Red and blue venomous snakes attack the demigods!

Perseus' shield blocks their fangs. Heracles turns where the fangs can't pierce through the lion skin armor.

Narcissus fires off arrows while crouching for cover. His arrows hit some of the snakes, infuriating the Gorgon sisters. Euryale's scream tears apart the ground as it makes its way. The vain demigod rolls away, but his ears ring like a bell.


"It's Perseus, your brother-in-law! Please, stop!", the young demigod tries to reach them.


Theseus' bare feet on the ground tell him that Perseus' words are sincere as he seeks cover.


Hermes is taken aback. His gut instincts are telling him it's the truth.

Aphrodite is trembling from fear that more of Perseus' loved ones will die. She doesn't think his heart can take another loss like that. Ares kisses her head.

Heracles' club almost cracks from what he sees in them. The same madness Hera had inflicted on him. Stheno rapidly slithers to him. Swipe! The brass claws only connect with the special armor. Her snakes lash out, but his hand gently pushes her away.

"Percy, they were cursed with the same madness Hera placed on me!", he yells.

"What can we do?", he blocks another fanged attempt.

"Trigger a memory and they should snap out of it!"

Something comes to Medea's mind. "Judges! How can they kill these two when they are immortal?"

The audience and the teams on the field are bewildered as it is true. This game would be unwinnable.

Athena stands up. "During their imprisonment, I forced them to eat a special fruit I created. A few bites aren't harmful, but the more they ate, their immortality was lost in the process."

Perseus' aura flares up from hearing those words. Sky-blue eyes ready to kill her. Euryale's next scream pushes him back. The ringing prevents him from hearing Stheno. Her horizontal knife hand blocked by Heracles' hand on her elbow. A push sends her right into Euryale who catches her.


Heracles restores his hearing and pours some water on the ground to make mud. The sons of Zeus put plenty of it in their ears.

Narcissus fires off an arrow for Stheno's head, but Percy throws his shield to deflect it. He's trying to figure out a way to trigger their memories and finding a way to win without killing them.

Chrysaor and Pegasus try to enter the field, but it won't allow them inside. Chrysaor grows to his true size and punches it. The barrier shakes, but it will not break from the impact. Tears run down his face as he wants to save his aunts. Pegasus neighs loudly, but he is also ignored.


The eldest son of Perseus shrinks down in disbelief. Echo runs down and holds him close while keeping him from falling over from his heartache. The mountain nymph's heart almost breaks for Chrysaor and Pegasus. They had already lost a mother and their family will get even smaller. Takashi gently leads them back to their seats after telling him about his special arrows Heracles now holds.

Theseus' rock wall is torn apart by the blue-haired Gorgon's scream. He slides his feet out of the way. Ringing in his ears throws his feet off balance. Stheno slithers to his back.

Slash! Golden iron splatters out. He rolls out of the way from the next strike. Ariadne covers her mouth from seeing the almost deep gash on his back.

"Brother!", Bellero yells out.

Narcissus fires off arrows at Stheno's head, but the snakes take the volley to protect her. Her tail wraps around his body. He grunts from being slammed into the earth. Her sharp nails aim for his throat.

To Echo's relief, Theseus tackles her to save him. Blue snakes lash out at the duo! The son of Poseidon shifts his feet. The earth moves them out of the way. Narcissus fires off a charged bolt arrow. Euryale is pushed away from the impact of Heracles' club before the arrow connects.

Stheno attacks Perseus with her claws, but they aren't penetrating through his shield defenses.

"STHENO! STOP IT!"

Stheno keeps clawing at him.

"You held Medusa's hand the whole time as she was giving birth to our children! Remember!"

Her sister's name halts her next strike. Hera's madness leads her tail to deliver a heavy hit. The young son of Zeus doesn't take a step back. He will endure anything for them. Stheno stops upon hearing Medusa's name, but the madness drives her to tail whip him. Percy doesn't move a step back from the heavy hit. While Stheno struggles for clarity, Euryale shrieks at him.


The vibrations nibble at his defenses. Stheno aims for the chest. He ducks. She prepares another scream.

