The Son Of Hercules

by Echoxenvy

Follow Matt Beckett, the Son of Hercules, as he and his friends wage war on the Primordial God Ouranos and his wide variety of allies. Love, hardship, battle, loss, and glory are just five of the many things he will experience on his epic journey. Current Book: The Rising Sun. OC-Centered.

66. I Sneak A Peek Into The Past (Again)

Let's do this.

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters (except the OC's) Percy Jackson & The Olympians, Heroes Of Olympus, or Trials Of Apollo. All of that belongs to Rick Riordan.

Another Disclaimer: This chapter contains a mature theme, even for this story. While it is suggestive, and this fanfic is rated M, I feel the need to let you know beforehand, so you'll be ready for it.

On with the fifth chapter.

5. I Sneak A Peek Into The Past...Again

Matt

The door of the Big House came alive somehow, and it had daunting eyes, challenging all of us to come inside.

Everyone was somehow looking between it and me, at the same time. Their eyes were demanding, which is understandable. I'd just said something pretty crazy. But it was true, there was Heavenly Diamond in there, I knew it. I could literally feel it's chaotic energy from here.

"Matt...are you sure?" Harper asked, now understanding why I was so frightened. When I felt the aura, it reminded me of Scandinavia, and my father's death. The tip of that spear being inches away from my face, knowing I could've died. That stuck with me, and it wouldn't go away ever, probably.

"I'm sure."

Aiden made a time out signal with his hands, "Wait, hold on. Heavenly Diamond?" He looked to Harper for some kind of explanation, "Isn't that the metal that you said-" His face became grim when he recalled her elaboration. "It killed Matt's dad. Ouranos used it, didn't he?"

Harper took Kyros from my arms and gently set him in Aiden's. He looked at the bird, then Harper, in confusion.

"Take him to the infirmary. The brunt of the wound is healed, but it's still pretty bad. Somehow...even Viribus can't fully heal it."

Percy looked like he had just taken in an hour's worth of information, which he would, if we told him all that happened. And believe me, we planned on doing that. But something about his demeanor told me he had been through craziness yesterday just like we had, and had a story of his own to share.

"How'd Kyros get hurt?" Aiden asked, "Why didn't you two come back from school yesterday? What's going on?!"

Harper kept her eyes on the door, but her tone was aimed towards her half-brother. "Get him to the infirmary, Aiden."

"But I wanna-"

"GO!" She shouted, not playing anymore games, "THERE'S NO TIME!"

Aiden snapped his mouth shut, and ran off towards the infirmary, not even looking back. He was usually more stubborn than that, but I knew that if anyone could make him do anything, it was Harper.

"Matt, how do you know there's Heavenly Diamond in there?" Percy asked, his hands gesturing with each word.

"I can sense it, like I can people."

He knit his eyebrows, "But...I thought you could only sense things that were alive."

I shook my head slightly, finding it difficult to explain. "That's true, but Heavenly Diamond is weird, because it's imbued with the energy of Chaos, the first being in Greek myth. His energy, or rather its energy is inside of that thing. Making it as dangerous as it is."

"So, you're saying that Chaos is a living thing? That's why you can sense it?"

Harper groaned and threw her hands down in frustration, "Guys! Does it matter?! There's freaking Heavenly Diamond in there! We have to get it!"

Percy seemed like he was just now letting that sink in, and when he did, his eyes widened in fear. "Oh gods...Annabeth!"

"She's inside?!"

He didn't answer and broke out into a run. All of us followed, me quicker than the others. I darted to the front door and opened it immediately, deciding it would be smarter than busting it down. When I did, it flung open all the way, and revealed a sight that I did not expect.

Harper's brother, Ouranos's favorite minion, and Big Four member, Levi Pierce, sat on the couch facing me.

My jaw dropped, "What the hell..."

"Matt! The door!"

I turned and saw Annabeth rush to get to the door, but it was too late. Harper and Percy were already behind me, looking over my shoulder to see what was wrong.

Oh no...now I knew what had happened. They were hiding him, from the rest of Camp. That's why they were on edge, that's why things seemed weird the moment we came up.

I braced myself for Harper's reaction, knowing it would either be one of two things. One, she wouldn't know what to do and just stare at him, or two, she would try to kill him.

"Levi!" She snarled and ran through my shoulder to get to him. I was knocked on one knee from the force of her bashing. Percy jumped over my frame and shielded Annabeth with his own body, knowing that Levi was the one with Heavenly Diamond.

Levi saw all of us and probably didn't know what to think. His eyes darted between all of us before they fell on a murderous Harper, trying to attack him.

She insantly grabbed his throat with both hands and squeezed. Levi latched on to her wrists, trying to pull them off. But it was no use, she was stronger, and she wanted to kill him.

"You bastard! What the hell are you doing here, with Heavenly Diamond of all things!"

Levi tried to respond, but it only came out as choking sounds. He gargled and coughed; his face was turning blue. I could see his neck become half the size it should've been. Damn, she was squeezing hard.

"Annabeth, stay back!" Percy shouted, still in front of Annabeth with his arm's outspread, "He has Heavenly Diamond!"

"What?!"

I got up, through all of the ensuing chaos, and took in the situation. I calmed my breathing, slowed my speeding heart rate, and decided to act rationally.

I had been working on this for a long time, controlling my rage. After my father's death, it hadn't been hard. I'm still angry over that, at Ouranos especially. But honing my power and calming down, that's a big part of making me more dangerous. And I've been working on it.

It came into full effect here. Once I calmed myself, I looked around for things to make this situation less hectic.

First, close the door.

I reached behind me and shut it, locking it afterwards. Good, no one can get in unless they really want to, by either smashing a window, or breaking the door down.

Second, stop her from killing Levi.

I reached out and grabbed her shoulder gently. "Harper, stop."

She bucked her shoulder to get rid of my hand, "Don't help him!" She said, her eyes wide with anger and her mouth like a hungry bear's. "He deserves to die! After all he's done!"

I kept my hands away from her, but I continued to negotiate. "I know he's done a lot of bad things; I know that. But we can work this out, at least let him explain himself. After that, then we decide what to do with him."

"Bullshit!" She didn't stop, if anything she squeezed even harder. Levi's hands fell limp from her wrist, and he looked really pale now. I didn't even take in his form before everything went crazy, but I saw it for a split second, and he looked awful. He was thin now, looking like he'd stopped working out altogether and starved himself on top of that. He was on death's door even before she started choking him.

