Seeing as Christmas is around the corner (yes, it's still Christmas to me. Screw off, all you politically correct jerks) I figure now's a good time to provide a new chapter for the Holiday's. Hope you enjoy the chapter and Merry Christmas to everyone. (unless you're a politically correct jerk)

With a hard slam of the palm of his hand on the table, Corey shouted, "You can't be serious."

In an instant, Patricia said to her eldest child, "Corey, do not take that attitude with your father, not at this table."

John was more composed and collected, touching his wife's hand that on his shoulder and saying, "It's alright, babe. Corey didn't mean it."

Corey gathered his nerves and with a deep breath, he replied, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to snap. But Dad, you're not really considering going after Zeus, are you? I mean, he saved your life."

"Zeus?" John repeated with confusion matched by Patricia and Maggie, the latter of those two looking dumbfounded.

Corey instantly realized he'd screwed up and hastily came up with an excuse. "That's... that's what the other kids at school are calling him."

"As far as names go, that's actually kind of goofy." Maggie said.

"Nobody asked you, Maggie." Corey said, and Maggie stuck out her tongue in response.

"Look, I'm grateful to... Zeus... for saving my life. As a father and a husband, I'm truly grateful. As the Captain of the Dover PD though, I have a duty to the people to protect and serve. That's my job and I have to carry it out." John explained.

"Did Mayor Faulkner tell you that?" Corey coldly asked.

Those last words cut John deep, and Corey shook his own head in disgust that was more toward himself than his father. He stormed off and rushed up the stairs to his room. An audible slam of the door was as heard. John rubbed his chin against with concern while Patricia rubbed his shoulder. Maggie, who seemed powerless in the moment, resigned herself to continuing her meal. John assessed the situation while grasping the hand of his wife still on his shoulder. It was only after that moment that Patricia broke the silence.

"Are you okay?" she asked.

"Yeah, I'm good," John replied, and his concerned returned to his son. "That kid's already been through so much, hasn't he?"

"We all have. But this Zeus person, whoever he is... what's your real take on him?" Patricia wondered aloud.

Before John could answer the question, Maggie replied, "I kind of like him. He protected you, Dad. So, he can't really be a bad person, right?"

John strongly considered the words of his daughter, and he smiled and affirmatively nodded ever so slightly. "Yeah, baby." he said, and Maggie laughed as she finished her meal before rushing off to the living room.

"What do you think of this Zeus person, really?" Patricia privately asked John.

With a heavy breath, John replied, "I think he's genuine. I think he's just trying to help our town. But... I've been wrong before."

Night fell some time later, and most of the family was fast asleep. That was at least as far as Corey was aware. It was unbeknownst to his parents that he was laying atop the roof of the house, looking up at the mildly cloudy sky. There weren't many stars that were visible due to the streetlights across the neighborhood. It didn't really bother Corey as he was content and relaxed enough to have a moment to himself. Then he heard the familiar sound of flapping in the air, followed by the minuscule pattering of talons on rooftop. It didn't take long for Corey to determine that Athena had arrived, and he sat up and looked to his right side. The familiar white owl that was now his unofficial mentor was perched close by, cocking her head to one side like any other flying woodland beast would do.

"You appear troubled, Corey. Something on your mind?" Athena asked.

"That obvious, huh," Corey replied, and he soon sat up in a fetal position with his chin rested on his forearms. "I have a question I want to ask, but it might come off as a little weird."

"I'm listening, Corey. Tell me what you'd like to know." Athena said.

Corey took a deep breath just before he said to Athena, "The original Gods from your time; what were they like? Were they good to the people back then? Or, did they look down on the people like they didn't even mean anything to them?"

Athena considered the question for a time, and she eventually replied, "Some Gods did look down upon the mortals of ancient Greece, yes, and others helped them in subtle ways. Why do you ask?"

"I don't know. Stupid question, I guess." Corey said. He heard a subtle gusting sound and upon looking toward the source, he found the white owl inert and fallen to its side.

Athena's ghostly ethereal form levitated near the owl's body, transparent to the point that Corey could see through her. "I was not always like this, you know. I was corporeal once as you are now."

"What happened? How did you end like this?" Corey asked. To his surprise, Athena sat down beside him. Whether it was to mimic him or simply to provide him some companionship, Corey couldn't know.

