Castor and Lore take a cab to Martha’s diner as to not leave a trail of Castor’s godly aura along the streets. There, they use the back bathroom to clean up. Lore tries to convince a distraught Castor that he had to run to stay alive, but he still feels as if he abandoned the Achillides. He thought becoming a god would finally change how the house felt about him and is disappointed that it didn’t. Lore tells him he’s always been strong because, even when he fell, “you fought your way back up” (142). Castor doesn’t believe her.

Van arrives at the diner, and Lore leads him and Castor to her apartment, filling them in about Athena. When they get there, Athena hurls a spear at Castor, which he catches “just before it lodged in his heart” (148).

Van treats Miles like dirt because Miles isn’t of the Agon, and Athena wants Castor dead, forcing Lore to work quickly to prevent bloodshed. Lore tells Athena that Wrath killed both Hermes and Tidebringer. Van adds that only 27 members of the House of Achilles remain alive and outside Kadmide control.