Earth

On a late starry night, Penelope and her baby can't sleep. Despite feeding and reading to her daughter, she kept crying throughout the night. She rocks her gently.

"I know you miss him. He should be back before Thanksgiving. I promise you, daughter. He's going to kiss your head every day. He would never leave us. He looked forward to seeing your face. I know in my heart that he's still out there, making his way back to us."

She hums a lullaby that finally lulls her to sleep. She softly puts her in her crib with a tiny blanket on.

She plops onto the bed from the exhausting day. To help her relax, she pulls up a wedding clip on her laptop where they exchanged cake.

Taki booped her on the nose with frosting before feeding her. The crowd's laughing.

"Couldn't resist", he told her.

"Oh, really?", she smirked before doing the same to him. They wiped the frosting off their noses before kissing each other.

Penny skips to their first dance as newlyweds. She laid her head on his shoulder as they danced. She remembers what they said to each other.

"I'm looking forward to what our future holds. I love you, Penelope Watanabe."

"Same here. I love you too, Takashi Watanabe."

She stops the video to look at the moon. She quietly prays as tears hit the carpet.

"Universe, please bring him back to us. I miss him so much. His silly jokes, his laugh, his warm smile, his voice. Please. I won't ever ask again. Just grant me this one and I will be eternally grateful. Don't let my daughter grow up without her father."

----

Taki feels a heavy tug on his heart that makes him look around. He could have sworn he heard his wife's voice. If she can "reach" him, maybe.... 

I will be there, Penny. It might take longer, but I will make it back home to you.

Is she really your Penny to begin with? She is. No, she isn't. She's the first- SHUT UP!

Artemis senses his inner turmoil and touches his shoulder.

"Try to get some sleep tonight. We will read what's in the letter tomorrow."

"Okay."

He gets into his patched tent and closes his eyes. His mind refuses to let him sleep. He opens his tent to find that Helena is still awake.

"You're up too?", he whispers.

"It takes me a while to calm down after a fight like that."

"I'm sorry for putting you through that."

"It's okay. Can you tell me something about yourself to calm me down?"

"Certainly. My mom is an excellent cook that can make a great salmon with ginger rice."

"Now I'm hungry", she laughs.

He softly chuckles. "She's the best mom I could ever ask for. Even though she would find out what me and sis were planning for her birthday, she would still act surprised."

"She sounds like a great mom. What is your sister like?"

"Hikari is inquisitive and very smart. She always wanted to be a detective, but.....Anyway, she's not a fan of my jokes even though I find them hilarious. Finally, she likes to rustle my hair since we were kids. I used to hate that, but I miss it now."

"You will see them again soon. What do you want to do when you reunite with them?"

"I want to have another family cookoff and I want to show what I've learned from here to surprise them. I also want to take another trip to Japan with all of our family. The last time we went was great. Oh, I didn't ask. I know Artemis raised you, but do you know your mom and dad?"

"I didn't. They left me with her when I was a baby. They couldn't afford to keep another child."

He frowns. "I'm sorry about that."

"Sometimes I think about them. However, I'm grateful to Artemis for being my 'mother' and I'm happy with her."

"Still, they missed out on a great person like you."

"T-Thanks. Good night, Takashi."

"Since we're friends, you can call me Taki. That's my nickname."

"Good night, Taki."

She turns over with conflicted feelings before falling asleep. It's okay for us to be friends.

Talking with her made Takashi somewhat hopeful that he will get back control over his divine energy. Through the night, the nightmare startles him awake. The fact that Nov 5th is close by doesn't help. The day that everything changed for his family.

"Dad, please give our family peace. We need you", he whispers.

----

Beep, beep.

He shuts off the watch alarm but stays down. He forces himself up and washes his face with his pouch. He gets the letter out as he steps outside. Everyone else is up.

He rubs his eyes. "Morning, everyone." Each footstep feels like moving through syrup.

"You can lay in bed longer if you want", Echo tells him.

"Can't sleep and I'm already up. Let's read what Odysseus wrote to me."

He unrolls it and reads out loud. Odysseus relayed that everyone was worried sick about him, but they're glad he's alright. Damian and the others are okay but are struggling to reform back to their prior lives. The ten-year war left a mark on their psyches.

