Dread runs through Takashi's loved ones like a freight train. The energy levels fluctuate at a volatile rate. Greg sinks into his chair as there's nothing he could do to help. Hikari holds onto the table with white knuckles to prevent herself from falling.

"Hikari! Sit down."

Dr Hanson helps her sit down in a chair while a medical staff member is called over to them.

Meanwhile, Aiko feels her stomach churning while taking care of her granddaughter. The baby girl cries for her father. Aiko tries to comfort her despite that awful feeling inside of her.

Misha is speechless as she imagines her friend going through the absolute worst. She holds onto Penny, not only for her friend, but herself too.

Tears stream down Penny's face. "What's going on with Taki?"

Misha holds her tightly, crying as well.

Back on Gaia

Everyone from the guards to the civilians of Thebes are uncomfortable from hearing that ungodly screaming. 

"W-What is that?"

"Is that scream even human?!"

The guards can hear it's coming from Heracles' hut and decide not to check it out of fear.

Takashi's fists pound the ground as the pain is eating him away akin to a sloth. The green grass near him is withering out. Only ten minutes have passed.

His throat is on fire from all the screaming. It stifles down, but the pain continues to hammer away. He turns to his side and clutches his knees to his chest for some physical relief. He looks up and still sees Artemis, Heracles, and Echo. And other people in the circle with him.

An unblinded Odysseus with his men raising their swords.

"How could you let this happen to us, Takashi?! You said you would protect us all!"

"You pathetic piece of shit!", Sander growls.

"My son never got to meet his true father because of you!", Damian shouts.

These words sting Takashi to his soul. Damian is right. They did die.

Golden crimson spills out from his chest, leaving marks from their exit. Echo's eyes well up as she covers her mouth in disgust. They cannot see what Takashi is facing, but it must be horrible.

"We need to stop this right now!", the nymph demands.

Artemis fights herself from crying. "We can't! He would lose his strength and he needs that to fight Poseidon! We can't do that to him!"

"We need to be his emotional support so he can make it. Cheer for him!", Heracles advises.

"Come on, uncle!"

Echo musters some courage. "You can do it! You will make it back home to them!"

Takashi couldn't hear their voices as the ghosts torment him.

"Anything to say for yourself, you fake?"

"I'm sorry", he speaks with a heavy breath.

Damian kicks him square in the ribs. His ribs rattling against its cage.

"Sorry isn't going to fix it. You need to die again!"

"I can help with that."

Taki jerks his head. A bloodied and battered Stavros towers over him.

"You must have felt like a true man when you killed me. How does it feel to be a killer again?"

His surroundings change to that stormy night with the Trojans around him.

"Taki! Stop!", Ismene's voice calls out to a version of him still beating Stavros' corpse. The figure looks back at him with a wicked smile on his face while delivering those blows. The real Takashi looks away.

"I'm the real you that you have been hiding from all this time. Once a killer, always a killer. You are not the hero you want to be."

His eyes are forced open by Odysseus' men. The reflection in the puddle of Stavros' blood makes his jaw drop.

His small face with small hands gripping a blood-stained knife. His trembling hands drop the knife. It causes a ripple that makes the other resets re-appear.

"This is the only thing that's real about you. Accept it, you damn liar", the half-digested Taki encourages him.

"You will always be that frightened little boy", the bitten Takashi taunts.

He clutches his head. "Shut up!"

"To be fair, that was the original's responsibility. This version isn't him."

Taki finds himself back to an adult.  "No. It wasn't his fault. He couldn't have known!"

The 9-year-old child steps back after looking at him. "T-This is who I'm going to be?"

The bruised Takashi from the first reset puts the child behind him. "No. The person you were is me. He's nothing but a replica. You ended up dying, little man. You would never make it back home."

"Don't believe him! I'm right here. Don't listen to them!", he urges.

"I don't want to end up like you!", the child screams while hiding behind the first reset.

"Good choice. He couldn't even save Helena and Ismene from getting hurt."

"Don't."

"Oh, yes. What kind of hero would have allowed that to happen?", the guts of the digested Taki squelch as he walks.

