Yu was startled by the rustling of leaves and branches and immediately tensed up, slightly unsheathing his sword. His eyes closed in on the figure. It was dark, so he didn't realize who it was. All he knew at the moment was it was life or death. Waiting for the figure to get into vision so he wouldn't make a rash decision, he eased up. It was the mentor assigned to him. Yu's real teacher said the man had quite the reputation going for him. Of course, actions speak louder than words. Especially for Yu. The man was staring at Yu's shoes, sparking curiosity in Yu himself. Looking down, he realized why…His boots were splotched with the bioluminescent fluid the flowers gave off. He got on one knee and began to wipe off the stuff all over his boots. Trying to lighten the mood, he said the following: “Would probably been useful to see in the cave.”. Once he finished cleaning his boots, he made sure everything was on him. Knife, check. Obviously, he had his sword. His bag was still with him, and nothing seemed to be missing.

“Your names Arram, right? Sorry, I'm terrible with names…" Yu said as he was cleaning up the ashes from the fire he recently put out. “Well, I'm going to look for something in this cave. Keep watch.” he replied shortly after, wasting no time. Shortly after Yu disappeared into the darkness of the cave. After a few minutes of walking in a tunnel with nothing for light but his own lighter, the same neon plants began to show around the corner. Which erased the need for the lighter. Putting it back into his bag, he pulled out a map the old man gave him. He was close…Dangerously close. He made a right and took a deep breath. After Yu had put his bag down and taken off his shirt, he held his sword tight and dove into the floating pocket of water which led to a deeper area of the cave that not many knew about. Yu only knew due to his master's expertise. After all, his master was famed for killing the Prince of Dragos. No man had ever killed a royal dragon before such event. Yet for some reason no one but Yu knew the man had an apprentice. It was thanks to all of his master's teachings Yu had been able to get where he was. 

He had a rough landing on the other side of the pocket of water, slowly getting up. Hearing a growl, Yu unsheathed his sword and slashed through the neck of a prowler. Feral beasts they were. They resembled a canine, yet their size was much larger than such.

One thing was already terribly wrong…He should be alone down here. It was only one, but the point still stands. Yu carefully scanned his surroundings. Above him, the pool of water was glowing neon green while around him was a light blue. Breaking into a sprint, he resumed his journey. There was a tunnel to his left he ran into which should hold ancient cataracts. In the center of said tomb should be a coffin which held the weapon he needed…only if someone hadn't gotten to it first…He blocked that thought out of his mind, after all no other creature had come near him. It was just a coincidence…right? 

Once he entered the tombs, he took his lighter back out. All the natural lighting was now gone. It was insanely cramped in the tombs. At one point he had to duck down just to fit in the path. After about five minutes of navigating the maze, the path opened up and revealed the coffin he needed. 

After all this training, he finally made it…

Thales was in the gardens of Olympus. He spent most of his time in company with the flowers. His father, Hephaestus, strongly disapproved of such. His father said it was too feminine. Personally, Thales didn't care what his father thought. In his opinion, if Aphrodite wasn't forced to marry him, he would never have had a chance with her. Which would mean one of two things: Thales would have a stronger father, or Thales wouldn't be alive.

Naturally, he would prefer to just have a stronger power. Blacksmithing is cool and all, but why couldn't he control lightning such as Zeus? Or be a great warrior such as Ares? Due to this he was much more in touch with the gifts he received from his mother. The goddess of love. Associated with beauty, desire, and sexuality. If any human were to look upon Thales, he would be considered more than attractive due to this fact. Even by gods' standards he was quite handsome. Because he purposely didn't control people, he was often alone.  Which is why most of his time was spent in the gardens. It was quiet, yet full of life. Olympus was quite beautiful. Thales always appreciated beauty, and recognized where it was. One perk of being the freak son between a love goddess and a blacksmith god.

In a way, he wasn't completely alone…he did have a pet cat who was quite attached to him. At least he had something who appreciated him for not manipulating their desires. Eros was the cat's name, after Thales' grandfather. The original love god. His whereabouts were unknown. Such as most of the original gods. Many humans got their stories wrong as they claimed Eros was the son of Aphrodite and Ares.  Hesiod was correct in his book, though. Eros was the fourth god to come to existence. After Chaos, Gaia, and Tartarus. It's possible that he is the embodiment of love currently, like Gaia is Earth.

Thales was always asking his mother for such information, but she claimed herself not to know. 

All these thoughts ran through Thales' head as he walked through the paths of Olympus' garden. The flowers were quite beautiful, which was what attracted Thales to this place. Through the air was a pleasant aroma caused by these flowers. Such that would remind you of better times and make you forget your problems…Almost like a drug. Eros was walking beside Thales, rubbing against his leg and purring. It gave Thales a warm feeling inside. Something he never got from interaction with other gods…One thing did spark his curiosity, though. His mother banned travel to the underworld for him. He did not know why, just that she didn't want him down there… He was already a few centuries old. In his mind he didn't need his mother overbearing anymore. After all, humans do it when they're practically infants. Only 18 or 21 years old. Yet he couldn't blame her. Zeus is overbearing on almost every god that isn't Hades or Poseidon.

After all, they're basically better at ruling than he is. They both control their own domains on their own. Zeus claims he likes the company. Yet there are certain gods he hates. Thales is one of them. Because he isn't very useful in battle Zeus claims it would be better if he took after his father, instead of being ‘feminine’ such as his mother. One person he tried to persuade was Zeus. He failed miserably…which is an understatement. Zeus became furious with the boy and banned him from the palace for a while. Once Zeus cooled down, Thales was allowed entry again.

