining—offhandedly—how I killed Pyroclast because he blocked traffic.
The caption?
> "He used to be our hero. Now he's our reckoning."
Then she dropped the clip on every platform that still allowed NSFW content.
Within two hours, I had:
3.8 million views
147,000 comments (half of which were either death threats or marriage proposals)
A parody dance trend
Fan edits with dark synth music and slow-motion explosions
And a very, very angry call from someone in the UN.
I didn't pick up.
Because I was busy.
---
Back at The Spire (yeah, still a dumb name), the heroes were scrambling. PR disasters. Global tension. Protests in the streets. Half the world cheering me on. The other half demanding my head on a pike.
And Titania?
She was spiraling.
I know because she showed up again. This time, she used the door. Progress people.
I was mid-shower when she stormed in.
"I can't believe you let that woman record you," she barked through the steam.
I stuck my head out, water running down my abs like a Greek statue caught in the rain.
"First of all, I didn't let her. Second, you watched the whole thing, didn't you?"
She looked away.
Didn't deny it.
"You're becoming a monster," she muttered.
I stepped out, dripping wet, towel barely hanging on, water trailing down muscles I earned by benching aircraft carriers in my spare time.
"I'm becoming me."
She hated how much she liked that answer.
But before she could lecture me into celibacy—
The elevator dinged.
---
She arrived like a storm in high heels.
Nova.
My former sidekick.
Once a wide-eyed pyrokinetic teen in red spandex who swore she'd never use lethal force. Now?
Wearing black leather. Pierced lip. Charcoal eyeliner. Aura of "I burned three buildings on the way here and I'll do it again."
She didn't knock. Just walked in.
"Nice place," she said, eyeing Titania like a wolf spotting another predator in her den. "Didn't expect to find you here."
Titania narrowed her eyes. "What the hell are you doing here?"
Nova smirked. "Following the only man who ever told the truth."
I raised an eyebrow. "Thought you hated me."
"I did," she said, stepping closer. "Until I realized I hated what I couldn't be."
She reached out, fingers brushing my bare chest.
Titania moved to stop her. I caught her wrist.
"Relax," I said. "She's not here to fight."
Nova looked up at me. "You said they'd all fall, one by one. I figured I'd save time and jump first."
Titania's eyes widened. "You're insane. Both of you."
Nova grinned. "Probably. But at least he doesn't lie about what he is."
The tension was thick. The kind that crackles before lightning strikes. I let it simmer, stepping between them like a conductor in a symphony of chaos.
"You came here to stop me," I said to Titania. "And yet, you're still here. Watching. Breathing harder every time I speak."
"I came here because someone has to pull you back," she said, voice trembling.
Nova leaned in. "Maybe he doesn't need to be pulled back. Maybe we're the ones who've been holding ourselves back."
Titania snapped. "You think this is a game? People are dying. He kills now."
"Yeah," Nova said, eyes glowing with flame. "And some people deserve it."
Titania looked at me one last time. Anger. Fear. Desire.
Then she turned. Stormed toward the door.
"Next time," she said, "I won't come alone."
I watched her go.
She didn't slam the door.
Because she'd be back.
Again, they always come back.
---
Later that night, Nova lay curled up in my bed, tracing lazy circles on my chest with one finger.
"You think she'll switch sides?" she asked.
I smiled.
"She already has. She just doesn't know it yet."
Nova grinned, kissed my jaw, and whispered:
"So… when does the world burn?"
I looked out the window.
"Soon."