Welcome back to another chapter of Incarnates Of Olympus. Let's catch up on our main protagonist. Enjoy.

Corey returned home some time later, entering through the front door. The sound of the television could be heard, loud enough for the teen to determine that some random sports show was being broadcast. Corey didn't care much. He didn't care because at that moment in time, his mind and thought process were all over the place. He walked through the living room slowly and deliberately, like he'd just become a zombie. He failed to notice the presence of his father sitting on the couch. John wasn't paying attention to the TV but instead was going through a small stack of paperwork. Corey glanced toward the kitchen, finding Patricia apparently helping Maggie with her homework.

"Corey," John said, drawing Corey's attention to him. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, Dad. Nothing to worry about." Corey replied rather coyly.

"You sure? You look a bit flustered." John pressed.

"Dad, I'm fine. I just had a long day at school, that's all." Corey continued to remain coy, all the while keeping the day's events to himself.

John raised an eyebrow like he was studying his eldest child, darting his eyes between Corey and his wife and daughter. Eventually, John said, "Whatever you say, big man."

Corey sighed in mild relief and started up the stairs for his bedroom. It was Patricia who said, "Aren't you going to have dinner, honey?"

Without stopping or looking back, Corey replied, "No thanks, Mom. I kind of want to crash for a while."

John came to the foot of the stairs, losing sight of Corey and hearing the door shut. He looked to wife and asked, "What's that about?"

Patricia shrugged, "He did say he had a long day. He's probably just tired."

"Yeah," John mused as he looked up the stairs. "Probably."

Corey dropped his backpack to the floor of his bedroom before he practically collapsed onto his bed. A labored breath left his lungs and his eyes felt heavy. He wasn't lying about the long day he had, but it still stung Corey to not be able to tell his family what had really happened to him. Corey just survived another battle against beasts from out of Greek mythology, this time with help from Brad and Allegra. But that wasn't what had Corey so out of sorts.

It was Hades. That encounter with Hades, a literal face to face confrontation in every sense of the term, left Corey shaken. Moreso than just his mere presence, it was actually Hades' words to him left Corey in such a state of unease. I've been much closer to you than you realize. Those were the words from Hades, and they hung like some ravenous vampire bat over Corey's head. All Corey could do was try to wrap his mind around a meaning that escaped him, all the while driving him crazy. It was only the faint tapping sound from outside of his bedroom window that brough Corey out of his stupor. He looked behind himself, finding Athena's owl form outside. Without hesitation, as he had grown accustomed to the visits from his unofficial mentor, Corey opened the window.

The owl flew into his room, quickly transforming into the ghostly visage of the former Olympian Goddess. "Word has reached me of your exploits today. Well done with the Cyclopes, as well as the awakening of Artemis."

Corey sat on his bed, his back to Athena and seemingly looking through the window from which she entered. "Yeah, thanks."

Athena was quick to notice something amiss. "You seem troubled. Are you alright, Corey?"

Corey only partly turned his head to address Athena. He replied, "It's Hades. Something he said to me today just... it really threw me off."

Athena didn't inquire what Corey was told by Hades nor did she see the need to. She moved to sit on the bed even though she was but a ghost. "I believe I can speak from experience when I tell you that I sympathize with you."

"I guess you of all people would know how someone like Hades would think." Corey mused.

"I suppose there is truth to that statement. But now you have allies in Ares and Artemis. Your chances of finding Pandora's Box increase with every new Incarnate you help awaken." Athena stated with a level of confidence in her tone. Her faith in Corey was evident.

"Then why does it feel like I'm only endangering them? And why does Hades frighten me?" Corey asked even if he knew there was no good answer.

Athena measured her words carefully, her calm and collected demeanor belying a genuine sense of concern for her young ward. "Hades excels in the art of intimidation. He was, is, a cruel, manipulative God. But please know this, Corey; for all his power, you still possess something that will remain forever out of his reach. Do you know what that is?"

"What?"

Athena morphed back into her owl form and perched herself on the windowsill. "Courage."

