[25 DAYS LEFT]

Eurydice's POV:

I looked at the blades of white, spinning in a small circle. A white cage-like barrier kept me from touching said blades. A small button was the only thing that was on the white stick's bottom.

It was a small electrical fan, at least that's what Iskall said.

And that Ex guy said it was an oozy bogy spiny blade. But for whatever reason, I find it hard to trust him.

Maybe it was just the cold eyes, maybe not as cold as my masters but they talk and act so alike that it sends shivers down my spine.

Does it matter? My master, while he has my true name, will he even use it? It's not like my husband can do anything that may hurt him.

But he will use it against him. My poor husband. I thought to myself, the fan now shaking in my hand.

I looked over at the Hermits, which now have been aimlessly lost for a few days. They were trying their best to pinpoint where we are. Some looked at Pearl with nervous looks and whispers of concern.

"I was too focused on that worm monster... did she?" A male voice, I couldn't tell who exactly. But he had to be one of the older hermits, his voice was deeper.

"No... but... look at her... it's too pale for my liking." Another male.

"I don't like this at all... what if..." A female voice, Gem's voice.

"Let's just ask again." The first male said. I keep my eyes on the spinning fan.

"Pearl... first you alright? The wind looks like it was knocked out of you." Grian's voice was full of worries.

I finally broke my glare at the fan and looked at Pearl.

She looked ok from a stranger's viewpoint, maybe the hair was a bit messy but who really cares. But for her friends, her other demigod sibling.

She was a mess, skin too pale and cheeks a bit too red. It looked like she has a fever and didn't know it. Eye bags are blacker than they have ever been. And the black eye that a monster gifted her was turning into a sickly pale shade of green.

I was the stranger in this case and Joe was the friend. The young boy was way too worried about his friend's health.

He reminds me of my husband.

Which, I guess kind of made sense. They were both sons of Apollo. Are all of Apollo's sons or daughters or children in general like this? Because add in my Husband's natural charm... cuff your jeans and sing Sweater Weather out in joy; people like that are so my type.

Pearl was being forced into bed early, she was whining a bit in protest before Hypno just tapped on her shoulder and she fell asleep.

"You could do that?" Joe asked in amazement.

"Yep, since a month or so ago. It also allows me to read into her dreams if she has any tonight." Hypno said, before letting out a big yawn.

"Doesn't that sound a bit... invasive? Not that I mind you doing that." Beef said.

"She's a demigod, come on," Hypno said flatly.

"She's just begun her life as a demigod. We should know better." Grian said, his brown eyes now having an aura of coldness to them.

Hypno nodded, agreeing with Grian, "Yeah, I suppose. I should have asked her... maybe in the morning. I'm tired man."

Grian nodded, sharing a light laugh. His eyes looked foggy as if thinking about the past.

Grian hadn't died before, I reminded myself. Remarkably close... but not death.

Death's relationship with people is scary, people will willingly jump into his arms, and some are indifferent about it.

But I'm scared, maybe that's because I died once, maybe it's because I only had one last chance to live, maybe it's something else.

The Hermits didn't care much about my mini existential crisis, they seemed on edge. Maybe I should ask them.

"What's gotten into your brains?" I asked, trying to sound casual.

"Just... parents." Impulse cheerily answered, taking a spot a few inches away from me.

"Mortal or the gods?" I asked, and Impulse's answer for that was a silly hmm... like he was a villager in-game.

"I guess both... kids are great and everything and all children deserve a parent or two or three..." Impulse stopped in his mumbles and spoke louder with a wave of firm anger in his tone. "But not all parents deserve kids."

A quick mental note to myself to ask him about his parents later was formed in my head. For now, I was more focused on all of the uneasy looks of the Hermits.

"I wish I can just be... normal..." A melodramatic sigh came from Cub.

A wave of the Hermits thinking over that sentence began, some seem to disagree intimately, but some look fond of the idea, but their eyes still carry an answer that was clear: No.

"If I wasn't a demigod, what would I even be? I can't imagine my life without you dummies." Etho rubbed the hair of Beef.

