Ariadne is lying on the bed with her eyes on the door. She wraps her arms around her torso to pass through the anxiety. Footsteps approaching the door makes her hold her breath.

Knock knock knock knock. Rapid and consecutive.


She jumps out of bed with a beaming smile and rushes towards the door. Her husband's roughed up, but he's here. She buries her head into his tattered shirt.

"It's over, my love. Eris was defeated. Takashi Watanabe was also there along with the other gods."

Ariadne kisses him deeply while closing the door. A disturbing thought stops her.

"What about Athena?"

"We have to assume that Athena's alive until otherwise."

"Alright. We will be like low-level bandits then", as she cups his face with her hands. She shortly cuts her laughter.

"How do you feel after defeating Eris?"

"It doesn't undo what she did, but we can leave a somewhat peaceful life without her interference."

"I will take that as a victory then. Let's celebrate for now. You made me worry about you."

Theseus tilts her face up and gives her a passionate kiss. He quickly disrobes and they make love to release the stress between them. After their session, he wraps an arm around her belly.

"I'm done living the warrior life. It's time I focus on our family now."

"I can't wait", she whispers. He kisses the back of her head. Although something is bothering him, he ignores that feeling. He won't worry his wife anymore.

--

Meanwhile at Artemis' temple, Takashi and the others are mourning their loss over Ares. Psyche and Eros produce a powerful barrier to keep everyone safe with Artemis' dogs keeping watch. Harmonia is a blubbering mess as Eros cries with her.


Helena consoles her "mother" through another difficult loss. She imagines all of that pain and wonders how Artemis is pushing herself. A boat on still waters with no oars, sails, or wind.


Echo quickly joins the group hug.


Medea is resting off to the side with her 10-year-old son who has her eyes and brown curly hair. He lays her head on his lap.

"What happened, mother?"

"They lost some family members."

"That's sad. May I offer my condolences?"

"Later, Medus. You have a pure heart", as she strokes his hair. Definitely from your father.

Takashi is helped to bed since he can't move a muscle. His body twitches involuntarily as Heracles and Perseus keep watch over him. Tears stream down his face. Despite getting his voice and power back, his family has gotten smaller.

On Earth, Penny feels Taki's immense grief while feeding their daughter. Karisa fusses as Penny rocks her.

"Things will be okay. Taki, I wish we can hold you right now. Please take my words in mind."

Although he "hears" her words, it isn't reaching him.

He thinks about his promise to bring back those who have died. He questions if he could even bring them back if he had both powers. His words will only cause them more pain if he fails to do so. For Artemis and the other gods, it will last forever.

He shakes his head. He reminds himself that if Zeus can remove the dead, he can do the opposite. He will just have to take his powers. Time passes.......

"Uncle?", Heracles breaks the silence.

"Yes?"

"Don't argue with me. I'm going to eat ambrosia. This battle has shown me that although I'm strong, I'm still a mortal. I can better help you and the others out as a full deity."

"I understand. Go for it."

"He's going to bring your family back as well?", Percy asks him.

"And he will do the same for Medusa."

The demigod has a hopeful grin with tears running down. This answers the question that he wants to be with Medusa again. Perseus gets up and hugs his uncle. Taki winces from being held.

"Sorry, uncle."

"It's alright."

"I'm also sorry for what I alm-

"Already forgiven, nephew.......This is just wrong. I wish I could comfort Harmonia right now."

"I know you will undo their deaths", Heracles assures.

"Still, the pain must be taking its toll on her. Can you let her know that I care?"

Heracles nods and leaves the room. Percy stays behind with his uncle as they catch up. Taki tells him that he knows about Medusa's love story with him but avoids bringing up Andromeda since that event hasn't taken place.

Heracles gently embraces the silent goddess. "Taki offers his condolences. He will bring them back, Harmonia."

"I don't doubt him, but still-"

She quickly stands up in surprise from feeling a familiar presence. Eros helps her walk over there. Heracles, Dionysus, and Artemis follow after them. Medea and her son look on.

