Jaehwan sat on his throne, Athena at his side as Hermes came running through the doors.

"Status?" he asked.

"It's a bloodbath," Hermes panted. "Kratos is out of control."

"Out of control? What do you mean?" Jaehwan asked.

"He-he's going nuts, attacking every single Olympian not on his side. There were times I even saw him turn against Ares," the messenger of the gods reported.

Jaehwan folded his fingertips in front of him, resting his forehead against them with closed eyes, trying to calm down his racing heart.

Why was his heart racing so much?

Kratos was just going on a rampage, just like regular old Kratos.

Yet why was he so unsettled?

Was it because this time, Kratos was mad because he was about to kill his son, the son he had so desperately tried to hide from him?

Was he feeling guilty to what he was doing to Taekwoon by any chance?

Wait, Taekwoon?

Why did he remember that name? He was nothing but a mere mortal, the only thing warranting the attention of the king of the gods being that a fraction of godly blood ran through his veins. 

Demigods were nothing but entertainment, godly mortals. Mortals glorified them as heroes and saviors; he had been around far too long for any of them to make a single impact on him. Heracles, Perseus, even his own sons had failed to truly amuse him in the long term.

So why was he so fixed on that particular demigod?

Was he guilty that he was killing the boy? 

Or was it something else?

With Kratos being a part of his repertoire, Zeus had kept a close watch on the personification of power. Whenever he set Kratos on someone, it was a sight to see as he rampaged through enemy forces, tearing through them like they were a piece of cloth he was ripping apart.

Was this new unease because now that very same rage was directed towards him?

Was he...afraid?

Was he scared of Kratos?

"Kratos is attacking irrationally," Athena's voice cut through his thoughts and bringing him back to reality. "He is emotional due to the imprisonment of his son, hence he fights not with strategy, but with anger. We can use that against him."

"Perhaps, but Kratos's rage is putting the other gods into fear," Hermes reported. "Not to mention now Nike has joined them, and Bia is slowly going to their side considering their blood relation."

"What about the other gods?" Jaehwan softly asked, still in his position.

"Zelos is spreading jealousy between the other gods, using them as a distraction till Kratos gets to them," Hermes sighed.

"What about Artemis and Apollo?" Athena cut in.

"They were the first to fall."

"Hephaestus?" 

"Shifted alliances once Nike joined them. Said he'd put his trust on Victory rather than just the King of the Gods."

Jaehwan let out a deep breath and opened his eyes. Athena stood still, calculating for a while before she turned to Jaehwan.

"Eris," she said. "Eris is still on our side, right? Set her on Zelos," she enthusiastically suggested.

Jaehwan shook his head. "That will not be possible," he said.

"And why not?"  Athena questioned.

"Because where she is at the moment? I don't think she can be coaxed away, even if the world were to end."

Hakyeon hissed as the white hot heat subsided, only to be immediately followed by a blinding pain.

"You did well," Wonshik told him, patting his shoulder. "The pain will ebb away within a minute, so you just need to hold out."

Hakyeon nodded, not able to speak as he closed his eyes to try and control the pain. Wonshik straightened back up and turned around, walking a little way away.

At his feet, broken, lay the crown of thorns that had kept him in a virtual prison for two years.

Even if it was just two fleeting years, Hades knew that time, no matter how little, spent under Zeus's control, always felt like an eternity. 

Wonshik was glad to finally be rid of Zeus's control.

And what better time, when Zeus was distracted with Kratos's rampage up in Olympus?

He gave a chuckle. "To be honest, I knew you were crazy, but I didn't think you could be crazy enough to try and rip out the crown with your bare hands," he directed the statement towards Hakyeon.

"Ha ha," Hakyeon mockingly laughed as the pain ebbed away enough for him to form coherent thoughts. "Well we quickly found out that it wouldn't work."

"In a way it still helped," Wonshik shrugged. "If you hadn't tried that, we would have never found the right spell to sever the connection."

"Not that I like it though," Hakyeon breathed.

"Relax, it will be nothing compared to what you'll have to do next."

Hakyeon's eyes widened. "What will I have to do next?" If he had to go through the same excruciating pain all over again, no way was he going to follow this guy around more.

Wonshik laughed. "I was just joking," he said, patting Hakyeon. "You're fun to joke around with."

"Heh," Hakyeon forced a smile. "Must be great for you," he murmured.

Wonshik, however, gave no indication that he had even heard that. Instead, he focused on pacing the furiously, thinking deeply.

"What's up with you?" Hakyeon panted. "Don't we now go and set Taekwoon free?"

Wonshik nodded. "Yeah, but that's the easy part..." he muttered, mostly to himself.

"That's the easy part?" Hakyeon asked, his mouth dropping. "I can't wait to hear what the hard part is."

"Eris is guarding the doorway."

Hakyeon leaned back, hitting the back of his head against the wall. "Eris, great," he groaned. "What next? Fire-breathing dragons? Ninjas?"

"As far as I know, only Eris is the doorkeeper," Wonshik said thoughtfully. "So all we need to do is to get past her."

"Without her turning us against each other, you mean," Hakyeon added.

"That's there too," Wonshik agreed.

Hakyeon sighed deeply. As he leaned his head back, his eyes caught sight of the back of his hand, the evil eye glimmering slightly like some sort of fancy tattoo. 

Wonshik suddenly snapped his fingers as an idea struck him. "I know how we can get past Eris!" he announced.

"And how will we do that?"

"Something hasn't sat right with me all along," Wonshik admitted. "If there's one thing I know about Zeus, its that he usually believes that his plan is the best and has a tendency to not set backups." He held his chin. "So I was constantly wondering why he'd leave Eris here. It wouldn't be because he thought I'd betray him, he was sure of that, nor did he think that you would escape."

Hakyeon furrowed his brows. "So why did he leave her here?"

Wonshik sighed. "You're not going to like this, but I think this wasn't his idea, but rather hers."

"Y-you mean...?"

"Eris...can have...tendencies..." Wonshik struggled to put it lightly. "I have a feeling this whole thing awoke those...feelings in her."

"Spit it out!" Hakyeon scolded. "It's unlike you to tiptoe around something."

Wonshik took a deep breath and nodded. "Eris is probably enjoying 'playing' with Taekwoon," he finally said.

Hakyeon's eyes widened. "W-what do you mean...playing?"

"I don't think she'll even touch him, but rather, drive him to the edge of madness," Wonshik said, thinking. "Think about it, she got him to fall in love with her and led him into a trap. If I know mortals its that those kinds of feelings don't dissipate that easily. So she'll probably use that fact against him, even if he knows who she truly is."

Hakyeon's upper lip curled. "That's just sadistic," he said. "Isn't that Aphrodite's thing?"

Wonshik shook his head. "No, Aphrodite would rather see people destroy the world for their true loves."

"She made someone fall in love with a bull..." Hakyeon pointed out.

"I'm not saying Aphrodite's not sadistic in her own way," Wonshik digressed. "But Aphrodite isn't about mental torture, that is something Eris tends to do if she gets out of hand."

"Get out of hand?" Hakyeon repeated.

Wonshik nodded. "For millenia, Zelos has actually kept her under control. It's lesser known, but since they are very closely related to one another, Zelos has made sure that she doesn't go overboard. This is, however, the first time they've been separated."

"And she's gone off the rails, huh?" Hakyeon guessed. His gaze fell to the floor. "We need to save Taekwoon, now."

"I know," Wonshik said. "And I think I know how."