I didn't want to do this, but she left me no choice. I looked to Percy, who seemed about as clueless as I was on the whole situation. He shrugged but kept himself in front of Annabeth. I tightened my lips and grabbed Harper's hands. She was strong, and her grip on him was very tight, dangerously tight even. I had to use more strength than I expected to pry her from him.

Once his neck was free, Levi burst into a series of coughs and gasps. He fell on the floor and held his hand over his neck, hacking like there was no tomorrow.

I pulled her away from him and held her shoulders. "Stop!"

She struggled against me, "No! Let me go! I'm gonna kill him!"

"Harper! Harper, listen to me!"

"I thought you were on my side! You understand better than anyone how much I hate him! If you love me, you'll let me go!"

Her words were like daggers to my heart. Oh, so she's giving me a choice now. Prove I love her by letting her go?

I only gripped her firmer, "Harper, the reason I'm holding on to you is because I love you. I'm not letting go until you calm down. Breathe, and think for a second. If you kill him here, how will you feel? Will you feel better? Just think on that for a second, all the questioning you've done, all the internal struggles."

She stopped writhing, but her glare didn't leave. "I don't care. He has to die; this has to end."

"Maybe that's true. But first, let him talk. That's the least we can do."

She didn't say anything, she just looked at the ground with a cold fury. I decided to take that as proof she wouldn't try to kill him again, at least for the next few minutes. I let her go, and she stayed still.

"Percy, it's okay. You can relax."

Percy looked very hesitant, insistent on shielding Annabeth. I turned and gave him a reassuring nod, silently telling him that I had it under control, and he didn't have to worry. After a few seconds, he nodded, and stepped away from her, but only a little.

I put up my hands at my stomach, "We all good?"

Harper shook her head, "No. Nothing about this crap is good."

Percy and Annabeth scowled at the Son of Nemesis, and simultaneously said, "Agreed." Levi was still on the floor looking up at all of us with shame. Had I not known him, I'd feel pretty sorry for the guy. But he has Heavenly Diamond, and he didn't tell anyone. That's very suspicious to me.

I shrugged, "As good as I'm gonna get, I guess. Alright listen everybody, I'm aware of who I'm saving here, but let him at least explain why he's here, and then we can decide what to do with him. Fair?"

Nobody spoke, but Percy and Annabeth gave reluctant nods. I turned to Harper, who was still frowning at her brother.

"Harper?"

She sighed, "I'll play along, for now. But if I so much as see you reach for your pocket, I'm slicing your throat, Levi."

He pushed himself up, and weakly stumbled against the railing of the steps, grabbing onto it to narrowly avoid a fall. That wasn't for show either, that was real. He was actually weak right now, very much so.

He cleared his throat and croaked "Okay. I won't try anything, I promise. It's not like I can anyway." At that last part, he gestured to me.

Harper growled, "It's not him to worry about. It's me."

I stepped a little closer to him, recognizing that in this state, I was larger than him, which didn't use to be the case.

"Just because I saved your life there, doesn't mean I'm on your side. I haven't forgotten what you've done, but I'm going to let you have your word."

He nodded, "Thank you."

"Don't." I said, "Let's take this upstairs, so no one barges in or peeks through the window. Then...you can show us what you've got in your pocket."

---

The walk upstairs was awkward.

We decided to go to the attic to talk, you know, where they used to keep the old dried-up oracle and everything. Figured it would be the best place for silence, and since the old prophecy teller wasn't here anymore, and now a girl named Rachel, we could have at it.

Percy and Annabeth went first, since I didn't actually know where the attic was. Levi went second, then me, then Harper.

When we got to the second floor, Annabeth led us down the hall to a small trapdoor on the ceiling. She reached up and pulled on a handle, opening it and revealing another floor above, the attic.

One by one, we climbed in. Whether it be starvation or some kind of wound, Levi winced on the top rung of the attic ladder and nearly crumpled to the floor. I had to grab him and hoist him up. Needless to say, not the best day I've ever had.

After we all climbed up, we closed the door behind us. Taking a look around, I can see why I've never been up here.

Technically it's only use is storage, and formerly where the oracle lived. Campers would come up here, as Percy told me, to hear their quest prophecy. Thing is...I've never done that. I came to Camp only a couple of years ago, when Rachel was still the relatively new oracle. For some reason, she's never been able to give a prophecy about this whole Ouranos thing. I asked Annabeth what the whole problem was, and she said her best guess was that Ouranos is blocking her from seeing anything, or it's just a strange phenomenon.

Yeah, my entire life can be described right there. A "strange phenomenon."

As for the room's appearance, it looked like any old dusty attic you'd find in someone's home, only this was pretty large in size. I saw old dressers, mirrors, various types of furniture, clothes, and a LOT of trophies. I don't mean trophies like sports trophies; I mean spoils of battle. Monster parts that you get when you kill one, or a sword of a fallen general, something from the quest you embarked on, stuff like that.

I found my eyes pulled to a specific thing. At the left side of the room, above the dresser and hanging on the wall, were two swords. One of them was celestial bronze, and familiar looking. It was three feet long, give or take, and sort of triangular in shape, coming from the middle to the tip. The other was foreign to me, but somehow, I knew that it belonged to the Romans of Camp Jupiter. Call in instinct, or maybe a connection, but I knew. It was longer in length, and it remained an even straight all the way to its sharp end. Not bronze, but gold, and a bit more regal looking, like it was for show, and not battle. But that definitely wasn't the case, I could tell that it had seen its fair share of fights.

My head tilted down to read the small inscription below the pair of weapons. It said, Camp Half Blood & Camp Jupiter. United To Defeat Gaea.

I almost felt a smile tug on my lip, I almost reached out to wipe the dust off with my finger, but I restrained myself. I liked stuff like this, believe it or not. Maybe not history class, but actually looking at ancient stuff, well that was fine by me. If this were any other day, I probably could've looked around for an hour or two. But we didn't have that kind of time.

We all stood in a semicircle, guarding the side of the room that the door was on. Levi was on the other, standing by himself, in front of the window overlooking the cabins. He wasn't close enough that he could be seen, but close enough to where the sunlight shone on his frail figure.

We stood there for a second, face to face. It seemed like he was waiting for one of us to initiate.

I turned to the others, Harper didn't take her eyes off Levi, and neither did Annabeth. Percy was closest to me though, so he saw me turn, and when he did, he just shrugged. Saying silently all you, man.

Guess it was going to be me.

I locked on to Levi, "Show us."

He knew what I was referring to and sighed. He was wearing black jeans and worn-out sneakers, probably ones he had stolen or found in a garbage bin. On his upper half, he covered his deteriorating frame with a black denim jacket, and a shirt underneath. It had to be in the jacket, the Heavenly Diamond he was hiding. I didn't see anything in his pockets, so it had to be in the jacket. That told me that it wasn't big, the Heavenly Diamond he had concealed. Most likely a shard, or a needle at most.

