Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

 Maybe I heard it wrong.

 Maybe, in fact, everything was just a big prank by Apollo, Hermes, Ares, and Hades who were bored and decided that I would be good entertainment.

— Time, you say... — I said, somewhat incredulous, but can you blame me?

— Why are you so surprised? Didn't you meet Thanatos, death, years ago?

— How you...

— Know? I am time, nothing escapes me, whether in the past or the future, well, or it was supposed to be. — I managed to identify a certain bitterness in his voice. — You could see how Gaia, she is the earth, while at the same time she can take on a human form.

 Terrible comparison. The mention of Gaia made me shudder with unpleasant memories.

— See? I told you he smelled old. — Grover crossed his arms and stomped a hoof on the ground with a smug face that quickly deflated. — Err, no offense, I didn't mean to say that you smelled bad.

— I understand, I also find the smell of aged wood pleasant, it makes me think of all the stories the tree has to tell.

 Grover broke into a smile and nodded in agreement, looking like someone who had finally found another person who understood him.

— So that's what Ares meant when he said you're not exactly a god, but more like a concept. — I managed to reason.

— Cronos is the god of time, and we know that while he was in Tartarus, there was no attempt to release you, it doesn't make sense, if you are time, then why did he simply... leave you there? And Gaia?

— I think you're interpreting something wrong, daughter of Athena. — he continued smiling, as if he had all the answers, and I believe he actually does. — Time itself is a primitive concept, which does not need definition to assert its existence. But what you are trying to say about Chronos refers to time as a physical quantity that allows measuring the duration or separation of things subject to change.

 His words were very complicated, seeing that Grover was also confused made me feel more relieved.

 However, Annabeth seemed to understand the meaning behind the words of the... god? Time? Concept? I don't know. But of course she managed to understand, I doubt there's anything Annabeth can't figure out.

— So what you're trying to say is that even though you both have the same domain, you and Cronos take care of it from different perspectives?

— Precisely.

— Even so, I still can't understand. — I took the floor. — Even if it's true, I'm sure we would know about your existence, I mean, there would be records, right?

— Yes, indeed... — the satyr agreed with me. — Unless...

— Unless he was arrested before the records started being kept.

 The unknown deity broke into a funny smile.

— Smart girl, your mother must be very proud of you.

 I could see Annabeth's cheeks turn a deep shade of red, and I felt a bit of jealousy, even though we had broken up; it wasn't pleasant to see someone else make her blush.

— Unfortunately, it will still take me a while to assimilate all the information from the last millennia, but even so, I can tell you a bit about what happened before my... imprisonment. The story will be a bit long, but I will try not to be too tedious.

 I looked at Annabeth and noticed she already had a notebook in her hand, where did she get that from? But then again, the room was a mess, full of books, scrolls, and even Egyptian papyrus that she got from her cousin Magnus scattered around, so the notebook was probably already there and I just didn't notice.

— I suppose you already know where you came from, right? About the Olympians and everything?

— Yes, we demigods came through the union of gods and mortals, and the gods came from the titans who were conceived by the primordial gods.

— Exactly. — he nodded slowly. — I have existed since I can remember, even before Kosmo or Chaos thought of taking shape and expanding their domains throughout the universe.

— So... are you the oldest being that exists?

— Yes, and no. — he sighed, resembling the teachers from my childhood trying to teach me, a dyslexic, how to read. — I am as old as the earth and the skies, and in the same way, I am as young as the daisies that will bloom tomorrow. I am in the past, the present, and the future simultaneously.

— Like the bootstrap paradox...

— What is the bootstrap paradox? — I asked, confused; I had heard the term before but never knew exactly what it was.

— It's a time travel theory where information or objects can exist without having been created. Like... imagine you are hiking and a monster is chasing you, you can't handle it alone, but out of nowhere, the monster is killed with a spear. But who killed the monster?

 I nodded my head to show that I was following along.

— You take the weapon and decide to go back in time to find out who saved you and return the spear to him, but then you see your past self struggling against the monster and no one appears, so you throw the spear and kill the monster, saving yourself in the past.

— I see... basically, the one who saved me was myself. — I frowned, finding the theory interesting. — Like that scene in Harry Potter in the third movie, where Harry saves his past self from the Dementors?

— Yes! But you also need to take into account the possibility of a time loop, since in one way or another there is a version of you from the past being saved and that will later return to the past to continue the cycle, a real headache. If we take as an example the scenario I mentioned, the spear, which is a physical item, is another problematic factor, since it would ordinarily age and increase in entropy according to the second law of thermodynamics.

 Just hearing Annabeth's explanation gave me a headache.

 I looked at the god of time in my bed and couldn't help but feel a bit sorry for his work.

— You are correct, in a way, but that's if you decide to make this journey entirely through quantum physics, of course. With an ancient power... I'm afraid to disappoint you by saying that it's actually simpler than it seems.

— Wait, so it really is possible to go back in time just with scien...

— I think we're getting a bit off-topic. — Grover interrupted Annabeth, who seemed about to open the god's head to uncover all his secrets and absorb his knowledge. — You said you would tell us how you were captured, didn't you?