In the distance, bells could be heard. "Ugh, whoever created this idea of ‘classes’ must be banished" Thales said to himself as he picked up Eros and made his way to where the class for the day was. He believed it was Health…lead by his mother and Persephone. Both goddesses of fertility in their own way, it seemed perfect that they led such class. 

On his way out of the garden, he was greeted by the noise of many of young gods and goddesses on their way to class as well. Oh, how he hated the noise. It was that of immaturity. Many of his classmates were such. At least in Thales' eyes. Their loud and disruptive behavior reminded him of human children. 

One of Thales' pet peeves was immaturity. He claimed it kept fellow gods and goddesses from their true beauty. It was quite a walk to the tree where classes were held from the garden. It was nice to see the roads of Olympia and the life that blossomed almost everywhere. True beauty is what Thales described Olympia as. A place fitting for the gods. While Thales was taking in the sights, a portal opened to his south. It was the people from the underworld coming for class. Persephone and her daughter was leading the group. Persephone had a daughter…? Since when? Thales was starstruck. Eros wiggled around in Thales' arms and slipped out of them. To which he paid no mind. The girl was beyond beautiful. Darker colors lined with purple…a color scheme he hadn't seen much. Beauty is unique.  Even though the color scheme really wasn't, to Thales it didn't matter. Once she glanced his direction, he quickly looked away and picked up Eros. He resumed his walk while petting Eros. Doing anything he could to not look the girl's way…he didn't even know her name. Hell, he didn't even know she existed before he saw her enter Olympia. The crown of flowers he was wearing was left behind. While he often had one with him, right now it didn't matter. 

Once he got to the tree where they normally meet for class, he immediately began to look for his mother. He had to find out who the girl was. In his lifetime, he had never seen any other sentient being impress him this way. The sheer beauty of her, he could not live without. At least, that's how it felt in the moment. 

Putting Eros down, he began to start the hunt for his mother. Thales had never craved information so much in his life. In fact, he had never found another being so interesting and beautiful. Her whole aura gave off a mysterious vibe. 

Eros began to play with some of the flowers once Thales found his mother.

“Mother, I have a question…There was this girl, who was close to Persephone. She gave off this weird aura. Who is she? Please, Mother, tell me.” 

Hades. God of the underworld. Eldest son of Cronus. Now a father. 

He looked upon the innocent babe Persephone just gave form to. It was a new start. As a father, he could give meaning to life now. Not just death. He was quite unlike Zeus and Poseidon. He wasn't always chasing women. Once he found Persephone, he was content. Now, they have born a child. “Melinoë. That will be her name.”

That was the happiest moment of Hades' life. The birth of his daughter. Now he was having to let go of his little girl and let her do her own thing. Oh, how he despised that. Persephone was always telling him a more positive side to things. After all, without Persephone their daughter would probably be trapped in the underworld with him. 

His one goal was to do better than his father, which was not hard to do. After all, his father almost caused the end of the world and ate him and his younger siblings. Seems easy. He could just watch the humans and see what they do...right?

In the early years of his daughter's life, it seemed like he was scrambling around. Another way he was different from his brothers. He was trying to be a good father and be in his kid's life. One thing Hades was never good at was emotions. 

To even get a suitable wife, he had to abduct Persephone. Binding her to him by feeding her the food of the underworld. The gods made an agreement that ⅓ of the year Persephone would spend with Hades. To many people, Hades was not the ideal partner. Not repulsive looking but his home sure was. Being a son of Cronus, he was one of the best-looking gods in fact. Due to this, his daughter was quite good-looking as well. Even for gods' standards. Due to this, he didn't like when she would go to Olympia. All the other gods would try to get at her. Hades was always protective of Melinoë. It was his dear baby. In his eyes, it would always be that way. He never wanted his baby bird to leave the nest. It worried him. After all, she seemed completely content in the underworld. She can't leave him such as his son did…it can't happen again.

Persephone thought otherwise. She believed it would be good for their daughter to go to Olympia. Hades himself said no. It was far too risky. Olympia is a vast place and there's no telling what the gods would do to get to her. Many gods didn't know Hades had a daughter. Hell, Hades wasn't even sure if Melinoë knew she had an older brother. The boy left centuries ago. Which is another reason Hades strived to be better. Zagreus hated his father's guts. After all, Hades was quite hard on the poor boy. He completely forbade travel from the underworld from the kid. Yet somehow the boy still escaped, to never come back to the underworld.

Hades would not let that happen again. He couldn't let that happen again. After expressing this to Persephone, she claimed that her eyes would be on their daughter always. Because she was a teacher of the younger gods. On one condition, Hades agreed. Which is that Melinoë would be followed by a servant of his. One who would not be seen in Olympia. There's no possible way that Persephone could always watch her. 

Persephone explained how that would lead to the same resent Zagreus has for him. Reluctantly, he permitted Melinoë to travel to Olympia. He walked up to his throne and sat down. Why is this so difficult? In his entire life, no one had just liked him. It was always forced. Persephone is no exception. Down in the depths of Hades' mind, he believed that Persephone only tolerated him because she was forced to be with him. After all, she always seemed to be happier in Olympia. Always with that brat Aphrodite. Which was another reason Hades didn't like the thought of Melinoë going to Olympus. 

He hated Aphrodite. Very few others got his blood boiling such as she. Yet Persephone and Aphrodite were best of friends. Which annoyed him even more. He never mentioned it to her, though. The last thing he wanted was to be so in control of them, they would leave. Of course, Persephone couldn't leave without a war breaking out. After all the agreement was to prevent a war. That doesn't change the possibility of Persephone hating him, though.

That was the thing that scared him the most. He didn't care if she did hate him, just as long as she could fool him into thinking otherwise. In his desperate heart, it was easy to do. The Big Three seemed to have the most problems out of any of the gods, especially Hades. He got the short end of the stick being the eldest.