"Euryale, you gave Medusa romantic stories to read! You also helped Pegasus learn how to fly!"

The middle Gorgon sister closes her lips. The sisters clutch their heads with their hissing snakes twisting around each other. Before he can say anything, a banshee scream hits him directly.

Slash!

 Stheno leaves a deep gash across his chest. Heracles hits both the Gorgons with his club to force them away. Chrysaor and Pegasus want to jump over the railing, but Hestia and Taki stop them.

---

Elysium

Megara and her sons are sitting down with a beautiful green haired woman. She clutches her torso from the feeling the pain of her husband. Megara knows that this isn't the first time today.  She also worries about Heracles as she felt some of his pain.

"P-Percy's in danger again", Medusa cries.

Megara's sons come up to her. They remind her that their father will protect him from further harm. The comforting words help her settle down. Meg reassures her that the sons of Zeus will survive.

----

Back to Olympia,


Hiding behind cover, Heracles applies some healing aura to Perseus. The wound closes as he grips his brother's hand. 5 minutes are left on the tiny hourglass. The son of Alcmene counts his arrows.

"Brother, please don't kill them!", the son of Danae begs.

"If we don't, they will."

"There has to be another way!"

"I'm so sorry."

Percy is silent until he has an idea. He whispers it to him. Heracles nods in agreement. He checks to find Theseus and Narcissus dealing with the Gorgon sisters. The son of Poseidon is holding back, but for how long?

"I call upon Medusa's head and the glasses as items! Chrysaor has them", Percy tells Hermes.


The god of messengers zips to the brass covered man who gives him the two items. The deity hand delivers them to the young son of Zeus. Shades thrown on. The cord of the bag adjusted. His shield thrown to Heracles who deflects the attacks of Medea's team. Light-golden aura drives the snakes back.


Medusa's head exposed to the sisters. They stop in their tracks. Their eyes waver from seeing their beloved sister's face. Athena's curse still active as they breathe unaffected.

"I'm going to bring her back and we will be reunited as a family again!", Percy yells.

His words begin to crack the hold of madness. They clutch their heads from the pain.

"Your baby sister believes in you. You made her feel that she was never alone. Fight back against Hera!"

Hera's symbol evaporates as time winds down. The illusion of men trying to kill their sister has broken. Their eyes take in their brother-in-law and the new environment.

Perseus quickly puts away Medusa's head. "Listen to me. I need you to play dead when I-"

Two arrows strike into their hearts. The poison inside sends them to the floor. Percy scrambles to pull out the arrows. The pupils of the Gorgon sisters dilate. Their snakes become motionless. A terrible, living nightmare that erupts a wail out of the son of Zeus. Tears accompany his pain.


In Elysium, tears stream down Medusa's face from the fate of her sisters. Heracles' family embraces her tightly.

The barrier drops, allowing Chrysaor, Pegasus, Taki, Echo, and Hestia inside.

Hermes waves his staff with a solemn face. "The game is over. The winners are...Perseus and Heracles."

The young brother spins to Heracles who's holding the bow. A hot flash of aura in his attempted jabs for revenge. Heracles moves out of the way.

"You never trusted me! What kind of brother are you?! I hate you!"

Taki holds Percy back with his arms. The son of Zeus sinks to the floor while his sons go to comfort him. Athena gets in his line of vision with a smug smile that the Gorgons have been dealt with.

Perseus tries to fight out of his uncle's hold. "You cruel, heartless bitch!"

Athena's smile disappears. The grip on her divine spear tightens. Artemis arrives to him and holds him close with tears on her face. The siblings embrace as Thanatos appears to perform his role.

Hestia's flames of orange and red wraps around the whole group. The crackling hides their discussion of several minutes. The judges and the audience wonder what's happening. The flames die down, revealing a passed out Perseus in Takashi's arms. Thanatos has left the scene.

Artemis steps forward. "I put him to sleep because of what happened. Hestia's team doesn't reject the victory. I will return their bodies to Sarpedon so they can be with their sister. I will also take them with me so they can pay their respects. We won't be gone long."

Hera exhales. "I will allow it." The others agree.

