Zagreus

It was well past midnight. The camp was quiet except for the raucous laughter from the Dionysus cabin. After my conversation with Percy, I went to the forest and sat there until the sun faded and sky became dark. I did not even go to the dining hall to eat dinner because my stomach did not grumble. I was not hungry… or at least I did not feel or think I am. I may have lost my appetite or I am gradually gaining some part of my godly strength.

The birds began to chirp and the nymphs were retreating into their abodes. I contemplated for hours long Bianca and Nico. My two demigod siblings. I still could not fathom the idea. Then again, most of my memories were gone and any bit of information about myself would have helped me regain them. But this was new information, this did not exist when I was awake in the world. Then what could have happened in that century that I was awake. Was my mother still alright? How about my other siblings…? I have an inkling that I do have godly siblings, who I must have cherished.

Looking over my shoulders, I looked at the glowing obsidian block at the left end of the forest. The Hades cabin. It may have the answers I need, I thought. Some relic in there may help me regain my memory. The mere fact that I could pick pieces from my past means that my memories have not truly escaped me. I approached the cabin with steady steps. The floor was solid obsidian as well, so it did not make a sound. I slowly turned the knob and entered the dimly lit cabin. The entire Cabin was lit by torches attached to the wall that had flames emitting a faint green glow on the windowless, black walls of the cabin. Beds that looked like coffins lined both walls. This must be a sick joke, I thought as I looked down the mahogany frame of the bed and the velvet blankets and pillows.

"They must have slept at this very beds… still," I said. I cool breeze went pass me as I said that. I looked around, but the flames appeared to be untouched. I must have been so deep in thought. There was no statue or even symbol of Hades in the room. What to expect, really.

I spot a wooden credenza near a bed at the farthest corner of the cabin. The light started to blink eerily as I walked towards it. The cabinets were empty except for the obvious dust and decay inside. On top of it, there were several items that didn't really make sense. There cards scattered, each contained a picture of a creature. I picked one up and read its contents. It showed a woman cladded in armor; underneath in yellow text: "+100 knowledge, 3000 attack"

"Athena," I read the character's name out loud. These were gods and goddesses, I began to notice. I flipped the cards to see what it was but it only displayed the name "Mythomagic". Is this some kind of card game they devised? I wondered. The gods were into all kinds of schemes, this may have been a sorcery to get humans and demigods to their side….

The thought eluded me once it reached me. I continued to scan the items on the desk. There was a dagger with a leather grip. I unsheathed it and tilted the blade. It had a serrated edge that looked like the fangs of a bear. A hunting knife, I thought, continuously tilting the blade with amusement. Another item caught my attention. A tiny figurine sat at the middle of the credenza. I dusted it with my thumb. The logo of "Mythomagic" was etched on the stand but somebody must have tried to erase the name of the character. I looked at the figurine closely, trying to identify who it may be.

"And I thought the pitchfork would have gave it away," I voice said from my back. Institutively, I threw the jagged blade at the voice without further thought. It must be the shadow I kept seeing a while ago.

The room went dark for a while and when the flames came back, the dagger had already embedded itself on the wall and a dark feather floated slowly onto the floor.

"Who would have known you're still going to be violent this time." A little off the trajectory where I threw the blade stood a figure. The colors of his wings flickered against the flames. His gold eyes stare directly at me, seemingly calculating my thoughts.

Dumbfounded, I tried to place his voice. It was deep and silky, like someone I knew. It was a voice that was terrifying yet comforting at the same time. "Let us go" the memory said and in the deep recess of my mind, a name and a face floated.

"Thanatos," I said, barely a whisper. He still heard it and even sensed the tremble I now felt.

"How are you, Zagreus," he said, curving a corner of his lips. I froze for a while, unable to utter a word. The memories associated with my companion bouncing against the walls of my head. This was Thanatos, the god I grew up with, my guardian. Among the sea of confusion, a semblance of hope appeared. He might bring answers about my past… about everything. In an act of relief, I suddenly dropped the plastic figurine. It made a soft clatter but didn't break. Thanatos stared at the figurine. "You know, he's looking for you."

"Who?" I asked, visibly confused.

"Your father. Hades."

"I-"

"You seem surprised right now. Not quite the reaction I expected from someone who could throw a dagger that fast and hard," he stared at the mark the dagger left on the wall. "And not from someone bounded by the chains of Nyx."