Persephone and Melinoë had just left. He was alone. Again. It was a feeling that consumed him such as the pit of Tartarus would. He was quite familiar with it, but he could never get comfortable with it. Sometimes, even with his dear Sephie, he still felt that way. Knowing it wasn't real love, it shattered him even more than he was broken earlier.

As long as the feeling wasn't permanent, he could bear it. Behind him he could hear his father laughing from Tartarus. “You're not alone, son. You'll always have your dear father” to which Hades got up and sent millions of ghosts down the pit, to keep his “dear” father company. “Well, Cronus. Now you no need for me. I never had one for you.” Hades said while looking into the deep abyss. Once he turned around to walk back to his throne, Cronus stated: “I know you're aware that your daughter will not be safe there. You know your brothers better than I. I doubt they'll like that you conceived a daughter without their knowing.” Hades just looked over his shoulder and sighed. "You're wrong. They're one of the only ones who know about Melinoë. Also, you should stop talking before the vacuum closes." Hades replied. His father often tried to torment him. Especially after his defeat. Due to Cronus' overwhelming power he could still talk despite being cut into millions of pieces and thrown into Tartarus. Often called the ninth circle of hell, it has no oxygen and is a never-ending abyss where whatever is in it endlessly falls.

One of the reasons Hades was given reign over the underworld was to keep tabs on their father. 

He just hoped Melinoë would never find out about Cronus. The Titan's slick tongue would no doubt trick her.

Yu sighed as he approached the coffin. This all seemed too easy. As the thought raced through his mind, in perfect timing, another three prowlers emerged from the darkness. 

He made quick work of them, but there was still something growling. Opening the coffin, he took the sword and ran out of the cave. Without the map he would have no idea how. One of the many favors his master had done for him. Once he was out, he saw Arram staring at something from the forest. A peculiar creature that Yu had never seen before. He put his normal katana around his back and put the new katana by his side. It was sheathed with white marble laced with glowing gold. It was cold to the touch. “氷の死” was written on it, which translates to ice death. That was what the famed sword was called. Despite its age, it was in quite good shape. Yu unsheathed the sword, which let cold air release from the sheathe. The blade was a bright white covered with clouds of carbon dioxide, just as if it was dry ice. After marveling for a second, he sheathed the sword which caused all the CO2 to disappear.

Looking at Arram, he seemed displeased with Yu. The sword scared off the creature. Yu personally did not care, but his assigned mentor seemed to. In his opinion, the mentor wasn't needed unless the hunt would go horribly wrong. Which only happened once. . .Yu only knew of the aftermath. He was a kid at the time. Looking around, Yu stated the following: “Day is beginning to break. We must move.” Requiring no green light from Arram, Yu went south. He felt prepared for anything in this moment. Of course, he had to watch out for other hunters as well. It was kill or be killed. At least in most cases. This time Yu was careful to not get his boots covered with the neon substance the plants would secrete.

After about 5 minutes, Yu reached a clearing in the forest. Which led to a deep canyon. Falling into such would certainly kill. Scanning his surroundings, Yu said, “You can come out now. You've been following since the Hunt started.” to which a young girl came out and lunged at Yu. He quickly blocked her club with his sword, still sheathed. The training this kid must have gone through had to be hell. Staying hidden from hunters is no easy task, even trainees. The girl kept attacking, with no apparent luck. Yu began to toy with her. Beginning to enjoy her lack of strength, he tripped her and grabbed her collar. Lifting her up, he walked to the canyon and held her over it. 

“Why were you following me? Refuse to answer and I drop you.”

Persephone's daughter? She was more than a doll. The girl was pure beauty. Thales had to befriend her. Maybe even more. He had no problem spending his years with someone so jaw-dropping. Aphrodite had an eye for beauty, of course. Thales got it from her. Squirming even more, Thales asked Aphrodite, “Do you know her name…? She's more than a doll, Mother, I don't know this weird feeling in my chest.”. His voice was shaky at this point, and he was blushing a bit. Balling up his fist, he put it to his chest. Surprised, he took his hands in his mothers and put her hands on his heart. Or whatever the god equivalent was. It was pulsating rapidly. A drop of sweat ran down his cheek. One thing was for sure, Thales had never felt this way before in his life. Due to that fact, it worried him. Was he seriously falling for her? Maybe it was a power the girl had. . .Yeah, that must be it…right?

Shuddering the feeling away, he hugged his mother and kissed her on the cheek. After saying goodbye, he went to his assigned group. Today there was groups of two and just to his surprise, his partner was the mysterious girl. Sitting down, Thales felt like his chest was about to explode. One of the human personality traits he often expressed was introverted. This moment was no exception. To the best of his ability, he acted like she wasn't there. Because of his nervousness, he was losing the suppression of his power. Containing a power deviated from Aphrodite was no easy task. Thales learned that quickly. Eros noticed this and walked to Thales, rubbing against his legs. By this point his eyes started to turn an opaque pink. There was a rollercoaster of emotions Thales was going through in this moment. He began to smell even more like the gardens he recently came from. Probably due to his power. Under all this stress, for some reason, it felt euphoric. An intense version of what humans call a ‘high’.

Beginning to slouch a bit, Thales began to hallucinate. Colors began splashing together. He could barely breathe. On the outside, he was clearly out of it. The poor boy was staring into the sky which was laced with clouds, stars, and planets all at once.  Slowly, his mouth opened. His teeth were as white as marble. Whereas his breath smelt like lavender. At this point, his entire eyes were the opaque pink. Not just the pupils. Eros noticed this and lunged onto the young god's chest. The cat growled and hissed at Melinoë before biting Thales' hand, which was resting on his chest as well.