The servants have their bows and arrows ready, but Artemis motions for them to lower their weapons. Outside the barrier is a green scaled 8-foot dragon with an orange fan around its neck. It pulls its wings in and lowers its head to show it's not a threat.

"May I speak to Harmonia?", the dragon speaks.

The voice takes the servants off guard. An underlying growl, but the voice is that of a human.

"My love!", she happily exhales.

"I came over here as soon as I felt your pain."

Medea is puzzled. A goddess fell in love with a dragon?


Harmonia wants to exit the barrier, but Artemis stops her.

"A lot has happened. We need you to prove your identity. Please."

"I understand. Harmonia, go ahead."

"Why did you become a dragon?"

"I wanted to extend my life to be with you since ambrosia was out of the question."

"How did you find me?"

"Your necklace gives off sadness that tugs on my heart. I stopped at Nemea, but you weren't there."

"Cadmus, how can you transform back into a human?"

"With a right hand on your necklace, a left hand on my snout, and a long kiss on the mouth. In that order."

Harmonia tries to smile as all those answers were correct. She nods to Eros who opens the barrier. Cadmus gets as close as he could.

Harmonia does the ceremony to bring her husband back to normal. During the long kiss, the dragon's body glowed slightly as Cadmus reverts to human form. Everyone is amazed as a 6 ft naked middle-aged man with short brown hair and a clean goatee maintains the kiss with his beloved wife. Harmonia breaks it and looks into his eyes while summoning clothes over him.


His green eyes have slitted pupils, but they turn back to normal. Eros puts the barrier back into effect as they walk inside.

Cadmus holds her hands while looking into her eyes. "What happened, my goddess?"

Harmonia tells him everything that happened. Cadmus pulls her in for a hug and stays strong for her. The dragon man rubs her back.

"I'm here. I'm here."

"I just bring misery to all because of this stupid necklace. Damn Hephaestus", her eyes narrow with anger and regret.

"I'm not miserable when I'm with you. We've been through a lot, but I don't regret it."

A small smile appeared on her face. Cadmus kisses her cheek. "Is there anything I can do to help?"

"Are you going to fight?"

"If it comes down to it, yes."

Harmonia latches onto him.

"I will stay out of the fight, just for you."

"You better."

He grins as his wife is feeling a little better.

"There's hope that Takashi can bring them all back after they defeat Zeus."

"Then I will gamble on that."

He notices Heracles there.

"You must be Heracles. I heard of you."

"How?"

"I always keep tabs on the city I founded. Thebes that is. For now, I will make some soup for everyone. Where's the kitchen?"

Artemis points and he takes Harmonia by the hand.

"You have a better palate than I do", he lightly jokes to make her snicker.

The couple makes soup for everyone. Cadmus introduces himself to Takashi and Perseus as he and Harmonia give them soup. The "old" man tells them the truth about what he is. Taki imagines the story that his wife had told him and it's similar, even with the changes in mind. He sees Harmonia is feeling better thanks to her husband's presence.

Heracles and Perseus catch up. Percy now knows the truth about the deaths of Heracles' family.

"And she's on our side? She's just as bad as Athena."


"I know, but she could help us win. I still don't know the other goddess who can help us", Taki informs.

Later on that day, the gods hear the fluttering of sandals. A distraught Hermes leans on the barrier. After some questions, they let him in.

"I need everyone here. Right now."

Everyone gathers to hear what is disturbing him.


"Remember when Athena was weakened?"

"I do. Are the people of Athens okay?"

He passes on the illustration that Thanatos had shown him. Their jaws drop. Helena sinks to the floor with Artemis by her side. She resists her feral form from taking over. Cadmus resists his transformation as well. Heracles grips his club to prevent his aura from leaking out. Takashi is sick to his stomach.


Even Medea is horrified by what she's seeing.

The city of Athens is shown....with every man, woman, and child dead on the streets without bloodshed. It changes to the city of Nemea showing all the soldiers, including Athena's servants, lying motionless on the ground.

