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Melinoë had never been, nor did she wish to become, a master of every type of weapon in this world. Although many claimed otherwise, even saying it was her dream or her life's goal. Those were just the usual gossip of beings who understood little about weapons and did not realize they were not toys.
One warrior could not be proficient in every type of equipment. It depended on the weapon itself, its material, its type, and one must not forget the warrior themselves. If, for example, you have a slender build, you can forget about heavy types of weaponry, even if you strengthen your body day and night. Nor should preferences be forgotten - they also play an important role in equipment.
When her mentor taught the young witch about battles and weapons, she always said she was not doing it to make the girl a master, no. She wanted Hades's daughter to be able to use whatever was at hand in case she lost her primary weapon. Of course, Melinoë had never lost her equipment, even during very dangerous descents, but in war, one must be prepared for anything.
So it was no surprise that Melinoë had so many different types of weapons and their aspects. Yes, many of them were too uncomfortable for her, and fighting with them was unpleasant, but during some descents and ascents, they could be useful. The girl even involuntarily felt proud of her collection, especially when her mentor nodded approvingly while examining her entire setup.
Interestingly, Zagreus also had his own weapon collection. It differed greatly from his sister's collection but was also interesting. Of course, the young man had spent a long time searching for his equipment, as Chronos's army had scattered it throughout the house and even beyond. He had also had to spend a few of his resources to repair some weapons.
But he even managed to recover the aspect of Eris. As the young witch understood it, she and Discord had made some kind of exchange for her to give back her gun, and they had struck a deal so that the winged one could sometimes use her weapon. Although exactly what Eris traded the gun for, history does not say, but both Zagreus and she were pleased with it.
Zagreus and Melinoë, after thinking it over, decided to make a temporary exchange to better examine each other's collections. This led to nothing good. Unfortunately, the young man's entire collection was too heavy for the girl. Yes, there were a couple of aspects she liked, but for the rest, her arms tired too quickly, forcing her to take long breaks sometimes. And the young witch's weapons were too dependent on magic and mana, causing poor Zagreus to be constantly zapped by magic.
Although when her brother found the axe and all its aspects, despite the constant tingling in his hands, he happily took it. The young man swung both the axe and the scythe with ease, quickly dispatching enemies. The girl even thought about giving him this weapon - she rarely used it - but quickly changed her mind. Firstly, it was still her mentor's property, as she had given the incantation for the equipment's manifestation, and secondly, Melinoë's weapons could be dangerous for Zagreus, and the slight tingling could turn into something much worse.
During another examination of her brother's collections, the young witch realized something. That neither her collection nor her brother's collection had one aspect. They had aspects of many gods - both local and from other lands. There were aspects from the past and even the future, but one specific one was missing. Melinoë searched through all the incantations, looked in all the scrolls, even tried to awaken her brother's aspects and her own by herself - but nothing.
The aspect of Chronos was definitely missing - neither she nor her brother had it.
This was strange. Why was Thanatos's scythe present, but not the Titan of Time's scythe? She also checked her sickles - having heard that mortals attributed them to him - and perhaps his aspect was there. Again, nothing. Even in the ancient scrolls, there was no weapon made in his honor. Why was that?
It was probably foolish to be interested in someone else's weapon, especially since Chronos was primarily strong in his powers and essence, but still. Why did he constantly carry that scythe with him, and why did he not give anyone even the right to use it? Perhaps that gift from Lady Gaia had a special property that made it advantageous for him to use it? Or was part of his power sealed within that scythe?
There were so many questions in Melinoë's head, so it was no surprise that she was now nervously and quickly pacing her brother's training ground, waiting for the Titan of Time. If it were up to her, of course, she would have done this at the Crossroads, where there was much more space and it was more familiar, but the girl simply could not let a former enemy onto her mentor's territory for her own benefit.
After a very long time, Chronos himself appeared on the training ground. He looked around one of his grandson's rooms with displeasure, then looked at Melinoë.
"My child, I did not expect you to decide to speak with me alone in such a place."
He said, narrowing his eyes.
"Have you finally grown tired of our battles and beating up Typhon? Do you want to stop? Or do you not like the reward you receive for victory?"
"No, I am completely satisfied with our deal. It's just…"
The girl replied, slightly embarrassed. She had thought for a long time about whether it was worth saying this at all, but then, sighing, she pointed at the staff that was always in her grandfather's hands.
"May I use your scythe?"
She asked carefully. The Titan of Time raised one eyebrow, then first looked at the staff, then at his granddaughter.