But he surprised me and reached his hand inside of his coat. It took no longer than two seconds for him to reveal what he had hidden. He gripped a handle first, then came the metal itself.

All of our eyes widened. It was a dagger, a Heavenly Diamond dagger, with a handle and everything. Granted, it didn't have fine edges or a perfectly sharp point, in fact, it looked kind of rough and rocky, but straight enough that it could be considered a large knife of some kind. The handle was wooden, and looked a bit worn. All of these signs led me to think that he made this thing. He found a piece of the chaotic metal and decided to make a weapon out of it. But why?

Harper was the first to talk. She tried to contain her disbelief and went with a whisper yell. "Holy shit. What the hell are you doing with something like that, Levi?!"

Percy and Annabeth's body tensed up, and I could tell they wanted to take a few steps back, but their instincts told them to stay close, that if something went wrong, they couldn't run.

"How...did you get that?" Annabeth asked, "I thought Ouranos had the only weapon made of that material."

Levi started to move his hand, and Percy's fell to his pocket, reaching for Riptide.

"Slow movements." The son of Poseidon didn't look merciful right now, and his tone brokered no argument. Jeez, did something happen while we were gone?

Levi nodded, "I'm just putting it at my side."

Harper motioned her head to the table closest to us, "On the table."

Levi tightened his lips and shook his head, "I can't do that."

"Why?"

He sighed, "Look at me. It's obvious by now that I can't do anything to you physically." He pointed to the knife, "This is the only form of protection I have right now. Once I set it on the table, who's to say you won't attack me?"

He had a point, but I found myself hardly paying attention. Instead, I stared at the knife, swaying ever so slightly, back and forth, back and forth, with Levi's movements. Unlike the golden sword on the wall, it didn't look royal or shiny. Heavenly Diamond was like that. It had a bluish, transparent color that told you it was Diamond, but it was dim enough to also tell you that it wasn't an antique, or some precious gem you'd find in the store. It was dim enough that you got the picture, and that picture was this thing can erase you from existence, kill gods, and any other immortal, so tread lightly!

Nobody else saw his point though. Annabeth was the first to refuse, "You're in no position to be holding that thing in front of us. Our Camp, our rules. We won't attack you, unless you give us reason to."

Levi looked like he wanted to argue, he looked to Harper for support, but his sister gave him none. She looked like she wanted to attack him the most. Once he found nothing there, he looked to me.

"Just put it on the table, man. We won't do anything."

He relented, and with a sigh, he put the Heavenly Diamond piece on the table. It was closer to me now, and boy did I feel it. Its sheer presence was overtaking the room, making the air thick, the tension building and rising exponentially. It seemed if we stayed in here too long every fiber of our being would slowly disintegrate. Just standing around it. I can't imagine making contact with it.

"There." Levi said, resuming his previous position. "Believe it or not, I don't want to hurt any of you. I didn't come here for forgiveness-"

Harper snorted, "And you won't get any."

Levi continued, but he heard her loud and clear. "I don't expect it, and I...I don't deserve it. I know that. I just want to help you, that's why I'm here. I have information on Ouranos that could prove useful."

We all looked at each other and exchanged a series of looks. Annabeth seemed interested by his claim, her gray eyes signaling that it would be wise to hear him out, even though she was angry with him. I felt the same way. Percy and Harper on the other hand, were letting their emotions rise. I could feel it. All Percy was thinking about right now was how he killed Chiron, and how he would like to see him suffer the same way. Harper was no different, and actually thinking worse things, if that's possible. I could tell memories of all the awful things he's done to her was passing through her mind. She didn't trust him and didn't even want to hear him out.

But if he has something that can hurt Ouranos, then I'm all for it. I hate Ouranos far more than Levi.

I nodded at him, "Alright then. You can help us by explaining some things. First, how'd you get that Heavenly Diamond? And second, where do your loyalties lie? If you still work for Ouranos, then why are you here trying to help us hurt him?"

He took a second to process my questions, and tried to start talking, but it must've been too much. I could tell it was a lot, his face scrunched up in frustration as he tried to get it out.

Finally, "Can I sit down? It's...a long story."

Harper pointed a finger at him, "No, you cannot sit down! Start talking or I'm feeding you to Kyros!"

Levi reared his head back in surprise, and I just kept quiet. Maybe it was good to scare him a little. I shouldn't break it to him that Kyros doesn't and would never eat a person. Not because of the morals, but because they, in his words, 'don't taste good.'

Annabeth put her hand over Harper's and lowered her finger for her. "There's a chair behind you." She said to Levi.

He reached behind him and pulled up an old-style chair with hardwood for armrests. He sat in it and immediately slumped, like the chair released all the fatigue in his body. I'd say ten thousand emotions passed over his face as he contemplated how he was going to explain things. I sympathized with him a tiny bit in that regard, as I usually have a tough time getting a truckload of information out when I have to tell my side of things. It was genuine too, he wasn't thinking up lies in his head, trying to cook up a good story so that we'll believe it, and right when we're at our weakest, he can attack us. No, to my surprise, none of that was happening.

He shrugged helplessly, "I don't even know where to begin. It's a year's worth of experience."

"How about after our fight?" Harper said, her tone even, "Remember? When you flew away in that weird bird thing. What the hell even is that, by the way? I've never been able to do that."

Levi leaned his elbows on his knees, "It's a special ability. Rare for Nemesis children, and I never even knew I had it until...Ouranos told me. He helped me, or well, he told me how to unlock it."

Interesting. I kind of always wanted to know how he did that. I assumed it was some weird ability Ouranos gifted him, but no, it seems to be just a rare ability for Nemesis kids. Huh, does that mean Harper could have it too, but she hasn't unlocked it yet? I tried to push the thought of Harper as a crow away, fearing that I would snicker.

Levi continued, "After the fight, I knew I had to get away, far as possible. I nearly killed Grayson, and betrayed Ouranos. He wouldn't take kindly to that, and I knew it. So, I fled."

"Where'd you go?" Percy asked.

"A number of places. I was wounded from the fight, so immediately, I set up a Camp in the Swedish woods, and took time to heal. A few days passed, and I was okay to travel. I drifted around, gained the trust of some mortal townsfolk, stayed with them, eventually caught a ship back to the United States...which turned out to be full of flesh-eating monsters, to which I killed them all and took over the boat myself, but that's a long story."

