August 29th, before the crack of dawn

Takashi's screams for help sends multiple pairs of feet towards him. Hippolyta's red aura lights the way in the darkness of the temple. The others follow without lighting a torch.

Echo stops and gently holds his hands. "What's wrong?"

He keeps himself calm to explain Hephaestus' sneaky presence. "....it was like he was-"

"Looking for Aphrodite", Chloe rightly assumes.

"Please drop me off at Demeter's."

The mountain nymph shakes her head. "You can't be alone-"

He couldn't contain the feeling in his throat. "I can't risk any of you getting hurt! Not....again", his voice nearly breaks.

The Amazon Queen places a gentle, but firm hand on his shoulder. "You won't go alone. Echo and I will be with you in case he tries again."

"What about them?" His milk chocolate eyes look at the servants of the fallen deities. The thought of the forge deity using them as ransom is a strong possibility.

"We have love dust. We will say that you escaped, and we will misinform everyone else", Chloe asserts. The others nod in agreement.

An Amazon warrior in a bear cloth dress grips her spear. "Plus, we will stay to protect them too."

The reassuring statements nibble away at his numerous thoughts. "I don't know what will happen so.....try and live out your lives."

Adonis pulls Chloe by the waist to agree with his statement. "No matter what happens next, keep going."

A faint smile threatens to tug at his lips, but he just nods. He and the divine beings rush to pack things for Eleusis. He skips a bath to ready his belongings.

Nyx, help me with Demeter. Please. I don't know where to go from here.

----

Still peering out the window, Hephaestus bangs his fist against the wall. Pieces of mountain drop down to the depths below. Flames dance around his torso.

I'm not stricken with madness. I felt her.....Where did she go?!

He decides to pursue the thoughts in his head. The Corinthian temple is all he needs. He goes to his roaring fireplace and gazes into it. Questioning the lack of torches at the temple, he waits for fortunate timing. The streaks of orange crack from the pull of Helios' sun.

Any source will do. Anything to reclaim my beloved.

The god of fire sees his chance and seizes it.

A farmer lighting up his oven jumps back with a fright. The oven breaks from the size of the Olympian in his wheelchair. The pin symbol of a flaming hammer on an anvil sends the farmer into a bowing position.

"Forgive me, Lord Hephaestus! I-"

The god raises a hand to silence him. The wheels roll out of the area. Pulling a hammer out of his workbag, he hits the debris a few times. The eyes of the mortal almost pop out of his eyes. The oven had been fixed with no visible cracks.

"I'm on a manner of business. Enjoy your day."

The mortal opens the door for him. Hills greet the Olympian with the highest hill as his goal. Directing divine aura and flames into his movable chair, he pushes.....

Streaks of fire trail behind him. He yells for those to get out of his way or suffer his wrath. The vendors abandon their livestock-

Fwoosh!

The unlucky cattle bellow from the pain before turning into ashes.

He uses his aura as a launching pad to carry his momentum.

The Greek deity lands right inside the Corinthian temple. "APHRODITE! WHERE ARE YOU?!"

Silence responds to him. His golden aura seeks for her or any presence of her servants. The temple is empty, except for particles of love dust that he feels out.

Despite the confirmation of her death from his father, he doesn't second guess his mind. He knows he felt her.

He directs his fiery energy into the sky. Numerous hands extend out to get even a touch of her fabric. Reaching from east to west: Athens, Marathon, Mycenae--

The city of Megara halts the search. The daughter of Ares and his beloved was felt by him. The energy retracts back inside of him. Rage building in his throat.

Although she resembled her mother, she was the product of her mom and Ares' affair. The reminders of betrayal come out in a long shout.

Heat and flames that almost rivals Tartarus melt the place of worship. Portions of her immaculate paintings flutter in the wind. Her bronze statue melts into a puddle of metal. Hephaestus takes deep breaths to prevent his wrath from engulfing the city itself.

He rolls down the hill with control. The citizens look away to avoid his wrath. He doesn't mind it. His prize is the heart-shaped pupils that he wants to covet. Through the flames of cooking meat, he returns to his forge. His helpers greet their master from a distance.

The wheels of his chair stop. An idea comes to mind. The metal suit that he constantly discarded from each affair shall be built. In the meantime, he reaches out to his flames to summon some help.

You will no longer be a harlot who mocks me. You will properly be mine.

---

Meanwhile....

Takashi, Echo, and Hippolyta breathe a sigh of relief. To his initial surprise, the room they had gone to has no inkling of Demeter's energy. The open clam symbol adorning the mirror reflects the interior of the room. Salmon pink linen on a fluffy bed with a bouquet of violet, white, and pink hyacinths that brings a spicy, but sweet fragrance that tickles their noses.

On their right is an open doorway with a bathtub and towels.

Aphrodite's aura inside of him bounces with joy. Before he can question it, the owners of the home open the door. 

His heart skips several beats. He squeezes his eyes shut from seeing those familiar faces. He tells his mind that Aphrodite isn't in front of him. His milk chocolate eyes open upon feeling Harmonia's tight embrace.

Her head rests on his right shoulder while their respective pinks auras intermingled. Her husband, Cadmus, looks on with a bittersweet smile.

"Mother. A part of her is here", the goddess of harmony tears up. Her trembling body has him wrap his arms around her.

Despite the pain of the past, he lets her have this moment to grieve. She had lost both her parents again. That thought brings up the onslaught of mental arrows that aim to pierce through him. His mental shield holds them back for now. The focus on taking care of Harmonia was his priority.

Tears soak the shoulder of his brown travel tunic. He doesn't take count of his hands stroking the back of her blonde angelic hair. After some time, she gently puts space between them. He helps her over to sit on the bed. A moment of silence to let her breathe.

