I GET TWO PRIVATE IMMORTAL TUTORS

A week later, the Denali came into view. The tips of the great mountains were covered in snow. The clouds passed them, giving the appearance the snow was evaporating and also partially cloaking the view in thick white fog. It was as if something was hidden there, something that couldn't be discovered. Even though we were still a few miles away, I felt a supernatural strength radiating from the mountains. And it wasn't just due to the stunning scenery.

Whatever it was, it felt similar to what I felt when in contact with Kronos. It was a cold, chilling power but with notable differences. I sensed a severe harshness that contrasted with the "tender" chill surrounding Father. Here was a bitterness similar to the Titan Lord's, but it was magnified many more times. And unlike with Father, there was no sadness or regret. An acknowledgment to committing atrocities, but here I felt a revelry. A peculiar sense of joy, complemented by fury at a loss. This soul was mad that they lost something; it was so unfair. Unlike Father, this one had a sense he was in the right, that he had merely been wronged, that his cause was just. Above all else, I felt an ardent thirst for revenge. My own vengeful sentiments towards the gods paled in comparison. Soon I would meet this character face to face, and I gulped. It would be tense, to say the least.

The plan was to rest as much as possible, but Vittoria and Mei forced me to spar with them. I would be facing a powerful monster, and if I did nothing but doze off, I'll become sloppy. A worm to the eagle, so they said. Even though they were considerate enough to restrain themselves significantly, they had no problem pushing me back. I, on the other hand, was roughed quite a lot. It had slowed down my recovery, but a week had passed. I was able to hold my own against Mei when she pushed hard, even though I couldn't beat her. Vittoria was another matter. She danced rounds around me, gracefully thrusting her sword to my neck. I could use my powers, but I needed to conserve my strength. I still lacked a lot of it, and I couldn't waste the fleece's power unnecessarily.

I was able to run around the ship without the fleece around my shoulders, and it didn't tire me out as I anticipated. There was still an hour left, so I sat in my bed. I couldn't waste energy now. Vittoria and Mei dropped by, and the three of us ate breakfast - a bowl of fruit salad and a smoothie.

"Did the two of you sense that aura?"

Mei nodded. "Yes. That glaring chill undoubtedly belonged to Atlas. He is someone you need to be wary of, Lord Yiannis."

"So I've heard. Even Father seems to be suspicious about him, despite their history. If things turn south, what is the worst to fear?"

"Death," Vittoria answered. "Atlas is very, very arrogant, making him prone to jealousy. He may be your superior for now, but he is high-strung about his position. He will be paranoid about you uprooting him, which he may view as likely considering your relationship to the Titan Lord. In the ancient days, high ranks or succession was granted to the oldest heirs. Even if Atlas is on another level, he does not have the distinct honor of being Kronos's son. He may kill you if he fears his post in danger. The General of the Crooked One is a man who worships power."

"If he sees that as an option. After all, I also have the distinct honor of being the hero who will tear apart Olympus. He will lose to the gods yet again if I die. And let's not forget Father. I can't imagine the wrath that will descend upon Atlas. Other than making my life miserable, is there anything else?"

"Certainly. Atlas could just send you on a suicidal mission and let others kill you for him. Whether he would be able to fool Kronos is another matter. Blackmail and extortion are other possible tactics. He may hold my life or Mei's hostage to get concessions from you. Be on the lookout."

"Yeah. You can call me your Lord and all, but could you quit being formal? I didn't do any of this when you were in my shoes."

"No, I'm afraid I can't, MY LORD."

"Uggh. I hate you. After this, I'm ordering you to do something bad. Something humiliating."

"I didn't have you call me by a title because you're Lord Kronos's son. That would be offensive to both you and your father. It may be uncomfortable, but it's been some time. You should have gotten used to it by now."

"Well..."

There was no way I was telling her I was too insecure for the job. I was really inexperienced, and my supposed servant was better than me in every way. Who was I to command her? Kronos knows using hereditary links is the worst way to pick officers and successors, right?

"Are you going to speak, or just look at your feet?" Vittoria asked. "Are Mei and I the problem?"

"No! Of course not! It's just...well...frankly, I feel like I robbed you. You worked so hard for this, and I just snatched your role without even wanting to. I may be Kronos's son, but you'd clearly make a much more competent left hand to the Titan Lord."

