Answers of the past

"Would my loved ones be better off without me?" The words had left Jos's lips before she'd even realized she'd spoken. She looked away as her cheeks heated and pain settled in her chest.

Hypnos studied her as he rubbed his chin. "That's a weighted question. There's not a simple answer. You would have to be a bit more specific." He pushed away from the table and stepped closer to her. "Which loved ones, exactly?"

Jos frowned as she stared down at the statue. "Russ, Shelly… Cam… I can't help but wonder if Camilla would be here now if she had never met me."

A thoughtful smile curved his lips. "Would knowing help you, even if you could not change things?"

Jos shrugged as she turned to face him. "I don't know…" Her pleading eyes held his. "But either way, if there was some way you could answer that for me…" Her gaze moved down to her hands as she fumbled with the hem of her blouse. "I would owe you… Whatever you'd want…"

His brow lifted. "That's a potentially dangerous offer for something that may not give you the answers you'd like."

She shrugged again. "It doesn't really matter anymore."

His smile fell. He took a step closer, closing the distance between them. He hooked a finger under her chin and lifted her gaze to meet his. "I offered, so I'll not ask for anything in return this time…"

Her brows furrowed. "This time?"

He nodded. "There will be a time when I'll need you… But I'll not ask this favor of you in exchange for what I'm about to do now. I shall hope that by then, you will simply agree without question… for other reasons…"

Jos swallowed hard, not liking the glint in his eyes. "If you're asking me to trust you… I'm not sure I'll ever be able to do that… so…" She could swear his eyes narrowed on her before he quickly turned away from her.

"Understandable. I have done some…questionable things to you." He held out his hand, still not turning back toward her. "Perhaps then, consider this my way of atoning for those less than desirable behaviors."

Jos blew out a shaky breath as she reached out and took his hand. "Perhaps you could also explain why you did those things one of these days…"

He was silent for several long moments until he finally muttered in a low voice. "Perhaps…" He glanced at her from over his shoulder. "Ready?"

Jos nodded and squeezed her eyes shut as the air around her began to swirl. Dizziness set in as her entire body seemed to be forced into a gaseous state.

"Open your eyes." Hypnos muttered as he released her hand.

Jos gasped as her eyes adjusted to the bright sun shining overhead. She stumbled back as her hand flew to her mouth in shock. She could have never imagined in a million years she'd be standing in this very spot face to face with the person she missed most. "Cam…" Her voice broke as the name came out as a surprised whisper.

Hypnos steadied her. "There's no need to whisper, she cannot see you." He pulled her against his body to better support her as he released his hold on one shoulder. He reached out past her, his hand moving through the smiling body before them. "We are no more than phantoms in one of the many wrinkles of time. This is but one of the many possibilities that could have been… but the most likely possibility had she not met you…"

Tears flowed freely from Jos's eyes as she followed Cam around the gardens. "I remember this day… It was the day she…"

Hypnos nodded as he stayed by her side. "Yes… Do you remember this day well?"

Jos nodded, her gaze moving around the garden to the children's play area. Sure enough, the two tiny three-year-old twins were there roughly playing.

"Be careful children! Shelly do not push your brother!" Cam's motherly voice echoed through the garden causing the children to immediately behave… and Jos's heart to tighten.

Jos clutched her chest as she walked over and lowered to a crouch beside Cam. "I've missed her so much…" She reached out to caress her friend's face, but her hand went through instead. She blew out a sigh as she stood back up. A sad smile curved her lips. "They seem so happy."

"Yes, they do…" Hypnos came up beside her and guided her to one corner of the garden away from Cam. "But happy never lasts long…" His eyes moved to the heavy metal gates, and Jos's heart sank. "You see, in this reality Alesandro and his brother are still at odds. Fernando still won favor with the vampires, and the attack still happens."

The back gates busted open as Hypnos spoke. Jos's fearful gaze moved from the men breaching the garden to Cam and the kids. Shelly and Russ had both already made it to Cam's side and clung to her skirts. "No!" Jos said as she darted toward them, but Hypnos caught her and pulled her tightly against his body.

Men burst through the back doors of the palace with Ales in tow, a gun held to his head. "All that has changed with your absences is their fate…" He wrapped his arms tightly around her as the vampires advanced on Cam and the tiny twins.

Jos squeezed her eyes closed painfully tight. She couldn't bear to watch as Cam and the children's screams echoed around the gardens. She buried her face in Hypnos's robes. "Please… I've seen enough… Please…"

He waved a hand in front of them, and the garden became silent. He loosened his hold on Jos. "There is no future where your friends live."

Jos turned, but as soon as her eyes landed on the bodies spread across the back lawn, she quickly spun back around. She clung to his robes, her eyes clamped shut once again. "I've seen enough…"

He nodded. "Very well… There is one other thing I'd like for you to see."