Artemis sprinkles some love dust from her pouch. Heracles picks both of the Gorgons up and they all walk through. The portal closes to Sarpedon.


Heracles gently lays the sisters down near Medusa's grave. Artemis looks around twice.  She touches a pressure point on Perseus which wakes him up. She then crouches down and puts her glowing hands on Stheno and Euryale.

"That was close, sister", Percy tells her.

"Good thing they are still alive thanks to Taki's special arrows."


During Artemis' training sessions, Taki asked her about non-lethal arrows similar to the 40 winks arrow. There's one he utilized called "Pseftikos thanatos" aka "false death." The poison stills the heart while keeping the victim alive. Healing them will wake them up from their coma. Heracles knew of these arrows and used them to trick the judges, and even his brother to make it real.

After she throws out the poison, Pegasus trots over with his healing tears ready. They drop onto the wounds of his aunts. The Huntress places black scrunchies on their wrists that tighten in place.

Perseus embraces his uncle out of appreciation for his help. He then gives a hug of forgiveness for what he said.

Heracles pats his back. 'It's okay. I won't hide anything from you again."

The Gorgon sisters stir awake. Echo steps back from the hissing snakes. Chrysaor gently holds her. In Elysium, Medusa gets a feeling of hope that both her husband and her sisters are alive. She wipes her tears and briefly smiles.

Artemis speaks gently to them. "You're safe. Percy is here with some family members."

Stheno and Euryale see their family, but they don't recognize Takashi, Heracles, or Echo as they were new. They weren't too afraid of their appearances.


The sisters clutch their heads because of the spell, but they remember what they did. The scar on Perseus' chest leads to guilty breaths.


He embraces them. "It's not your fault. Hera put that curse on you."

"Even then we almost killed you", Stheno almost cries.

"Do you think Medusa would hate us for what we did?", Euryale asks.

"She wouldn't."

Chrysaor and Percy help them up into a group hug. The sisters cry tears as Pegasus wraps his wings around them. Taki, Echo, and Heracles let them have their moment. After some time, they let go. Chrysaor returns to Echo's side.

"Heracles, right? I'm so sorry for attacking you", the blue haired Gorgon apologizes.

"It's fine. I'm glad that my part of the family is still alive."

They are touched by what he said. They notice a mountain nymph is with them.

"And who is this lady?"

"Hello, I'm Echo."

"You know us?", the red-haired elder sister inquiries.

"Perseus told me about you. I'm sorry that Athena cursed you and Medusa."

"Thank you. It's good to know that more people believe the truth of what happened."

Euryale signs something to Chrysaor that Echo misses. "The way you're looking at her...is she your girlfriend?"

Chrysaor waves his hands no. "She is betrothed to someone else who's in the tournament."

"Sorry about that. You both look like a couple."

Chrysaor gives a sad grin. "I will protect her no matter what."

"Just like your old man", Stheno signs.

Chrysaor is smiling being compared to his loving father.

Stheno then remembers getting hit by the arrows. "D-Did we die?"

Artemis quickly explains the effects of the arrows that Taki had made, who he is, his relationship to Perseus, and that he knows the truth about Medusa and them.

"And don't worry about Thanatos. He said you both were not listed to die and gave me the black scrunchies now on your wrists. These will prevent Athena and the other gods from coming after you again. If they even try to hurt you, Thanatos would punish them harshly."

The sisters are relieved. Red and blue snakes pull Takashi in for a big hug.

"Thank you for saving us", Euryale tells him.

"That's what family is for", he grunts from being squeezed too hard.


They let him go. Their snakes "kissing" him on the cheeks tickles him to laughter. Artemis gives them some ambrosia to eat. Heracles and the others, except Taki, recognize what it could do.

"I snuck this away the night before because I didn't trust Athena", the deity explains.

Euryale turns to Stheno. "We never felt this way before. It's unnerving. But should we return to that form when Medusa is brought back? If we stay like this, we could be with her and our family when our time has passed."

Stheno places a hand on her shoulder. "I understand how you feel and I want you to make your own choice. I thought about it and...I want to return back. I want to keep the truth about her alive and convince anyone who would listen. I won't let those gods get the last word."

