Kronos (Book Two)

Open Wound

Ping!

Misha's hands rush over to her tablet. She calls on her phone from the hope swelling in her heart.

"Greg! Is it-"

"It is! Takashi's energy has rebounded", Greg can't contain the excitement in his voice.

Looking back for comparison, it pales in comparison to the highest peak of four months ago, but it no longer hovers above zero. The friends can feel Taki's mountain of stress had been whittled down.

"YES! YES! YES! Keep going! Beat that bastard Zeus once and for all", Misha yells in the grocery story without shame.

Greg laughs. "He will do it. We're rooting for you, man!"

On Gaia, Takashi wipes away the blood on his lips from Hippolyta's rough fists. His body vibrates from being in FF2, but a smile cracks across his lips. The motivation from his dear friends gives him a second wind to dodge the stretching belt of the Amazon Queen. 

The leather end snakes from behind, but he turns to catch it between his palms. Emerald aura travels across to the owner who responds with crimson. The belt withstands the sparks of the clashing energies. Hippolyta grits her teeth while smiling from the challenge.

Her crimson aura amplifies, spearing through the emerald aura, but a determined Takashi fires an aura beam while jumping to the side.

"BRING IT ON!"

The sparring continues throughout the day with Hippolyta being barely out of breath. Takashi's body is decorated with marks and bruises, but he pushes off his knees to continue. His body falls after reaching his limit, but Echo summons a flower bed to catch him. Petals dance in the air upon contact.

"You did great today. Just rest for now."

He couldn't argue as he falls right to sleep. The mountain nymph instills her healing aura to help his aura channels repair the cuts and bruises on his body.

Harmonia crosses her arms. "Do you have to be that rough on him, Hippolyta?"

"I held back a little bit", she nonchalantly replies while reigning in her belt.

Echo's hands stop glowing. "All done! Harmonia, can I talk with you?"

Cadmus and Hippolyta watch over a sleeping Takashi while the women go inside.

Echo shuffles her feet. "Uhm....How do I ask this?"

The daughter of love gives her time.

"My true love, Chrysaor, is out there, but he's....just a baby right now."

"Oh."

"How....do I even navigate this?"

Harmonia puts comforting hands on her rocky shoulders. "Fate will bring you together when it's time."

The mountain nymph sighs. "Would....he still love me if we met? What if-"

"There's plenty to love about you. Sweet, generous, caring, strong-willed, and other things."

Echo's flowers on her crown enlarge to the point she plucks them out of her eyesight. Harmonia picks up the blue and pink flowers to decorate the dining table.

"Plus, he will love that aspect of you."

Echo embraces Harmonia with all she has. "Thank you."

The daughter of Aphrodite strokes her hair until she lets go.

"Need help with dinner?"

She smiles. "I would appreciate that. Let me show you around the kitchen."

After a light dinner, Takashi continues to rest in bed. He contemplates reaching out to Demeter again with Nyx's aid, but he doesn't go through with it. He thinks of the closeness between her and the moon goddess. What if she attacked him, assuming that he did something to her?

Fallin asleep, he hopes to be strong enough to convince the Olympian to his side. 

In the meantime, Harmonia reaches out to someone in her sleep.

"Hypnos, are you there? It's Harmonia."

The winged god of sleep startles awake from her question. His wife stirs awake, but he comforts her with a kiss on the forehead. He lies back down while the wings on his head cover his eyes.

"Harmonia, what's your reason for contacting me?"

"In case anything happens to me.....you need to know the truth....."

----

Aug 31st 6am Gaia time

Narcissus and Orpheus are sleeping in their tents while Medea attends to the campfire. After looking back, she mutters incantations with Takashi in mind. Once she knows who he's with, she could lure her group away from that area.

As a precaution, she had taken strands of black hair while he was asleep. Dropping a few into the fire, images flicker. She sees Cadmus and Harmonia are cooking bread together, but no sign of Takashi in sight....

The corners of her mouth curl up that he's with them. She waves her hands through the top of the flames to get a better look at the locat-

"What are you doing, witch?"

She doesn't stiffen from the sudden words of Narcissus. She continues waving her hands to change to a location she knew.