Kronos (Book Two)

Grieve

April 11th, 6am

Clang! Clang!

Heracles blocks the swings with his trident against his family members. He swings it in a circle which makes them drop low. Taki's blades in FF2 reconnect with the trident to challenge his nephew's limits. He smiles from Heracles pushing him off to pierce through Orpheus' note. The musical demigod's fingers play rapidly for a charged attack.

During this, Perseus goes to take Heracles' legs out from under him with his shield. With one hand, he spins the trident to block low. Perseus is lifted off the ground from the force, but he jabs his shield to regain himself. 

Sweat drips down their faces along with smiles from the nonstop effort.

"That's good enough! Rest for now!", Dionysus yells.

"And time for breakfast!", Hestia shouts with glee.

The four shake hands and eat a bountiful breakfast to fill their bellies. The fluttering of wings grabs their attention. The god of messengers leans against the wall from an emotional bout. He drops his staff to the ground before explaining his argument with Hera.

From what he doesn't mention, they can tell that he disowned his mother. Artemis and the family embrace him from the tough conversation.

Taki pats him on the back. "I'm sorry, nephew.

He grins with an exhale.

Artemis feels a tug on her shoulder. Echo's flowers are miniscule compared to yesterday.

The huntress embraces her. "How are you, sister?"

"I-I don't know."

The goddess lightly brushes her crown of flowers followed by a peck on the forehead. She sees a question is eating at her.

"What's on your mind?"

"If I may.....could I pay respects to Chrysaor? I know it's dangerous-"

"I'm going with you", Artemis answers without a second thought.

The mountain nymph expresses a small smile before it disappears. "But what about everyone?"

"We will be fine", Dionysus assures her while peeling the skin of grapes with his fingernails. He keeps the skins for an important purpose.

"I'm coming with you too", Takashi interjects. Pegasus who overhears this, neighs to include himself.

The duo understands why and accept.

"Not so fast!", Hermes objects. He takes his cape and pulls at the ends. His cape becomes a size larger than a king bed. "It will hide you all. Don't take it off."

Before they head off, Perseus hugs his winged son. "Be safe, okay?"

His son nuzzles his head against his before giving him a small headbutt.

The demigod laughs while rubbing his head. "I love you, son. Tell that to your brother too."

The majestic horse bobs his head up and down before leaving with the small group. Artemis hops in front with Echo sandwiching Takashi. The Huntress wraps the cape around them, rendering them all invisible to the eye. Pegasus takes off and they arrive at the black sands of Sarpedon within minutes.

He softly lands them near the grave markers of his sibling and mother. The trio hops off with Artemis maintaining the cape over all of them.

Raindrops from the winged horse hits the mound of his late brother. Their time cut short because of their selfish grandfather. And yet, pieces of a puzzle almost settle in his mind. He snorts from the confusion of it all. He hushes his noises to "communicate" with his brother all that he witnessed.

Takashi pats his grandnephew's neck while taking out his stained hour-hand blade. Guilt, anger, and sadness are stared at the golden stained weapon. He grips the handle tightly while kneeling down.

"Nephew, I'm sorry for what happened to you. I vow to make things right. I will bring you back so you can enjoy life again. I will do the same for your mother too. It happened before and I know we can do it again."

Pegasus nuzzles against his neck out of appreciation. His sky-blue eyes swell with hope that he will see them again. His granduncle pats his neck before clasping his hands into a prayer.

Meanwhile, nothing comes out of Echo. She clenches her hands for not being able to cry in front of her late true love.

Artemis wraps arms around her. "Just tell him how you feel. You don't have to cry."

A sharp exhale leaves her lips. "What about you?"

"I've said my peace. It's your time."

Echo drifts away to be near the grave of her beloved. She kneels down in silence as she touches the mound of dirt. Taki and Pegasus give her space and time to let her process.

"I-I don't know what to say. We never met and yet I felt like I talked to you before. It's so strange...When-When I sleep, I could almost see that smile. It can warm me up on the coldest day. I can almost picture your touch and it makes me feel-- ahem."

She almost chuckles from the thoughts in her head. Her small flowers begin to grow.

"I can almost picture talking to you. Easy and light."

Taki's body shudders as the same feeling from before rears its head. Guilt, but it's strange. Same with Chloe and Adonis. Like he's the reason they were pulled apart. And he did that to Echo and Chrysaor. 

That doesn't make sense though. Resetting means that the prior timeline continues without me. They would stay together without me in the picture.

Echo's eyes burst like a dam. The tears hit the mound of her beloved.

"It's not fair! I didn't get to hold you this time! I love you, Chrysaor! I love you! I love you!"

Artemis uses her aura to contain her wails from behind heard outside the cape. She lets her body fall on top to caress the dirt. Her tears water his grave, hoping her tears would be magical to bring him back.

A soft wing brushes against her rocky skin. She eventually catches her breath. Taki and him help her until she can stand on her own.

She wipes her face. "We will bring you back. I swear it."

A spike in mud-brown aura emanates from her with thoughts of killing the one responsible for the pain. Burying Zeus' corpse under a mountain is at the top of her priorities.

Taki places a gentle hand on her shoulder. "We will make him pay. I just don't want you to get hurt again."

He shakes his head in confusion of why that slipped out.

Her aura dies out. She squints at him. "What do you mean?"

"I....meant to say I don't want to see you get hurt. You're my family too."

She cups his face. "Okay. Could you teach me sign language?"

"Definitely. Want to start now?"

She nods. He teaches her a few things that he picked up from Chrysaor in the previous timeline. Her hand gestures easily mirror his motions like she's done this before. She looks forward to surprising her future husband upon his return.

After a quick lesson, she plucks a flower from her crown and digs a small hole into the armored man's grave. A bud appears in the missing place. Tender kisses on each petal before placing it inside. Dirt covering the bottom to keep it in place.

She takes another flower to repeat the process for Medusa. "I hope to get your blessing to marry your son. You and Perseus must have raised him well."

Echo turns and walks straight into the arms of Artemis and her family. A crisp breeze doesn't bother her. She holds onto this feeling before they return back to the temple. Feathers float behind them as they head back to the temple. One of the feathers slips through a small hole and lands in the palm of a metal hand.

The owner grips it tightly. "I will let you have today to grieve", before Zeus leaves through a portal.

----

After returning to Artemis' temple, the smell of Greek lemon chicken soup enters Echo's nostrils. She sits down after taking a generous bowl from Hestia.

Her spoon which would usually circle the bowl is now lifted into her mouth. A pleasurable warmth travels down to her stomach. Her bowl is left empty for the first time in a while.

A long yawn escapes her mouth. "Thank you, Hestia. I'm in need of a nap."

Artemis walks with her and wraps an arm around her in bed. Gentle golden aura lulls the nymph to sleep.

The corners of the goddess' mouth curl upward. Two flowers have regrown in their respective missing places.