Nov 2nd 10 am.

Beep, beep, beep, beep!

Takashi rubs his eyes after shutting off his watch alarm. Alright. Let's train and make time to console my niece. He opens his tent and pokes his head out-

Splash!

The freezing water sends him rolling along the ground. He clutches himself from the fall breeze rolling past him.

"Kalimera, pupil!" Artemis' chipper good morning mismatches the bucket in her hands.

"T-T-That's how you decide to wake me up?!"

"Would you prefer that or Echo's bear roar? And don't use rewind or else you may get that," she warns with a finger.

He looks around. "W-Where's Echo?"

"She's sleeping for now," she brushes aside. "Next lesson is this: Always be prepared for whatever happens. You think bandits will only attack you when you're awake? Situational awareness is imperative for survival.

Taki stands up. "R-Right," his teeth continue to chatter. Is...she alright? Is she bruising past her misery for-

A soft whack on the head by her silver bow brings him back.

"Enough of the sad face! Let's warm up and have you try shooting again. Your muscle fatigue should be less than yesterday."

After a proper warmup of arm circles and small hops, he retrieves his quiver and bow.

"Pick any target."

The time traveler chooses a target sitting on his level. He adjusts his feet-

His chest connects to the ground. He turns to find his ankle has been caught by the Olympian's bow.

"Not a proper stance! Do it wrong and I will trip you up again."

Don't get mad. She's here to help me. He fixes his stance with his left shoulder facing the target. On the exhale, he fires. The projectile hits the outer rim. "I did it!"

"Keep shooting until you get more accurate. I expect a bullseye within the next few days. If that was an enemy, you may get them on the shoulder, but their adrenaline may keep them going. Don't think you got them until you are sure."

"Right," he notches another arrow while focusing on the center.

Thunk! The arrow hits the line on the third circle. The demigod stops a smile from creeping on his face. Niece will trip me again.

"How many arrows do you think you have?"

"I don't know. I didn't count them," he admits.

His hand finds nothing but air in the quiver on his hip. He finds that Artemis is tapping his arrows against her knee. "Why did you do that?"

"Another lesson. What would happen if you ran out of arrows? And if your powers were also restricted? And no time to pull out your sword? When I fire each arrow, I mentally count what's left to avoid waste. For a mortal, keeping count may prevent your death," she hands the bundle back.

Taki quickly counts each one. "I have 16 now with the two I shot," he answers.

"Keep firing," she instructs with her finger.

His next arrow flies hits close to the second arrow.

"Quicken your shots!" She yells.

Thunk! The next arrow hits the white of the third and second inner circle. He now hits closer to the white of the bullseye.

"How many have you fired off?"

"3. Meaning I have 13 left."

The goddess smiles. "Now let's change targets. Leave the arrows where they are," she points at another target.

This seems easy. He fires his next shot...but the projectile hits the ground instead. His eyebrows arch upwards.

Taki sees Artemis crouch down beside him. Her stance gives him a hint. He also crouches down and the answer hits him. What seemed like a straight shot was a misconception. The target was sitting on a descending slope.

He stands up with the aim a couple of inches above the bullseye. The arrow lands on the outer rim. Next one lands close to the center. He raises up his bow a few inches in the air-

Bushes rustling. The sound has him lower his weapon.

A doe runs up to Artemis.

She takes some berries out of her pouch. "You must be hungry." The deer sniffs and eats the berries from her palm. "Good girl," she pets her head. Her hand tells her a special connection. "You saved her life."

His eyes widen. "It's the same one?"

The deer bleats.

"She said she was returning to her kids when she came across you."

The doe turns to him and nuzzles against his hand.

"Oh, this is so cool! I mean, you're welcome."

She turns away and trots back into the forest.

"Wait. I thought you were a hunter. Why did you let her go?"

"As one of the deities of nature, I respect nature and all of its creatures. I don't kill everything that moves. Not part of my code. Being a hunter means helping nature to a balanced point."

A smile graces the time traveler's face. Just like Ares, she's a surprise.

