In California, his loved ones feel his determination for one more hurdle to overcome.

"Let's go, agapimenos!", Penny screams at the top of her lungs.

"Show them what you are made of!", Greg joins in with Misha.

"Kick some ass!", his mother decides to use a "curse word".

His in-laws cheer for his pending return. Little Karisa coos for the father she hasn't met yet.

Takashi grins from feeling their support. Narcissus scowls from seeing that smile.


Hermes drops his staff to begin the last game.

"FF2!"

His vibrating body closes the distance with his hour-hand blade ready for protection. He pivots backwards from the lack of reaction. A cautious energy slash from his second-hand blade tests something.

With a quick swipe of his knives, his energy strikes intercept the attack. Dark emerald vs white.....the vain demigod dodges from Taki's attack overtaking it.....with the same vibrating speed as his opponent.


Perseus and the others are shocked as the proudful man closes the distance with quick thrusts.

Taki swings his long blade in a horizontal arc to hit his torso, but Narcissus steps back. In the middle of his spin attempt, the son of Kronos lunges backward to stab him in the ribs with his short blade--


Grunts. Drip.

The two demigods step away from each other. Taki's right wrist is cut. Narcissus' right rib is leaking golden iron through his pure white tunic.


Hermes' eyes caught it all. "Both had hit their attacks at the same time. No points!"

The white, flowy wisps steam from the demigod ruining his clothes. However, a wicked smile that he can keep up with him as this continues. Taki narrows his eyes at him for an explanation.

"You wonder how I could keep up? Foolish foreigner! You are not at my level to discuss such things!"

Medea hypothesizes out loud. "He must have met with Hera secretly to match Takashi's speed. That explains his multiple absences."

"Why did he want to go through all of that? What does he have against Takashi?", Orpheus questions.

The fighters prepare themselves for Round Two.

Taki taps his wound while in FF2. "Zone. Rewind."

His wound closes up. The same thing happens for Narcissus.

Hermes glances at them. "Round 2, start!"

An emerald energy thrust travels at the wicked demigod. He ducks down to avoid it while advancing forward.

Taki whispers while pointing. "Zone, Rewind!"

The energy strike flows in reverse. Narcissus deflects it away with his energy enhanced knives.


The brother of Hestia rushes in with both blades to take advantage. Blades clang against each other. Feet pivot back. To the side. Forwards. Neither of them finding a clear opening....until Takashi jumps back for something new.


Narcissus throws his knife at his chest.

"Slow."

The knife considerably slows down before it's swatted away. The knife travels backwards. He rolls to the side. The white energy returns the weapon to its owner. To the arrogant demigod, he failed to notice the glowing second-hand blade.

Taki drops his hour-hand blade parallel to the ground. "Zone, Stop."

His blade halts in midair. Narcissus wasn't going to let him continue. He rushes in. The dark emerald aura forces him back. White energy being nibbled away from the pulsating alarm to give up.


He laughs to himself. He can just dodge it for a counterattack.

The emerald long blade raises up to its side.


He swings at the paused blade like a baseball. "FF2.5!"

The paused blade flies off like a missile. A loss of breath. He stifles the fear while clutching the side of his chest.

Hermes calls it. "Point to Takashi! 1-0! Back to your starting places."

"Zone. Rewind."

The short blade returns to his hand while walking back walks back. "Play."

Narcissus winces. "2.5?! What in Tartarus is that?!"

Taki smirks to get under his skin. "Since we didn't know Hera's method, we had more training sessions. I found a new level because of that."

Hera is also surprised because she never anticipated this. She never thought the mortal would reach new heights.

That's close to 75% of my speed, the Huntress smiles.

The audience is in awe of what this foreign demigod is capable of. Telemachus tells his dad what had happened. A proud smile on the blind king's face.

Stomachs of his loved ones twist from the next part. Takashi kneeling to the ground while having a hand over his heart. Perseus and Heracles understand why that is. Despite getting his divine stamina lengthened, this new form consumes a lot of energy. If FF2 was running, 2.5 is almost sprinting.


Hestia almost runs down to the field but trusts her little brother will win this next one.

"Are you okay to continue?", Hermes checks in.

"Yes. Just need a small breather."


Hermes allows both the demigods to rest for two minutes to recover oxygen.


Close to the end of that time, furious white flecks approach him from Narcissus. "You bastard! You think you can beat me?! Nobody beats me! I will-

"Shut up or the next blade goes through your throat! Zone. FF2."