— Ah, yes, yes, that's right. — he furrowed his brow slightly. — Well, not that it's a particularly interesting story or different from what you might already know. As I mentioned before, I am as old as Kosmos or Chaos, I was there when they emerged, although not in this... form.

— Like something intangible?

— Yes. — he smiled at me and I could only look down, feeling strangely embarrassed. — Kosmos came soon after, then Chaos and finally Gaia. She married her own son, Uranus, and had her other descendants.

— Yes, we know.

— Continuing, gods do not necessarily already possess a sense of duty; they emerge when needed. — he explained, it was a bit confusing, but I still found it interesting, reminding me of Chiron's classes before I was thrown into this confusing world. — Gaia is the mother earth and Uranus the god of the sky. In the same way, when the rivers became wild and violent, Oceanus emerged and tamed them, and when the cold threatened to consume everything and freeze the rivers and seas, Crius controlled it. But Cronos, the youngest, had nothing to dominate me, so tired of just standing still, he came to seek my help, and I, who saw him as a nephew, did so.

— If you are supposedly time and know everything, why did you help Cronos when you already knew what he could do in the future?

 The unknown deity did not answer my question, and just between us, by the way he looked at me — I suppose he wears a blindfold, I don't even know if he has eyes — I trembled to my bones.

 I think I'm going to get sick, I can't stop shaking and having chills. I'll even ask my mom to buy some boldo to make tea later, I like tea.

— Cronos wasn't entirely evil at the beginning, although he did inherit the terrible temper of both his parents, I fear. There is indeed another reason as well, but you will find out later.

— Can you not speak or you just don't want to? — Annabeth questioned in a tone bordering on caution.

— I don't want to.

— Ah...

— Don't be so disappointed, it's just not the right time for you to know about it. — his smile dissipated my worry, I dare say it did the same for my friends. — Now, where was I? About Cronos, yes... he asked me for help to have something to dominate, so I took pity on him and helped him, I asked him to bury his hands in the sand, that with them he could control time and space.

— Burying your hands in the sand? — Annabeth repeated, leaning slightly forward as if absorbing every word. — How would this give him power over time and space?

 He smiled enigmatically, his lips curving into an expression that conveyed both patience and a hint of amusement.

— Because sand is what remains of the past. Each grain was once an imposing rock, a fragment of something much greater. It was once mountains, cliffs, entire cities. Time wore her down until she became almost dust. Cronos plunged his hands into it and felt, for the first time, the weight of the centuries running through his fingers, the vastness of the ages compressed into tiny particles.

 I made a face. I didn't like the way that sounded.

— So you gave him time itself? — I asked, trying to understand the logic behind this almost poetic explanation.

— Not exactly. I gave him the perception of time. Before that, he was like a child who doesn't understand the passage of days and nights. But, upon feeling the fluidity of time through the sand, he realized he could control it. Not as I did. — emphasized the god with a subtle nod of his head — Cronos could control it differently, a more raw and primitive version of time. A version he used to tear Uranus from the sky and carve his own path to the throne.

 The silence that followed was heavy. I didn't know what to say, but Annabeth, as always, found the words.

— So you weren't there to stop him… but you were the one responsible for Cronos' power.

— In parts. — he admitted, without showing remorse. — But I didn't tell him how to use it. That was his choice.

 Grover shifted uncomfortably beside me, his ears moving restlessly.

— But what then? When he turned against his own children...

— I didn't find it necessary to interfere, Perseus. Cronos needed to fall, and Zeus needed to ascend. It was as it always was, as it always should be.

 Annabeth gritted her teeth, clearly frustrated.

— Does that mean you knew Zeus would take the throne? Did you see everything happen and just stood there?

— I exist to observe, not to interfere. — he said, and for the first time, I noticed a hint of weariness in his tone. — Time does not bend to the will of others. I only do what is necessary to keep reality intact. Cronos decided his own fate, Zeus did too. And all those who came after them. I was there, I have always been, and I always will be. Time does not judge, it merely follows its course.

 I keep thinking about how my adolescence would have been if the god in front of me had decided to intervene from the beginning. Maybe a war never happened? Maybe the demigods wouldn't have such a difficult life? Maybe...

— And then? — Grover asked once again, interrupting my morbid thoughts. — What happened next?

— After? Cronos fell. The gods triumphed. And I, well... I kept watching.

 We have reached the end of the story, I think, although there is still one crucial detail missing: why was he arrested? Only I had already asked so many questions that I felt tired, perhaps embarrassed, honestly, I don't know what this stranger makes me feel.

 I leaned over to my now friend to snoop on what she was writing in the notebook she had pulled out of nowhere a few moments ago.

 Terrible decision, Annabeth had made an extremely confusing mind map that scrambled my brain just by looking at it.

— No, daughter of Athena, you won't be able to go back to the past using science.

 Annabeth stopped writing in the notebook and looked up with slightly wide eyes. I almost felt like laughing, she looked like a pufferfish with her mouth open, probably surprised to have her mind read. I understand you, Annabeth, I understand you.

— But you...

— Said it was possible? Yes, but understand, I would never allow that to happen.

