Jaison smiled as he watched the animation play on his screen. The sound of the flipping cards was more satisfying than anything else had been that day. In fact, nothing could top that. Not even the crappy coffee in the break room. A pop-up notification asked if he wanted to play again, and he clicked ‘New Game.’ He looked up from his screen when two figures entered the office, and he watched them curiously as they looked around before spotting him.

“Oh, look,” Jaison muttered. “Twins.” He watched with disdain as they approached his desk.

“You’re Jaison,” one of them said to him. 

“Hermes sent us.”

“We’re Gemini,” they said in unison. 

“I’m Castor,” the first said.

“I’m Pollux,” the second followed. 

“I’m sorry,” Jaison started. “Did you say Hermes and Gemini?” He laughed. “What, do you want a horoscope or something?”

“You will be presented with a life-changing opportunity today,” the first said.

“We’re your life-changing opportunity today,” the second added.

“I am a Gemini,” Jaison said to himself. His brows furrowed. “What do you want? I’m very busy.”

The first leaned over to look at his computer screen. Jaison was in the midst of a game of Solitaire.

“Clearly.”

“We told you. Hermes sent us. We need your help.”

“Hermes who?” Jaison asked.

“The God.”

Jaison snorted. “Oh, sure.” He picked up the phone on his desk. “What are your names again?”

“Gemini.”

“Do you have any ID on you?”

“No,” they said in unison.

“Where are you from?”

“Space.”

Jaison stared at them longer than intended. He cleared his throat, then raised a brow. “What?”

“We’re here to ask for your help.”

“Can we talk in private?”

Jaison hesitated. “Alright,” he said slowly, then got to his feet. He pulled his jacket off of his chair, throwing his arms in as he walked across the office. The two men followed silently, and Jaison glanced over his shoulder. They followed wordlessly out into the parking garage where Jaison finally stopped, his hands shoved in his jacket pockets.

“Okay. You got me out here. Are you gonna kill me now?”

One grinned, the other frowned.

“Depends how difficult you make things,” said the first.

“Of course not,” said the second.

“Right,” Jaison started. “So, where’s your friend, Hermes?”

“He sent us to talk to you.”

“We’re doing the hard work for him.”

“Why doesn’t he talk to me himself?” Jaison asked.

“Gods,” they said in unison.

Jaison rolled his eyes. “Right, of course.” He sighed. “What do you want, anyway?”

“We need your help.”

“With the Gigantes.”

“The what?” Jaison asked.

“The Gigantes.”

“Human-like creatures created by Gaia to attack the gods.”

“The Gigantes can only be defeated by a mortal.”

“Twelve mortals have been chosen by the gods.”

“You are one of the twelve.”

“We are your Ouranos.”

“We are here to protect you and help you find and defeat the Gigantes.”

Jaison’s eyes widened, and he stared at them with uncertainty. “What… the fuck… are you smoking?” He glanced around the parking garage. “Look. Keep your damn drugs away from me, alright?”

“It’s the truth. You must believe us.”

“How can we convince you?”

“Dudes, you can’t,” Jaison said. “Now, I gotta get back.”

“As long as we’re around -”

“You will have use of a specific ability.”

“Ability?”

“To see into the future,” they said in unison.

Jaison pretended to ponder this for a moment. “The future, huh? How does that work?”

“Not by will.”

“It can be willed.”

“You must be good.”

“He’s good.”

It seemed the twins were arguing with one another, now.

“Maybe if he practices.”

“It’s easy. We’ll teach him.”

“It takes time.”

“It won’t.”

“Well, let’s just try it and see, huh?” Jaison said, interrupting them.

They turned to him, one grinning, one frowning.

“Okay,” they said in opposite tones.

“This doesn’t involve drugs, does it?”

“Focus your energy on one specific thing,” one explained.

“Like the Gigantes,” the other said.

Jaison sighed. “What about them?”

“You must find them.”

“There are many, likely all over the world.”

“Sure, that sounds easy,” Jaison muttered.

“Close your eyes.”

“Focus on the future.”

“Focus on the Gigantes.”

“Focus on what you want to see.”

Jaison sighed. He closed his eyes. After a moment, he opened one eye slightly, but Gemini had not moved, still staring at him.

“Close them!”

His eye closed again.

“Concentrate.”

This had to be Jess’s doing. Friends of hers, probably.

“Focus.”

If she wasn’t hot, he would kick her ass for this.

“On the future.”

Maybe he could turn this around on her to get her back.

“Hey!”

But before he could open his eyes, he was shoved backward. His back slammed against the concrete wall of the garage and he yelped and glared at Gemini.

“You’re not focusing.”

“I am!”

They each pressed a palm against his forehead, and his world went dark.

Focus. Focus. Focus.

A bright light flashed suddenly, and he winced.

Focus. 

The world shook under his feet, like an earthquake.

Focus. 

Water crashed down into an empty warehouse. Jaison could see two people, male and female. Before them stood a giant.

His eyes opened. He was lying on the ground, looking up at the twins.

“What the -”

“What did you see?” they asked in unison.

Jaison stared at them, speechless for a moment. “Uh,” he started, and he cleared his throat. “Two people. And a giant.”

“Where?”

“New York.” How did he know that? “Freya and Jerric.” The details came to him as if they were a suppressed memory. “And Taurus and Pisces.”

“We can find them.”

“They will need your help.”

Jaison got to his feet. “Wait. Who were those two people?”

“Mortals like you.”

“Two of The Twelve.”

“The Twelve?” Jaison asked.

“Twelve mortals chosen by the gods to help defeat the Gigantes.”

“The Gigantes can only be defeated by mortals.”

“Right. Of course.”

“You saw them yourself.”

“Are you convinced now?”

Jaison hesitated. “What do you want me to do?”

“Find them.

“Find the other eleven.”

“Save Olympus from falling.”

“Save the world.”

“The world, huh?” He shook his head. “Look, this has been fun… I don’t really know what kinda drug you gave me, but I’m done with this game of yours.”

“No game.”

“You’re not convinced.”

Jaison sighed. “You are persistent. Alright. I’ll do whatever you want until you’re satisfied with this prank.”

“You’ll come with us?”

“Sure.”

They grinned.

“We’re going to Pennsylvania.”

“What? That’s like a six-hour drive. And I don’t have a car!”

“Take a bus.”

“Take a train.”

“Oh, sure. I guess I’ll have to pay for your tickets, too?”

“We do not carry currency.”

“We can meet you there.”

“I don’t think so,” Jaison said. “No way am I letting you ship me to Amish-ville alone. You started this. You’re coming with me.”

“Okay!”

“But our way is quicker…”

When Jaison woke up that morning, he did not expect to be taking the train with two complete strangers to Pennsylvania. Convinced it was nothing more than some elaborate prank, and all too happy to leave early for the day, he grabbed his phone and wallet, and before he knew it, he was six hours from home. By the end of the day, he would come to realize that it was not the prank he had hoped it to be.