Kronos (Book One)

Rescue Pt 2

Thunder continues to rumble over the ruined slave camp. Jaws and tears drop to the ground seeing Stavros walk away from a dead Takashi Watanabe. Helen tightly holds onto Avgi and Briseis. Although Avgi didn't see it, her heart almost breaks into pieces. Briseis wishes it was all just a nightmare. She hates herself for leading him to his death.

Ismene is barely holding on as the flames continue to eat away at her body.

"You have lost again, Trojans! No one will save you now! I may have lost my men, but I can always get more. I know where to look", Stavros gleefully smiles.

Takashi opens his eyes and sees Stavros right in front of him. He throws a punch.....but his fist phases through to his surprise. He finds his hands barely have an outline around them. Lightning flashes and the sight leaves him speechless. His bloodied motionless body on the ground. His pupils waver with a shaky breath.

Slurp.

That uncomfortable sound makes him jerk around. Three winged women with long snake-like hair are drinking up the blood from the dead soldiers. Crimson iron drips down their gnashing mouths. One of them extends her long feathery black wings that make Taki step back. Her right hand pulls out a wispy version of the dead guard. The transparent man then screams before the woman flies away. With the same speed, she returns.

They then turn their attention to him. Their dead black eyes bore through his soul. They swoop on his corpse and soul. He closes his eyes in fear.....

"Sisters, leave him to me", a deep masculine voice breaks out. Takashi opens his eyes.

The lit upside-down torch in the figure's right hand illuminates his body. A pale figure wearing a black robe over his large butterfly wings. The being's sisters fly away.

Taki remembers this figure from when he tried to save Icarus before reversing time. "D-Death?"

"I am the god of death. My name is Thanatos."

He quickly bows to the ground before him. "I'm sorry, but I can't die here. Please, Thanatos. Bring me back!"

The god stares at him.

"I know what it's like to die and I don't want that to be real. This will break my loved ones' hearts. I can't die without seeing them again. Please. I can't let Troy die."

Paper flutters about.

"Takashi Watanabe, you are not on my list."

Taki looks up quizzically.

"You may be a stranger to our world, but I have rules to go by. I only came for Icarus at that time, but you stopped his death. I'm not mad about that part. My list was updated to show it wasn't his time yet. Your name wasn't on the list then just like it is now. I shall bring you back to life."

"Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!", he profusely appreciates.

"I can't help you in this fight and I won't bring you back to life next time. Next time, your name may be on the list. You will be taken to the Underworld from there", he sternly warns.

"I got it. Please return me."

Black vapors come out of the deity, but it isn't threatening as it touches Taki's soul.

"In order to do so, you must have a strong emotion to return to your body. You need to pick the one that will make your heart beat. Your trauma."

"I-I don't know if I can do that."

"There was an emotion besides sadness with what happened that night. Think and use that."

Takashi goes back to that night in his head and peels it back to a core emotion. Not sadness. Not guilt. He finds the one to use and Thanatos lays his soul back into his body.