"The cause of death was inhalation of spores. My own mother did this", Hermes wiped his glasses in shame. He hates how that last sentence came out of his mouth.

Artemis stands up. "She said she would convince the Athenians the truth about Athena. We can't let her rule Olympus."

"I know, but we might not be able to defeat Zeus without her."

"Steal some ambrosia and let me eat it. I won't let her hurt anyone else", Heracles insists.

The gods understand and agree with glances.

"Be right back."

He gives them a glowing shell so they will know if something happens to him. He zips to Mt Olympus at top speed and comes straight back. A small wooden box is in his hands. He opens it and there is only a morsel of it left.

Heracles eats it right away. His body slightly glows before going back to normal. He examines himself thoroughly. Internally, he feels an increase in divine strength, stamina, and invulnerability. Not exponentially, but hopefully enough for the final battle.

"I won't let you down."

"Let's put it to the test tomorrow", Taki tells him with confidence.

"Let's get you used to that new form, uncle."

This confidence among the demigods lifts the moods of the gods and mortals there. A slight hope that they will overthrow Mt Olympus. They will take whatever they can get at this point.

------

Around sunset at Hera's temple in Samos, the funeral pyre is set for the fallen female warrior. Her short blonde hair complements her porcelain skin that has a vertical wound on her torso. The goddess steps forward wearing a dark violet funeral dress.

"Krista was a loyal, honorable soldier who gave her life to keep you safe. I wish I was there to save her. May her soul find peace in the Underworld."

"We wish it be", her servants speak as one.

Hera lights the pyre with a torch followed by the others. The fire dances as the rest of the servants mourn. Selene buries her head into Bellero's chest, who refuses to let go of her. They watch as the fire consumes Krista.

"I'm so sorry. If only I knew earlier-

"No one could have predicted this", she interrupts.

Argus starts squawking like an alarm going off. The guards prepare themselves for another attack.

"It's not an enemy. It's the Furies. They're here to retrieve Krista's soul."

The guards lower their weapons and bow before the invisible beings. The sisters drink up whatever blood is left from the burning corpse. They take Krista's soul to the entrance to the Underworld. Another presence arrives which almost startles Hera. She silences Argus from going off.

"Excuse me. I need to be alone right now."

The goddess goes into her bedroom. "God of death. Why-

Thanatos has the end of his torch at her throat. The usually stoic deity is now narrowing his eyes at her. This look almost reminds her of someone else.

"How dare you speak nonchalantly of what you did!"

"Will you punish me since The Fates have declared it to happen?"

Thanatos grips his torch. "Why did you do that?"

"They couldn't be convinced no matter what I said. For the smartest of people, they were fooled by Athena. I gave it a chance and had to resort to the last option. I guess the others have found out. So. What. Will. Happen. Now?"

Thanatos' pitch black aura spikes, but he pulls it back in. He withdraws his torch and goes to leave.

"One thing you need to know. Ares and Hephaestus are dead. Hephaestus attacked him and Ares sacrificed them. Their souls are nowhere to be found because of your husband", before flying away.

Hera stands still for a while. She goes to the hanging mirror on the wall and leaves a large hole in the wall. The servants nearby are thrown off guard by the sound.

"Everything's alright! Go back to your posts!"

"Yes, Hera."

She waves a hand and makes stones to cover the hole. She sinks against the wall and weeps silently as she buries her head into her knees. She knows that Zeus had manipulated their children against each other. She stares at her hands that have a slight turquoise light around them. An idea comes to her mind.

---

Apollo and Hemera finish their shift for the day at Helios' temple. Apollo falls out of the chariot and weeps onto the floor. Part of him is glad that Athena and Eris were held to justice, but he's broken over losing his brothers. Ares and him were as close as they could be during the Trojan War. Almost like another twin.

Although Hephaestus and Apollo weren't close, it didn't have to end this way.

Hemera helps him rest against the wall.

"I'm sorry. I need to be strong to do this job."

