I expected outrage.
I got silence.
Somehow that just made it a lot worse.
Seeing Pasiphaë enter a quiet rage rather than a heated one sent all my senses on high alert. After all, normal angry is expected and you can calm it down. Cold rage, well, you're already calm. You're just very focused on how to enact that wrath on the one it's directed to.
"Daedalus?" She finally said. "My son, what chains has that damn tinkerer placed you under? No matter what it is, I'll—"
"I'm not," I began before she could build up steam toward the wrong conclusion. "Under any sort of control, mystical or mundane. I'm not being forced to work under him. We are partners and I'm the one who approached him for help."
Pasiphaë blinked, not expecting that answer.
"Asterios, have you forgotten what Daedalus has done to us? Has this new form, this new life not endowed you with the wisdom of all the beast's years, or has the good-hearted naivety of youthful optimism overtaken you?" She said almost condemning in her concern, but well, she might be my mom but I only just met her. Parental disapproval did nothing to me.
"It was literal thousands of years ago. And I did not have the conscious mind to actual hate him, only instincts from my myth. Now, I simply see him as someone that was commissioned to do a task and nothing else." I shrugged.
"Daedalus is a spineless prideful coward that would sooner abandon you the moment it becomes convenient." Pasiphaë insisted. "He will use you for his own ends and nothing more. He would see you no more than a beast." She pleaded.
"When this partnership started neither of us, saw the other as anything but a tool to accomplish our goals. Now, I'd like to think we've become friends." I said with a small smile.
"Truly?" She said, skeptical. "Then would a friend not trust you to act on your own, or..." Pasiphaë waved her hand, and I felt magic move in the air, as something was grabbed out of giant fluff that is my hair, and pulled out of it. It looked like a small pen at first. Then its wings spread and it looked like a mechanical butterfly. "Would they spy on your every movement, waiting to see when to stick the knife?"
"No, Pasiphaë." Daedalus' voice came out of the magitech butterfly. Oh, long range communication without Iris messaging. Cool. "I simply made sure that Asterios would have a way to escape, if you tried some funny business on him."
Pasiphaë held an ugly scowl.
"Me!? You dare insinuate that I'd harm my own child, when you had gladly killed—" Pasiphaë began.
"Mother!" I said with a wide eyed glared that stopped her in her tracks. "No. Too far." I shook my head.
"...Thanks, Asterios." Daedalus' hurt voice answered.
I nodded, only to realize that he wouldn't have seen me nod.
"I saw you nod, the Psychafly has a camera."
"Oh." I nodded again.
"Did you know Daedalus was suppose to make Labyrinth have an exit that you were meant to reach?" Pasiphaë interrupted our bro moment. I blinked at that as the words registered. "Minos might have ordered the creation of the Labyrinth, but I was the one who commissioned it. Paid for it of my own gold. I told the tinkerer to make it have a fixed exit you could reached, but Minos bragged that Daedalus wouldn't be able to make an inescapable maze." She glared at the butterfly as if she could see Daedalus through it. "And through his pride he damned you to that place till your dying days. The myth of the Minotaur only exists because of him. I was forever locked away from my son, because of you!" She shouted this time toward Daedalus.
"And mine and my son's life were in danger. Had I failed, my son would have suffered the punishment! You know how Minos was like?" Daedalus argued.
"So you condemned mine?" Pasiphaë cried out.
"ENOUGH!" I shouted for the first time. My voice shook the table, making Pasiphaë lose her telekinetic hold over the magitech butterfly, as it flew down and landed on the table between me and my mom. "Both of you, enough."
"Asterios..." Pasiphaë spoke, unsure of what my reaction was. If she had angered me and "lost" me to a supposed enemy, or if I was angry at Daedalus for never telling me about this request Pasiphaë had of him.
"Mom," I reached out and took her had, holding it with the utmost gentleness. She looked at the gesture as if it was something foreign. "I understand your anger." I told her. "And Daedalus, I understand the helpless you were once trapped in." I told him. "But can't you both see? All of us were harmed by the actions of the one that connects us. A cruel king who lived as a tyrant, was reward through nepotism to status in the afterlife, and whose actions have scarred us all."
"...Minos." Daedalus said somberly.
"Minos." Pasiphaë growled with genuine hate.
"Mother, the agreement that I had with Daedalus is that he would help me with on my quest to regain Euryale, and in exchange I'd help him regain his son and nephew if applicable. But mainly revenge on Minos. Strip him of his position in the Underworld and trap him away for all eternity. If forgiveness granted by time is too much, then can you not put aside the animosity and be allies of convenience?"
"I can work with that." Daedalus answered.
"... I... accept this alliance." She said after a moment, as if the words were too heavy to say. "For you, Asterios." She looked at me with a small affectionate smile.
