Chapter 1

From the ashes of the Phoenix Divine Bird, only one true bird was supposed to rise. But my parents were having sex all the time, trying to get pregnant. Then they birthed two daughters from the sacred ashes instead of one.

The Phoenix Clan had never seen such a scandal in thousands of years. And Moros, the god of fate, broadcast his prophecy across all of Mount Olympus. The true god would be born from the ashes, and she was destined to be the wife of Ares. That was the prophecy.

But the strangest thing happened. My sister was a brilliant red ball of fire, but she didn't have any divine markings. I was a ragged, scruffy, and pathetic low-level bird, yet my forehead glowed with that powerful mark.

My parents stared at me. They believed that I stole the power from my sister. They thought I was too ugly for such divine power.

I didn't get a chance to explain. My mother yanked the powerful mark right out of my forehead. Then she tossed me into the dead, mist-choked wasteland known as the Fields of Erebus.

In the Phoenix Clan, bloodline was everything. Pure divine blood ruled everyone. But my people had muddied our bloodline with monsters and beasts for centuries. Our divine power faded. And we even got kicked out of Mount Olympus by Hera because we accidentally offended her.

Now, with extinction breathing down our necks, everyone pinned their hopes on my mother. She was the last Phoenix Divine Bird with pure blood left.

However, my mother fell for a freak. My father had a sparrow's body and a human face. But he was also sharp and charming. And he knew how to talk sweet.

My mother let him in despite the elders cursing their union. Their forbidden love only diluted her pure blood even more.

The entire clan watched my mother’s belly and waited for a miracle. My dad spent his days squatting on those ashes. He talked to me, caught sunbeams, and told sappy love stories about him and my mother. If an elder got angry at his antics, he just pointed at the ashes and boasted about me.

Then the day of our birth arrived. Every shaman, every elder, and Moros watched. Even Zeus and Hera watched from Mount Olympus, ready to judge us.

My sister and I hatched together. She emerged bathed in holy crimson. Her feathers blazed like a piece of the sun. It was the proof of pure blood.

But I was a disaster. I was grey and had bald patches. I was just an ugly chick who looked nothing like a Phoenix. I looked like a dirty little sparrow.

All the elders lost their minds over my sister. "The true pure blood! She's the chosen one!" they shouted. They practically wept onto her feathers because she was their last hope. No one cared about me.

I shivered in the cold ashes and tried to speak up. I wanted to say that I was the true pure blood, but a rough hand yanked me up. Heads swiveled toward me. All eyes blasted through me and stared at the blood-red mark glowing on my forehead.

My mother’s shriek could shatter worlds. "You damn useless thing! How dare you steal the True God's mark? You filthy little thief!"

My dad jumped beside her and shouted. "Such evil, already at birth! You're a disgrace to our kind!"

I spread my ugly, patchy wings. My eyes were wide as I tried to scream the truth. "Mom, Dad! Look at me! I'm Carson, your daughter! I'm the real Phoenix Divine Bird!"

"Shut up! You hideous, ragged bird! You think you deserve to be my child?" my mother screamed. "You dared to steal my darling's divine mark. I'll tear you apart!"

Then a firestorm of agony shattered my world. My mother clawed the mark from my forehead. She ripped out a bloody feather that burned with power. Gold-streaked blood ran down my face. I couldn't even make a sound. I just thrashed silently in the cold ashes.

Moros finally broke the silence. His voice was full of awe. "Her blood shines with gold. That's the mark. That's the blessing. Only a true Phoenix Divine Bird has that."

But my mother wouldn't believe him. She was hysterical. "Impossible! That curse is no blood of mine. Only my beloved Carson is worthy. That thing is just a thief."

The elders agreed with her. "Exactly! Birds like that deserve to die. Let's not waste our time."

Moros fell silent. My mother looked at me with hate and disgust. She raised her god-whip. I closed my eyes and braced for the pain.

Before she could strike, Moros spoke once more. "She's a Phoenix Divine Bird, no matter what. Her blood heals any wound. The War of the Giants left Ares in a coma. Could you let me have her and offer her to the God of War?"

Phoenix Divine Bird blood was god-tier medicine. That was why the entire divine realm was panicking over Ares. My parents traded glances and finally gave in.

"If it's for Ares, fine," they said. "But that freak is never welcome here. Let her die far away from Phoenix lands."