This snapped Thales out of it. He jolted upwards with pain and the scents were no longer as strong. Slowly, his eyes returned to normal. Looking down at his hand, it was bleeding. Most gods blood did glow white, whereas a certain few did glow violet. Thales' blood was violet. Smiling, completely forgetting Melinoë was next to him, he began to pet Eros and baby talk it. “Who's the cutest? You are!”  Is what he said. At this point, the episode he just went through caused him to forget he was about to start class. Also, he was surrounded by mainly goddesses, but some gods as well. Whatever power he let through swayed them into an almost lustful feeling. A longing, to say the least. 

Eros was always unphased by it. Because Eros is a cat, and the power only works on creatures of high intelligence and consciousness. Thales looked around and saw all the new faces staring at him. Looking to Melinoë, he asked: “Why are they all looking at me?” Thales himself was quite beautiful. He could slightly alter his form, but mainly only changed his hair and eye color. His face was quite well-structured. He got the jawline from his father and the rest from his mother, thankfully. For some reason though, Thales never thought that others felt the same. Most gods and goddesses weren't nearly as beautiful as his mother, him or…Melinoë. Thales eyes widened and he blushed a bit.  Clearing his throat, he stated: “You're a new face around here…what's your name?”  After he had got it, he nodded and stated his name. “I'm Thales, Aphrodite's son. Nice to meet you Melinoë.” Once they exchanged formalities, class had begun. Persephone announced that they were in pairs of two because there would be a project. It was to be finished by next session, which was one week Earth time from now. Thales glanced over at Melinoë. It had to be fate that brought them together…for a week no less. Someone so beautiful was hard for Thales not to stare at, but he somehow managed. As he remembered that he was staring at her entrance, he could only hope she didn't see him.

Their project was announced. They were to grow three Aglaophotis. A magical plant that can only grow when infused with a higher being's influence. In this case, it was the students that were the higher beings. It was easy, at least for people with powerful parents. Such as Thales and Melinoë. Which also meant she wouldn't want to hang out as much. If it were a harder project, they would spend more time together. Glancing again, Thales now looked at her hair. It was pitch black. Not surprising, her being from the underworld, but Thales still was silently amazed by her entire being.

Thales was paying no attention to the lecture, just daydreaming. Eros was now asleep in his lap. He leaned forward and rested his head on the quartz table they were sitting in front of. Despite class being in front of a tree, Zeus had no problem making things around it out of marble. Unconsciously, Thales began to play with his pink bubble-gum looking hair. Most lectures lasted about an hour Earth time. It probably wouldn't today, since it was a new year. 

All Thales could do was hope

Once his father shut up, Hades realized that his wife and daughter had already left. Often, he had to force himself to think they cared for him as he for them. Over the years, he had convinced himself that they did, even when many actions would suggest otherwise. At least, he had convinced himself that his daughter cared. After all, Persephone was forced to be with him.

Brushing it off, he began to look for Cerberus. His wife and daughter played with the three-headed demon dog as if it were a puppy. Interesting, to say the least. Something was wrong. Cebby was nowhere to be found. Rolling his eyes, Hades began to look where the souls were working. Sometimes Cerberus would wander over there and help the enforcers…or just play with them. With no luck, he thought the worst.

As Hades reached the portal to Olympia, it was still open. The dog probably followed Mel into the portal, which was quite bad. Feeling his head get hot with anger, he walked through the portal. By the time he got there, Cerberus was already shrunk and was having a bout with Eros. Being them about the same size now. Hades picked up his hellhound and nudged the cat away. His voiced boomed throughout Olympia, “Persephone!” which was so loud, it caused Zeus to show up. 

The two were about eye to eye, even though they were both tall. Especially for a god. “Is there a problem, Brother? I may have to enforce some discipline on you.” Zeus said, which pushed Hades even more over the edge. Zeus was a LOT more muscular than Hades, but the three brothers did not often fight. It would destroy almost everything. 

His eyes glowing red, Hades began to laugh. “Oh? What happened last time? You should know your place, cocky ass boy.” Hades said, which in turn angered Zeus. The entire area had a high tension now. The sky was flowing with lightning as Hades body began to exhibit black fog, as a Reaper would.

Out of who knows where, Dionysus walked in between the two. Which was an incredibly ballsy move. Offering the two a drink, the god of alcohol and ecstasy said: “A drink? The kids are trying to learn. Let's take this elsewhere...Far elsewhere.” To which Hades punched him into oblivion and said, “As much as I hate it, the dork's right. I'll deal with my part. If we need to talk, it must be where not much damage will be caused.”. Zeus smiled wide, with a sadistic tint. The two disappeared with a flash.

Now they were in the heart of Olympus. Where not much damage would be caused on the outside. Zeus began to lecture Hades on how if he couldn't keep his family in line, they would no longer be permitted in Olympia. To which Hades sighed and mentioned his multiple affairs and family problems. Zeus promptly shut up and shook his head. “Deal with your dog, don't let him in again.”. Zeus said before disappearing. This whole conversation was in the language of the Titans, which is why they went so far. The weaker gods would die at the sound of the language.

Hades quickly travelled back to where Zeus said Persephone would be. Completely ignoring Aphrodite, he said to Persephone: “If the girl is to come here, she must close the portal. Also make sure she isn't followed by Cerb." , while holding up the tiny hellhound in his hands. Looking around the area, for the first time, not everyone was captivated by him and were focused on someone else. A boy with pink hair next to Mel. His faced tensed. “Is that your son, Aphrodite? He must be kept away from my daughter. I can't have her being caught up in your tomfoolery.” he said, finally acknowledging Aphie's existence. Persephone seemed to be in protest of the idea, explaining how the boy would be wonderful when he could control his power to which Hades mentioned until then, they were not to be with each other. Whispering to Sephie, “By the way, that little stunt angered not only me but Zeus as well. See you soon!” before walking away once his piece was said.