Vittoria placed her hand on my face. "Look at me, Yiannis." Her coffee-colored eyes gazed into mine. Those eyes showed no hate, no resentment, no attitude. A pure commitment was displayed in those eyes as if she preferred me being her boss.

"I have no qualms about serving you. I'm willing to give my life to you, but..." her lips quirked amusingly. "I do find you rather cute when you let your insecurities show." I blushed, trying to turn around, but Vittoria denied me that. She had locked my head in place.

"Listen, Yiannis. You didn't rob me. Kronos and I both agreed to have you replace me."

"HUH?"

That was news. Even Mei was shocked. Vittoria actually stepped down of her own free will? And she wanted me to succeed her? Of all people? I was a complete newbie - there had to be others in the army who were more capable. So what was so special about me? I didn't think Kronos would appoint those based on bloodlines. Sure, a demigod's parent did determine their power, but...that alone was nowhere near enough to justify using it as a metric to pick tacticians. So on what basis was this idea agreed upon?

"Yiannis - Lord Yiannis - you are correct. You may be clever, but you are indeed far too inexperienced as you are now. You've never been in a war, nor have you planned strategy. But as Kronos's son, you are destined to bring about a new age. Of course, as Hades's son, nobody knows what exactly will happen given the prophecy. Even so, what is certain is that you will bring change to Olympus, if not your sister. To succeed in this, your father and I agree that you need to change. There is not much you can accomplish now - you need experience. And what better way than to be so close to your father? To be one of those he depends upon - someone who brings him solutions and a path forward?"

"But...to put so much on my shoulders so soon...isn't that too risky? I can't lead, and at the moment, I have a long way to go when it comes to the literal art of war."

"Well, the sooner, the better. When we strike Olympus, you will be at the helm with your father. At the moment, you are not a polished weapon, but the hope is that when we invade, a strike from you will end the god's reign."

"Is that so?" That was an awful lot. That decisive conflict may be years away, but Kronos is already targeting other Olympians in lesser battles. I would be participating in them, helping Hades catch the goddess of the hunt. And I just realized I would hold a higher position than my second father - and I may be the one giving him orders. On top of being embarrassing, I'm sure the god of the Underworld could handle his own. Several of his children were famous generals, like Napoleon and even Alexander The Great - and he taught them. It was beyond laughable to have him obey my commands.

Vittoria must have seen through me because she tightened her grip. "You're forgetting something important, Yiannis."

"Which is?"

"You won't be alone. You have both Hades and Kronos to guide you. Mei and I will help you however we can. Will that suffice?"

"I know...and I'm grateful, Vittoria. Truly. But...what about me? Even after I learn all I possibly can, how qualified will I prove to be? It'll be a waste if nothing changes and if you are still most deserving of being Father's third-in-command."

Vittoria squatted down to my level and wrapped her arms around me. Her tender, delicate fingers ran down my hair, soothing my mind as she pushed my face into her shoulder. She smelled like the sea, and her lemon-scented hair brushed my nose.

"My Lord, do you not trust my judgment? Or your father's?"

"No. Your reasoning is sound...I'm scared-"

"Scared of what? Failing? Disappointing? Losing favor with your father or me?"

"All of them. I don't know if I can live up to the prophecy, but I will do whatever it takes to instill Father back on his throne. You and he have given me a lot, and I'm worried I'll only be a burden. That I'll cause problems and make it difficult for the two of you-"

Vittoria pinched my lips. "That's enough out of you." Vittoria pulled me closer. "If Kronos and I didn't think you were ready, even as you are now, we wouldn't have done this. But we did." Vittoria rose, cupping my face in her hands. "I, like your father, have complete confidence in your ability. I wouldn't have willingly demoted myself otherwise. This isn't like you, Yiannis. What happened to your usually cocky self?"

I didn't answer. Vittoria stroked my cheeks, calming me. Just like that, my insecurities vanished, receding to the back of my mind. I don't know why, but I really liked the way her hands massaged my facial muscles. She treated my doubts with a rather romantic gesture. My cheeks flushed, but even so, I was able to think clearly now. Her warm, cozy touch had melted my thoughts away and left me on a blank slate.