I stood up, went to her side as she rose from her seat, and hugged her to my chest.
"Thanks, mom." I quietly said to her. "I understand how difficult tolerating this would be."
"Hmm, you're welcome, my son. And for you I'd bare it without a thought." She hummed in contentment. "Your fur is as fluffy and warm as your father's." She was nuzzling that hair-fur part that went around my neck and down my chest a bit.
"Hmph, thanks." I let out a small laugh, as we basked in the moment of a mother and son hug.
It seemed like everything ended up working out after all. Clear communication for the win!
Then what she said actually registered in my head.
"Wait, what?"
The development of the many different Fate games went much more smoothly after that.
Using me as a connection, Pasiphaë would be able to divine all knowledge about a particular game, and using magic she would fill up sheets of paper with the game script, narration and dialogue and all, while also using illusions to show what the character art, backgrounds, special effects, soundtracks, etc. were like.
We had to open a whole new company, Delta Maze Publishing which was a subsidiary to our original company. Delta Maze Publishing was for the Fate works that we didn't have time to make into a game, since they were manga in my original world, and if we want to rewrite humanity's cultural subconscious, we need to attack from multiple different angles.
...Truthfully we could have made stories like Fate/Redline into a game easily, Daedalus said so.
But I felt I might end up overworking him like that, so I just had him focus on the core important games, so they come out at full polish. Fate/Stay Night, Fate/hollow ataraxia, Fate/Extra, etc.
Delta Maze Publishing would handle the single plot story lines, like Fate/Apocrypha, Fate/Strange Fake, Fate/Zero and so on. This is mainly to give Pasiphaë something to do since after divining all the Type Moon works, she didn't have much to do. So give that she had picked up drawing in her vast life, I asked her to take over as our artist and she was delighted.
Then we had an influx of mortals wanting to be hired and recommended by the students we got from Westover, that we decided to push ahead with Delta Maze Studios.
That's fucking right. We're doing anime now too!
Honestly the biggest mental exercise from this whole thing was that we decided to make all the Nasu works more cohesive.
All works would literally be in one timeline across two worldlines.
Fate/kaleid liner PRISMA ILLYA would technically be a sequel to Fate/Stay Night out of the Fate Route. The idea being that Illya ended up going to an elementary school in Fuyuki due to Shirou's insistence that she never had a proper childhood, and needed to make friends, and she actually fully agreed with that.
Rewriting the Prisma Illya plotline to have FSN Illya, rather than innocent cinnamon roll Illya was... the plot really leaned into the 18+ rating that became outright an "I can't believe it's not loli hentai" anime.
The Ainsworth Worldline would end up as the Fate/Extra world to combine those two settings and story. Also the Fate/Prototype events are also part of the Ainsworth Worldline, but like a prequel set twenty or so years before the Ainsworth Grail War. Same with the Redline events. Had to adjust those a bit, but we could make them fit. Stuff like Fate/Requirm were made as part of a potential future timeline of the Ainsworth Worldline after the ending of Prisma Illya were Illya does her "Magical Girl Miracle" bullshit to save everyone (or close to everyone) shtick.
The Prisma Illya events were also helpful in introducing more about the Fate Greek Pantheon.
We launched Tsukihime two months after Fate/Téras Konístra.
Tsukihime was also introduced as part of the Fate setting, while adjusting things here and there to make them work together. Funny enough we went with Zelretch being present in both worldlines, while not specifying which one was the normal Magician and which one was the Vampire.
We had to change the events of Fate/Apocrypha so that its technically a sequel to Fate/Stay Night, where the components for the grail ritual are stolen by the Yggdmillennia while Shirou and Rin are away in the Clock Tower, after the Unlimited Blade Works Route. Darnic Prestone Yggdmillennia would do this to finalize his grail, while releasing the method to creating Grail War across the world to act as a distraction for his own Grail War. This leads to Fate/Strange Fake happening roughly around the same time as Fate/Apocrypha.
Angra Mainyu would be drained out of the grail, in a ritual the Yggdmillennia thought purified the Grail, but instead was summoned as an enemy Avenger in this Fate/Apocrypha. This in turn would summon Ruler Jeanne d'Arc, not just due to the apocrypha protocols that were part of the Grail, but as an instrument by Alaya to ensure Avenger doesn't get his wish, or infect the Grail again.
It would be an extra side to the conflict, that make those who side with Angra Mainyu, either to use him or thinking he would want to help them, would unequivocally be the villains, and show Avenger's intellectual deviousness. Those siding with Jeanne at the end would obviously be the Heroes. Amakusa Shirou would turn out to be a Fake Final Boss, in place of the True Final Boss, Avenger Angra Mainyu.
This would all help be a contrast to when Avenger Angra Mainyu appears in Fate/hollow ataraxia.