They were right to guess that he was a demigod since Ares informed of them that. They are also proud of him for saving the Trojans.

".........Ares also told the truth about what happened during the war. We are deeply ashamed. Artemis did give me a letter that we were in a truce."

Taki's eyes almost pop out of their sockets.

     "However, we were attacked by the Trojans during the truce. Their men lit our camps on fire before we could do anything."

"That can't be. No one had left the city. I even talked with the soldiers and sensed no lies from them. There was no secret mission at play. It must have been Athena's illusions", Artemis interjects.

     "We reached out to Athena for guidance, but she didn't answer us. Instead, a fellow soldier suggested the idea of the Trojan Horse and had a blueprint on how we can strike back from the inside. The weird thing is that we never saw that man again. His armor was found on the beach and there was no record of him anywhere in our system."

This confirms Taki and Artemis's belief that it had to be Poseidon. He continues reading. Zeus wanted to kill Odysseus and his men for what had happened, but Athena stopped him with a lie. The ruined city was declared off limits as a reminder of who won the war.

     ".....Now, I wouldn't call it a victory after what we did. I understand if you never want to talk to me again. We pray your training goes well and that you will be a great demigod when you return home.

-Farewell, King Odysseus of Ithaca"

Taki grips the scroll tightly with green wisps radiating around him. "Those bastards! How could Athena and Poseidon do that to them?!"

Artemis' emerald eyes flare up. "Now we know that they were behind all of it."

Taki sees Helena is scared of his angry aura and calls it off.  "I'm sorry, Helena. I'm just upset at all this."

"I-It's okay, Taki. I understand. You have every right to be mad at them."

"But what can we do with this information?", Echo asks.

Artemis' head drops. The last time the gods confronted Athena, she deflected.

"Let's ruffle Poseidon's feathers this time", Taki suggests.

"What do you mean by that?"

"Confront him with this letter. He may not admit to anything but gauge his reaction."

"Wouldn't that be dangerous for you, Taki? You're still not 100% reconnected with your energy. If he gets mad, he will come after you since your name is mentioned. We won't let him hurt you, but it won't be easy", Echo warns with concern.

"I have backup."

The goddess of the hunt understands what he means. The other gods would back him up, including her father.

"Hermes would also join you since he hated how the war ended. I will confront him on Olympus, but your energy needs to be reconnected so you can get away in time."

"I wish I could fight him, but I can't risk my life now. I need to be smart about this if I want to make it back home."

"That's right, pupil. They will get what's coming to them, Taki."

He cracks a grin. "I like that you're using my nickname."

"We are friends outside of training, aren't we?"

"The bestest of friends!", Echo wraps an arm around her shoulders. "Let's have you try again with reconnecting your energy. Close your eyes and meditate."

Taki mentally prepares himself while sitting down. This is doable. This isn't hard. Focus on the good things. I will be reunited with my family.

Green energy starts to emanate from his body to Helena's joy. Echo and Artemis are waiting to see if it will hold. It then gets shaky as something disturbs his mind.

You thief! You're stealing someone else's family, you fake hypocrite! No, they are my family. We are the same person. Why are we argu- Shut up! Your body is just a vessel and the only thing that's constant is the mind we share. You think you're better than the original?!

The divine energy dissipates, leaving him almost out of breath. He grips the grass before him.

"I'm such a failure."

"You just have to resolve your inner turmoil if you want to activate your powers properly."

"But how?"

"Try writing down every doubt you have in your mind and respond in a way that would defeat the doubts. I heard it helps", Helena suggests.

"I will give it a try."

He starts writing down every doubt that was said in his nightmare on a scroll. The army of negative sentences overwhelm him from answering. He puts the paper aside and lays down.

"Artemis, can you knock me out for a bit?"

She softly hits pressure point on his neck that knocks him out. She puts some cotton in his ears so no sound will disturb him.

"He will be out for a while. Hopefully, he will be rested."

"I hope so too."

A bird flies by overhead and drops some flyers on the ground. Echo picks one up and has a beaming smile.

"The circus is coming tonight! I can't wait for my date!"

"Would you like me to come with you?"

"You think he's going to leave me stranded?", she questions the goddess.

