Beethoven looks to the sky as he finishes his melody, sighing as he feels a single tear fall down his face. ". . ." He gives it a tap with his unbroken fingers and looks at it for a few seconds. Rubbing it with his thumb a bit. How long has it been since he cried? "... …" He lets on a VERY slight smirk, as he finally stands and looks to Pandora whose eyes have welled with tears along with the entire stadium.

"W-what? What IS this…?" One of the gods mutters as he wipes tears from his eyes but they're instantly replaced by more. "I… I can't stop crying!?" He looks to his neighbor who is also crying waterfalls of tears.

Heimdall sniffs and stutters as he jumps down. "I-In spite of what we just witnessed! The death of the deadly Sett! I'm so emotional! I do not understand!? B-but in spite of this! This concludes the fourth round of RAGNAROK! W-we will begin preparations for the next bout! SOMEONE GET ME A TISSUE!" He yells and runs off.

Beethoven gently cups Pandora's face and wipes her tears away. "..." He shakes his head and gently guides her away, Icarus following.

Osiris wipes a tear away as well. seeing Ra furiously stomps off. "That little Pandora… this is NOT amusing anymore!" He grumbles, Osiris looking down at Beethoven's piano.

"That melody he played…" Sobek glances over with a questioning look also wiping away some 'manly tears'. "It was a rendition of the battle, from start to finish."

"Huh? What do you mean?"

Osiris smiles and gestures around. "Each strike that human delivered, and each response Sett made. All of them were accompanied by the human's music. The song he just played WAS the battle. He truly did compose a masterpiece together with Sett…" He flicks a few tears away from his eye. "Oh Sett..."

Sobek takes a deep breath through his nose. "I… I'm sorry, Osiris. Had I been there in time I could've-"

"You needn't blame yourself, Lord Sobek. If ANYONE had been there in time he would've been stopped. I will go see what Lord Ra has in store for the next round. You are free to do what you please of course."

Sobek nods. "Right. Then I will go back to the palace…" He says through slightly grinded teeth. Osiris notes how one of his arms is partially transforming back and forth into his primal form.

"Certainly, lord Sobek,"

As Sobek walks down the hallway he grits his teeth. "Sett… you fucking… How dare you die? HOW DARE YOU!?" He suddenly grows into his crocodile form and Sobek smashes a gigantic hole in the wall. "HOW DARE YOU DIE BEFORE YOUR UNCLE!?" He punches another wall, panting loudly. "You… we… just… one more prank with you… is that too much to fuckin' ask?" He grinds his crocodile teeth and slowly turns into his normal form. "Damn you…"

Izanami puts a hand on her cheek, not having cried a single tear. "Such splendid music from that human. Quite the display I must say."

Izanagi nods. "Indeed. But we lost once more. As expected when our combatant was from The Duat."

"I do so miss little Horus. Such a nice boy…" Izanami says with a sigh. "Now it's just… him." She glances towards Ra's now empty throne.

Pandora and Icarus walk Beethoven to the infirmary, Icarus supporting the musician on his shoulder, having his wing wrapped around his upper body as if to use it like a warm blanket. Beethoven looks up at the entrance seeing his father and teachers all waiting for him. "..."

"There he is! My greatest son!" His father proudly calls out opening his arms, as Beethoven's teachers all chime in. "I noticed so many of MY lessons in your music!" "Mine as well!" His father steps up holding out his arms for a hug, and Beethoven steadies himself Icarus stepping back as he looks at his teachers.

"..." He looks at all their faces before he opens his arms slightly and his father steps forward, only for Beethoven to move to the side as Christian steps forward tightly hugging him.

"Ludwig! Y-you did it! You actually did it! I'm so glad you're safe!" He cries out, now being the same size as Beethoven due to the golden age.

"..!" Beethoven winces a little, Christian stepping back.

"S-sorry! I'm just… I was so worried,"

"..." Beethoven grabs his cheeks as well, wiping the tears away before he gently guides him into the infirmary with him so they can sit down.

"What about US!? Ludwig! DO NOT ignore your father!" Johann angrily calls out and Beethoven turns around, giving his father a glare followed by a middle finger and he slams the door right in his face. Johann is about to grab the handle when Icarus grabs his arm and shoves him back.

"Hey… piss off and leave him with his dad will ya?" He says and Johann feels a vein pop on his forehead.

"I AM his father!"

"Biologically maybe. But there's a hell of a lot more to being a parent than that! Now GO!" Icarus snaps and all of the teachers rush off, Johann also reluctantly leaving. "Asshole…" He mutters, Pandora gulping a little.

"Are you… okay?" She gently rubs his arm and Icarus steps away leaning against the wall.

"I'm fine. I just… he was no 'father' to Beethoven. A father is kind… someone worth fighting to protect. I can't see Beethoven fight to protect HIM!"

Pandora sits down next to the door. "I… I can't see it either. Cruel fathers… I can't imagine. I love my dad! He's so kind and sweet!" She says and Icarus grips his arm tightly.

"Yeah. Right,"

Pandora looks up seeing Icarus looks slightly annoyed. "S-say Icarus. Where were you? You were gone for a while when I went to see my dad. Remember?"

