Heracles goes straight to the blacksmith while keeping his hood on and crouching down to hide himself from the public's eyes. He doesn't make any strange movements to arouse further suspicion from the owl. If he kills it, Athena will know. He finds the blacksmith sharpening a customer's sword. In the very back of the shop is a pair of wings.

"Welcome, sir. How can I help you?"

Heracles takes out a list that the inventor gave him and shows the blacksmith.


"I'm running an errand for Daedalus and he needs this much raw nickel and copper."

"Say no more. Daedalus has been a great help to our city. With these wings, they make travel and the job a little easier. Still a bit of a workout, but I need it. Wait right here."

The blacksmith goes in the back. People hustle and bustle about behind him. Heracles taps his foot from being around everyone. He was used to the self-isolation.


He reminds himself that he is here to avenge Megara and his sons. He will overcome this for them.

He overhears people talking about the news, usual talks about Takashi and other matters of business.

"Do you think he would ever come here?"

"Shhhh. Don't wish that upon us!"

"We shouldn't be afraid since our goddess will protect us. Do you doubt her?"

"I don't doubt Athena one bit. She has been reaping victories left and right. Her side won the Trojan War and those monsters are finally dead."

"That's true. It's a good thing that the liar was killed by Perseus."

The demigod's ears perked up as he couldn't help but pay attention to their conversation. That name sounds familiar to him for some reason.

"Excuse me. I don't mean to intrude on your conversation. Who did Perseus kill?", Heracles asked.

"I wouldn't even call it a person. But that monster's name is Medusa."

"She's the one who could turn people to stone with a single gaze?", he clarified while his thoughts formulate.

"That's the one. That creature deserved it for what it has done to our people and for disgracing our goddess in her temple."

"What did she do again?"

"That whore had sex with Poseidon to mock our goddess. Athena punished her and she killed servants with her gaze."

"Good riddance to that monster", an Athenian man commented.

The demigod hides his clenched fists under his cloak. Anger and sorrow mix despite not being there at the time. Like what they are saying isn't true at all. He can't explain why he is feeling a certain way about this situation.

Heracles pushes that to the back of his mind to refocus on the task at hand. He sees the blacksmith has come back with two separate bags marked with respective letters.

"May you have a good day."

Heracles takes out the pouch of money and pays the blacksmith for his work. He grabs the bags of raw metals and walks back to Daedalus' house.

A hooded customer returns with a woman by his side to the blacksmith. The owner doesn't mention his name to give him privacy. He gives back the sharpened blade and refuses payment.

"It's free. Thank you for saving my future children from that monster."

"You're welcome, sir", Theseus somberly expressed.

"I also want to extend my condolences to your father. He was a good man."

Ariadne holds onto her new husband tightly as they left. His once bright silver eyes have turned to a dull grey.

"I think we should stay away from the castle for now. Is that okay?", she suggested while caressing his puffy face.


Theseus nods while looking at her. They go to find a place to stay.

----

Icarus walks to the beach to meet Daphne for his first ever date. He sees the beach for the first time in his life. The fall hillside of Athens meets the white sandy beach. The sunlight from Helios' chariot dances on the turquoise water. The crisp sea breeze rolls through. He sniffs in the salty air as he takes in the sights.


His eyes then get covered and he almost panicked until he smelled a familiar scent. His face turns crimson red as he knows it's Daphne. She removes her hand because of his initial reaction.


"I'm so sorry, Icarus. I didn't mean any harm."


He turns to her. She's dressed in a purple two-piece swimsuit and has a small white bucket with a tiny shovel in her right hand. He can't take his eyes off of her. He shakes his head.


"S-Sorry, you're very pretty today."

"Thanks. You look good as well", she blushed. He shyly smiled.

"I've never been to the beach before. Crete never had any beaches because there's no land for it."

"Well, you're in luck. I will be your guide", as she takes him by the hand. 


