Chapter 32 ▴ Compromise

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In the short time since she met him many months ago, Amelia had never seen Demetrius so dead silent

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In the short time since she met him many months ago, Amelia had never seen Demetrius so dead silent.

This wasn't his general pensiveness of things. He didn't greet her or the others welcome when he and Alistair touched down at Charles de Gaulle International. But then again, his son Poseidon was in danger and the only way to get him safe and sound was to hand over the Artifacts, the items which he worked so hard to hide from the wrong hands. The situation didn't exactly call for a happy and warm meet-up.

Amelia couldn't find herself to distract her thoughts with the private jet that they were now flying in. All she did so far was to stare at her father in concern while Athena discussed everything that has happened so far, namely the incidents with the Mafia in Japan and Paris. She still hadn't shared her encounter with Hades back at the catacombs, and she didn't see the point. Hades' warning wasn't that helpful to prepare them for what was yet to come.

The whole time Athena and the rest of the group spoke, Demetrius simply nodded in acknowledgement to make sure they knew he was still listening. But he didn't look like he was even listening. If anything, half of the words seemed to pass through his ears.

Much to Amelia's dismay, Zeus came with them in the flight after all. Athena somehow managed to convince her brother to forget what he said in conviction and stick along. Since then, he'd been sitting quietly in a seat far away from Amelia's, and she didn't mind it at all. She didn't want to be anywhere near him, an obsessed creep, either.

When Amelia finally decided to tune in to the discussion, Athena was still speaking, her voice void of the stiffness before. "We will wait patiently outside the campus while Amelia enters alone and delivers the Artifacts to the Titans."

"Not to be a party pooper, but how exactly is she going to carry all of it?" Raymond asked.

"It's a concern we should address," Alistair said as he lounged on his automated wheelchair. One of the plane seats was folded up to make space for it. "I'm the only one who can handle Hephaestus' Hammer with ease. She will only make a fool of herself if she even tries dragging the whole thing all the way inside."

"Claudius demanded that she would go in alone," Athena said. "Maybe he expects that one of his men will help her carry them."

"He won't," Demetrius said, making everyone turn their eyes to him. "I know Claudius. His time as Atlas, the Titan who had the sky over his shoulders, made him crave pain and humiliation for others. He would like to see Amelia embarrass herself. He certainly loved seeing her break when he used Benjamin as a host."

Demetrius looked at Amelia with a knowing but sorrowful look. "Claudius might be the one with the upper hand here, but I cannot let this slide, even if it is petty. I'll go with you, my lotus."

Amelia stood up. "What? But his terms! We should follow them or Sei and Ivy might get it!"

"I thought we all agreed on this," Athena added. "You were–-are Cronus, and Atlas feared as much as he respected you when you were the leader of the Titanomachy a long time ago. With all due respect, you're more of a liability than an asset in this situation. You might trigger another war if you show yourself to him."

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