Three giants sit before a dimly burning brazier. A history stands between them, left forgotten except in times like these, when the chilling age and cold isolation of the stars reaches down and sinks into their immortal bones.

A callused thumb and forefinger slide down the neck of a trident resting by a chair. Small hard shells from the creatures of Oceanus hang off its prongs, but also, its owner: they clink and chime like a handful of teeth against his bare chest as he speaks: "Remembering is sinking into a cold well.  Our recent contact brings the wreckage to the surface; the flight of our shuttle riding hot out of Earth's atmosphere and your insufferable vomit making a milky way within the cabin."

A second shadow shifts in response. "My last Earth burger, greasy, unhealthy, and unrivalled in taste. There's a lot I'd trade to savour that again." Golds, oranges and blacks dance across the hard planes of his face, expressionless, humour lost to the ages.  He grabs his goblet, a zap of electricity jumping from his fingertips to the cup. "Diet used to be something that could kill as easily as the sword."

"How times have changed." replies the first. He runs his fingers down his long beard, over the smooth collection of shells and thick grey-green of hair.

Silence descends, broken only by the crackling brazier, coal mined from the dark-side of Rhea fuelling its hungry flames.

The third shifts, the heavier grating and chimes of metal accompanying his movements. Gemstones of all kinds hang off his black skinned arm with jangles and pings, their crystalline surfaces catching in the flames and creating a scintillation of colours across the glass floor beneath them.  There are no walls in this open courtyard, high above this twilight city on Rhea.  Stars above and dim lights below, a mirrored universe at their feet.

"Zeus, no one questions your power to take what you like.  A hamburger is hardly an exception."  The darkest of the three replies.

Zeus brings his fingertips nearly together, a small spit of electricity flighting between them. "My own capacity to take is not in question.  It is his capacity to take that gives me pause."

The fire crackles on, snapping and hissing in response.

The shells clink as Oceanus's God shifts in his seat. "He has proven the end to more than one of us."

Zeus frowns, "Indeed."

The glittery rock bearing God stands, one gem-encrusted mechanical leg catching the light, giving a nearly imperceptible limp to his gait as he moves closer to the fire. He places a hand inside it.  The fire jumps several feet, travelling up his arm.

Zeus picks up his goblet, the light of the growing fire reflecting along the muscles of his forearm, "Tell me of the humans on your planet Hephaestus."

Hephaestus draws his hand back from where it had rested, inside the heart of flame, "The population dwindles, rations are few and costly, and the fighting pits have been more successful than anticipated. Many thanks to you Poseidon, for that suggestion."

Poseidon bushy brows draw together and he runs a hand through his long beard, setting off another tinkle as the shells and trinkets shift against one another.

"All this falls within our current contract with Earth?" replies Zeus turning his eyes from the flame, to the god of the forge.

Hephaestus' gaze meets that of Zeus, unseen forces pulling between them. His voice drops, becoming a whisper of rock and hiss of fire, "I have brought another to speak on that," and turning, calls out over the edge of the stone steps, "Kakos, come."

From the darkness below the sounds of heavy steps can be heard, until first a dark silhouette and then a shock of long white hair cresting in a plume come into view.  It is followed by a body and face that closely mirrors Hephaestus's own.

"You remember my son?" Hephaestus smiles, revealing the startling white of teeth set against his otherwise black skin.

Poseidon twirls his trident in one hand, his expression disapproving, "I thought he had died.  Again."

Hephaestus waved his hand at Oceanus' god dismissively and gestures Kakos forward so they stand, shoulder to shoulder, shared ancestry unmistakable. Kakos's dark eyes travel briefly over the three gods, before he bows his head and drops to one knee, "How may I serve?"

Zeus gestures impatiently, "The remaining human population on Typhon is under control?"

Kakos raises his head, his long plume of hair blowing over his shoulders in a gust of wind, the fire behind dipping and calling the shadows closer, "Indeed they are. Their numbers have been halved."

Zeus's raises his heavy eyebrows, his mouth parting ever so slightly, "And how has this been managed while still keeping within the contract's provision of accessible food and water, and a moratorium on outright killing?"

Kakos's voice rises in pitch and volume, his shoulders squaring, "The fighting pits have better than eclipsed expectations. The contract had no stipulations surrounding human blooded, killing human blooded. All have access to the fights, meaning all have access to the food and water trophies."

Kakos presses his lips together a moment, his voice lowering to a whisper, "But what you will find most impressive, is that one single half-blooded human has delivered most of this death."

Zeus gives a deep gaffah,"Ha! A half-blood responsible for releasing over five hundred souls?" his bark of laughter dies away into the night as he looks to Hephaestus and finds a nod in response instead of answering laughter.   Poseidon's hand stills over his beard.

Kakos' eyes shifts over to the savage flame of fire. "You haven't met Mina."