Hermes flies through the open area of the Corinthian temple and drops his staff from emotional exhaustion. Eros lends him an arm and he takes it. He sits in a chair and tells them all that he has witnessed.

Ares grips his staff from Hephaestus saying such hurtful things.  "Damn him. I'm sorry you had to hear that from him and father."

"After all of this, he's no longer my father. I don't need proof of what else he did. I want him dead. Will that be a problem?", he pushes his glasses up.

"Will death still be on the table for him? He raised you and Apollo since you were little. Are you okay with that?", Psyche asks with concern to Artemis.

"He took so many innocent lives that he deserves judgment. He will not get away with this."

Psyche is relieved that she's steadfast in her beliefs. Hermes sees Dionysus there and he pours out water for the both of them. The god of wine appreciates his consideration as they drink up.

"Once this is done, will you go back to drinking?"

"If Mina is brought back, I will drink out of moderation. Apollo and I want to release her and the others from the pact and let them be free."

"That water is terrible for them", the messenger agrees.

"I also want to create more memories with her. Mina was always like another daughter to me."

"That sounds nice. I will drink to that", before clinking their goblets.

The gods then discuss the plan so everyone is on the same page. Takashi had left notes on the table listing what Eris is capable of doing along with Zeus' space ability.

He is in bed, finding it hard to sleep that night after being told what has happened. Three of Artemis' hunting dogs and Heracles are keeping watch to protect him from harm. Harmonia bestows her aura from outside to provide a calming environment and to detect any attacks. The dogs sense his sadness and lay on top of his legs to comfort him. He pets their heads with appreciation. 

I'm sorry you had to deal with that too, Perseus. You must be angry at me for what you thought I did. I will make things right for all of us, before dozing off.

Nighttime in Atlantis

Poseidon slouches in his throne from a long day of "work". A dolphin-like servant hurries in and bows.

"Sire! We have urgent news from land!"

Poseidon sits up and waves at him to continue. 

"Athena is planning a fake war against Sparta to drive out Eris. It seems like she could be responsible for killing the Oracle and Mnemosyne."

"Hmm. She could be the likely culprit or she could be working alongside that foreigner. I will get involved. When will it take place?"

"3 days from now. Athena and Sparta are gathering their troops as we speak and it will happen near Nemea."

Poseidon strokes his white beard.  "Less populated area because of the Nemean Lion incidents and not near any big source of water. Is there a river close by?"

"There is, my liege."

"Then I will show up through that to help her out. I will personally destroy Eris so my brother can have some retribution. Is there anything else?"

"Aphrodite has died."

The earthshaker's eyes slightly widen. "What happened?"

"The reports say that Athena killed her while she aimed for Ares."

"She was so beautiful........Oh, well. Is there anything else?"

"There isn't. Thank you, sire", before swimming away.

He gets up from his throne and stretches. "Time for bed."

He goes inside his temple and opens his bedroom door. He closes the door behind him with a kick. He takes his hanging sea armor and rebuffs it in preparation.

A knock on his door interrupts him.

"What is it?!", he fumes.

"S-Sire, please forgive me. I have something for you."

He opens the door and a floating object greets him. His dark cerulean eyes are entranced by the golden apple.


Eris walks in and closes the door. "Poseidon, god of the seas and earth. This is your chance."

"What chance?"

"Use this battle to assert your dominion over the land. You can get rid of Athena and bring Atlantis back to its former glory. Think about it. You can rule both Atlantis and Athens as you wish. If Ares shows up, you can take care of him too and rule more land in his place."

The deity chuckles. "He was always in my way since the Trojan War. What about Zeus?"

"You will convince your brother that Eris was working with Athena so you can gain his favor."

Through the shiny reflection of the apple, he can "see" his people praising his name. He also sees himself standing over the bodies of his niece and nephew. With them out of the way, he can rule as he wants...with the consideration of Zeus ruling everything else.

Eris leaves him with the apple. He goes back to rebuffing his armor with a new goal in mind.

