The weather returned to normal. The earth dried, becoming a thick mud that stuck to clothes. Frogs emerged from the forest and settled in sinks outside homes throughout the city. From dusk to dawn, insects followed the lights of streetlights and cars. The young people who had gotten wet in the rain, soiled their clothes in the mud, and the beetles had followed them the day before, were arranged at the bar, accompanied by one with long, colorful braids.
"When you left, how were things?" Dionysus. His words accompanied the spreading of butter on bread.
"Dad, Mom, and I—I mean, Luis and Elizabeth—we cleaned the whole place." Her bowl was filled with milk and cereal. "That Charon guy wasn't there."
—Who is this Charon, Cassandra?— he was still brushing his teeth. — Tell me everything!
"He's a man helping Typhon get back on his feet. From what Eliza's gathered, he also uses Dual Memory, but he can transform on his own." His lips were covered in breadcrumbs. "Charon has nothing to do with our mission. Is everyone ready?"
There the group—the famous, not so famous, but very recent Apollo squadron—gathered. Heleno listened attentively to his sister, nodded, and kept his focus on Amélia. Calisto stretched, practicing her arrow shots in her imagination. Margarida saw herself with her head on her mother's thighs, pondering whether she could kill Heleno and blame the Echidnas, but Amélia's fingers in her curls made her change her mind, burying her six feet under.
"Children! I wish you luck!" Marengo shifts his weight on the floor. "Wish Elizabeth and I luck! We're going to redo the inauguration today. I wanted to help you, but my beloved said no."
— He handed the vial to Cassandra. — Honey, I told you not to worry about them. Calisto faced a swamp monster and Cassandra a giant cockroach; nothing can defeat them after they've dealt with creatures from Chernobyl.
"Exactly, Elizabeth, please take good care of my daughter. If you want, you can give her a scolding." Amélia was tidying the tables. "Cassandra, take care of your brother. I need him alive."
"Oh my god." Cassandra grabbed the phone from Amélia's pocket. "Here, it's my mom's number. You're going to get along great. Come on, guys!"
Everyone lined up, from shortest to tallest. Margarida was in the front row, wearing her leggings, a skirt over them, and the boots her stepmother gave her. Calisto was behind, wearing her floppy shorts above her knees, her hair tied back, and a long white shirt. Hana was third in line, wearing a pink zippered jacket, jeans, and glasses. Heleno was dressed as usual. Cassandra was in front of the others, next to Dionísio.
The group was bathed in sunshine, giving them the same spirit for their mission. Clouds covered the sun, demonstrating the passage of time during the journey.
— Hana, come here! — Hana approached. — Is the number right?
— He had taken off his coat and tied it around his waist. — Yes, that's right, stranger. It's only been five years. — He pointed ahead. — Calisto, let's go play with those kids!
In the middle of the street, a pair of flip-flops was placed at both ends, symbolizing goals. The distance between the goals was 12 meters. A girl with long black hair and caramel skin marked the score in the street with a piece of brick, while two boys played ball. One had brown hair, fair skin, and green eyes, and the other had fair skin and brown eyes.
Calisto took off her shoes and stood in front of the young man with green eyes, who, upon looking at her, handed the ball to her, while running behind the one with brown eyes.
The young man advanced toward Calisto, but she dribbled past him and slipped the ball between his legs. The ball grazed the sole of the green-eyed young man's foot, hit his heel, and at high speed, the ball slammed into the space between his flip-flops, but it wouldn't be that easy.
Hana quickly appeared to defend, lifting the ball, losing a bit of the padding on her finger, but preventing it from scoring. She advanced, gesturing for the brown-eyed boy to follow, the two of them touching together as they advanced on the asphalt soccer field.
Seeing Hana using her special abilities, Calisto waved his hand, and the wind pushed the ball, stopping the touches. The green-eyed boy noticed immediately and ran full speed toward the ball, while Calisto marked Hana.
"Oh my god, we're watching an episode of Super Eleven." She sat on the curb. "Only those two could do this kind of thing." She put her hand in his face. "Come on, Hana, finish her off!"
— Margarida leaned on Cassandra's shoulder. — You can do it, Calisto, finish her off!
The girl who had previously been marking the points switched from the squares she was making to drawings of various shapes. With her small hand, she began to draw what she saw—for her, it wasn't a simple soccer game. She didn't think so, but rather felt in her heart that, with its pumping, was bathing her body in this feeling. In an instant, she drew Calisto with her hair blowing in the wind, and Hana with a wolf at her side, as the two met their faces, separated by just inches.
Every time Calisto tried to score, Hana stopped him, making him pass to the brown-eyed boy, who advanced, but was quickly stopped by the green-eyed boy.
Tired of the back-and-forth, her teeth grew larger, and her speed increased far beyond any wind, faster than a whirlwind. Calisto, seeing she couldn't advance, controlled the ball with her chest and threw it into the air. Like a bullet gaining speed as it falls, the ball did the same. Calisto braced herself and performed a bicycle kick, concentrating all her air in her feet. As her only possible defense, and perhaps an attack, Hana headed the ball, sending it into the air, far from Calisto, near the two boys. But neither of them reached the ball in time. The long-haired girl was the one who reached it, throwing it toward neither goal, but toward Dionísio, who tried to fly to catch the ball but was pulled back by Cassandra, who sighed.
"Dionísio, you can't do this in front of civilians!" he snapped. "Tie, it's over!" Cassandra whistled.
"You two are amazing!" The brown-eyed boy made an explosive hand motion. "My name is Henry!"
— True, brother! — The green-eyed boy jumped. — My name is Nicolas.
— The girl with long black hair held Hana and Cassandra's hands and pointed to the drawing. — My name is Maria!
Hana and Calisto were tired and sweaty, but with smiles on their faces. When they were little, they played on that street, hiding among the trees, ringing doorbells. Looking at that harmonious trio made them happy. The same was true for the group further away.
"Thanks, kids! If it weren't for you, these two would be bothering me." He hugged Hana and Cassandra's necks. "We're looking for Hana's father's house, the one with the black hair. Could you help us find it?"
— Yes— The 3 shouted in harmony.