— I was just thinking about the possibilities...

— I know, dear.

 Oh no, that was too much. I faked a cough to get his attention on me, trying not to let it show that I was jealous of the way he referred to my ex-girlfriend.

— And about your arrest? You still haven't explained it to us.

— Ah, that. — I could see the slight crease forming on his forehead, but the strange thing was the sneer, so different from the sweet one he had sent me moments before. — Gods are very... volatile, always changing, changing their minds. They easily get bored. However, they are extremely resentful.

— Yeah, we know. — I mocked with a nasally laugh, remembering Ares.

— We can say that I never had much availability to enjoy the pleasures of life, I was always very focused on my responsibilities.

— So you mean to say that time... doesn't have time? — I asked with a hint of sarcasm, the contradictory idea strangely amusing in my mind.

— Ironic, isn't it? — he let out a short laugh. — Understand, I take care of reality itself, I glimpse the past, present, and future simultaneously to ensure that nothing threatens the flow of time. It's not exactly an easy job.

— Isn't it lonely?

— Yes... it is.

 Annabeth and I exchanged glances, and Grover looked down as he spun a can in his hand before biting into it sadly. I almost gave in to the urge to ask for a piece, but I preferred to avoid cutting my mouth and possibly my stomach, thank you.

— But that's why I'm here, whether I like it or not. After a few years, I started to become unstable; I was having conflicts with two gods at the time, for different reasons, but about the same cause. Until one day... well, I lost control, Zeus thought it best to imprison me in Tartarus, and the other gods supported him.

— You seem very calm about this.

— Do I seem?

— Yes, I mean, you seem pretty calm for someone who was arrested during, uh...

— Three thousand years.

— Wow, so you were arrested before Christ?

— This explains why there are no records about him, Christianity was on the rise at the time, although Greece and Rome were gigantic empires, because of the growth of the new religion it must have been easy to alter the records and pretend him never existed, I mean, at the time they probably wanted to suppress the fact that a primordial force was out of control.

 Annabeth's explanation made a lot of sense. But still, a little voice inside my head said it wasn't just a simple fight between gods that made him lose control, like, gods fight all the time and they don't send each other to Tartarus for it.

— You must be tired, Annabeth, Grover, and Perseus. — there it is, that sweet and gentle voice again. — Don't worry so much, it will still take me a few days to heal, and no, nothing bad will happen to you during this time, relax and go rest, you have already done a lot in a month.

— It's a good idea. — Annabeth was the first to speak, she turned to me and Grover. — I'm going to the camp to rest a bit and put this information on my computer, maybe I can get some records in Chiron's room now that we know what we're dealing with. I'll send an iris message if I find anything.

— Do you want me to give you a ride? I can give you a ride.

— No need, I'll take a bus.

 And there goes that strange vibe again.

 Grover turned his head to face both of us and sighed.

— I'll go with her, I want to see Juniper and assure her that I didn't trade her for a blackberry bush or something like that. — he gave a gentle squeeze to my shoulder, and I could calm down a bit. — Just relax, man, you're the one who's been the most stressed these weeks.

— Thank you. Be careful.

 They both said goodbye to me and I accompanied them to the door.

 Upon finding myself alone, I cast a hesitant glance towards the direction of the guest room. I want to go back there, but at the same time, I don't want to. I think both the god and I need a moment alone.

— Now that I think about it, I don't know his name...

 I stayed in the room staring at the ceiling for a long time, thinking. One thing is to know a god about whom I knew something, like Hestia, for example, not very present, but we know of her existence. But a primordial god who is responsible for one of the fundamental concepts in our world, and I don't even know their name? It's despairing.

 Maybe if I asked my father...

"What belongs to the sea must return to the sea! "

 I felt my heart tighten for a moment with the memory of my dream. If I think too much, I can still feel the sensation of being pushed to the bottom of the sea.

 Suddenly, it didn't seem safe to talk to my father, maybe later.

 I sat in the living room until my mom, Paul, and Estelle arrived. I smiled when my little sister jumped off Paul's lap and ran to me, and I held her effortlessly, but to make her laugh, I pretended to fall onto the couch. I tossed her up and then caught her.

— Good afternoon, dear. — my mother smiled at me, taking Estelle from my arms and laughing at my protesting face. — She needs to take a bath first. She has to take a shower first.

— Bath? But she doesn't need a bath, does she, princess?

— No! I don't need to take a shower!

— You are going to become the stinky goddess!

— Stinky goddess!

— Well, I think the stinky goddess and the catfish-headed god should listen to the mother goddess, or they'll go without fried chicken today. — Paul spoke behind us, ruffling my hair while pinching his daughter's cheek.

— Chicken? Mom, I want to take a shower! — Estelle promptly ignored me, traitor.

— You little rascal...

— I'll make the chicken, so today, love, you give her a bath.

— Me? — Paul winked, pointing at himself. We looked at Estelle, and now that I noticed, she was really quite dirty, damn, did the girl roll in the mud?

— Yes, you.

 Paul picked up his daughter and accepted his fate, murmuring that he would have to take a shower too.