---

Elysium, before the sun rises

Hemera wakes up 20 minutes before to start the day. She hasn't changed out of her usual clothes and doesn't want to get out of bed. Yet, she must. With a kick, her blanket falls to the side. She taps the musical note to stop the lullaby. She goes to the sink and washes her face clean from the tears she cried. The mirror reflects her puffy cheeks and dulled eyes to remind her of her pain.

She notices a letter left by Hermes and opens it. The contents inside make her violently tremble with a burning aura. She wants to make Zeus responsible for the crimes he had committed, but she stops thinking like that.

I need to let mother know. She's the only one who can easily stop him.

She exits her room with daylight shining on Elysium. The souls inside the realm wake up to the warm and pleasant rays. Hemera stays at the entrance to wait for her mother to do the shift change. She knows that her mom would usually appear 10 minutes before.


Her feet tap rapidly with one minute left on the sundial. "If I don't go right now, people will be worried. See you next time, mama."

She leaves the Underworld and heads straight to Helios' chariot. Apollo turns the chariot around and finds Hemera standing before him. He gives her a quick hug before letting go. "Morning, Hemera. I'm ready when you are."

A smile cracks on her face out of appreciation before disappearing. He knows what that is like and doesn't bring it up.

He gets in the driver's seat as Hemera gets in front of him. She takes a deep breath to focus on her role. She will not let her best friend down. She flies off and Apollo follows after to start the new day.

---

Taki wakes up from his alarm on edge after what happened yesterday. From the daylight, he sees the dogs on top of him waking up. They immediately lick his face. Taki pets their heads as he sits up.

He goes to speak and he's able to make a sound with an exhale. He still can't talk. He sees Heracles is still awake from watching him.

"Better than nothing. Our methods are working. Let's get up and eat."

"Good morning. Do you promise me you will sleep after?"


"I'm used-

He sees the concern on his face and stops.  "You're in charge", he relents.

Taki first makes a group text message to inform his loved ones on his situation. He hopes to get to the time/space mirror again so his loved ones can be updated. They walk to breakfast and overhear a conversation.

"Seems like everything is settled now. Let's get some rest", the god of war decides.

"I agree", Hermes yawns. "I'm glad mother will be helping us."

Heracles and Taki are stunned as this was new to them. The mighty demigod storms at Hermes.

"Morning, you-

"Did you say that your mother, Hera, will be helping us?"

The messenger god sees that Taki is a mix of shock, anger, and fear.

"I told her everything except your involvement. Why?"

The other gods are curious now.

"If she will be part of the plan, I am out", he seethes between teeth.

"Brother, what do you mean? What-

Heracles' aura leaks out with restrained anger. "Hera cursed me with the madness that made me kill Megara and my boys!"

All of the gods there are speechless as they really didn't know. To Artemis, it made some sense that Hera would do something like that. Hera never really liked Zeus' illegitimate offspring, including her and Apollo.

"Hermes, tell Hera to stay out of it."

"What proof do you have? She wouldn't do this", he refuses to believe him.

"She admitted it to us in a previous timeline. That among other things", Taki signs to them.

Hermes is skeptical, but a familiar feeling of that incident enters his mind. He covers his mouth as he processes this horrifying news.

"We're so sorry! We didn't know!", Harmonia apologizes with tears running down her face.

Artemis cries as all of Gaia thought Heracles went mad randomly. She goes to Heracles, and he allows her to hug him.

Heracles pats her back and gently puts space between them. He stares at Hermes, expecting his answer.

"I-I can't undo our conversation. She wants in and I know she won't take no for an answer. She wants to make Zeus pay for lying to her."

"I don't think that's the only reason. With Zeus out of the way, she can rule Gaia as she pleases."

"We argued about that and thought that it would be better if she was in charge when it's all done", Ares informs.

Taki's body trembles out of fear and anger. He knows from the previous timeline how cruel Hera can be. To let her be in charge would be a nightmare for Gaia.


The demigod approaches Ares while gripping his club. "Why?"

"Would you rather have Poseidon in charge of Olympus? Artemis told us all what he did and he should be dead too."

"What did he do?"

"He forced Aphrodite to make the Cretan Minotaur after threatening Adonis."

The wood of his club creaks from the tightening grip.

"He also was the one who violated Medusa before Athena cursed her. The truth is that Perseus never killed her. Medusa took her own life to protect her husband, Perseus, from Athena", Artemis adds on with the truth.