"Helios also mourned as well."

"He did?", he looks up at her.

"When he found out that his great-grandchildren died, he cried. Despite how heartbroken he was, he kept driving the chariot."

Apollo knows she's talking about Medea and Jason's sons. A tragic event that would depress those who were told about it. "How could he even keep going after that?"

Hemera holds his hands. "I shared his sadness and grief. I let him talk and I listened. I'm here for you too."

The musical god quickly embraces her. "Maybe you should stay with us for the time being?"

"I need to see if my mother will be there. I can try to convince her to help us out."

"If she's not there, then we need to be with the others."

Hemera understands and they fly off to Elysium. Charon waves at his sister as they pass through the entrance. They stand outside Elysium as darkness begins to settle on Gaia. Apollo tunes his lyre just in case Zeus shows up.

"What's your mother's name?"

"Nyx. The goddess of the moon and night."

"I never heard of her before."

"You haven't?", she turns to him in surprise. Apollo shakes his head. "We replace each other when it comes to our shifts. We usually talk before we head off. I wonder why she hasn't shown up lately."

"Is she on the moon?"

"I can't sense her up there. It's not like her to avoid me. I know she already said she didn't want to get involved."

Even saying it out loud doesn't feel right to her.

Apollo pats her on the shoulder. "You're really close with her. I'm glad."

Hemera briefly smiles as they keep waiting. Apollo grips his lyre as he also senses something is wrong.


"We need to go", he urges. The deity of daylight reluctantly agrees. Just as she turns, they hear a voice. At first it was indistinct, but it was distorted to her.

"Daughter, where are you?"

She makes out her mother's voice. The voice calls out again. This time, urgently.

"I can't escape!"

The deities follow the voice while keeping their guards up.

They end up at the River Styx, but no one is there. Apollo has his lyre ready to fire away. Hemera raises her aura to find her mother.

"Mom, where are you?"

Suddenly, a portal opens up and they turn to it. Apollo puts himself in front of Hemera and fires off his most powerful music notes.

Zeus uses his divine speed to evade the notes. He opens up a portal and redirects the notes back at his son. The notes avoid him and Hemera on purpose. Apollo recollects them and fires off at blinding speeds. Hemera joins in by blinding Zeus with the intensity of daylight. Zeus stumbles backwards and gets hit by musical notes.


Apollo stops firing his notes. No blood spurts or anything. A copy.


He produces a musical circle around him through the plucking of his strings. Hemera and Apollo stand back-to-back.

He fires off a g note to his left side that hits his father on the left calf. Zeus winces as he covers the golden blood that's going to drip down to the ground. He can't let anyone else knows he was here.

Zeus turns his body into pure lightning and the circle can't keep up with the speed. Apollo senses his father in different places. He charges an attack through the circle. The circle expands to cover the whole area. Large waves crash against the rock side of the Underworld.

Before he can play another note, Zeus comes down from above and tears his right arm off! Apollo goes to scream, but the king covers his mouth, shocking him in the process. Hemera goes to help him, but Zeus kicks her through a portal. Apollo can no longer sense Hemera.

The Olympian king turns back to normal.

"Don't worry. You will be with her, Nyx, and your brothers. Artemis will join you t-"

A wrathful muffled shout vaporizes Zeus' left arm up to his elbow!


Apollo goes to attack again, but Zeus flings him to the same destination. The King catches his breath and finds that he is unable to regenerate his left arm.

"And you were one of my favorite sons", he winces.


He uses the space ability to remove any traces of his blood before leaving the Underworld.

In Ephesus, Artemis waits for her twin to come back. She then collapses to the ground. A deep pain goes through her heart like a knife. Takashi and the others attend to her. She screams out in frustration that Zeus did something to her brother. She becomes a sobbing mess as what's left of her family holds onto her.

***The false war ends with both sides losing invaluable members. We finally get the name of the goddess who can help against Zeus, but he removed that possibility from happening. Where is Hemera and Apollo? What will happen with Helios' chariot?