"No. Just want to be with my best friend. I think it would be best for everyone to take it easy today."

"I haven't been to a circus before. It sounds like a lot of fun. Oh, there will be games and prizes too", Helena reads the flyer.

Artemis hands her a pouch of money.

She shakes it. "It's too much."

"It's okay to spoil yourself once in a while. Let's have some fun. I'm going to drag Taki no matter how much he wants to train.......Let's get some breakfast, Echo. Yell if you need us."

The divine beings leave the camp. Helena sees the list that Takashi had written and takes a glance at it. The corners of her mouth angle downwards from what she read.

She looks at Takashi who's sleeping peacefully for once. She lays down on the grass beside him but puts some space between them.

"You are a strong person, Taki. I pray you will be restored so you can make it back home. You will overcome your doubts. I know it........I'm envious that you have a wife to come back to. I wish things were different. My heart is happy when you're around", she whispers her true feelings.

She goes to touch his hand but stops herself. She sighs. "I had crushes before, but never one this bad. What do I do with these feelings? Burying them makes it worse and I could never admit it to you. I know there's good men out there, but what if they aren't like you?"

His peaceful face brings her some relief. She lays a light blanket over him so the sun wouldn't get on his face.

Colorado around 12:00 pm

Hikari has her online therapy session in her bedroom. She clicks the Begin Session button to talk with Dr. Marie Jackson. Hikari's feet won't stop tapping the floor.

"Afternoon, Hikari. How are you today, considering the event?", Marie speaks in a gentle manner.

Hikari always liked that quality of her. "It's been 21 years and it still hurts in a way."

"There's no need to be ashamed about that. Survivors, like yourself, still deal with the trauma no matter how much time passes."

"I just wish it went away for good. I...had a panic attack last night about it. I used the steps you gave me to ground myself which worked."

"I'm sorry that you had that. Would you like to discuss that more in detail?"

"Please."

They discuss the event in detail and Marie wraps it up. She lets Hikari cry and recollect herself when describing the experience.

"It was never your fault, Hikari. No child deserves to go through what you did."

"I know. Dr. Jackson?"

"Yes?"

"Do you know what happened to my little brother?"

The therapist shakes her head no. She tells her he went missing since the day her niece was born. How the police were unable to find him and labeled him as deceased.

"I'm so sorry. How is your family with this?"

"Mom is trying to be strong for everyone, Penny especially. I feel bad for her. She hopes that Taki would appear in bed with her the next day. She's trying to be strong for her daughter, but it's taking a large toll on her."

Marie stays silent, knowing that Hikari had more to say.

"He's not like our dad. I know he's still out there. I can feel it in my heart."

She doesn't bring up what she's doing for her search and the police doc she copied.

"I hope he is found soon. How are you in this process?"

"At times, I struggle and cry. There was one night where I felt he was...."

"Gone?", she finishes the sentence with emphasis.

"That was one of the most agonizing times of my life. I couldn't stop crying and then I felt an overflowing amount of hope that he somehow made it. I was crying tears of joy after that. There are some days after that where my heart would sink, but it would get better somehow."

"Like he's on his way back to you."

"Exactly. I just wish I could do more to help him."

"You are doing enough. You're helping your family out during this difficult time. It must mean a lot to them."

"I wish there was more I could do. Thanksgiving is coming up and Penny thinks he will be home around that time. If he doesn't show up, it could break her heart again."

"The holidays are tough for those missing a loved one. I would continue to think positive in that he will be home in time for that. If he doesn't, maybe by Christmas. Let her know to keep her hope strong."

"I will."

"I know that you mentioned what you knew about your father in one of our sessions. According to what you said, he left you some money for college before he disappeared."

"That's right. Mom said he left us but wouldn't tell us why. I tried numerous times back then, but I gave up on that part. I will never get closure on why he left us."

"You said things were good before he left, right?"

"I thought so, unless I'm completely wrong."

"Sometimes leaving without a reason can be closure. It's not a satisfying answer, but it's better than an obsessive search over it. That's for your father, of course."

"You're probably right."

"And based on what you said, Takashi isn't someone who would leave his new family. He wouldn't want to repeat the same mistake your father made."

