The Prometheus Spark

"Well," Hermes said, stepping into the sanctuary like he owned the place, "looks like I missed a hell of a party."

His eyes swept the floor, lingering on the

charcoal-streaked parchment and the chaos of fevered sketches. He crouched

beside one of them, tilting his head.

"I've spread word of Prometheus's return across Olympus," he added, voice casual. "Some of the gods are thrilled. A few aren't

convinced. And others…" His grin sharpened. "Well, let's just say not

everyone's rolling out the welcome carpet. Especially Zeus."

Colton said nothing.

Hermes's gaze slid to Kevin, who stood half-wrapped in a blanket, pale and twitching like a man still caught between two worlds.

Hermes frowned. "What the hell happened to him? He looks like he got dragged backward through Hades' asshole."

Apollo stepped forward, his expression flat. "He was taken by a Shade Lord. Colton brought him back."

Hermes took a long look at Kevin, then pointed at the pendant hanging over Colton's chest.

"Brought him back, huh? Your little keepsake doesn't seem so sure," he said.

Colton looked down. The pendant shimmered silver, then darkened. Black. Then back to silver again. Back and forth. Like it didn't know what to think.

"You do realize that's not Kevin anymore, right?" Hermes said, tone low and pointed.

Colton stepped forward, voice tight. "He's still him."

Hermes raised a brow. "Is he? He's more Underworld than mortal at this point. You can feel it."

Colton's fists clenched. "Back. Off."

Hermes smirked. "Just calling it like I see it."

"Call it quieter."

"Gentlemen," Apollo said sharply.

Before anyone else could speak, Kevin's voice

cracked through the room.

"Everyone. Shut the fuck up!"

Silence fell like a dropped stone. Kevin stood

straighter now, the blanket slipping from his shoulders.

"I'm Kevin," he said. "I mean… I'm me. At least, I think I am. I feel like me. I remember being me. But something's off. Like part

of me didn't come back."

He tapped his temple. "I haven't slept. Not since that thing dragged me under. I just… sit. And things come. Not dreams. Not

thoughts. Like whispers bleeding in from someplace I left behind."

He stepped forward and knelt in front of the

drawings.

"I had to get these out. I didn't even think about it. My hands just moved. Like if I didn't draw them, I wouldn't have proof, of

what, I'm not too sure."

His palm settled on one image—a hulking man chained at the knees, head bowed beneath a jagged sky. Colton moved beside him, taking it in.

"This one. I… I think he's—"

"Hercules," Hermes interrupted, voice cutting in like a blade.

Kevin blinked. "Yeah," he said slowly. "That's what I was going to say."

Colton looked down at the image, then back up. "That's Hercules?"

Hermes nodded. "No mistaking that build."

Apollo took a step forward. "And how would you know that?"

Hermes blinked. "Excuse me?"

Apollo crossed his arms. "Zeus claimed Hercules vanished. That was the story. Even I didn't know he'd been locked away."

There was a pause.

Hermes straightened, clearing his throat. "I'm the messenger god. I hear things. It's literally my job."

Apollo stared. "Even secrets the king of the gods kept from the rest of Olympus?"

Hermes waved him off. "Oh come on. You think Zeus tells me everything? I hear whispers. I piece things together. That's what I do."

Apollo didn't look convinced.

Colton turned back to the drawing. "Why would Zeus lock up Hercules?"

Hermes shrugged. "Because he lost his damn mind. After Selene fell, Hercules started preaching that the gods were corrupt. Said we let it happen. Claimed Cronus was still stirring beneath Tartarus. Said we were blind to see that he shouldn't be locked in there. That we were wrong to keep him locked up."

Kevin frowned. "That doesmt sound right."

"No," Hermes said. "He was rallying demigods to rise up against Olympus. He wasn't trying to stop Cronus—he was trying to join him."

Colton narrowed his eyes.

"That's not what I saw," Kevin muttered.

"What did you see?" Colton asked.

Kevin stared at the image. "Sadness. Guilt. He wasn't angry. He was broken. Like he failed to stop something… not like he

caused it."

Colton's brow furrowed. "Wait—wait. Back up."

He turned to Apollo. "Who the hell is Selene?"

Apollo's eyes darkened. "She was the last

sparkbearer. The one before you. A thousand years ago."

Colton blinked. "A thousand—?"

"She was young," Apollo continued. "Seventeen. Just like you. Chosen by Prometheus's flame. Brave. Talented. But not ready. She died fighting Cronus before we could prepare her."

Hermes folded his arms and gave a half-smile. "Yeah. And Hercules was the one who led her to him."

Apollo turned. "Hercules would've never done that."

"Come on," Hermes said, rolling his eyes. "Messenger god, remember? I know everything. He guided her right into Cronus's jaws. Cronus had to of promised him a lot to get good ol' Herc to turn"

Colton looked between them. "So what happened to her?"

Apollo sighed. "She didn't come back. She was killed. Body destroyed. Her spark lost. She had so much potential. Or… so we

thought."

Hermes leaned in. "Had is the key word there. She had potential. Now she's a tragic footnote."

Colton's fists clenched at his sides.

Hermes clapped his hands once, too loud in the heavy air. "Well! Duty calls. Gotta let the king of Olympus know I delivered the

message." He gave an exaggerated bow. "Glad everyone's still mostly alive. Toodles."

And with a flick of his fingers, Hermes vanished in a gust of wind and golden light.

The sanctuary fell quiet.

Kevin's knees buckled.

He dropped to the floor, fists clenched, shaking—not screaming, but trembling like something inside him was caving in. Like

something unseen was tunneling through his ribs.

Colton was on him in seconds, hand on his shoulder. "Kev! What's wrong?"

Kevin didn't open his eyes. His breathing was ragged. His fingers twitched against the stone.

"It's her," he whispered.

Colton gripped tighter. "Who? What are you talking about?"

Kevin lifted one shaking hand and slowly pressed his finger to one of the scattered pages. A girl's face, half-shadowed by rough

strokes of charcoal, stared out from the parchment.

Dark eyes. High cheekbones. Faintly ancient in a way that didn't belong in the modern world.

Apollo stepped forward. His voice was low. Reverent.

"That' Selene."