Heracles' previous thoughts are now confirmed. Medusa was never a monster if she could love someone.

"I know that Hera is just as cruel as Poseidon, but I would rather have her rule Olympus anyway", Dionysus argues. The other gods are in agreement.

"You would allow the woman that killed my family rule without being brought to justice?!"

Taki is also upset, but he understands the reasoning. It seems like it was hard for them to come to this agreement.

"I hate her too and I want her to be punished for her crimes. We just can't do it right now, but I swear that we will make her pay", the huntress vows to him.

"Forget it. I'm leaving."

He walks past Taki who grabs him by the arm. Heracles turns around to see him at a crossroads. He had gone all this way to gain Heracles' help against Zeus only for it to possibly slip through. He begs with his eyes to not leave him. That he understands that Hera is a monster for tricking him.

Taki writes something down. "I will bring Megara and your sons back. I won't let Hera get the final word. Just don't leave me."

"And what if it happens again? She won't stop coming after us."

"I will make her swear to never hurt you, your family and any offspring that didn't come from her. I know oaths are important to gods. She will rule but cannot send any harm towards any of you. She will forfeit her life if she goes against it.''

He can tell he is serious about that. Taki shows this to the other gods.

"I don't find any problem with it. This oath will at least keep her in check"", Dionysus mentions.

"Agree."

"Same here. All in favor?"

"Aye!", the deities shout in unison.

Heracles pats Taki on the shoulder. "Sorry about that."

Taki shakes his head and writes something to show Heracles. Heracles is stunned by the request, but he nods as Taki points directly at the message.

"As you wish. Let's eat now."

Artemis just realizes something. She whips out a totem with a mini hearth on top. "Respond. Respond."

"Hello?", a tired Hestia answers.

"Theia? It's Artemis."

"I heard the bad news about Aphrodite. I'm so sorry. Although we never saw eye to eye, she was kind to me. I will miss her."

"Thanks. Is father around?"

"He is with Hephaestus at the moment. Do you want me-

"No. It's fine."

Artemis motions to Ares to speak. "Thank you for your condolences, theia."

"W-What?! What is he-

"A lot has happened, aunt. To summarize, we were all lied to by my father. Uncle Takashi never killed the Oracle nor committed the crimes charged against him. It was all done by Zeus and possibly Eris."

Hestia is silent.

"I know it's a lot, but-

"Now, niece. I can help by telling you my honey cakes recipe, but you need to come over so I can show you how it's done."

Artemis and the others understand why she is talking weirdly. Zeus is there. 

She clenches her other hand into a fist and looks to rescue Hestia from her father. But if she acts rashly, Hestia will die again. She wants to prevent that event. "You're right. I need a personal touch and your secret ingredient."

"Once things are done, let's make plenty for everyone."

"Definitely. I love you, theia."

"I love you too."

The totem light is still on. They hold their breaths as her hearth crackles.

"Whew! I never lied like that before. I was so scared", she sweetly speaks.

"Theia, come to me. It's not safe for you there", Artemis urges.

"Would my brother actually hurt me?"

"He has already. Uncle explained what he saw in a previous timeline. Get out of there right now."

Hestia is tending the hearth as she speaks. Her donkey and instincts tell her to leave right away.

"Make me a fire."

Hermes quickly retrieves some wood and puts it into the large pot. His hands vibrate on a piece of wood that ignites from his friction. Artemis throws in some naphalm... the fire roars to serve as a proper gateway.

"Hestia come to us", she prays.

Hestia jumps into the hearth with her donkey in tow. They find themselves in the pot at the Corinthian temple which gives out to their weight. Artemis embraces her aunt as Dionysus smothers the fire with water. Taki tears up from seeing her again.

"Thank Gaia, you're here. Wait. What will you explain to Zeus?"

"That I needed a break. That's it. Oh, that's another lie", she realizes.

"Get some rest, theia. You need it", Ares tells her. Hestia sheds tears as his usually bright eyes have dulled to a faint red. She latches onto him.

"My gut was telling me that you weren't in the wrong. I'm sorry about her. How are you now?"