"I thought you cared about them", the limbless Taki brashly questions.

"They were willing to die for you. It would be a pity if they died for someone who has lied to himself for so long."

"The original would have done something to protect them."

"The thunderstorm and if I died protecting Helena-"

"You just have a reason for everything", the resets spoke in unison.

He tries to stand up against the verbal barrage. "If he killed me, Helena may have died too. He-

Swords and fists cut him off. Golden blood splatters around. Some of it lands and drips down the barrier itself. Echo almost vomits, but she swallows it. Artemis clenches her nails into her empty palm that bleeds and self-heals.

"You would have allowed them to die?", Odysseus questions him while swinging his sword.

"No! Ismene and Helena are alive because of me."

"Do you really think that they feel that way? Do they appreciate you?", the bruised "Takashi" jabs him in the solar plexus.

The air is knocked out of him, but something else rattles inside. He uses the flaring green aura to force the illusions back. His wounds begin to heal.

"I know who I am! I'm the son of Kronos! He's my father and that will never change no matter what you say", he confidently states between painful breaths.

"That may be true, but you never really knew him. Would he be proud of what you have done?"

"You are an embarrassment to him because you're not the genuine article. His real son is right here", the digested Taki points at the one with minor bruises.

"Wrong! I still inherited his powers. I'm the real Takashi Watanabe!"

"You're not my son!"

Her voice frightens him. The energy dies out upon seeing his mother on his right side.

"Mom?"

Bang!

The "bullet" leaves a small hole in his chest. His aura reacts by healing his wound, but the pain makes him grunt. Black residue is on Aiko's hand while holding the smoking gun.

"Uncle! It's not real! Keep fighting!", Artemis encourages.

"You can do it, Takashi!", Heracles shouts.

He clutches his chest. "W-Why?"

"You're not the pacifist you promised to be."

Another voice unsettles his core. A 12-year-old Hikari in pajamas comes out from behind their mother. "How could my little brother turn out like this?"

He spits out some blood to the side. "You don't understand, sis. I had to-"

"You had to break your oath? What kind of man are you?", his father-in-law appears.

He grips the blades of grass to regain some reality. Anything to prevent his mind from shattering even more. "You're not real. I'm in Gaia. This-"

A harsh hand turns his head. His pupils waver from the being.

"I thought I knew you, but who are you right now?", Penelope questions while holding their child. Her daughter's face is blurred from his vision.

"Stop! This isn't you."

"What am I supposed to say when my husband is already dead? You died already and changed so much. Stay away from me and my child!"

His heart drops with a heavy thud to his stomach. He reaches out to her, but a kick to the face has him lying on his back.

"He's almost like his father. He changed himself to fit right into our world, but he was still true to me. You changed everything about yourself", Aiko spits at him.

She takes the bloodied knife and stabs him in the gut. He lets out a heavy exhale as he tries to wrestle it away from her.

"Mom!"

She slaps him across the face as she takes out the knife. "I'm not your mother."

"They're right. You're not the pacifist that you once were. You killed the minotaur after all", the barely injured Taki mentions.

He spits out the golden crimson from his lips. "I had to! I wasn't going to let it hurt anyone else."

"You could have avoided all of that if you didn't reset."

He looks up. "What?"

His surroundings change again...... with him on a floating piece of wood in the ocean, surrounded by Odysseus' dead crew. He tries to close his eyes, but they refuse to listen.

"If only you left them to die, they wouldn't experience death multiple times. There was land behind you that you could have gotten help from."

"That's a lie! There was no land around us!"

"Really? Look again."

He knows in his mind that there wasn't any land nearby when that happened. Just water. He refuses to look back while holding onto that truth.

"So you don't want to face the truth? It just proves that you are a liar."

He shakes his head. "There wasn't any land!"

"Keep denying it."

Odysseus' corpse in the water speaks. "I had to save our crew after the failures of the false Takashis. I gave up my vision to save our lives while you made things worse. Did you reset time just because of your failures?"

"Because-" He coughs up some blood. "Because I didn't want to go home using the dead as stepping stones."