Ex silently stared at the group from a few feet away, even with how he acts around the group, he's still fond of them.

"It's funny, I would have been a biologist. I had a degree and everything!" Grian said, earning a nod from Gem.

"I bet Joe would be a writer or something like that, he loves his rhymes." Cleo pointed out. "I'm pretty good with kids, I think I'll like to be a teacher."

Joe took a stand and shook his head proudly, "I actually have a degree in history, but you are totally right."

"Gem what about you?" Cleo asked, looking at one of the newest Hermits.

Gem thought about it, "A doctor. I thought I told you about it?"

Right, she was comparing her peers' handwriting to my spouse's and joking about how poor it was. Which is not true! My husband's handwriting is exceptionally beautiful, thank you very much.

But still, hearing about them talking about the 'What-if was interesting to me.

I was a dryad after all before I had limited control of the plants around me; but now after my death, the powers had all disappeared, if I were to have a job what will it be.

"A musician?" I asked a much younger Orpheus; my head was still in the bushes. I looked at the man that stands before me.

"I'll sing my songs to the people! But I'll save the best for you." He looked at me with a smirk, I rolled my eyes at his face, feeling my cheeks turn a pale shade of red.

"You'll like that! I can tell!" he teased.

I stuck my tongue at him, he makes me feel like I'm a kid again, free from what other people think of me.

Maybe that was why I fell in love.

But now, how do I face him.

I looked at the ever-turning fan in my head and turned it off, night was approaching like a snake.

The Hermits were still chatting about the future, planning the night shifts in case of a sudden monster attack. They sounded profoundly serious about it.

"I wonder what the Gods are doing in their free time. Like what the hel-" I asked out loud, before covering my mouth.

The Hermits looked at me with curious eyes, they burn a print into the depths of my soul.

"Say, what were the gods like in the past? I'm rather intrigued." Joe asked, it was a fair question. I have never seen the gods act so cold to their children before.

"The gods were a lot more... let's say protective of their kids, their divine help helped the early heroes," I explained, then I looked up at the fading sky. The world slowly turns dark once again, "I don't know what happened to cause this split between the Demigods and the Divine ones. I'm sorry."

Scar rubbed his top hat and looked at Gem, who shook her head.

"When I came to this world, the spilled already happened. My goddess was favoring the human hunters and not the ones she brought to life." Gem patted her ear longingly, "Come to think of it, I think she's lost interest in the hunters all together a thousand or so years ago."

Ex shared a sympatric look before his icy cold glare hardened back with the first breeze of the night.

"Is that what you were doing in the forest? Finding a path to follow?" Ex asked while the question was made in concern of said friend, the tone used was with a hardened edge.

"Whoa, mind your tone." Spitted out Gem, she stood up and looked to the tents that were set up. "But to answer your question... not really, my goddess said that I'll find my own pack one day and I believe this is my pack, my home. Goodnight."

She left the small grouping to join the few hermits that were asleep. I heard the other let out a yawn of agreement and walked to the tent, False stayed behind. She was the one who gets the first hour of the night watching duty.

"Are you going to be ok by yourself?" I asked before going to sleep myself.

She nodded and pulled up her hair in a loose ponytail, it was her stance for a battle. "I have survived two days without sleep, an hour is not going to hurt."

I nodded and headed into the tent, the last thing I thought about what the smile on my beloved's face as I fell into a dreamless sleep.

...

[24 DAYS LEFT]

...

I feel sick.

That was the best way to say how tired I was.

My lips were as dry as the sand below my soles, my hair now in an untidy braid, my vision doubled whenever I moved too fast, and worst of all, I felt like I needed to spill my head in two to relieve the headache.

Pearl wasn't looking much better; her skin was still paper pale.

"Can't we just fire an arrow at the sun to get its attention?" Pearl asked, grabbing a much-needed drink of water. "You did say that Phaethon's Rest is only reachable by the sun."

"First, his. Mind the pronouns, both sun gods are male. Second, Helios is the only one to know of the place. Helios and my father from above are... let's say... not friends." Joe said, looking around for anything that may be covered by the mist.

