Discordia who was watching from the side was the next one to chime in.

"Oh my~! It is quite fortunate that you have so many friends who would put their lives on the line for you little one. However I will bring up the biggest issue with the plan you want to pull off."

Her voice was playful, but there was a distinct undertone beneath it, a note that pulled everyone's attention. The group turned toward her in unison, the dim light of the distant stars catching on the black blindfold that hid the void in her eyes. Her grin was smug, sharp and knowing, as though she were about to toss them into an elaborate trap just for the fun of watching them squirm.

"The Hall of Judgment lies in the domain of the Gods themselves," she continued, drawing out each word with a leisurely delight. "And you, my dears, are but mortals. How do you plan to get there?"

The question hung in the air. Silence followed, heavy and uncomfortable. Even Rachel, who usually had a quip ready to throw kept her lips pressed tight. The fire crackled faintly in the background, underscoring the weight of Discordia's reminder.

Leo frowned, his eyes narrowing as he stared at her across the table. The smug curve of her lips beneath the blindfold was enough to make his teeth clench. He let the silence drag for a moment, gathering his thoughts, before speaking in a slow, deliberate voice.

"Can you not mess around for once? You already planned on taking care of that yourself, didn't you?"

The room collectively held its breath at his words. He had voiced what several of them suspected, but none had dared to confront her directly.

Discordia blinked, then let out a theatrical gasp, placing her hand over her chest. "Oh! How cruel. To accuse me of holding out on you. My heart might just break."

She shifted her weight and crossed her arms in front of her chest, sticking out her lower lip in an exaggerated pout. "You are no fun to tease, Little Leo. Where is your sense of wonder? Your dramatic panic? A goddess must have her entertainment too, you know."

Leo exhaled sharply through his nose, unimpressed. "We do not have time for your games."

The others, however, had all turned their eyes on her. Crystal tilted her head, curiosity burning in her gaze. Luna raised her brows, waiting for the goddess to elaborate. Even Adam, who rarely allowed himself to look anything but grim, seemed slightly more attentive than before.

Rachel leaned forward on the table, smirking. "So you really were hiding something. Spill it, Discordia. Don't leave us hanging."

For a moment longer, Discordia held her pout, as though savoring their collective frustration. Then, with a flick of her wrist and a graceful tilt of her head, she dropped the act. Her playful posture straightened, her chin lifted, and her smile transformed into something sharper, almost regal.

"Very well," she said, her voice losing its false whine. "You are correct. There is a way. Each of you is already tied to the divine. By bloodline, by gift, by curse, or by oath, the threads of fate have already bound you. I can amplify those threads, magnify the connection between you and the Gods themselves."

Her words sank in, and a hush fell over the group. She let the silence stretch before continuing.

"In simple terms, I can elevate your status temporarily, raising you to something more than mortal. With my power channeling through those ties, you will be able to step into the domain of the Gods and reach the Hall of Judgment."

The statement was grand, powerful, and terrifying all at once.

Aria swallowed hard. "So you are saying you can… make us into gods?"

Discordia laughed softly, shaking her head. "Oh no, little songbird. Not gods. Never that. You would be closer to… vessels, perhaps. Mortals infused with divine resonance. It will allow you to walk the path where only gods may tread, but it will not make you equals. Think of it as climbing a ladder you were never meant to touch. You may stand among them for a time, but the ground beneath you will always remind you what you truly are."

Lily shifted uncomfortably in her seat, her green eyes flickering as she processed the implications. "And the cost?"

Discordia's smile widened, pleased by the perceptiveness of the question. "Ah. Yes. Nothing is without cost." She clasped her hands together in front of her and leaned forward slightly, her voice lowering. "If I do this, time itself will become… distorted. Dilated, if you prefer the scholarly term. You will step into the Hall, and while moments may pass for you, years could pass here. Or perhaps only hours. Perhaps decades. The flow will not be mine to control once you are inside."

The words dropped like stones into their stomachs.

Penny's eyes went wide. "Wait. You're saying… if we go, when we come back, it might not be the same world?"

"Precisely," Discordia answered smoothly. "You could return to find only days have passed. Or you might return to find kingdoms fallen, cities buried, friends long dead of age. Or perhaps you will return before you even left, caught in a loop of cause and consequence. Such things are the nature of stepping into the realm of the divine."

Greg clenched his fists. "So you want us to walk in blind, not knowing if we're ever going to make it back in one piece?"

Discordia tilted her head. "You were already planning to storm the Hall of Judgment to break a goddess out of her cage. Surely you did not expect it to be as simple as a stroll through the park?"

Greg grumbled under his breath, but said nothing more.

Leo rubbed his temples. "So either we risk being lost to time itself or we give up on this plan. That's what you are saying."

"Correct," Discordia purred. "But do remember, little ones, that courage and folly often wear the same mask. You must decide which face you wish to embrace."

The group fell into silence again, each person lost in thought. The risk was monumental, almost unfathomable, yet so was the goal. To rescue a goddess from divine judgment was already impossible, but the stakes had just multiplied.

Crystal was the first to break the silence, her voice soft but firm. "If we don't try, she's lost forever. That's not an option."

Aria nodded, though her hands trembled slightly in her lap. "We have always faced impossible odds. This is no different."

Rachel smirked, the spark of adventure in her eyes undimmed. "Sounds fun to me. About time we did something that would really make the gods mad."

Luna folded her arms, her voice calm but resolute. "If we go, we go together. No matter what time we return to."

Adam finally spoke, his tone low, almost a growl. "Time means nothing to me. As long as I can keep moving forward, I will not hesitate."

One by one, their voices added to the chorus of determination. Discordia leaned back, satisfied, her blindfold catching the flicker of light as though her unseen eyes gleamed behind it.

"Oh, how delightful," she said softly. "My brave little mortals, ready to defy eternity itself. This will be quite the spectacle."

Her grin lingered, smug and knowing. They had accepted her gamble, and she could not have been more entertained.

The room grew heavy once more, but this time the weight was not despair. It was resolve, thick and undeniable. The path ahead would be perilous beyond measure, but the choice had already been made.

And Discordia, with her sly smile and outstretched hand, would be their bridge into the unknown.