"And yet here you are because of those stepping stones", the half-digested Taki throws back at him.

He is at a loss for words. He can't find another reason to push back against these doubts. More cuts appear onto his back and legs.

-----

Meanwhile In Ephesus, Helena is eating some soup. She hands over the bowl and spoon to the servant and something makes her drop it. The bowl breaks after hitting the floor.

"Sorry about that, Helena. Don't move. I will clean this up."

She takes the broken pieces and puts them on the table. She then sees a slouching Helena who's trying to catch her breath.

"Are you alright?"

Helena quickly hugs her. "Taki's in trouble."

"Things will be alright. He is in safe hands because of Artemis."

Helena gets up and grabs a totem of Artemis. "Please, answer. Please answer."

Artemis' totem doesn't light up.

"Why aren't you picking up? Pick up, mother."

Artemis sees her totem glowing and her aura tells her that it was Helena. She doesn't pick it up because Helena would hear his screams. I'm sorry, my child. I will call back once it's done. I know you're worried. I am too.

Helena keeps calling her, but she doesn't get a response back. She goes outside to the copy of Ares to request his help. She sees his grip on the spear tighten before she could talk to him. The god of war feels a copy of him clutching Briseis, Paris, Avgi, and Helen close to him.

---

A white pearl is overhead with stars littering the night sky. A peaceful night that overlooks a suffering Takashi Watanabe. His blood decorated the walls of the barrier like a Pollock painting.

Echo, Artemis, and Heracles have been watching this whole time. Heracles puts gentle hands on their shoulders to comfort them.

The huntress then sees someone who makes her face pale. She walks over to the side with her bow and energized arrow drawn. "Get away from here!"

Echo and Heracles couldn't see who she was talking to. The god of death, Thanatos, is waiting outside the barrier.

Taki's eyes shoot open upon seeing him. He digs his fingers into the ground to try and escape.

"This isn't your place to be!", Artemis yells at the deity.

"I can't believe that you and Heracles would put him through this method. It's terrible and brutal. I wouldn't wish that on anyone."

"We told him the risks and we are trusting him right now."

"Do you know the survival rate of this method?"

"It didn't say in the scrolls. It's a last resort option so it has to be low."

"Less than 1%", the god of death states slow and clearly.

The energy behind her arrow dissipates. Her silver bow trembles from her grip.

"He's not on my list yet, but this is the fastest way towards getting on it."

"If you're not here to help him, just leave", she spits through gritted teeth.

"If he dies, his blood will be on your hands", before Thanatos flutters away.

"Sis, what's wrong? What did you see?", Echo asks.

"Thanatos."

Her jaw drops.

Artemis checks the watch. 12 more hours left to go. "He said Takashi has a low chance of making it out alive. Less than 1%? I will bet on that then. Gaia, heed my call. Help Taki in any way you can."

"Great Gaia, listen to our prayers. Help Takashi overcome his doubts", Echo joins in......

Artemis, Heracles, and Echo's ears perk up from a familiar presence. Ares' rep sprints towards them. He stops in his tracks seeing Taki writing around in a ritual he recognized.

His irises turn a dark red. "Damn it, Artemis! Why this method?!"

"It was my idea and he decided to do it", Heracles intervenes.

He points his iron spear. "You fool! You should have never mentioned it to him no matter how much he begged."

He hears Taki screaming out and feels powerless to help him. Ares puts his hand on the barrier.  "Uncle, I'm right here. If he dies, I will kill you."

"I won't fight back", Heracles tells him with acceptance.

Ares and the others are stunned by his response.

Artemis shoves him. "You're still looking to die?!"

"I never thought we would get to this point. If he dies, that's my fault and I have to bear the consequences for that."

The four of them keep watch on Takashi's condition.....

Taki keeps fighting the nagging doubts in his head throughout the night. He can no longer scream out and is fighting mentally as his body feels the strain. The deadline of the rising sun is approaching.

"Aw, the poor vessel is trying to make it", the bruised Taki mocks.

"I will tell my daughter that her real father was a good man who didn't break his promises. You promised to never leave me. If a fake comes back to me, I will never accept him", the Penelope illusion declares.