He feels the sand beneath his feet. It was coarse, but it didn't hurt. They get further down past some people and the sand gets softer. He wiggles his toes into it like a little kid. Daphne lets go of his hand so he can take in this new memory.


He sees some sand moving and sees Daphne is doing something with it. She scoops up a bunch into her bucket and turns it upside down on the beach. A tiny hill is made after lifting the bucket. Icarus is amazed as he looks at it.


"Let's make a sand castle."

She instructs him on how to make it as they go along. Icarus is smiling from ear to ear as they do this activity together. She loves seeing that on his face. They make a basic sandcastle and she draws some detail into it with a nearby stick.

"This is amazing."

"I had great help."


Her smile disarms him for a bit, but he feels more confident now. That near death experience has made him more appreciative of life and the moments that come with it. He takes off his shirt as he gets up and pulls her by the hand.


"Want to get in the water?", he asked.


"Isn't it too cold for that?"


"I can keep you warm", he nonchalantly told her.


"Do you know what that means?", she laughed.


"I read it's because of body heat when two people get close."

Daphen stifles her laughter to be with him. The water is cold as they step into it, but they run into it. Their bodies shudder from the cold water as they are now chest deep. Daphne latches onto him since she was colder. Icarus is stunned as he can feel her soft body upon his. The words he said before clicked just now.

This...feels so nice.


He wraps his arms around her to keep her in place. The waves roll past them as they enjoy this moment together. Daphne's teeth chatter and eventually stop. Icarus gently rubs her back.


"See? It's not too cold now."


Daphne looks up and her blushing face gives away her feelings. Icarus smiles at her confidently. He speaks the next thought that crossed his mind.


"Oh, wait. I can't swim."

He moves them closer to the beach. Daphne couldn't help but laugh.

"Why did we get deeper then?"


"Just wanted to know what it's like. I will never forget this day."


The way he spoke made her think that he had went through something serious.


"Did something happen?", as she tapped her fingers against his back.


"I almost died while flying over here with father and Takashi", he holds her close.

She looks up at him with frightened pupils.

"But it made me realize to never take moments for granted. I'm glad that I'm here with you, Daphne."

"Me too."

They stay in the water for a bit before getting some lunch on the beach. Towards the end of their date, he takes out some love dust. It opens a portal which amazes her. He takes her hand and they are at the door of her house. She looks back and the portal is gone.


"Aphrodite's love dust", he explained.


"You are full of surprises, aren't you?"


"I'm just full of the food I ate."


"I like what you say", as a laugh escaped her lips.


He then gets close and gives her a kiss on the cheek. Daphne's eyes widened since she didn't expect that.


"Sorry! I didn't-

She cuts him off with a proper kiss on the lips. She breaks it and he almost stumbles back from it. He has a beaming smile on his face as he registers what she did. He steps up to her and gives her a kiss on the lips too. They hold it for a bit. She brushes his hair with her fingers as they kiss. He holds her close to him as if they were back in the water.


They step away from each other slowly.


"I will write you for the next date", Icarus told her.


"Looking forward to it."


He sprinkles love dust and returns home. He leans against the door to take in that day.

This is romance? I want more of that with her.


The sound of a hammer banging on metal brings him back to reality.


I just need to keep her away from what we're doing.

-----

Meanwhile, Ariadne and Theseus are staying at a luxurious hotel room. The bed and pillows are made of the finest and softest material that royalty can buy. The artistic side of Athens is outside their window.

She holds him close to her and strokes his white seafoam hair while lying on the bed.

"Do you think it's my fault?", he broke the silence with guilt.

"It wasn't your fault, Theseus."

"I thought I had the right flag up. If I had checked, I-

"You did. I remember a white flag on the mast. I don't know what happened to change that", as she looked him in the eyes. His pupils shake.

"I...can't remember if that is right or not."

She keeps stroking his head to let him know that things will be alright for them. Ariadne stays with him as time goes by.

She then kisses his cheek.


"He would have been proud of you."

