Ch. 86: The Laughter Of A Goddess
I walked into the small kitchen situated at a corner of the workshop, the scent of metal and burnt machinery lingering in the air. As I grabbed a bowl, I couldn’t help but wonder how I ended up as the only person in this group capable of cooking a decent meal. Talos? A workaholic who consumed more junk food than anything remotely edible. Hermes? Underage and hopeless in the kitchen. And Hephaestus? Well, he was more likely to drink his calories than eat them.
I reached for a crate of eggs sitting in the corner, their surface slightly dusty. “I wonder if these are still good,” I muttered, cracking one open into the bowl with great difficulty using only one hand. I didn’t really care about breakfast, though. My mind was elsewhere— on the temporal rift generator. Today was the final test run, and the tension was eating at me like a curse I couldn’t shake.
The room felt oddly still, the silence broken only by the quiet sizzle of eggs in the pan. Then I noticed Talos standing at the far end of the counter, her crystal eyes trained on me with unnerving intensity. She was wearing a simple nightgown, the soft fabric hanging loosely around her frame— not that I paid much attention to that. But her presence was unmistakable.
“Now the god of the underworld is playing chef,” she said, her voice cutting through the air with a touch of mockery. “I don’t care if you’re an otherworlder, but this feels… belittling.”
I didn’t respond. It wasn’t the first time she’d caught me cooking, and it probably wouldn’t be the last. I turned my focus back to the eggs, whisking them quietly.
“I don’t know why you’re so determined to follow me,” I said after a moment. “But our alliance ends here. You’re not coming.”
Her crystal eyes remained on me, studying my face as if searching for some hidden truth. “Why are you pushing me away?” She asked softly. “I don’t particularly like you, but I’m intrigued by the story you’re weaving. I have a feeling it’s going to lead to some juicy mysteries.”
Her obsession with mysteries had always been… well, annoying. But this wasn’t about some riddle or puzzle.
“I can’t have you getting hurt,” I replied, my voice rougher than I intended. “Not when I don’t even know what I’m walking into.”
She sighed, her frustration evident as she walked over to me. Without asking, she took the bowl from my hands and began whisking the eggs with a deftness that surprised me. “You’re one hand short,” she said, a slight flicker on her lips. “Let me help.”
I didn’t protest. There was something different about her today— something I could not quite put my finger on. Maybe I had just gotten used to her presence, or maybe it was something deeper, but I felt… calmer around her.
“I’m not used to relying on others,” I admitted quietly.
“You are also not used to apologizing or being grateful,” she shot back, her tone teasing but with a hint of sincerity. “Not that I care, by the way.”
I smirked. “Right, that too.”
The eggs sizzled in the pan, filling the room with a comforting warmth. But the weight of our conversation hung in the air, heavy and thick. She handed me the bowl again, her eyes softening as she spoke.
“You might have been chosen for something bigger,” she said, her voice quieter now. “But that doesn’t mean you have to do it alone. I thought we were allies and remember it was your idea not mine to form an alliance. Don’t make me regret joining you.”
Her words struck something deep within me, stirring emotions I had long buried. I wasn’t used to this— this connection. It felt foreign, unsettling. I had spent so much time pushing people away, convinced it was the only way to keep them safe. But now, standing here with Talos, I felt something shift. I wasn’t sure if it was the weight of the task ahead or just the fact that she, of all people, was offering her help.
“I’ve always worked alone,” I said, my voice low. “It’s safer that way. For everyone, besides the allaince was always going to be temporary.”
She frowned, her expression hardening. “You think isolation is the answer? What kind of story is that? The kind where the hero dies alone, probably.”
Her words were sharp, but there was something else there— something that made me pause. I did not want to admit it, but she was right. I had been so focused on doing everything by myself that I had not stopped to consider what that isolation was costing me.
“Haa, I hate it when I’m wrong,” I muttered under my breath.
