I knew him. One of the greatest heroes. I followed him outside, waiting breathlessly to ask questions.
"Why did he keep you alive?" I asked, as soon as we had gotten into the forest.
"He was making a deal with Hades," he said. "Or rather, I was a ransom. If Hades sent him to Elysium, I would live. If not, I would suffer a long and agonizing death. He was one of the few evil men who have no fear of death."
"And where are we going?" I asked.
"Anywhere, you like," he said. "Anywhere where there's a shadow."
We ran into the woods, trampling through the snow. We weren't cold or tired, now that we were safe and free.
We had a family, and though all our hearts were broken once, we could help each other heal. Everything is better when a family is together. And though the snow was cold, we warmed each other. Though the path was dark, we lit each other's way.
We had a family. Nico di Angelo, the son of Hades. Alyssa Jackson, granddaughter of the gods of sea and wisdom. Calen Bennet, son of Hermes. Garrett Konungr, son of Apollo. The gods would watch over us.
We had a long way to go. But we had each other.
"Men who believe in eternal life seldom fear death." – Winston Churchill
"And though my heart is torn,/I will praise you in this storm." – Casting Crowns
"It may be true that he travels furthest who travels alone. But the goal thus reached is not worth reaching." – Theodore Roosevelt
"Everybody needs beauty, as well as bread, places to play in and play in, where nature may heal and give strength to body and soul alike." – John Muir
"Whose woods these are I think I know.
His house is in the village though;
He will not see me stopping here
To watch his woods fill up with snow.
My little horse must think it queer
To stop without a farmhouse near
Between the woods and frozen lake
The darkest evening of the year.
He gives his harness bells a shake
To ask if there is some mistake.
The only other sound's the sweep
Of easy wind and downy flake.
The woods are lovely, dark and deep,
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep."
– Stopping By Woods On a Snowy Evening, by Robert Frost
