Sniffling and tears hitting the floor can be heard inside the morgue. Several opulent citizens tenderly touch the urns of their late loved ones. In the corner of Takashi's eye, a nearby room grips his attention.

The recently dead covered in blankets of white. Scents of lavender and other herbs overpower the decay. The process of the pending ceremony makes him imagine himself as a corpse. Again.

Heracles and Artemis each lay a hand on his shoulders. Some assurance and hope that he will not end up like them.

Echo walks over to Narcissus and Georgios with a bouquet of blue irises in hand. The mortician near the pyre pours a flammable liquid over Michaelis' covered body.

Narcissus turns to Echo's hand on his back. With puffy red eyes, he walks into her embrace. Taki walks to Georgios and offers a hug to pay his respects. Georgios latches onto him.

"I'm sorry for your friend."

"Thank you for coming," he exhales like a leaf.

Artemis and Heracles embrace him as well.

"I'm so sorry, my love. I bought him some flowers and a song for him," Echo gently rests them on Michaelis' chest.

"Thank you, my love. He would love those." She got this man she didn't even know a nice bouquet. Where is mine?!

The mortician clasps his hands together. "Before I begin, are there any words you would like to say to your friend?"

Georgios shuffles forward. "Michaelis, I thank you for being there for me when I needed to talk to someone. Although you never took a lover, just know that you were loved by all of us. I pray you are at peace in Elysium."

You should be thanking me since I brought him. You would never have been that lucky without me, the vain demigod complains inside.

Echo embraces Georgios. He goes to wrap his arms around her for comfort, but a quick look from Narcissus stops him.

She lets go to take her lover's hand. "Michaelis, I only knew you for a short time, but you were kind to me and supported our love. I won't forget you. Rest in peace."

"May you hunt in peace in Elysium," Artemis states kindly.

"You seemed like a good man. Rest in peace," Takashi pays his respects followed by Heracles who says the same.

The mortician looks at Narcissus to say his part. The mountain nymph gently squeezes his hand to give him some courage.

"I wish I didn't take our friendship for granted. You didn't deserve that to happen to you. It's not the same without you, old friend. Although you didn't have an official home, you will live on in my heart. Every arrow I will shoot from now on will be in memory of you."

He nods to the mortician who lights a torch and throws it at the bottom of the pyre. Michaelis' prepared body doesn't smell foul from the fire consuming him. The roaring flames are paired with the gentle music coming from Echo's flute.

...

Heracles pats Georgios on the back. "How about a round of drinks on me?"

"That sounds-"

"I'm sorry. We have to be going now." the vain demigod interjects.

Artemis, Heracles, and Taki raise their eyebrows.

"Where are you going, my future husband?" Echo's eyes waver out of concern.

Narcissus holds her hands in his.  "Not too far. I just don't want us to linger here for too long. Michaelis wouldn't want that for us. But I want to talk to you about something important before I leave here," he folds a key into her hand. "I will be there shortly."

The demigod brushes back a strand of brown hair before leaving them. Georgios hastens his steps to not fall too far behind.

Before the others leave the morgue, Echo mentions that she will talk with Narcissus.

"Okay. I hope it's a pleasant one. Since we don't have dust, we will wait for you outside. Just in case Hera tries something on you", the huntress hides her intentions.

"I understand," before running off to the inn. With a stomp of her feet, she jumps through an open window leading to the hallway. The nymph opens the door and sits on the bed.

1001, 1002, 1003--Damn it. Let's start over.

The game of counting tiles had restarted more than ten times, but she continues to wait.

It's okay. He's grieving. Maybe on a long walk. Play aga--

Her ears perk up from the sound of his footsteps. A smile from ear to ear graces her face. Buds of blue and pink are plucked from her hair while her feet race to the door.

Narcissus welcomes her with a tight embrace. The shift of his legs has his whole weight leaning on her.

"Is Georgios okay?" She asks.

"He cried himself to sleep."

He lets go and slumps into his chair.

The mountain nymph sees a bottle of red wine on the table. "How about some wine?"

Before she can pour, he rips the bottle away from her. "You don't know what you're doing. Don't you know how to serve wine?"

She fidgets from side to side from his unexpected response. Usually, she would push back but because of her feelings....."I-I'm sorry. I didn't know."

He pours himself wine with the label facing up. "This is how you do it. Never forget that."

Some of her crown flowers wilted from her "insulting" him. "I'm sorry."

He sighs after taking a sip.  "I'm sorry, Echo. I shouldn't have snapped at you like that. It's not right. Michaelis' death is making me act strange."

Echo hugs him from behind the chair. "It's okay. I forgive you."

"Thanks for being there for me. Can you keep holding onto me like this?"

"Sure. As long as you want."

Her legs and back ache from the prolonged embrace, but she endures for him.

