It was Crowley who reacted first. 

"So..." he said calmly, tilting his head to look the shorter man in the eye, "I'm going to guess....Son of Hades."

Halt nodded. "Son of Apollo." he said brusquely, tilting his head towards the sandy-haired male. Crowley nodded, eyes glinting gold in the sunlight. Then he narrowed his eyes at Halt, watching him carefully.

"You were on the side of Kronos during the war, weren't you." he said. It wasn't a question, it was a statement. 

Halt looked at Crowley carefully. He couldn't tell if the sandy-haired male would judge him or not. He'd never admit it, of course, but he was beginning to...appreciate him. His opinion, at least.

Seeing no anger, pity, or hatred in his partner's face, he took a deep breath. Then a sudden thought stalled him. Am I really going to tell this...stranger my life story?

Crowley, seeming to see his doubt, smiled slightly. "I'll tell you my life story, if you want." he said quietly. Halt looked at him, slightly surprised. Most people tried to insist or push him. Or at least give him pity. Crowley, on the other hand, was placing trust in him. A person he didn't know.

"So," Crowley said quietly, "I was also on the side of Kronos."

Halt blinked in surprise. Crowley nodded, seeming to see his disbelief. "Trust me," he said dryly, "I resented my dad. I hated him for not caring about us when we tried to gain his approval. I hated him for causing grief to my siblings. But most of all, I hated the fact that he just didn't care. Not one bit! There he was, oh-so high and mighty, with everything he could possibly need! While we're here, struggling, and he doesn't bother to give us so much of a glance!"

Crowley took a breath, then continued. "Like many successful lies, it's based on a piece of truth. Kronos, of course, knew about my truth telling abilities. He manipulated me into accepting to join him, telling me about all the pain the gods had caused. Of course, it was true. He told me about how the other demigods felt uncared and lonely and bitter. True again! He told me about how many gods didn't care about their children. Unfortunately, true. Then he told me about how they would overthrow the gods because of this. Half-truth, of course, but at that point I was so angry that I didn't notice the avarice in his eyes, or the fact that he was keeping secrets." Crowley sighed sadly. "At that point, I accepted readily and went to Kronos's base. You probably know all the rest-fought for Kronos, got defeated. The gods were going to kill us, you know. I, and a couple others, escaped. I barely made it out with my life. The worst part was that my..my girlfriend died in there." Crowley didn't show any outward sign of grief, but Halt could see the tension in his neck. "After that, I called a blessing down from my dad. I hated to, but what else could I do? Apollo was sorry enough to give me a music book, apartment, and instrument. I was a street musician for a long time until I could apply to the IF. You probably know what happens next; being trained, becoming a Ranger, saving people, blah blah blah, hi-diddle de doo, etc." Crowley finished his long monologue and looked Halt in the eye. "Your turn, my friend."

Halt shrugged. "As you know, I'm the son of Hades." he said brusquely. "I had a twin brother. His name was Ferris. We were friends, companions. I also had a younger sister, Caitlyn. She was the cutest l'il sis in the world." Halt paused for a moment, then continued. "Kronos sent demigods to kill them. He pretended they were from the gods and offered me a chance to join them. You can probably guess what I did. I joined Kronos's side immediately. I was stationed in his spy base, using my shadow-traveling skills. Of course, I started to have misgivings. One day, I realized that Kronos was the bad guy here. So one night, I snuck out. I shadow-traveled somewhere safe and encountered a fellow demigod. Pritchard,-"

"Pritchard?" Crowley interrupted. "I remember him! He was my trainer in the IF."

Halt nodded. "Anyhow, Pritchard helped me a lot. I eventually struck out on my own, training in a separate branch of the IF, then moved here as per Duncan's request. And you probably know the rest."

Crowley nodded, smiling slightly. "Thanks for telling me." he said quietly. Halt nodded once, then stood up, stretching. "We'd better get back." he said softly. "You remember what the bandits said?"

His partner nodded calmly. "I wrote it all down." he said cheerfully. "I tend to have a terrible short-term memory."

Halt raised an eyebrow. "Doesn't surprise me in the least." he said. Crowley grinned at him easily, brushing off the implied insult and his pants, then glanced at a dull rubber watch. "We better get back." he said briskly. "C'mon, I know a few shortcuts."

Without another word, Crowley snatched up Halt's hand and tugged him along. Halt, he noticed, didn't bother pulling away. He smiled internally at that. He's adorable. Tough on the outside, but a total cinnamon roll. 

Crowley knew he was beginning to like his partner. A lot.

Did you enjoy the Cralt fluff? Hope you did!