 My mother walked towards the kitchen and I followed her, ready to help with whatever she needed.

— How was your day?

— It was great! — she smiled brightly at me, calming any anxiety within my chest. I liked seeing her like that, light, happy, relaxed, Sally Jackson deserved all the good things in this world. — The outing was pleasant, we visited an exhibition, actually there was an adoption event going on. We were tempted to adopt a puppy for her sister, but she is still very young.

— Yeah, maybe when she's older, then she can walk him, have the responsibility to remember to feed him... in the meantime, she can stay with Mrs. O'Lary.

— The hellhound? — I didn't lose the way she stared at me and quickly shook my head.

— I didn't say anything, they were just silly thoughts.

— I think it's good. — she opened the fridge, pulling out a thawed chicken and lemon. — But the outing would have been even better if you had gone, Percy. Estelle kept asking why you didn't go.

 This made me shift uncomfortably; I know she wasn't arguing with me or scolding me, but I still felt a slight guilt.

— By the way, I'm not seeing Annabeth and Grover, are they in the room again?

— No, they... left. They'll probably come back tomorrow.

— Tomorrow?

— Yes, it's just that... our guest woke up. I thought it would be good if they rested a bit.

 My mother stopped completely, and a deep sigh escaped her.

— And you, my son? When are you going to rest?

— M-Me... rest?

— Yes. — she started cutting the chicken, but looked at me with such sadness that I felt my heart tighten. — My son saves the world, but who saves my son? You save gods so that your friends are well, but what about you? When will you allow yourself to rest?

 Her words froze my body and mind. The worst, perhaps, was that I couldn't retort, I could only look at the ground and murmur.

— Please stay away from the guest room, just until I can sort things out.

 There wasn't much conversation after that. But I know my mother wasn't angry with me, just worried, as always.

 Unfortunately, I have always been the kind of son who drives his mother crazy with worry, and I have never been proud of that. But I have always been proud to do my best to keep her safe and make her proud.

 The dinner was quite pleasant, Estelle — now clean and fragrant — was chattering like a parakeet during the meal, talking about everything she played with at the park with the puppies for adoption.

 I volunteered to do the dishes, which for me isn't exactly a problem. But it ended up becoming one, since I was eager to finish quickly and return to the god in the guest room.

 There is still much I want to ask.

 He knows everything, so how did he let himself get caught?

 Why was he in conflict with other gods?

 What drove him to madness?

 Who exactly is he?

 Why does he wear a blindfold?

  I want to know...

 Without realizing it, I was standing in front of the door of the room where time was. How had I gotten there? I was sure I was washing the dishes until now!

 I had to give in to the impulse to put my hand in my pocket and touch the watch kept there, as I have been doing for the past month. It calms me on a level that has no explanation, and because there is none, I must be cautious. But who cares?

 It's mine. Why should I be cautious with what is mine? Although... the watch belongs to someone else...

— You think out loud, Perseus.

— Ah... — I blinked repeatedly and swallowed hard while looking around, had I entered? — I do?

— Yes. But don't martyr yourself too much over it, it just happened that you were murmuring too loudly.

— I understand. — I stared at him and decided to approach. He was still sitting on the bed, under the sheets. His hair was spread all over the bed, falling to the floor, making me want to pick it up and place it on the mattress. — Earlier, you also read my thoughts…

— Yes. It's like I said earlier, sometimes I'm not in full control of my abilities at the moment, so I can't filter your thoughts and end up hearing them. And I personally think you are an excellent son, don't blame yourself for worrying her so much, she knows you can take care of yourself.

— You... aah... — I rubbed my forehead. — So you also heard my internal debate.

— It was hard not to listen, Perseus.

— There it is again, Perseus... — I repeated carefully as I walked towards the bed, not realizing I was too close. — You know my name.

— I know, yes.

— Did you know I was going to save you?

— Something like that, not precisely.

— You knew where I lived.

— Not exactly.

— Ha! — I exhaled, frustrated. Why did he seem so sincere while hiding something at the same time? Gods like that are the worst. And he still keeps... smiling at me! Smiling with such kindness that I could melt, damn, Apollo would definitely be jealous if he saw that smile.

— You are very kind.

— Ah... of course, you heard me, gods... — I cursed myself for not being able to control my thoughts, and I could only laugh at my stupidity. What's the point of years of battles and survival experience if I can't even protect my own mind?

 Even after Gaia spoke in my head, even after the nightmares with Cronos tormenting me... well, there's no point in remembering that now. If he had heard that little internal argument, he didn't comment.

 I suddenly felt tired and had no choice but to sit on the floor next to the bed and stare at him. He wouldn't notice, I think, not with a blindfold on his face.

 The black lines that looked like cracks in marble that once covered his face had diminished, they were still there, but less present. His skin was flushed too, although still frighteningly pale. He no longer looked so old as if he bore the weight of the entire world; he was... handsome.

— Do you still have questions for me, Perseus?

— I do. — I rested my arms on the mattress, raising my chin to look at him better. — Will you answer?

— In the best way I can.

— Gods have a lot of these word games.

 He laughed, it was a beautiful laugh, like the kind that only people in movies produce, as if it were rehearsed for a television interview.

