Kronos (Book Two)

Reunited

Harmonia stops the session after seeing Takashi hunch over while clutching himself. Past regret and guilt escape from his eyes. The goddess latches onto him, joining him with his tears.

"Why couldn't it be me?", he asks her.

"You did what was best for your family. None of you deserved that."

"I didn't know it happened for so long. Why did I miss-"

She stokes through his black hair. "You were just a child. Both of you were. I hate that man and the other who broke up your family. None of it was right."

The two sit in silence as Taki's eyes release all the tears available.....the emotional exhaustion leads him to fall asleep in her arms.

She rests him on her lap. It isn't long before his body squirms from the nightmares. Her glowing hand revealed glimpses of horrible sights he had witnessed.

Deaths of a crew by Poseidon's hands. Witnessing a water nymph burning while he was immobilized by fear from saving her.

Hestia turned to ashes from a lightning bolt. Apollo dropping dead on the temple floor. Artemis' head rolling off from Zeus' attack. The death of Mina the Oracle. The deaths of her parents that she had never seen before until now. Her heart breaks again for them and Takashi who wanted to save them.

Another glimpse of Artemis' death along with Heracles, Perseus, and Orpheus. Finally having Hypnos as a formidable ally only to be casted away. The horrible truth that he was a random nobody picked by Kronos. That he shared no familial connections to the people he cared about.

His wife and family crying out for his return. Him trying to reach out until Zeus dragged him down into the darkness.

One word summarized it all: hopeless. The origin of his trauma continued through the multiple timelines. Reminding him of what he couldn't do. That he could only watch.

Her sympathy leads her to draw out more of her aura to pass coherent messages into his nightmares. "You deserve rest for all that you have witnessed. None of that was your fault. It will take time, but you are not a burden to anyone."

Her aura dives deeper. Aphrodite's pink aura resonates with her energy. Glimpses of light poke through the darkness. 

Happiest moments spent with those he had met on Gaia. The heroic acts he accomplished that saved more lives. The small moments where he connected deeply with some of the Olympian deities. His warm heart comforting those who needed it. Even after getting knocked down, his entire being urged him to stand back up.

The fire of resolve is now a spark. Stopping the nightmares is temporary, but she will save that spark. Anything to keep him going.

----

The twin dragons hiss as they finally land. The breath of the witch hitches from the sight. Medea stands back from the heat leftover from Hephaestus' destruction. Her heart falls down to her stomach, but she catches it. 

She had to find out what happened to Takashi. Upon telling her great-grandfather what had happened, he only gave a look of disappointment. His wish to see her children had gone away.....

Her hands clench. If her great-grandfather wouldn't help her, she would do it herself.

After setting a mortar on the unburned grass, she dumps out an ounce of sage into it. Upon her command, one of her dragons blows a gentle stream of fire to ignite it. The smell of it penetrates her nostrils. Hoping to confer the wisdom needed to find him. 

The smoke of it travels around the temple before entering her body. She clutches her throat while being careful not to cough up a lung. Her dragons lend their necks to support her back.

Upon a collection of breaths, a smile creeps on her face. He's still alive. They moved him with love dust. But where to? And what happened here?

She keeps her body still to keep the sage inside her. Her lips speak unintelligible syllables to find a trace of her friend.