I actually wanted to hear about that. Flesh eating monsters? A boat? Sounded kind of interesting to me, hearing about Levi struggling to survive and get back to America. It was kind of like Karma, in my mind. The others didn't seem so intrigued though, so I kept quiet.

He did a circular motion with his hand, "Anyway, at this point about two months have passed. I'm exhausted, I'm lost, and...I'm confused. When I was alone, awake at night, or doing anything really, I thought about my regrets." Levi went completely still, and just stared at the floor with tired eyes. "I truly had time to ponder the things I could've done differently, all of my mistakes, all of my shortcomings, they were being displayed every minute to me. By the time it was over...I could barely look at myself in the mirror. I was ashamed, I'm still ashamed."

For the first time, Harper's tone shifted from a low anger to a concerned sister. She stepped forward, "Levi...what's that on your neck?"

He glanced at her and back at the floor, tucking his head down to hide whatever it was she noticed. Huh? I didn't see anything.

Annabeth stood on her toes to see better, "It looks like...a bruise."

"It's nothing." Levi croaked, his hand over his neck now.

Harper wasn't having it. She closed the distance and moved his hand away, grabbing his head, not hard, and moving it so she could see.

I got a glimpse of what she was talking about, and when I did, I put the dots together. On his neck, all around in a circle, was a thin bruise. It was faded, but there, in slight purple and red marks. It didn't take a genius to deduce what he did. Or...tried to do.

Harper backed away and put a hand over her mouth. "Oh gods...Levi. What did you do?"

All of us were, to be frank, pretty shaken at the thought of it. Levi himself looked the most torn, his eyes started to water, and his hands began to shake. Suddenly, he transformed from the most dangerous Big Four member, the demigod who killed the great Chiron, to a deeply disturbed, sad young man before us. The kind you want to comfort and give a hug.

He started to speak, unsteady and sad. "I was an utter fool to follow Ouranos. I had the notion that if I did, the world would change for the better. I...was so wrong. I know there's no excuse for it, but...I never heard someone speak with so much passion about something they believed in. Ouranos talked about his vision for the world as if it was already true, he had a fire in his voice that I couldn't ignore. I kept thinking, this guy knows what he's talking about, and he feels the same way about the gods as I do. I should follow him." He shook his head and scoffed, "Little did I know, I would become a monster, working for an even bigger monster. His methods, right from the start...were brutal. I hated them, and I hated doing some of the things he told me to do. But I kept telling myself the reward is bigger than the cost. Some have to die so that billions can live."

All of us stayed silent, no one said a word but him. You could hear a pin drop, a feather hit the floor, that's how entranced we were by his side of things. Harper looked like she was going to cry, and I couldn't blame her. He was her brother, after all. Deep down she would always hate to see him hurt, I knew that.

Levi didn't stop there. "But as time went on, things didn't get better. We killed more, devised heinous plans, talked about certain things, and he brought in the other three." He said the other three with disgust, referencing Cherry, Axel, and Grayson. "They were psychopaths, pure evil, and without remorse. I could see in their eyes that they would kill a child if it looked at them the wrong way. That's why Ouranos picked them, they were twisted from the start, and they hated the gods, so he could manipulate them, offer revenge. Just like he did me."

He looked directly at Harper now, "But things changed especially when you got involved. When I saw you again, I couldn't bear the idea of fighting you. So instead of thinking the way I should've, I figured if I could get you on our side, then I wouldn't have to. I wanted to use your hatred for our mother to win you over. But that didn't work. You had changed, your friends had helped you see better, and you got over it on your own. Something admirable, getting over that kind of thing. It's better than I could ever do."

Harper looked like she wanted to be angry with him, but she couldn't. She still had her hand over her mouth, and tears were threatening to fall from her eyes.

"I remembered." Levi said, "And I hated what I remembered. My legacy before, was decent. I tried to do the right thing, but what I became...was a monster. Worse than the monsters that we fight." He reached up slowly and pointed to the faint bruise mark on his neck, "I...tried to end it all. I was alone, and I was hopeless."

We didn't know how to react. Percy was uncomfortable, I could tell, whether or not to feel sorry for him. He kept his eyes on the ground, and his face was no longer angry, but conflicted. Annabeth was the same, but she never took her eyes off Levi. The tears in Harper's eyes fell and dripped down her cheek.

"My durability didn't allow it though." He explained, "I stayed suspended for two hours straight. I even tried to tighten it, whatever it took. But it didn't work. I considered stabbing myself...but then I thought of a chance. A chance to make things right. Or at least, a little. I thought about what Harper said, how I could help you against Ouranos, but then...reality set in, and I knew you would never let me join you. So, I figured if I bring them something, maybe information on Malachi, or Ouranos, then they would at least give me the time of day."

For the first time in forever it seemed, someone talked, and it was Annabeth. "So you went to scout. Try and find intel."

He nodded, "Yes. I knew Ouranos said something about San Francisco as a backup plan if things went south. So, I went there and sure enough...they were all on Mount Tamalpais."

Percy's eyes widened, "That's where Mount Othrys is..."

"Yes, the former kingdom of the Titans. I knew something major was going on, because for them to be at the location of Atlas's burden...well, you can imagine. I tried to see what was going on, but I was too far away."

"And when you went to get a closer look...they captured you, didn't they?" I said, taking a guess.

He nodded grimly, confirming my theory.

This was important, but I couldn't seem to get the fact that he tried to...you know, out of my head. It was bothering me, how bad I felt about it. Shouldn't I, though? He was human, after all, but he killed one of my friends, and Chiron of all people. Should I take joy in his pain?

I shook my thoughts away, "So what happened after that?"

He leaned back and let out a long breath, "That's where things get tricky. A lot happened in between my capture and now. It would be easier to show you than tell you."

An idea seemed to break Harper away from her disbelief, and she made an aha motion with her index finger. "But wait a second...there is a way to show us."

Percy raised an eyebrow, "How? We'd literally have to enter his mind."

I was confused at first too, but then it hit me, what she was thinking of. I'd experienced myself before, once.

"Guys." I said, "Two years ago, Harper showed me her past by literally...showing me her memories. It was some kind of mist thing, and we were able to witness everything as if we were there, but we weren't. If that makes any sense."

Percy shook his head with a deadpan, "It actually doesn't."

Harper sighed and started to explain. "I used to mist to create a temporary link between our minds. It allowed me to relay memories of my choice to him, and he could see them. It was kind of like a simulation."

Levi nodded, looking a little impressed. "That's a rather advanced thing, Harper. I'm surprised you were able to do it. You never really liked the study of the mist."

"I don't. But it was just with one person, I'm sure it would be harder with all of us."