His aura ignites to complete the task. Anger from two contrasting sources collide in the sparks.

Hermes lowers his staff.

The prideful demigod fires off energy thrusts with his knives.


Taki rolls out of the way and deflects with both swords. A response of ankle and face high emerald strikes flies out. The proud mortal dives through the opening.


The second-hand blade swings down. Both knives greet it. A thrust with the free hand--


Squelch!


Air leaves Taki's lungs from a knife piercing close to his heart. A kick has him meeting the floor.


Taki's body stops vibrating. His chest is still moving to Narcissus' slight disappointment. The golden ichor on the tip of his knife leaves a wicked smile on his face.

"Point to Narcissus! 1-1!"

Hestia jumps onto the field to heal her mortal brother with her fire. Her warm touch closes the wound. His blurry vision restores to normal. She helps him up to his feet while whispering him not to use 2.5 again.


She and the other deities saw what happened. The intense speed along with the energy consumption affected his reaction time. His eyes tell her something that only Perseus and Heracles know. She begrudgingly accepts his silent message with a quick embrace before departing.

The maniacal laughter of his opponent draws everyone's attention. "Since I will win this game, just know that I watched your pathetic little ceremony to forcibly open your energy channels. With Hera, it was much easier without the pain. I can just tap into that speed and catch up with you. You are still pathetic ever since you came into this world. That will never change."

Taki brings out his aura and reveals something to everyone involved. It showed the deaths he had survived in great detail to get to this point.

A bead of sweat leaves Narcissus' face. "How are you still here?!"

Taki laughs. "You're not a zombie so you wouldn't understand."

Heracles and Perseus laugh while Echo smiles from the inside joke. Artemis cracks a grin.

The proud mortal of a river god huffs from the strange answer.

Taki taps his chest. "Zone, FF2!"

"No matter! I will kill you here since it's not against the rules in this contest. I am superior to you!"

Hermes waves his staff. "Final point! The winning team shall have their wishes granted!"

Medea's team looks on, wondering which side will win. The witch silently cheers for the opposition to knock the arrogant man down several pegs. Part of her feels awful for doing so, knowing that Bellero's and Orpheus' wish will be casted away.

Narcissus goes into a similar mode to FF2. Taki has his short blade at his hip with the longer one drawn forward. Both ready to end this. Hermes silently prays for Aphrodite's heart that it will be calm afterwards.


Royals to divinity stand up and get close to the railings to witness this final showing. Mixed cheers echo, knowing that Narcissus was the bad apple in Medea's group.

Hermes drops his staff.

An eager smile as he rushes at a non-moving Takashi Watanabe. A whisper catches him of guard.

"2.5!'

Everyone except the demigods and gods is confused as to what just happened.


Cough. Drip.


One of them remains standing tall over the other. Narcissus can't believe it. The tilted hilt of the hour-hand blade is evidence of the victor. "Play."

Hermes explains. "Takashi used the handle of his blade as a jab to the throat! Hestia's team has won the tournament!"

His team is semi-happy about the results. Their team has won, but at what cost to the others? Chrysaor and Perseus communicate in sign language about what they want to do.

A bittersweet feeling drops on Medea's team. Medea's team is bittersweet. Orpheus taps Bellerophon's shoulder. A feeling that Heracles will live up to the promise he made to Theseus.


The arrogant demigod continues to cough, refusing to swallow defeat. His path to ultimate glory was taken away by a stranger that didn't belong here. He gets himself back up to kill him, but his hands hold nothing in them.


Hermes glares at him while holding the twin knives. His archer sibling right in front of him has him cowering for forgiveness.


Artemis' glowing right hand nears him.

"Please, let me live! I'm begging you!"

"Death is too good for you."

With a casual wave, he is instantly turned into a worm. He wiggles around in confusion of this curse. The goddess turns her back, concluding their "duel."

Medea picks him up and casually throws him into a jar. She puts the cork in as the former demigod tries to escape. "I will perform many experiments on you before you die. I promise you that."

She walks back with sadness to Bellero and Orpheus. "I will take you back to your homes. You've been through a lot."

The duo refuses until they see what the wishes will be.

Taki stumbles and falls from fatigue. Artemis catches him and lowers his heart rate to safe levels with comforting gold wisps that lull him to sleep. 

"You did it, Uncle Taki", she whispers.

---
Meanwhile, in California


A feeling of victory has his loved ones jumping with joy. Karisa bounces in her mother's arms.

"I knew you could do it!", Penny yells. "My husband is a superhero who can do anything."

