Ch. 71: The Otherworlder
We sat down as Hermes— or rather, the otherworlder now inhabiting Hermes’ body— prepared to tell his story. Talos, as usual, was engrossed in her laptop, typing away with rapid precision. It was almost amusing how dedicated she was to that thing, though I had to admit her obsession was one of the reasons her mind worked differently from anyone else’s. She had an unparalleled ability to connect dots most people wouldn’t even see.
Hermes— took a deep breath, trying to calm the anxiety that was clearly gnawing at him. Why was he so nervous?
“I guess I should start from the very beginning,” he began, hesitating for a moment. “The name’s Matt Spencer. I’m seventeen, still in high school. Back in my world, I was number one at football, popular with the girls— everything a normal kid could want. My mom was my only parent. My dad either died when I was young or ran off somewhere— never really got the full story. My mom and I managed okay. She had a good job, but she was never aro—”
“Spare me the sob story,” I interrupted, my patience wearing thin. “I hate depressing backstories designed to pull pity out of people. Just tell me how you got here.” No point going a meaningless roundabout.
He frowned but continued. “I had an accident. I got hit by a truck. It was my fault, though— I was on my phone. Can’t seem to stay off that thing, it’s like an addiction.” His voice wavered slightly, and I could see the tension in his body as he gripped his trousers tightly. The memory of his death clearly wasn’t easy for him to talk about, but that wasn’t my problem. The fact remained that he was an imposter in someone else’s body— just like me. Unlike me, though, he seemed to have no knowledge of Greek mythology or the honour to have chosen what form to be reborn in.
“It all happened so fast,” he continued. “One moment, I’m crossing the street, and the next, I see the truck, and then… darkness. I can still feel the regret, you know? Dying like that, leaving my mom behind… but at least she doesn’t have to worry about me anymore.”
He paused, letting the weight of his words settle. I stayed silent, waiting for him to get to the real point.
“When I woke up, it wasn’t like I expected,” he said, his eyes distant. “I thought I’d get reincarnated into one of those fantasy worlds or isekai, you know? Like the ones in the movies and comics I loved so much. But instead, I woke up in this coffin, scared out of my mind. Then, this angel of a woman appeared—Talos.”
He shot her a quick glance, but Talos didn’t even look up. She was far too engrossed in her work to care about his admiration.
“She tricked me into staying,” he said, a hint of bitterness in his voice. “It was fun at first, but then she started running all these experiments on me, asking weird questions about whether I could remember the original Hermes’ memories. I don’t, by the way. Not a single one.”
I narrowed my eyes, trying to piece it all together. He was clearly an otherworlder, but why was he chosen to inhabit Hermes’ body? Why him, of all people? Could it be that Hermes’ presence in this world needed to be replaced for the story to progress? And if so, for what purpose?
As if reading my thoughts, Matt added, “I have no idea why I’m here. I didn’t ask for this, but now I’m stuck in this body, in a world that feels like a twisted version of a myth I barely know. I hate myths.”
“Talos,” I said, turning my attention to her. “Does he still carry the black amber in him?”
Without looking up, she answered, “I haven’t found an instant antidote, but I’ve synthesized a suppressant for the poison. It seems to work for now, though I can’t say if it’ll be effective on you, considering how long you’ve had the poison in your system.”
Her response made me wonder if there was hope for my condition. Maybe I could use her suppressant. “You’ve been busy this past month, haven’t you?” I asked, more as a statement than a question.
She glanced at me briefly. “Unlike you, I don’t waste time. If you’re thirsty, there’s some Coke in the fridge.” Her tone was casual, as if she wasn’t sharing her apartment with a seventeen-year-old kid trapped in the body of a dead god. And nothing had happened between them? She really was all work, no play.
Matt shifted uncomfortably in his seat. “So, you said you’re like me, right?” He sounded curious, like he wanted to know more about my story.
I wasn’t about to spill everything to him. “Maybe another time, kid.”
Talos must have been itching to know more as well, but I wasn’t ready to lay out all my cards. Not yet.
“What are we gonna do about the dead woman on the bed?” Matt asked suddenly, breaking the silence. “I know I’m not supposed to butt in, but seriously— who is she? And how did you lose your arm? It’s been bugging me too.”
He was far too talkative for someone in his position. I glanced at the bed where Hecate lay, her body still and lifeless. I could not forgotten forget the sacrifice she had made above everything else. And then there was my arm— the price I’d paid in my battle against the gods.
Talos was still engrossed in her work, but I didn’t have the luxury of sitting idly by. I needed to figure out my next move. Poseidon was dead, the circle was finished and the threat over— or so I thought. But now, there was Mr. Anonymous, a threat that had lurking in the shadows for perhaps longer. He had killed Prometheus, and Zeus had gone mad. Olympus was in chaos, and I had lost all the evidence I had painstakingly gathered. And to top it all off, I still had the looming threat of the next Calamity hanging over me.
“Hades,” Talos called from her worktable, her tone serious. “If you want my help, you’re going to have to tell me everything. And I mean everything. You can’t keep me in the dark on this case. We’re dealing with the biggest mystery this world has ever seen, and I intend to crack it.”
Her demand hit me like a hammer. Could I really tell her everything? About the Calamities, the Watcher, and my own past? No way. But what other choice did I have? Olympus was already falling apart, and nothing I did seemed to stop it. Mr. Anonymous was pulling the strings, and it was clear he had been planning this for a long time.
A wild thought crossed my mind. If only I could go back in time, maybe I could change things. Maybe this was why the Watcher had urged me to travel back. But that was impossible— time travel wasn’t real.
For the first time in a long while, I felt like I had hit a wall. My brain was spinning, and for the briefest moment, I wondered if this was the end of the road.
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