— It seems to me that you have quite a bit of experience with this, Apollo, should I guess?

— Yes. — now it was me who laughed, remembering his Japanese rhyme period, what was the name again? I can't remember, well, it doesn't matter. — He has a flair for drama.

— Don't blame him, Apollo is just a rather genius child. Art captivates him.

  You are also captivating.. .

 This is scary.

 I frowned when the thought crossed my mind. It's definitely the same as when I met Aphrodite the last few times, that strange attraction like a magnet that insists on pulling me towards him. It's dangerous, it's strange. That makes my instincts scream in suspicion.

 But even so, there is no sign of malice in his smile, nor that oppressive feeling of cunning in his presence that many other deities emanate. There is... nothing.

 However, he is a good speaker. Every time I think about asking a question, he adds a curious fact to the answer and makes me forget what I wanted to know, manipulating my easily distracted mind.

— Have you always been this evasive?

— Only when necessary. — his voice was soft, but it carried an ancestral weight. — If I gave all the answers at once, you would stop asking questions. And questions are important, Perseus. They shape the perception of the world.

 I almost rolled my eyes.

— You're stalling me.

— Am I? — he tilted his head to the side, a slight amused expression returning to his face. — Or do you just not like the answers you're getting?

— Do you always speak enigmatically or do you just like to confuse me?

— You have a very expressive look, Perseus. I like to see how the gears in your mind work.

— That doesn't answer my question.

 He sighed, adjusting his position on the bed. His hair spread even more, and I had to resist the urge to grab it.

— Time is not linear for me as it is for you. What I know, what I see, is not absolute knowledge, but rather... probabilities. I knew that a child of the sea would find me. But I didn't know which one.

 A shiver ran down my spine.

— So it could have been another demigod of Poseidon?

— It could. But it was unlikely.

 I furrowed my brow.

— Why?

 He smiled, and this time there was a hint of something more, something almost affectionate.

— Because fate likes to play with you, Perseus.

 This shouldn't make me uncomfortable, but it did.

 I averted my gaze to the blindfold covering his eyes. The dark fabric seemed to sink, giving him a more tired appearance. I could ask about that. I could ask about everything I still didn't understand.

 But, instead, I heard myself questioning:

— Are you tired?

— Always.

— Is it tiring to deal with the time?

— The work itself isn't difficult, what's difficult is dealing with the consequences of the work.

— Like what?

— Stay alone. Forever.

— Surely you would have friends, right? Like... Apollo. He really seems to like you.

— Ah, Perseu... — he smiled again, no, I mean, I think he just smiled a bit more since he hadn't stopped smiling even for a moment since we started talking. — Unfortunately, the path I tread does not allow me the luxury of constant company.

 Could gods get tired? I think so, I remember my father in the war against the Titans in his palace underwater, how he looked old and tired.

 But him? He sounded exhausted.

 And that's when I realized something. He could be a god, a primordial entity, someone far beyond my understanding... but at that moment, he just seemed like someone who needed to rest.

 It's strange to think that someone could watch time pass and glimpse the wonders of the future, and not have anyone to share it with, just observe. How did he endure it?

— It looks lonely.

 He let out a soft laugh, which gave me an oddly pleasant shiver.

— You've asked me that before. Are you that worried about my loneliness?

— I think so. — I admitted, shrugging. — I can't imagine being alone for so long. Even in the most difficult moments, I had my friends, my mother, something or someone to keep me sane. You spent three thousand years without anyone.

— Well, not exactly without anyone. — he tilted his head slightly. — But without someone I wanted to talk to? Yes. — he paused, then added, with an almost playful smile: — Until now.

 I swallowed hard. The way he said that, with that velvety voice and a mischievous smile on his lips, left me unsettled. Was he teasing me? Probably. How could someone so old look so young?

— Have you ever thought about trying to leave? I mean, you are a god, a primordial, you should have enough power to at least try.

 His smile faltered slightly, and for a moment, a shadow passed across his face. Not of anger, nor sadness, but something more... profound.

— I tried. — he admitted after a while, and his voice had a weight that it didn't have before. — But Tartarus is not just a prison, Perseus. He is a living organism, a place that feeds on those it imprisons. And, for a while... it almost consumed me.

 My stomach turned. It was hard to imagine this being, who seemed so absolute, so aware of everything around it, being consumed by Tartarus. But I knew exactly what that was like. The way he said it reminded me of the time Annabeth and I fell into that horrible place. The fear, the despair, the feeling that the very environment wanted to destroy us.

— How did you survive? — I asked, more quietly.

— How did you survive? — he retorted. — You fought, you found reasons to keep going. Me too. And, just like you, I had help... even if it wasn't in the way I expected.

 There was something there, something in the lines of what he was saying that made me uneasy. Help from whom? And why did he seem so cautious when talking about it?

— If you're so interested, you could just ask what you really want to know. You don't need to beat around the bush with me, Perseus.

 I opened my mouth, but closed it right away. What did I really want to know? What was stuck in my throat and that I had been avoiding asking since I met him?

 The answer was obvious.