Euryale is silent until...."The more I think about it we can also watch our family grow and be with them for the rest of time. I will return back as well with you. You need someone to keep you in check anyway."

Stheno grins and appreciates the maturity of her sister. The sisters eat the ambrosia. After consuming the food, their bodies glow with their immortality fully restored. Their snakes hiss with happiness. Artemis tells the duo that they have to head back.

They exchange their goodbyes with their sisters. Percy tells them to fly to Seriphos and to inform King Kostos and his mother that he sent them. 

"I will bring Medusa back with me to that place", he vows.

The Gorgon Sisters fly away while wishing them good luck. Artemis and the others return through a love portal back to Olympia. The Huntress returns to her seat while feigning a solemn face. Percy, Chrysaor, and Pegasus puts space between them and Heracles to feign their anger in front of the judges.

Meanwhile, Theseus and Narcissus got medical attention from Medea and Orpheus. Theseus' back wound and Narcissus' bruises went away. Bellero hugs his sibling tightly.

"We will win the final game no matter what the challenges may be", Medea tells them.

After Hestia's team returns, Hermes waves his staff for attention. "Medea and Hestia! Please, come forth."

The coaches go to Hermes. He brings out a coin. One side has the tail of a fish while the other has a man's head. "The winning team gets first call. Heads or tails?"

"Tails", the goddess of the hearth picks.

Within a single motion, Hermes flips the coin, catches it, and puts on the back of his hand. Removing his hand makes Medea smile.

"Medea's team wins the toss. There will be a two-hour break before the final game. Medea, your team will use this time for each member to select an opponent and a challenge of their preference. Both teams shall rest, eat, and are allowed to leave for a bit. The time begins now."

He and the judges leave. Hermes hides a smile from the truth about what they did. He knows that Aphrodite and the others must be relieved and happy about that. 


There's one more game, my love. I will tell you more jokes so you can laugh off your stress.


Perseus and Heracles nod at Takashi and he leaves them to do his task.


Theseus takes one look at Ariadne in the stands. He informs his coach that he will be back with a challenge in mind. Upon getting within her reach, she almost tackles him. Their lips lock with all the love for each other. Eyes burn with lust and to de-stress.

The white-haired demigod sprinkles some love dust. He picks her up bridal style and runs through it into his royal room in Athens.

Ariadne laughs as he throws her on the bed. "So eager!"

Their fingers work fast to remove their clothes.......

Sweat glistens on their faces. Ariadne wraps her legs around his waist.

"Is this a special guard?", Theseus grunts.

"Just for you", she moans....

They finish with shaking bodies and screams of pleasure. She rests her head on his chest. He lightly strokes her arm while their bodies settle. He knows that something is bothering her.

"What is it, my love?"

"I ask that you don't make a challenge a fight. Please."

"Okay, I won't. This will be the final game and it will be over after that."

"Even if you lose, just be alive. I have confidence that you will win though."

"I promise. I love you, mother of our child."

"I love you too. Let's get cleaned up."

Theseus moves down and rests his head on her belly. "My child, it will be over soon. Your father has one more thing to do and I swear that I'm yours and your mother's after that."

He kisses her belly. Ariadne places a hand on his head and looks forward to their future as parents.

During Hestia's covering of their discussion....

After the true effects of the arrow was revealed, Taki asked Hestia about the time space mirror and Mt Olympus.


She realized his intentions. "No! Don't go there!"

"I need to find proof and confirm the identity of the killer. Sister, help me get there and I will make it quick."


"If they find you there-"

"There is a way for him to move about", Artemis interrupted while holding a cape that makes her aunt gasp.


Hermes explained that he lent his cape of invisibility to Artemis since he would use it for trickery.

Taki put the cape over himself. Heracles, Perseus, and the others expressed confusion.


He was amazed that they can't see him as he walks around. They reached out and they could touch him. He removed the cover of his head to find the rest of his body was see through.

"It doesn't muffle sound though so be physically silent while concealing any aura. Be especially careful with Hera's room. Her peacock is a hard guard to get around", Hermes explained.