The "original" cups her face as a lover would. "I know and I'm sorry for that. She will never accept a walking zombie as her husband. What a joke. The difference between you and Kronos is that my father had to leave to protect us."

Taki spits out the golden iron in his mouth while on his knees. "You didn't know that then. The Oracle told us that.......Between you and me, who got us there?"

The "original" lets go of "Penny". "W-What?"

Taki spits out blood and saliva. "Which of us got to the Oracle?"

The versions of him are speechless as they know the truth.

He shakily exhales. "I got us to the Oracle when you couldn't. All of you are weak compared to me."

The resets start seeing themselves disappear.

"Fake, liar, hypocrite, replica, vessel. I accept all of those terms", he painfully smiles.

The "resets" are puzzled by his acceptance. "S-So you admit it after all?"

He manages to lift his head. "You no longer exist. You can't stay here."

The versions of him go to tear him apart like last time, but they vanish into thin air. He stays in place while turning his head to face Odysseus and his crew.

"Even though I failed you, you still trusted my judgment....I thank you for your sacrifice....I was able to save countless people......I can only change what I can."

Odysseus and his men disappear, leaving only his family behind.

"You won't accept me? So be it. I will still love all of you.....Penny, this body may be fake, but this zombie is still in love with you. I know you love me back."

The illusion of Penny starts to smile. "Come home then and prove it!"

Beep, beep! Beep, beep.

His watch alarm goes off on a sunny morning. The circle wraps around Takashi and his channels open like a flowing river. Being up for 24 hours leads him to collapse into Ares' arms.

"You did it, uncle."

Artemis' tears drop behind her footsteps while Echo's flowers bloom from relief. Her healing touch works to its full extent from his reopened aura.

Some of the cuts from the process stay on his body as a reminder of what he had gone through. The other wounds disappear. With one hand on the blood-soaked ground, she makes the golden crimson sink under the soil.

When she finished, Ares puts his shirt back on before placing a blanket over him. Taki is sleeping with a peaceful look on his face.

"He just needs rest now."

"He deserves it. You earned a large feast, Taki. We will spare no expenses when we take you to Thebes", Echo tells him.

"He earned it. You overcame your doubts. I'm proud of you, uncle."

"Ares, I promise not to put him through something like this again", Heracles declares.

The god of war's copy smiles. "Contact Helena and let her know the good news. She needs to hear it from you." He throws a pouch of love dust over to Artemis.

"Thank you."

"I will let Aphrodite and the others know that he is alright", before the clone vanishes from sight.

Artemis gets her totem. "Helena?"

"Why didn't you pick up? I was worried about Takashi this whole time", she reigns in some anger.

The goddess can hear the tiredness in her voice. She's been up all night.

"He's safe now. Please let me explain. There was a ceremony for expanding his aura channels and-"

Heracles snatches the totem from her. "This is Heracles. It wasn't Artemis' idea. It was my idea to put him through this."

"What do you mean?"

Heracles explains what Takashi had gone through for 24 hours straight.

"W-what?! How could you do that to him?"

"I was against it, but I helped", Artemis interjects.

Helena almost loses her breath. "Mom? Why? He could have died."

"I allowed this to happen so he could have a fighting chance against Poseidon, Athena, and Hera......I understand if you hate me for this."

Helena is silent for a while.

"Helena?", Echo asks to see if she was still there.

"Please answer my call to you next time. Don't scare me like that, mother."

"I won't. I promise you that. I will keep you in the know as things change."

"How is he right now?"

"He's sleeping peacefully now. He overcame his inner turmoil."

Helena sighs. "That's good to hear."

"Get some sleep, my child."

"Bye, everyone."

The totem light goes out. Helena falls asleep while holding the lion plushie that Takashi had given her. Hanging on her windowsill is his clean hoodie.

I knew you could do it, Taki. Just don't make me worry about you again.

Earth Nov 10th 11:00am

A flood of relief washes over Takashi's loved ones. Greg and Hikari are in relief from the stabilized energy levels.

