Hakyeon placed his bag on the counter, turning around and leaning against it as he watched over the cafe.

At this point in time, it was closed, empty, the tables lying bare, the only light source the dim light of the rising sun coming in through the windows and door, casting long shadows along the floor.

He sighed deeply.

"Business as usual," he murmured.

He stepped away from the counter and headed to the back to begin baking the pies.

When he placed the pies in the oven and stood back to let them bake, his thumb unconsciously ran over the back of his left hand, over where the evil eye had previously been.

He sighed.

Taekwoon leaned back in his chair, his eyes running over the sheets of paper lying on his desk.

Was it all just supposed to go back to normal?

Were they supposed to pretend like it never happened?

That he hadn't just been kidnapped, betrayed and almost stripped off his life force to power up an egotistical god?

That he had almost died?

He raised his hand, looking at the back of it.

The area was still a bit red and raw, but no trace of the evil eye remained.

It looked like he had just hit it against a chair or something, something completely normal.

Not to mention how he immediately noticed his empty ring finger.

The first thing he had done after getting back home had been to rip out that freaking ring. He had contemplated burning it but the price he had paid for it made him hesitate. The fact that he actually liked it also served as a reason for him to consider not burning it and then chucking the melted metal into the ocean.

Rather, he had just returned it to the jeweler.

A part of him wondered whether he should have kept it, just in case someone else came along...

He sighed.

"Business as usual," he murmured.

Hakyeon was glad to finally close up shop.

It had been a hard week. After neglecting his cafe for a while, he had been surprised when that literally hit him in the face.

The entire week was spent at the cafe and then at home, knocked out from the work.

He wasn't complaining.

At least it kept the nightmares away.

He wiped his hands with a damp cloth that he let drop on the counter. He grabbed the edges of the counter, leaning as the events of the previous week played over and over in his mind.

He barely registered the door opening and the bell ringing, announcing an arrival.

"We're closed," he said. "Didn't you see the-"

He froze when he turned around and saw two people standing in front of him.

Hongbin.

Sanghyuk.

Hongbin gave a sheepish grin, rubbing the back of his neck. "Hey, I know I should have called, but-"

He was cut off when both of them were engulfed by Hakyeon's arms.

"You're back," Hakyeon said, and Hongbin couldn't miss the shakiness in the eldest's voice.

Hongbin grinned. "Well, we're happy to see you too-"

Hakyeon pulled away from the group hug to grab Hongbin by the shoulders. "You're back," he repeated, cutting Hongbin off again. "I thought you'd never return! I thought Jae-Zeus would do something bad to you!"

He turned to Sanghyuk, grasping the youngest's shoulders as well. "And you! I thought you were being made to repent for your sins!"

Sanghyuk grabbed his hands, raising an eyebrow. "Sins? What do you think I did, hyung? I didn't kill anyone!"

"You almost killed me," Hakyeon pointed out.

"I didn't," Sanghyuk countered. "I was just an accomplice to get you to a level where Zeus could use you to kill your cousin, but that's it, I swear!"

"Uh huh," Hakyeon said, unable to keep the smile off his face as he pulled the younger into a hug. "But it's still so nice to see you again. I thought I'd never get to see you, either of you, after we parted back at Olympus!"

Hongbin chuckled. "Yeah, sorry it took us so long, it was just that we were needed a bit up there."

"Needed?" Hakyeon questioned. "What did you do?"

"Hermes wanted a little one on one time with Sanghyuk," Hongbin explained. "He felt as if he should better prepare him in case something like this happens again. Wonshik had me help him tie up some loose ends. Zelos and Kratos wanted a bit with the two of us."

"What happened to Zeus?" Hakyeon asked.

"What else?" Sanghyuk shrugged. "They reinstated him on the throne and everything has gone back to normal."

"Well, mostly," Hongbin admitted. "This was a good thing for Zeus, since it humbled him quite a bit. Hades certainly kept him in check, and he's left Kratos as his eyes and ears on Olympus."

"Kratos?" Hakyeon narrowed his eyes. "Since when did he ally with Hades?"

"Since he almost lost his son to Zeus," Sanghyuk said. "Hades had already lost a son to Zeus, and after this episode, Kratos wasn't above doing his job keeping him in check, lest someone else lose their kid to his being a ."

"That's true," Hakyeon agreed. Another thought then struck him and he turned to Hongbin. "Wait, what about you?" he asked. "I don't think Zeus will ever forget about this betrayal. Why hasn't he punished you yet?"

Hongbin snickered. "Kratos promised us his protection, as long as we are still on Earth." 

"Which means, after you return to your previous life, Zeus will be free to torture you," Hakyeon completed grimly.

Hongbin shrugged with a grin. "Hey, I'm not worried," he told the elder. "What else can Zeus do to me? Set more birds on me to eat my entrails? There isn't a thing he can come up with that is worse than what he made me endure for centuries on end!"

Hakyeon laughed with them, although it was a bit forced. He was well aware of the fact that once Hongbin was no longer Hongbin and went back to being Prometheus, Zeus would up the torture. And despite his friend's confidence that he could take anything, Hakyeon knew what Zeus was like, and knew that he would come up with a worse form of torture especially for him.

"What about Zelos?" Hakyeon then asked, as the thought of his father struck him. All this time, Hongbin had only mentioned his father once.

"Zelos is taking care of Eris," Hongbin explained. "After the rampage she went through, he's calming her down and getting her back into the shape of things. It's going to take some time, but us knocking her out seemed to do the trick."

"I still can't believe you hit a girl," Sanghyuk murmured low so that Hongbin couldn't hear him.

"However, Zelos did want me to give you a message," Hongbin said.

Hakyeon looked at him interested. "What did he say?"

"He told me to tell you...that he was proud of you," Hongbin stammered slightly. "He wanted me to tell you to be on your guard, since he doubts this will be the last time Eris or someone like her will come after the two of you. He wants you to never let go of your bond with Taekwoon, since in a crisis, you'll only have each other, literally."

Hakyeon narrowed his eyes. "Does he suspect something's coming for us?"

"He wasn't clear," Hongbin admitted. "But I think he was just referring to you not going nuts with your power and abandoning Taekwoon for a girl like you did before."

"Makes sense," Hakyeon agreed. "I was an idiot, wasn't I?"

He looked to the two for sympathy, but found none when they just started nodding in agreement.

"Yep."

"Truly."

"Alright," Hakyeon said, stepping away and placing his hands on his hips. "See if I ever let you two near me again."

They immediately stepped to him, showering him with praises and pleas of "don't do that!" He laughed with them, taking them to a lone table and getting them drinks as the three of them talked into the night.

However, Zelos's message never left Hakyeon's mind.

Hongbin had thought it was just Zelos telling him not to be an idiot all over again.

But after Zelos's last message, Hakyeon had learned to take his father's messages seriously. And he was well aware that this one was a warning.

It wasn't over.

It may never be over.