"That you're secretly a self-sacrificing type when it comes to the man you love?" Steven says. "Not exactly the first thing I'd have expected from you, no. But I can see it in a way." He sighs. "And-- knowing what you are, I can see how you'd think it would be better that Hades be with a 'real person' than a memory with a mind of his own.

"But Hythlo--even if this is all to your design doesn't mean that it can't pain you or you can't have regrets. And even if Hades is just doing what you want him to do, he's still the one going through with it, you know? He's still making choices that pain you."

But there's a soft, almost embarrassed smile on his face for Hythlodaeus. "And-- I'll do my best. As a distraction and a friend."