"He swore that before Penelope when it came to talking about kids. He's not someone who would break his word."

They later end their session and Hikari feels a little better from their talk. She stares at the family photo on her desk.

"Brother, come back to us. Please. Don't break Penny's heart."

Takashi wakes up to a blanket that he pushes to the side. He feels the cotton in his ears and takes them out. The smell of roasted pigeons enters his nostrils.

"You must be hungry", Helena speaks softly.

"I sure am."

"Do you feel better?", Artemis asks.

"Much better. Thanks for that." He checks his watch and it's 8pm in his world. He has been out for a while.

"Pull up a seat and eat. It's ready now."

His taste buds light up. "This is really good. Compliments to the chef."

"It was Helena", Echo mentions.

"But you and mom brought me the food."

"Don't be too humble or else you will be like Taki", the goddess jokes.

"It's true!", he laughs at himself. "Thanks for the food, Helena. Now that your vow has changed, your future husband will be so happy."

Helena turns her face away. Artemis and Echo know fully well her conflicted feelings towards him. They change the subject.

"The circus is coming tonight and we are all going", Echo states to him.

"And don't you object or I will physically drag you there myself."

"A break does sound good."

"I said no complaining....oh."

"Training isn't beneficial if I'm not in the right mental state. Tomorrow, I expect to kick this into high gear. Today is November 5th in my world. My high goal is to be back home before the end of the month."

"That's short. Why is that?"

He tells them the holiday of Thanksgiving where close loved ones gather over food to share one they're grateful for. He describes the bountiful feast he and his family made last year. How Penelope's salmon had a hint of sweetness from the honey drizzled on top.

Artemis rubs her six-pack stomach. "Now I'm hungry."

"Hi, I'm hungry. My name is Takashi."

Helena snorts from laughing. Echo catches on late and gets it.

"Seriously with these jokes? Where do those jokes come from?"

"They say that the jokes of your ancestors get passed on to you when you become a father. I guess they came early since I was going to be a dad at some point."

He finds it easier to refer to himself in the first person. He smiles that his mind isn't antagonizing him.

"What time does the circus start?"

"7pm", Echo answers.

"Which is enough time to bathe and get ready. Maybe I can answer those questions in the meantime."

Artemis pulls him by the earlobe. "Nope. Not going to have you be in a bad mood today. I will put you through the ringer tomorrow so we can get your energy back in check."

"Okay."

"Have you been to the circus before, Taki?", Helena asks.

He brings up a time where his mom took him and Hikari when they were little. He always loved the acrobats in what they can do in the air.

Echo taps her "sister" on the shoulder. "I don't even know what to wear. Can you help me with that?"

"Sure."

Echo pulls out some clothes for her best friend to decide.

"She hasn't been to one before?", Taki asks Helena.

"That and she's going on her date with Narcissus."

"Oh. I hope she has a good time."

"She deserves it........Maybe people can change. Love can do that to people."

"Maybe. We just have to be there for her no matter what happens."

He goes to get his bags ready to leave, but Helena stops him. She explains what Artemis did to his belongings with the love dust.

"I will just bring one bag for prizes."

Time passes and the whole group goes to Iphicles' gym to bathe and dress up from there.

"Hello, everyone! Nice to see you here. I'm just about to close up for tonight. What do you need?", Iphicles greets.

"Just getting a bath today before we see the circus."

"Ah. Go ahead since Echo and Takashi are my members."

They bathe in their respective areas and come dressed up for the occasion. Takashi comes out in a red tunic and waits for everyone outside.

"You look nice."

He turns and is almost stunned by Helena's appearance in a green dress. What she was wearing before hid her lean and toned body. Her long, lavender hair is tied up nicely into a ponytail.

His face turns crimson. "Y-You look nice too."

"T-Thanks."

"You look beautiful, daughter."

Artemis comes out in a majestic purple dress, exposing her bicep peaks. Her hair is down and loose.

"Teacher, is that you? You look like a different person."

"I don't like dressing up, but thanks."

Echo comes out in a blue dress with a flower pin adorned on it. She's carrying a small bag that acts as her purse. "How do I look?"

"Narcissus is a lucky man, Echo", Taki compliments.

"Thanks!"