"I'm saving my rage towards Athena when I see her again."

"You're going to fight her?", she looks up with worry. Ares nods.

"Is there anything I can do?"

"Just rest. You're exhausted", Hermes instructs.

"I can say the same for everyone else here. I can't believe I was misled."

"Well, we are going to make things right from now on. For him too", he points his staff at Takashi who's petting her donkey. Happiness and sadness drips down to the floor. Happy that she is alive and well, yet he wants to apologize for not saving her back then.

"Little brother?", as her mind formulates pieces together.

Taki rushes in and hugs Hestia. The goddess of the hearth feels a deep bond between them. She wraps her arms around him as her donkey returns to her side.

"We must have met before."

Taki steps back and nods his head. He signs with his hands.

"You were so kind and brave for helping me. I'm sorry that I couldn't save you back then, sis."

Hestia touches his left cheek with her right hand. "Things will be different now. I will protect you with all that I am."

Taki shakes his head vehemently. "Stay out of the fight. Please! I don't want to lose you again."

"Then I will help from the sidelines. Just tell me what I can do"

"We will discuss after some food. Huh. We can finally cook now", Ares realizes.

"No worries", as she waves a glowing hand. A table with a large spread of food appears in front of them with her signature honey cakes. The gods and demigods present lick their lips from this feast. They sit to dig in.

Artemis remembers Helena and Echo and contacts them away from the table.

"Helena, are you there?"

"I am, mother."

"I have something to tell you two....

She relays the truth of the situation and Taki's real involvement.


Helena gasps. "He didn't know?"

"He didn't. He feels awful Zeus used his weapon to hurt-

Saying his name would only bring more pain.

"Is Echo there?"

"Mama, she left. I tried to stop her, but she needed some space."

"Did she say where she would be going? She needs to know this", the deity's voice rises with alarm.

"She didn't. She said she will be back."

"I will find her if she doesn't. Keep staying at the temple until I say otherwise. I can't continue to worry knowing my bastard father can hurt you two."

"I understand. Be safe, mama."

"You as well. Let me know when she comes back", before the light dims out. She exhales in the hopes that Echo will return unscathed.

They take their seats and dig in. Taki eats his fill as he sits next to Hestia.

"I want to know more about you, brother. Where do you come from?"

Taki sketches out a visual of his planet with the name Earth above it. It isn't a good drawing, but just enough to point out the main details. An arrow points to the west coast of the badly shaped landmass. He draws stick figures of his loved ones with their names and relationships to him. Hestia smiles upon seeing his closest loved ones on Earth until....

Her pupils begin to shake upon seeing the hourglass with Kronos' name near it. Taki places the feathers of the quill to hide it as best as he can.

"What do you remember?"

"I don't remember a thing about him, yet I feel a little scared of him. I don't know why."

He draws out a name and a lamp. "Zeus must have changed your memory of him. He used her lamp to do it."

"That could be it. What do you know of him?"

"He loved my family, but he left to protect us from Zeus' reign. He died and left me half of his powers to help me survive in Gaia."

Hestia grasps his hand.  "I'm so sorry. He sounded like a good man. I apologize for what our brother did to him and you."

The goddess then senses a part of Aphrodite's aura in him. She looks at Ares to confirm it.

"It was her last wish."

"And I will use that to win", he signs with confidence. The deity of the hearth smiled at his optimism.

"My little brother will put Zeus in his place. Oh, is that okay to say?"

"He's no longer a father of mine after what he did. He will face his just punishment once Uncle gets his powers."

"You mean death is on the table?", her voice shows concern as this happened at the start of the Trojan War.

"Yes. It's okay if you don't want it, but he has to face punishment for the lives he's taken. We talked about stripping him of his powers, but he can always regain them by fooling a god who doesn't know the truth. Death is the best and only option", Dionysus crosses his arms.

"It was hard, but that's what we came down to. Same for Athena and Eris for causing us pain. We thought about making Heracles a god, but we don't remember how to do so", Hermes informs.

Hestia stops talking because of her pacifist vow and they respect her decision. Taki squeezes her hand to assure her. After breakfast, the gods take a nap in the hall with Artemis' guard dogs roaming around. Psyche and Harmonia put up a barrier for additional protection.