"Now that you get the basics of archery, let's get you some abs!"

"Yes, sir!"

The Huntress puts him through sit ups, side planks, and twists that leaves his core burning and his head drenched with sweat. She throws him a towel to wipe his face.

"Take a little break and get some breakfast. Come back later for aura training."

"Yes, sir!" He winces at the end. After a few minutes, he stands up and walks away from the hut.

Something shiny from the side makes his eyes close. He covers his face to get a better look. A recently dug hole is behind Heracles' hut. The sunlight reflects off of a breastplate that makes his jaw drop.

"Artemis, is that armor from Stavros' camp?"

"Yes. He killed them when they broke into his home."

Taki remembers that he had tied up two guards after saving Briseis. "Did he know about what they were doing?"

"No. He kept himself isolated this whole time."

He turns to her. "If he knew, would he have stopped Stavros?"

"He would. He may be a jerk, but he does care when it matters."

The complexity of the mighty demigod in his mind ebbs away. At the end of the day, he's a good person.

With this in mind, he leaves through the forest to the city. Once in Thebes, the timely demigod stuffs his mouth with a lamb and egg gyro and melon juice. Control yourself, man! You can't teach your daughter to act this way.

Taki swings by the inn but there's no response from the Ithacan king. He decides to visit Iphicles.

The strong prince is spotting a stocky man who's fighting 136kg on the way up from a squat. The client lets out a heavy grunt that allows him to stand up.

Iphicles helps him get the bar back on the rack. "Great job! That's a new personal record for you!"

"Whew! I will get stronger than that coach!"

"I know you will. Get you some water and rest!'

"Hey, Iphicles!"

"Takashi! Welcome back! I thought you forgot about our session," he flexes his biceps. "Are you here to make up for it?"

"Actually, I need to tell you something."

He brings him up to speed with what has happened.

The muscle man proudly smiles. "I have no problem with that at all. You have great help from a goddess like her. So how do you want to do the sessions from now on?"

"Nights only."

"That works. Let me refund you a portion since you technically overpaid."

He raises his hands. "You don't have to do that."

"It wouldn't be right. I have plenty of patrons so this wouldn't hurt me," he calculates and refunds the remainder back to him.

Taki accepts with a bow.

"Come after sunset tonight for our session. Bring your best effort!"

They shake hands. "I will!"

The time traveler leaves with a pep in his step. I have the best of both worlds! Mt Olympus, prepare thyself for my arrival! Penny, I will shower you with kisses from head to toe. Same with our wonderful daughter.

Clouds darken and form a drizzle. He puts on his hood to return back for divinity training. Little does he know that more company will be at Heracles' hut.

Meanwhile...

Four pairs of cautious feet enter the dangerous forest. Hooded cloaks of emerald crouch under branches with vigilant eyes. Raindrops dance off their pins resembling a hound with an arrow on its nose. The tallest of them stops the smallest with their arm across their chest.

A near silent gasp of relief leaves her lips. Her smile thanks her friend for pointing out the suspicious pile of leaves. The others come across the pike of spears and they disable it with a quick slash of a knife.

Artemis' ears perk up. With a quick sense of her aura, she senses out the group. A peaceful smile rests on her face from their identities. Her bare feet rush down the hill to greet her second family.

The four quickly bow down to their master before she embraces each of them.

"Girls, I'm happy to see you! Wait. Did something just happen?"

"We wanted to check in with you again," the tall woman's honey-filled voice reaches her. "How are you feeling?"

The goddess' eyes well up. "It's been getting better, but it still hurts, Helena."

"Don't be ashamed of that," she holds her hands. "Orion was a good man. He loved nature and we knew he liked you too. Everyone does."

Artemis kills the true feeling of her heart from appearing on her face. Fortunately, Echo's yawn stops the others from questioning her.

The mountain nymph embraces her closest "sisters". "Helena! Everyone!" She then wraps both arms around the Olympian. "Did you sleep well?"

"A little better, thanks to you," she replies with a sad smile.