Suddenly, Talos was right in front of me, her face just inches away from mine. Her eyes glimmered with something different today— something more than just cold, calculated logic. For the first time, there was a spark of life in her gaze, like she was seeing the world through new eyes.
“Soooo? Does this mean I can come?” she asked, her voice almost playful.
I groaned, rubbing the back of my neck. “Fine. I might need your big stupid brain.”
There goes my pride….!
Her eyes lit up, and before I could even process what was happening, she let out a joyous laugh and tackled me to the ground. “YES! HAHAHAHAHAHA!!”
The impact was sudden, and I found myself lying on the cold kitchen floor with Talos straddling my chest, her laughter filling the air. Her face was flushed with excitement, her eyes brimming with an energy I had never seen before. She was… laughing? No, not just laughing— she was alive in a way I hadn’t thought possible.
Tears of joy rolled down her cheeks, sparkling like droplets of crystal and hitting my face. I stared up at her, dumbfounded. “What in the gods’ name just happened?” I muttered. “Tears?”
Her laughter slowed, but the smile remained on her face, radiant and warm. It was surreal. Talos, the emotionless automaton cursed by knowledge, was not only laughing but crying tears of joy. How was this possible?
“Hey, Talos…” I began, still trying to make sense of what was happening. “Would you mind getting off me?”
But she didn’t move. Her eyes locked onto mine, glowing with a warmth I had never seen before. And then, without warning, she began to glow. A soft, golden light surrounded her, filling the room with an otherworldly warmth. My heart raced as I felt the air shift around us. This was not just some curse at play. This was something else— something powerful.
“Talos…” I whispered, my voice tinged with awe. “What’s happening to you?”
Before I could finish my sentence, she leaned down and kissed me.
Her lips were soft and warm, a stark contrast to the cold, calculating nature I had grown accustomed to. It wasn’t a kiss of passion— it was a kiss of connection, something deeper than mere physical attraction. In that moment, I felt everything. Her pain, her loneliness, her fear— and, for the first time, her joy. It was overwhelming, like a flood of emotions pouring into me, filling every corner of my being.
For a brief, dizzying moment, I wasn’t Hades, god of the underworld. I was her, feeling the world as she did— trapped between logic and emotion, between knowledge and ignorance. It was intoxicating and terrifying all at once.
To think this was who not…. What she really was deep down. The chaotic web of uncertainty.
When she finally pulled away, her breath was shallow, her cheeks flushed. Her eyes met mine, wide with confusion and something else— embarrassment I guessed.
The gold light slowly fizzled out like a candle out of wax.
“I don’t know why I did that,” she whispered, her voice trembling. “But I feel… strange inside. Is this… embarrassment?”
Before I could respond, a voice thundered through the room like a bolt of lightning.
“HOW DARE YOU DEFLOWER MY DAUGHTER LIKE THIS?!”
I froze, my heart dropping into my stomach. Hephaestus stood in the doorway, his massive frame casting a shadow that seemed to fill the entire room. His face was a mask of rage, his eyes blazing with fury.
Like what the hell is with his timing? Not like I was enjoying the kiss or anything— maybe just a teensy bit.
I tried to sit up, but Talos was still on top of me, her face burning with embarrassment.
“YOU DARE LIE TO ME, HADES?!” Hephaestus roared, his voice shaking the walls. “YOU WENT BEHIND MY BACK TO DO SUCH A GRAVE THING?”
Must be weird seeing his daughter on top of an innocent victim like me, of course I would kabel myself innocent of this crime.
Talos, her voice small and uncertain, whispered, “Dad, it’s not… like that.”
Hephaestus stepped forward, his anger palpable. “THEN EXPLAIN. NOW.”
Talos’ eyes softened, and for the first time, I saw something that truly scared me— uncertainty. Something bigger than both of us was at play, and whatever had just awakened inside her was only the beginning.
AUTHOR’S NOTE:- OCTOBER 5TH IS MY BIRTHDAY, PLANNING A MASS RELEASE.
If I revive a magic castle I will mass release 10 chapters
