The God of Gravity part 3: Apocalypse

What Matters Most

“Where's Sander?” I ask Philip although, somehow, I feel I already know the answer.

His chest expands as he tries to take in some air to prepare what he's about to say. “He's dead, Leo,” he says. I was right. “He saved me from the masked men. I'm sorry.”

I squeeze my forehead trying to forget what he said but I can't. Maybe he's bluffing for some reason. “You're lying, right?” My voice is shaking.

“No, Leo.” His eyes and posture are firm. “It's the truth.”

“NO!!” I scream. No, no, no!!! This can't be!! This is my fault! If I never went to Olympus, I could've saved him!

He holds my shoulder with his hand and shakes me from the emotion. It will take more than that. “It's hard to believe… even for me. I was there when they killed him and what he said before that was, ‘Survive!’ So I did. I cannot put his sacrifice to go to waste. I wondered what I could've done to save him but it was too late in thinking so. My mind was not clear and couldn't think of any idea to save both of us. But he remained intact and found a way to save me. That made him the bravest guy I knew.”

I remember the past. It was like yesterday that we walked on the roads of Hades District. Nobody was thinking about this disaster. It was peaceful but now it's gone. Sander is a good friend but now he's gone. I can't wipe my tears inside my mask so I let them wet my neck. Wiping it won't matter anyway.

“I know he is in Elysium, ” I say, trying not to sob. “enjoying with other warriors before him.”

“Yes, he is.”

I feel finer now. Fine enough to stop sobbing. It took me a couple of seconds before I could ask, “Have you seen my family?”

The firm expression on his face does not change as he answers, “I haven't, because I don't know where you live. Want me to help you look for them?” I nod and he looks back to his new comrades. “Is it okay for me to help him search for his family for a while, my lord?” he asks Jasper.

Jasper looks at the goddess and she nods once. “Alright, she says it's fine. And in the meantime, let's get into hiding. The masked men are coming.”

“I'll slay them all,” she says. She said in a way that I know she could. Earlier, I know she spared us but I don't know why.

I can sense them a mile away. “There are a lot of deities with them,” I say and she narrows her eyes at me.

“How do you know?” asks Jasper.

“Nobody can hide anything from my senses.” Except for Darius. “The same goes with your disguise, Jasper. If you try to sabotage us from the inside out, I will be there to find you.”

I can tell he is smirking by the look of his eyes through his goggles. “Not that I'd do it,” he replies. “And let's retreat, for now, my lady. We'll get the chance to kill these masked men anytime soon.”

She walks away, stomping her first step. She's angry. Jasper nods at me before turning. Hyeon's brother didn't gesture to me or anything.

Nodding, I turn to look at Philip to say, “On second thought, Philip. I'll find my family alone. You go with them.”

I give him a fist bump before I look into his eyes. He looks sure of his decision to join them. “Be careful,” he says.

“Same goes to you.”

“And one more thing,” he says when I was about to turn. He wears off the knapsack around his shoulder and hands it to me. I grab it.

“What's this?” I ask.

“Inside, it's a message from Lord Seok to Lady Aiko. The messenger god told me to deliver it when he gave me the boots that I can now control. I figured out that you are with Olympus and I can trust you with the message. I didn't open it, don't worry.”

We nod once more and we part ways. This time, our paths are entirely different. I wonder when will be the time I feel like a stranger to him because it's only been a year and I feel I don't know him.

-

*

As they part from Leo, Hiroki asks Jasper, “Why do you have to mention that we come from Ra? Do you want them to know we ‘cleaned’ something there?”

“It doesn't matter anyway, Hiroki.” He smirks. “A little message such as that is only for my sister to be proud of what his brother has done. They will not catch us anyway.”

Hiroki is confused and suspicious. This is another riddle—which he does not want to know the answer.

*

-

I scramble from the street and into hiding. They are on the other side of the street while I'm alone on my way to my home. Using my senses, I can tell the masked men have arrived at where we come from. I slip past by some of them like I'm nothing but a breeze not worth their attention. Through the buildings, I go. They help me hide from plain sight. Then when I feel confident enough that there is none of them near me, I go out in the open just to see if the neighborhood is the same as I remember. It's not.

My running is reduced to walking. There are no ashes or broken buildings as I remember it. Now, it's everywhere. I walk on the road beside the playground. The swing I used to sit on is still there but covered in ashes. I climb over the fence to get near it. I feel vomiting because I stepped on a body of a child under the ashes. The squishing sound of its flesh… I couldn't bear it! Going near the swing is a bad idea after all. I don't know how many bodies of dead children I'll step on before I reach it. 

This makes me weak. I need to rest for a while before I can continue walking to my home. I sit on the bench far from it. It's strange that something like that is enough to tire me. I could lift an entire ship all by myself but not this heavy feeling denser than anything in this universe. I couldn't help but think if it's luck or bad luck that I survived. Because I survived just to witness these horrors—that's not luck. I've been out for weeks so I'm used to seeing dead bodies but why am I… Nevermind. Time to go now. My family is waiting for me.