Artemis gave him a map of the inside of Olympus while Hestia gave him a piece of red coal. She explained that squeezing it will bring him to her hearth and another squeeze will return him back.

The worried look on her face led him to embrace her. "I will be back before you get too worried."

He stuffed the cape into his vest for later. Heracles took his weapons to hold them. His nephews wish him luck before they went their separate ways.

----

During the 2-hour break, Taki goes to the restroom. He places his phone on silent before looking around. He throws the long cape over his body and squeezes the red coal. Within a single breath, he arrives in his sister's hearth at Mt Olympus.

His breath hitches from the thin mountain air. He clutches himself to recenter his breathing. He contains his short, shallow breaths. After catching his breath, he checks the map under his cape to find his way. He walks to Athena's room just to be sure.


Several pieces of art that celebrate the gods and goddesses welcome him. He stays close to the decorated walls of gold and white in case he has to hide. The red coal stays in his left hand the whole time. Athena's room is left opened to his suspicion. A possible trap he suspects.


He takes out his phone and brings the camera low to peek what's inside the room.

A map of Gaia on the wall, several weapons hanging on with a balancing scale on the table, a bed, a stacked bookcase, but no space/time mirror. He sneaks across to the room of Queen Hera. Her deceptive nature makes sense.


Pitter patter. The small footsteps has him clinging to the wall.

A peacock opens its tail feathers while leaving the room. Its thousand eyes checking for intruders. Its beak outmatches the sharpness of a sword.

Taki holds his breath. He feels the eyes are pulling him to come closer. His fingers grip onto the column to stop himself. Its two eyes are staring right at him. It runs with its tail closed....

and runs past him to chase some mice to eat. He waits until the footsteps grow faint and gets going after clutching his heart.

He peeks into the room with his camera. An open roof that has sunlight pouring onto her large garden. A large bed close by with a rack of different wines within reach. No mirror. He sneaks his way to Poseidon's room.

He uses his phone camera and sees turquoise statues of the sea god after the door. See through ceiling and floor with a variety of fish swimming around in the contained waters. The oval shaped mirror grabs his whole being. A connection rest between the two. He is cautious to enter as the fish could be an alarm system.


He clutches the cape close to his body. "Stop."

The fish are paused to his relief. He runs across the room to the space/time mirror. "Play."


The fish don't seem to notice his presence. He takes several pictures of the special mirror and sends it to his loved ones in group messages. He touches the mirror, but nothing happens. He wonders why that is.

Maybe both powers are needed to activate it. I just need to-

Large footsteps approach the room. He hides behind the mirror. He uses his phone camera to take pictures of who it is. As the being gets closer, his phone silently notifies him that several messages have been sent to his loved ones. This confirms it. Poseidon is the killer of his father!

He puts his phone away. He squeezes the red coal and the last thing he sees before teleporting is Poseidon thrusting his trident at him! The sea god's weapon hits the floor with nothing at the end. Not even a drip of blood or clothing.


The sea god has a wicked smile. "So you know the truth. Let's wait and see what happens next."

---

Taki returns to the restroom in Olympia with a racing heart. He waits for some men to leave before laughing nervously from another near death experience. He takes off the cape and leaves the restroom to meet Hestia outside. She almost tackles him to the floor.

"Are you alright?", she cries happily.

Taki wipes her tears away. "I am now. I found out the truth", while giving her back the items.

"W-Who was it?"

He thinks it would break her heart that a close family member was responsible.


He holds her hands and speaks carefully. "The one responsible for everything is Poseidon."

Hestia wants to sink past the floor. Her little brother holds onto her to be her anchor to this world.

"I'm so sorry, sis. I don't want you to act on this information. It's my problem to deal with."

"D-Do you want to bring it out now?"

"Not yet. I don't want to stop the other team's chances. That's why we need to win this. I have a question. Are promises between a god and mortal sacred?"

She nods. "If a god violates a promise, it will curse them. A severe violation has severe consequences."

"I will keep that in mind. How much time do we have left?"

"About an hour left."

He helps her up. "Okay. Let's finish this."