"Echo, you can stop now. Sit on the bed, please."

She stands up slowly and holds back a wince of pain from escaping her lips. The vain demigod takes something out of his bag. He sits next to her, holding her rocky hands while gazing into her eyes of nature.

"Death is making me realize something. You have shown me today that you are what I always wanted. Someone I can depend on and love with all of my heart. That's why I want to do this."

He kneels before her which makes her heart race faster than a rabbit.

"I know that this is on short notice, but life is short. It's a promise to you that I will marry you after reaching my dream."

A flawless diamond is uncovered before her. Echo's brown eyes brighten along with her flowers.

"Echo, do you want me to make an honest woman out of you?"

She goes to scream yes to the heights of Mt Olympus, but Narcissus gently covers her mouth. He places the ring on her finger. "I know your answer and I accept it. I love you."

"I love you too. I can't wait to tell my friends about this."

"I don't know about that."

"Why not? They would be happy for us."

"Something tells me that they still don't trust me. I understand that we had our miscommunication, but I thought we could move on from it."

He has a point. They also used to think that he worked with Hera.

"I still want you to wear that ring though."

She tilts her head. "But they would ask questions. What would I-"

"I implanted my aura into it so that they wouldn't notice it. I want this to be our little secret until we announce our wedding date. It also gives you a part of me while I'm gone. I have a ring to wear too. Can you give me some of your aura, please?"

She channels a bit of her mountain nymph aura into his ring. His diamond ring shines and then fades back to normal.

"Splendid. You make me so happy. Now, keep your eyes open for this part."

He pulls her in for a long kiss. Echo kisses back with her eyes open. Narcissus turns her onto the bed and kisses her neck. Multiple buds on her crown form from his "love."

His hands travel down to her hips before getting off of her. "Just a little rehearsal of our wedding night."

Echo touches her lips while breathing heavily. "I can't wait for that night."

"I will be leaving tomorrow. Go be with your friends."

Echo gives him a quick peck on the cheek before leaving. She leans against the wall as she takes in what happened. Her flowers bloom in a brighter shade of hues. Her fingers are quick to pluck the flowers and drop them in front of her new fiance's door. A leap of joy has her reuniting with the others.

Artemis gives her a satisfied smile. "You're in a really good mood. What did he say to you?"

"We talked about our future again. A little mention of our future wedding. I can't wait. I pray that Michaelis will be rooting for us from Elysium," her feet almost hop from containing her happiness.

The goddess of the hunt utilizes her silent Olympian aura to detect any trap he could have laid on her sister. She withholds a sigh of relief that nothing happened.

"Artemis?"

"I'm just happy for you," she holds her lovingly. With an arm around her shoulder, they return to camp.

-----

California 12:55pm

Tapping on the keyboards are followed by the chorus of rings. Greg rubs the dark circles under his eyes while inputting data for a client. After each task, he takes a look to the side of his desk. A framed photo of him and Takashi at his wedding.

A message pops up on his screen. "Hey, Greg. Can I speak with you for a minute?"

"Sure," he types back. He locks his computer and walks to the supervisor's desk. "What is it, Terry?"

"You have been doing a great job so far, but....I noticed that you are distracted while at work. You have been making some mistakes here and there with the numbers. Small, but those numbers matter to our clients. I know that Takashi's disappearance means a lot to you, but you need to let the police worry about him."

Greg's hands almost clench. "The police dropped the case."

"They did?"

"They declared him dead. I know you just got back from vacation, so it may have slipped your mind."

"I'm so sorry, Greg. I didn't know. Do you want to take some time off for that?"

"I already used up all my vacation time this year for that." To search for him.

"If you need an extension, we can do that for you until you're ready to come back."

"I will think about that. It's time for lunch anyway."

"Okay. Let me know your decision after that."

Greg's tray of a chicken caesar salad sandwich and chips sit untouched. Maybe I do need an extension. Taki wouldn't want me to get fired.

He grips his fork. Some of his coworkers aren't even talking about Takashi anymore. He remembered all the times he had gone out of his way to help them. Now, they treated him like a puff of air.

"Greg?" A woman's voice interrupts his thoughts.

He turns and sees his coworker, Michelle. A short blonde in a green sweater and jeans holding a club sandwich and fries. Her crystal blues ask him if she could sit at his table. He motions with his hand that it's okay.

She sits down while giving him some space. After a few bites...."Is it about Takashi?"

"It is. I'm honestly mad. Despite his--They're ignoring his existence."

"I'm sorry about that."

He exhales. "It's not your fault. I know you and everyone expressed their condolences after what happened."

She wipes her mouth. "You do have a point. The way they have someone else sit at his desk like nothing happened. It makes me mad too. Penny was right about that."

"He picked a good woman. One that would wage war for him."