"I would do it all over again," she brushes back one of her braids. "You all came from Ephesus here to see her?"

"We sure did. We asked Aphrodite for some dust and now we're here," Helena explains.

"Praise be to her. I appreciate your company, but you can't stay here. Heracles wouldn't like all this company when he gets back. He also may not like the fact that I'm training someone here while he's away," Artemis looks down.

"Who are you training, goddess?" A young girl's voice pipes up.

"A demigod named Takashi Watanabe. He's getting used to my regimen, but his unique ability is helping him adjust. He should be on his way back now."

"Isn't that the man who helped free the Trojans?"

The Huntress' nod leads to mutters of amazement.

"And he's being taught by our goddess! He's so lucky!"

"He is very lucky to have you. You have a great eye for talent," Helena praises.

"I always do," she smugly smiles. "Oh, girls. Let's get you out of the rain," she leads them inside the hut with some room under the roof.

"Helena, are the other girls okay?"

"They are. They are at the temple right now, praying for you in their absence."

"I'm grateful for you all," she embraces her while squeezing her eyes shut.

"Let it out, my goddess."

The Olympian's tears break through the dam. She buries her head into Helena's shoulder while Echo rubs her back. The rain begins to let up.

The footsteps of her pupil perks her ears. She turns her face to hide the flooding tears.

"Takashi! You're back," Echo steps in front of them.

The other girls come out upon hearing his name. He lifts off his hood and they gasp. His hair resembled that of a Trojan, but his face makes Helena's heart thud against her sternum.

"Hi, my name is Takashi," he bows. "You all must be her people. Nice to meet you."

"M-My name is Helena," she stutters.

The mountain nymph raises an eyebrow at the sudden change in behavior. But she lets it be.

The other girls lift up their hoods. From short to long, mahogany hair with the oldest being in their 30s while the rest are teens. After exchanging names, he walks up to check on his niece. The goddess turns her back to him.

"Teacher, it's okay to show your feelings. That doesn't make you weak. Let me help you. Please."

A squeeze by Helena reassures her that it will be alright. Her puffy cheeks almost break his heart, but he steps forward. His gentle, warm arms wrap around her. The warmth leads her head to rest against his chest.

"I miss him," she embraces back. "He didn't do anything wrong! He didn't have to die! It's all my fault. If only-"

Tears soak his tunic, but he keeps holding on. Just like Hikari, I won't let go.

Her followers each place a hand on Artemis' back for unified comfort.

After some time, the huntress gently pushes away. "This is embarrassing. I cried in front of my pupil."

"If you want, you can give me double the work," Taki chuckles.

A laugh breaks through her lips. "You will regret it."

"So be it."

"Here, my goddess," the teenaged girl with braids offers her a cup of water.

She chugs it down within a few gulps. "Ah! I forgot crying can dehydrate you."

"Water 'bout us?" Takashi raises an eyebrow.

Helena snorts which makes everyone else laugh.

"Terrible! You made her snort!" Echo laughs.

"Cracking a joke at this time?"

"It made you laugh, plus I didn't expect Helena to catch on that quickly."

"We would always tell jokes knowing she would do that," the youngest follower pipes up.

"E-Echo, stop! You are embarrassing me."

The mountain nymph wraps an arm around her. The familiar expression under the hood tells her everything.

She changes the topic. "Do you all want to go hunting?"

"We actually have some food with us," the youngest brunette takes out some bound sparrows and fish from her bag.

Artemis clears her throat. "That's good for lunch and dinner. I'm going to put my pupil through his training right now," her drill instructor voice returns. "Give me 40 Divine Energy Jabs! With each jab, yell!"

The time traveler gets into a stance while thinking about his loved ones. Green energy wisps form around him. Artemis' followers gasp in awe by the potency of his aura.

"Ha!" He yells.

"That wasn't the sound of a warrior," Artemis raises her bow for encouragement. "I want all of Thebes to hear you!"

"HA!"

"Use that diaphragm of yours!"

