Olympus Drive Book 2: Nothing to See Here

Chapter 45

Cronus

"What is it you even think you're doing?" I ask, standing, a foot on Rhea's neck, in the darkening woods. I figured I'd pick up the trail out here, it and its stupid dog.

"I'm not letting you hurt those kids," Rhea says, attempting to worm away and failing, "They're not doing any harm."

"Other than massacring your people you mean? Or don't you consider yourself a Titan anymore?" I spit.

"They only did that because they kept coming after them; they had one of the girls. I tried to get them to stop but they were scared. If you'd listened to me in the first place and left well enough alone---,"

"Your people are dead because of you. Died out. Whatever that thing did to me will eventually take me," I say, opening my shirt to show it the glowing lightening jumping on my chest, "I don't have long on this earth. But I'm going to make damn sure I take you with me."

"You can't—look you need to just go. Dad—"

"I'm not your father. Not anymore in case you don't have the space to remember in your tiny brain, I disowned you," I say, disgustedly.

"I know, but please---for your own sake just go---the fight is over. You can't possibly fight them all alone," Rhea sighs, ceasing struggling.

"The fight isn't over so long as there is strength left in my body," I hiss.

"Yes, yes it is Dad—,"

"I'm not your dad," I sigh, heavily.

"—because for one thing you won't win, for another I'll be damned if anything happens to any of those stupid kids," it says more angry now. Its dumb dog barks and growls at me but is unable to approach.

"You're already damned. You moron. When I cast you out I stripped you of all your powers--- you can't even change bodies can you? Or you wouldn't be in this one, you're as weak as one of the mortals," I say, disgustedly, "You're useless---you were always useless, and not that bright. Now what little in consequential strength you had is gone because I took it from you and you're left being pathetic and very stupid. They'll destroy you too—you know. They destroy everything in their path—look at this place, the eternal winter has already begun, Life has joined with Death and they shall together consume everything, all life on this planet, while the others gleefully destroy it and you have no way to escape now that you've helped them massacre the remains of your family."

"Just go all right? Go live out whatever time you have left doing whatever it is that makes you happy-----proving to other people how much smarter you are than them that's it; that makes you happy—,"

"It just feels like I do that because you're so unfathomably brainless," I inform it, tiredly.

"I'm sure you'll find other stupid people to do it to then---please just go we both know you're not gonna win this."

"I might if I summon the legions of our slaughtered dead," I say, slyly.

"What—that'd surely kill you. And there's no reason to believe it will work---,"

"It might save this planet therefore I'm trying it—,"

"Why? Why bother you already know----we already know that the rest of us are dead, why kill yourself just to what—prove me wrong?"

"Just to save all of humanity you mean?" I ask.

"They're not going to kill all the humans—,"

"Really? Because let's see here, Storm has already fathered Life, which was prophesied, Death has taken Life, and let's see what else, oh War has been unleashed and Famine has set upon the land I'd say everything is going exactly according to that which has been foretold for centuries, the next step is total destruction of this planet and the humans—"

"Okay fine whatever why do you care? Why do you care aren't you too busy off being better and smarter than everyone else?"

"Because it's something we call empathy, Rhea, the greater good, I'm not going to let millions of innocent souls suffer and die at the hands of these monsters, that's why we were sent. To save them," I sigh, "This has been explained to you but apparently there wasn't space in that empty chasm of a mind of yours to retain it."

"Fine, fine, you're right. I'm wrong, I'm always wrong I'm the complete idiot you disowned almost as soon as you met me—"

"I gave you two centuries to develop another braincell it isn't my fault you didn't---,"

"---right right you're damn fucking generous, thank you for casting me into an inferior form, without any my abilities that was lovely of you but despite all this excellent parenting of yours I am trying to fucking help you when I tell you that there is no way in the seven circles of hell that you'll win this. Please just go and try to enjoy what time you have? Don't start something that will only cause you more pain---"

"I forgot how grating your voice was god, how do the humans resist punching you in the face every time you speak?"

"—please. I am begging you, for your own sake just fucking go. Get out of Winfell, probably leave the continent, but go. You're right, I'm wrong, the apocalypse is nigh, so go enjoy your time rather than dying violently because let's face it—after the last twenty seven years in the underworld you're not gonna be able to take a couple of the little needy ones that cry a lot, let alone one of the bigger kids."

"You underestimate me," I say, drawing my scythe.

"Why the fuck are you walking around with a scythe? This isn't the eighteen hundreds that shit didn't look normal then---where did you even get a scythe—-?"

"It's to behead you. Don't over think it you'll strain yourself," I say, raising it.

"Why'd you have this damn conversation if you were just going to kill me?"  it sighs.

"Because I wanted to enjoy it and talking to you always reminds me how much I've wanted to kill you since the day you were born," I inform it, "Too bad your pet monsters aren't here to save you."

Which if I hadn't said that, I probably wouldn't have been instantly nailed to a tree with a bent piece of metal driven through my shoulder, the scythe wrapped around a tree. But as it is, I am.

"Hello, War," I say, pulling the metal out.

"I have no idea who the fuck you are, but I haven't hit someone in eighteen hours so I'm really, really glad to meet you."