Vittoria slowly smiled. "You've calmed down. The uncertainty that once coated your eyes has been replaced with devotion."

"Devotion?"

"Yes. Like how I devote myself to you, my one Lord, you pledge yourself to me. You feel guilty - that you have robbed me. You now intend to stop making excuses and fulfill your duty to your father as a way to atone, yes?"

"That's one way to put it, but I think it goes more along the lines of becoming a worthy person for you to serve."

"I see." Vittoria removed her hands. She whispered something unintelligibly, smiling at me.

"What did you say just now?"

"Nothing, my Lord." Vittoria looked out my window. "We've arrived at the Denali, so it seems. Mei and I will wait on the ground. Once you're ready, meet us on land."

I disembarked from the Black Pearl and followed Vittoria and Mei. As we walked our way to the mountains, we talked about what to do. Our discussion didn't center around our established plan as much as it did our method of reaching the tallest summit in America.

There was a particular type of magic that allowed someone to fly. But Vittoria said it was too exhausting to be useable, at least for me. As an empusai, Mei had wings and thus could carry us to the top, but Vittoria feared Zeus would see her and zap her. There was shadow magic, but apparently, Vittoria "sucked" at it. For her, shadow magic consisted of spells that were difficult to harness. She could travel through shadows like me but struggled to make constructs out of them. She couldn't create complicated structures like weapons or tall staircases. We couldn't use shadow travel because it depended on shadows being present, and there was really no way we could know if they were present at the peak. I couldn't use the powers I got from Hades, so there was nothing I could do. Teleportation was an option, but it used anima proportional to distance. In our case, the amount required would be astronomical, even if we divided it among three people. The three of us agreed that it was best to erect a pathway to ascend to the top.

Since I was still healing, I wouldn't be making anything. That task fell on Vittoria, who was by far the best magic user among us. Ice magic consumed lower amounts of anima than other types of magic, so it was the most cost-effective. Building a giant path to the top of a mountain would consume a lot of anima regardless. Then, we would have to free two Titans and fight a god. Vittoria would expend a lot of energy, so our plan was amended. I would deal with the giant eagle on my own while Mei backed up Vittoria. Of course, I didn't want Vittoria to use any more anima than she had to.

To reach the peak, Vittoria would create a giant staircase. To help her out, Mei and I would apply booster spells on her and fed her with anima. That way, she wouldn't have to absorb them herself and just concentrate on molding a frosty flight of stairs. The two of us grabbed each of Vittoria's shoulders as our top magic user began forming stairs. Eventually, she built an ascent, which grew and grew from veils of white mist. It went higher and higher until it stabbed the very clouds that covered the mountain tops.

Vittoria fell backward, and Mei and I caught her. "Sorry," she huffed. "I thought I would faint after that. Glad to know it took less anima than I thought."

I helped Vittoria get back on her feet. "I'm also glad you didn't collapse. Still, do you think you could climb up all of that?"

Vittoria looked at her creation with doubt. "Probably not. My legs are shaky, and I feel a little dizzy. But we have no other option. I'll lean on the two of you for support."

"Got it. If you need to rest, even now, let us know."

Vittoria requested a one-hour break right off the bat. Once it was over, Mei and I wrapped our arms around her back and helped her up. Vittoria took two more breaks, but even then, we still managed to reach the peak faster than I expected.

I'm glad I brought a fluffy winter coat with me. I would have frozen to death if I didn't. The same goes for the comfy gloves I wore and boots. My insides were still numb, but there was no frostbite. Vittoria and Mei hugged themselves as they shivered. This was worrying. Could I beat a giant eagle on my own in this cold? The fleece was still on me, so I hoped the answer was yes.

We trudged along, our feet always a couple of inches deep into the pockets of snow. A giant feather gently landed on the floor. The worrying part was that it landed a few feet in front of me. It was more than big enough to crush me had I not been fortunate. I then realized it had gotten much dimmer. Whatever was above me was blocking a lot of the sunlight. I peered up. I saw nothing but ruffled feathers and hind claws after the creature had passed me, and it was bright enough to clearly see again. The giant eagle was on its way to its daily lunch: Prometheus's liver.