We added a Golden Ending to Tsukihime were Tohno would "kill" Arcueid's bloodthirst, thus freeing her of it, and allowing her to live normally in the world again to stay with him until his life ends.
There's a Harem Ending too obviously, because of course, but it's not the canon ending, despite that fucking troll mod, Concussion DIScussion CORD, in Delta Maze's forums insisting otherwise. I really want to ban them but they haven't done anything to outright break the rules yet. And I was not going to make the community like those of twitter or Youtube would end up being in the future, of just banning or deleting people's accounts haphazardly without explanations, grace period or warning.
I usually try to keep the engagement at a certain level of civility to keep investment, while keeping the social media activity going, but this mod had been enflaming things to an insane degree that I had to use more Minotaurs to act as moderates (not mods) for the chats.
Regardless, the games, manga and future anime were all being worked on. Heck Daedalus finished some of the games and we were just sitting on them so we can release them next year, as we slowly feed the public more and more lore about the Nasuverse. Or rather the Tsunoverse.
I'm not proud of this, but in order to infiltrate the Japanese market, and have their weebs start to spread everything, I used a Pseudonym as the Head Writer of the company. Akai Tsuno. Red Horns. Yes, on the nose but it works.
Everything was progressing steadily without too many problems. Not ones that couldn't be handled at least. Just usual scheduling or delays, etc. No big deal, thank gods.
Months past and...
"Hey, Asterios, I'm starting to learn how to use my demigod heritage. Father is actually a pretty good teacher. Moving and the controlling the earth is surprisingly coming easier and easier for me. Controlling metals is right behind that. I hope to see you at school."
"Hey Asterios! I followed your advice about being the one to approach dad to get to know him. We play Mythomagic on the weekends now. He's pretty tough. I thought I was good with building a strong deck, but he just seems to take any cards and make something scary from them. It's a lot of fun!"
"Asterios, I wonder where you are? Maybe grading papers for next yet at Westover? Hahaha, um, I hope you're well, okay? Bye now."
"Asterios! You won't believe how big Shadow has gotten. Both me and Bianca can ride on him now. I've been talking to a lot of dead people too. They have some of the craziest stories like you wouldn't believe."
"Asterios, I'm getting stronger. Next time you see me, I'll be able to fight by your side, when you fight other monsters. I mean, if we meet again."
Over and over throughout the months since I lelt them at Hades' realm Bianca and Nico would talk to me using the connection to my Name. They would ramble about their day, or talk about something specific or other. It was... nice.
I'm a little bit annoyed at myself for forgetting my promise to get Nico those figurines. Took a while to collect them from around the Labyrinth (a lot of shit tends to get lost here). By then however it was already December. I thought about going to Westover and hand the figurines to Nico myself, but Daedalus warned to at least scout the place before going, since I still was a monster. I was about to scoff a that, but... he is right. If the events of Titan's Curse even remotely happened, then Percy and the gang might be there. Really don't want to fight innocent demigods.
I took Mrs. O'Leary to act as my quick transport, in that she could move from place to place fast with shadow travel, and thus reach the Labyrinth entrance quickly.
I smelled a smell of the wild and nature when I got there. Far away my eyes could see some silver tents.
Wisely I didn't tempt fate and immediately left back to the Labyrinth.
"...Are you sure this is a good idea?" Daedalus asked worryingly. "I mean, you don't have to give it to the son of Hades now. Just do it later yourself."
"Yeah, it's fine, and I promised him to get them to him this year. Besides Hestia is Bestia."
"I thought I was your favorite, my child?" Pasiphaë pouted.
"You are, mother! You are!" Really don't want her pouting and whining on me now.
Daedalus facepalmed while saying something about being a "mommy's boy", even while being a grown man and monster.
I ignored him and focused on my offerings. Daedalus and Pasiphaë made themselves scarce.
A literal feast that I dumped it all into a pyre.
We weren't within the Labyrinth when I was doing this, but outside the Labyrinth gate in Los Angeles.
"Lady Hestia, please accept this offering. While I understand that this coming from me is odd, a while back I had made a promise to a demigod called Nico di Angelo, while on a job to protect him. I promised that I'd collect all the Mythomagic figures and get them to him, however due to circumstance and my obvious nature I can not do so now. Soon he should be joining Camp Half-Blood. I'd ask if you could deliver my gift to him. You can rightfully check if these figurines are harmful in anyway and I'd accept any punishment if they are. I send them in good-nature and good will." I said as the flames held an interesting hue and intensity.
I felt the presence of the goddess then. Firm and heavy, thick with a desire for protectiveness. Yet the second it saw all my offerings and the figurines and saw nothing malicious within them, that presence turned to one of warmth, and curiosity upon me.
"It's nothing really important. Just fulfilling a promise." I repeated myself, while awkwardly rubbing the back of my head and looking away.
