Oliver found himself standing in the familiar eerie glow of the Crossroads, a place that was becoming all too familiar to him. The night had seemingly rolled around in no time, as if the passage of hours and days had lost meaning in this strange, otherworldly realm. The perpetual twilight of the Underworld created an unsettling sense of timelessness, making it hard to distinguish one day from the next. And yet, here he was again, back at the Crossroads, the meeting point where paths converged, and destinies were decided.

Once again, as he had been the past few days, he was greeted by the twin brothers. He had come to know them slightly better over the past few days, though they remained as mysterious and cryptic as ever. Their watchful eyes seemed to bore into his soul, as if they could see straight through him. It was unsettling, but Oliver had grown somewhat accustomed to the constant feeling of unease that permeated every aspect of the Crossroads.

Tonight was different, though. There was a charged energy in the air, a sense of anticipation that crackled like static electricity. Oliver could feel it in his bones. Today was the day he had been waiting for, though not without trepidation. Today, he would be sent out on his first real mission in the Underworld. The thought both thrilled and terrified him. He knew this wasn’t a test or a simple task. This was real, and the stakes were high. While he may be a god now, he knew he wasn't invicible and that pain and injuries where still very much a thing. Not knowing how Gods could die didn't make it easier.

Hecate, the powerful goddess who had taken him under her wing, had mentioned the mission in passing. Her words had been vague, deliberately so, Oliver suspected. She had not really explained what the mission would entail, leaving him to wonder what sort of challenge lay ahead. Hecate was known for her enigmatic nature, he had been told, always speaking in riddles and half-truths. But there was one thing she had made clear: this mission was important. Orders like these, she had said, came directly from Hades himself, the ruler of the Underworld.

Oliver couldn’t help but feel a shiver run down his spine at the thought. Hades was not a figure to be taken lightly. He was the ultimate authority in the Underworld, a god who wielded immense power and commanded absolute respect. If Hades had need for the God of Darkness, it meant that whatever he was about to face would be no ordinary task. The weight of the responsibility began to settle on Oliver’s shoulders, heavy and inescapable.

As he stood there, waiting for the inevitable moment when he would be called to action, Oliver’s mind raced with questions. What would the mission involve? Would he be up to the challenge? The Underworld was a place of danger and deception, where even the smallest mistake could have dire consequences. He had no idea what to expect, but one thing was certain: he would have to rely on every ounce of his courage, wit, and determination to succeed.

“You know, it should also be time to meet your partner for a lot of your missions“, Hypnos said, breaking Oliver out of his thoughts.

“Follow me, she should be waiting in the Garden of Hesperides.

Oliver and Hypnos moved cautiously through the Crossroads, their steps echoing in the stillness of the Underworld. The path ahead was shrouded in mist, winding and twisting in ways that defied logic. Hypnos, the god of sleep, walked beside Oliver with an otherworldly calm, his presence both soothing and unnerving. As they journeyed deeper, the familiar gloom of the Crossroads gave way to a soft, ethereal light.

Finally, they arrived at the Garden of the Hesperides, a place of haunting beauty hidden deep within the Underworld. The air was thick with the fragrance of night-blooming flowers, and the garden was bathed in a pale, silvery glow. In the center of the garden, Nyx, the goddess of night, awaited them, her figure as dark and mysterious as the starless sky above.

To Oliver's astonishment, the figure before him, Nyx, the goddess of night, was a familiar face. As the mist parted and the silvery glow of the Garden of the Hesperides illuminated her features, Oliver felt his heart skip a beat. There, sitting calmly yet with an air of melancholy, was Mary—the girl he loved, the person he trusted more than anyone in the world. The recognition struck him like a lightning bolt, leaving him in complete shock.

“Mary...?” Oliver’s voice trembled with disbelief as he took a step forward, his mind struggling to reconcile the impossibility of what he was seeing. This was the girl he had confided in, the one who had always seemed to understand him in ways no one else could. But here she was, revealed as Nyx, a goddess of immense power and mystery.

“Oli…” Mary’s voice wavered, filled with emotion as she met his gaze. She could see the hurt and confusion in his eyes, and it tore at her. She had prepared for this moment, knowing it would come, but the reality of it was far more painful than she had imagined. “I... I wanted to tell you, I really did, but I couldn’t…”

As Mary struggled to explain, the truth began to dawn on Oliver. Memories of their conversations flooded back to him—how she had listened so intently, how she had believed his seemingly impossible stories without hesitation. Now it made sense. She hadn’t been surprised because she had known all along. She had been here, in this otherworldly realm, playing a role he could never have guessed.

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“You knew…” Oliver’s voice was laced with a mixture of hurt and betrayal. “You fucking knew everything, and you didn’t tell me? Why? How could you keep something like this from me?”

Mary’s eyes glistened with unshed tears as she tried to find the right words. “Oliver, I wanted to protect you. If I had told you the truth, it would have put us both in unimaginable danger. And would you have believed me? Would you have understood?”

“I believed you when you trusted me enough to tell me your secrets,” Oliver shot back, his voice rising with the intensity of his emotions. “I came to you because I thought I could trust you with everything, and now… now I find out you’ve been hiding this shit from me the entire time?”