Cadmus sits near her and has her rest her head on his shoulder. Echo plucks a red flower from her crown to join the vase of vibrant flowers. Praying over them to show her respects.

Takashi's eyes almost harden. ".....Hippolyta, where are we?"

"Our home in Megara", the former king of Thebes answers. 

"But why? Just leave-"

The Amazon Queen grips her belt. "You're not ready to see Demeter. Your aura channels are broken and you're not calm enough to-"

"Why does that matter?", he interrupts while reigning in his anger.

"She's unstable", Harmonia interjects with a whisper. He looks back with a soft look of confusion.

"The last mortal that came to her unannounced was turned into an apple tree."

Her words shake him down to his core. 

"And despite being an Olympian deity, she refused to ever set foot in Mt Olympus", Echo adds on while clasping her hands. "When Kore (Co-ray) returns for spring and summer, she spends most of her time with her."

From Penelope's notes, Taki recalls that Kore is the name of Demeter's daughter. When she's in the Underworld, she is called Persephone.

"She doesn't spend time with anyone else", Echo continues.

But the glimpse of those soft, black hands holding Demeter conflicts with the last statement. "What about Nyx?"

Her name. Harmonia, Cadmus, and Echo can almost recall hearing it before. Taki explains what he could and the moment where their energies connected when he was at Medea's castle.

"....They have to be close. Please mention her name in the letter. She will have to listen", he begs them.

Cadmus nods his head. "It will be done. And Hephaestus won't bother any of you."

"My aura will mask all of you", Harmonia explains. "He despises me and my siblings.....Taki?"

"Yes?"

"Will you be able to bring our parents back?"

Part of him wanted to promise it, but....."I will try. That's all I can say."

Not needing aura, Harmonia can tell a regression had occurred in this mortal. She takes a breath. "I will help you re-access your divine energy. That's the first thing before my husband can test your combat skills."

Taki checks his watch. "We don't have much time. September 22nd is when Zeus will be allowed to find me. Three weeks from now."

The goddess of harmony stands up with a somber yet determined look on her face. "Come to the kitchen and eat. We will begin right away."

The goddess and her dragon-shifting husband lead the trio through their modest home. The only painting they see is the family portrait. Taki shies his eyes away from seeing Ares and Aphrodite's images. Under the painted Harmonia and Cadmus are six children each with crowns as past rulers of Thebes.

The baked smell of the kitchen lures the trio to sit at the table. Cadmus motions for Harmonia to sit down and let him handle things. She nods her head and joins the others. With the breath of fire, he lights up the oven.

Multiple eggs crack and sizzle in goat butter. The sliced tomatoes join their company. He heats up leftover pancakes and tops them off with nuts and honey. He brings the cast irons over with barely a grunt. The heat of it all doesn't torment his palms.

After laying everything down, he motions them to dig in. Despite his reduced appetite, Takashi's hope encourages him to eat enough to satisfy. Seeing him eat also encourages Harmonia to at least half her plate.

Her husband smiles to see her regain a bit of her hunger....

Taki goes to put the dishes away, but the goddess pulls him by the hand. "We need to start right away."

"Okay."

"We will be helping out around the house", Echo tells him.

The goddess leads him outside. A half-filled garden of tomatoes greets him. He looks back to find a one-story house made of wood and mud bricks. The crashing of the waves hit the shore of their isolated home.

Going down a trail, they stop at a closed clam that is the size of their home. With the rap of her hand, the clam shell opens up.

She lets go of his hand. "Sorry about leading you like that."

"You....must have done that with your mom, right?"

She nods. "She would let me lead her around. I would point at flowers and...."

Her drifting silence has him take her hand and put it on his wrist. A slight smile appears on her face.

"You helped me....just like before."

"And that won't change. But, what are we doing?"

"In order to open your channels, we need to address why it's happening."

She leads him into the shell which closes over them, leaving crevices where oxygen can flow in. Salmon pink aura lights up the interior. "Do you consent for me to enter your core?"

He grips his wrist. "What if.....it's too much?"

"For me and you?", she rightfully assumes.

His lips quiver. "What if there's nothing for me to access?"

Harmonia senses the hidden meaning. His self-hatred towards being helpless.

She holds his hands into hers. "A part of you refuses to give up. Why?"

He swallows his doubt to answer. "My family back home. I want to return to them, but what if I can't? And even if I do, what if I can't bring your parents or anyone back? I just can't disappoint anyone this time."

The weight behind his words moves the goddess to tears. He thinks it's about the possibility of never seeing her loving father and mother again.

"You've been through so much. I'm sorry", she sniffles out to his surprise.

She collects herself after deep breaths......"This will be difficult but listen. If you can get home without Zeus' interfering again, it's okay if you can't deliver on your word."

"B-But how can I be a good man if I can't?"

"Some things are out of your control", before tapping her necklace. "This? It brings misfortune to the wearer's descendants. All my children are gone."

He grips her hands to comfort her while holding anger towards Hephaestus for cursing her.

"I hated my existence every time I lost a child. Praying to be mortal so I can finally be free from this torment.....Cadmus is a blessing to me. The bright sun and moon that never left me. Giving me strength when I had none to rely upon.....I want to give that strength to you. Even if you can't draw out anything, rely on us."

Her words almost ebb away at the shore of his stress and burdens.

"I don't know if I'm ready to confront it all."

"No one is. Let's start at the origin of your pain and work from there. Will you allow me?"

A long exhale leaves his mouth. ".....I allow you."

The divine aura of Aphrodite lets the salmon-colored aura to seep into his mind and heart. Despite his trembling hands, he lowers his walls down. Going back to the night where his helplessness began.