They return and sit down with the others who are eating at Hestia's table. Helena had no idea where he went off to.

"Konnichiwa", she tells him.

Taki grins. "Your Japanese is getting better."

"Where did you go? It's been a while."

A pillar of flames surrounds the whole table to Helena's confusion.

"I was at Mt Olympus", the son of Kronos confesses.

Helena almost slips out of her chair. It would have been a death sentence if he was found. Her eyes ask him why he was up there.

"To find proof."

"Did you find it?", Percy asks.

Taki does the sign for water and god to let them know who it was. Percy, Chrysaor, Pegasus, and Heracles shoot up from their seats. Helena looks at him for an answer.

"It was Poseidon the whole time", he explains.

She grips the ends of her seat. Poseidon is not only the killer of his father, but also a judge of the whole tournament. Pegasus wraps a gentle wing around her and uses his aura to calm her down. She holds onto his wing for comfort.

He provides proof on his phone with the photo evidence while remembering that some messages have been sent and received.

He stops speaking as he checks through it. The others notice this.

He opens the first message from his sister. {Taki! Your daughter is here. Get over here!}

The next one was from Penny's phone. His father-in-law asking where he is and mentioned that his daughter came out healthy. 


Anger and happiness mix within him. He lets out a slow exhale. He hopes his messages that he sent will alleviate their stress.

Taki continues with what he is saying. "Because of this communication, that confirms he has the second half of our father's powers. Right now, I'm working on a plan."

"Let's expose him when he gets back", Percy suggests.

"If we did that, then it would be war. Too many people have died from the gods and I won't let them hurt anyone else. I need to be smart about it", Taki argues.

Heracles is in deep thought about something.

"What is it, grandson?", Perseus asks.

"How did Hera know about Boeotia if she wasn't the killer then?"

"She has to be spying on us somehow", Taki reasons.

They notice Narcissus walking with Echo who's clinging to his arm. He feigns a smile to keep Echo wrapped around his finger.

"But how since Echo wasn't given anything by him?", the son of Kronos thinks out loud.

"Unless she lied", Heracles assumes.

"She wouldn't hurt us like that. She's on our side", Helena argues.

"I wish we could just ask her, but it has to be done right. She's my family too", Percy adds.

Chrysaor signs to him. "I care about her too."

His father pats him on the back.

Heracles sighs. "Let's focus for now and keep that in the back of our heads."

They continue to eat and drink water as they mentally prepare themselves for what's next. Taki scrolls through the messages. He finds a photo around Halloween time.


Penelope wearing an oni mask and their daughter wearing a pumpkin outfit. He is choked up with tears from seeing her face for the first time. He touches the screen to zoom in. She has his nose and eyes while having her mother's bronze complexion and chubby cheeks. 


He sees her name in the picture is Karisa. The same name as Aeolus' granddaughter. He holds the phone to his heart.


I love you so much, my daughter.

He shows his team and the others his daughter. They awe in happiness for him.

----

Earth

Penelope is nursing Karisa when her phone vibrates. She puts her baby down in her crib and checks her phone. She loses her breath and tears up. Multiple messages and voicemails are coming from her husband's phone.

She quickly goes to the first voice message sent to her. She puts it on speaker phone.

"Penny! I don't know where I am. Somehow, I'm on some island. I will make my way back to you, baby. Somehow."

She almost drops her phone after hearing his voice. It was really him. Karisa coos from hearing her father's voice.

Aiko runs up the stairs with excitement. "You got it too?!"

Penny nods and they embrace as they finally hear his voice.

They keep getting messages from their loved one. Greg and Misha get the group messages as they get to their house. Misha holds onto Greg for support as they play Taki's voice message. Greg and her feel hopeful as more messages keep getting sent to them.

"This is great! Taki must be on his way back!"

Misha holds him close. "Let this be for real."

They enter the house so they can go through the messages together. There has to be some kind of clue on his whereabouts.

In Colorado, awaiting a plane to California, Hikari goes to the restroom and is crying happily as she checks her phone.

She holds herself together so she can go through each message. There has to be a clue that she can send back to her research team.