Opening his portal, he sent Cerb through and returned the dog to his full size. Once the hound went through, Hades closed it. It was a while since he last was up here, after all. Walking around, he reached the garden. Multiple plants died at his presence. For some reason, he decided to stay and walk through the garden. With each step, more plants died. Once he was finished with his walk, the entire garden was full of dead plants. Smiling, Hades decided it was time to head back. No consideration was put in his head for those who appreciated the life. For he appreciated death. Why was it so repulsive to most? Once he reached the area where the class was being held, it was announced they were to go to the gardens. Slowly looking away, he began to walk the opposite direction. Now he felt the least bit of remorse. The garden should be back to normal within a day, but with Persephone there it would probably be back to normal within seconds.

The portal opened and Hades looked back to his daughter, for some reason still with the boy. It seemed as if Hades always had a chip in his shoulder and this made him realize. It was Aphrodite. That annoying, self-obsessed woman. It was her. Closing the portal, he walked back to Persephone. Who was quite unhappy with the plants being dead. “If it keeps going like this…You'll both be trapped with me.” to which Persephone got even more angry and slapped him. She stated that he was too overbearing and needed to let them live a little. “So, what if Mel has a friend? You live and you learn.” Sephie claimed. Hades sighed and left, being glared at by many. Especially his daughter. At this point he felt like a failure

He messed up, all he could do now is go back home.

Yu sighed when the girl tried to push off of him, which would lead to certain death. He grabbed her leg, letting her dangle upside down. The girl seemed to immediately regret her decision and began to beg. “Please, I can't tell you that. But I'm sure I can help in some other way. Please don't drop me!” To this, Yu smirked slightly. He had seemed to forget he was being watched. “Do what? You couldn't even take me down. How would you be useful?!” at this point Yu seemed slightly angry. Before the girl could protest, he had dropped her to her inevitable death.

Standing up, he looked to Arram and said: “What? It's kill or be killed here. Don't act like she wouldn't have killed me the moment I dropped my guard.”. Chuckling as he walked past the worried mentor, he spoke once more, “Aren't you supposed to be leading? You should know this place better than I…yet all you do is follow.”. Yu had his frost sword firm by his side, and his normal sword on his back. The boy was clearly worried about the attempt on his life and even became worrisome of the man who was assigned to help him. Gathering his things, he asked: “Well, Mr. Leader, where to?”. Yu was no longer going to let Arram trail him. Instead, Yu would trail Arram.

Thales kept playing with his hair, with Eros in his lap. In his world, Eros was often the only one to comfort him. Mother was nice and all, but there was much he felt uncomfortable telling her. Slightly startled by Cerberus' sudden appearance, he looked back in shock as most other gods who never saw the hound did also. Persephone promptly shrunk the three headed dog. Thales was unaware he was still losing control of his power somewhat. The euphoric feeling was still there, but much fainter. Once Hades appeared it seemed only his daughter and Thales noticed. The other gods were still staring at Thales, which made the young god slightly uncomfortable.

Thales watched Hades grab the dog from his daughter, something told him that Hades already disliked him. Now the young gods were no longer staring at Thales. The god of the underworld walked to Aphrodite and his wife and whispered something before promptly leaving.

Persephone seemed slightly startled by what he said, and slightly angered. The lecture soon after started. Beginning to slouch, Thales dozed off. Right now, he was only extremely bored. Mel was not currently running through his head. Which was surprising since after he saw her, he was immediately obsessed. 

Petting Eros, the cat began to purr lightly. The euphoric feeling still present in Thales, he looked to Melinoë and said, “Is all of the underworld as beautiful as you? You know that's why people keep staring, right?”. It took a second for Thales to realize what he just asked. A young god near Thales heard this and seemed shocked. The son of Aphrodite was not known to complement easily. Whispers soon filled the area under the tree with gossip. Thales ignored all of this and continued to pet Eros, turning a rosy shade of pink in the face. Because he was trying to block out the embarrassment he just felt, he did not know if she had responded or not. 

It was way too early for him to have said that. They just knew each other's names. Now he was saying she was extremely beautiful. She must be creeped out…right? It's her first time in Olympus and she already has an admirer. Worse of all, he's her admirer. Thales normally would never bring himself to this. Yet to him, she was more beautiful than anyone he had ever laid eyes on. He felt she must know that. Burying his face in Eros's fur, he quietly sighed and kept trying to block out the whispers. 

After about 10 minutes human time of this fiasco, the bell rung for class to be over for the day. They were dismissed with the project to make the plant grow after a lecture on a few methods to do so. Class really wasn't completely over because of the homework, though. The thought ran through Thales' mind that the girl would no longer want to work with him because of what he said.

He told the girl to follow him if she wanted to keep working. Walking to the garden, he realized all the plants were dead. Falling to his knees, he held back tears. This was the only spot he felt at peace…and now it was ruined. Eros rubbed up against Thales, at an attempt to comfort him. It had no effect. Beginning to get up, Thales at once ran throughout the garden. Surely not all of the plants are dead. he thought to himself as he kept gazing upon dead plants. With no luck, he was clearly depressed. It had been his spot for years. Then an idea came across his mind…"You're Persephonie's daughter…can you ask her to fix the garden…please?" There was a hint of desperation as he asked Mel the question. After he found her, of course. That was the only option left to save it. The nymphs and fae were already gone from the area and word to Olympus takes a while.

Sean always wanted to be a rockstar. As a child, he had idolized bands such as Sum 41, blink-182, Green Day, Nirvana, all the greats. With no mother figure in his life growing up, he idolized them quite often and some would say, to an extreme. Due to his mother neglecting him as an infant, he developed RAD (Reactive Attachment Disorder). It molded how he thought of women and relationships in general. 