"What do you mean?" I managed to break from the trance I was in.

"You're not in your fullest strength, Zagreus."

"It beats me, really,' I also managed to say sarcastically. "I said, what do you mean by that?" I uttered with more conviction.

Thanatos sighed, "The chains are made from the fabric of night itself. It strains any power you may have or at least, most of it. It will keep your power in check and sane for a while"

"Sane? Have I gone crazy that led me to lose all my memories?"

"Sane isn't the word you should call the visible anger I am sensing from you. But yes, in a sense: sane. There are matters that led to your loss of memory, Zagreus."

"Care to enlighten me about it then?"

"The mere fact that I am talking to you is already a breached of my duties as the guardian of death. My master, as you know, is Hades. I am appearing to you through the shadows as to conceal myself in some sense from the gaze of your father and the primordials. I could only reveal much about what you ask since a lot of them are still watching."

My muscles relaxed and I tried not to look defensive. Maybe he is indeed taking a risk just by talking to me and I shouldn't be taken by anger so easily.

"You did something in your past that the primordials are asking you to repent on. The world has greatly changed since you were last here. The gates of Tartarus were left unguarded, which led to Chronos intensifying his schemes of escape. A Titan war erupted on this land only months ago."

"Was that my fault then?" I looked at the ground "The deed that I do, did it involve my father?" I asked that so suddenly that even I wondered where the thought came from. I had a sinking feeling that the associations I had concerning Hades may be connected to the loss of my memories and my sudden "banishment" to this place.

"Yes. You two did not exactly parted on good terms. Even Nyx, she is in deep concern for you. When you were bounded by her chains, she had little say about the decision"

Nyx… a lot of questions erupted in my head. Thanatos's figure started to falter. He winced, his presence may have taken a lot of energy.

Shakily I said, "You said I was a guardian of Tartarus… was I at fault for the war that happened here?"

"You were… in a way, but that's for you to find out," his figure wavered then solidified again, "I came here out of concern. When Hypnos, my brother, sensed your awakening I did all means to reach you without catching the attention of the other gods. Even Olympus knows about your presence and some gods who were against them may aid you along the way. It is conflicting, I know, but I believe you can make sense of it all. The cycle of your rebirth has began again…"

"Rebirth… is this a new life?"

He smiled but his eyes remained empty, "Not quite. You have your past memories still. The cycle is going to end with your redemption." Thanatos' formed started to intensely falter. "Time escapes me as well. I have to say my good byes for now, Zagreus. But we will meet again. I'll try all means to see you again. Good bye, old friend" with a plain spark, Thanatos faded. A dark blue feather floated, a remnant of his presence. I picked it up, turning it against the light of the flames.

"Thank you, Than," I whispered to the darkness. It brought a sense of relief and another plethora questions that needed to be answered.

Sabrina

Celine won't stop worrying about Zagreus. When he didn't show up at dinner, she started to fidget so much that the table we were eating on experienced a mini earthquake.

"Will you stop that please," I said, trying to eat my mac and cheese in peace.

"I haven't seen him all day, we agreed I'll tour him around camp and brief him about the whole capture the flag game tomorrow. We don't want him to stand confused there, you know how rowdy the Hermes kids get on the newbies."

"Maybe it's better for them to kick his sorry butt tomorrow at the game, that will be thoroughly entertaining," I said as I chewed a spoonful of mac.

Celine looked at me like a disappointed mother. I wasn't sure whether she was pissed with me eating with my mouth full or my snide remark. It was true though, he was overly concerned with Zagreus as if he was some unsung hero.

"He saved our lives, Sabrina. It's the least we could do to guide him during his stay here"

"We're not even sure if he's completely innocent. You heard what the monster said," I retorted defiantly.

Celine shook her head, "I know it's difficult for you to trust other people. But please try to look at it in a positive light."

I stood up, I had no energy to eat now, "Well, it would have been easy for me to say if the boy didn't foil our escape". With that, I retreated to the cabin.

I didn't go outside until a little before midnight. I saw Celine again, she was seated on the front steps of the cabin. All the occupants of the Hermes cabin fell asleep fast because of the preparations for the game tomorrow. Celine looked sullen, distantly looking at the Hecate cabin.

