Caerus just walked, not looking for anything and not going anyplace. Nothing had felt right since Iris had found him and delivered the message from his sister. Only four days ago.
Zeus has been murdered.
That had given name to the dread that had crept over him. Though he didn’t want to believe it, he knew it was true. Iris had hesitated a moment after receiving his message back, looking as though she wanted do something more, but knowing him as she did, he thought she knew he didn’t want anything like a hug of consolation. So she left, and he began to walk.
There were siblings whose couches he could have claimed, but the idea felt as compelling as returning to his own house. Caerus didn’t want to talk about how or why, he didn’t want to hear about this war they were in or what should be done. All he wanted was his father.
It was cold, but still Caerus found warm spots to doze in and sheltered spaces to hide away in. Though he didn’t think about it much, food managed to find its way into his hands, and he managed a few quick looks at the blogs to see what was happening. Unlike the snatches of sleep and the food he swallowed absent-mindedly, the words of the other gods seemed solid and real, and it only took a couple of looks to keep him away for good. Staying quiet and disappearing was far more appealing than watching hurt and confusion unfold.
It was late on the fourth night when he paused on a corner for no reason he could tell. He felt as though he’d just woken up, though he certainly hadn’t been sleeping - and he looked down the street he was about to turn onto as if only really seeing it for the first time. He stuffed his hands into his pockets as he looked, blue eyes considering his path carefully. After only a few brief moments, he turned to the street on his left instead.