"We have to get Helios' attention and not Apollo's, but both are in the chariot of the sun?" Gem asked, putting her hands up, "The sun is too strange."

"I think she has a natural basis..." I heard that strange Ex said.

With the way he spoke to his fellow demigods, it's strange to think of him as a hero, maybe an antihero at best but...

He spits out harsh words and was really toxic at times... it reminded me so much of him. My master.

Yet, the softer twinkle in his ember red eyes, the worry in his body language whenever Pearl tripped on herself or limped.

Could it be a big misunderstanding with my master too? Could my master act just like Ex whenever we are not watching?

But, when I look into his eyes; his bright green eyes that held everyone's gaze, but deeper within was green flare hungry for... something much bigger than fame.

He was a monster.

I shook myself out of the lush green of his eyes and looked at the pearly yellows of the sand.

"Come on out Helios!" False yelled in the direction of the sun.

"Great idea False, oh so wonderful daughter of Athena, goddess of wisdom; do you have any greater ideas we haven't thought of?" Ex said with sarcasm in his voice.

"Right as if you got any better ideas, Mr. Know-It-All." False snapped.

"Oh, I have great ideas, just watch me." Ex's brows dripped, now visually excited that False took the bait.

Ex then proceeded to dump all the curse words in the dictionary that will make a sailor sweat...

... And aimed it into the sky with Helios' name slapped around like a fishbone.

In other words, and from a person who is very sane, yikes bad idea!

Etho froze his mouth up, but the heat of the desert made it melt, but it did the job; Ex was too surprised by the sudden coldness in his mouth to fully kill a sailor.

"What... the fu-" Ex stared at Etho who now held an ice-cold glare.

"No-no, what was your idea of a plan." Etho asked then looked up at the sky, exclaiming; "It didn't even work."

"Why would you do that, he's going to kill us now!" I squeaked, shaking in fear.

Which was responded to by a confused look.

"The old gods back in the day or this year dumpster fire of gods?" Grian asked, he did have a point.

I was thinking about the past, not the present, I mentally slapped myself.

The burning feeling in my throat did not get better with my racing thoughts

"Can I have some water? My throat is dying." I asked meekly.

Xb opened the jug that we all share and was preparing to pour some water into the now empty bottle when all the water just evaporated into thin air.

"Huh? I guess it is rather boiling, Etho?" He asked Etho for ice cubes to make into the water again.

"I think there's enough freezing air for me to make ice from the water vapor may be... I'll have to try." Etho gathered power into his hands, but nothing formed.

"Oh, we may have a problem! Big Problem!" Cub said as an intense heat burned into the side of my face.

My day is just started and it's already the worst, and somehow it got even worse.

"I hate when people call me 'a PROBLEM', YOU HEAR THAT?" A loud and powerful voice ring in my ear, sounding like a teacher's sickly-sweet voice when talking to troubled kids.

I looked at the Titan of the Sun, and the name suits him with the blindly white clock, the crown of fire that radiates power on his long braided amber hair, golden eyes scanning every area of me and the Hermits.

His judge-filled eyes locked eyes with mine, I froze up in waves of chill as he looked surprised then back to nature as he turned to the Hermit next to me, which was Joe.

"I don't like this at all." I heard his plea for help.

"Act natural and remember to breathe." Scar whispered.

The Sun Titan looked at Apollo's son, which at one point Joe visibly paled.

"Do... I know you?" Helios asked, the hairs on Joe raised.

"Nope, I have never met you, kind sir. You must have mistaken me for another fellow." Joe rambled.

He narrowed his eyes, put on some glasses then push them off again, and shrugged; "Meh, with many lovers Apollo, has killed, I don't think he has a kid. What a kid." Helios then nodded at me as a greeting.

The brightness he produces blinds my eyes to look at him, so I just shook my head.

"Helios and Apollo are bros. He doesn't mind their stories being mixed." Orpheus told me.

My past self-nodded blankly and sighed, "And to think that I thought this will cause a war. Oh, how wrong of me."