"Do you need any advice for your date?"

"Sure! What can you tell me?"

"You're getting to know each other so mistakes will be made. Just have fun with it. A few compliments also go a long way", he advises.

She exhales. "That's what I needed to hear."

"Anyone will be lucky to have you as their date. You know how to carry a conversation and you care about others deeply", her best friend tells her with sincerity.

The nymph embraces the goddess. "It means a lot to me that I have your support. I hope you two will get along one day."

"I hope so too. Let's go."

Artemis quickly taps Taki on the back and puts an invisible energy cloak so Narcissus can't sniff out his weakened state. They walk down and see the top of the red and yellow circus tent. They get in line. 

Echo sees Narcissus and his friends near the front. Her heart starts racing as she sees him.

"Narcissus!", she yells while waving. He hears his name and turns around. He smiles at seeing Echo and waves her over.

"See you later!", she skips over to them.

"Have fun!"

Narcissus looks her in the eyes.  "Hello, Echo! You look great."

"Y-You look great too", she stutters out.

"That's a really nice dress. Did you make-"

Narcissus takes one look at his friend who stops talking.

"I didn't make it, but I wish I did. Thanks."

Narcissus goes to pay the ticket holder and "realizes" something. "I'm so sorry, Echo. I got enough money for some of us to get in, but I didn't save any for myself. I must have left the rest of my money at the inn."

His friends wanted to say that was a lie but are too scared to talk.

"It's okay. I will pay for you."

"You would? I can just run back and get it."

"Don't. It's not a problem for me."

"You are such a dear for doing that."

Echo pays for his ticket and they get inside. Her eyes open wide from the various booths for games, prizes, and food outside the tent. Her mouth waters from smelling the savory and sweet aromas.

"This is great! Since we have time before the show, can we eat?"

"We already ate. Besides, the food isn't too good here. Too cheap for my taste."

Her stomach grumbles. "Okay. How about some games?"

"The games are all rigged. The main thing that's worth the money is right inside that tent."

Echo hides her disappointment so she can have fun. "What are we going to do in the meantime?"

Narcissus holds her face gently. "We will get the best seats in the house. My Echo deserves the best view and not to miss a single thing."

Her heart almost skips a beat. She smiles from ear to ear with blooming flowers. "My handsome Narcissus." She goes to touch his face, but he brings her hand down to hold it instead.

"Don't want your hands to feel oily. I've been so nervous about our date that I sweated a bucket. Come with me", he leads her by the hand.

We feel like a couple already. I'm so happy.

Taki, Helena, and Artemis make it in.

"Is anyone hungry?", he asks.

"Yep. Those turkey legs look so good!", Artemis spots a vendor.

"I can go for that too", Helena adds.

"Let's eat up then. We can also play some games before the show starts."

The trio walk over and buy some turkey legs to eat. Artemis wolfs down her portion like it was nothing. They also buy some koulouri thessalonikis (Greek version of a pretzel) and small meat pies for them to enjoy. Each bite is great down to the last bite.

"Where's Echo and the others?"

Artemis senses her inside. She respects her friend's privacy for her date so she wouldn't intrude. "They're inside the tent, but it's still early before the show begins. Maybe they are saving seats for the best view."

"I hope so. He better not do anything wrong to her."

"I will be the first in line to remind him if he screws up. You and Helena can join right after me."

"There wouldn't be any of him left when you're done", she jokes.

"Oh, right. All at once?"

"Indeed. Who wants dessert?", he asks.

"I do!"

The goddess of the hunt buys the three of them rizogalo (rice pudding/custard). It is pleasantly sweet and light to their tastebuds.

"It's really good. Thanks, teacher."

"Thanks, mom."

"Anything for you two. Oh, I might as well grab us some seats while you play for a bit. I will wave you over when you get in."

She enters the tent with her dessert. Helena and Taki finish their desserts and walk over to a booth that had a mini discus throwing game with bottles set up in a pyramid. They wait behind two siblings and a young man who are trying the game for the first time.

"I'm going to get you the big bear, sis!", the little boy vows.

He throws the disk at the bottom middle bottle so it can topple over, but it doesn't. To his eyes, he missed. He throws harder the second time, but it doesn't work. Taki and Helena squint their eyes. It should have toppled over by now.