Taki wakes up from a few pats on the cheek. Dionysus is standing above as he dumps water on him. Taki springs up as the water is cold. He clutches himself.

"That's not very nice", Hestia frowns but can't stop laughing. Her donkey snickers.

"Let's get to it. I'm itching to teach you all I know!"

Taki looks around. The other gods are going over their plan again. He doesn't see Heracles.

"Where is Heracles?"

"In the Underworld. He will be back later." Taki smiles as he listened to his request. He follows Dionysus to get his training.

"Show me what you got."

He naturally gets into a Pankration stance due to muscle memory. The god of wine does the same and they lock up.

Taki reaches down to find an opening and he goes for a trick uppercut. Dionysus easily deflects with one hand making him hit the air. Taki goes for a headbutt, but his legs get swept out and he falls on his back.


He kips up and runs in with a double knee strike. Dionysus gently slams him to the ground. He goes to put Taki into an arm bar, but he grabs his hand to prevent his arm from being extended. The god of wine lets go and stands up.

"Not bad, but you only specialize in striking."

"Back then, I thought it was enough."

"Then let's fix that. I will show you holds, defenses, and everything else."

Taki gives him an excited smile while standing back up to resume.

-------

Meanwhile, Heracles reunites with his family in Elysium the same way as before with him telling Meg the truth. After playing with his sons and making love to his beloved, they get dressed. Heracles turns her face and locks lips with her.

Meg breaks the kiss and laughs. "Still not satisfied, I see. How about another round?"

"I would like multiple rounds, Meg. However, I need to be with them. Once we make things right, our family can be back together. Do...you and the boys want to be brought back?"

"It's up to you, my strongman."

"This is a nice place after all. I can visit at any time because of Uncle Hades. But I can't stay for too long. I......want you and the boys back up with me. Is that okay?"

She stands on her tip toes to kiss him deeply. "That's my answer."


A wide smile forms on the demigod's face. "Let's spend more time."

"After a nice bath for you", as she leads him to a bathtub in their assigned home. The water fills up magically for him. He strips down and exhales in relief. The water is at the perfect temperature. He cleans himself with the bathing oils. Meg stays by his side as he sinks more into the water.

"Are the kids with Chiron?", he asks.

"They are."

He playfully pulls his wife into the tub......water splashes onto the floor from another session. She rests her head on his chest. He moves a strand of her brown hair away to kiss her forehead.

"Absolutely perfect", she breathes heavily.

"Same here."

They lay there for a while. He wants to take this moment in as long as he wants before leaving. He naps with her in the tub without the nightmares to plague him.

---

During this time, Theseus and Ariadne are hiding at an inn since they betrayed the goddess' trust. They pay for a room while hiding their faces with their cloaks. They enter the room with a sigh of relief.

"That was close", she whispers to not bring attention.

"How's your wound?"

She shows him through a hole in the tunic and the wound has healed nicely thanks to the servants' help. The son of Poseidon clings to her. She understands from the deep embrace how scared he was at that moment.

"It's going to take more than that to put me down."

"Don't joke like that. Please. I wouldn't know what I would do if I lost you back there", his voice almost breaks. She rubs her husband's shuddering back to comfort him.

After some time, he grinds up some medicinal herbs and applies it to her wound. She winces and exhales.

"Sorry. That means it's working."


He puffs up some pillows behind her head before she lays down. He gets into bed with her and holds her face.

"So what do we do now since we're fugitives of the law?"

"If Eris is really behind my father's death-

"Then I can't stop you. Just be safe."

Theseus briefly smiles and it disappears.  "Stay here and I will come back to you once Eris is dead."

"I don't think you will stop. What if Eris isn't working alone? What if she is part of a bigger scheme?"

"I will stop after Eris. She won't hurt us anymore. I just want to be with you."

"You promise?"

Theseus nods.

"That's not enough. Let's start that family to seal the deal."

"Are you sure you can?", he asks with caution.

"I will try. Just help me out", her eyes sparkle. Another thing he loves about her.

They kiss passionately as they strip down. He gently kisses her wound........Ariadne lays on top and wants to melt inside her husband's arms. She sees the gray in her eyes have gotten brighter. A feeling of hope that he will come back to her and start their future together.