The presence was now one of amusement, yet the warmly hue of kindness was more prevalent. I felt her accepting, that she would deliver my gift safely to Nico. A dropped the Mythomagic box into the flames, and it vanished.
"Thank you, Bestia." I said cheekly.
The goddess's presence showed confusion.
"Because you're Hestia and you're the best." I grinned.
Surprisingly I felt her embarrassment before her presence left the bonfire.
"Wow, she really doesn't get complimented a lot, does she?"
"Say I know Hermes invented the internet, but did he invent social media?" I asked Daedalus one day.
"No, it sort of organically happened on its own." Daedalus said.
"What are you thinking of, Asterios?" Pasiphaë asked.
"I'm kinda wonder that the Fate franchise is constantly in the public mind, we need an active presence on social media." I said. "Actual social media not forums."
"So what are you suggesting?" Daedalus asked.
"Next year after we release Fate/Stay Night and Fate/Zero, after the mortal employees take their cut, we don't really use the money or have need of it." I said.
"We need it a little bit." Daedalus said.
"How much do you think Twitter is worth?" I asked.
"Hmm, twenty? Twenty five million maybe?" Daedalus guessed.
"So what if we save up double that amount and just buy the whole platform, and use it to keep the games relevant?" I said with some excitement at the idea. It should be doable right?
"Well first, you're gonna have to convince the owner to sell it to you."
A voice spoke.
It wasn't anyone we knew.
Daedalus, Pasiphaë and I swirled to the voice in haste ready to fight, when the blood was drained from our face.
She was sitting on one of the computer, like she had been there all along.
"After all, while your forums were very fun, why would I give up my fertile ground of constant flame wars." Eris grinned deathly at us.
"Eris!" Pasiphaë cried out and got her spells ready, weaving the Mist around us, so we can get ready act. "How did you get here?"
"Oh I was here for a while." Eris nodded, still holding that grin. "I can reach any computer that has someone causing conflict from it."
Daedalus look at me and nodded. We had a contingency for when a god might enter the Labyrinth and find us.
Over the centuries Daedalus had tried to replicate the work of the gods. Sometimes to success, sometimes to failure. He had endless chances to do it over if he failed, or try an improve it if he succeeded.
I had gathered all the golden nets based on the one Hephaestus made to capture his wife and Ares in their cheating act, and stockpiled them in a room in the Labyrinth. Using the Labyrinth I had them gathered, ready to throw them at Eris and trap her were she stood.
"Why are you here?" I said gaining her full delighted attention.
"Did you honestly think there wouldn't be ripples? That no one would notice what this little conspiracy was up to?" Eris had a vulpine smiled.
"...Maybe." I replied.
Eris laughed. It sounded her hype, joy and a dreadful undercurrent of spite.
"I mean, forget the Sunny Boy, you literally had Hades' little girl in the game, and then sent her home where she talked about said game. Did you really think he wouldn't get curious? And back to Apollo, a 'Japanese' visual novel about monsters of mythology? Interesting. But if he found out that it's actually from a company based in the U.S., don't you think he'd come to check you out himself out of pure admiration for the arts if nothing else?" Eris said.
Well when she puts it like that.
"I was trying not to think about it." I said.
Golden nets were in position. I signaled for Daedalus and Pasiphaë to get ready. Mom hiding my actions, and Daedalus about to jump into his security system.
"Hahahahaha! Seriously? I mean, I didn't even mention Ariadne. You remember her, right, Pasiphaë? Your daughter that became a Goddess of Labyrinths and Puzzles? Not this, The Labyrinth, specifically, but labyrinths in generally. Surely any day now she would have felt how oddly organized The Labyrinth, and think to investigate." Eris continued.
"...I actually forgot she exists." I replied.
Pasiphaë looked at me with a complicated expression, like she wasn't sure to be surprised or to laugh. I guess there's some bitterness between them?
Eris laughed louder.
"Oh come on! You guys are in this conspiracy to change the very nature of the world. Or influence it massively. Sure, it's not gonna be a big change in the long run, but you should have stepped up your security game." Eris said, gesturing with her thumb pointing up a few times.
"Well, we are thankful for your insight, Lady Eris." Daedalus reached the secret button for his defense system to activate.
"But then again, I couldn't fault you. The games? Those stories? And not to even begin on the ones you're going to release in the future? It is so. Much. Fun." Eris' smile seemed to fill her face in delight.
Everything was ready. We had her surrounded her and she didn't even notice.
"So I want in." Eris said, completely ecstatic.
And naturally our attack plan slammed into a wall with that unexpected curve ball.
"Pardon?"
"Excuse me?"
"WHAT!?"
No, seriously, what the fuck is this? Another member? A conspiracy?
Why do I feel like I'm in a rabbit hole being dug around me and I'm falling deeper into it?