Titans of Chaos

"My mom and dad are Lust and Violence. You telling me human beings don't worship them? We'rein L.A.! Race riots and Hollywood. Men don't worship what they think they do, no matter whatthey say."

"You don't hide from other creatures. Cyclopes and Laestrygonians and mermaids and stuff."

He smiled a strange little smile. "Humans are different from other created creatures. Prometheusused something he stole from Lord Terminus and kindled a fire in the human souls. Aninextinguishable flame. Indestructible. We don't know what it is. Lord Terminus did not knowwhat Prometheus did, but he was scared silly. He ordered the Titan tormented, to get theinformation, but Prometheus spat in his eye and prophesied betrayal and death for GrandfatherTerminus. The King of Heaven would be overthrown by his son, even as he overthrew his father,and his father overthrew his grandfather. A family tradition. No more than that did he say."

Archer shivered slightly, and drew his purple wings close about himself, as if cold. "If you find outwho is trying to kill you, you'll find out who sent Typhon of Chaos to kill Heaven's Great King."

I said in a hollow voice, "Prometheus foretold that men would overthrow you, as you overthrewthe Titans, and the Titans overthrew the Uranians. That's what he did, isn't it?"

Archer shook off the mood and smiled again. "This was not what we came here to discuss. Youhad quite another question, did you not?"

"Well," I said, "if, as part of our bargain, if I also asked, I mean, can you make it so my boyfriend,um-"

He laughed. "Now you see why everybody hates me, and wanted me off the throne. I've got theone thing everyone, gods and men alike, thinks he wants, but nobody ever really wants it once hegets it. The first answer to your question is no. I have come around to the opinion that messing upthe lives of mortals, and driving them to poetry, or madness, or suicide, is not as funny as it oncewas.

"You see, I'm a married man these days. Psyche is her name, and she went to Hell and back forme.

"So I believe in true love, now, and my Soul tells me there is a greater love in the universe, aTimelessness beyond time, a supernal Eternity. A Forevermore. I'm a changed man. I'm still cruel,but I don't enjoy it as much.

"The second answer is, you picked the wrong boyfriend. He's the Lost One, isn't he? The Telchine?