Her laugh manages to make him laugh. "Let her know that I'm on her side about that and that I wish her and her daughter well."

"I will."

"How does it feel being her uncle now?"

"I'm happy to call her my niece, but....she has his eyes. I could never look at her face because of that. I wish I could do more for her."

Michelle places a comforting hand on his shoulder.  "You are. Being there for her will keep her happy until he comes back."

She recalls a time where he and Taki both helped her. She was insecure since she was new at the job, but their help kept her going. He thanks her for the words that erode his sandy shore of stress.

After lunch, he tells Terry that the extension can be saved for another time. Greg checks his phone and sees that everything is normal. That's a relief. You are keeping it chill wherever you are.

He receives a call from Hikari and motions to his boss that he has an important call. He braces himself for whatever info she will give him. She explains the other world theory that he takes into account without doubting it.

When it came to the topic of Thanksgiving, they express concern of how Penny might react if he doesn't show up around that time. They hope that her science team will prevent that from happening. After the call, he goes back to work and takes another look at the photo.

When you come back, let's all get drinks and get hammered. Let's also make new memories together. Come back safely, my brother.

He goes back to work with a fire in his belly. I will not be an unemployed uncle, Taki. Believe that.

Aeolia

Ares grips his spear to the point of creaking. Castor, his war pig, runs up and down the shore of the floating kingdom island.

Eris, you better pray we never meet.

"A-Ares?"

His bloody aura instantly dissipates. He turns to see the trembling group of Avgi, Paris, Helen, and Briseis. He hops off his pig and quickly bows.

"I am sorry. My defensive aura is scaring you. I wish I could do better than that," his calm tone gives them peace.

"It's fine. It's just been a while since we've seen you like that. Let's eat together," Briseis offers some bread and cheese to him.

Ares sees Avgi coming forward and stops her with a raised hand.

 "You shouldn't be too close to me. None of you should. Let me protect you from a distance."

"That's not what a family does," Paris tells him.

The god of war's heart thuds against his breastplate. King Priam's words echo in his heart. He shakes his head to refocus. He tells them to leave the food and let him continue his task.

He turns his back to them and has his giant pig do the same. His hearing tells him that they are sitting down and eating. His companion's stomach grumbles, but his eyes continue to stare out over the water.

The small footsteps belonging to Avgi approach Castor. His mouth salivates from the whiff of delicious food in her hands. But he shakes his head to focus.

Some saliva lands on Avgi. "Eww!" she laughs.

Ares cracks a grin from hearing her laugh. He gives her a red handkerchief to wipe her face. "Sorry about that. I thought I had trained him better than that."

Avgi wipes her face.  "It's okay. May I feed him?"

"You may."

The pig opens its mouth wide and Avgi throws some food onto his tongue. The pig bites down and consumes its small meal. Avgi returns with more food to repeat the process.

"Uncle Ares?"

"Just call me Ares."

"Uncle Ares, do you have family as well?" She ignores his request.

The deity stifles his laugh. "I think I told you, but it's been a while. I have multiple children with your Aunt Aphrodite. Eros, Phobos, Deimos, Harmonia, Pothos, Anteros, Himeros. I also have children with other women as well."

She tilts her head. "Why is that? Don't you love Auntie?"

"We just have an understanding. We love each other very much. She loves you all too like her own children and wishes she could be right here. She was so happy to hear that you were found and alive."

"Where is she?"

"She's collecting information to protect you and everyone here."

"Oh? Can you tell me how you and auntie met again?"

Ares recalls how she came down from the starry sky in the form of a clam. When her clam opened to reveal her to everyone, they fell in love with each other at first sight. Her smile warmed his heart which made it easier for them to talk with each other. He keeps to himself the pain they caused to Hephaestus.

"That's exactly how Takashi fell in love with his wife," Helena mentions.

Ares jerks his body towards them. "You mean like his wife is-"

"Not like that!" Briseis clarifies quickly. "He fell in love with her smile like how you did."

"Good for him."

"Is there any word on how Takashi is doing?" Paris asks.

The deity of war brings up that he's being trained by Artemis and that he became the talk of Mt Olympus from his rescue of the Trojans. When Artemis left the meeting abruptly, he asked his father if they could send him home right away. Zeus scoured the entire temple from top to bottom but couldn't find the space/time mirror anywhere. 

Briseis' eyebrows come down. "That's terrible."

"There has to be a way to out the perpetrator."

Ares objects. "You shouldn't worry about that. My father will find the one responsible and they will regret it."

Paris, Helen, and Briseis feel reassured after seeing what Zeus did to help them in the war.

"In the meantime, I will continue to stay here to protect you from further harm."

Avgi tugs on his red cape. He cracks a smile at her.

"Uncle? Do you want to see me fly?"

"Sure. Just don't do it over the ocean, okay?"