"So, you want...me to attempt it." Levi said, unsure of himself. "I'm not sure, I haven't done it in years, and with this many people..."

"Well, unless you want to tell us what happened." Annabeth suggested, "Otherwise, I'd try it."

Levi lowered his head, "This is the only thing keeping me alive, isn't it?"

We all weren't sure what to say. This guy gave a pretty depressing speech, but again, is that just the fates paying him back for all the evil he's done? Should we sympathize with him? If he can't pull off this memory thing, or explain what happened in a cohesive story...then do we kill him? After hearing about his struggles and that he tried to kill his own self?

I wasn't so sure, and even Harper wasn't. I could tell by her emotions that she was very upset about his attempt.

After a few uncertain looks, I decided to break the ice. "Just try it, and if it doesn't work, well, let's just hope it does."

He took that as seriously as it sounded and stood up. "This takes a bit of concentration, so be patient. I need you all to step closer."

We did, hesitantly. Annabeth even held out her hand.

"The knife." She ordered. "Don't want to take the risk, just standing near it could cause harm."

She was kind of right, but I knew she was trying to cover up the fact that she still didn't trust him, sad story or not. The knife/dagger was now one of the most powerful weapons in existence. If that thing accidentally scraped one of us, well...it wouldn't be ideal.

Levi conceded and set the knife on the table near us. Once we decided we were secure, we all stepped closer to him, basically standing in a line with him in the middle.

He closed his eyes and concentrated. I could feel from his aura that something was definitely going on. The air around us started to thicken even more, to the point where breathing even became hard. Harper hadn't done this the night I saw her memories, she had just grabbed my hands, looked me in the eye, and bam, I was sucked into another world.

But with more people, there must've been a much more difficult process involved. I never thought of the mist as actual mist, but seeing faint clouds of fog fill the room, I wasn't so sure now.

Finally, his eyes shot open, and he looked in between us. They were...white. Capped over completely, like Harper's, only both of his eyes were empty. I wasn't sure what to do. Was this part of it?

"Guys" I said nervously and turned to them. But to my shock, they all had eyes just like his! Percy, Annabeth and Harper, were without color, or any pigmentation at all. The fog had entered their eyeballs, and became one with them.

Before I could panic, or try to get out of here, my vision became completely white. It was happening to me too. I knew this had to be part of the process, so as weird as it felt, I would let it happen. I stopped struggling, and I let it happen. Within seconds, the fog filled my eyes, and slowly, another scene came into view.

Suddenly, I was transported to San Francisco, on top of Mount Othrys, the kingdom of the Titans. It was evening, maybe five o' clock or so, and were standing on the path that led to the edge of the cliff overlooking the city.

I looked down at my hands, and like before, they were black and white. Everything else was in color, but I wasn't.

"Whoa, this is weird." I heard Percy say.

I turned and next to me, everyone was here, standing like before. Only Levi was facing the other direction. They were all in black and white as well.

"Why aren't we in color?" Annabeth asked, scanning her arms in confusion.

"It's an effect of the process." Levi said, "Now watch closely."

We did, falling silent and paying attention. Our bodies were brought closer to the cliff, forcefully. We had a better view now, and we were standing in a clearing, about thirty feet of room in between the cliff's edge and a cave behind us. The cave itself had a wide entrance, but it was so dark you couldn't see anything inside. Although I swore I heard the sound of chains rattling deep inside of it.

"Hey." Harper said, pointing at something. "Look, over there."

We followed her guidance and looked to the cliff's edge. Sitting on it, with his feet dangling off, was a boy. His back was turned to us.

My mouth fell open, "That's the kid in my vision. The one with Malachi."

He indeed looked just like him, because in that vision, I saw his back too. He was probably eight or nine years old, skinny in frame and wearing a regular t-shirt and shorts. His hair was oddly familiar though, as it was medium length blonde, like Malachi's.

"You've had a vision of him?" Levi asked, "When?"

"Recently. He was with Malachi."

Levi's face darkened.

"Why? Who is he?"

I expected him to be silent for a while, and I would get frustrated to the point where I made him tell me. But no, he immediately spat it out. "Ouranos."

Wait...what?

A crack in air broke my thoughts, a blur of a figure came crashing into the rocky floor before us. From the dust and rubble, I saw a giant figure, holding a much smaller person in his hand.

It was Atlas, and he was holding Levi.

I'd recognize the Titan anywhere. I'd only seen him once, but that menacing face would never leave my mind. He stood behind Ouranos, wearing the same thing he did when Harper and I encountered him, only...he had no scar.

I thought that was weird. How recent was this? That scar looked pretty old to me. But it didn't matter at the moment, too many things were happening for me to even get a thought processed.

Atlas palmed Levi's head like a basketball player would do with a ball. Levi himself in the memory was desperately trying to get out, and I saw blood coming from his nostrils.

The Titan grunted to the boy, "Found this one about a mile away, hiding in the grass like you said."

Levi...wasn't kidding. That little kid is Ouranos. The way Atlas addressed him, there was no way it wasn't the case.

The boy turned, and sure enough, it was him. He looked just like Malachi, but younger. His facial features were the same, his hair was the same, even his eyes were the same. The only difference was his expression. It was strictly Ouranos there. No trace of Malachi could be found in this little guy's sinister sneer.

The same sneer he gave to Levi right after I thought that. "Hello, Levi. Good to see you again."

His voice caught me off guard, it was lighter, and sounded like a normal little boy's voice. I expected Ouranos's ancient, gravelly tone to take over, but I guess new body, new rules.

It made sense really, because the last time I saw him, he had been this weird baby thing, and a year had passed since then. But still, this kid looks like he's nine years old, how did he age so fast?

Harper gasped, "Why does he look like Malachi?"

Annabeth muttered, "Well...father and son resemblance, I guess."

Levi in the memory looked like he'd seen a ghost, which was wasn't far from the truth if you asked me.

His words came out half a groan due to the pressure on his head. But he managed, "W-Wait, you're-"

Kid Ouranos popped up from his sitting position and wiped the dust off his shorts. He walked over to Levi and sized him up.

"Yes, my friend." He said, in his childlike voice. "It's me. Confused?"

"How are you...I mean, what-"

Ouranos interrupted again, "It's simple really. When I took my energy back from Matthias's club, i was still in my son's body. The energy overloaded him and caused him to, quite literally, vomit me out."

Percy almost did the same thing next to me, but he kept his cool. I understand man, since I actually saw the event in a vision and hurled myself.

The primordial continued, "As of now, I am back to my physical form." He clenched his fists and smiled wickedly, looking at his fingers as if they were gems. "For the first time in millennia, I can feel myself again. I have a body, my own power, not another's, resides in this body."