"That's my brother!", Greg adds.

Hikari's smile on the laptop wavers. "We should save up some energy when he comes back in the flesh. Sorry, I didn't mean to damper-"

"You're right, my little detective. We will have another celebration for him", Aiko assures.

----

In Olympia, Takashi wakes up from Hestia's warmth. Refreshed from the ordeal he went through. His nephews help him up after checking on him.

They all embrace him that the games have concluded. Chrysaor's tears are wiped away with the metal of his uncle's fingers.

"Let's make our wishes."

He sees that Medea and what's left of their group are still there. Heracles explains the reason why. Perseus also brings up the list of the two wishes that they have settled on. Allowing their uncle to wish for what he wants.

Athena stands up. "Since your team won, Hestia, we shall grant any wish that your members desire. Who will go first?"

Percy chimes in. "My wish is to bring back all the demigods who have died in this tournament."

Bellero and Ariadne's eyes shoot open. Smiles crack across their faces.

Athena nods. "So be it. Almost all of them will appear outside the beach near the arena."

She talks with Thanatos who obliges while informing the souls so they won't be spooked. Theseus' grave starts moving. His dirty hands crawl out while he takes in several deep breaths.  Poseidon smiles that his favorite son has returned. Bellero walks over to him.

"B-Brother. Do you remember me?"

Theseus touches his face. "Why wouldn't I, little brother? I'm so proud of you."

A tight embrace followed by heavy tears. Selene pats her best friend's back.

Ariadne gets Theseus all to herself. She grabs his face for a long passionate kiss. Her fingers digging into his skin, refusing to let go. Not even for a moment.

After breaking the kiss, Theseus thanks Orpheus for his contribution. The musical demigod thanks him for giving him a second chance to continue.

Percy and the others let them have their moment.

Hera sighs. "What is your second wish?"

Chrysaor signs as his father translates. "This will apply to the demigods here since we didn't know the others well. Bring back all of our loved ones from the dead without afflictions or curses."

Everyone else is stunned by that wish. Medea and Theseus knew who that would include. A smile cracks on the witch's face. Her beloved husband will return, but would he still want to be with her? After attempting to poison Theseus?

Perseus continues with conditions that will be attached to this wish. "Hera, Poseidon, and Athena will be forbidden from this point on from harming us and our loved ones. Any indirect or direct harm by that deity will result in that god(s) losing their immortality and to be immediately sent to Tartarus."


The god of death smiles that some of the Olympians will be forced to never intervene in their lives again. Poseidon and Hera are trembling with rage while Athena's lip quivers.

The goddess of "justice" sighs. "That wish shall be granted with those conditions in mind. However, we can perform self-defense if attacked by a demigod. Does that sound alright?"

Perseus lets go of his anger since he will win in the end. They cannot hurt Medusa again and he will spend a long life with her by his side. He agrees to the offer. Thanatos flies swiftly to carry it out.

"Thanatos says that your loved ones will be waiting for you near the shoreline outside the arena."

Takashi steps up. "My wish is to.......make Poseidon my obedient servant for one hour with several conditions in mind."

His own team, loved ones, and the judges are stunned. The audience is perplexed on why this mortal is requesting such a thing.

Poseidon breaks the table with the impact of his fist. "What's your purpose with me?!"

"I will explain the conditions after I do this."

Hestia brings his bag over to him and he pulls out his phone. He double checks to make sure everything is there. "I have proof that Poseidon is the killer behind the deaths of Mnemosyne, her city, and our father, Kronos!"

The gods and the audience gasp from the accusation. Bellero and Theseus didn't want to believe it.

Athena raises an eyebrow. "How can that be? My father and him proved that it wasn't him."

"I have evidence on my device that the time and space mirror is in his room at Mt Olympus."

Hera's eyes widen with flaring violet aura. "For being up there without permiss-"

"I'm not done talking, Hera. My wish hasn't been granted yet. Not only that, but my messages to my loved ones were also sent when he got close to the mirror and that never happened once until I went there."

Artemis chimes in. "The mark on his metal bracelet is from my arrow when he watched us."

She proves it by taking the same arrow and it fits just right in the groove.

Taki continues with confidence. "And he has gotten in my way multiple times to prevent me from heading home because he desires the second half of powers that our father gave me. The reason why I didn't simply wish to go home is because he would have pulled me back to restart the process. Why hide it anymore, Poseidon?"

The sea god smirks. "You're right. Good job on catching me."

His sons are shocked.

