The Prometheus Spark

Apollo coughed hard as the last of the mist left his lungs. He was sprawled out on the cool stone just beyond the edge of the veil,

blinking against the sunlight. His eyes darted around, unfocused, still locked in whatever memory had dragged him under.

Colton stood just a few feet away, chest heaving, sweat pouring down his face. He wasn't sure if it was from helping Kevin pull Apollo out or from the storm of emotions still swirling in his gut. His arms felt like rubber, and his heartbeat pounded in his ears.

He looked down at Apollo and whispered, "You good?"

Apollo didn't answer. He sat up slowly, running a hand through his hair. His skin was pale, more than usual, and his golden eyes were wet. For the first time since he'd stopped being 'Mr. S,' Colton saw the god as

something painfully human.

"Hyacinthus," Apollo muttered, voice cracking. "My love! I'm sorry my love. Im so sorry..."

Colton didn't know what to say. He placed a hand on Apollo's shoulder, not in comfort—just to remind him he was still there.

Kevin's voice snapped them out of it. "We don't have time for this."

They both looked up. Kevin stood at the edge of the fading mist, his jaw clenched, eyes sharp. He pointed. "That way."

Without hesitation, Colton and Apollo fell in behind him.

They moved quickly through the strange terrain, their boots crunching over uneven stone and brittle roots. The further they went, the more the air seemed to shift—lighter, colder, laced with something neither divine nor mortal.

Statues began to appear on either side of the path—dozens of them. Figures frozen in agony or serenity, each one wearing a blindfold made of stone.

Apollo slowed. "The blindfolded ones," he muttered. "Guardians of memory. They keep watch over Mnemosyne's sanctuary. If you see them crying blood… run."

Colton stared at the statues as they passed. None wept. Yet.

Eventually, they reached the clearing.

The space was eerily quiet. A shimmering spring bubbled gently in the center, reflecting no light. Behind it, a pale throne sat carved

into the rock itself, but no one occupied it.

Apollo stepped forward and cleared his throat. "Mnemosyne. We seek your guidance."

Silence.

Colton tried next. "We need to find someone. Someone important."

Nothing.

Kevin stepped past both of them. "Enough! We've gone through hell and back. And it's lead us here and we need your help!"

He took a deep breath—and suddenly froze.

His eyes turned pure white, glowing with unnatural intensity.

"Kevin?" Colton called out, alarmed.

Apollo held him back. "Wait."

A strange voice echoed across the clearing. Neither Colton nor Apollo could understand the words, but they felt them—deep and old, like they were being pulled backward through time.

Kevin didn't respond. His arms hung limp. The voice wrapped around them like wind and smoke.

Then the glow vanished. Kevin gasped, stumbled, and fell to one knee.

Colton and Apollo rushed to his side as Kevin pulled a charcoal stick from his belt and began to draw on the stone floor.

His hand moved with urgency, desperate, scraping deep lines.

When he finished, he leaned back and panted. Colton stared down at the drawing.

It was a place. A mountainous one, jagged cliffs and a narrow ravine. Chains hung from the rocks like vines. Apollo's breath caught.

"I know this place," he said. "It's not in the Underworld. It's beyond the edge of the old titan ruins—no man or god's land."

Kevin pushed himself to his feet. "We have to go. Now. Mnemosyne's unstable. If we don't leave, our memories might get pulled into the spring."

Colton blinked, confused. "Spring? What are you…?

Apollo grabbed his arm. "He's already slipping. Colton. Don't think. Move."

They sprinted back the way they came, dodging statues and twisting paths. Each statues arms stretched, blood streaming from behind their blind folds. The misted veil came back into view—already flickering, the portal on the other side starting to unravel.

Colton skidded to a halt. His breathing turned erratic. "I…I can't go through that again."

Kevin stepped beside him. "You won't have to. I'll get us through. Trust me."

They rushed in.

The mist tried to take them again—memories clawing at their minds. But Kevin held them both by their wrists and pulled.

They emerged, shaken and pale, just as the portal behind them started to spark and ripple.

Apollo stood. "We need to—"

"Wait," Kevin snapped.

He turned, peering back into the mist. "There's someone else in there."

Colton's eyes widened. "What?!"

"I saw her—she's barely alive. Laying in the fog. We can't just leave her."

Before anyone could stop him, Kevin ran back into the veil.

Seconds ticked by.

Colton and Apollo exchanged nervous looks, hands flexing, eyes watching the flickering light of the portal.

Then—movement.

Kevin burst out, dragging a limp figure over his shoulder.

A woman.

Long black hair. Skin like porcelain. A faded silver gown clung to her like it had been soaked in memories themselves.

Apollo's eyes went wide. "Lethe."

He rushed forward, grabbing her from Kevin. He held her like something sacred.

The portal cracked behind them.

"Move!" Apollo barked.

They dove through the portal, just as it blinked out behind

them.

The silence afterward was deafening.