"Use my staff? Could you answer my question: why do you need this?"
He said, looking intently at his interlocutor. She grew more nervous but, clearing her throat slightly into her hand, said:
"Simply during my studies of the aspects - both mine and my brother's - I noticed that your aspect is definitely not there. Given the different features of weapons, I would like to see what features your weapon has."
"Is Death's scythe so weak that you decided to use mine?"
Chuckled Chronos, causing Melinoë to involuntarily sigh heavily and tiredly, but she nodded at his words.
"Yes, unfortunately, Thanatos's scythe would be much weaker than your scythe. But mostly it's pure scientific curiosity, nothing more. I promise I'll give back your Hrodreptus right away."
The man looked at the staff, thinking about something. The young witch waited for an answer for a very long time until the Titan of Time, taking the object by its handle and turning it into his scythe, handed the weapon to his granddaughter, narrowing his eyes slyly.
"Well, if my dear granddaughter wishes to study Hrodreptus, who am I to refuse her. Just please be careful: I do not want a single scratch on it."
"Alright, I'll be careful."
The girl nodded quickly, extending her hand. Chronos carefully handed the scythe to his interlocutor, and her smile quickly disappeared when she, yelping, abruptly dropped the scythe to the floor, barely holding onto its handle. She stared in shock at the floor, where small cracks were visible at the spot where the blade had fallen. The Titan of Time only smiled contentedly at this, walking toward a bench that stood in the hall.
"Use it in good health."
He said, sitting down in an empty spot. Melinoë took a deep breath and tried to lift the scythe at least a little, but it was as if it was glued to the floor! She made another attempt - and again nothing. After several attempts to do anything with the weapon, the girl was breathing heavily.
"Impossible…"
She muttered in surprise, looking at the scythe. The young witch had, of course, assumed that her grandfather's scythe was heavy. After all, he himself was tall, and his weapon was not small either. But so heavy that even the handle could barely be lifted?
Hades's daughter shifted her shocked gaze to Chronos. He raised one eyebrow.
"Is something wrong? I thought you wanted to use Hrodreptus to satisfy your curiosity. Have you changed your mind, little granddaughter?"
"No, it's just…"
Melinoë replied uncertainly, trying to figure out how to at least lift the scythe a little. For a full lift and swing, she shouldn't even think about it. That would be something at least. Maybe try to find a stick with a rock and use a lever to lift it? Or lift it by the blunt end of the blade with her feet? Or perhaps…
Suddenly, someone's quick footsteps were heard. The young witch did not immediately understand who had decided to approach her brother's training hall, but, noticing Chronos's displeased gaze directed at the exit, she understood immediately.
"Sister! I didn't know you were coming today. I thought you had important business on Olympus."
Zagreus said, emerging from the shadow of the passageway. He smiled at his sister, and she smiled back, still holding the handle of the scythe and breathing heavily.
"I do have business up there, I just decided to check something. Why are you here instead of checking on Tartarus's security?"
Melinoë asked as her brother approached her. He chuckled, putting his hands on his hips.
"The shadows quickly informed me of your descent here, and I, as the best brother in the world, ran to greet my beloved little sister. Although, judging by the looks of it, I came a little late."
Here, noticing the scythe, he raised one eyebrow in surprise.
"And what are you doing?"
The young man asked, pointing at the weapon. Sighing heavily, the girl straightened up and released the scythe's handle, causing it to fall with a clatter at their feet, miraculously not creating new cracks.
"Trying to train with our grandfather's scythe. But there's a small problem preventing that."
"Ha, how about I show you how to do it? Maybe it's a situation like with your axe."
"I don't think the situations are similar…"
The young witch muttered as Zagreus bent down to take the scythe's handle. Suddenly, a displeased click of the tongue was heard, causing the young man to freeze and immediately look at Chronos. The latter was looking at him disapprovingly, slowly tapping his finger on his knee.
"I do not recall giving you permission to use it, my dear grandson."
The Titan of Time said in the coldest voice the young man had ever heard. He sighed heavily - having, unfortunately, grown accustomed to such behavior from his grandfather towards him. Hades's son even made a mental note that he now understood what true coldness towards someone meant. He used to think that his father was cold to him, but after spending many nights with his grandfather, he realized that Hades had actually been very affectionate with him.
"May I take it?"
Zagreus asked, pointing at the scythe, still bent over. Chronos only frowned even more displeasedly at this, beginning to tap his finger faster. Melinoë coughed awkwardly, trying to come up with something.
"My brother and I have already studied our weapon collections, so it would be fair for him to use your aspect too."