"1 disk left. Make it count!", the owner notifies.

"Brother, you can do it!"

"You got this!", the young man encourages.

He focuses and throws it with all of his might, but the bottles don't topple over to their disappointment.

"Want to try again?", the owner asks.

"I'm sorry. We will try again next time."

The siblings and their guardian go to leave. Taki looks at Helena and she nods.

He gets in front of them. "I will get you that bear and whatever prize you want. You can count on me."

"You will do that, sir?"

"Definitely. You tried your best, but something's not right", he stares at the owner.

"What are you implying, sir?", he scowls.

"Nothing at all", before paying the fee. He's given three discs. He takes the first disk and aims at the middle bottom bottle. He throws it and it hits the bottle directly, but the same thing happened.

"2 more tries."

He gets an idea. "What's your name?", he asks the boy.

"Alex and this is my sister Maria."

"Alex, I want you to throw on my behalf. I have a good feeling about this one."

His feet shuffle. "But you saw me fail."

"Failing is okay, but we must learn from it. I believe in you."

Helena smiles from his approach. His words encourage the boy to try again. He takes the second disk.

"Before you throw, let me do a quick prayer. Is that okay with you?", he asks the man for permission. The young guardian nods. He places his hand on the boy's hand and he puts a little of his energy into his hand.

"Great Gaia, bless this young man's throw and help him win."

The boy feels something strange, yet powerful forming and he trusts it.

"You're ready now. Go for it."

The boy aims again at the middle bottom bottle and throws it. A little bit of green energy is displayed as the disk is thrown. The disk successfully knocks the bottle down and the whole tower falls as a result!

"What?!", the owner exclaims with surprise.

Helena sees some metal balls rolling out of the bottles. Her staff almost pokes the man in the nose.

"We won't tell anyone if you give us the prizes and leave this place. Make it quick", she threatens with a hushed tone.

He rushes out of there as Helena withdraws her staff. The siblings' guardian is shocked at what just happened. He collects the money he had spent.

"I can't believe he swindled us. Thank you for helping us out."

"It's no problem at all."

The boy takes the plush bear and gives it to his sister.

"Thank you, brother!"

"I knew you could do it, Alex", Taki hands him a lion plushie, but he refuses.

"I'm good. Just wanted to make my sister happy."

"How sweet of you. You're a good big brother. Your dad must be proud of you", Helena tells him.

"We don't have any parents. We live at an orphanage and Dimos is our babysitter."

Taki and Helena are surprised to hear that.

"Oh. I'm sorry to hear that. I can only imagine how that feels. I didn't have a dad growing up, but I was lucky to have my mom. At least you're lucky to have each other and a good guardian around", Taki hopes to cheer them up.

Maria hugs her plush bear tightly.  "It's so soft! Thank you!"

She gives a hug to Helena and Takashi.

"You're very welcome, Maria."

"You're so pretty. Are you a goddess?", she asks Helena.

"Aww. No, but I do serve Artemis, the greatest archer of all time."

Narcissus, inside, sneezes to his surprise.

"Bless you!", Echo tells him.

"Alex, Maria. Let's go inside for the show. Don't want you to miss the first act!", Dimos hurries.

Taki wraps the bear plushie around Maria's back so she can carry it better. Alex and Maria hold Dimos' hands as they walk.

"They're going to have a good time. Plus, that was really cool what you did back there", he compliments Helena.

"You gave me courage after what you did. Plus, you're a good father."

"Huh?"

"I like how you talked to them. Your daughter will be blessed to have you as her dad."

His eyes soften. "That means a lot. This prize will make up for the toy I gave away", he stuffs the rabbit plushie into his bag.

"What toy?"

"Not telling you."

"You're so weird. Hopefully, mom will like this", she picks up a stag plushie.

"I know she will."

His confidence makes her smile. He picks up a lion plushie and offers it to Helena. "You deserve something too."

She warmly accepts and hugs her lion plushie close to her heart. Takashi walks to the entrance. He turns and finds Helena standing in place.

"Helena? Helena?"

Helena shakes her head back to reality.

"Let's go inside!"

Helena rushes over and they enter the tent for a grand show.