Hailey stands up abruptly. Her heart pounds as she fumbles for the phone sitting on the corner of her desk. She swipes past her lockscreen—a picture of her standing underneath a framed photo of herself, an Employee of the Month award, while she makes the exact same face as in the picture—by entering her PIN—22853. She searches through her pinned contacts and dials Vel’s number.
VEL: Hailey! Hey, how are you doing?
HAILEY: vel.
VEL: Hey, are you—?
HAILEY: what’s our father’s name?
VEL: What? What do you mean?
HAILEY: JUST—! just say his name!
VEL: It’s.
VEL: I’m on my way.
HAILEY: hurry.
A monitor sits in the center of the room. No mind hums within the computer the monitor connects to, but a vast hold of information that far surpasses a normal mind still swirls inside its servers. The screen is displaying the file of one Pluto... That's it. No surname. Like it was struck from the record.
Vel tosses a black stress ball to Hailey. As soon as her hands touch it, she begins speaking.
HAILEY: so pluto did it.
She tosses it back to Vel. They speak when their hands are on the ball.
VEL: It was Pluto, in the grove, with the Pen. Do you think we can check the envelope now?
Toss. Hailey manages to laugh. She wipes her face with one hand after she catches the ball.
HAILEY: were it only that simple. but i don't think the pertinent question is solving a murder here.
Toss. Vel hums in understanding.
VEL: It's... bereavement, I guess.
Hailey does a grabbing motion. Vel tosses it to her accordingly.
HAILEY: i need not bereave a man whom i never met.
Toss.
VEL: It'd be mourn, actually. Bereavement comes from being deprived of— Doesn't matter. I get it, though. I mean, I'd like a funeral, but... God, could you imagine trying to get Pluto to come to one of those?
Toss.
HAILEY: she’s the one who killed him, too. as though she'd even care... i imagine she'd kick over the casket. though, there's no body, so it'd be somewhat of a pointless gesture.
Toss.
VEL: Which would be the pointless gesture? The funeral or Pluto kicking over the casket?
Toss.
HAILEY: exactly.
Vel rolls their eye. They almost fail to catch the ball.
VEL: ... Who would we even invite? It'd just be you, me, Tyler, and Pluto, right?
Toss.
HAILEY: no, our father had nine children, no? hence pluto’s name. ninth from the son.
Hailey moves to toss the ball. She hesitates. Vel’s eyes are wide. She waits until they actually meet her gaze to toss it to them, and even then, they still fumble with it.
VEL: They don’t even know.
Hailey sits up. Up til now, she’s been hanging off of the couch, legs up on the backrest and head hanging towards the floor. She rights herself and catches the ball as Vel throws it.
HAILEY: the other children?
Toss.
VEL: They don’t know! God, how could they? I’m the only... Tyler, Pluto, and I are the main divine children. The others are all... Like you. Uh, haha, no offense.
Hailey looks unamused.
VEL: But, look, my point is, while you got out of your Earth and found out about magic and all sorts of things, we haven’t heard anything from the others. God, not to mention their mothers.
HAILEY: fathers, too.
VEL: Hey, respect the talking ball! But... You’re right. Even though it doesn’t matter if Hemo is kept in the dark. Fuck him.
Hailey smiles particularly strongly. Vel rarely swears.
VEL: But, the other kids. I mean, they’re all demigods, hell, could even just be human, right? Does Persephone still have that list of names?
Hailey doesn’t respond. Vel pauses for a moment before looking at the ball in their hand. They chuckle out an “aheh...” before finally tossing Hailey the ball.
HAILEY: she should. and if not, i think our creation over there will have stored it. it’s probably easier that way, too. i think persephone may be more in mourning than we are.
She tosses the ball back.
VEL: I mean, I’m in mourning—! Look, I... He was terrible, but he was—
HAILEY: “but” nothing. you would know better than me about what he did.
Vel’s hand squeezes around the ball. They bite the inside of their cheek anxiously.
VEL: ... No matter what he did, his kids don’t deserve to be left in the dark. We have to... Tell them somehow.
Toss.
HAILEY: what do you propose we do? track them down and tell them that their father is no longer in existence?
Toss.
VEL: You’re trying to make it sound like a stupid idea and I’m not gonna let you! Look, it’s... Think of it like a family reunion, right? We bring in the other kids, we bring in... probably their parents, too. And their kids if they have any. Like, just... Immediate family, you know? Things that would be affected by his erasal.
Hailey makes a grabbing motion. Vel tosses the ball to her and she smiles smugly.
HAILEY: it’d be erasure, actually.
Vel smirks and then laughs. They cover their face with one hand.
HAILEY: ... but i see your point. so, what, you track them down one-by-one and drag them into a room together? shall we give a presentation or something?
Toss. Vel hesitates.
VEL: Well, actually, I was thinking you’d do it. I mean...