Which put him in the pit he was in now

During the early days of his trek to stardom, he had a garage band that slowly began to gain traction over the course of a few months. It was the happiest he had ever been. Not because of the band, but he had his first love with him at the time. Her name was Vivian. Sean can't help but think of her whenever the name is mentioned. Almost never pertaining to his ex, though.

To justify what his decision of the band over her, he claimed she would leave him either way. The thought scared him at the time and he finally expressed that the entire relationship he kept doubts about how genuine it was. Which was true, but he never told Vi about his disorder

Once he got a record deal for a label called “Fueled By Ramen” He decided to leave her to pursue his dream. He was put to be the lead guitarist/singer of a band called “Peeled Artwork”. The name was loved by many, as their music came to be as well.

But the fame and fortune couldn't fill the emptiness in his heart. To take his mind off of it, he would often get high or drunk. Often times he got cross-faded, which was the term for both being high and drunk.  Due to this, his bandmates started to distance from him. Which in turn made his depression worse. He often hinted at it in some songs, and he kept a USB full of unreleased material about his feelings. It was all the same. The only thing keeping him from going completely crazy was hope that he'd find someone like Vi in life. Only when it was gone did he realize how much he cherished it.

Currently he was getting ready for his next concert. It was in his home state, but he had no one he wished to see. His high-school buddies cut him off when he left Vi for the big leagues.

Once they were all set up, he went backstage to wind down a little. At that time he was informed of some journalists coming backstage to see what was going on. Sean didn't know he fell so hard the public could see it. The band kept making the same punk-rock or alternative rock music. The lyrics never hinted anything out of the ordinary. Then he came to realize, he was a celebrity. Which meant almost his every move was being observed by the public. After he was done smoking, the doors to the public opened. The stadium filled with chatter. Excited, some obsessed, and casual fans were all there. One thing he didn't take for granted was his fans. He enjoyed that they were one of the more friendly fan bases, and he appreciated their support. In his earbud he heard, “The press will be backstage after the show, just like everyone else.” One thing he did quite dislike about his situation was the constant interviews and paparazzi chasing him. Taking a breath, he spoke into the mic once the crowd filled. “Are you all ready?” he asked the audience as he hit a chord on his Gibson Les Paul guitar. 

He was responded to by the crowd yelling and screaming. They started the first song, which was their top song so far. The crowd roared. 

To Sean, the concert seemed to not last long. After it was done, the announcement was made for backstage passes. Sean was already backstage.

Sean had only enjoyed the fans so far. The music was all the same, the routine was all the same. Is this what fame is? 

It did not matter at the moment. He had to put a face on. The fans were coming to see him. And the press. He was more worried about the journalists, because they would be watching his every move. More than likely already have. 

A male journalist hunted him down first. Asked mostly generic questions that over the years Sean had developed auto-answers to. All Sean could think about the man was that he was not the best journalist.  

He called a girl over, and Sean couldn't help but roll his eyes. His girlfriend? Or a coworker? She introduced herself and Sean froze. He needed to apologize to her. Not now. She was recording. He couldn't help but think of all the regret and sleepless nights he had due to leaving her. There was one celebrity he dated, but it was short and sweet. They no longer speak to each other. Sean often completely cut off his exes, and Vi was no exception. After a pause he answered one of her questions. “I would love to do a collab with Pierce the Veil. I love their style." He got lost in her eyes for a second.

She was even more beautiful than he remembered. After a pause again, Sean answered her second question. “My creative process is weird, even to my bandmates. Inspiration has been sparce these days so I often. . .play games. Other people's work tends to bring my own inspiration to create” That was his old method, in high school. Now he just leaned further into his addictions. He couldn't tell the press that. Especially not Vi.

In front of her, he began to realize how terrible he looked. The bags under his eyes were so deep, it could almost pass as eyeshadow. His hair was slightly greasy, and his eyes were bloodshot. Other people couldn't tell if he was crying or if he was high. Most fans ignored this, for it was a huge moment for them. 

Then he looked to one of his bandmates. His name was Dante. Security was having to pull some crazy fangirls away from him. Then Vi asked a more casual question. “Too many to count” he answered. Scratching his neck, he genuinely hoped she didn't remember him. There was no doubt in his mind that she would hold a boiling hatred towards him. That's not what he cared about. All he needed to do, for himself, was apologize to her. His depressive episodes got worse because of his inability to do so. The regret of leaving her pulled him down constantly. No matter how hard he tried, he could not forget her. When he left her, he left a part of himself behind. To him, it felt like a core part of his soul. She made him truly happy. If it wasn't for his stupid excuse for a mother, they would probably still be together. Really the reason why he broke up with her was doubts and looking forward to his dream. Which was quite underwhelming for him at the moment. 

The dream was to be back together with her. Deep down, he wanted that more than anything. Last time he truly felt close to someone was last time he saw her. Before they broke up, of course.

No matter who he hooked up with, it was never the same. No one made him feel the same.Sean realized she was recording him, to get his genuine answers. Frowning, the fact she was a journalist finally clicked. From what he remembered, that's not what she wanted to do.  

“Hey, can you stop recording for a second? There's something I need to say…something I only want you to hear.” he paused. “Please?”

There she went again with that damn nickname. Once he realized she stopped the recording, he said, “I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry. There's so much I kept from you. I just needed to apologize. For me. That's all." The words came out quickly and in a nervous tone. He looked behind her where her coworker was speaking to Dante. Dante made eye contact and smirked, deciding to walk over. The comment by the drummer made Sean's blood boil. He couldn't do anything about it, but Dante just pissed him off in general. Looking Vi up and down, he then turned to Dante and said: “She's a tough catch man, good luck.” before patting Dante's shoulder and making his way off. Once he was a few feet away from them he got bombarded by fangirls. Keeping a stoic face, he autographed their shirts, hats, shorts, even bras. It seemed whatever they had they wanted his signature on it. Security noticed this and jumped in, spacing the girls away from him. At least the label realized he was having a rough go of it. They didn't care, just did the minimum so he would extend his contract. 

