Frogs with ruby eyes croaked all around him, giving the path a shimmering green and red light. Now that he had reached the Crystal Forest, Juan knew he was only a few hours walk from his destination, the cairn at the center which marked Dantalion's cavern hideaway. Noticing crystals forming on his boots, he quickened his pace.

"What's the difference between love and ownership?" He asked Boganasheth.

"Is this about Scorpio?" Juan's twin asked. "She is rather possessive."

"Yeah," sniffed Juan, brushing crystals from his nose. "If I respond to her affection, she assumes she has a right to me and my time, and she gets jealous of Libra. I feel like I'm hurting her feelings by being myself."

"Love takes many shapes and forms. There's no single right or wrong way to love a person." Boganasheth offered. "Perhaps if you feel stifled by her, it's a sign to keep your distance, maintain your boundaries. Did you feel this way with Ingrid?"

"I was a younger man then," answered Juan, pulling gems from his pocket to clear crystals from this hair. "Something about Ingrid made me feel real without being a prisoner. The Academy helped too- it was a nice environment, very structured and regimented. Every interaction had a beginning, middle, and end."

"Why did you leave?" Said Boganasheth. "It sounds ideal."

"It was fake," Juan answered, marveling at a gigantic tree shimmering in the night, bedecked with jewels of every hue. "The Academy was about making kids into weapons, soldiers, killers, even though the mission was to cultivate philosophy and enlightenment, with mystical arts as metaphor. I wanted to do something real, something that that wouldn't perpetuate the status quo."

"Avoiding the herd and striking out on your own is a recurring theme in your life," mused Boganasheth.

"It's hard to trust anyone for very long," Juan said with regret. "All my father figures fall short, and just want to use me for their own ends. I don't want to do that to anyone."

"Xicarus worships you," Boganasheth observed. "Is that why you keep your distance from him, because of Orlando and Aquarius?"

"Probably," Juan admitted. "I'd rather someone like Virgo trains him. That way I don't have to let him down. It's better for him in the long run."

"You're quite a pessimist," Boganasheth chuckled.

"The secret to success is aiming low, achievable goals, all that," laughed Juan. "Maybe I can be Scorpio's house husband, take care of her cats, write a novel. Be a harmless eccentric. The world needs more of them."

"I don't believe that's your destiny, brother," said Boganasheth. "But there's certainly worse fates than living quietly."

"I agree." Juan said. He had come to a clearing in the forest, with tall grass that looked like a mix of sapphire and onyx gems. In the center stood a stack of boulders that looked like opals in the shimmering light of the gems. It was the cairn.

Juan approached the cairn slowly, searching for the passage beneath it. Along the eastern aspect, he found the sequence of gems which led to Dantalion embedded in the ground: three long rows of lapis lazuli. Removing a handful of diamonds from his pockets, he scattered them across the lapis lazuli. Within moments, the rows dissolved, revealing an entrance with a metal ladder.