Meanwhile, the followers prepare lunch. One of them notices Helena is watching on.

"Helena, are you coming to help?"

She shakes her head. "S-sure."

The timely demigod manages to finish with barely a sweat. Alright! My demigod traits are so damn cool! A sniff of the roasting sparrows makes his mouth water. His feet begin to wander towards the scent before Artemis stops him with a hand on his chest.

"You have to give me one good throwing energy jab to earn your lunch."

"Okay. Echo, get my phone."

"Got it," she takes out the item which perplexes the girls.

"What is that?"

"It's his device that he's using for training," she steps behind a few meters before the marked lines. "It can also take instant paintings," the nymph presses Record.

"I will show you all how it works later," he takes up a boxer's stance. Small string. Make it durable to hold the attack.

He summons an emerald wisp into his right fist and holds it. 1, 2, 3....The energy disappears.

"10 seconds. Get it past that line," he tells himself. With another summon of aura, he throws it.

The energy stops right at the quarter mark line.

"Hmm, maybe this," he draws the aura into his left fist. The divine throw of his fist fades past the mark.

Echo draws a new line of progress, but her flowers wilt. "I'm sorry, Takashi. I know you-"

"Yes! I can do it!" He shouts with raised arms. "Progress is little by little, but it's happening!"

Echo's crown of flowers bloom back to normal. Helena secretly smiles from his confidence while tossing the sparrows to the other side.

Taki repeats throwing his left fist a few more times before stopping. There has to be a trick to this. What can it be?

He looks at the lunch he has to earn. The perfectly roasted fish reminds him of his father-in-law who would be lucky to catch each one...

Taki draws his sword and dips it into the ground. With wiggles and lines, it all starts coming together for him.

The goddesses look at it from the side. A bad drawing but with a tilt of their heads, it resembles a fishing rod with the line attached to a fish.

"That's one way of visualizing it," the Olympian smiles. "The mechanics are the same."

"Let's see if it works," the nymph clutches her hands.

The time traveler closes his eyes. My arm is the fishing rod. My attack is the hook. The target is the fish and the string connects them all. Help me, Nicholas.

He summons aura into his right fist. With a step forward, he lets it fly.

The emerald attack pushes past the marks but fizzles out before connecting with the target. Taki's back connects with the ground from the output.

Echo rushes over, but the sound of his laughter catches her off guard.

Artemis can't help but smile because she understands why.

Echo taps him on the head. "What's so funny? Are you okay?"

"I'm almost there. I will be a master of this, just you wait!" He looks at Helena and the others. "I couldn't do it without you and the fish. Thanks for your help!"

"Girls, your lunch helped him grasp the concept. To think that catching fish would be the thing that would advance him," Artemis explains.

"Glad to help!" The youngest exclaims.

"Does that count as a good one?" Taki asks the Huntress.

"I will allow it. Go ahead and eat, pupil."

"Yes!" He pumps his fist in the air. "Hey, Echo. Can you help me?"

She helps the dizzy demigod over to the table. A readied plate of fish, roasted sparrow breast, and vegetables awaits him.

"Helena made that for you."

"I appreciate it."

She doesn't turn to face him. Hearing him give appreciation makes her smile from ear to ear.

"Never mind her. She's usually shy around new people," the nymph bluffs.

"Got it. Itadakimasu," he takes his time to replenish his energy. After his lunch, he's bombarded with questions about his phone. He shows them all the instant paintings he had taken so far. Helena gathers the plates to wash.

"Who is that beautiful woman?"

"That's my wife, Penelope. She just gave birth to our child."

A bowl clatters to the ground along with Helena who stumbled. "S-Sorry, I just tripped."

She sees a hand and takes it to get up. She looks up and away from Takashi's face.

"Are you hurt?"

"I...just need a minute," she rushes to the forest. Echo follows behind her and gives him a thumbs up for assurance.