He gave a blank smile to his fans, before walking off into his changing room. Rummaging through the cough, he found a pack of Malboro's and a lighter taped to it. Peeling off the lighter, then grabbing a cigarette he struck the lighter a few times. Once a steady flame started, he lit the stick and put it to his lips. He had to do something to either forget how he felt while talking to Vi, or to just relieve stress. Nicotine right then took his mind off of her, and also calmed him down.

The rockstar life sure as hell was lonely. At least for Sean. Looking to his open guitar case, it held his acoustic. Normally he only used it for stripped songs on tour, but right now he needed to be lost in something. Preferably not pills. Didn't end well last time.

Taking the acoustic out of it's home, he began the tuning process. At this point he could do it by ear. Once it was tuned, he began to play. Singing off the top of his head.

"I'm in love with the concept.   

 Sadly it's not how I imagined

Cause we're still in love…but don't know it yet.

Just need a lil bit of magic~

The moonlight isn't the same anymore.

Without her."

He paused singing and kept fingerpicking, listening to the sounds and bustle of the people backstage. Vi definitely hated his guts. With good reason. He was an asshole for leaving her. Looking back on it, their relationship it was nothing but good.

Switching up the tempo a bit, he began to pick a bit faster.

"I don't deserve it,

It's a curse,

Banished from heaven, I

Might end up in a hearse,

Pick up the knife, 

And cut me,

Know you want to

End my life…"

Sighing, he stopped playing and muted the strings. His depression was getting worse daily. The interaction with Vi did not help whatsoever.

He picked the cigarette up out of the ash tray, flicked off the end, and took a hit. He thought to himself, Damn weed is illegal here. Sure could get high right now. 

Once he smoked most of it, he snuffed it out on the ash tray. Coughing a bit, he decided to lounge on the couch. Just one more hour of being here. Two more shows in the area. The band has a few days to roam the area. Sean was considering visiting his cousin, but decided against it.

There was a knock on the door, it was Dante. Sean let him in and Dante said, “Yeah, no luck man. You were right. She turn you down too?” In response Sean nodded. Shortly after an awkward silence, Dante decided to leave. Sean never was too fond of their drummer. Dante was extremely cocky and narcissistic. Two things he disliked heavily.

On his way over to Vi, the taco stand owner who seemed startled. He asked if he needed help to which Sean replied, “I need quiet about what just happened.” and handed him three hundreds. Vi was sitting on the hood of her car when he got near her. She seemed pissed. Understandably so. To her, he was probably just following dead feelings. There was no doubt in Sean's mind that Vi hated his guts. As she did earlier, she once again bombarded him with questions. 

Chuckling a bit, he replied to her first three. “He's an asshole. I was tired of his shit. Also, for some reason, him treating you like the local whore made me even more mad.” 

Then she asked the more pressing one. He denied the offer for a hit. Was he trying to win her back? He certainly didn't think he was. Sighing, he pulled his wallet out. As he was doing it, he was pushed. Only stumbling a bit, he paid no mind to it. Of course she was mad. Sean held nothing but respect for her. 

“I'm here to pay you back, I'm walking to calm down. Look, I know you'd rather me dead, hell even I would as well sometimes. I'm not trying to do anything to change your mind about me. Like I said during the weak ass apology, it was more for me than you. Also, no one is gonna fuck with me. I'm too tall for that.”

Shaking his head, he pulled out five hundreds and stuffed it in her pocket. “I'm no longer owing you shit now.” he said, avoiding eye contact most of the conversation. While he said that, he was looking into traffic. The temptation to run in the middle of it was quite strong right now. Fishing in his pocket, he pulled a bottle of percs out and popped two. Closing the bottle, he put it back into his jacket. His knuckles were still red.

The only thing that mattered to him no longer cared for him. Even though he expected such, it was still hard to swallow. For the first time in a while, inspiration came to him. Maybe the pills were setting in but he didn't care. Sean now was determined to have his last album made before morning. 

At this point he didn't know if she was even talking anymore. He was too lost. Certainly, he was a shell of his former self. His voice had less optimism. His eyes were sunken. Rubbing his wrist, he finally broke the silence. “You know, I don't think it would make much of a difference if I was gone…the band would be fine, you wouldn't be talking to me right now. Crystal wouldn't be so worried about me. Dad would be happy…Only positive things could happen from my death…that is what I believe.”. His hand instinctually went back to the pill bottle. It would be less painful than getting hit by a car. Whatever Vi replied, he didn't hear it. Walking back to the taco stand, he ordered a Coke and a taco. This time he walked away from Vi, sitting on a curb. In truth, he hadn't talked to any of his family in years. Crystal kept trying to reach out, just with no luck. As he pondered his life, his mind couldn't help but go to his relationship with Vi. It was the best thing to happen to him. Fuck fame, that was the only thing of worth to him. Looking back on it, of course. In the moment he took it for granted.

He couldn't care less if Vi ruined his reputation. He ruined her. Plus, after the two shows in this town, he was planning to end it. Only thing he wanted to do was say goodbye to his fans. Despite his fame, he had absolutely no friends. 

Now he had eaten the two tacos, and he looked down to the pill bottle. The fans would only care if he kept making music. After all, it's the only reason they like him.

He got too attached.

 Even to people he never met or talked to.

