You wake up, incoherently mumbling something about Notails. It takes a moment for you to recollect what happened last night. Funny, it all seems like a dream. Like some crazy dream your mind half-hazardly crammed together with multiple random things. Wait? Maybe it was just some crazy dream. Your life would continue like usual.

You pray to the Neo-- ahem! no, your God(s) that it was all a dream.

Your eyes adjust and you can confirm that you are laying in a cot. Alright, maybe Clayton woke you up for late-night gaming and your brain scraped that up to make a dream. Likely, should be. The Gods aren't real, Fortuna isn't invading reality, Athena didn't try to kill you and Clayton isn't insane.

Hopefully.

You sit up and you definitely see Helios talking with Hermes and Athena. You blink a few times, shake your head, just in case, to make sure it's all real. They are still there, and their voices are as clear as a whistle. Nope. No delusions. Fortuna is reality and Clayton is a maniac according to the government.

You stand up and stretch, your back aches from the bad structure of the cot. You stand up. You could really go for some breakfast. You go to the table where Clayton is eating cereal like he never ate in their life once. That may be true also, they're usually busy on projects.

"Where did you get the cereal?" You yawn, not noticing your mistake.

"One of these cabinets, I forget. The milk is in the mini fridge. ~v~" Clayton chows down, occasionally half-heartedly using napkins to clean their mouth.

"Oh, thanks." You look around for the cereal, almost mistaking sawdust for it. You eventually find it, lying on the floor with most of its contents contaminated by whatever that sticky stuff is. Lazily you pick it up and pour out the rest in a random bowl you found, fortunately clean.

"You're awful at sanitation. You're going to get sick, Clayton. Soon you're going to Pay-(forita)-ton." You joke and try to change the weird atmosphere.

"Eli, that joke was even worse than my common sense. ~v~"

"I know." You are hurt, you honestly did try though.

"I forgot what Lucky Charms tasted like to be honest." Clayton gets out in between mouthfuls. "I think I forgot what any food tastes like. But this tastes like the best damn thing in the entire universe. ~v~"

"Yeah. Must be." You grab a fork and attempt to eat your breakfast. You notice that your mask is in the way and almost pull it off until Clayton stops you.

"Eli, we're Notails. Notails don't take off their masks. ~v~" They finish and start taking handfuls of marshmallows out of the box.

"Oh, thanks Clay." You slightly lift your mask, realising that there was nothing on your fork, then realising that you don't eat cereal with a fork. "Do you have any spoons?"

"No, I don't think so. If I had a spoon I likely melted in making these guys. ~v~" He gestures to the chatting Gods.

"Then what were you eating with?" You wish you weren't wearing your mask. You could just slurp it up like soup.

"No idea. For all I know I could've been using a dead frog. I'm really inattentive in the morning. ~v~"

"Whatever, I'll look for something." You check your inventory. Wires, pens and pencils, and a toolbox. You check the toolbox and guess that a wrench will be the closest you will get to a spoon.

"Woah, your inventory is huge! What are you, a Somnus? ~v~" Clayton admired the giant inventory you have. You gasp too.

"I think it's bigger than Somnus if not exactly." You decide to make a joke. "Even bigger than his fake-"

"Finish that and I will kill you. I can just plead insanity and I'll be able to walk free. No real justice for your Neo-damned soul. ~v~"

"Okay, chill. Let me try out something." You walk over to the Gods and put Athena in your inventory. Hermes gasps and Helios just wheels back from you.

"That's awesome! Do Helios next! Do Helios next!" Hermes jumps and points to the poor teacher robot.

"I am your teacher and I am warning you not to pick me u-" You don't listen and put sun teacher into your inventory.

"AWESOME!!" Hermes leaps. Clayton eyes him.

"Do Hermes next!" They cheer.

You decide not to try to stretch your limit and put something small into your inventory. Clayton. You've become an unstoppable force, like the blob. You just take whatever and whoever you wish.

"Oh, uh. Please don't take me." Hermes shuffles around, worried.

"Nah, I won't. I just want breakfast." You are about to get to your cereal until Hermes stops you.

"What happened to your face at the end of your sentence?" He asks, concerned.