My boyfriend at the time laughed wholeheartedly, "I really can't see them arguing with each other, they got along so well on that first day."

"I mean their common traits are liking pretty people and music. That's going to everlasting friendship for anyone." My partner said.

We laughed together till we fell on the sun-covered grass, our chest raising up and back in sync. I was so happy...

Oh, how wrong I was... oh how wrong I was.

How the Titans and the Gods are bitter at each other. Why?

The Titans didn't want to be forgotten, they pleaded and pleaded with the people of this earth to rekindle their power. If forgotten, their powers faded. If forgotten, the Titans themselves fade.

The Gods weren't so happy with the Titan's suggestion to share power; with less power, Zeus can't impress more pretty ladies. As the head of the Gods, he said no right their faces.

And none of the Titans took that well.

"Look, it bloody worked! This sad excuse of aa [! ¿!¿] came down. I told you it worked!" Ex adds, adding oil to the raging forest fire.

"EX! Your mouth is enough to make a sailor cry." Iskall yelled.

"For all I care, he can go and suck a-" Then Ex got punched in the back of his head.

The scared Hermit cowered in fear as Helios's eyes got brighter, he stared at Ex and then at everyone else, the image of his glowing eyes seared into the back of my brain.

"I'm asking you all once, WHAT DO YOU WANT." The Titan of the Sun didn't actually raise their voice. But, yikes, it rang loud and clear in my ear.

"We just ask for a ride to Phaethon's Rest, we... uh have a bit of a timer and maybe need to 'stop a world-ending quest'." Scar stated before quickly adding, "But like no pressure or anything, just need to stop a villain or two."

Then the blazing smile on Helios' face dropped, he seemed to be struck with grief by that name.

"Why?" That was the next question that the bright Titan of the Sun asked.

"Her husband is taking the items needed to control our fates, Clotho's string, Lachesis' hourglass, and Atropos' scissors." The coldness in that tone, the distrust of my beloved... it came from Ex.

Of course... it was kind of expected. I cannot blame his skepticism about me.

But still, why did it hurt to hear him confirm his hatred of me? I wanted to hide away and clean my sins.

"To clean away misunderstanding, my master held me at knifepoint and commanded Orpheus with his true name to do it." I put my hands in the hand as a peace sign, hoping the uncomfortable look on Ex could just disappear.

Then a few Hermits looked at Ex, then at themselves, then at me. They frowned as a mutual silent distrust on me grew.

I hated that. I hated that no one trusted me completely, even Gem looked at me with a judging look.

If only Ex weren't here, maybe I could have a better relationship with the Hermits. If only...

"Why can't you say his name, I'm sure the other half of the Hermits would love to know," Scar asked, baiting me to just confess the name of my puppeteer.

As his name formed amid my memories, a sudden fear gripped me.

A voice told me to obey. It told me to be quiet. Or else.

What was the consequence of disobeying? Why couldn't I move? Why was I... so... disgustingly W.E.A.K?

My voice just dried up; I could not breathe. I was shivering; I'm so cold.

But the burning heat of the Sun Titan burned into my brain light, I looked at the Hermits with horror and shook my head.

"I want to... but I fear the unknown outcome of my actions." I composted myself, dragging my energy into speaking as normally as I could.

The Hermits just looked disappointed at me, which yanks at my heartstrings.

Despite myself, I let out a weak smile and just continued the original conversion with Helios.

"I know that you owed my husband a favor for him teaching you music; so please, think of it like you are paying back to him. Let me help him." I stared at Helios' blank golden eyes, devoid of any visible emotion.

A cold chill blew across, I waited for Helios to say something.

Then he nodded a sad yes. He said something under his breath and looked at us, his eyes now a glossy gold.

"Just promise me on the river Styx that you will never use the flowers for evil purposes, that's the only thing I have left of my son." He asked, I nodded as the Hermits face grew to be one of shock.

A deity showing signs of love to their children. Is this real? I could just hear their brain working away on the fact that a Titan had shown signs of caring for his children.

