"The short answer is faith", his father sighed, his eyes staring at nothing, as though he was reliving a grim past.

Athos' eyebrow slightly rose. The purple toga only appeared when his father's Roman personality, one that he had yet to see in person, took over - a side effect of Rome conquering Greece.

Most Greek Gods had dual personalities, one Greek and another Roman, which led to two sets of Demigods who stayed in two different camps, Camp Half-Blood and Camp Jupiter.

Neptune, Poseidon's second personality, had gotten knocked out after shielding that very same Camp Jupiter from the descent of the Sky, which was ironic as the Romans didn't view Neptune in the best light. The Romans only ever came to light in the second book series, 'The Heroes of Olympus', as the two sets of demigods were kept separated as they fought every time they met.

It was in the third book in the series that Percy and his friends met his father who was in his Roman personality at the time, which was much more spiteful and broken than the Greek version he knew. He hadn't left the best impression on the demigods despite being the Patron of all Demigods.

"Ah...you have no idea what Faith is, do you?", Herakles mumbled.

"I do know that it's vital to the Gods. Gods fade in the absence of it, right?", Athos clarified to which Herakles merely snorted.

"I wish that was all it was", Herakles chuckled helplessly. "It is much much more than that - something even I fail to grasp. Perhaps only the Major Gods truly understand, but I shall tell you what I know." He leaned forward.

"Tell me, why do you think Zeus forbids the Gods from interacting with mortals too much? Why did he have Prometheus punished? Why are Heroes used as tools instead of the Gods themselves doing the work?"

"Don't tell me that's all faith...", Athos said. He did indeed wonder why such absurd rules and events occurred but had brushed it aside, thinking it was but one other example of the Arrogance of the Gods. Yet, with how his father phrased the questions, he didn't think the answer was so simple.

"Haha! You couldn't be more wrong. It's Fate", Herakles replied, his face stretching into a mournful grin.

"Eh? Fate?"

"Ahem...Well, think of it as the World for easier understanding. Calling the Moirai the Fates makes it all really confusing."

"Like the Ancient Laws?", Athos frowned, growing more and more confused. The Olympians interacted with Demigods and mortals in the book numerous times. If it were an Ancient Law forbidding involvement, then the Greek Pantheon would be no more. Moreover, didn't Shiva mention that the World acted only in self-preservation?

"Not exactly.....Hmmm, how do I put this?.... Aha! Causality!"

"Causality? As in cause and effect?"

"Precisely", Herakles nodded. "Gods and Immortals in general are inherently alien to the World but are also essential for its survival. Why? About that, I have no clue, but it is for that very reason we are shackled by Fate - the World- not fully enslaved but not free either."

"Huh? Where's causality in this? And what does faith have to do with anything?", Athos challenged, his brow furrowing further.

"Patience! Can't one take their time when telling stories anymore....", Herakles grumbled.

"Alright, I'm sorry old man. Go ahead", Athos sighed.

"Good", Herakles smiled. "Where was I?"

"Causality"

"Hmmm...yes, Causality. The more we Gods interact with Sapient species, the more backlash we face from Fate. There's a reason the Mist exists you know. It clouds the mortal mind, making the supernatural natural. Greatly reduces the backlash we face."

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"Backlash? But why?"

"I have no clue", Herakles shrugged. "I am but a Minor God, son. I may seem to know much but in reality, I am just a little less clueless than you are"

"Fine, I'll give you the benefit of the doubt...but why aren't you facing any backlash now? You're talking to me, aren't you? I am a sapient, intelligent species"

"You sure about that intelligent part?"

"Hey!"

"Alright, alright, I'll stop", Herakles grinned, as though teasing his son was the best thing in the world. "The Laws of Causality or Fate or the World, whatever you'd like to call it, only act when a large portion of sapient species are involved. The backlash depends on who shoulders it. Your Divinity could be suppressed, loved ones killed or...", Herakles' eyes sharpened, "or old enemies resurrected. All those cases are relatively rare - it's mostly just severe injuries that progressively get worse the more the backlash. If the event is large enough, the God itself may cease to exist, not unlike what happens when a God breaks the Ancient Laws"

"What about the flood of Deucalion? It was told Zeus wiped out Humanity itself by flooding the Earth. Is that not large enough?", Athos countered. The end of the Bronze age and the beginning of the Iron Age were due to one of Zeus' temper tantrums. Only two people survived by floating on a wooden chest. If Zeus could do that, then why did he punish Prometheus?

