"Kratos did well, hiding his son from me, but what eludes me is why he tried to hide him right from his birth," Jaehwan said, as he poured the contents of the vial into the smoking bowl.

"He knew eventually you would search him out, brother," Wonshik said, his eyes following Jaehwan as he moved past him.

"What would give him that impression?" Jaehwan scoffed.

"Um, your constant hunt for power and domination?" Wonshik suggested. Jaehwan cast him a warning look to which Wonshik simply shrugged. "You wanted an honest answer."

Jaehwan considered the vial, now half empty and turned to Wonshik. "I really appreciate your help, brother," he said gratefully.

"Not like I had a choice," Wonshik murmured.

"I shall see to it that you are truly rewarded," Jaehwan promised. "What would you want?"

Wonshik fixed him with a stare. "You know what I truly want."

Jaehwan gave a deep sigh. "I know, Hades, but you must also know that that which you truly desire, I cannot give to you."

"And why not?" 

"I might lose the respect of my fellow Olympians," Jaehwan said. "You know what they are like."

Wonshik folded his arms across his chest, looking down.

"I must get going, brother," Jaehwan said, patting Wonshik's shoulder. "I have another to visit."

Wonshik gave a nod and watched as Zeus strolled out through the door, leaving the four of them there. He turned his head as Hakyeon gave a painful groan and passed out again. On taking a step closer, he saw something forming on the back of Hakyeon's hand, a symbol that looked like the evil eye.

He looked at Sanghyuk and Hongbin looking at him with hope and worry in their eyes.

He sighed deeply. "Not yet."

Saying so, he left the room as well.

Taekwoon moaned as searing pain shot through his arm. On looking down, he found a symbol forming on the back of his hand.

That's the evil eye, he thought before more white hot pain forced him to tightly close his eyes.

He recognized that symbol very well, it was a lesser known symbol of Zelos, known only to those with Olympian blood running through their veins. 

But what was it doing on his hand?

Wait a minute...if that symbol was the symbol of Zelos, and Zeus had mentioned a spell to transfer his power, and he'd also said that Hakyeon had been an integral part of it...so did that mean...

Taekwoon shook his head out of the horrible thoughts. His mind went nuts thinking about all the torture that Hakyeon would be going through.

He let out a chuckle. Even after everything, he still worried about Hakyeon.

He was probably the stupidest person on the planet.

Or maybe he was just a brother.

Who knew.

He tried moving around again for the umpteenth time, like always finding that he was well and truly bound. 

The door then opened and someone strolled inside. Taekwoon's eyes widened when he saw who it was.

"N-Nayoung?" he stuttered. "W-what are you doing here?"

She didn't answer, instead fixing him with a cold gaze, a gaze that sent chills down his spine. 

She wore a long flowing white gown that trailed on the ground, and the gaze she set on him scared him. This was not the Nayoung he knew, not his Nayoung.

"Nayoung, what's going on?" he asked again.

She again didn't answer, instead turning around, flipping her hair behind her.

"Nayoung, you're scaring me."

Someone then came out of the shadows beside her, taking her hand.

Jaehwan, no, Zeus.

"I see you made it here alright," Jaehwan told Nayoung.

She smiled at him. "It was nothing," she said. "I've traversed worse before."

"You certainly have."

Taekwoon pulled against the ropes. "Zeus!" he yelled. "If you hurt her in any way!"

Jaehwan looked at him curiously. "Why would I want to hurt her?" he asked. "I never hurt those who follow me."

Nayoung was his follower? Why was she so chummy with him?

Taekwoon still fumed, his eyes set on Nayoung, silently begging her to give him some sort of explanation, or even attention.

Jaehwan walked over to him, looking at the evil eye now on his hand. Smiling, he turned to Nayoung. "You've done well, Eris," he told her. "You've brought him right to me."

Eris?

Eris, where had he heard that name?

"I do as you command, Lord Zeus," she said. 

"I also trust our little arrangement has powered you up?" Jaehwan asked.

She nodded. "If I am to be completely honest, I struggled to believe you when you said it would be so powerful," she said. "But now that I'm here, I understand what you meant."

Jaehwan grinned. "Nothing like causing strife to put you in a good mood," he chuckled.

Strife?

Oh yeah, now he remembered.

Eris was a Goddess. A Greek Goddess. The Goddess of Strife.

And now that he thought about it, all the pieces fell into place. The way she'd suddenly showed up in their lives, made both him and Hakyeon fall for her, then get engaged to him to drive a wedge between them. Not to mention the way Hakyeon's powers had taken control over him, leading him to get increasingly jealous and desperate enough to go to Jaehwan for a way to make her his.

All this time.

It was nothing but a game to her.

A source for her to feed on and grow strong again.

He clenched his fist thinking about it.

He'd touched her, caressed her, shared his darkest thoughts and feelings with her, even slept with her, and it all meant nothing to her. At the end of the day, all she wanted was to create conflict so that she could prosper.

And oh God, he'd done something terrible.

He'd abandoned his closest confidant for nearly thirty years, his best friend, his cousin, his brother, all for a girl. A girl!

The remaining thoughts running through his head all took a backseat as a nauseous feeling washed over Taekwoon and he felt his grips weakening. Strength seemed to leave his body, flowing out and leaving him behind.

As darkness quickly beckoned him, he looked at Nayoung, trying to convey the betrayal he was feeling, as well as an intent to make her pay for what she did to him, to them.

However, she turned around and strolled out of the door, Jaehwan at her heels.

With a dark grin, he reminded himself that she wasn't Kim Nayoung.

She was Eris, had been Eris, all along.