He delays answering, letting the silence grow between them until it feels almost sentient. Then he smiles, a thin expression - perhaps in response to Rhys's anxiety.

"You fear failure." which has nothing to do with their previous conversation, "You will waste away under the weight. Who can free you?"

Only Rhys, truly. Hades, at least, will not play directly into his overactive imagination. Then...

"I think you must be braver than you seem. Many look upon death with...discomfort."