As soon as Kratos said those heavy words, he immediately looked over at Atreus to gauge his reaction.
The boy's expression could not even be described as anything other than incredibly stunned.
Atreus looked as if he was not able to comprehend the words that just came out of Kratos's mouth, his eyes darting between his father and the water as if searching for a punchline to a joke that never came.
The silence in the boat was deafening, only broken by the gentle lapping of the water against the wood.
"Can I turn into an animal?" The very first words that came out of Atreus's mouth were these, as it was the very first thing that had come out of Atreus's mind.
He did not ask about strength, or immortality, or the burden of power. His mind went straight to the stories he had heard about gods shifting their shapes.
"Yes," Zelos answered instantly.
This immediate response made both Atreus and Kratos look towards Zelos. They were confused by his words, and Atreus's expression turned into a strange one.
He was trying to ask if Kratos knew about such abilities, but when Zelos answered instead of Kratos with such certainty, the atmosphere became indescribable.
Kratos narrowed his eyes, wondering how his eldest son knew the specifics of a heritage Kratos himself had only just revealed.
"There is also another truth that I want to talk to both of you about as we are speaking of the true nature of things," Zelos said calmly.
This statement left Kratos confused, as it was not what he had expected to happen.
Kratos thought that he was the only one who had been keeping secrets in this family, and he was prepared to bear the weight of that alone.
He did not anticipate that Zelos was holding a card of his own.
"As we are talking about true heritage and nature, I think it would be appropriate to mention this fact right now, instead of later. Mother is the last living Giant in Midgard. She is a part of the Jotunn race, meaning that Atreus and I are both Jotunn and God," Zelos then said.
The revelation hit the boat like a physical blow. The mouths of Atreus and Mimir dropped open in pure shock.
Mimir, who prided himself on knowing all the histories and secrets of the Nine Realms, looked as if someone had just told him the sky was made of stone.
"I did not see that coming," Mimir immediately replied to Zelos, his voice filled with genuine disbelief.
Kratos turned and looked over at Zelos with a solemn expression. His grip on the oars tightened until the wood groaned under the pressure.
"Is this true?" Kratos asked. His usual stoic tone was heard, but there was an undercurrent of intensity. He put down the oars of the boat that he had been pulling to look thoroughly at Zelos, who met his stare without flinching.
"Why would I lie about this? This is the reason why Atreus could hear Mother in the realm of Alfheim. Her soul came to merge with the Light of Alfheim rather than go to Helheim because she is a member of the Jotunn race. Their souls work differently than mortals," Zelos said towards Kratos, explaining the logic behind the events they had witnessed.
"Why had you not said anything until now?" Kratos then asked, his voice low.
"We are talking about our true nature, Father. You are not the only one with secrets, and I believe this would make Atreus's condition better than just knowing one-sidedly. He needs to know both halves of himself to find balance," Zelos said towards Kratos.
Kratos remained silent. He was clearly still taking in the information that Zelos had just mentioned. It changed everything. It meant that the woman he lived with, the woman he loved, had hidden her own massive truth from him, just as he had hidden his from her.
"How do you know these things, little laddie? Did she mention this to you?" Mimir asked Zelos for clarification, trying to piece together how the most intelligent man alive missed that a Giant was living in the Wildwoods.
"Here is a magic that Mother had taught me before," Zelos said.
As he spoke, he raised his hand. He used one of the Giant's magic spells. Suddenly, thick, sturdy roots summoned from the rocky part of the cave ceiling burst out of nowhere.
It was almost the same as the Vanir magic that Freya had used when they went to the realm of Alfheim, but more primal and earthy.
Zelos's eyes also shone once again. For the first time, Mimir saw Zelos's eyes shine clearly in the cave's dim light. It was the same way his own eyes shine, but there was a difference.
Unlike Mimir, whose eyes are constantly shining due to the enchantments placed upon him, Zelos's eyes shine like Mimir's only when he uses Giant's magic.
His eyes turned from their standard color until pure Bifrost energy started flowing into Zelos while using their magic, indicating that the magic that the Giants use comes from eyes that are made out of Bifrost crystals.
It was something that the Giants had gifted to him and Tyr long ago.
"Your eyes," Mimir said. He looked closely, and this visual proof made him realize that Zelos's words were valid. Given his own relationship with the Jotunns and his knowledge of their gifts, it was one of the traits he knew but had thought extinct.
"Can we go back to what you said earlier? You said I could turn into an animal? How did you know that? Is that a part of my Jotunn abilities?" Atreus, who only now realized the magnitude of his situation, immediately asked Zelos.
It was one of the abilities that he was concerned about, as the idea of becoming a wolf or a bear fascinated him.
"No, I can just see your true essence. You are a god with a divinity of change, which gave you the ability to shapeshift. This means that you are not limited to changing into animals. You can turn into anyone's appearance without any problems if you master it," Zelos said towards Atreus, correcting his brother's assumption.
"What are you a god of?" Atreus then asked curiously about Zelos, wondering what his older brother's domain was.
"Sorcery," Zelos said.
This answer shocked Mimir once again, causing him to shake his head.
"No, you cannot be. Odin is not yet dead. He's not fond of sharing his things, and he could feel if there's a god born that has the same divinity as him, and he would eliminate them," Mimir said towards Zelos, arguing based on the rules of the Norse pantheon he knew so well.
"Maybe you are forgetting that Father's godhood did not originate in these lands. Our lineage does not follow the rules of Odin," Zelos said towards Mimir, who looked at Mimir confusedly before realizing the logic.
"Enough. I want to know why you kept quiet about this," Kratos said, cutting off the theological debate. He turned towards Zelos, demanding an answer regarding his wife.
"I did not want to overstep Mother's wishes. She said nothing, and I wanted to respect her decision. I did not even mention to Mother that I knew her secret, but deep down, I think she knew that I knew," Zelos said towards Kratos.
Kratos then became silent. He looked at his son and realized that he could not talk about keeping secrets, as he too has a lot more secrets than he let on.
Kratos's past remains shrouded in mystery to Atreus, and he believed it was the same for Zelos as well. However, from Zelos's perspective, he knew exactly what kind of cruelty Kratos had done.
Zelos remembered his past life. He remembered playing the games where Kratos would slaughter innocent civilians in Greece to gain health or red orbs to upgrade his weapons.
The perspective of playing a game and living the reality of the game is vastly different.
To Kratos, those were mistakes of a past life, but to Zelos, who knew the extent of the slaughter of bystanders just for power, it was a terrifying truth.
It is a secret that Zelos would not let out, even if this cost him his life, because he knew that if Atreus learned that their father killed innocents not for war, but for mere resources, it would wreck the boy.
So, Zelos kept his silence, allowing Kratos to maintain his dignity while they sat in the drifting boat, bound by blood and lies.