Icarus looks back. "I went to see MY dad. Just like you. Don't worry about it,"

Pandora smiles. "Yeah!? How is he? I bet your dad's super nice too! He definitely raised you well!"

Icarus moves his wing up slightly to cover his mouth, glancing to the side again. "Yeah. He's doing as good as he can be…"

-Before Round 4-

Icarus walks around on Mt. Olympus, clearly knowing exactly where he's going. He heads down. WAY down. He ends in front of a large metal door with the words "Prison of Crete". He steps through the door and enters what appears to be the outside, on a large island surrounded by absolutely nothing but an ocean. The door itself is simply standing in the middle of a field, guarded by giant Olympian monsters. Icarus walks onto the island over to a large city built going up a mountain, walking past a bulky man in a Greek robe, pushing a giant boulder up the hill. "Hey, Sisyphus."

The man stops his pushing briefly. "Oh hey Icarus, my boy! Here to see your old man?"

Icarus pauses and snaps out of his gloomy expression. "Yeah. I haven't seen him in a while. Is he… alright?" He steps in next to Sisyphus and starts to help him push the boulder up the hill.

"He's doing quite good. He's been holed up in his tower for quite a few years at this point. Wonder what he's doing up there."

Icarus sighs. "I think I have SOME idea. What about you? You doing alright?"

Sisyphus laughs. "Well, you know. Pushing this boulder up the hill all day gets you in shape that's for sure! You also tend to get to know everyone quite well!" He waves at a passing man. "Morning Salmoneus. Careful not to get hit by this," He says patting the boulder.

Salmoneus sighs. "I always am, Sisyphus! Who do you take me for!?" The man responds rolling his eyes.

"Yeah. This is one weird prison," Icarus says with a laugh as they reach the edge of the city. "Well, this is my stop. You got the boulder?" He asks and Sisyphus steps back in the middle.

"You know it! Say hi to Daedalus for me," Sisyphus pushes on up the tall mountain, seemingly without trouble.

Icarus walks down a long dirt road, leading to a giant tower. Tower might be an overstatement as it is more of a pillar with a single room on top. Icarus takes a deep breath, seeing an open window. He flicks out his wing and uses it to give himself some lift as he leaps into the air nearly the entire way, flapping the wing a few times, but due to only having ONE wing he can't really fly straight reaching out and grabbing hold of the windowsill with his wing like it's an extension of his hand. He pulls himself up, standing in the window and looking inside.

"If I graft it like so. Yes. This should be PERFECT for my little Icarus. Utterly FLAWLESS!" A rather frantic voice says inside laughing a little. Icarus can see his father sitting at a table in the middle of the room, scrolls and papers strewn all over the place. He is a very thin man with short blonde hair, wearing some old goggles with many little switches and glasses on them, seemingly able to use them to 'zoom', and a matt green Greek robe and sandals. The floor is covered in mathematical equations as is half of the walls. However, Icarus' eyes widen as he looks at the other, upon which are HUNDREDS of wings. From wood, metal, feathers, you name it. Each distinctly different, all in pairs. "By Archimedes! Why did I not see THIS!?" Daedalus says picking up a small piece of paper with a screw depicted on it.

"Yes. Yeeeeees," he mutters to himself, holding it up to the light of the window, seeing Icarus standing in the window. "Icarus?" He says and Icarus feels his eyes welling up with tears.

"Hi da-" "ICARUUUUUUUUUS!" Daedalus interrupts, throwing himself over the table straight at Icarus who holds out his hands.

"W-wait! WINDOW! Tower! CAREFUUUUUL!" He starts before dodging his dad's 'attack', grabbing him by the robe before he falls out of the window and tossing him back in, jumping into the window. "Are you insane!? You could've d-" he's once more interrupted when Daedalus jumps forward and tightly hugs Icarus, sobbing slightly.

"Thank goodness. You're okay. Thank goodness…" He sobs and Icarus hugs him back.

"Yeah. Yeah… I'm okay. Are you okay?" He asks, gently letting go of his dad.

Daedalus also lets go and pats Icarus all around. "Yes. I am quite alright. So long as you are! My dear little Icarus!" He gently caresses Icarus' face, in spite of being almost a head shorter than him.

Icarus gestures around. "What are you doing in here anyway, dad?" He asks and Daedalus laughs.

"Ah! I have been DEEP in thought after… my mistake. With your wings, my boy. I've been working hard to make them BETTER!" He says as Icarus gulps, looking over the walls and seeing all the blueprints of various wings, made meticulously by hand, as well as all the finished wings on the walls. There must be over 100 wings in here. "I have had many ideas. And I luckily get materials delivered when I so wish... For some reason. Mostly scraps but I make due!"

"Wooow…" he mutters in awe at his father's work. "This is... really nice, but dad… we gotta talk."

"Of course! I haven't seen you in YEARS! Come come! Have a seat!" He says pulling up one of the other chairs, stumbling around to try and find something to eat or drink. "Uuuuuuh. Seems I am running out of food, my boy."