"Okay!"

"She has been practicing every day. It drives me crazy sometimes," Briseis lightly jokes.

Avgi grabs her wings from the bag and puts her arms through the slings. She flaps her wings numerous times and is a few feet off the ground. Taki's instructions fill her mind as she turns right then left a couple of times.

The god of war looks up with a smile that she found some joy out of this. Avgi tires out from the flying and goes to land. Ares drops his spear to catch her in his arms.

Avgi tries to fight off her heavy eyelids.

He gives her over to Briseis. "Have you all been sleeping better?"

"The nightmares come and go for us," Helen's words linger.

The deity embraces them. "I pray you all find peace at the end of this."

After a teary group hug, Ares decides to eat with them. Avgi sleeps at peace from the calming red aura around them. It gets late and the group starts heading back.

"Before you sleep, I want to let you know that your father would be proud of you. I see more of him in you each passing day," Ares tells Paris.

Paris looks at him with softened eyes. He hugs the god of war before rejoining the others. Ares pats his pig on the head as they continue to keep watch.

Takashi's right foot can't stop tapping from what's to come. His tapping stops from the return of Artemis and Echo with dead sparrows, boar, and squirrels.

"We will make sure you will eat well tonight and tomorrow. It's best not to do it on an empty stomach," the Olympian informs.

"Have you ever done that before? Reopening channels like that?"

"No, I haven't done that. I have read what may happen."

"What else will happen as I go through it?'

Artemis is hesitant, but she comes out with it.  "Your aura may lash out like last time to protect yourself."

He almost clutches his legs from what he almost did to Helena.

"Artemis and I will combine our auras as a barrier. You won't hurt anyone," Heracles strongly assures him.

He lets out a long exhale. "I think it's going to work out."

After a light dinner, he goes to his tent. "Good night, everyone. See you tomorrow."

"Good night, Taki."

"Night, my pupil."

"Good night, everyone."

Taki leaves a group voice message before he sleeps.

     "Hey, guys. I'm going to try out a new method tomorrow to fully access my divine energy. It's going to be scary because I might not make it...I do hope it works and I hope I will be stronger than before. I'm going to try to be there before Thanksgiving. I'm looking forward to being with you all again. I promise to make more memories with all of you. Good night and I love you all."

He clutches his evil eye necklace as a lifeline. "Dad, give me strength for the next 24 hours. I need you to make it out alive. Help me be strong so I can get back home. Amen."

---

Nov 9th 6am

After stirring up from his alarm, a single inhale tells him that breakfast is cooking.

Just from opening his tent, he feels the wind against his skin. The conjuring of warm thoughts keeps him safe from the nibbling autumn winds. The nymph is cooking roasted boar and sparrow eggs for everyone.

He grunts from the long stretch. "Morning, everyone."

"Morning, pupil," Artemis hides her inner turmoil.

Heracles is silent as he readies himself to help Takashi through this.

"Morning, Taki! You will be spoiled today with a large breakfast," the nymph tries to be chipper.

"That's good to hear. I'm starving."

Echo serves him large portions of pork, bread, and eggs. Takashi takes his time eating to last for 24 hours. He finishes his meal and washes it down with the last of his water.

"I'm ready, Heracles."

Echo gives him a big hug. "You will make it."

He embraces her back and lets go.

Heracles stands up and has him walk to a piece of ground with a drawn circle ready. Heracles and Artemis draw out their respective auras and touch the outline of the circle. The circle glows and their golden aura mixes into a barrier around Takashi.

His fingers touch it, but don't pass through to his relief. He tries to keep his mind focused on one thing: making it out alive.

Artemis walks into the circle and gives him the biggest hug. "You are one of my best students. Don't die on me, okay?"

"I won't," he grunts from the almost crushing hug.

"Sorry about that, uncle."

His jaw drops into a smile.

She lightly punches him on the shoulder. "We are family after all."

"I won't let you down, niece."

A small smile appears on her face before it disappears.

Taki gives her his watch. "It's set for 24 hours."

Artemis takes it and walks outside the circle. Taki takes off his shirt so he wouldn't ruin it. The corners of Echo's lips curl down from the scars on his body.

Heracles walks into the circle and draws out his aura into his right hand. With dark blue eyes, he pours it into his uncle's chest. He exits before the last ounce of aura enters him...

Taki's hands and knees crash to the ground. His knuckles turn white from gripping the grass. His heart wants to explode out of his chest to end the pain. Dark-green aura lashes out like a sickle, but the barrier keeps it inside.

Echo cries for her friend. Artemis holds her while keeping her eyes on her family member. Somewhere, Narcissus is watching this unfold from Echo's ring and he's smiling ear to ear.

"Die already, you bastard!"

Takashi's scream pierces the peaceful sunny sky.