“How do titans get married?” Ophelia asks. Helios’ face turns crimson red as he avoids Ophelia's gaze.
"Titans and gods get married in a very interesting way that we can talk about later." Helios answers, still flushed red by the ears.
"I'm not a child; I'm from the future; I know what titans, gods, and humans do." Ophelia says, pushing Helios to his limit, his eyes widening with embarrassment.
"Hold out your hand, Ophelia," Helios asks gently. He takes her hand and starts to whisper ancient words, a language that she had never heard before. A tattoo of a sun starts etching on her right wrist, but she feels no pain. She looks up to see that Helios' deeply blonde hair is turning black by the tips, a shade identical to her hair. Helios releases her hand, and she picks up strands of her hair, noticing that the tips of her hair resembled Helios' blonde hair.
"We are marked for life; any god or titan that sees you will know that you are mine. We can get married the human way if you want, but for now, I'm going to bind you to me."
Helios whispers more words, and a lillie appears on his neck. He leans in to kiss Ophelia, who was simply watching attentively.
"Dawn will soon approach. I need to guide my chariot across the earth. Stay in my palace. Help yourself to what you need. I'll be back before midday."
Helios turns to leave, and Ophelia feels a pain in her chest. She decides to also leave the dream. By the time she is back in reality, Helios is gone, and she is left in a giant golden prison that Helios called a palace. With a heavy heart, Ophelia looks around the opulent palace, feeling trapped and alone. She wanders through the halls, admiring the golden decor but feeling a sense of unease. As she explores, she wonders if Helios will truly return as promised or if she is now truly imprisoned in this beautiful but lonely place. Ophelia can't help but wish she had never left her dream.
Ophelia, not knowing what to do in Helios’ absence, decides to simply sit and wait. So she waited. Time passed by slower than her grandfather making lunch, she thought as she laughed to herself. She recalls her family and the little that she left behind. Tears stream down her eyes as she mixes pain with laughter.
Ophelia had seen a lot in life, including the loss of her parents. They had given up their lives to save hers for reasons that she had never comprehended or wanted to comprehend. Her life had never seen bliss, but she had never made suffering her uniform. She had always tried to find moments of joy and laughter, even in the darkest of times. Ophelia knew that she had a strength within her that had carried her through the toughest of days. As she sat there, waiting for Helios to return, she found comfort in the memories of her family and the love that they had shared. And though tears fell from her eyes, she knew that she would continue to persevere, just as she always had. She wiped away her tears, took a deep breath, and silently promised herself to never give up, no matter what life threw her way. If she had told the story of how she married a titan in a day with no better reason than love, they would clearly deem her mad. She had read enough of their existence to know that her new reality would be much different. She had told herself that if she could not have her present back, then she could live a future with Helios. She remains on the bed, pondering all that has happened to her so far, when suddenly there’s an ominous light, and she starts to crawl back onto the bed. Ophelia hears a clap and falls into the ominous light. She feels herself falling through the air and starts to scream with her eyes closed.
“Human!” An angry voice calls out. Ophelia opens her eyes. She is in a stadium surrounded by giants. She felt like an ant among men; fear took over her mind.
“Ophelia, no!” It was Helios’ voice; she turned around swiftly.
She attempted to speak but felt herself suffocating in the dense air as she opened her mouth.
The voice speaks again. “No human shall speak in front of the gods without permission.” Helios looks up at the bearded man.
“Zeus!” Helios screams, “What is this?”
Zeus looks at Helios, ready to kill; he looks at Gaea, Odin, Poseidon, and in the stadium at a number of other gods not visible to Helios, who was chained to the ground. He could feel his parents and sister’s presence.
Zeus had commanded time to stop using the power of his father, Cronus, which he had stolen long ago. He called for a trail. The gods had sensed that the timeline had changed. A change that no one could ignore. Helios knew he was in serious trouble now. The fact that even his own family members were present among the spectators indicated the gravity of the situation. As the trial began, Zeus laid out the accusations against Helios, accusing him of attempting to manipulate time for his own benefit. The other gods murmured amongst themselves, shocked by the audacity of Helios's actions. But Helios showed no sign of guilt. He had done nothing wrong, so he had nothing to fear. Helios was accused of having slept with a human, something that was also against the law. That he was not yet guilty of. His only current crime was loving a human and marking her. That alone was not grounds for punishment.
From a distance, Hermes approaches, and Helios' blood begins to boil, but he remembers that this was Hermes of the past. The mischievous Hermes that he has known for years.
Hermes speaks with horror on his face. "That child is one of mine!" The titans scream in uproar. How can a child from the future be the child of Hermes, a god?
"I sense in that child the same energy that I exude, the same my children too carry. She is one of mine."
Gaea shrinks to human size and grabs Ophelia by the chin. "She is a descendant of your Hermes and a wish granted by me." Gaea speaks with a grin on her face. Ophelia looks horrified.
Gaea clicks her finger, and a cloud of smoke appears, revealing an image large enough for all to see. Ophelia sees her parents in the gust of smoke. The memory of their death is made clear for all to see.
Ophelia's father runs to save a small girl with bleeding grey wings from the rubble of a mountain. Ophelia's mother holds her tightly.
"I was only twelve." Ophelia whispers while watching the memories play.
Her father starts to run with the young child towards Ophelia and her mother. A few steps away, a huge black bird swoops down, and Ophelia's father throws the child to Ophelia's mother. He whispers inaudible words. He gets eaten by the bird, sacrificing himself to save the child. Ophelia's mother shields her from the gruesome scene, tears streaming down her face as she holds her daughter close. Ophelia and her mother scream in horror as she attempts to cover Ophelia's eyes while picking up the child. She makes a wish for the children to survive. The young child begins to turn into a grey, ashy stone. She crumbles in her arms, and Ophelia and her mother weep. She begs in desperation for someone to save her child. She gets up, telling Ophelia to stay. She runs to attract the bird far away. Ophelia watches in terror as her mother bravely sacrifices herself to save her. Tears stream down her face as she realises the gravity of the situation. The bird swoops down on her mother, and Ophelia can only watch helplessly as her mother disappears into the bird's mouth. She is left alone, heartbroken, and filled with sorrow as she watches the bird fly away with her mother in its grasp. She falls to her knees, devastated by the loss of her family.
"I was only twelve," Ophelia repeats, diverting her eyes from the gust of smoke.
"I granted the mother's wish for trying to save one of my own; I saved the child, but the child of Hermes also granted the daughter a wish. She wished for strength to save her family, and the child of Hermes gave her life force to grant that wish. Your own lives within her, Hermes"
Ophelia's body shook with emotion as she recalled the events that led to her newfound strength. She felt a sense of determination swell within her, fueled by the sacrifice of the child of Hermes. With tears streaming down her face, she watches her younger self hide in confusion, waiting for dawn. Ophelia never knew that her wish was granted to her. Things were slowly beginning to make sense.