Athena glanced at Corey with grief in her eyes. She then explained to him, "Zeus commanded me to escape Mount Olympus with Pandora's Box..."

(I argued to remain at his side to fight. He told me to take Pandora's Box and get it as far away as possible from Hades, the God of the Underworld. Despite my reluctance, I had to obey the wishes of my king. I took the box and flew far from Mount Olympus. I was to hide the box where Hades could never find it. But as I looked down from on high, I found a world on fire. There was nowhere I could go, so I kept flying in my desperate attempt to hide the only real hope left in the world.

But then, Hades caught up to me. He attacked me and in the struggle to follow, Pandora's Box was lost. My attempts to retrieve the box were futile as Hades overpowered me. He said to me that I'd made a fatal mistake in escaping with the box before he...))

Athena paused, holding her hand to her lower abdomen while Corey asked, "Before he killed you?"

Standing up, Athena waved her hand across her abdomen and revealed what could only be described as a gaping hole, confirming his suspicions that Athena was essentially dead. This revelation explained why Athena appeared in a ghostly form as she had done. The white owl was a vessel for Athena's soul. It also explained why Athena had in the past not aided Corey in his battles against both the Minotaur and the Nemean Lion. Athena's sadness took hold as she covered the wound and turned away from Corey as if out of shame. It was at that point that Corey had to be careful in choosing his next words. Only, Athena had already determined how she would respond.

"Ordinarily, Gods do not die, but that is not entirely true. Only Gods can kill Gods. Hades murdered Zeus and Hera and Ares... and me. Eons later, I was reincarnated into the white owl you see before you now, unable to fight back against the God of the Underworld." she explained.

"Hades," Corey whispered just audibly enough for Athena to nod. "He's still around after all this time, and he's the one bringing these monsters out."

"Yes. Hades searches still to this day for Pandora's Box, and should he ever find it, he will destroy it and the Hope that remains within and plunge the world into endless despair." Athena explained.

"But you lost it before he killed you, right? So, you don't know where it is any more than Hades does." Corey surmised.

Athena's head lowered in added shame. "'It was Zeus, the original Zeus, who charged me with the task of hiding the box, and I lost it. I failed him, Corey. I failed all of the Gods and all of Humanity."

Corey wasn't sure how to respond, at least not at first, but he almost felt like shedding a tear. "You know, ever since I was a kid, the one thing I wanted more than anything was to be like my father. As I got older, I felt more and more like that goal was further out of reach and up until recently, I felt like I failed him."

"You know that is far from the truth. You saved your father's life that day, Corey. I ran while the only family I ever knew was slaughtered and the world was burned to ashes, and the only chance for mortals to start anew was lost. Sometimes I question why I'm even a Goddess at all." Athena mused with a sense of guilt in her voice."

After a long pause that seemed to last an eternity if that were possible, Corey said, "I guess Gods aren't so different from mortals after all."

Athena replied, "I suppose not."

"I know that Hades has to be stopped from finding Pandora's Box, but I can't do it alone."

With a minuscule but noticeable smile, Athena said, "You won't be alone."

Corey returned the smile as Athena's spirit returned to the white owl to revive the animal's body. Spreading her wings out, Athena took flight and soared away from the roof of Corey's home. Corey remained on the roof for a while longer to ponder the conversation between himself and Athena. He grew to feel remorseful for the Goddess, but he also seemed to have developed a new understanding of her. The feeling might very well have been mutual.

The next day came and went for the students of Dover High School. For Corey in particular, it was about as close to clockwork as it could be. It was the typical routine of early sessions of schoolwork, followed by lunch and free period followed by more schoolwork followed by the final bell of the day. There was something different though; Damien never came to school. No one knew where he was, and the teachers gave only the most vague response that he was sick that day. Corey only wished Damien had confirmed this rumor with him if only so he could cover for his best friend. Whatever the case might have been, Corey had to put all that aside and focus on returning home for the day. Maybe Damien would contact him later.

Traveling down the street in downtown Dover on his bike amid not mildly congested traffic, Corey came to a stop near a particular building. It wasn't a skyscraper by any mean, but a smaller building barely a foot tall. Corey knew the place to be the local homeless shelter where the needy were taken care of and eventually helped back onto their feet. He gave some thought in the past of volunteering, most likely for the summer. But it was right at the moment of waiting that Corey noticed a familiar and very unexpected face leaving the building.