His breathing became shaky as she wrapped herself around him. His chest began to burn, feeling as if his heart was skipping a beat. Could he really talk to her? Sighing, he opened his mouth. The words were drug out and slightly slurred due to the pills, it was mainly coherent. “No matter how hard I try, it always feels like a dream. A nightmare. There's a lot you don't know about me. Stuff even Crystal doesn't. It's mainly trauma..” he paused. “It's fine, though. I'll be able to handle the next two shows.” After that, he was planning to OD backstage. Maybe fentanyl, make it quick. Shit, might as well say his mind. Not like Sean is planning on being around much longer.

“The reason you never met my mother was because she neglected me as an infant. At the time she was still with my dad. He was working two jobs, so he couldn't hold me or feed me much. Yet for some reason he tried. Stephanie left Dad and I when I was ten. I guess she had to make sure I knew how worthless I was…Sure as hell did a good job. Anyways, I developed serious attachment problems because of it. Only reason I left you was because of such. It wasn't you I promise. You were perfect, I took it for granted and doubted the truth of it. When the label picked me up, they bunched a few other misfits with me. We never really clicked but we could get the job done. It just made me more and more depressed. I gave up the only good thing to happen to me, for something that felt fake. Sure, I achieved what I wanted. What I really wanted was to be someone else…someone better…” he stopped and thought for a second…It was too late to try and be all buddy-buddy with Vi. Yet for some reason he really wanted her to stop him from ending his life.  

“The music isn't even what I really want it to be. It just has to be what the fans want. It lost the luster it used to have.”

The buildup of trauma and loneliness that he had never mentioned to anyone just was released. His eyes were filling with water. Ever since he was a kid, he was told it was inappropriate for a man to cry. So, it held back tears and just rubbed his eyes.

“Anyways. Not trying to make it about me, how have you been?” his voice was shaky. He couldn't bring himself to tell her about his plans. She would probably butt in and try to stop him. Why though? Doesn't she want him gone? It would make her life much easier, not having to see his face at every turn.

At the time, he didn't realize it but he began to chew the inside of his cheek again. Without meaning to, he leaned his head on her shoulder. All he wanted was to be held. Basically, Sean wanted a stand-in for a mother figure that he never had.

He was able to stop the tears from coming out. Something needed to distract him, quickly. Really, he just needed therapy. Every time it would come up as an opportunity he denied it, though.

Vi should have been aware of Mr. Emmerson's drug abuse and his mental and physical abusiveness as well. So, Sean felt no need to explain it. Even if Sean never told her of such, Crystal probably did. At least she was doing well. Makes one member of the family not to be a total addict and fuck up. Even though she was a cousin, Sean felt of her like an older sister. Because it was a mainly surface-level relationship and Sean had no doubt Crystal would grow to hate him as well, he eventually stopped talking to her. Around two or three years ago. Which was also around the time Sean left Vi for his dream. Why wasn't taking her along an option? Maybe things would be different if that was.

Sean lifted his head as she tapped hers onto his. A signal to stop. She stated that they need to get going, she had to call Crystal. He didn't completely hear the kidnapping part, nor did he really care. Maybe being kidnapped would take his mind off of things. Give him a chance to gather himself.

No matter, he stood up after about a minut  and a half after Vi went to her car. Opening the passenger door, his first action was moving the seat all the way back. Once he got in, his legs were still against the dash. Even with the car being an SUV. He leaned his head onto the headrest and said, “Thanks…for everything.” he meant just then, and in the past. Fishing in the opposite pocket from where the pills were, he took out a notepad and a pen. He jotted down four words. The title to a new song. “I Think I'm OKAY”. Under it he wrote an idea for an album name. “ANONYMOUS”. In his mind it had a nice ring to it. 

On the next page, he began writing lyrics and chord progressions.

Key of C… Chords, C, D, Am, Em,Bm, G, A.

In order.

Alternate C and D then switch to Am, Bm.  

Same riff throughout the song… Heavier guitar over it…Now the lyrics.

Drown myself in alcohol

That shit never helps at all

I might say some stupid things

Tonight when you pick up this call

I've been hearing silence on the other side for way too long

I can taste in on my tongue

I can tell that somethings wrong, but-

I guess it's just my life

And I can take it if I wanna

But I can not hide in hills of California

Cuz these hills have eyes

And I have paranoia

I hurt myself sometimes

Is that too scary for ya?

First verse done. Just in time to get out of the car and into the hotel. Dante probably grabbed his stuff and trashed it, or he was too scared to even touch it. 

The song was different than what their norm was. Last year they even were thr face on a Anti-Drug PSA commercial. The label certainly didn't care about drug references, as long as the music was selling. If this went wrong, he could go independent….hopefully. Maybe one of his music accomplices could hook him up. Who was he kidding? He wouldn't live long enough to find out otherwise. At least wasn't planning on it.

After the silent ride, he got out and jogged into the hotel. Luckily, he could still stand and walk a straight line. Turning to Vi, he asked, “I don't wanna interrupt your call with Crystal. Anything else you wanna say or do before I go to my room?" In actuality, he wanted to be with her. So badly. Naturally he put on a front and acted like it was fine and he didn't care either way. There was always an answer he wanted to hear though. Because of his many years being strongly against physical touch, it caused him to want it more than ever. He couldn't say that, though. That's not how people knew him. Hell, he didn't even know himself like that until recently. What the pressing matter was to him right now, was how he'd say goodbye without completely giving his plan away. In his world, it was quite likely this would be the last time he'd see her. He had no clue about her agreement and blackmail on the other band member. Maybe everyone would appreciate him more when he was gone. In his will, he wanted what money he had left to help homelessness. That's where he held most sympathy. At least in the grand scheme of society. He might give half to Vi. Since she mentioned living paycheck to paycheck. That's what he'll do. Maybe give her a guitar and his unfinished songs as well. Crystal would get most of the material belongings.