They gesture to the right side of their head, torn out with a miniature black hole levitating around the exposed flesh.
VEL: I think I’m a little imposing. Not to say you’re not imposing, but not only have you not got anything visibly magic going on, you practically look just like h—
Hailey’s eye twitches. Vel cuts themself off suddenly, holding their hands up in defense (fingers splayed apart from two fingers keeping the ball in their hand).
VEL: Aheh... What I meant to say was... I look a lot more like my mom than my dad. I doubt they’d believe I’m related to any of ‘em. So... You’d have a better shot at convincing them than me. You’re a smooth talker!
Toss. Hailey catches it, her smile returning from teetering on fading away.
HAILEY: flattery... may just get you somewhere, vel. it’s not quite as terrible a plan as i initially believed... but if your goal is to avoid them getting confused over why they suddenly can’t remember their father’s name, then we should act fast.
Toss.
VEL: Exactly. We can... God, I don’t know if this is something we can do all in one day. They could stay at my house. Here, actually, let’s ditch the ball, we need a list.
Vel throws the ball behind them. It rolls underneath the couch, leaving the memory of those in the room. Hailey stands and heads straight for the Terminal. She navigates to Persephone’s file from Pluto’s and then searches up the list.
...
...
It’s loading.
VEL: ... I mean, it’s still insane we have this much information.
HAILEY: still, we really ought to optimize simple searches like—
The cursor icon ceases its blue circular rotation and turns back into a pointer. The search is complete. The two eye the list.
VEL: ... That’s not birth order, is it?
HAILEY: mm... maybe. ah, but... no, i haven’t the faintest clue, truly. but if all of them are older than me and younger than you, we may find people much older than we think.
VEL: Wait, and why aren’t you—?
HAILEY: ahah. this must have been captured soon after pluto’s birth... 18-22.
VEL: Right. College. God, no dates, either. No planetary hexcodes, no nothing... Are we meant to just run a search for this name? Out of a literal endless sea of instances of these names?
HAILEY: local. if we match his DNA to—
VEL: That won’t work.
HAILEY: why—? ah. no DNA of his. of course. so i suppose we’re working blind.
VEL: Well... Hold on. Okay, print that list.
HAILEY: ahead of you. do you want a map next?
VEL: Hah! You read my mind. We know what universes he’s been through. #ffd218 to #888888 in 10 years. We average out the usual ages of instances of these names, we pinpoint the one that matches up—
HAILEY: let’s start with the third one.
VEL: Oh, were you loading the page while I was talking?
HAILEY: mhm. you got more carried away than you needed to—we’re already on the same page. i “read your mind.” look here. average age is late teens, early 20s... so perhaps there’s no link with list order and age.
VEL: So if our theory is right, then he should be right around #888888, right?
HAILEY: mm. there’s nothing that says our father couldn’t have just moved across the ocean to have an affair while married to persephone...
Vel’s eye is full of glee.
VEL: Buuut?
Hailey rolls her eyes and smiles. She taps the screen.
VEL: YES! Instance in #888888! Not to mention, same town as Tyler and Pluto! That’s gotta be it, right?
HAILEY: it could really be any version of him. but it would be a lot of coincidences...
VEL: Ehhh? Seeeee? Look, and I can talk with Hemo while you’re gone.
Hailey is bewildered.
HAILEY: excuse me? what for?
VEL: Well, if any of these guys are around your age, then Hemo might know the planet they were born on. Or at least know where our father was coming from when he got with Hemo. And I’m going to do this while you’re gone so that he won’t have the chance to bother you.
Hailey sighs but smiles.
HAILEY: ... i suppose you’re right. thank you for sparing me an interaction with him. so... i’ll head to #888888 while you handle that, then?
VEL: Yup. I’ll try to get my house ready, too... I’ve got my room, a guest room... Melody’s moved out now, so their room’s empty, so there’s a lot of space around!
HAILEY: mm. i can only hope it’ll go well. tyler and pluto should be easier to collect...
VEL: ... Easier. Tyler’s not gonna come here until we’re absolutely ready, I’m sure. And Pluto... You should probably send one of the Cellhexes after her. Like, now. That way, maybe we can get a hold of her in a timely manner.
They continue, their tone drier.
VEL: Maybe no more than a day after everyone else is collected.
Hailey snorts.
HAILEY: it sounds like a plan. let’s have a reunion, then.
Vel wraps Hailey in an unexpected hug. She tenses and slowly lets herself relax into it. Her arms finally find purchase around Vel’s back, hugging back tightly.
VEL: Thank you. We got this, right?
Hailey smiles, as she always does.
HAILEY: of course. let’s get to work.
In the other room, a list slowly prints out.
1. Vel Realm
2. Sen Realm
3. Slav Ranovic
4. Lyla Bennett
5. Thomas Bennett
6. Waverly Elenna
7. Ophelia Emory
8. Tyler
9. Pluto