Driving with Luke made me feel paranoid. Luke himself had backstabbed Hermes and the other Olympians. What was there to say he wouldn't backstab the Titans too?

But I knew that was crazy. He'd already completely severed his good relationship with the gods. Still, I doubted his true loyalties.

"Tell me a story. This ride'll get a little long," he said.

I frowned. It wasn't like Luke to be interested in other people's stories. At least, that's what the monsters on The Princess Andromeda thought.

"The Gigantomachy," I said. That hit far less closer to home, quite literally, than the Titanomachy.

Luke nodded, "Foolish giants. Born from the pit and into the pit they went again."

"No, they weren't foolish. It took the Olympians nearly all their might to defeat them."

Luke was looking weirdly at me. "But in the end, they still lost, didn't they?"

Something told me this conversation wasn't normal. "Some things are worth more than winning a foolish war."

"No."

I looked at him. "Excuse me?"

"Winning the war is more important than anything. The Olympians need to be toppled. I need to give hope to their abandoned children."

"But at what cost? What would you be willing to pay?" I asked him.

"Everything. And anyone," Luke said but his bravado seemed muffled. He winced while saying the word anyone.

"Some things are worth more than war," I said, "Love for instance."

"Love is a hoax. It ensnares you and tries to hold onto you until you drown in the ocean. It weighs you down while your parachuting. It keeps you from being strong," Luke said but again, he seemed horribly uncomfortable.

I eyed him suspiciously. "What has Kronos said to you?"

"Advice. He taught me how to keep the war going on, how to win it, how to be ruthless."

"And when the war is done and Kronos needs no more if you?"

Luke sneered. "He'll need me. The Titan lord always pays his debts."

"I'm talking about you, demigods.

Luke snarled. "This conversation has gone wrong. Maybe you'd like to join the Olympians again. I'd gladly take out another enemy."

I glared back. Luke couldn't kill me without angering the Titans. I was a valuable asset to them. But I kept a sword on my hand through the rest of the drive.

Mount Tam reminded me of Othrys all the way to Garden of the Hesperides. When I finally touched down on the garden, Mount Tam seemed to become Mount Othrys. I could've sworn that dragon had been on Othrys. I could've sworn that deadly singing had gone on forever on Mount Othrys. I could've sworn I felt Luke's anger towards the Garden.

The garden itself was beautifully made, rivaling the Mount Olympus Godly Garden and the jungles of the Congo combined in terms of beauty.

The hosts were somehow even more beautiful with caramel skin and long black hair. But looks could be deceiving and I knew that. Inside, they were always looking for a handsome man inside every boy who entered and wanted to smash to a pulp their siblings.

Luke's scar. The scar running down his face supposedly came from the dragon guarding the Garden of the Hesperides. He'd managed to take a golden apple from the garden but got a scar from the dragon's claws.

Seeing him now, I knew he was just about ready to rip apart the dragon's heads one by one.

But I didn't want him to commit suicide so I talked with the Hesperides about letting us through. Unfortunately, my diplomatic skills hadn't gotten any better since the last time I'd seen them.

"If you want to go, go!"

"Atlas would've expected you to find a way!"

"Get away or I might end up like Hyas' sisters!"

That last one hurt. Real bad. I didn't want to have to remember the memory of the Hyades. That one was better gone. But I couldn't help it.

My mind went back to Mount Othrys, the real one. Polyxo and her sisters running freely through the palace, me walking in despair. And then the news spilled and they'd cried. Hard.

I must've looked real hurt because one of the Hesperides, Hesperus maybe, launched another insult, "Atlas really wanted a real son. But he ended up with you and Hyas. It's no wonder he stopped talking about having male heirs after you and Hyas were born!"

The Hesperides burst into laughter. They liked mocking me but this time, they'd taken it a step to far.

Nobody

Mocks

Hyas

I launched myself at Hesperia, charging at her and causing her to fall. I took out my sword and prepared to end her already long life. Hesperia screamed in fear and her siblings were looking at me in horrified shock. The dragon nearby gave no attention to the threat.

"What do you think you're doing, brother!?" Hyas' voice asked in my head, "They are our siblings!"

'Yes, they might be. But they've insulted your honor!'

"That does not give you the right to end them," Hyas said.

'But br-'

"listen, Kathryx. You must control your anger. Your love for me misguides you. It is time to let go of me. Too long have I been trying to help you, too long I have consoled you. It is time to let go of me!"

'I can't let you go Hyas. You're my brother!'

"And that is why I am prioritizing you over myself. It is no longer healthy for me to helpyou. You must find your own path."

With that, a tug in my chest started unraveling and I felt a warmth that had once been there evaporating. I tried calling out for Hyas in my mind but no response came.

My sword clattered to the ground near me. The screaming stopped. And now, Hyas was truly gone, perhaps having finally chosen to be reborn after all these years.

I expected melancholic music to begin rising up through the air. A chorus of saddened humans singing sadly. But shocked silence was all that came over.

The Hesperides reunited and began singing. I felt like dancing but I knew they just wanted me to dance until my eventual death came.

Apparently, Luke also knew this and he forged ahead towards the dragon and it's golden apples.

I'd heard that Ladon was terrifying but Hyas happening was already too melancholic for me to actually feel scared.

I know, I was glad Hyas was going to be born into a new life without the emotional baggage his previous life had had but I wasn't prepared.

I felt emotionally unstable, feeling angry at everything that came in my way. Stupid Olympians. Had they not interfered, I probably could've risen Hyas' spirit out of the ground. We could've stayed with each other until the end of time.

A familiar feeling of anger towards the gods rose up in me again. I wanted to individually punish each Olympian.

I knew they'd done some good stuff. Surely, they had. But it couldn't have amounted to the amount of friends, freedoms, and items I'd lost to them.

I wasn't ready.