She said, nervously clutching her dress. The man was silent for a long time, then clicked his tongue in displeasure and waved his hand.
"If even one scratch appears on Hrodreptus, you can say goodbye to your weapon collection."
"Okay, okay."
The young man nodded quickly, taking the weapon's handle. Smiling contentedly, he pulled, then stared in shock at the weapon, which had not lifted an inch. Zagreus slowly shifted his gaze to his sister.
"It seems to be heavier than the Bouldy!"
"I… I don't know? I've never touched that shadow's rock."
Melinoë muttered, shrugging. The young man looked at the scythe again, starting to find a more comfortable position.
"So, I think it needs the right approach. Just wait a moment, it's just that… Hrodrupts was lying incorrectly, which makes it hard to lift."
"Hrodreptus."
The girl corrected him, but Zagreus was no longer listening, having found what he thought was the best position. He took a deep breath and leaned forward, pulling the weapon toward him. Surprisingly, the scythe lifted a little - even if just a little - causing the young witch to look at her brother with surprise and even joy, but unfortunately, it was short-lived. The scythe quickly fell back to the ground, creating even more cracks.
The young man breathed heavily, looking at the weapon, wiping away the sweat that had appeared with his hands.
"No, sorry, but it seems impossible. I've carried many different heavy things, but this is like a mountain compressed into a weapon."
"I understand."
Melinoë nodded, sighing. Chronos watched for a while as the two examined the weapon, then chuckled, calmly stood up, and approached them.
"I hope you have satisfied your curiosity and understood what is special about my aspect."
He said, then effortlessly lifted the scythe. Brother and sister involuntarily stared at him, and Zagreus even whistled.
"Incredible. Grandfather, I expected many things from you, but this! That you could lift such a thing!"
"How interesting that you did not expect such a thing from me."
The Titan of Time almost hissed, turning the weapon back into a staff. The young man quickly coughed, putting on a wise expression.
"Because, given that you, our most respected grandfather, are Time itself, that means you are incredibly strong on your own, and you have no need to carry or use a weapon."
Zagreus replied. Chronos was silent for a few minutes, then clicked his tongue, turning to Melinoë - which meant he found his grandson's answer acceptable.
"If you remember all our conversations, my child, you remember that I mentioned my body and that I still feel time and space. Well, my body is nothing more than an object for better control of reality. It is a mere vessel, and of course, completely different laws and rules apply to it."
After which the man pointed his hand at his grandson, causing the latter to flinch and look at him uncomprehendingly.
"For example, his foster mother Nyx could also easily lift this scythe or something even heavier. She too has a vessel, not a body in the sense you are accustomed to. Selene, Eos, Helios also have vessels, and many other Titans or ancient gods have vessels, not bodies."
"Oh, I see."
The girl nodded, deep in thought. Silence fell in the hall, causing the young man to carefully approach his sister, patting her on the shoulder.
"Since you're home, let's at least take a short break. Today our chef outdid himself and made so much food."
"I think that's a good idea."
Melinoë replied, and then she and her brother walked toward the exit of the training hall. Chronos continued to stand in place, examining the staff - apparently looking for scratches or any damage. When they had moved a sufficient distance away, Zagreus carefully leaned toward his sister's ear.
"Although I was more surprised that with his skinny build, he is quite strong. Maybe Skele also holds such power?"
"The vessel also allows one to bypass many other rules that are common for bodies, such as hearing."
The loud voice of the Titan of Time sounded, causing her brother to flinch and quickly exit the room. The girl, however, stood before the passageway for a while, thinking about something, then turned to the man.
"I still don't understand one thing. Why don't you allow others to use the scythe? I mean… Aspects don't always mean the actual weapon of a god or other being. Sometimes it's a copy or an embodiment of power. With you, it's neither one nor the other."
She asked, looking at Chronos. He gripped the staff, not looking at his granddaughter, while she continued.
"I saw your memories, and I know who gave you that scythe, but I also remember how angry you were at the one who did it. So why…"
"My child, let's not have you become like your brother and try to dig into problems where your help is not needed."
The Titan of Time replied unexpectedly harshly, finally looking at his interlocutor with a gaze that was slightly angry, displeased, and with something else strange, unfamiliar to him. She, not expecting this, looked at him in surprise.
"If you have theories, let them remain theories. Unfortunately, this problem is much more complex than my relationship with my ex-wife or even with my sons."
"I understand. I'm sorry I asked."
Melinoë nodded slowly, then quickly turned around and left, leaving a pensive Chronos alone.