"No," he agreed. Though he would always choose his mother. Over and over and over again he would. His step-father, on the other hand-
Asterion found his half-eaten granola bar on the floor, and he picked it up and ate it, not caring at all that it had been where thousands of people's shoes had been. When he finished, he felt just that little bit more fortified against the enclosed space. "I try," he mused, "to not be so scary. Not easy."