"I'm-," Icarus cuts himself off from telling his father he's fighting for the gods. "I'm going to fight in Ragnarok, father," He says instead.

Daedalus pauses his search for food and goes to sit down across the table. "You will fight? That is wonderful to hear."

Icarus raises an eyebrow. "It is? I might… die?"

Daedalus smiles softly. "It means I raised a boy who's willing to lay down his life for others. Of course… I am against you ACTUALLY fighting. But… you are an adult. You do what you must. How is Ragnarok going anyway? I must admit we haven't been granted permission to watch it."

Icarus rubs the back of his head. "I've been by the side of humanity's aide, Pandora, for the first few rounds. She has NO clue what she's doing. We got lucky in the second round due to one of our fighters nominating HIMSELF after a catastrophic failure. And to make matters worse her father is… Hephaestus," He mutters, crossing his arms.

Daedalus shivers a little. "Hephaestus' daughter? I see…"

"I… don't know if I can trust someone like that."

"Someone like what, my boy?" Daedalus asks with a slight frown. "The daughter of the man who threw me in here? What is she like?"

Icarus grits his teeth a little. "She's… naive. She thinks she's doing good, but really she's been getting lucky. And she's on speaking terms with Hephaestus. She's too… she ACTS too kind. No one is that… cute," He mutters the last part under his breath, but Daedalus hears it just fine.

He reaches forward, giving Icarus' hands a little squeeze with a sigh. "I trust your judgment, Icarus. So go to this Pandora, and try to help her. She sounds like she might need it. I will stay here and prepare you some wings for your battle," He says with a slight smile, Icarus nodding.

"Yeah…" The two sit in silence for a few minutes before they slowly but surely fall into small talk about everything and nothing at all, Icarus feeling so happy that his dad, despite his eternal imprisonment in this tower, is in good spirits. He stands up after a while and stretches. "I… should go," He says standing up and Daedalus gives him another tight hug.

"Come back to me in one piece, my boy," He mutters into Icarus' chest.

Icarus hugs him back. "I will, I will. I promise," He says leaping out of the window with a smirk. "Great seeing you again dad! Make sure those wings are awesome!"

Daedalus waves at Icarus as the latter braces his landing with a flap of his wing. "I will, my boy! Inspiring!" He says stepping back in and pulling a lever as a giant scroll unfolds from the ceiling with a large design drawn on it. "In fact, I am already quite far," He says with a slightly proud smirk. Along the top it reads: 'Project Naucrate'.

As Icarus walks back towards the gate a giant boulder comes rolling straight through the middle of the city, followed by Sisyphus charging after it, but he pauses after spotting Icarus. "Icarus! You're back already? How was that old Daedalus?"

Icarus smiles. "Same old dad as he always was! How was the boulder?" He says joining Sisyphus in his run after the boulder which NEARLY hits Salmoneus, but he dodges it.

"Same old boulder! Bwaaahahaha!" They laugh as they run after the boulder together. He can save this! All of this! Just by fighting for the gods! It doesn't matter what happens! He HAS to save them! He pauses briefly as Pandora's excited face flashes into his brain, but shakes it off. The two of them catch up to the boulder as it rolls into a small crater which is labeled 'Sysiphus' boulder stops here' in rough paint. "Well… it was great to see the pride of us outcasts doing well on the outside! Be sure to visit us some more, okay!?" Sisyphus says with a pat on Icarus' back as Sysiphus pats his boulder.

Icarus smiles and wraps his body in his wing again. "Yeah. I will be sure to come back more often! See ya, Sisyphus! Don't wear yourself out with that boulder!" He heads back to the gate, the giant monsters guarding it, sitting and playing cards. No one ever tries to escape anyway and Icarus is allowed passage.

As he steps back out of the gate to Crete he begins his walk back towards Valhalla Arena. "So…" A voice suddenly says behind him, causing him to jump and spin around, folding his wing out, causing the owner of the voice to put his hands up. It's Harry Houdini! "Heeeey. Take it eeeeeeasy now."

Icarus folds his wing back around his body. "What do you want, Houdini?"

Houdini looks at his nails pretty casually. "What do I want? I'm a magician, my friend. I'm just here to make sure that everyone is playing their part in this big act we call Ragnarok. And if I recall you were supposed to HELP Pandora weren't you?"

Icarus flicks his wing out. "What does it matter to you what I'M doing?! You're just fight when Pandora tells you to! Knowing her, you're probably not even strong enough to win!" He says angrily looking at Houdini.

Houdini tips his hat down. "You hurt my feelings with your words," Suddenly Houdini disappears and Icarus feels a hand slinging over his shoulder. "That's quite alright though. I just want to make EXTRA sure that this is the role you think you have?"

Icarus pushes him away and flicks his wing out. "Or else what?! You're gonna tell Pandora!?"

Houdini wags a finger. "Telling her is not MY role. Like you said…" He turns around, twirling his staff around his fingers. "I'm just here to fight when Pandora tells me to. Now I wonder what YOU are here to do then? I'm sure you will figure it out eventually."

Icarus grits his teeth. "I've already figured it out! I know what I'm doing!"

"Don't we all?"