"I've made up my mind! I want to go yes!". Alice said seriously, a little annoyed.

Ethan stares at her for a few seconds, not understanding.

"Are you jealous?" Ethan asked, laughing.

"No! I'm just going along to make sure you'll be safe!". Alice replied, looking away.

"Safe from some successor or from Emily?". Ethan asked, laughing and approaching Alice.

"Maybe both!". She answers in a whisper, but Ethan can hear her well.

"You're a sweet guy, you know that?". says Ethan, gently stroking Alice's face.

A notification: New message:

Emily: 'Heeeeey, sweetie :3'.

Emily: 'My dad told me he wants to talk to you! Here's his number 410 5678900'.

Ethan: 'Thank you so much, Emy :D'.

Emily: '<3'.

'GOT THE NUMBER!'. Ethan said loudly, happily, while Alice was dumbfounded, staring at the heart in Emily's chat.

"Now I just need to call him! It's okay if...". Before he finished speaking, Ethan looked at Alice, who seemed not to be on her best days. "Do you want to talk?" Ethan asked, taking a seat next to her.

"Do you like me?" Alice asked, leaning her head on Ethan's shoulder.

"Huh? Of course, I like you, Alice!" He said, petting her hand.

Alice was always so secure and determined. It was strange for Ethan to see her insecure about something like this, but that didn't make Ethan find her any less attractive. He ended up feeling special, knowing that Alice cared about how he felt about her.

"You're the smartest, most beautiful girl I've ever met, can you believe it?". Ethan said, looking at her. "I can't find a single flaw in you!". He added, trying to cheer Alice up.

"You don't have to exaggerate!" Alice said, with a gentle smile.

"I'm not! You're my sweetheart!". Ethan said, hugging Alice.

"What were you going to ask?". Alice asks.

"Oh, no! Let it go!". Ethan replies.

"You want to call your uncle, right?". Alice asks, softly.

Ethan nods his head.

"It's okay! This is important!". She replies, understanding.

"Thank you!". Ethan smiles. "I guess I better say goodbye to your family before I go!".

Alice nods and the two head toward the bedroom door, but as soon as it opens, Carlisle is standing behind the door.

"Where are you two going?" He asks, intruding.

"Oh, Ethan's leaving already!". Alice answers quickly.

"I need to take care of some things at home. Thanks for dinner, Carlisle!". Ethan completes, heading toward the exit.

"I think you'd better stay! I need to talk to you about something before I go...". Carlisle says, stopping Ethan from leaving.

Ethan felt his body freeze and looked at Alice, who looked a little frightened.

"It's okay!" Ethan replied, swallowing his saliva dryly.

Carlisle points to a room across the hall, indicating that Ethan should follow him.

Ethan follows him, while looking back, seeing Alice confused and frightened.

Carlisle's room looked like a CEO's office. They had perfectly organized books, a large wooden desk with some pens that looked expensive, and a silver notebook.

"Have a seat, please!". Carlisle said, moving toward the bookcase.

Ethan sat down, a little uncomfortable.

"Ethan, I know you're entering this new universe of fantastical things and that they look amazing from your point of view, but I need to explain exactly what's going on!". Carlisle said, picking up one of the books from the shelf.

- I really don't care if you're going to try to convince me otherwise, Carlisle - Ethan thought.

"Fine!" Ethan said.

"You should know by now that I have over 300 years on earth!". Carlisle said, sitting down in his chair, flipping through the book he had picked up.

"Yes, I do!". Ethan replied.

"And I imagine you must already know the period that the legend tends to take place. So, as you imagine, I've seen things repeat themselves 3 times! None of your half-brothers survived, as you might imagine, and so, you are here today!". Carlisle said, staring at Ethan.

"Ethan, don't trust him! He will only use you, and once he gets what he wants, he will discard you! You're just a puppet for him. Do you think he feels anything for you? That he considers you as his son or something? Or that he would at least call Enid?". Carlisle continued.

"Don't talk about my mother!". Ethan said, without any expression.

"Do you really think he fell in love with her and wanted to raise a family on her side? He just used your mother to get a child, Ethan!". Carlisle said, trying to tease him.

- Whether he wanted to use my mother, she was happy! He took care of her and made her happy! I really don't care what his intentions were, or the paternal love. I just want to evolve! - Ethan thought.

"I see." Ethan replied, not wanting to cause intrigue.

"The Gods are looking for their successors, so they can fight in the Olympic battle and decide who will be king of the heavens! You are Hades' son!" Carlisle said, turning the book to Ethan.

"I have seen many children die because of this blessing! You were the only one who managed to survive, and that makes you capable of becoming the strongest successor of all the gods!" Carlisle said, pointing to the picture of a man with a crown on his head in the book.

Carlisle turned a few pages of the book, coming to a chapter that had the image of Hades drawn on it.

He didn't look like Hayden. He was a haunting demon, who showed only hatred and anger in his gaze. Hayden, even if it was not his true identity, had a calm and serene look in his eyes.

"Hades doesn't want a successor. Do you think he will train you to pass the throne to you? Hades is a deity with no dignity, Ethan. He will give you all the training he can, but he will dominate your mind to do what he wants. Once you destroy all the successors, Hades will kill you, Ethan!" Carlisle said calmly, "I know you feel your mind being overpowered when you are training. Why do you think this happens? It's him, Ethan!".

Ethan stopped for a few seconds, not knowing what to say. It really did happen. He was blinded by bloodlust, completely losing his insanity, but he couldn't believe that this was Hayden. The power of the shadows was destructive. Probably, Ethan should develop his mind to be strong enough to control the power of the shadows completely.

"How do you know all this, Carlisle?" Ethan asked, curious.

"I tried to save one of the children from Hades!". Carlisle said.

Ethan stared at him. He had an expression of surprise, but at the same time, he seemed not to believe it.

"In the middle of 1665, an epidemic of bubonic plague began in England. A mother came to me, desperate for her baby. I had never seen such a case before. It was a little girl and her body was being completely eaten away. It seemed to be the symptoms of the plague, but she only had a few hours to live, and with each passing minute, the baby's body was getting more and more deteriorated. It was horrible. That mother crying desperately next to her baby... But something I will never forget, is the soulless expression of that man who accompanied the woman." Carlisle said.

He seemed to be starting to feel anger.

"It was clear that he had no love for that child. He didn't come close to her at any time, he just watched the mother and daughter scream in desperation from afar. After the child took her last breath, he just turned and walked away, leaving the woman alone and never coming back. A few days later, the child's mother couldn't take it and ended up committing suicide, because she lost her daughter and was abandoned by her husband." Carlisle added, saddened.

"How did you know it's him?". Ethan asked.

"Not just from rumors, but every book I could find, I started studying about Olympus. Many vampires told me about the legends and all the cruelties he did to humanity and divine beings." Carlisle said. "He could probably even be considered the father of vampires, but that is just a rumor..." Carlisle added.