As if he remembered something unpleasant, he frowned quickly. "Alas, the setback is that I must wait for my age to catch up to this form. It is rather fast, as of a few months ago I was a mere fetus, but now I am about eleven years old, physically."

Nobody spoke, not one of us. We listened to his explanation, all of us were silently trying to process the fact that this little boy was Ouranos. My club brought him back. If I hadn't been so stupid in keeping it...maybe none of this would've happened.

Levi in the memory scrunched his face, "Doesn't matter how you appear. You're still the same twisted being, inside and out."

Kid Ouranos reared his head back, "So you've had a change of heart? What was it, Levi? Something I said to hurt your feelings?"

Atlas chuckled, finding Ouranos's taunting funny. It was clear Ouranos never cared about Levi, and he was figuring it out too. Better late than never, I guess.

Levi growled, "I realized how little you cared about us, when you called me a moron."

Ouranos rolled his eyes, "To be fair, I called all four of you morons, not just you."

Levi continued, "All of the methods, all of the speeches, all of the preaching. I finally realized they were cruel, empty lies. Nothing but ways to manipulate us into doing your dirty work until you gained the strength to do it yourself."

That pretty much summed it up, right there. Levi was coming around, and realizing the truth. It was hard to believe what I was watching.

The memory played on, and after a second of silence, Ouranos sighed. "Well, it's clear you want to fight against me. But see, I cannot let that happen. Not because of your strength, no, that is an easy thing to contend with. It's because you know things, too many things. I suppose I was foolish to tell you so much."

"Are you going to kill me, then?" Levi said, in almost a challenging manner.

Ouranos' eye twitched, but he kept his composure, and smiled. "Of course not. I believe in second chances."

Atlas frowned at that, not liking the idea of sparing Levi. "What's this bullshit?"

Ouranos turned to him, "Excuse me?"

Atlas didn't waver or cower one bit. For some reason I couldn't read anyone's aura in this memory, so I had no idea how powerful Ouranos was right now. But if I had to guess, since he's just in his kid phase or whatever, Atlas has him completely overpowered.

The Titan glared at him, "You're seriously letting him live, after betraying you? This is absurd, I was promised blood, and a worthy fight. Not capturing your loose ends and bringing them back to you."

I thought Ouranos, given his temper, was going to start yelling or trying to give orders to Atlas. But he's too smart for that. He knows Atlas can kill him as is, so he's going to play nice and be tolerable.

He gave a calming motion with his hand, "Ease yourself, old soldier. I promised you blood, and you shall get blood. But remember, you owe me. I released you from the burden."

So...that's the favor he was referring to. How could I be so dumb? It was obvious that's what it was. He freed him from his eternal prison. Of course he'd do what he said.

Atlas scowled at the fact, "Yes...I remember."

"Then bear it, until my debt is repaid." Ouranos shrugged, "Besides, it's not like I'm letting him back in scotch free. He must prove himself."

Levi writhed again in Atlas's grip, but it was no use. "I'm not doing anything for you!"

Ouranos watched his discomfort with glee, "Oh but you see, the only alternative is that I kill you. And I don't want to do that. You made a mistake, big deal, you got confused about which side you're on, no problem. I'm offering you another chance to fix it, and the task...I think you'll find very easy to do."

We were all confused now, all except Levi in the front of us. His face, turned away from us, was still hard to read. It wasn't emotionless, but it was pained, taking in this traumatic memory, had to be hard even for him.

Memory Levi looked confused, and Ouranos peered his head in the direction of the cave. "Bring them out!"

So there was someone else in the cave. I knew I heard chains rattling in there. I honestly don't know what I expected to come out, someone in bondage, maybe, with one of Ouranos's new goons keeping them in place.

But what actually came out, was much more surprising, and horrifying.

Out of the shadows, stepped my friend, Malachi, holding the goddess Nemesis by her chained wrists. He walked her forwards with a neutral expression, like what he was doing was just a regular part of the day.

Harper's mouth fell open, "Mom...oh my god, Matt, you were right."

It was Nemesis. This occurred after Malachi captured her, and oh...holy crap, this makes sense. They captured her to get to Levi, they knew Levi would come, so they went after her. But for what reason? Malachi doesn't care about her.

Unless...

Malachi looked the same as he did in my previous vision. Even healthier than when I knew him, more defined and muscular, his face was harsher, angrier and more worn. His hair had gotten shorter, short enough to wear it only stopped at the top of his ears, but still parted in the middle. It made him look older than he really was, on top of his eyes. Those...eyes, were very much creeping me out. In the fact they were so unlike him. It was as if he had seen a thousand atrocities, and every one of them etched into his very eyeballs, painting them with its essence.

Behind him, emerged another person. Someone I didn't recognize at all. But the person he held, I very much recognized. It was Sera.

If Malachi looked better, then she looked the exact opposite. Here's the thing about Sera, if you don't already know. She's beautiful. Harper won't get jealous either, because my girlfriend has literally told me the same thing. Sera looks like a Greek princess, her innocent demeanor, perfect features and skin, the way she dressed, it was goddess like. If she was one, or a daughter of Aphrodite, it would make perfect sense. But she's not, she's a daughter of Khione, the snow goddess. Meaning Sera has control over ice and snow, and the only thing that gives it away is her solid white hair.

She looked exhausted, beaten, and devastated all at the same time. Her cheeks had identical pairs of tear stains on them, her hair and skin were damp with sweat, her soft blue dress was in tatters, and her usually flawless skin was littered with small cuts and faint bruises.

The sight was enraging to me, and everyone else it seemed. Harper's fists were clenched, her face scrunched in fury. Annabeth was the same, glaring daggers at the unknown man keeping her still. Sera was like a sister to them, and even Percy, who didn't know her that well, looked like he wanted to take Riptide and cut every baddie down in this scenario.

"Sick freaks." Harper snarled, "Why the hell isn't Malachi doing anything?"

"He can't." Levi answered. "Look at the situation. They'll kill her if he doesn't obey."

He was right. He was freaking right. That was the reason, right there. Malachi captured Nemesis, and maybe did other things for Ouranos to keep Sera alive. That's why Ouranos took Sera with him too in Scandinavia, to have a bargaining chip, something to threaten Malachi with.

Annabeth choked back a sob, "He's forcing him to do his bidding."

"Like a puppet." Percy said, barely able to get the words out.

My heart twisted in a painful knot. It had to be killing him, seeing her like that. This situation just got a lot more complicated. If this was true, then I had to step away completely from judgement. I put myself in his shoes and imagined if Harper was the one being held captive. If I didn't do what Ouranos said, he would kill her.

