"I would say the gods have turned on us, wouldn't you, my great Titan?" murmured the old man in reply.

"The past will always find a way to punish the present." Talos smiled sadly. "The sins of the fathers will always curse the young."

Androlicus nodded in agreement.

"Our greatest treasures, they have been hidden well?" he asked.

Talos had the slightest trace of a smirk etching his hard mouth. "It was difficult, as we lost thirty-two screening ships to Jason in the Poseidon Sea, but yes, old friend, the greatest of treasures is safe along with the histories, our heritage, science, and the libraries. Shipped to the farthest reaches of the western empire, not even our followers will know where they are buried."

"Good, good. Now I am as weary as I have never been before."

"You are sure the weapon will fail?" Talos asked, wanting just a glimmer of hope, not for himself but for the very people he was sworn to protect.

"It is as uncontrollable as we are arrogant. Who are we to believe we can manipulate the very planet we walk upon? We can only hope that the secret of its use will never be found. The bronze maps, the plates, the disks, they are all destroyed?"

"Except for the single plate map and dimensional disk sent with the treasure ships."

"The plate map should have been destroyed," said Androlicus angrily.

"Lord Pythos loaded the plate map himself as a safeguard in case we needed the second Key."

Androlicus placed his hand on the cool surface of the large blue diamond. "No, he won't need a second or third Key. It ends here. It ends today."

Androlicus slowly pushed the order forward without removing his eyes from the Titan.

"Give this to that madman below the earth and may the gods have mercy on us. I am sorry you will die by the side of that fool."

"I am also. What of you, My Lord?"