Ch. 87: Crossroads Of Time And Choice
No, wait! It’s not what it looks like, and all that nonsense was not one of my lines, nor would it ever be. Talos rose to her feet in a somewhat reluctant manner even after seeing her father fuming with rage. I did not want to admit it either but I think I broke her head earlier. This is why I try to abstain from women. “Father, Hades just said he would take me along to the past. Who knows how many mysteries I can solve with this case.” She said like a child that had just been handed candy.
So that’s why she kissed me? Weird mentality. I pushed myself to my feet and looked at Hephaestus, whose jaw had dropped wide like in a ’90s cartoon. I followed his gaze to see what had him startled. Talos was smiling and biting into an apple she had swiped off the counter. Good to know I wasn’t dreaming.
She really was smiling!
“You’re happy?” Tears started to form in his eyes. “Talos, are you sure you didn’t hit your head and you’re really happy? And it was the Lord of Gloom that made you like this?”
Wow, that was insulting.
“Uh-huh.” She mumbled as she chewed down on the apple. “I guess I am. So this is happiness. Who knows how long I’ll be like this until it wears out.”
Now why did she make it sound like a bad thing?
“What the hell did you do, Hades? Did you threaten her or something?” Hephaestus glared at me as tears of joy started forming in his eyes.
I shrugged. “How the hell should I know? I guess my charm was too much for her,” I lied.
Hephaestus grabbed my one good hand and rubbed my palm gently with his massive thumbs. “Then I will gladly accept you as my brother-in-law.”
What the hell! How did he close the distance between us so fast? I pulled my hand away from him in disgust. “Respect my boundaries you brute.” I yelled at him just before looking over my shoulder at Talos. Did I really break her? Who knows if her brain really works the same way. Speaking of brains, mine was working much faster than usual, likely from that kiss. What was I even saying?
Don’t tell me she passed on her curse of knowledge to me— along with all her own knowledge. But I didn’t feel cursed in any way, not that I would know, anyway.
(The character Talos’ likeability of you has increased by +200)
“Shit! I really did break her,” I muttered.
“Who broke who?” Hermes asked as he entered the kitchen. He looked over to Talos smiling and screamed, “Holy guacamole!”
Oh I totally forgot about him for a moment there.
It was now noon, and I was sitting at a round table with the gang. Talos was back to her usual quiet self. It was a relief to see she wasn’t broken, at least not yet.
“Absolutely not!” Hephaestus banged his fist hard on the table, making it rattle.
I swear this guy has a bad reputation for banging tables. What did the table ever do to him to deserve so many handprints? From my viewpoint I would say he needs therapy.
“Father, but Hades already agreed to take me along.” Talos wasn’t pleading— more like making a statement.
Hephaestus growled angrily, glaring at me as if it were my fault for filling her head with nonsense. Well, it was, but he did not have to be so direct about it. “I cannot allow it. I agreed to help you, but I will not disintegrate the only daughter I will ever have like cream paste.”
“That’s my choice to make, Father!” she stated clearly.
My eyebrows shot up. “What do you mean by disintegrate? I thought the time machine was finished.”
Hephaestus looked at me as if wanting to dodge the question, but then seemed to change his mind. “First things first, it’s a temporal rift generator. A time machine would be more stable, but this is still in the development stage.”
I banged my hand on the table in annoyance. It felt good. I guess I understood why he did it so often. “Speak English.”
He looked at me, irritated, and said, “Hermes is a god with free rein over every place in this world, whether the god realm or the human realm. All he has to do is access the world of dimensions and think of where he wants to go. My machine has been programmed to access this world of dimensions, but only with a special serum injected can one truly travel back safely.”
“For the messenger god to travel anywhere he wants in the realms, he has to burn himself up into disintegration. But, being the fastest god, he can disintegrate his cells and rearrange himself on a molecular level in a second. My machine can achieve this speed of disintegration, but only the serum can enable the traveler to reconstruct themselves back in time at the chosen moment.”
“I only have two vials extracted from Hermes’ blood that can let you travel back. Due to the small amount of serum, I haven’t been able to test my theory on a live candidate. The catch is, only Hermes’ body is naturally constructed to jump between dimensions and realities, meaning the body of the time jumper will disintegrate and be completely erased from time, while your memories travel back to your previous self.”
“According to the law of paradox I studied earlier this week, no two versions of the same person can exist at the same time in the same reality. In retrospect, this you becomes the you of the past.” He popped open a beer and gulped it down, leaving us in sensory overload. “This you will die to be reborn in the past. But these are all theoretical and not tested yet. If it fails, I’ll have one vial left to rely on. So, what do you say? Will you take the risk, or not, Hades?”
For some reason, I understood most of what he said, or at least got the gist of it. “So what you’re saying is you can send one person back per vial, but in the process, their body will disintegrate and be reconstructed within a one-second limit, back into the memory of their former self. That makes sense,” Hermes said with a clear understanding, making it easier for Talos and me to follow. “But even with my help, we’re not sure if it’ll work, since my powers work naturally, and this is an artificial method. Meaning only two people can take the risk if the first one fails.”
I could feel all eyes on me as I stroked my chin. Everything was riding on my decision. I smiled inwardly. To think I’d become the leader I swore never to be in my past life. “Screw it, I’ll take the chance. I can’t say the same for Talos. Whether she likes it or not, she’s your daughter, and you decide if it’s alright by you. Whatever happens, I want you to keep Hermes safe.” I gestured to Hermes, who looked confused.
I stood to prepare myself when Hephaestus spoke up. “Hades, or whoever you are, thank you for making me see something beautiful today. I’m forever in your debt for bringing Talos out of the hell I made for her.” Oh! He still didn’t know she had a curse. He turned to Talos, who was just staring at him with cold eyes. “Talos, daughter, I won’t beg for your forgiveness or draw out false pity, but hear me out. I’ve been a terrible father to you. Even now, I’m trying to control your fate because I’m scared of being alone and losing you again.”
“But no more. Sometimes, we have to let go of what we love most. It’s our godly pride that often leads to our downfall. So, for once, this old fool will hear you out. If you want to go with your friend… I’ll support you.”
That must’ve been hard for him to admit. A god’s pride is something they never let go of. I had to admit, it was some serious character development. As much as I wanted to stay and hear her reply, I had to leave.
“Father, I’ve been living freely, regardless of your opinions of me. Don’t think you can make me show pity or forgive you because you helped us.” I was already leaving, but I think she spoke loudly enough for me to hear. “I’m still figuring out who I am, and my journey has nothing to do with you. My decision still stands.”
I wondered how hurt Hephaestus must’ve felt. I wondered if my daughter ever felt anything like love toward me. No more idle thoughts— the beginning of my next task was here.
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Author’s Note: Thank You For All Your Support.
If I revive a magic castle I will mass release 10 chapters