With her peace spoken, Athena departed through the window and out into the night sky. Corey remained where he sat, pondering the words of his mentor. Courage. That was the word Athena used. That was what she stated Corey possessed that Hades could never take from him. Corey wanted to believe that to be true, but the events of the day continued still to haunt him. Yes, Corey and his friends defeated the Cyclopes with relative ease, but the up close encounter with the God of the Underworld still left Corey both physically and emotionally shaken. Corey feared Hades, and he was unsure of what to do.

((Corey was running as quickly as his legs could carry, but it seemed like he wasn't even moving. Like a treadmill, he remained in one place while pushing himself to his limits. He just wasn't moving forward, and he made the mistake of looking back behind him. It followed from a distance, yet it seemed that closer than Corey believed. A massive plume of black smoke, formless and devoid of consciousness, seeming to chase after Corey with unrelenting fury. It was faster than Corey. It would've engulfed Corey had he not unexpectedly lost his footing.

He'd fallen into a hole he hadn't seen in his haste to outrun the smoke monster. Down the hole he fell as it was like in Alice In Wonderland, except Alice wasn't being pursued by a seemingly sentient cloud. Corey could find no way out of the pit. He could hear the cloud approaching, so he pressed back the moist wall to hide himself. There he waited for the cloud, his eyes closed so tightly that they hurt from the strain. But the cloud never came, and when Corey opened his eyes again, he was somewhere else.

It was like a wasteland, ruination and turmoil in all directions. In his efforts to determine where he stood, Corey turned to see a familiar looking house. His house. It was completely destroyed, giant holes where walls should've been and shards of glass that were once windows.

"Hello, Corey." a low, brooding voice said, and Corey swiftly turned to meet the source.

"Hades," he said. "What did you do?"

"I did nothing. All of this is your doing. You should've given me Pandora's Box when you had the chance." Hades claimed.

"No. No, you're wrong."

"Everything and everyone you know is gone, and it's all your fault."

"SHUT UP!" Corey bellowed in protest, right before the ground opened under his feet and he plunged down a fiery landscape below.))

Corey sat straight up in his bed, breathing heavily and sweating enough to soak the sheets. A nightmare. Corey could barely catch his breath, even brushing his hand through his partly messy hair. He buried his face into the palms of his hand, trying so hard to gain some semblance of calmness. It seemed futile. The imagery of that horrific dream felt too real, almost akin to some sort of premonition. Or perhaps Corey was thinking too much of the encounter with Hades.

He looked out the window, seeing the clouds across the night sky. So maybe Corey was actually overthinking things. He knew it was only a bad dream. It had to be. Corey laid back onto his bed, but he didn't immediately return to sleep. He looked at the back of his hand, at the mark of Zeus, and he suddenly found himself psychologically asking the one question that had been rushing through his mind since day one. It wasn't long before the question left his lips.

"Why'd it have to be me?"

It was Saturday morning, a day removed from the Incarnates most recent encounter with the Cyclopes sent by Hades. In the garage of the Mercer household, John was busy with his car. The front hood was fully ajar, a set of tools hanging from a specially designed hook-like apparatus. John appeared engrossed in his work. It was his getaway routine from the constant dangers of being a police officer. It was a hobby that brought him a certain measure of peace, a means of much needed escapism that in the current day and age seemed rare.

For Corey, disturbing his father during his peaceful moment felt like a crime in itself. But Corey needed to do what he intended. He'd barely gotten any sleep the night before, still haunted by his confrontation with Hades. It didn't help that he had that horrible nightmare; a world on fire and Corey himself being the root cause of it. The intimidation of both that nightmare and Hades had gotten to him, this was plain to see. The ordeal drove Corey to his wit's end. He needed to talk to someone, not specifically about Hades, but about the near-crippling agitation that permeated Corey in mind, body and soul.

Luckily for Corey, he didn't have to say a word when his father caught sight of him. "Morning, son."

Feeling more at ease, Corey replied, "Hey Dad. You got a minute?"

John glanced up briefly at his eldest child before pulling away from his work. Leaning against the car, a towel being used to wipe his dirty hands, John replied, "Sure. I needed a break anyway. What's on your mind?"