"Crap. I forgot how to make that. Hold on a sec..." You think through your had. How could have your face appear? "Is this better? »·w·«"

"Yes. It is. You guys are weird Notails." He frowns.

"How can you tell if a face is or isn't there? »·w·«" You can't really tell the difference with your sentences. You guess it's something only the Gods can notice, or else Clayton would've warned you.

"I dunno. I just can." Hermes waits a few seconds. "Are you sure that you're Notails?"

"Of course we are! I just kind of forgot to add the face after speaking. »·w·«" You try to sound offended, but for some reason can't. Maybe you should tell Hermes.

"If you're another species like Extrals are something, don't worry. I've got your back." He pats your shoulder.

"Okay, Hermes. Whatever you do. Don't. Panic. »·w·«" Slowly and steadily, you take off your mask.

"WHAT THE F-" You throw the wrench at Hermes to stop him from finishing. You look for more things to throw at Hermes until he calms down. You hurl Clayton across the room in the panic.

"Nononononononono!! Shi- crap, no, frickle flucker. »·w·« »·w·«" You try to calm Hermes down, who is literally bouncing off the walls.

"Okay, what's happening?! Eli! Hermes!? HELLO!?!? ~~v~~" Clayton tries to calm the both of you down, dodging flying tools and a speeding robot.

"HERMES PLEASE! YOU'RE NOT IN FORTUNA, WE DIDN'T DO WHATEVER THE HELL HUMANS DID THERE!" You scream, trying to reason with the dashing robot.

"WE TRUSTED YOU! JUST YOU WAIT UNTIL HELIOS AND ATHENA HEAR ABOUT THIS!! ATHENA IS GOING TO KICK YOUR--"

"~V~ SHUT THE HECK UP YOU MORONS! I MAY BE BE INSANE BUT EVEN I FIND THIS AS COMPLETE IDIOCY!!! ~V~" Clayton catches the next wrench and tosses it away.

"Are we calm? Are we not going to move? Good." Clayton first turns to you. "What were you thinking!? Before we reveal ourselves, we need to tell them why humans aren't bad."

"Sorry." You look down, letting your hair cover your face in shame.

"Now you!" Clayton dramatically whips around and points to Hermes. "Prejudice! You are in reality! You are on Earth! You are not in a game! Sure some humans are assholes and create nothing but hell and disaster, but a majority want to be helpful and generous! All of us have bad traits, but who the hell doesn't? Hecate, and she destroyed most of your former universe! ~v~"

"Humans are more than what Fortuna makes us. Like the Gods say, Fortuna is fake. This is real. Get over what quadrillions of falsified centuries have taught you and live an actual meaningful life!" You step in, it's the least you can do after screwing things up. You hope that Hermes was listing.

"Fine. Fine. I'll try not to act out. But it's going to be freaky... and since you didn't strike fear when we first saw you I guess... Humans aren't awful...." Hermes stamps a bit, still jumpy from the sudden lash of news. "What are you going to tell Helios and Athena?"

"Oh." It feels like you've been stabbed. "Didn't think about that. Helios will probably delete the memory before getting over it. Athena will try to murder us...."

"We give them the impression that humans aren't bad, then reveal ourselves." Clayton always seems to have a plan. "That was the hat I originally intended. We can afford to tell Helios by accident, but Athena... It has to be perfect. She has to be convinced humans aren't bad before we tell her or she's definitely going to kill us. ~v~"

"This got a lot scarier now. The stakes are higher." You put your mask back on, nervous of what will happen if you ever happen to take it off at the wrong time.

"I'll help. I'm Hermes! I'm supposed to get along with everyone!" Hermes forces out a chuckle but then droops like a dead flower. "You guys seem very nice. I hope this doesn't screw things up."

"I'll try not to let it. The least I can do... »·w·«" You slump down into a random chair and sigh.

"Lets just try to survive today. ~v~" Clayton just walks to a desk and pretends to work on something. Even he seems nervous.

"Yeah..." Hermes just stays in his own little corner, upset too. You get Athena and Helios out of your inventory and go to your cereal.

You just play with your food until Helios speaks up.

"We both heard everything."