After Hermes' visit, Aelion thought it would be best for them to start learning how to use their powers.
They had already figured out what their symbols meant, and with that came an understanding of what each of them was capable of. They were still beginners, but somehow, they had managed to create a realm that existed between time and space, a place they could use to train.
Ironically, its creation had been accidental.
They had been trying to teleport. Instead, they manifested a realm that shouldn't have existed at all. And just like that, it became theirs.
"Okay, Aelion," Nyxar said. "Let's see what you can do."
Aelion took a deep breath and lifted his hands, moving them slowly, instinctively. Threads began to form in the air, thin and shimmering. They twisted and wove together until they solidified into the shape of a sword.
His eyes widened, glowing faintly with both excitement and disbelief. He hadn't expected it to work.
He glanced at Nyxar, who was already grinning. Nyxar lifted his hand, his pupils turning gold. From the air itself, he summoned a scythe of gleaming gold, its blade seeming almost unreal, like a shadow given shape.
"Let's do this!" Aelion exclaimed.
He charged.
Aelion swung his sword in a wide arc, but Nyxar vanished in a flash. When Nyxar reappeared, an unseen force slammed into him, sending him flying across the realm.
"Take that!" Aelion shouted, pumping his fist. "I call that the probability swing!"
He scanned the ground for Nyxar, only to feel a sudden presence behind him.
Pain exploded across his back.
Aelion collapsed, paralyzed, a deep cut burning between his shoulders. Caelum froze in panic, instinct taking over. In a heartbeat, he altered the outcome of the fight, twisting events so that both of them fell to the ground, defeated by unseen, mystical force.
"No fair," Aelion groaned. "You cheated."
"Yeah," Nyxar added, though his voice was calmer now. "That wasn't cool."
"I had to!" Caelum snapped, his voice shaking. "Nyxar was starting to look bloodthirsty," he then proceeds to point at Nyxar. "You showed no mercy!"
"All right then," Nyxar said. "To make it up to us, why don't you battle me and Aelion?"
As he spoke, he conjured his scythe once more, its golden blade humming softly. Aelion followed suit, summoning his weapons with a flick of his wrists.
Caelum hesitated, considering the challenge. Then he extended his hand. A heavy mallet formed in his grip, solid and imposing. He smiled.
"Show me what you two've got."
This time, Aelion conjured twin daggers, their edges shimmering with unstable probability, while Nyxar tightened his grip on his scythe. Without another word, they charged.
Caelum didn't move. He only watched them approach, calm and confident, his smile never fading.
In another realm, suspended between space and time, the Fates observed the triplets' training. Threads shimmered beneath their gaze as they watched the brothers grow stronger, instinctively shaping power they barely understood.
They lacked refinement, lacked control, but their potential was undeniable.
"The fact that they can conjure weapons at all is impressive," Lachesis murmured.
Atropos tilted her head. "How come we never wielded weapons?" she asked, genuinely surprised.
"We never needed them," Lachesis replied. "We were never meant for physical conflict."
Clotho nodded. "Our realm was inaccessible. We were beyond danger."
Atropos's lips curved slowly. "Then perhaps it's time we push them."
Clotho turned to her. "With what? It shouldn't be as simple as the sirens again."
"I know," Lachesis said quietly. "We use a creature born of vengeance. One whose suffering began with our injustice."
"Medusa?" Clotho asked.
Lachesis and Atropos shook their heads.
"She won't come alone," Lachesis continued. "She'll bring an army of gorgons with her. Twice the number of sirens."
The loom trembled faintly.
And somewhere far below, destiny tightened its grip.
On a distant land, Hermes was speaking with Perseus about Pegasus when the winged horse suddenly neighed in anguish. Before either of them could react, Pegasus vanished mid-cry, dissolving into nothingness.
Perseus stumbled back. "What just happened?"
Hermes said nothing. His expression darkened as he stared at the empty air where Pegasus had stood.
Elsewhere on Olympus, Chrysaor walked along a quiet path when pain tore through him without warning. He screamed, clutching his chest, and vanished in a flash of blinding light. His sword clattered to the ground, its golden edge dulling before it crumbled into dust.
From that moment on, the balance shifted.
On the isolated island of Sarpedon, the earth began to convulse. Bone and flesh formed from nothing, weaving themselves together as if answering an ancient command. A woman's body emerged, whole and breathing. Serpents writhed where her hair should have been.
Medusa had returned.
She staggered forward, confusion clouding her gaze, when voices echoed inside her mind.
"Medusa," they called gently. "We grant you another life. Another chance."
Her breath quickened as the memories flooded back.
"You were wronged. Betrayed. Punished for another's crime."
Her hands curled into fists.
"This would never have happened," the voices continued, "if not for the Fates. They walk now as men, hiding among mortals."
At the mention of men, Medusa's confusion turned to fury.
"I will kill them," she snarled. "They cursed me. They will pay."
"Then rise," the voices said. "Gather your kin. Bring ruin to the mortal realm, and they will come to you."
Silence followed.
Medusa threw her head back and screamed, a sound sharp enough to split the air. From caves and shadows, from forgotten ruins and distant shores, Gorgons emerged. Survivors who had hidden for centuries now stood before their queen, awe and joy shining in their eyes.
Medusa looked upon them, her rage burning bright.
"Gorgons," she declared, her voice steady and cruel, "to the mortal world we go."
And far away, unseen threads began to tighten.