Vittoria grasped my hand. "You sure you want to do this solo? I think I'll be a fair match for Proteus even when I'm like this."

"A giant eagle is still nothing compared to a god. I know Kronos said Proteus is nothing to you, and I trust him, but he's still a powerful foe. On top of that, you'll have to fend him off while I free Prometheus and revive Atlas. There's no guarantee how long I will take to defeat the eagle. If I take hours, I have a feeling you'll be too exhausted to keep fighting by then. You need your maid for backup."

I expected Vittoria to argue back, saying I had no right to talk either because I was still recovering from my battle with Ischyros. My bones still weren't fully mended, and I had a high risk of dying, perhaps even higher than Vittoria's. I was surprised when she simply sighed, letting me be. "Alright, my stubborn Lord. Try not to die, will you?"

Mei nodded. "May your father aid you, Lord Yiannis."

"Thanks, you two," I smiled. "I'll see you later."

I ran after the eagle's tail and came across a ten-foot-tall man. He had the same pale skin and dark hair as Hades. He was much slimmer, although he still carried a lean build. He was dressed in black robes, and I was stunned he wore sandals in this weather. How did he not have hypothermia?

The eagle swooped down, puncturing the man's chest. The man screamed as the eagle ripped open his chest with its beak and began munching on his insides, ichor flying everywhere. I took a few seconds to puke. This scene would be remembered by me as one of the most disgusting things I had ever seen. It is not pleasant to see a man being eaten alive.

While the eagle was distracted, I sprinted towards it. When it saw me, I stomped my foot, and the eagle stood still. Now that I do think about it- using my time controlling powers does make defeating monsters easy. There were notable exceptions, like Ischyros, but that was different. After facing the great dragon, this eagle was like a middle-school bully. It was nowhere near as terrifying, and honestly, it didn't exhibit that same tremendous aura of power. Nowhere even close.

The one thing that the eagle did have in common with Ischyros was size. They both were gigantic enough to block sunlight - which was impressive. If I slashed the eagle's neck with my scythe, the dead bird would just fall on me - and I couldn't run away. To not break my bones again, I climbed on top of the bird. Its feathers made decent ledges and were easy to hold on to. I didn't want the bird to trample Prometheus either, so I had to throw it off the Denali. Or rather, parts of it. Only the upper body of the bird was directly above Prometheus. If I cut it off and let time flow again, the bottom half would just fall to the ground next to the Titan's feet.

Cutting off half an oversized bird's body was too much work, so I just whacked my scythe into its eyes and cut its head off. It may hurt Prometheus to have a literal ton of weight on top of him, but the dude's an immortal. His body self-regenerates, as evident by his wounds gradually closing on their own. Some of the eagle's body will cover Prometheus's, which will make freeing him difficult. But I won't be able to restrain the flow of time for much longer, and I'm even sweating. I'll just do the rest after a much-needed break.

I mustered up the strength in my arms, used a booster spell, and managed to throw the eagle's head off the mountain, watching it plop to the ground and explode in a messy pile of blood. Oh, right. There was now a giant hole in the eagle's body - and blood flooded out of it like a tsunami. Sorry, Prometheus. But the Titan looks better as a red-haired emo, so he can't complain all that much.

I let time flow again and lay down on the eagle's back. It felt like a mattress, although not the most comfortable one - the feathers were like needles, yet it still sufficed. Once I finished heaving and enjoying the sunshine, I got right to work. Well, I had to change the plan. I was too tired to cut more body parts and throw them off individually, so I decided to shove the remains off the mountain. While I succeeded, my arms felt like spaghetti, loose and feeble. I sat on the ground, again exhausted.

Prometheus regarded me, and I tried to look him in the eye. He once betrayed Kronos, and I did not want to show weakness. Otherwise, he may decide to backstab me too.

I got up and promptly began hacking at his golden fetters. After a few swings, my scythe cut through his chains from his right arm to his left foot. The Titan observed me, and a flash of recognition shone in his eyes. "That scythe...Is that not Lord Kronos's?" Although tiny, there was a tint of fear in his voice. Even though he had the guts to betray Father, Prometheus still feared him. Good. Hopefully, that alone will keep him obedient - and I wouldn't have to worry about him teaming up with Atlas.