The air around them shifted once again. A small, familiar, beach cabin came into view. Jos gasped as her eyes settled on a younger Arei. She clasped Hypnos's hand tightly as she took a step back. She shook her head. "I don't remember this…"

Hypnos nodded as his eyes moved over the young pair walking up the beach path hand in hand. "Again, this is but one possible reality among many." He flipped his hand in hers and clasped her hand. He began walking closer to the young couple. "You should probably hear this…"

"Is-isn't it too soon?" A young Jos clung to Arei's arm as they made their way down the path. "What… what if-"

A wide smile spread across Arei's lips as he pulled them to a stop. He turned to face her. The hand holding her raised to his lips. "I'm not saying we tell everyone right away, but it's Ry." His smile widened. "You're not asking me to keep secrets from my twin now, are you?"

The young Jos swallowed hard as she shook her head, her hand moving instinctively to the front of her loose-fitting gown. "Of course not… but…"

Arei's smile widened, showing off bright white teeth. His hand moved down to rest over the one at her waist. "Then no buts…"

Jos's eyes were trained on the wedding band resting on Arei's hand. "We… we are married…"

Hypnos nodded. "And that's not all." He waited silently as Jos continued watching the scene play out.

Her eyes widened as Ry stepped out onto the porch of the cabin. "Are you two going to leave me waiting alone all night? Come on already! The food's getting cold."

"In this reality, Ry and Arei were still sent to investigate the Kraken, but Zeus did not interfere… or rather he was not involved at all."

Her brows furrowed. "But how?"

Hypnos sent her a faint smile as he nodded after the couple. "I'll explain, but first let's follow." He placed a guiding hand on the small of her back and pressed firmly until her feet began moving. He slid his arm around her waist as they waited for the trio to move inside the house. A warm smile spread across his lips as he watched Jos take in every second of every word, but still not notice the most important reason he'd brought her to this exact moment. His gaze lifted to the young pair on the porch. Arei's hand continued rubbing the side of her nearly flat stomach as the three of them chatted. Hypnos chuckled as he nudged Jos toward the stairs. "Shall we?"

Jos nodded. Her hand trembled as she reached out for the familiar porch railing. It had been so long ago, the memories only vague fragments until now. She paused outside the door. "Regardless of what happens inside… thank you…"

A sad smile curved Hypnos's lips as he nudged her once again. "Perhaps you should withhold your thanks for now." He nodded forward.

Jos stiffened, refusing to move farther inside just yet. "No… it doesn't matter… thank you for doing this… even if it is just a dream or a reality that never existed… thank you."

Hypnos blew out a sigh. "Very well… Let's continue, shall we." He guided Jos into the small living room of the cabin directly across from the kitchen table. The three were seated around the table, and Arei's large frame was completely engulfing Jos to the point she could barely be seen. One large arm was wrapped around the back of her chair, his hand rubbed her upper arm. His voice echoed through the room in a deep sing-song manner. His eyes twinkled as his attention moved to the small body in the chair between his legs.

"We're going to have a baby." Arei announced proudly, his free hand lowering to her stomach below the table. His wide, proud smile warmed the entire room.

Tears trickled down Jos's cheeks as she watched in stunned silence. He was so happy… why couldn't he be like that now. "You have to tell me… what changed? Why is he so different now?"

Hypnos's voice was low as he spoke. "The rebellion against Zeus was successful in this reality. He was dethroned and imprisoned in Tartarus alongside his father."

Jos's brows furrowed. "And Hera?"

Hypnos shook his head as he waved his hand causing the warm scene to vanish. The air shifted ominously around them. Hypnos placed a stabilizing hand against Jos's back as their surroundings took shape. They now stood on a cold beach. Fog clung heavily in the air causing a dark, depressing grey along the wreckage-littered beach. The sound of painful moans guided them through the dense fog.

As the waterline came into view Jos gasped. "No…" Her hand flew to cover her mouth as she backed into Hypnos. Her eyes filled with tears blurring the scene in front of her.

Hypnos watched sadly as a blood-soaked Jos struggled to shift forms. Spasms of the large swell of her human stomach could be seen from where they stood. Her trembling hand clutched it as she fell against the sand once again. She cried out again the painful contractions as she curled into a ball. "There is no reality where either of our greatest desires are acquired." He wrapped his arm around her and clasped her arm, holding her tightly against him. The cries of pain surrounded them, held in by the thick fog. They both watched helplessly as an underdeveloped fetus was forced into the world months too soon. The gut-wrenching shrieks of mother for child drown out Jos's soft sobs. He tightened his hold on her. "I shall never have Hera's love, and you will never have a child." A gust of wind blew in from above the fog as massive black wings broke through. Hypnos watched as Arei pulled mother and child into his arms as he shed silent tears. Hypnos blew out a sad breath. "But regardless of whether it is this reality or another, there is one thing that does not change. He will always be there for you whenever you need him. There is nothing that will change that." He waved his hand once again and they found themselves back inside Jos's humble home. He held her out at arms-length and studied her. "You understand now why I've shown you this?"

Jos nodded.

He took a step forward moving his grip from her arms to her face. "And you have the answers you needed?"

She nodded again.

His gaze moved overhead, then to the door, before moving back to her. "Our time here has come to an end, but I shall seek you out again once you've had time to process all you've learned tonight." He pulled her face to him and placed a kiss to her forehead. "Now sleep." He whispered as he vanished.

Jos collapsed against the tiny bed in the corner of the room as the front door was busted open. She struggled against the sleep that gripped her as a figure came running toward her.