Who am I kidding? I couldn't refuse. I would do it too.

"Never seen the prick holding her." Harper said angrily, identifying the new face holding Sera. "New psychopath?"

Our attention fell to the man. He looked like a mix between a card shark and an evil businessman. He was tall, first of all, more so than Malachi and I, he wore a neatly pressed black suit and tie, with dress shoes and the whole nine yards. Something in his pocket seemed to be jutting out, like a...deck of cards? I wasn't sure what that was all about, but something told me this guy didn't fight physically, or maybe not at all.

As for his face...it was definitely giving me monster feels. He had long black hair tied in a ponytail, coming down near his shoulder blades. He was clean shaven, and his eyebrows were thin, nearly nonexistent, which I found a little odd. His eyes were hidden by a pair of black round sunglasses, so I couldn't get a read on his emotions. And since I can't feel anyone's aura at the moment, I couldn't tell how strong or dangerous he was either.

Ouranos gestured to Nemesis alone, "Remember your mother, Levi? How long has it been since you've seen her? Years?"

Levi didn't respond. Atlas had turned so that Levi could see her from his suspended position. He looked a combination of shocked, confused, and angry.

"M-Mother?" He said, "What are you doing here?!"

Malachi only held her by her wrists, so she could talk just fine. But when she tried, it came out as a near cough, "Don't do anything they say, Levi! They captured me to get to you!"

At that Malachi hit her in the back of the head with his own, crumpling her to her knees. Whatever she just said, she wasn't supposed to.

But Ouranos held up a hand, "Now, son. No need to get physical just yet. I was going to tell him anyway." He turned to Levi and cocked his head in a whatever manner. For some reason, seeing Ouranos act in his normal manner was even more annoying now that he's a kid.

"It's true, Levi." He said, "I brought her here, because I knew you would come. I knew you were troubled, and I knew you only did what you did because of your sister." He shrugged, "While I have never understood sibling love myself, I do know that Grayson was disposable, and I will let it slide." He held up a finger, "On one condition."

I thought memory Levi would refuse, but that must've at least piqued his interest, because he asked, "What is it?"

Ouranos raised his finger in the air and snapped it. Out of nowhere, his Heavenly Diamond Spear, the same one that killed my father, materialized and hovered above his head. I got goosebumps the moment I saw it, and I had to force down the bile building in my throat. Ouranos smiled casually. "Simple. Kill your mother."

We were all shocked, especially Harper. She looked at the present Levi with wide eyes, maybe trying to gauge if he'd actually done it. Levi just stood there though, making no faces as he watched the entire scene.

"Levi..." She breathed, "You didn't do it, did you?"

"Just watch." Was all he said.

We did, and we saw the realization come upon everyone there. Ouranos waited expectantly, Atlas was now interested, since killing had been brought in the picture. The new guy holding Sera also grinned like a hungry wolf, clearly excited at the turn of events. Malachi and Sera had different reactions though, Sera was shocked, and shaking her head lightly, while Malachi looked unnerved, and a bit surprised at the real reason he had to capture Nemesis. Ouranos hadn't told him.

He voiced this, "You never told me this. Any of this. I thought we had an agreement."

Ouranos looked at him like he was an annoying flea that needed to be swatted. Even though he was in a child-like state, he had the glare of a powerful primordial. "We do have an agreement. You do everything that I say, when I say it, or..." He looked to the man holding Sera.

The man grinned and pulled out a needle. Like the kind you use to thread yarn and stuff with. It didn't look dangerous at all, but by the reaction Sera gave, it was clearly dosed with poison, or something even more dangerous.

The man put his hand over her mouth, and she whimpered in fear.

Some trace of the Malachi I knew was still there though, thankfully. He immediately grabbed the guy's arm and squeezed. Fury and hate laced his stare.

Atlas started to move, but Ouranos stopped him, "Now Malachi, let him go. You know the deal; nothing happens to her so as long as you follow my orders. If our new friend cannot, then Atlas will. And we both know you cannot stop him."

Malachi hesitated and didn't even look at Sera. There was a moment of confliction, but he let the man go, and tossed Nemesis to the ground.

"No!" Sera shouted, "Don't kill her!"

"Quiet, girl!" The new guy barked and pulled a piece of metal out of his pocket. With one or two squeezes, he molted the piece to a flat, tape like shape, and put it over her mouth. It stuck, and all of her cries were muffled.

Okay, that was weird. Is this guy some kind of magician?

Ouranos smirked at Malachi's decision, and motioned for Atlas to put him down.

The titan didn't set him down gently, he threw him to the side several feet, causing him to land on his face and stomach, near the mountain wall, where all the rubble lay.

The real Levi in front of me reacted a little to that, like a flinch or something. Oddly, it didn't seem to be because of the pain, but something else.

Memory Levi got up slowly, and held on to his body inside of his jacket, trying to ease some of the pain. He walked back over to where they were, and looked down at Nemesis.

"Do it." Ouranos said, "I must hear you agree before I give you the spear."

Levi didn't respond. He just looked at his mother.

"I just...kill her?" He muttered, "And I can be absolved?"

"Yes. Prove to me that you still have the same goal as I do. Kill the treacherous gods and goddesses, make this world a cleaner place, take revenge on your mother."

Levi tightened his lips, but didn't break his gaze.

Nemesis was on her side on the ground, staring up at him, almost pleadingly.

"Levi...please."

"You caused everything." He said, "All of my hardships, all of Harper's hardships, they're because of you."

Harper was horrified next to us but entranced at the same time. She didn't move a muscle, but she looked on the edge of her seat, like she wanted to bite her fingernails.

Memory Levi continued, his teeth gritted and his gestures very animated. "You left our father! You made him a monster!"

"I know." She said, genuinely apologetic. I didn't need aura sense to know that every fiber of her being wanted to stay with their father. I saw that in the visions Harper showed me two years ago, I saw the moment she left, and how devastated she was.

"I...loved your father." She said, "I loved him, and that's why I had to let him go. I couldn't stay."

"He beat us!" Levi shouted, "He became an abusive, lowlife, scumbag, son of a bitch drunk! He's nothing!"

"There isn't an excuse for how he acted, or how I acted. But he changed, he did. You just weren't there to see it."

Levi didn't shout again. He started to, but he looked away in the clear spot that gave him a view of the faraway city.

Nemesis looked slightly surprised, "You knew it too. You...you regret killing him."

