"Oh, I meant --" Teddy smiles wryly, even though she's walking a tightrope between banter and a fairly sensitive subject. Maybe it wouldn't be all that bad to talk to Zagreus about it, but it's not like he's going to be able to confirm anything, or change it. "I meant, with people who haven't died. You know? You said that no one's really gone," she reminds him, "that they live on as shades.

"But. Well, I mean, I reckon for a lot of people who believe in an afterlife, whether it's like yours or a different one, it is still a comfort to think of them living on. But it's not the same as being able to ask them a question, or, give them a hug..."

And there it is, choking off the end of the sentence. Teddy rubs their eyes before tears can make an appearance and makes a face. "Sorry. Made myself think too much."

They're happy to move on to big families. Teddy laughs despite himself at Too many to count. "The stories my world has about your uncles make them sound...rather prolific," he says, trying to be diplomatic. "I try to avoid that part with all the -- you know, the teenage demigods? Do you talk to them much? That must be weird for you, having a bunch of -- what, new half-siblings and cousins who ...I imagine don't quite have the same versions of your family?"