"I will punch you in the shoulder for that. Damn it, Taki. Worrying your loved ones like this. Let this be the last of it", his sister finally sleeps in bed.

"You are making me feel old, Taki. Aged 10 years because of you", Greg yawns, before falling asleep on his desk at home.

Penny, Aiko, and Misha feel happy with the security that Takashi is still alive. Her baby has stopped crying.

"Hey, daughter. Things have worked out. Daddy is safe."

"I hope you make him pay for that. It's not like him to do that to us", Aiko walks out of her bedroom.

"I have my ways", Penny whispers.

"He might like that", Misha says with a wink in her voice. They laugh at the inside joke.

Penny feeds her baby as she lays on her bed. She closes her eyes to get some sleep while breastfeeding. Misha covers her friend's legs with a blanket and lays down on the other side of the bed.

Aiko plops on the couch. Her alarm goes off, but she shuts it off. "Not now."

----

Takashi wakes up after a long recovery. He sees his niece blocking the pink and orange lights from his face.

"You made it, Uncle Taki."

"Told you I would", he yawns. He goes to get up, but Artemis stops him with one hand.

"Take it easy and get more sleep."

"I'm actually hungry. Is that breakfast?", he sniffs out.

"Well, dinner. But we will call it breakfast just this once."

"I've been out for that long?"

"You were sleeping like a baby and didn't want to disturb you", Echo mentions.

"What time is it?"

Artemis shows him the time. Almost 10pm in his world.

"Man, to think that I went through something like that and lived."

"It was really scary."

"But you pulled through", Heracles kneels beside him.

Taki extends his right hand out to him. "Thank you for this."

"Thanks?"

"I had to deal with my doubts at some point.  I....think I conquered most of my personal demons. I can't wait to advance to the next level."

Artemis shoots him a glare.

"Maybe tomorrow."

Heracles hesitates as he remembers what he did to injure Takashi like this, but he decides to shake his hand.

"I will never do that again though."

"I will knock you out if you ever recommend that idea again", the goddess warns.

"I will help her with that too", Echo adds with a raised fist.

"I know. Can you get a big plate of food for me?"

"Actually, this will be a light dish to build back up your appetite. We will treat you tomorrow night when you're able to walk around."

Echo feeds the bowl of soup to him. She blows over each spoonful before bringing it to his lips.

"I'm getting the royal treatment. I like this."

"Don't get used to it. Tomorrow, I expect 100% effort from you", his niece warns.

"Got it. Maybe my fingers will come in time too for some physical training with Heracles."

"I won't be easy when that happens."

"I know."

Echo brings up that Ares stopped by since Helena was worried about him. They filled her in after the ceremony was over. He guesses that she had stayed up all night like him.

"Can I talk with her?"

"Stew first, then talk. Don't let it get cold."

"That would be pretty stew-pid of me."

Artemis and Echo laugh from his bad joke. Heracles's face cringes from his humor.

"Glad your humor hasn't changed."

"Oh, you don't like puns? Because I got more", he tells Heracles.

"Please, don't."

"Well, that doesn't make sense. Didn't you ever tell jokes like that to-"

He stops himself from finishing that sentence.

"Megara was always the funny one in our relationship", Heracles confesses with softened blue eyes.

"What was she like?"

"I loved how her soft hair flowed in the wind and how she touched me. I loved how direct she was with me. She was strong in her own right and that made me love her even more. Whenever I returned home, she would jump into my arms and want to be carried everywhere."

"That is so sweet", Echo adores.

"There isn't a day where I don't miss her and the boys."

"And we won't let them die in vain. Hera will pay in time", Taki assures.

"You just focus on getting home. It's time for you to think about yourself for once. I will take on Hera after I get you home."

"Okay. Niece, can you get my phone please?"

"Just because you're my uncle, that doesn't mean you get to order me around."

"But I said please."

Artemis gets his phone and he tells her how to set up the group voice message.

"You can talk at any time as well. We're family anyway."

Artemis smiles and hits the button.

"Hey, guys. I made it. Just resting for now. Penelope, I have some close people with me who you would be excited to meet."