His eyes were glassy, seeing something only he could see. It was a while before he spoke again, but when he did, it was croaky. "I saw how he tried to protect her, I heard him make amends with her in the truck they were driving. I...I almost changed my mind. But how could I? I would have to explain to them my new life, and perhaps they would've approved. But that voice inside my head told me to do it, to go through with it. So, I did."

Nemesis gave a look that could only be described as motherly. It was the most compassionate I've ever seen another deity be, besides my father. She wanted so bad for things to be different, even though the years were like seconds to her, she wished she could change them.

She looked down at the ground shamefully. "You're right. All of this...your father, Harper's hatred towards us, it's my fault. I understand if you want to kill me."

Ouranos and Atlas were clearly getting tired of waiting. The Primordial quickly cut Levi off from anything he was about to say, "There! She's even giving you permission! Come now, enact your revenge!"

Ouranos was ready to give him the spear, but Levi wasn't. He hesitated and took another look at Nemesis.

"No."

"Sorry, what? Did you just say no?"

Nemesis looked up at him, surprised. Ouranos was even more so, and he was very angry about it. A vein popped on his small head.

"I'm not going to kill her." He confirmed. "I've done a lot of thinking over the last year, a lot of self-examining. And the only way to move forward in my existence is if I change. It may have taken me my entire life, but I've finally discovered...vengeance isn't always the answer."

Nemesis almost smiled, rather oddly since she represents revenge. But I guess since it was her life on the line, and the fact that her son had come around and changed himself, she was happy. I personally couldn't believe it, the Levi in this memory was completely different from the one we've known all along. His very goal was revenge on her, that's what he always wanted. Yet here he is, with the chance to do it literally put in front of him, and he refuses.

Ouranos was furious. Instead of it being terrifying like it normally would, it came off as a child throwing a temper tantrum in a grocery store. Probably because he actually looked like one now.

"B-But...no!" He yelled, and I registered that it was the first time I'd ever heard him stutter. He was usually very well spoken and calculated. But this turn of events clearly had him thunderstruck. There were no contingencies in his head in case Levi refused to kill her, he was so sure he would take the chance. "This is impossible! All you ever preached about since I've known you is revenge this and revenge that, I hate my mother and I want to kill her. Yet I give you the chance and you refuse! What the hell is wrong with you?! You're a child of vengeance!"

Levi didn't waver or tremble. He just stood straighter. "That may be. But that doesn't mean we all have to be the same. Every death of Nemesis children was caused by vengeance. It's their downfall, not their ascension."

Ouranos seethed. The hand that held the spear in midair trembled with rage. "I must admit, I didn't expect this. It seems you truly have changed for the worse, Levi. I could see you now, fighting alongside those half-wits at Camp Half Blood. Your own sister, even. Imagine that, wouldn't it be a sight?"

Levi kept a straight face, but it was clear he was imagining the same thing. A hopeful flicker flashed on his face.

"But that won't happen." Ouranos said, "In this world, people with spines are the only ones who survive. And you've lost yours."

Levi tilted his head, and his body tensed. He knew what was coming.

Ouranos didn't turn to Atlas, but his request was aimed at him. "Kill him! NOW!"

Atlas grinned excitedly, and immediately jumped to action. He had been sitting too long without seeing blood, and he was suffering from withdrawal. His hand reached out to grab Levi's back and snap it in half.

He very well could've done so, but to my surprise, Levi was expecting this. He had been ready the whole time.

Quicker than Atlas expected, Levi weaved away from his grab, reached in his jacket, and swiped upward. Time seemed to freeze, and for a second, everything played in slow motion.

Levi's swing fell through, and ichor flew from Atlas's face. Ouranos, Malachi, the new man, Sera, and Nemesis all looked to the titan in bewilderment.

All of us were the same, many audible gasps could be heard. How did he do it though?

A glint from his hand told me the story. In it, he held the same exact shard connected to the handle we just saw. The knife, only here it was more worn, and not as defined. Here it was a chunk off the wall of...the burden.

I flashed back to when Talon told us the original source of Heavenly Diamond was Atlas's burden. When he crashed into the ground, part of the mountain fell apart, and piece that Levi grabbed, was part of the rubble.

Atlas's scar...

It all made sense now. In the memory, Atlas was shellshocked, and wounded. He instantly grabbed his eye and howled in pain, stumbling to the side in recoil from the blow. It was Heavenly Diamond, so that actually hurt him. Of course he'd get a scar, those types of wounds were permanent, even to immortals.

Ichor gushed from the wound; it was dripping down Atlas's hand. He turned to Levi with hate, "You fucking worm. You're DEAD!"

Levi didn't stick around, when time sped up again, he turned to Nemesis. "RUN!"

A million things happened in the span of a second. Ouranos attempted to throw the spear at Levi, but in some kind of adrenaline rush, or instinct, or maybe just pure skill, Levi threw the Heavenly Diamond chunk at the spear, and knocked it to the side, disarming the primordial. Nemesis regained her composure and knew now was the chance to escape. She thrust her hand out at the magician guy, a brilliant jet of gray light shot out and hit him square in the chest, knocking him into the darkness of the cave. Malachi, instead of stopping Levi or Nemesis, jumped in front of Sera and put his arms behind him, wrapping them around her in a body shield.

Levi grabbed Nemesis by the hand and both of them warped in the air, shrinking and morphing into two crows.

"AGH!" Ouranos shouted, "STOP THEM!"

It was too late though, the crows booked it into the sky, flapping their wings because their lives depended on it. They flew off into the distance, leaving behind their captors.

Just like that, it was over. The simulation of the memory around us faded, and we were brought back to reality. The walls and surroundings of the Big House attic came into view.

I almost told him to bring it back. I wanted to see what happened next, but I knew that wouldn't be right. I'd seen enough, more than enough.

We all stood there, like before. The room was dead silent.

I think we all wanted to say something, but it was too much. It only lasted like five minutes, but somehow so much happened. Everything just got a lot more complicated. I didn't even know that was possible for us.

Levi's loyalty to Ouranos is broken, Ouranos himself is a kid, they've recruited some kind of magician to their group, and most of all...we actually know where Malachi and Sera are now. I got a glimpse of it before, but in Ouranos fashion, I thought they had relocated to somewhere more discreet. But that wasn't the case, they had stayed put.

We could go on a quest. We could save them, and attack Ouranos while he's weak...

Levi spread his hands at his side and broke the silence. "So, now that you've seen everything. Do you still want to kill me?"

---

(000)

So now you know how Atlas got his scar. Interesting turn of events, huh?

All will be explained next chapter, so expect a bunch of falling action, and backlash to Levi's return.

Stay tuned to find out, I have plenty of things in store for this story.

Until Next Time.