I rolled my eyes, She's still waiting for witch boy. I approached her, trying not to make a noise or set off another toy bomb. "Can't sleep?" was my crappy intro.

She smiled, "No, not really."

I gave in, "Sorry for the things I said earlier. It's just that, I'm too stressed out about all this," I vaguely gestured at the cabins.

"I understand. I know you wanted to escape so badly and I'm sorry it didn't go well as you expected. But I just wanted you to realize that without him, we wouldn't be alive right now. We would have been eaten alive by those monsters," she stared straight into my eyes, the glow of the moonlight highlighting the pity and sadness in her gaze.

There's a part of me that understood her point then there's a bigger part of me that thought that it would have been better if the monster devoured me. Life was meaningless on my end after all. The thing about Celine is that she sees the goodness in all of things despite of going through a crap load of stuff both in her past and in the camp. We were parentless outsiders even in this place. And I could see that very clearly, and no amount of hope and positivity could distract me from that fact. As much as I abhorred her nature, I cared about Celine deeply. She treated me like her very own kin with how much she watched out for me the first time I set foot in this camp. She made me feel at home even though I knew that "home" doesn't really exists.

With that ebb in my heart, I decided to fold and try to mask what I truly felt about the situation. "Fine, I get your point. I talked to the boy too, seems like he is of good intentions anyway"

She smiled - a sincere one this time, "So you did talk to him, huh?"

I jumped like a rat went under my shirt. "That's beside the point. I mean you might be right about him"

"I'm glad that you agree," she sighed then smiled at the sky.

"But that doesn't mean you should stay up this late waiting for him. Go inside, come on"

"He might still be out there though, I didn't notice him pass by from anywhere. He might have been in trouble for all we know."

"Oh hush, he's going to be fine. The camp is barricaded after all," I started to push her towards the door.

"You and I know that there's still danger here," she insisted. I hate it when she has a point.

"Fine, I'll look out for him here. I had a nap a while ago anyway, so sleep isn't going to mind me for a while. You, on the other hand, will fall straight to its lap. Your eyes are already droopy. You've done a lot of preparations today so you should tidy up and go to sleep," I managed to successfully nudge her through the doorway.

"Are you sure, I can – "

"A bajillion percent. Go, go…" I shooed her away. The door closed and I was left on the porch. I heard her footsteps shuffling towards the doorway again, "I'm fine. Just go! We might wake everyone up if you keep insisting." That did the trick. Her footsteps receded.

I sat on the first step of the porch. Staring at the Hecate cabin. It won't be a while until Celine falls asleep, so I could quietly return back to the inside. I pondered for a while as I "waited" for Zagreus. There's a lot to sort regarding my thoughts about him. I was prepping my lists of things that would slander him when someone emerged from the forest at the farthest end of the cabin circle.

Speak of the devil, I thought as I noticed he was circling towards the lane of the other gods' cabin. I was preparing to enter the cabin again, as I have assumed he was going towards the Hecate cabin, when I saw him going inside the Hades cabin.

Strange… I squinted at the distance. Maybe it was a Hecate kid's trick of going inside a completely different cabin then exiting the Hecate cabin a moment later. I wanted to believe this, but Zagreus wasn't the type to pull that kind of scheme, as far as I know. So I stood there, waiting like a fool, trying to satisfy my curiosity. Maybe I did want to incriminate witch boy so Celine would stop caring about him and see him for what he really is.

Fifteen minutes passed… twenty… thirty…. When the door cracked open again. Zagreus emerged from the cabin, holding some kind of item in his hand. I had to hide behind the chairs as he stepped closer by the cabin. He was walking towards the other end of the lane where the Hecate cabin was located, possibly to go back. He was holding a bunch of strange items: a small sheathed blade (probably a dagger), a small grey figurine (I could not tell the shape), and a dark blue feather which he lifted against the moonlight. He continued to stare at the feather as he walked towards his cabin, vaguely aware of the path he was trudging.

When he was already at a distance, I emerged from the chairs. Folding my arms, I said, "What kind of a messed up seance is witch boy trying to pull this time?" That was one crazy way to explain the cacophony of items he was holding. But there was obviously another reason…

I'm back! hehe. It took me a while to write this chapter but I'm glad to finally introduce Than in the story. I feel bummed out that it was such a short meeting thought. Many will come, of course ;). Please do leave a review, your feedback is greatly appreciated!