Hera puts space between them. "W-Why?"

"Our father was wasting his powers when he jumped to your world. Starting a new family instead of ruling both worlds. The sacrifice to make it there required leaving his power over space behind. He still maintained a connection to it, but I gladly took it. I was able to find a way to communicate with him through the mirror....and I killed him as soon as he returned."

Dark emerald aura flares up. Sickle like wisps form. "You took his life for power? We are brothers!"

"We may be family, but I will never consider you a part of it. Anyway, after killing our old man, he had anticipated that. The power over time was given to you to prevent me from jumping across to your world. It took me a long time, but I found you. I then found out that I could manipulate one thing because of our connection."

Taki realizes he meant his watch. How it acted before Poseidon kidnapped him.

Poseidon continues. After killing Mnemosyne and her people, he took her lamp to overwrite memories. Orpheus' lyre almost cracks from hearing his callous confession of killing his grandmother. The sea god massages the bite marks from Takashi escaping his clutches.


"I took my chance, but you had to choose that lifeline that twisted Gaia's history. And you think that Eris came up with the idea of the Trojan Horse? Who do you think gave that to her?"

Artemis, Apollo, Hermes, and Takashi stare daggers at the sea god for what he said.

Poseidon smiles. "I learned from the stories of your world. Oh, I also made you reset a couple of times putting distance between you and your loved ones. Those are all my crimes."

"And what about your violation of Medusa?!", Perseus' mouth shoots off a verbal dagger.

"Almost forgot about that."

Golden aura flares up while gripping the divine blade. Takashi holds him back, knowing how he feels. He assures him that Zeus will punish him once he's done. Perseus draws his energy back in.

All of the other gods near Poseidon step back and prepare their weapons of war. Hera summons her bow in anger for tricking her husband. A flower arrow ready to go through his heart.

The earth shaker sighs. "The mortal hasn't finished his wish. State your terms."

"Poseidon, you will not harm me as your servant. You will bring the time and space mirror over here. You will give me the power over space so I can return home and you will face judgment afterwards. Breaking these conditions will result in your immediate death and I will have your powers either way."

Poseidon strokes his white beard. "The mirror can never leave Mt Olympus because of what our father did to it. We must go to it so I can transfer the space ability. I agree with your other terms as my master."

He looks at the red bracelet appears on his wrist with disgust.

"Let's go with you just in case", Heracles offers to Percy's agreement.

The son of Kronos raises a hand up. "Everyone you love is outside waiting for you. Go and be with them."

"We are not going to let you be alone with him. Why are you doing it this way?"

"It's my fight and I'm choosing how to end it. Too much blood has been spilled today. I need to be back with my family just like you. And hey, I will be able to travel between both worlds."

Artemis and Hestia go to his side. Their eyes telling him that they will come along.

"As will I for what he did to my husband. I will let him know to meet us there", Hera adds on.

Hermes adjusts his glasses. "And I will make sure that Athena doesn't escape. She has to face her crimes. Hera, it's not over yet. Making Aphrodite cry is unforgivable."

The goddess is taken aback that her son referred to her by name instead of mother.

Taki tells Poseidon to gently put his trident on the ground. The sea god does it without hesitation.

The rest of Taki's friends and family come close to wish him well.

Helena is crying happily in their embrace. He breaks it gently.  "Go and find your love."

"I will go with Odysseus's family on the way back to meet him. I'm going to miss you."

"I won't be gone for long. I wish nothing but happiness for you two."

Artemis nears Helena. Her emerald eyes slowly meeting her purple irises. "Can....we talk?"

Helena and her walk off to have their chat as Taki says bye to the others.

—-------------

Artemis stops her feet. "I understand if you don't want to talk to me anymore. I regret what I've-"

"I'm still upset with you."

To the deity's surprise, Helena hugs her.

"You are still my mother. We can talk more when you get back."

Artemis tears up. "Okay."

Helena cups her face. It brings up a memory of when she did that to her as a child. Artemis lets go slowly.

—--------------

Percy, Chrysaor, and Pegasus embrace their uncle next. Heracles wraps his arms around that group and lifts them up at once.

Taki chuckles. "Probably the best hug I ever had."

"Don't let your training go to waste", Heracles reminds him.

"I won't. Let Iphicles know he did a great job as my trainer as well."

He lets them down to Echo who taps on Taki's shoulder. An idea comes to mind.


"Poseidon, remove this curse from her!"


"I can't. The Fates won't allow it."