"Thank you, my love. I'm glad you are here with me", as he holds her closer to him.

He pushes her hair to the side and kisses her on the lips. She gets up from bed and leads him to the bathtub. They see a pile of fresh dirt on the table nearby.

"Oh, we can have a mud bath. That sounds fun", she expressed with excitement as she pulled a lever. Water rushes into the tub with a steam. She pulls the second lever and water without steam enters to cool it down.

Theseus sticks his hand in to test it.

"It's good now."

He uses his powers over earth to levitate a portion of the dirt and he mixes it in. The water
becomes muddy as he adds more into the tub. He sticks his hand in the tub and it seems perfect. Ariadne strips down and enters the tub at the front.

"Ah. This feels nice."

He takes some mud and uses it to scrub her arms. She takes some mud and scrubs his face. She lays her body against him for the remainder of the time. He kisses the top of her head as they enjoy the quiet time they have together.


After cleaning themselves from the mud bath, a knock on the door alerts them. Theseus opens the door in a bathrobe. A servant has a cart of food for their dinner.

"Are you hungry for dinner?"

"We are. Thanks."

The woman wheels it in and takes off the lids. There's a roasted chicken meant for two people, a nice leafy salad, and an apple spice cake to share.

"This looks great. Thank you so much", Ariadne complimented.

"Let me know if you need anything else."

Theseus and Ariadne eat the meal together. She then sees something on his face that quickly goes away. A small smile.

"I will eat your share if you don't keep up", he lightly joked.

"I don't like to share. Keep your fork on that side", as she playfully fights his fork.

The woman who served them hands the cart over to another servant. She is smiling as a wicked idea comes to her.

This will be so much fun! Switching the flags was fun, but this will be beyond that if I play it right, Eris thought.

---

Taki keeps training at the brothel while waiting for the item to be made. Ares keeps count for him while doing situps.


"Now slowly on the way down!", he instructed.

Taki feels a deep burning sensation from his abdominal muscles. He exhales through his mouth and drops his arms to the side. Ares throws him a towel to wipe his face.

"I'm afraid to get up now."

"Just take your time and you will be fine. Always remember. No pain, no gain."

Taki chuckles, but his abs flare up from doing so.


"Ow! Stop that!"

Ares helps him up and they go to the bathhouse to wash up. He looks at the mirror and sees he's almost at the physical condition he was before. He smiles but stops himself to be serious.

Father, please guide me. I need you to help me defeat Zeus. In fact, I need everyone's help. Please respond to me if you can hear me.

He feels a subtle change of energy inside. A sense of pride and confidence that his father had left him. He will carry that with him to the final battle.

After the bath, a servant sees him.

"Takashi?"

"Yes?"

"You have a new message", as she hands him a letter from Daedalus

"Thanks."

She bows before leaving him. He reads the contents and can't help but feel excited. He goes to tell Ares, but a veil of red aura is worn over his door. He decides to tell him later. He goes to the cafeteria and sees Chloe and the servants making dinner.

"I got great news!"

"What is it?", Chloe asked.

"Oh, where's Adonis?"

"He's sleeping at the moment. What is it?"

"Daedalus says the item will be ready by lunchtime tomorrow. Heracles will drop it off."

"That's great! This calls for a cele- Wait. That would be too soon for that. Let's celebrate after we get you home."

"We can celebrate tonight if you want."

"I'm not in the mood for that. Do you notice anything new?"

He looks and sees that the clam pin is no longer there.

"You found out?"

She sadly nods.

"Adonis told me everything. I understand why you didn't say anything. I'm not mad at either of you, but I can't believe she would do that to us."

"I'm sorry."

"Well, Adonis and I will leave this place once things are done on our side. We made a plan to live elsewhere and not deal with the gods anymore", she hopefully smiled.

"That's some good news. I pray you both live happy and healthy lives."

"Thanks. Since you're married, do you have any advice for us?"