"Good question", Herakles acknowledged. "Firstly, tales can be exaggerated but secondly, that's where faith comes in."

"Go on...", Athos said, intrigued.

"You see, Fate is nothing but the World itself - Creation for that matter. And Faith, which is borne from the mortal soul..."

"IS THE WORLD'S ANTITHESIS!", Athos shouted, standing up. The soul was the closest thing to pure Khaos - the reason why Gods could bend reality in the first place - and Khaos was the complete opposite of Creation. It was nothingness! This was the same reason why Dark Magic, which is sourced from Khaos, was so unstable when used.

"Attaboy!", Herakles laughed.

"Wait! So Faith is like the currency Gods use? The more you tempt Fate by screwing with sapient species, the more Faith you need to sacrifice? So Gods accumulate Faith for this purpose?", Athos questioned.

"You are right but it's more than just currency", Herakles' eyes darkened. "If enough mortals believe in something, then reality itself can change. Faith is a double-edged sword. It helps temporarily free us from the shackles of Fate but we are also subjected to the changes that come with it. That's the reason I lost my Electrokinesis and Aerokinesis.

When I was a Demigod, I refused to use the gifts given to me by my Father as I hated the fact that I was abandoned. I hated the fact that I was a bastard child born because the King of the Gods couldn't keep it in his pants. My pride was too large. Eventually, as time went by, as I gained more renown, the legends people wrote about me did not mention the fact that I had powers over Lightning because I never cared to use them.

When Dad made me a God, I realised the consequences of what I had done. I could not use those powers anymore and my children did not inherit them either. Sometimes I still wonder whether I actually had them in the first place....." his voice trailed off.

Athos' eyes hardened. Being a God didn't sound all that enticing. Did Aphrodite insinuate this back then?

"....What's the point of having so much power if we don't use it?...."

Having the ability to do so much, but being punished for using it sounded awful. What was worse is having your very existence dictated by mortals. He did remember a line from the third book series from Apollo, who said that he remembered having to wear a grey wig in the 1700s that would not come off.

"This does not explain why the Gods can't reveal themselves to mortals right? Why can't Zeus just declare his existence to the world and accumulate enough Faith to ignore the backlash from Fate?", Athos argued.

Herakles snorted once more, "You think we haven't thought of that? The backlash from Fate far outweighs the Faith we could accumulate by doing that. We'd be struck down instantly no matter how large our reserves are.

The only way to interact with a large number of mortals is through natural phenomena nowadays. Stopping storms, sending a sign in the form of a bird - stuff like that. If your reserves of Faith dwindle to nothingness, then you shall fade - sinking into the embrace of Khaos. The resting place of millions of forgotten Gods. Well, that rarely happens now, due to the advent of the internet and Wikipedia. Gods are rarely forgotten now"

Athos sighed before falling into thought. "So, are you saying that the Gods that are worshipped currently would have far larger stores of Faith and thus would have more freedom?"

"You're right. That's why you should be wary of that", Herakles said, pointing at the glowing word on his forearm. "The entity which gave you that bow probably has stores of Faith the Greek Pantheon can't fathom"

"I see...", Athos nodded, examining his arm once more. "This was an enlightening talk, but why did I suddenly gain access to my powers again?"

Herakles' dour expression morphed into a smile, "You're different from other Immortals, son. The ritual probably brought your soul closer to the Primordial nothingness, unlocking the abilities that were previously sealed by Faith. Fate has no hold over you - that's why you are so feared. If you ever grow strong enough to threaten a Pantheon's reign, what's stopping you from eradicating it? Fate? Hah! You're the Fatebreaker! Even the World is helpless against you!"