I continue without running. I know they would've left home because of the masked men. They have already left home. I know they will escape if they know that evil men are going to kill them. 

Something chokes me… 

My home…

It's destroyed…

Whose feet are those under the rubble? Maybe they're the masked men Mom and Dad defeated. Yes… they are, there's no doubt. So, I don't need to worry. They have escaped and I just have to keep searching across the Human Districts to find them. Yes, I'll do that. I turn around and leave.

Who am I kidding?

They're dead.

Leo, your entire family is dead…

-

*

Walking away at a painfully slow pace, Leo looks like he could fall onto his knees in any second. His eyes are hollow as well as his mouth. As if his soul is leaving through them. The ashes fly around randomly around him when his knees hit the floor.

*

-

I look at the palms of my gauntlets. Is this real? Is this just a nightmare? If so, I want to wake up!

I squeeze my head with both of my hands. Closing my eyes I can tell I have awakened. I open them again and I see the truth.

I wake up in a world where nightmare and reality are the same. The nightmare is real.

I cry alone in this street. 

“It hurts! Mom, Dad, Hera, Sander… Why did you leave?!! I still have many things to do with you, you know that! I wanted to taste you cooking again, Mom! I want to hear your puns again, Dad! I want to take you to school just for once, Hera! I want to show you how strong I am now, Sander! Why did all of you leave me?!!” 

I went to Olympus to become strong enough to protect all of you but… I failed to do just that… What am I even here for? I run around telling people I'm going to be the King of Olympus… but I can't even protect the people I love. Maybe it's best if I die now… Yes… I won't be able to feel pain… And I will meet them again and tell them how I love them… Yes, I will do that…

I have a knife at the side of my leg armor. I pull it out and it glistens under the gray light above me from the clouds. This armor protects me from getting killed. It gets in the way. Never mind, a knife in the head is the quicker way. I remove my helmet and feel the tip of the knife on my scalp. My blood flows on my face and I can taste it from my lips.

Wait… What am I doing?

I drop the knife and its clattering noise echoes throughout the street. It startles me and allowed me to think reasonably. I was about to kill myself! What was I thinking?! Mom, Dad, Hera, Sander, and Macky won't let that happen! I have to live on with or without them! I know that's what they want for me. Although… it's hard to live with the feeling of regret.

I've never cried so hard in my entire life. The pain is just too much for me to bear and stop crying. My will is collapsing before it. I feel that the pain is a knife buried deep into my chest. Pulling it out is painful, at the same, I feel pain as long as it's there. But if I pull it out so suddenly, I will die. Maybe that's life… We all have knives in our chests. 

“Wear your helmet, dude,” says someone beside me. It's Darius. 

“You're back? I thought-” He pulls me up to stand.

“I figured out to explore the Human Districts a little longer to find survivors.”

I know he's lying. He doesn't want to admit that he knows how will I react if I find out my family is dead. “Darius,” I say to him. “my family's gone.”

He just gives me a nod and a pat on the back. He doesn't know how to say. “Let's bury them properly, at least,” he says.

I'm hesitant to decide if I want to. Just seeing their feet from the rubble, I was barely able to bear it. What more if I see their dead faces and rotting bodies that used to give me the warmest hugs I've ever had? But I need to bury them properly for their honor.

“Alright,” I nod. “Let's bury them.” My sobbing is a little weaker now. I think I can bear this. 

I wear my helmet. One by one, we dig up the debris that is covering them. Dad is on top of Mom, probably tried to protect her and Hera from the falling debris. But the strength of his body was not enough. So the heavy debris that came from one of the skyscrapers that surrounded our home, crushed the three of them. If it was me, I would have saved them. If visiting my family crossed my mind that time, it wouldn't come to this.

Darius insisted he will pull them out himself in my place so I let him. “You said your ‘whole family,’ right?”

“What?” I ask.

“Your sister is not here,” he said and a sudden pulse in my face makes me gasp. I went to take a look and there's only Mom and Dad! 

“She might have escaped and rescued by someone!” My heartbeat goes faster than my breath could manage. There's a chance that she is alive! I still have enough reason to keep searching for survivors! “Thank goodness… thank goodness… Thank you, Darius.”

“Well, I didn't help that much but uh…”

“No, if you didn't help me or tell me we should bury them, I wouldn't know it.” I show him my fist and he gladly bumps his fist.

A few minutes later, we covered them with the blanket from our family belongings. We dig up graves for both of them. I decided to put them in the same hole. They love each other so much more than I could. So, it helps me think a little more positively if they are embracing each other until the end to remind me that their love is still here and will never end. With stones and ashes, we cover their grave.

On top of the grave, using a piece of plank and my knife, and instead of their names, I carve,

“Mom and Dad, 

I will find Hera and keep her safe. So rest without worry.

Your son, Leonide.”

I take another glance at the grave before we leave. I read again what I have written so I won't forget it. That being said, I close my eyes as I turn. The words are engraved in my head. I don't care about being the King of Olympus right now. What matters is that my little sister is waiting for me to find her.

Hang on, Hera. Your brother is coming to find you.