— What is your name?

— Is this your question?

— Yes, I realized that I still don't know, and it's very tiring to refer to you as "unknown god" or "guest."

— Ha ha, that's true. — he hummed for a moment before answering me. — At first, I didn't have a physical form, but as my influence spread, I became more powerful, more... recognized, so they gave me a name that I never took as my own.

— And what is it? — I rested my head on my arms and he leaned a little towards me, so that his long hair formed a curtain around me, hair as white as sea foam, but in the shadow, it turned a light shade of violet like the beautiful corals that adorn the ocean floor.

— Aeonios.

— Aeonios? — I repeated carefully, testing each syllable. In a way, it suited him, and he was Greek, I can tell. — It comes from Aion, doesn't it? It means eternity. And it has "ios" at the end, I think it's a suffix for creature... no, no, divinity.

— That's correct. Very well.

 I could see his hand reaching out towards me, but I couldn't react to pull away, maybe I didn't want to. I let him touch me, let him caress my hair, it was good, it was gentle, it was... warm.

— Don't you like your name?

— I don't dislike it, but I don't appreciate it either, it's not... mine.

— And what do you consider yours?

— Maybe I'll answer that later. — he twirled one of my hair strands between his fingers, sending a shiver down my spine.

— So... what should I call you?

—I don't know, well... why don't you choose a name for me?

— Do you want me to choose a name for you? Like, choosing a name for a god?

 The idea was so funny that I felt like sending an iris message to Grover at that moment. But I realized he was serious about it.

— Yes. Tell me, what name do you think is appropriate?

 I hesitated, thinking about the countless possibilities.

 What is the appropriate name for a god? Something strong and with a glorious meaning? A Greek name? Or perhaps a Roman one?

— Archimedes? No, no... um... Heila? What am I thinking... Henrique... no...

 Wow, it's much harder than I imagined. Nothing seemed appropriate.

 Instead of getting impatient, Aeonios just seemed amused. I feel bad referring to him by a name he doesn't like, but I don't have another one in mind.

 Ah, unless...

— How sound Kai?

— Kai?

 The idea was better in my head. When I said it out loud, it suddenly seemed like a very simple and silly name, nothing grand enough for the time itself.

— I like it.

— R-Really?

— Of course. You think he suits me, don't you? — I nodded my head slowly. — And for a son of Poseidon to call me Kai, which in Hawaiian and Japanese means "ocean," is truly a great honor. Do I remind you of your own essence, Perseus?

— I-I don't know, it just... seemed good.

— I understand. You can call me Kai, then.

— Kai... — I called, and he smiled, making me smile too. Ah... that warm feeling again.

 His fingers slid across my face and I closed my eyes for a moment before opening them once again.

— Which gods were you in conflict with?

— Do you still remember this little detail? What a good memory you have.

 His compliment made me internally happy, since he didn't say something like, "The dyslexic and ADHD boy has a good memory, wow, how surprising!" Aeonios... Kai, it was genuine, I could feel it.

— So?

— I don't know if I should tell you. — he tugged a strand of my hair and I pulled my face away from his hand. — Maybe another day?

— You are delaying many answers... and why are you wearing a blindfold?

  Ah... that was bad.

 Kai didn't speak, his smile fell, and then he looked more like a marble statue than an actual person, or rather, a god. Cold. there was no warmth emanating from him anymore. He no longer seemed like the gentle god who had been stroking my hair just a little while ago.

 But unlike what I was expecting, he didn't throw a lightning bolt at me or turn me into a guinea pig, shouting and insulting me for irritating him. He just turned his head and sighed.

— My eyes were torn out.

— What? Your... sorry, what?

— My eyes were taken from me.

 I kept staring at Kai, trying to absorb what he had just said. His eyes were torn out. As if it were a simple thing. As if it were something irrelevant.

 But it wasn't.

 It was cruel.

— Who... who did this? — my voice came out quieter than I wanted. And then an idea came to my mind. — Were they the two gods you had conflicts with?

— No, no, they wouldn't be that cunning. — Kai laughed, a cold and lifeless laugh.

 I had already heard many stories of gods being punished, cursed, sealed. But being blinded?  A god who sees time losing its own eyes? Who would have the power to blind time?

 I knew they weren't the titans. It didn't make sense. The Tartarus was a prison of the gods, a creation of the primordial ones, but the Olympians used it to lock away their enemies.

 If Kai was sent to Tartarus, it must be because he did something to the Olympians, but what?  Maybe he betrayed them? Something inside me says no. But there are many possibilities, gods fight among themselves for any stupid reason.

 I want to know the reason. I want to know why.

 I knew this story.

 The gods had done this before. They had already punished others who challenged them. They had already sealed, cursed, betrayed.

 Hades. Prometheus. Hephaestus. Even Apollo.

— But... you are time, you know everything, you see everything! How did they manage to do this to you?

— Mortals are predictable creatures.

 He leaned against the wall, adjusting a pillow behind his back while pulling his long hair and tossing it over his shoulder.