Oliver normally wasn't one to curse often, but as the anger and hurt took over he found himself cursing and muttering to himself.

“Please, Oliver,” Mary pleaded, reaching out as if to bridge the gap between them. “You have to understand. My hands were tied. The risks were too great, and I didn’t want to lose you.”

Oliver shook his head, the pain evident in his eyes. “But why wait until now? Why not tell me when I first told you? We could have faced this together, whatever it was.” Oliver cursed again as he rubbed his hands across his face.

Mary opened her mouth to respond, but no words came. The silence stretched between them, heavy with the weight of unspoken truths and missed opportunities. She knew deep down that she should have said something, anything, to prepare him for what was coming. But fear had kept her silent, and now it was too late.

“I’m sorry,” she whispered, her voice breaking. “I thought I was protecting you, but maybe I was just protecting myself. I didn’t want to see the fear in your eyes, didn’t want you to look at me the way you’re looking at me now.”

Oliver’s heart ached at the sight of her sadness, but he couldn’t ignore the hurt and confusion swirling within him. “Mary… or Nyx, or whoever the hell you are… I don’t know what to think anymore.”

The garden, once so serene and beautiful, now felt like a place of turmoil. The night-blooming flowers seemed to close in around them, their fragrance almost suffocating. Mary—or Nyx—stood there, her divine presence suddenly humanized by her vulnerability, but Oliver couldn’t bring himself to move closer.

This didn't make the turmoil that had made home in his head any easier. Oliver didn't want to be mad at Mary, but he felt betrayed. He looked over at Mary who sat there looking at the floor, clearly distrought.

“I’m sorry Mary,” Oliver muttered, choosing to put her feelings before his. He knew that if they were going to make it in the Underworld, they were going to need eachother. Mary's eyes lit up as she let out a sigh of relief.

“So am I Oli, i really am,“ she said as she got up and hugged him.

Oliver, still reeling from the revelations, turned to Hypnos, who had been silently observing the intense exchange between him and Mary. Hypnos, with his serene, almost ethereal presence, seemed unfazed by the turmoil that had just unfolded. But Oliver needed answers, and he hoped that Hypnos could provide some clarity in this bewildering situation.

“Hypnos,” Oliver began, his voice tinged with frustration and a need for understanding. “Explain something to me. When you introduced yourself, you said you were the son of Nyx. But if Mary is Nyx and she’s barely 18, how can you possibly be her son? None of this makes any sense.”

Hypnos looked at Oliver with a calm expression, as if this was a question he had anticipated. There was a depth to his eyes, an ancient wisdom that belied his youthful appearance. “Oliver,” he replied, his tone gentle yet firm, “I’ve been Hypnos for a few centuries now. The passage of time in the Underworld doesn’t follow the same rules as in your world. I’ve lived longer than most because I rarely find myself in situations of danger. My existence is tied to the realm of sleep and dreams, far removed from the perils that shorten the lives of others.”

Oliver frowned, trying to piece together what Hypnos was saying. “So, you’re not Mary’s son… not the Nyx standing before me?”

Hypnos shook his head, a slight smile playing on his lips as if he found the concept both endearing and naive. “No, I’m not the son of your Mary, the current Nyx. I am the son of a previous Nyx, one who held the mantle generations ago. You see, Nyx is not a singular identity but a title passed down through the ages. Each Nyx embodies the goddess of night, but they are different individuals, mortal before they assume the divine role. Mary, or the Nyx you know, is just the latest in a long line of incarnations.”

Oliver’s eyes widened as he absorbed this new information. The idea that the title of Nyx was something inherited, passed from one person to another, was both fascinating and disorienting. “So, you were born and raised as a god? You’ve lived through multiple generations of Nyx?”

“Yes,” Hypnos confirmed, his voice steady. “I was born into this world as a god, unlike you or Mary. My existence spans centuries, and I’ve witnessed the rise and fall of many who have taken on the mantle of Nyx. My mother, the Nyx I knew, was a different person entirely. She guided me through the mysteries of sleep and the Underworld, just as Mary is now learning to navigate her own powers and responsibilities.”

Oliver took a deep breath, trying to reconcile this ancient, cosmic lineage with the girl he thought he knew so well. “So, what happens now? What does this mean for her… for us?”

Hypnos regarded him with a thoughtful expression. “Mary, as Nyx, is bound to the Underworld and its duties. She has powers and responsibilities that go far beyond the life she knew before. But her love for you, her connection to you, those things remain real. Erebus has always been tightly bound to Nyx, as darkness is bound to the night.

The weight of Hypnos’s words hung heavy in the air. Oliver glanced back at Mary, who stood quietly, her eyes pleading for understanding, for a chance to explain more fully. The girl he had loved was still there, but now she was also something far greater and more complex. She was Nyx, a goddess with a lineage stretching back through the ages, yet still the Mary who had cared for him, laughed with him, and shared his secrets.

The Garden of the Hesperides, with its night-blooming flowers and the soft, otherworldly glow, felt like the perfect backdrop for such a revelation. It was a place where the past, present, and future intertwined, just as Mary’s mortal and divine identities now did. It almost felt as if the garden had shapen itself around the moment they had been caught in. After everything, Oliver was glad to have a familiar face next to him. It somewhat eased the stress he had for the upcoming task.