Corey approached his father with only the slightest feeling of appreciation. That was when the intended words failed to leave the boy's lips. "I did have something I wanted to ask you, but now the words aren't coming out."

John gave Corey a calm and collected gesture while telling him, "No need to rush, son. We've got all day, so take it at your own pace."

Corey was more comfortable now and he asked his question. "You've been a cop for a long time, right?"

John nodded and replied, "Twenty years, started out as a rookie beat cop, worked my way up the ranks. Eventually, I found my way to the rank of Captain. All in all, I've had a good career."

"Did you ever get scared? Like, legitimately scared?" Corey asked. The question sounded more personal, which it was in Corey's case.

This time, John considered the question. He weighed and measured every word he had in mind, and one word sprang forth from thought to speech. "Everyday."

Corey looked surprised by the response. "Everyday?"

With a nod, John continued, "Corey, being a cop is one of the most dangerous jobs in the world. The second you put on the uniform, pin the badge to your chest holster your gun, your life is at constant risk."

"What is it about being a cop that scares you most?" Corey asked.

Again, John thought about his next answer. He said, "The thing that scares me most about my job is, when I put on my uniform and step out of this house, it might be the last time I ever see my family. I'm always of the mindset of when I kiss your mother goodbye or hug you or your sister, it'll be the last I ever interact with any of you."

Corey was noticeably stunned, barely managing to utter, "Seriously?"

"Corey, you and your mother and your sister... the three of you are my whole world." John exclaimed.

A slightly bewildered Corey responded in a somewhat humorous tone, "Wow, Dad. If I'm being honest, that was really corny. It sounded like it came straight out of a Zack Snyder movie."

John laughed, "I suppose it does, but so help me God, it is the truth. I have no fear of going out there and risking my life to serve and protect the people of this town. But I am afraid of what will happen to my own family if and when the day comes that I'm gone."

Corey lowered his head in silence, having absorbed every word his father told him. He asked, "Why do it then? Why risk your life knowing that you might not come back home?"

With poise and confidence, John replied, "Because it's the right thing to do. The point I'm trying to make is that there isn't anything wrong being afraid, but you can't let that stop you from doing what's right."

Corey was silent, considering every word his father told him. With a thoughtful grin, Corey said, "Thanks, Dad. I think I really needed to hear that."

John slung an arm around his son's shoulders and held him close. "You don't have to thank me for anything, Corey. I'll always be here to help you until the end of the line. That's a promise."

Corey simply replied, "I believe you, Dad."

A voice called out, "Kodak moment."

Corey and John looked to find Damien at the garage entrance, his arms crossed with a wry grin. "How long have you been standing there?"

Damien shrugged while he replied, "Long enough to be invisible. C'mon, man. We're supposed to meetup with the others at the mall."

Corey sighed while John chuckled and patted him on his shoulder. "Go on. It's a Saturday, so go have some fun with your friends."

With his father's blessing, Corey approached his best friend. A strong but curt handshake later, the boys departed from the house. Out of sight, Corey asked Damien, "You missed a helluva fight yesterday."

"Yeah, sorry about that. I kind of got held up with something at home." Damien explained.

"Forget about it. Let's go meet the others." Corey said, sounding oddly distant.

Damien sensed something was off and asked, "You good, man?"

Corey found it difficult to answer the question Damien presented to him, for he was still feeling out of sorts. "I just got some things on my minds. I'll fill you in once we hook up with Brad and Allegra."

Damien slowed his walking pace while Corey maintained his own pace. An aura of concern washed over Damien, and at the same time, his eyes narrowed ever so slightly. Corey was keeping something from him. Either that or he was simply tired, or perhaps the weight of being Zeus was weighing heavily on him. Whatever the case may have been, Damien wasn't about to press the matter. He was Corey's best friend, this was true, but he knew better than to intrude on his private affairs. The best thing Damien could do in meantime was stand beside Corey whenever he needed him. After all, that was what best friends do.

Author's Note: Another chapter in the books, so to speak, and it appears our young hero has been left more than a bit shaken from his previous encounter with Hades. At least his father is there to lift him back up, as it should always be. Let me know what you think. Peace.