Kronos (Book Two)

Truth Pt 1

During the tremors of the striking master bolt...

In Aeolia, King Aeolus covers the island with clouds that resist the tremors of the sudden strike. Karisa begins to cry even after the tremors stopped.

He holds her close. She tells him something is wrong. And he feels it too. Something tells him to check the artifact room.

His feet halt upon seeing a terrible thing. Sitting on a pedestal is dust. Before, it was the shell of Hermes.

His stomach twists violently as this wasn't the first occurrence. The spear of Ares burnt to ashes. Aphrodite's clam turned to powder. He checked on his pig, Castor. He refused to get up or even eat from the sudden depression. Fortunately, Avgi and the others convince him to eat a morsel to avoid shrinking away any further.

Not long after, Hestia's everlasting torch goes out.

He tells the guards to keep Karisa away from this room. One by one, artifacts start to corrode to his horror. The wood of Eros' spare bow splinters into pieces.

Hera's bouquet of flowers withered out.

With the power of a cloud, Karisa manages to sneak through. "What's wrong?"

He spins to her, trying to shoo her away.

She noticed the smothered torch. "What's wrong with Aunt Hestia?!"

"I-I don't know. But I will pray to Hades to see what I can find."

She clutches her bunny close. "Is Taki okay?"

He lifts her up. "I hope so."

----

The Lord of Sleep stalks towards the trembling King of the Olympians. Through the side of his eye, he notices a beaten Takashi. A semblance of black aura is within him. The borrowed energy of his mother.

With a free hand, he heals his broken hands. His wings wipe away the fresh blood on his face. He doesn't leave his eyes off of Zeus.

"Your nymph friend told me where you were. This bastard kept hopping everywhere. Don't make another step, Zeus."

The King freezes himself in place. The past can repeat itself.

"Can you get up?"

Taki's eyes turn dark from what he had witnessed. Half his mind reminds him that he can bring them back, but the fact he couldn't steal the space ability haunts him. Something only Zeus would know.

His lips open. "Don't attack him from a distance. Steal the space ability."

The only words he could manage to utter. The deity saw it all when he arrived. The gruesome aftermath of his extended family. He double snaps his fingers.

Taki's eyes squeeze shut before reopening. He feels he had gone through 8 hours of sleep within that instant. His divine aura restored as if he didn't face a tumultuous battle. 

"I will make things right. With your help, we can free my mom, Hemera, and my sisters, the Fates."

Taki had no idea about the Fates, but it makes sense. From Penny's notes, they control the aspects of the past, present, and future. Another obstacle to the King of Mt Olympus.

The hopeful words lift him to his feet. His milk chocolate eyes turn brighter from the near reach of nikki (victory). He shakes off the dust in his mind to refocus. With Hypnos, they can turn things around.

Hypnos closes the distance between him and Zeus. The god-king's piercing blues churn in terror. Against his instincts, he throws an electric jab. 

Snap!

A palm strike to his solar plexus wakes him up. Snap! The King of Mt Olympus is tossed back and forth from the waking world to pitch black.

Takashi is amazed and terrified by the unassuming fighter. He prepares himself.