The talkative nymph summons a thick mountainous wall of aura to hide their conversation. "Helena, I know how you're feeling about him-"

"I didn't know he was married," her voice drops. "I didn't see a ring, but why am I acting like this? Even if he wasn't, I still couldn't be with him. I made an unbreakable vow. You're lucky that you don't have to do that. You can be with whoever you want," she clutches her arm.

Echo turns her around. "That vow isn't for nothing. You made that pledge of your own volition to honor Artemis. And look at how talented you are. You made a great fur midriff for her. You're like a daughter to her."

Helena embraces her for her kind words.

"Besides, my crush doesn't even know about me," Echo mentions to her surprise.

"He doesn't? Why not?"

"Whenever I get close to him, I forget my words and I hide. I wish I had some courage to see if he feels the same way."

"Whoever he is, I pray he's good to you."

"Thanks, sister."

They hug for a couple of minutes.

"Do you feel better?"

"It still hurts that I can't be with him."

"Still, there are plenty of great men who will be lucky to have you. Maybe you can ask Artemis to update your vow," Echo suggests.

"But she's a goddess of chastity. That would go against her code."

"She may surprise you," the nymph smiles.

"How do you know?"

Echo wags her finger in a teasing manner. "I'm not telling, little piglet."

Helena snorts again from laughing before they return to the group.

Taki sits up from resting on the ground. "Is everything okay?

"It will be," Helena tells him with confidence. "Can you show me the picture of your wife?"

He unlocks his phone to show a photo of his wife with a visible bump. "She was about 8 months here."

"She looks beautiful. What does your daughter look like?"

His eyes look down. "I don't know. I got taken here on the day of her birth," his words drop at the end.

"You will get to see them soon. I know it," she encourages.

"You're right," he cracks a grin.

"If you can talk, you have energy to train!" Artemis marches towards the demigod.

"Yes, teacher!"

As he gets up, the Huntress sees water droplets hit the blades of grass. All coming from Helena.

Her feet rush to get in front of her. Her hands reach up and wipe away her "daughter's" tears. "Are you okay?"

"I will be, mother," she forces a little smile through the tears.

The goddess' emerald eyes tell her that she understood her feelings. Her "daughter" raises her eyebrows at how she could sympathize with her. But she lets it be to rejoin the others.

Artemis hardens her eyes at her pupil. "I won't let you go to Iphicles tonight without hitting a successful aura projectile through that target. Do you understand?!"

He readies his stance to achieve his goal.

California, 4:30pm

Knock, knock!

Penelope checks the door with her swaddled baby in her arms. Greg gives her a side hug while holding a box labeled "Takashi's Stuff".

"Hey, Greg! How are you?"

"I'm alright," he places the box on the table. "Hey, niece!" He tickles her foot and she laughs. "You are so adorable! Oh, Penny. I heard about what happened at the company and I'm sorry. Are you okay?"

Her narrowing eyebrows tell him everything. "I can't believe they would do that."

"When I heard about that, I got upset too. I talked with HR to let the cubicle be empty for some time, but they didn't listen. I wish I could do more to help," he sighs.

She clutches his arm. "You already are. He's still out there based on what you and Hikari collected together."

"Thanks. I just wanted to check in on you and drop this box off."

"Okay, be safe and let me know when you get there."

"I will," he closes the door behind him.

Penelope lays her baby in the play pen and goes through Takashi's stuff.

A fidget toy, a mini rubix cube, a mini action hero figurine, some framed certificates that say "Employee of the Month" and some framed photos. She looks through the photos and sees one where they all had a huge picnic.

"When daddy gets back, we are going to throw a huge picnic for his return. Sadly. you won't get to eat any of it, but we will take lots of pictures," she laughs.

Her bronze hands tremble upon the next picture. Her pupils waver from the captured memory colliding with reality. Her beloved husband kissed her pregnant belly with her hands clasping his head.

Heavy tears hit the photo. She embraces it close to her breaking heart.

Her daughter fusses and cries out from her sadness. Taki's bronze goddess scoops her up in her arms.

"We're trying to stay strong, Taki. But we need you. Please be home soon. I beg of you."