The son of Hephaestus knew that his decision to give into the heartsong, after hearing about his fellow godlings fighting a dragon, wasn't going to be received well. Especially not by those that had made their concern and frustration known to those that simply did it without more answers. But they had more answers now, and Matai knew what he was getting into. He had known what the stakes were, he had known what could possibly happen, and he had prepared the best way he could - just in case.
And for a moment, as his body began to overheat in a way he had never experienced before, he had thought that he was going to give himself entirely to the heartsong. Much like Gabe had before. But then the next thing he remembered was waking up in the infirmary, and he realized that he had survived. But barely.
It took him a day before he left the infirmary, every bone in his body exhausted beyond compare, and he didn't even get back to training like he normally would've. This was an exhaustion he hadn't known before, not something he had faced in his entire career as a fighter - underground or UFC - and there was a weight heavy on his shoulders. So he kept himself in his cabin or walking with his dogs, trying to keep himself distracted - and trying to keep himself away from others until he felt ready to face their wrath. He even kept his phone on silent, not wanting people to get upset with him.
But try as he might, it seemed he wasn't able to escape everyone.
"Before you say anything, I know I'm an idiot," Matai spoke as he heard someone approach him late at night, him having snuck into the kitchens to grab himself some food, when he realized he wasn't alone. "You don't need to yell at me more than I've already yelled at myself."