Taki's hands clench. Why would they refuse to let that happen? "Take me to them."

Echo gently grasps his hands. She signs. "It's okay. Focus on that later."


A slow exhale leaves his lips. "I will convince the Fates to remove that curse when I come back."


Echo signs back. "I will be okay. I have people who will support me. I should have learned
better."

"Not your fault. You have Chrysaor now."

His brass arms wrapping softly around her causes large flowers to cover her face. She plucks them all off to decorate the field. Her crown, restored to its proper form.

"Thanks for everything, sister."

They hug and they let go.

He narrows his eyes at his sea god servant. "I want you to tell Hades to allow Scylla to rest in Elysium."


Poseidon materializes Hades' totem with a wave of his hand. He tells the God of the Underworld the request and he obliges the request.

Theseus, Bellero, Ariadne, and Orpheus express their thanks to Hestia's team. Orpheus even invites them to a new wedding ceremony for him and Eurydice.

"No problem. I will see you all again once I can. Also, congrats on the baby", Taki tells Ariadne who's surprised by his guess. "My wife was pregnant so I recognized the signs."

Ariadne gives him a quick hug.

"Also, Bellero will be a good uncle to your kid."

Bellero smiles and hugs him. "Thank you. Medea doesn't want to admit it, but she thanks you as well."

Medea is walking out the door. "So far for keeping that a secret. I will be on my way, Theseus. I will leave you and your family alone."

I have a son to return to anyway, before riding away in her dragon chariot.

Taki notices Georgios walking away. "Georgios, right?"


"Yes?"


"I'm sorry about Michaelis. If there were more wishes, we could have brought him back."

Georgios embraces him and he starts sobbing. "I know. Thank you."

"Thank you?"


Georgios lets go. "You avenged his death. I just don't know what to do now."

Taki thinks. "What about joining a new group? One that will appreciate you?"

Georgios looks at Artemis and is hopeful. "Maybe. I will go home for now."

The son of Kronos taps him on the shoulder. "Be safe."

Georgios takes in his first inhale of freedom as Narcissus no longer has power over him.


Selene goes with Bellero and the others. Her peacock symbol thrown to the floor. Bellero takes one last look at his father before looking forward to his future.

"Oh, I can help you find a girlfriend. You have gotten popular", his best friend offers.

"Is that so? I might need help talking with that."

Selene smiles. "I will be your confidant then. I've been to a few kingdoms, and I know a few who might be interested."

Odysseus, his family, and Galen come to Takashi. "I will make this short. You have changed for the better and I'm proud of you."

Taki is touched by his words. "Thanks to you."

"You kept your humility", Queen Penelope smiles.

"Wait here. Poseidon, restore my friend's eyesight!"

Taki lets the deity get close to Odysseus. The earth shaker gently lays a glowing hand across the blind king's closed eyes. He steps back when he's done. His little brother motions him to step aside.


Artemis gently grasps the king's hand. "Open your eyes slowly. It will still take time for your eyes to adjust."

The king slowly opens his eyes. His vision is a bit blurry from the lights and colors. Outlines form before seeing clear as day. He puts a hand on his smiling face. The king cries happily from seeing his loved ones again.

He kisses his wife multiple times on the cheek. She gazes into his eyes with all the love in the world for him. The group pulls Takashi in for a group hug. Even though it isn't for the last time, it felt like it. The youngest son of Kronos proposes a big group photo before he leaves.

"....We will make more memories since I would be able to jump back."

Everyone scrunches in for the camera. They scream nikki (victory) before it goes off. He sends the photo along with a text. 

{I'm making Poseidon take me home. I will explain everything to you all. I love you}

He waves to everyone before going to Poseidon, Hera, Hestia, and Artemis. Helena and the others leave through the large doors. The other gods are on standby in the arena just in case.

"My husband responded and will be there in Poseidon's room shortly", Hera informs.

Taki commands the Earth Shaker to take them to the mirror.

The sea god waves his hands. A green portal appears showing their destination. Artemis goes through first to make sure it wasn't a trick. She quickly inspects the area and gets out of the frame of view. She returns and motions them through.

Taki has Poseidon enter before him with Hera. He walks besides Artemis with Hestia who tells her donkey to stay behind. Her companion whines before the goddess pets her mane.

"I will be right back. I will never forget what you did for me."

Her companion looks on as Hestia enters through the portal. It then closes. The donkey lowers her head to the ground.


Hermes brushes her back to comfort her. "She will be back soon before you know it. Everything will be set right."