"Keep going out and having fun. Even if it's once a week, go out on a date. Neither of you will regret that. The rest is up to you."

"I will let him know that. How is Penelope?"

"I think she's doing better now."

"Oh, I bet so", she smirked with amusement.

"You heard as well?"

"Oh, Penelope! I want to lick your body!", as she deepened her voice to repeat what she heard.

Takashi and the other servants laugh from her imitation of him.

"But seriously, you showed that you really love and care for her. I think you and her needed that reassurance."

"It was fun", he admitted without shame.

"What will you do after you get the item?"

"I will need to leave for aura training. Ares says he will take me somewhere that he knows tomorrow."

"I wish you both well."

"I appreciate everything you both did to help me. Thank you", as he embraced her. "Need help with dinner?"

"Sure. We're going to have fresh salads for dinner. Can you cut up some tomatoes and olives into chunks?"

"Sure."

He walks to a table where the tomatoes are already washed. He takes a knife and the culinary experience he picked up from his journey is on display. He takes the tomato and chops it in half with the knife. He makes precise cuts as he turns the halves into chunks. He then takes some olives and slices down precisely. The women are starting to feel envious.

"And he knows his way around the kitchen? His wife is so lucky."

"I wouldn't mind being his second wife."

Chloe clears her throat and they go back to organizing the bowls before sundown.

Thrace

Different musical notes are heard in the palace before they land with a thud into the wooden targets. Orpheus has been training nonstop since his grandmother's funeral.


His fingers are rugged and sore, but he kept going despite his mother's protests. He takes a small break after hitting the targets.

"Great job, Master Orpheus", a guard congratulated.

"It's not enough", as he applied lotion to his callouses. He winces and sits down.

"Sir, it's getting late. You should rest for tonight."

"I will after one more session."

"Son, stop for tonight. Let's eat together, please", Calliope's voice pleaded.

The musical demigod turns and sees his parents. Calliope hasn't stopped crying from her loss. Her cheeks are puffy with dark bags under her eyes. Her husband wipes her tears away and kisses her hand to comfort her. Orpheus is thinking of arguing with her, but he stops himself.


He can't worry her when she's already a mess. He puts his lyre away. He walks to his mother and kisses her on the cheek.

"Let's eat."

They walk and have dinner. There's not much talking, but they appreciate each other's presence as they eat. After dinner, the demigod accompanies his mother to the bedroom. He and his father tuck her into bed. His father gets into bed with her and wraps an arm around her. Orpheus kisses his mother goodnight and leaves her room.

He wishes there is something he can do to help her. Hearing her cry makes him sad for her and angry towards the foreigner who caused her sadness. He enters the balcony to get some fresh air before going to sleep. The night air comforts him. A presence then "calls" out to him.


What he sees almost takes his breath away. The balcony is left empty, but white feathers are left behind.

-------

12pm Gaia time (April 5th), a knock is heard on the entrance door to the brothel. A servant looks through a crack to see a tall, muscular man. He then speaks.

"I'm here to see a friend", Heracles spoke using a code in case Athena's owl is near.


"We all need a friend around here", the servant replied before opening the door.

Heracles enters with a box and she motions him to follow her. She opens a door to an empty room.

"I will be right back with your friend", as she leaves his sight.

Heracles hears footsteps and they see each other. Takashi is happy to see him again, but he remembers that this time is different. This is technically their first-time meeting. The mighty demigod feels a close and tight bond between him and this stranger. It was unusual for him to feel that way.

"Heracles?"

"I got your gift here", as he tapped the box.

"I really appreciate your help", as he walked over to open the box. Heracles stands in his way.

"Tell me what you know", he demanded.

"When I tell you, please don't-"

"Tell me", he interrupts with a bit of anger.

He doesn't want a physical confrontation. He motions for him to sit down and Heracles listens.

"Heracles, I'm sorry for what happened to Megara and your family. You were put under a spell of madness by....Hera. She was mad that Zeus had a child outside their relationship and wanted to punish you."