— I can know what a mortal will do for the rest of their life without needing to meet them or read their mind, it doesn't take much effort or power. I have seen dozens of mortals, met hundreds, and witnessed the birth of thousands before their great-grandparents grew up. But gods? Gods are unpredictable, they are easily changeable depending on their mood or the environment, I need something more to be able to read them.

— Your eyes.

— Yes, my eyes... my eyes allowed me to see the future of the gods, helped me analyze their most unpredictable and untimely decisions. That's how I kept reality under control. That's how I prevented ancient Greece from being annihilated, that's how I prevented the world from being consumed by war.

— Like in chess? Do you see everything as pawns?

— Yes and no. I don't like altering the past, so I take care of the future so that I never have to do it. At the same time, I cannot directly interfere in the affairs of mortals, so I got involved indirectly. I was placing small things along the way to influence the future. Once, I spent years whispering ideas to a man who wanted to record the knowledge of the world. He spent his life cataloging everything, creating an enormous repository of wisdom.

— That sounds amazing. — Annabeth would like to hear this, maybe I'll tell her later.

— It was. Until it was burned. Everything, reduced to ashes.

— The Library of Alexandria?

— Of course. — Kai had a furrowed brow, I think perhaps recalling the scene. — As if all the effort wasn't enough, I had to watch as the fire consumed each page. Centuries of work lost in just a few hours.

 I scratched my neck uncomfortably with the air in the room, it was very dense and heavy, but with a topic like this, it was to be expected.

 I didn't know exactly what to say, so I just let him continue what I imagined to be a rant, given the poisonous coldness in his deceptively sweet voice.

— Once, I handed a piece of string to a young architect and suggested he use it to measure distances accurately. He discovered that by stretching and bending it in specific ways, he could predict patterns; many centuries later, they called it geometry. I once taught a man to mix elements to aid in construction, but centuries later they called it gunpowder, and instead of building, they used it to destroy. And I couldn't see that, since at that moment I was already imprisoned.

— And what about the... gods?

— The gods?

—  Did you interfere with their fate as well?

— Yes, of course. They are only alive because of me.

— How?

— When mortals began to lose faith, I planted small doubts in their minds, brought forth stories, myths, cults... all to prevent the gods from disappearing.

— But they still exist, so I would say it worked.

— Yes. And my reward was being erased from history, having my eyes taken from me! And all because I just wanted... a single moment, it was just once... just once...

 I didn't realize until that moment how much his voice had changed, how his hands were clenched around the bed sheet. I sympathized with him and could feel his sadness; I think if I were in his place, I would have freaked out and destroyed everything within my reach.

— Do you feel anger? — I asked before I could stop myself.

 He blinked slowly — or at least made the gesture, even with the blindfold.

— Anger? — he repeated, as if savoring the word. — No.

 I didn't know if I believed it.

— Why?

 Kai tilted his head back, as if he were observing something on the ceiling.

— Everything out of its course, it was my oversight, I let my guard down, as I said, I was unstable, I suppose I should blame myself for ending up in that situation. I can't be angry because I know the gods are capable of these things, so I didn't expect anything different. I just feel... betrayed, I guess.

— For the person who stole your eyes?

— You always ask the right questions... — his lips curved slightly, to me, he seemed satisfied. — Yes, I feel betrayed, I didn't expect this from him, maybe from his wife, yes, but not from him. 

 I tried to think of who was powerful enough to deceive time itself and steal its eyes. Ares could do that, but I don't think it was him, last time Ares seemed truly worried about Kai. Maybe Athena? But at no point did he show hostility towards the goddess of wisdom while speaking with Annabeth.

 A god and his wife... how many gods were married? Discard Ares, Hephaestus? No, he was too focused on his own machines, so that also rules out Aphrodite... it can't be Nemesis, I doubt Kai would trust Nemesis, nor Apollo, nor Artemis... maybe...

— It was Zeus... Zeus took your eyes!

— Yes, that petulant child did that. He did that as soon as he put me in Tartarus.

 His confirmation just made me more tense, more irritated. Why am I irritated? I don't know, but I feel angry for him. Maybe it's because he's a cool god, easy to talk to. Maybe it's because he was polite, or because I had been taking care of him for a week.

 I can't imagine what it would be like to be able to look at the past and future and suddenly see nothing. Thinking about it makes me feel nauseous.

— I'm very sorry...

 I expected him to say: it wasn't your fault. Or: that's just how gods are.

 But... Kai didn't respond, his head was turned in my direction, but he didn't say anything.

 My instinct rang the alarm at the same moment.

— It's all right. It has already happened, anyway.

 I know I'm missing something, I know he's not telling me everything. I mean, Kai had already made it clear that he wasn't going to tell me many things yet, but this... it seemed like something exceptionally important that I should know.

— Do you have any other questions, Perseu?

 No, I didn't have any more questions, actually I think I didn't have the mental capacity to think of any more questions after all that information.

— No... I don't think so.

— I understand. By the way, your sister is looking for you.

 Before I could say anything, the door opened and I saw my little sister, Estelle, looking inside with a swollen face while rubbing her little eyes. I jumped up and picked her up in my arms.

— Estelle, you can't come in here...

— But I like playing here... who is in bed?