"Yes, Pro-I mean Lord Prometheus. This was a gift from the Titan Lord."

"A gift? Why on earth did he give his most prized possession to a demigod? And how are you even able to use it? Only divine beings can wield the scythe. Mortals are too weak to hold it-" He was astonished to see blood all over him, and his eyes quickly smoldered with flames, but the fire died rapidly. "It would seem that this is not my blood, so you haven't been attacking me. I suppose you wouldn't - it would be idiotic to free me then. What happened, child?"

"I'm sure you're familiar with the eagle that eats your liver. Look down, below the cliff." Prometheus obliged, shaking his head. "Not even Hercules could fight that monster. Even with Zeus's blessing, he only managed to shoo it away with a poisoned arrow. I smell mortal blood in your veins, but...you're no mere demigod. What is your name, young one?"

"I am Yiannis Cirillo. Under my father's command, I have come to free you and Atlas and have the two of you serve the Titan Lord again."

"Your father's...yes, that explains it. You are indeed the son of Kronos. Otherwise, that scythe would have harvested your soul."

"Is Father's scythe that dangerous to mortals?"

"Yes, child. That scythe was imbued with a unique spell - it reaped the lifeforce of others. It was how Kronos defeated Uranos - he absorbed his lifeforce and gained his powers."

"It can hurt even primordial beings?"

"Correct. However, it was enchanted with magic that is too potent. The scythe will instantly kill any mortal who touches it - although demigods can use it assuming they take appropriate measures. More importantly, your father sent you?"

"Yes. Will you heed Father's message? He needs your help for the upcoming war."

"If I refuse, what will you do?"

"It is not me, but Kronos who you will aggravate. I can't stop you from doing as you wish. But I'm prepared to fight you if you attack, even if it's futile."

Prometheus slammed his fist into the ground. I dodged. The Titan shrunk in height, and now he was only six feet, and sad to say, but Father was right. I am a midget - well, sort of. I'm five foot four - which is definitely average height.

The Elder Titan cast an ice spell, forming a lance in his hand. He threw it, and I rolled forward, living by a hair. Prometheus had a sword in his hands this time, and he brought it down. I sat on one knee as I blocked him with my scythe. I grabbed the handle and propelled myself upward, swinging half a circle as I kicked Prometheus in the face. I followed by hurling my scythe at his neck.

Prometheus jumped back, but I still managed to get him. Ichor seeped from a small cut on his face. "Even though you've taken on that eagle, you can keep up with me. Impressive."

"Could I ask why you're attacking me? Have you decided to still support the gods even after what they've done, or is it just that you refuse to serve Father?"

Prometheus didn't respond. He leaped at me, and I ducked to evade his blade. I kicked his feet out from under him, but I was too slow to attack him. Even though it would drain me, I had to stop time again. It was the only way to deal a decisive blow.

Prometheus and I exchanged blows, but it seemed he was holding back all this time. This time, I could only dodge, and just barely. The Elder Titan kicked me in the chest, and the oxygen left my body. I managed to land on my feet, but I felt like curling into a ball. A few bones in my ribs had broken again.

That pissed me off. I just got healed, and this goddamm traitor turned prisoner undid weeks of progress for no apparent reason. My blood boiled, and my pain was converted into anger. If Prometheus wanted to fight, cool. He better not complain about what I was going to do to him.

If Prometheus was still holding back, close-range combat was a bad idea. It would be even more challenging to keep up with him now. I would have to use long-range attacks - meaning magic.

Spikes of ice appeared under Prometheus's feet. While it did nothing but annoy him, I was able to injure him. A small pool of ichor formed underneath him. As he approached, I shot fireballs, but he tanked them. I guess Titans had really durable bodies. I let him come towards me, sprinkling ice shards at him. He deflected them with his blade, but when he came in front of me, I generated a cloud of haze. Then, I used shadow magic to strike him from behind. I slashed his legs - he would move more slowly then. I could trap him in his own shadow, but that would be pointless if he knew how to perform shadow magic. Before Prometheus could hit me, I appeared in front of him and swung my scythe across his chest. I couldn't see if I got a scratch on him(the fog got in the way), so I skipped backward. I needed to keep a distance between us.