Heracles grips his knees to prevent his aura from displaying his anger. He stands up and grabs his club to leave.

"Wait! Don't go-

"I got what I needed from you. Thanks for telling me the truth", he told him without looking at him.

"I won't stop you, but don't go after her like this. We can make things right for them."

"You want to join forces?"

"Yes."

"You say we knew each other. How was my aura?"

"It's downright frightening. It almost rivals a god. That's why I need your help and Perseus' as well."

"Why do I get the feeling I know him?"

"Because he's not only your brother. He's also your great grandfather. The reason why you both are here and he's not older than you is because of my existence in this world. I'm also your uncle."

The mighty demigod thought he was pulling his leg, but everything seemed sincere. He thought it would be wrong to question it.

"Please, Heracles. Don't leave. We will make Hera pay for this and once I take the other half of powers from Zeus, I can bring them back."

Heracles lifts him by the throat.

"Don't you say that. If I find that you can't do it, I will end your life."

Taki puts on a brave face.

"I will do everything to bring them back. I never met them, but we did it before. We won a big game and we wished for them to be brought back to life. We can do that again."

Heracles lets go of him. It was a lot to process what he was told. He leaves the room and Taki stands in his way.

"I will answer any question you have. Just don't go after Hera yet. I don't want you to throw your life away."

His blue eyes are telling him to move out of the way or die. Taki reluctantly steps out of the way. The mighty demigod leaves the brothel. Taki clenches his fists as he wishes the best for Heracles.

He goes to the box and opens it up. Inside the box are a pair of gauntlets with large, blue semi-metallic pieces in the middle of them. He tries them on and they fit like a glove. He decides to keep them on just in case Zeus attacks him. He is almost ready for him. He goes to pack up his things so Ares and him can leave around lunch.

While Takashi is packing, Ariadne and a hooded Theseus are walking around to enjoy the day. Theseus is in a better mood as he's smiling a little bit. Ariadne sees this and she's hopeful that he will overcome his tragic loss. She kisses him on the cheek and he returns one back. He lets the kiss linger on her cheek as he holds her close to his body. Ariadne giggles.

"I love this so much."

"Then I will do it everyday."

"How about I get us some lunch?"

He nods and he lets her go. He sees her go to a street vendor's stand and buy some gyros for them. She comes back with the food and they sit down on a bench.

"Thank you."

"You're welcome. May you enjoy this serving, Hestia", as she took a portion of each gyro to the side.

The portions disappear and Hestia eats them from her hearth. She licks her lips from the savory flavors.

Towards the end of their lunch...


"Ariadne, when do you want to have children?"

"You know, we never really talked about that. I think as soon as possible."

"That quickly?", he glanced at her.

"Yes. If that's fine with you. We still have Aphrodite's potions to postpone if need be."

"No. I'm good with starting today if you like."

She turns to him and sees his gray colored eyes are shining like silver. She is aroused by the love and lust within them for her.

"Then what are we waiting for?"

They get up to leave for the hotel. Theseus offers his hand and she takes it. They walk at a brisk pace to start their family. Theseus sees a hooded figure running in the opposite direction but pays them no mind since it could be anything. He moves himself and Ariadne out of their way. He now can't feel her hand.

"THESEUS!", she screamed from above.

The mortal son of Poseidon looks up in that direction and his eyes are filled with surprise and rage. The hooded figure is on a roof, holding Ariadne against her will. She hits the figure multiple times and punches the person in the face. The hood falls off and Takashi is seen. It was honestly Eris using his appearance.

Theseus immediately kicks off his shoes. He stomps the ground and the earth launches him onto the same rooftop.


"Leave her alone!", he warned.

"Takashi" takes off with her and Theseus chases after him. He uses his earth powers to stop him without hurting his wife, but he would use his speed to outmaneuver the obstacles. Theseus traps him within 4 four walls of earth. A beam blasts out and "Takashi" continues. This causes a commotion as onlookers run away to contact Athena.