Back in the training realm, the boys had finally taken a break from the relentless fighting. Caelum had nearly defeated both Nyxar and Aelion, but his mallet failed to land the final strike he intended. The miscalculation backfired, sending him skidding across the ground instead.
After some light arguing and laughter, they decided to teleport home.
The moment they arrived, something felt wrong.
Their house was gone. Not damaged—gone. Reduced to ruins. Outside, people screamed and fled in every direction. Smoke filled the air, and stone figures lined the streets.
Statues.
Some were strangers. Others were faces they knew.
Caelum swallowed. "What do you think caused this?"
"I might have an idea," Nyxar said quietly.
Before he could explain, shrill screeches cut through the air. Winged shapes descended from above, claws outstretched.
"Gorgons?" Caelum blurted out, surprised that the name came so easily to him.
The brothers conjured their weapons as more of the creatures closed in.
"We need to fight in order," Aelion said quickly.
"What kind of order?" Caelum asked.
"I think he means power order," Nyxar said. "Aelion bends probability, you lock the outcome, and I cut their threads."
They nodded and moved as one.
As the gorgons lunged, Aelion hurled his daggers. The blades split midair, striking every creature within reach. Caelum followed, leaping forward and slamming his mallet into the ground. A wave of force rippled outward, freezing the gorgons in place.
Then Nyxar charged.
Golden threads glowed before his eyes. He swung his scythe, severing them cleanly. One by one, the gorgons turned to stone and crumbled.
They adapted quickly, moving with growing confidence.
Then the air shifted.
A presence descended.
Medusa emerged, fury etched into every feature. The snakes atop her head writhed violently as her eyes began to glow red.
"Look away!" Nyxar shouted.
Too late.
Aelion and Caelum froze mid-motion, stone spreading across their bodies as several gorgons shared their fate.
"No!" Nyxar screamed.
Medusa smiled.
Rage consumed him. His eyes blazed gold as he rushed toward her, dodging every attempt to catch his gaze.
High above, Hermes burst into Poseidon's chamber.
"Medusa is back."
The color drained from Poseidon's face.
After a long pause, he said quietly, "Watch her. Tell me everything."
Hermes vanished without another word.
Back in the mortal realm, Nyxar continued fighting, exhaustion creeping in as Medusa pressed forward.
"Why are you here?" he demanded.
The question stunned her.
"Why?" she snapped. "I am here because of you. Because of the Fates. You let Poseidon violate me in Athena's temple. You knew what would happen, and you let them curse me!"
Her voice broke.
Nyxar felt it. The pain. The injustice.
"I know your story," he said softly. "But you're wrong about us. We're not the Fates."
"Liar!" she hissed. "You'll join your brothers soon."
"Yeah… I don't think so."
They both turned.
Aelion and Caelum stood behind him, flesh restored.
Medusa staggered back. "How—"
"You really don't understand probability," Aelion said calmly.
"And honestly," Caelum added, "for gods, you guys made some very stupid systems."
They teleported beside Nyxar.
"I think it's time we fix this," Aelion said.
The brothers joined hands, hovering as their eyes glowed gold. Aelion spun thread into existence. Caelum measured it carefully. Nyxar raised his scythe.
"NO!" Medusa screamed.
The remaining gorgons froze, shattered, and vanished into dust.
Only Medusa remained.
She collapsed to her knees, sobbing.
"Why does this keep happening to me?" she cried. "Why has nothing ever been in my favor?"
Nyxar stepped forward. His brothers tried to stop him, but he shook his head.
He knelt and took her hands, meeting her gaze directly.
Nothing happened.
"I know you were wronged," he said gently. "And I swear to you, we would never choose that fate for you."
She felt the truth in him. The rage faded, replaced with shame and grief.
Nyxar stood and turned to his brothers, whispering something.
They nodded.
And for the first time since her curse began, Medusa dared to hope.
Nyxar stepped forward and spoke softly to Medusa.
"We might not be able to reverse what was done to you. But we can still change something."
Their eyes glowed brighter.
Medusa felt it immediately. The weight on her body lifted. The scales along her skin faded away, and the cold stiffness vanished. The snakes writhed once more, then dissolved into light. When it faded, her hair fell freely around her shoulders, golden and radiant.
She gasped.
"We've returned you to what you once were," Caelum said. "A sorceress. You can still summon the snakes if you choose to. But only by your own will."
Medusa stared at her hands, then at her reflection in a shattered piece of stone. She looked human again. Truly human.
Tears filled her eyes.
"Thank you," she whispered.
With one last look at the brothers, she vanished, returning to the mythical realm.
The boys' eyes remained glowing as they turned to the destruction around them. Ruins rebuilt themselves. Stone cracked and softened, returning people to flesh and breath. Fear faded from their faces as memories blurred and dissolved, leaving only confusion behind.
When it was done, the brothers returned home as if nothing had happened.
From afar, Hermes watched in silence. Then he smiled faintly and disappeared.
Inside the house, the boys collapsed onto the couch, exhausted.
Before any of them could speak, a knock sounded at the door.
They groaned in unison.
"Please don't let it be Hermes," Caelum muttered.
Aelion opened the door.
An old woman stood there, hunched and smiling gently.
"Are you Aelion, Caelum, and Nyxar?" she asked.
They nodded, uneasy.
Her smile widened. Her irises shifted, glowing with an unnatural light.
"I apologize," she said calmly. "But this must be done."
She blew a cloud of shimmering dust toward them.
Darkness took hold.
When the house fell silent, the woman was gone.
And so were the boys.