— No one, just a... brother's friend. — I gave a forced smile, and then kissed her cheek as I took her out of the room and closed the door. — And now is not the time to play, you know that.

— But you were there, I wanted to play with you.

— Don't do that, you're going to sleep now.

— You are annoying.

— Of course.

 Even with her lovely complaints, I managed to get her to bed, and after telling the story of my adventure behind the Golden Fleece — changing the names of the characters and omitting all the blood, death, and violence — she fell asleep. And honestly, maybe I should go too.

— You must be crazy!

— What...?

— Don't even think about doing anything, don't use your dirty tricks! I won't let you get close to any of them!

 My vision was blurred, but the words in front of me were sharp — laden with anger, with poison. They hit me like blades, inflaming my own fury, even though I still didn't know exactly what I was fighting for.

— Don't you dare! You can't deny this to me! It's my right! — I replied with as much fury as had been directed at me.

— I don't care! I won't let this happen!

— It's not something you can refuse, it's the prophecy! You are denying what is mine!

 But... what is mine? For what am I fighting?

 My vision began to adjust. Gradually, the sensations in my body returned — and with them, a force that felt strange, intense. I felt bigger. More powerful. And, above all, consumed by an incandescent fury.

 So I saw him.

 The person before me, challenging me with unwavering determination, was none other than my own father. Poseidon.

 He looked young, much younger, as if he were only twenty-five years old. But I knew the truth, I knew that this appearance was nothing but an illusion. He is already two thousand years old, I guess.

— Don't even think about trying to circumvent the prophecy, I will find out. — the words simply slipped out of my mouth even though I didn't want to say them, like blades, sharp and non-negotiable. — You can't avoid it, you can't interfere, I will have what is mine, and you will give it to me, like it or not.

 Poseidon, with green eyes shining in fury, cursed in an ancient tongue and turned, taking steps so heavy they could crack the ground, but since the marble was intact, I suspect we were in Olympus.

 My father then turned one last time and murmured.

— Aeonios, I respect you a lot, don't make me do this.

— You are the one forcing my hand, Poseidon.

 When no other words were spoken, this time it was I who turned my back on my father, and everything around me fell apart like sand in water.

 Then came the pain.

 Suddenly, I was kneeling. My body was convulsing. My throat burned with a stifled scream. In front of me, a tall man with lilac eyes stared at me with sadness.

— Forgive me, uncle, but I need to do this, you know, right?

— I'm going to kill you! I will erase your existence from humanity! Yours and your wife's! I will reduce your existences to dust and scatter them across the universe until nothing remains!

— Please... — the other man, Zeus, I somehow knew, knelt down and held my face, bringing his forehead close to mine and whispered. — Forgive me.

 And then everything started to burn.

 What was burning?

  It were my eyes.

 The bastard was tearing my eyes out!

 I felt his fingers sink into my orbits, tearing apart everything they touched. The pain was unbearable. Overwhelming. Hot as the very lightning of Zeus piercing my flesh.

 I wanted to die.

 I wish this pain would end.

— STOP! ZEUS... ZEUS! STOP!

— I'm sorry, but this is for your own good.

 Lie.

 It wasn't just my eyes being ripped out — it was part of me. My own essence. My own power.

 The chains on my wrists tightened violently, cutting into my skin. I couldn't fight. Nor struggle. I just shook my head in a futile attempt to escape. Which only made everything worse.

 I was screaming.

 I was crying.

 I was cursing.

 But nothing had any effect.

 In the end, Zeus succeeded.

 I was blind.

— Don't worry, I'll let him go when the time comes, when it's safe, and then everything will go back to how it was before.

 It was terrifying to hear his voice without being able to see him.

 I felt only emptiness. The void where there used to be sight. The pain burning, spreading, as if it were embedded in every cell of my body.

 I hated that feeling.

 I hated Zeus more than ever.

— See you soon, uncle.

 And he left me alone, I could feel it.

 Everything seemed dark. Not just because I couldn't see, but as if all paths and possibilities had closed off to me.

 I was completely blind to the future.

 When I woke up, I was curled up in the corner of my bed, clutching my own legs and pressing the silver watch against my lips.

 Was it a dream? When did I wake up?

 I think my body woke up first, since the clock was on the dresser next to the bed, but now it was in my hands.

 There was something warm running down my face too. I ran my finger over it and confirmed it was tears.

 That was... more painful than I imagined. Much more painful.

— I think I relived some memory of Kai... Aeonios? No, Kai...

 I shuddered, shrinking further, tracing my finger over the entire surface of the watch I knew so well, it calmed me. It was terrifying to feel his pain, to feel all his anger, his betrayal, his desire to simply have what was rightfully his.

 And what was that?

 What prophecy had he mentioned to my father?

 And that pain... it was almost like holding the weight of the heavens, perhaps a little less painful, I imagine that being in a dream reduced the sensation significantly. Just trying to imagine how it could have really been makes me want to cry.

 I had difficulty getting out of bed, and when I did, I looked out the window; it was a cloudy day, and before my eyes, a lightning bolt struck in the distance, and a wind shook my curtains.

— I will have to talk to my father.