"Was it not easier before? When I knew my fate, and death was able to end--this suffering." He paused, knowing he'd just dived right into the heart of what he was feeling. He'd lived this long with nothing but his passion for fighting, for war, for glory, instead of calming him over the years, he'd continued to burn that blazing fire inside. He wasn't sure how to quell it.
"I am not Hephaestus, mother. I---" He didn't like being compared, but he understood why she had, it just didn't settle with him.
He lay his head against the wall, his eyes keeping shut. When he opened them again he could feel that stinging water trail down his face.