"Nike would have shared my mindset, yes, and I'm sure that Hestia cares more than the others too," Helios said, waving a signal to the sky.

"Wait... what... how did you?" Xb's eyes sparkled as Helios mentioned Hestia.

"I have my ways, spies are surprisingly common among the Greek Gods, Gods that feel like they should have more, Gods that are unhappy of how they must treat their children, rebels right, center and left. That's why there has been zero contact to this world." Helios explained as one of my eyes grew hazier and hazier, till white filled my whole sight.

Then I realize that I wasn't passed out so, I squinted to try to see anything with my better eye.

"Oh yeah, I forget that the Sun Chariot is very bright to you commoners. Here." Something with a smooth surface entered my hands, I quickly put them on.

It was something like the sunglasses on Ren's face. But much darker...

"It is still sunglasses but just made out of tinted glass. It blocks most of the light out." Helios information us, I touched the smooth glasses on my face, and then a realization came over me.

"Damn, I must be looking mighty cool. I can see how Ren likes this." I said in a joking tone, but no one answered.

This is not suspicious... I must be taking this silence wrong. I must be. Maybe they just don't agree and that's fine. That's totally fine. People have different opinions. I tried and calmed my raging thoughts.

And it didn't work too well. My suspicion of the Hermit bubbled in my stomach.

They are the enemies; they can go behind my back and betray me at any moment. What was I doing? I'm a dead man walking around them.

But they have been nothing but kind, even if one of them is a little bit distrusting, it didn't change the fact that...

No. They caused me to be in this situation, I have all the justice to hate them.

It still... touches me, I guess. How much they cared.

"Get on board. I don't want to hang around you bunch." The Sun Titan said, but there was no warmth in that sentence.

Then he vanished into the light.

"So... uh." Xb said after a while, "That happened."

"A deity caring for their dead child. Please, tell me that's a dream." Ex crossed his arms, huffing.

Beef slapped the back of his helmet, "Nike would argue with that."

Gem hopped into the Sun Chariot and turned it on, it made a sound that almost sounded like a car engine.

"It's surprisingly cool in here, I thought I may just melt." Gem waved her arm, an invitation for the Hermits to jump in.

False decided to test that statement by touching the outside door of the Chariot.

"Huh, interesting. It feels like silver in a cold room." The daughter of war said, her guard completely down.

So, the group of Hermits all got in, squeezing for more space, Etho was the only one that no one dared to steal space from. I stood still in front of the door; the movements of the Hermits became a hazy blur.

"Come on Eurydice! I think we have just enough room for you." Scar's voice said, snapping me out of my haze.

The green eyes of said man looked into my own, the scars that ran across his cheeks, the one down his right eye. That was all I can focus on; I was too scared to look him eye to eye.

I dumbfoundedly nodded and sat next to him. I stared at my lap as the Hermits argue if they should go left or go right.

Those scars.

What happened?

It must have happened a long time ago by how to fade those scars were, who caused them... with how they casually accuse the Gods, I bet it was them...

Now that I think about it, a lot of the Hermits have scars of their own, they all looked worse for wear, wary of anything that may cause harm to their small family.

They looked like my husband when he came down to get me out of the underworld.

You know that you will reunite with your better half soon. My brain suddenly said the thought that he will be in front of me without any barriers in my way excited me.

But how do I face him? Do I hug him? Do I lead him to believe I was on the Hermit's enemies' side? Do I leave the Hermits enemies, only to be used for the end of the world?

A headache rang out in my ear, my vision grew muddled, and I feel my eyelids drop.

I know that I had just slept a few hours ago but thinking takes a lot out of me.

I can think about the questions another day. For now...

I rather sleep.

TLDR:

Thinking about the past, present, and future. Maybe Eurydice should reconsider how she views her present.

Author's note:

Eurydice was interesting to write, not fully trusting the hermits but held at gunpoint for her master to toy with.

And the title was too good.

For me not to use it will be unfortunate.

Not only an MCC reference, but I was watching someone go through the bad ending of Omori.

Yeah, you know... that one.