CHAPTER 377: THE PLAN (II)

"So I just wanna clarify something." Ethan askeed while raising his hand and garnering the attention of most of the group.

"We are going to try and break a literal goddess out of jail. I don’t know about you guys but I don’t really like our odds."

Rachel leaned forward immediately, elbows on the table and a mischievous grin spreading across her face. "Oh come on. When have our odds ever been good? That is half the fun."

Ethan frowned, unimpressed. "Half the fun is dying?"

Rachel wagged her finger at him. "Correction. Half the fun is almost dying. There is a difference."

Crystal sighed and rested her chin lightly against her hand. "Rachel, you are not helping."

Leo straightened in his seat, his tone calm but firm. "Ethan is not wrong to ask. This is not a dungeon run. The Hall of Judgement is not a place designed to be breached. If we do this, it is going to be one of the most dangerous things any of us have ever attempted."

Greg’s expression hardened. "Then it is exactly the kind of challenge worth taking. We do not grow by walking away."

Vivian’s smirk returned as her eyes flicked toward Ethan. "You were so eager to stay quiet before. But now that you are speaking up, it almost sounds like you are afraid."

Ethan’s jaw tightened, but he quickly looked away. "I am not afraid. I am realistic."

Penny leaned back in her chair with a dramatic sigh. "Realistic is boring. I swear, if you are going to whine every time we do something insane, you are not going to survive long with us."

Leo’s expression twitched for a second as he glanced at Penny. She was definitely the pot calling the kettle black there.

Aria gave Ethan a small smile, her voice gentler than the others. "It is all right to feel that way. None of us are pretending this will be easy. But if we do not try, then Adam will be left alone, and I think we all know where that would lead."

That reminder brought silence. Adam’s eyes swept the table, his expression unreadable, though the heaviness in the room told him they understood.

Luna broke it first, her voice steady. "We have always been at our best when we stand together. This is no different."

Ethan’s shoulders slumped slightly. He rubbed the back of his neck, muttering, "I still think we are crazy."

Rachel beamed at him. "Finally, you are starting to get it!"

That earned her another smack of the staff from the shadows, and she yelped, clutching her head. "Ow! Twilight, you tyrant!"

Crystal let out a long breath. "And somehow, we are still supposed to trust you with divine matters..."

The group chuckled softly, the brief moment of levity breaking some of the tension. But when Adam stepped forward again, the room stilled once more.

"You are right to be cautious," Adam said, his voice low. "And I would never ask you to risk your lives for my sake...but IF Arachne really is my mother, she will know more about our connections with the gods."

Leo narrowed his eyes. He could hear it in Adam’s voice, the faint hitch of uncertainty that slipped through even his carefully measured tone. Adam was not convinced of what he was saying, and that doubt pressed like a crack beneath the surface.

"Adam," Leo interrupted, leaning forward in his chair. His voice was calm, but it carried enough weight that the others turned toward him immediately. "It doesn’t matter if she knows or not. What matters is that if she really is your mother, then she is family. And if she is family to you, then she is family to us. Family sticks together."

Adam froze for a moment. His dark eyes flicked toward Leo, and for the briefest second, his carefully guarded mask faltered. The faintest tremor passed over his face before his jaw set again, stronger this time.

The words rippled through the room. Luna smiled faintly, her hands folded neatly in her lap as if she had expected nothing less from her brother.

Crystal let out a quiet breath and looked down at the table, the corner of her mouth tugging upward with pride. Even Rachel tilted her head, her playful smirk softening into something gentler as she watched Leo.

Greg gave a sharp nod, his heavy frame straightening like a soldier hearing a rallying cry. "Well said. A family that stands together cannot be broken."

Penny raised an eyebrow, her lips curling into a sly smile. "I guess that means I am stuck with all of you now. Lucky me."

Ethan muttered under his breath, "Family dinners are going to be a nightmare." But he did not look away this time. His voice was gruff, but the edge of resistance had dulled.

Vivian smirked, clearly enjoying his discomfort. "Do not worry. We will make sure you survive the holidays."

The small wave of chuckles that followed helped push back the heaviness of Adam’s confession. Yet underneath it all, the group’s resolve felt stronger than before.

Adam’s gaze lingered on Leo, a flicker of something unreadable in his eyes. Gratitude, perhaps, or maybe relief. Whatever it was, he did not voice it. Instead, he straightened his posture and allowed the silence to settle again before continuing.

"Arachne saved my life during the last dungeon. If she had not interfered when she did, I would not be sitting here right now."

The words struck the air with finality. Silence followed, no one daring to interrupt until Penny shifted in her chair. She gave a slow nod, her expression uncharacteristically serious. "He is right. She did it knowing full well she would get locked up. That was not a decision made on impulse. She chose to protect you."

The gravity of her tone made everyone pause. Penny was not one to speak plainly without some measure of jest laced in. Her honesty was stark, and it sank deep into the group.

Crystal’s eyes softened, her usual cool composure cracking just slightly. "Then it is not just speculation anymore. If she truly made that choice for you, it speaks volumes."

Luna folded her hands together and tilted her head, her voice calm but thoughtful. "For someone like her to make a sacrifice like that, the bond has to be real. Blood or not, that is the action of a mother."

Ethan shifted uncomfortably in his chair. He crossed his arms, his frown lingering, but his voice lacked the sharp bite it carried earlier. "You are all acting like this is already decided. Just because she saved him once does not mean she is his mother. It could still be some kind of manipulation."

Rachel immediately leaned forward, her mischievous grin making a quick return. "Manipulation or not, she risked everything and paid for it. That does not sound like someone playing a trick."

Greg’s heavy voice cut through, firm as stone. "If she truly sacrificed herself to save him, then she deserves our respect regardless of the truth of her blood. But if she is his mother, then leaving her to rot is no different than betraying our own."

Vivian brushed a strand of hair over her shoulder, her smirk subdued into something more thoughtful. "And if the gods imprisoned her, then the gods fear her. That alone tells us she is valuable."

The weight of Penny’s earlier words still lingered. The more they considered it, the more the pieces seemed to fit. Adam’s jaw tightened as the faintest flicker of emotion passed over his expression. His walls were high, but for once, there was no denying the truth pressing against them.

Aria’s voice broke through softly. "Maybe this is what we were meant to do all along. The system did not bring us together by chance. If Arachne holds answers, if she is the key to understanding what we are and why we are bound to the gods, then we cannot ignore her."

Leo nodded, his voice calm yet firm. "Then it is decided. We will not let her remain imprisoned. If she is family, then we bring her home. If she holds the truth, then we seek it out together."

Rachel pumped her fist in the air. "Finally! Now this is starting to sound like a real adventure."

Ethan groaned, but even he did not argue further. "I knew you were all insane. And now I am stuck being insane with you."

Penny leaned her chin against her palm and gave him a playful smirk. "Oh, do not pout, Ethan. Deep down, you love it."

"I really do not," he muttered, though the fight was gone from his voice.