Ichor leaked from Prometheus's legs as he gave chase. Where the golden blood fell, verdant grass started to grow. What an exceptional power indeed.

Anyways, back to the fight. My magic wouldn't affect the Titan, so I was forced to fight him in close range. The problem is, I would die that way. With broken bones, I would not be able to push back very hard. But there was a way out.

Prometheus stepped on the gas. It let me know that he was holding back except for now and that he probably still wasn't going all out. Had I not stopped time, he would have grabbed me and torn me into pieces.

But I did stop time. Prometheus's fingers were a centimeter from my nose. A moment too late, and the Titan could have choked me. Welp, now that he's nicely in place, I can finish this(I think).

I raised my scythe and furiously hacked at Prometheus from several angles. To top it all off, I cut him in half. When time resumed, the Elder Titan writhed on the ground. I jumped at him, but the Titan merely waved his hands and sent me flying.

And I landed on my ass. Excellent. My ribs were screaming for aid, and I was crying. The pain escalated exponentially, and I struggled to get up. I planted my scythe into the ground and gripped it for support. If only I came here in peak condition...

I looked at the scythe. If what Prometheus said was true, then this weapon harvested some of the Titan's lifeforce. It could also be extracted, which would be a big help. It could heal me completely, but I didn't know what to do. Why hadn't Father said something?

I used a healing spell, and some of the pain subsided. The anima flowing through my body also touched the scythe, and it glowed. It radiated an overwhelming power, and I thought I was going to melt because of it. Thankfully, I didn't, and the power went inside me instead.

Now, I radiated light, and I felt my limbs mending at an unimaginably fast speed. My fatigue vanished, and I felt really hyper. Glad to know extracting another dude's lifeforce was that easy. But Prometheus wasn't down yet. Far from it.

The Elder Titan's body was devoid of the many wounds I inflicted on it. It was as if we never fought at all. Did he use healing magic? I'm assuming I'd have to absorb all his lifeforce(his soul) to actually kill him, though I'm pretty sure I made the Titan too mad. Prometheus might take this fight seriously now unless I'm still underestimating him, and he hasn't tried at all this whole time.

I shot a fireball at him and realized that my proficiency in magic spiked. I created a much larger ball with less significantly less anima. Was that because I absorbed part of Prometheus's lifeforce? What would happen to me if I took all of it?

I charged, but it seems Prometheus had enough. His fist stopped inches away from the right side of my face. The force was so tremendous that it caused fissures to open behind me. "I was hoping to see more from you, son of Kronos. Right now, you're just an unruly barbaric. Nothing but some raw power."

"I never said being the son of Kronos made me invincible," I growled. "So, I suck. So what? It's not like I had a chance against a Titan, now did I?"

"Perhaps. But you're not hopeless. You do seem to possess good intuition and some talent."

Clouds covered the sky. The temperature, to me at least, had risen twenty degrees. I felt a familiar cold envelop me. A gentle cold that somehow made me cozy and warm. Was Father here to protect me?

Prometheus looked towards the sky and spoke in ancient Greek. It was too fast for me to get a grip on what he was saying. The clouds passed, and I felt a bit sad. I wanted them, and Father, to be here just a bit more.

Prometheus turned to me. He inspected my body with his hands. "You've healed yourself with my lifeforce, I see. Don't worry, I won't kill you for it."

That didn't ease my worries. "What did you and Father talk about?"

"Ah, right. This was a last-minute proposal, so I guess you wouldn't be aware. Because your father asked, starting today, you'll be my pupil."

"PUPIL?"

"Lord Kronos wants me to teach you how to fight while Hades will teach you strategy. Your training will take place in the Underworld."

I gave up on figuring out what was going on. This was so sudden, and I was still confused as to why Prometheus even fought me. Was he just doing it to assess me? Well, whatever.

"If that's the case, Lord Prometheus, you've joined Kronos's cause again after all?"

"Yes, Yiannis. Now, you said you came here to free me and my brother, Atlas. I'm assuming your friends are handling that?"

"Yes, my Lord. However, they may be in trouble." I informed Prometheus of our plan and Proteus.

"I see. The old sea god is desperate for power, eh? Well, I'm sure your friends are fine, but they can't awaken Atlas without the golden fleece. Hold my hand. I'll teleport us there immediately."