"Taki's loved ones, this is Artemis. I'm the goddess of archery and Taki has been my pupil. I'm also his niece in a strange way. My uncle's a stubborn man, but I'm proud of all the progress he has made. He has surprised me with his dedication and effort. He has overcome his inner turmoil and will be back in training as soon as the sun rises."

"Hi! I'm Echo. Artemis' best friend. I want to let you know that Taki talks about you all with the love in his heart."

"And I'm Heracles. Penelope, I want to thank you and him. Because of your work, I found out the truth and I know what to do now. I will redeem myself by helping your husband get back to you. I will avenge my family once it's done."

"I got a great support system over here in Gaia......I must have scared you all during the last 24 hours. I'm so sorry for that. Hikari, you are free to punch me as many times as you want. I owe you plenty of cold beers when I get back, Greg. Penny, I already know what you plan to do to me."

"What will she do?", Echo naively asks.

"I can't tell you that!", he stammered while blushing. He takes a breath..

"My beloved daughter, I must have made you cry countless times. When I come back, I will wipe your every tear and be the best father you will ever ask for. To think that you have divinity in your family tree. Your grandpa, Kronos, would be so happy to hear about you. I wonder what you would get as a power. I love you so much. I love you all and good night."

He pushes the middle button on the phone and "sends" it.

"They will love that message."

"Plus, the countless videos and messages I sent to them."

"I got an idea. How about a group painting?", Echo suggests.

"Group painting?", the mighty demigod asks.

Echo sets the phone up using Taki's instruction on Heracles' bench. Echo scrambles back as Heracles carefully lifts Takashi up so he could lean against him.

"Okay! Big smiles, everyone! Five seconds left!"

They get in close and the sound goes off.

Echo checks the picture. "It looks great. But Heracles, you blinked. So did you, sis."

"I didn't know."

"Let's do one more."

They take another picture which comes out better.

"Perfect!" She shows everyone.

"Wow. So that's a painting? But it's so small", Heracles stares.

Taki stifles his laughter.

"What's so funny?"

"Nothing."

He later talks with Helena on Artemis' totem before he goes to sleep. 

"............Just don't scare me like that again. I was so worried."

"But how can I make Mt Olympus shake if I don't get people a little worried?"

She laughs. "Not in that way. I'm just glad you're alright. I can sleep a lot better now."

"I slept for more than 8 hours. I bet you can't beat my record."

"I will try."

"Oh, you mentioned your possible last words last time. I want to say mine as well to you."

"What-What is it?"

"That I appreciate all the help you have given me. You lifted me up when I needed it the most and I'm happy that you're part of my life."

Helena is blushing on her side. She shakes her head.  "Thanks for that. Oh, I have your hoodie here. It's clean now. I will contact Aphrodite to send it back to you."

"It's fine. I'm not as cold as I was before now that I'm restored. You can wear it if you get cold."

"Are you sure?"

"Consider it a gift before I head back home. And I won't take your refusal as an answer."

Helena snorts from laughing. "You're unusual. I'm going to miss that."

"I will miss you too. Good night, Helena."

"Good night, Taki."

The totem light turns off and she readies for bed. She feels a shiver despite being covered with blankets. She goes to the window and decides to put on Taki's hoodie. The softness and warmth of the blue hoodie has her smiling while returning to bed.

I get to keep a piece of him here with me.

Before Taki's alarm goes off, Nov 11th

Artemis sits up with nerves in her readied bow.

A silent message disturbs her. "I'm watching him."

She shoots off an energized arrow in that direction. A clink is heard as the arrow struck something metallic. She summons one of her dogs to report back to her. The dog hurries to that location and she uses her eyes through the dog to find the being.

Nothing and no one left behind. Not even a drop of blood. She whistles for her dog to come back to her.

"I felt it too, Artemis."

Artemis sees her uncle standing up. Echo and Heracles are also up.

"I couldn't sense who it was. It was so brief."

"It's okay." He inhales and shouts to the top of his lungs. "I know you're watching me! It doesn't matter who the hell you are! You will not stop me!"

"Sounds like you're ready for training", Artemis grins.

His green aura forms stronger than before. "Let's get to it."