"Aren't you going to try harder, Theseus?! Do you want to lose her just like your father? Want to know something? I was responsible for switching the flags!", Eris taunted.

Theseus' aura rises up in anger and Athena's owl feels this change. It flies back to the temple. Eris/Takashi then leads Theseus to the brothel and waits for him to appear. She then takes out a blade and stabs Ariadne through the chest before running into an alley!

Blood stains her green dress. Theseus catches his falling wife with horrified eyes. He closes the wound as best as he can with his aura.

"Ariadne?", his voice filled with the fear of losing another loved one.

"I'm okay", her pain filled voice told him.

"I need medical help! Someone help me!", as he carefully scoops her up in his arms.

A servant inside the brothel hears him and opens the door. He is taken aback from what he's seeing.

"She needs medical help!", he told him.

"Come inside!", after recognizing it's the demigod.

Theseus runs in with her and another servant sees the wound. She gasps.

"I need medicine! Lay her on the table!", she instructed while making room for her. He gently rests her on the table.

The servant runs and comes back with medicine to treat her wound. Theseus keeps using aura to stop her from bleeding out.

"I'm right here. I'm right here", he said to overcome his fear.

He hears running footsteps and turns his face. His worry turns into pure rage as he lets go of her hand. Walls of earth surround the building, blocking out the sunlight. His turquoise aura flares up which makes everyone back away.


Takashi is visibly confused, but that aura tells him that Theseus wants him dead. Theseus pulls out his blade and attacks him! He ducks from the swing and taps his chest.

"Zone. FF2!"

His speed increases as he brings out his sword to defend himself. He doesn't attack Theseus as he wonders why he is doing this.


Eris, disguised as one of the servants, is hiding her smile from the chaos that will ensue from her work. A servant runs off to inform Chloe and the others. The others could only watch as the demigods clash. Takashi swings horizontally to block the demigod's swing.

"Theseus, stop! Why are you attacking me?!"

The earth-shaking demigod doesn't answer him as he uses the earth from below to crush him. Takashi jumps out of the way, but Theseus uses his enhanced speed and strength to grab him for a quick stab. Taki deflects to the side with his blade, but Theseus throws a haymaker.


The resulting punch forces him through the wall of earth and outside the brothel. Crimson iron escapes Taki's mouth. So many questions run through his ringing head.

He goes to get up, but something refuses to let his hands or feet move a single inch. Traps of earth restrict his movement. He looks up to find Theseus with a raised sword. It swings down...


Turquoise aura clashes with a fiery red as Ares blocks with his spear. He swings to force him back. Ares' single swing destroys the ground around him to free Takashi from the traps.

Theseus is puzzled why Ares is helping him out after what he did. His bracelet glows to let him know something.

"Why are you helping him, Ares?!", as he pointed his blade.

"Theseus, right? He didn't kill the Oracle nor the people in Boeotia."

"Even if that's true, he needs to pay for what he just did!", his mouth foamed. He jerks his head back from a traveling arrow.

"Put down your weapon, right now!", Adonis warned while preparing another arrow. The servants bring out their knives.

Taki then sees a wound on Ariadne's chest and pieces it together.

"Play", he said to everyone's surprise. He sheathes his sword to show he doesn't want any more blood to be shed. "I didn't hurt Ariadne."

Theseus' feet stiffen. He wants to refuse the sincerity of that statement. Another thought crosses his mind.

How does he know us so well?, Theseus thought.

"I'm going to heal-

Before he could say another word, he feels something struck through his throat. He touches it and finds no blood. He tries to speak, but nothing comes out no matter how hard he tries. His lips feel glued to each other. Something else scares him.

He's severed from his aura channels again. Ares grips his spear and stands in front of him. Taki turns and his heart rate elevates even more. His wavering eyes are on the threat responsible for muting him.

The Goddess of Wisdom hovers in the air to help her patron hero.