"Brad?"

Brad turned his attention to the street and he was just as surprised to see Corey. "What the hell...?"

Somewhere in the woods near the town, the cloaked figure of Hades approached an rocky area. He could see the town through a brush of foliage, sneering under his hood. Kneeling down, Hades pressed his hand on the ground and focused. The ground began shaking. It was a subtle tremor at first, groups of a tiny pebbles bouncing off the grounds. The tremor steadily increased in magnitude until a fissure formed several inches from Hades. Another fissure appeared followed by another until the ground cracked and swelled. A moderately sized body replete with scaled emerged accompanied by an elongated, snake-like neck and a head like a frilled dragon. Two more heads appeared, lacking the frills of the first head. A shrill hissing noise came from the three-headed beast as it loomed over an unmoving Hades.

"Go, my Hydra. Find Pandora's Box and kill anything and anyone in your path." he said in a muted but menacing tone, to which the Hydra hissed in response.

Some time later, Corey had parked his bike near the steps of the homeless shelter while Brad sat on those same steps. "So, you work here? That's why you're always skipping school ever Tuesday." Corey surmised.

"It's just part time, if only so I don't have to put up with your bullshit." Brad replied, trying to sound like the prototypical bully.

Corey wasn't buying it for a second. "Nah, there's more to this. You wouldn't be working in a homeless shelter just for the hell of it."

Brad knew he was busted, so it was time for him to drop the douchebag act and be serious. "You know my older brother, right?"

"Jimmy? Yeah, he's serving overseas. What's been going on with him?" Corey said.

Brad nodded and replied, "He's in the 117th Infantry Division, US Marines. Well, he used to be anyway."

"Used to be?" Corey wondered aloud.

With a noticeably heavy sigh, Brad explained, "It was a few months ago; Jimmy was out on maneuvers with his unit in Afghanistan when they were ambushed by enemy forces. The 117th were able to take them out, but three men were killed... including Jimmy."

"Jesus. I'm sorry, Brad. I didn't know." Corey said with sympathy in his voice.

Brad exhaled and continued, "Before he shipped out for his next tour, Jimmy told me that he wanted to work for Veterans Affairs in DC, help wounded or recovering war vets to readjust to life outside the Military. I guess I'm trying to fulfill his dream in my own way. I told him that I wanted to be a hero like him, but I never forgot how he responded."

"What'd he tell you?" Corey asked.

"He told me 'If you're going to be a hero, little brother, be the kind of hero that the people need the most.'" Brad explained.

Corey breathed out a light sigh and said, "That's pretty hardcore, man. Sometimes, I feel like it's the same my dad; me trying to live up to him. It's kind of a mixed bag.

Brad smirked and nodded. "Yeah. Yeah, I get that."

Corey gave Brad a light tap on his shoulder and said, "For what it's worth, I think you brother would be proud of you. And, here I was thinking you were just a clueless jackass."

Brad chuckled at the jab and replied, "You know, I still think you're an annoying little prick with daddy issues. But, you're okay, Mercer."

"Thanks, I think." Corey said just as he started rolling his bike back toward the road now that the traffic had died down.

Brad said, "Don't mention it. Like seriously, don't mention this talk to anyone at school. I got to keep up the appearance of, and I'm quoting you on this, 'a clueless jackass.'"

Corey gave a nod and a telling smile before getting onto his bike and riding away. Brad watched Corey leave and chuckled once more before he started gathering his belonging the return home. As he reached for his backpack, Brad noticed something on his right hand almost to small marking. At first glance, he dismissed as a black marker or paint. It might have even been residue from whatever project was being addressed during his part-time job that day. But as Brad examined it more closely, he noted how the mark appeared to resemble some sort of symbol like a spear.

Brad rubbed his thumb against the mark. It didn't even smear and, in an even stranger occurrence, the mark appeared to shimmer in a faint red light. "What the hell?"

Author's Note: It appears the Corey is facing some opposition from all sides, Athena reveals her overall fate and Brad doesn't seem much like a bully after all. And, is that a mark on Brad's hand? Could it be...? Actually, I'll keep that to myself. Feedback is always welcome and Merry Christmas. Peace.