"I love my wife", he pants.

"And I love my husband."

She pecks him on the cheek before the fugitives fall asleep.

---

Same day

In Crete, Daedalus, Icarus, and Daphne are hiding in a room thanks to Aphrodite's servants who helped them once they arrived. Daphne left with Icarus as soon as he asked her to join them.


Icarus hears some faint noises coming from the other rooms. He never heard these sounds before.

"Are people exercising right now?", he naively asks.

Daphne stops herself from laughing and embraces him.  "You can say that, honey."

"We're at a brothel, son", his father reveals.


"Ohhhhh."


"We need to stay here until things clear over. I will get myself a room since there isn't enough space here."


It takes a moment for Icarus to catch on that he and Daphne will be staying together in the same room. His face flushes, but a smile comes across his face. He kisses Daphne on the cheek. She cups his cheeks in her hands.


"Thank you for taking me", Daphne appreciates.

"It would be safer with us than in Athens. I won't let Athena hurt you."


"We will believe that Takashi and the others will win", his son asserts. His father admires his optimism before leaving them in the room to get his own.


Daphne and Icarus share a long kiss. They make space between themselves.

"I like you", he admits without shame.

"I like you too."

The new couple lays in bed with their bodies fitting each other like a puzzle.


Meanwhile,

Bellerophon says bye to his parents before heading off to Samos. He is carrying waterproof bags with his clothes and other items inside. He hugs them.

"Be safe, Bellero", his mother tells him.

"I will. Don't worry."

"We would be more comfortable if you used a ship", his stepfather mentions.

"Swimming won't take too long."

"If you see a monster down there, get to land or hide", she pleads.

"I memorized the map and know where to avoid. I will be fine", his smile reassures them.

His mother gives him his scarf to wear which he puts it in his bag.

"I will write to you as soon as I get there."

He leaves through the castle gate and waves them bye. He runs and jumps into the water. His skin forms scales as he heads off to Samos. He swims past a variety of different colored fish in the peaceful waters.

"Halt!", a voice startles him.

"Who said that?"

His eyes widen as two creatures in sea glass armor swim over. A hermit crab with a shell on his back and a pufferfish wielding spears.

"Why have you left your rank?", the crab points his spear at him.

"Rank?", Bellero questions.

They look at him questionably. As they look deeper, they realize their mistake.

"Sorry about that. We thought you were a soldier abandoning his post. Where are you heading?", the pufferfish asks.

"Uhm, I'm headed to Samos", the teen answers.

"You're free to go, but you must swim south of here. We are preparing for battle so stay out of the way."

"I-I understand."

He goes to swim away, but he has a burning question.  "Excuse me? Do you know Poseidon?"

The officers bow upon hearing that name. "Why do you ask? We are his officers."

"He's my father."

To the guards, this explains a lot. Seeing a half human/fish hybrid confirms this fact.

"I apologize. He's not ready at the moment. But I will let him know that you were around."

"Because of Atlantis' rule, can we meet on land? Can he come to Samos after this battle?"

"We will let him know. Go on your way now."

"Thank you and be safe", as he swims south.

The officers report back to their subordinates. Nervousness builds up in their group as they watch over the chained sedated beast.

"Cetus will be excited to eat."

"I just hope that it's not us."

"As long as you stay out of its range, you're fine. Once you hear the whistle, hide", the hermit captain speaks.

"Captain Koto? I have a question."

"Does it involve questioning Poseidon's orders?", the hermit questioned the fish soldier.

"N-Not at all! I am fully committed to the plan."

"Anyone having second doubts?", Koto asks the others.

"No, sir!", they whisper to avoid waking the dragon.

"That's good. Just don't feed him anything and the plan will succeed. Athena and Ares won't see this coming. After that, we will go to Aethiopia to take care of the second matter."

Cetus growls in hunger. The vibrations of the sound reach the hybrid demigod. Bellero's instincts cause him to hide close to the coral there. His ears tell him it came from the area the soldiers motioned him away from.


He gets serious and flaps his feet rapidly. Anything to get far away from the monster he hasn't seen.