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After producing some more flowers- he had created practically a patch here and there in the meadow - before deciding that he had enough time practicing as Persephone looked up at the sky where Helios was driving his chariot, seeing that it was beyond its highest peak.

"That late already?" he asked himself before standing up to brush off any dirt or grass off of his makeshift chiton. It was made of beautiful white silk, the top entwined with olive vines that wrapped around Persephone's svelte waist like a makeshift belt. "I guess I better going then…"

It was rather nice being out here on the countryside, a huge difference from Olympus. Unlike Olympus, it was never boring and kept on changing like the three seasons. For one thing, it wasn't as desolate as he first thought when they have come here. Sure, the cottage they live in was small compared to their old home (though to be fair it always felt too big for him), only times that he could go out was to practice his magic and the only people that he could associate himself with was his childhood friend, an Oceanid, named Yuuko and her human mate, Takeshi. There was even a decent population of humans that he can associate himself with. He also loved to visit a nice family known as the Katsukis. From what he learned that they're trying to jump start something called a hot spring bed and breakfast…something that they wanted to try since their land have a natural hot spring. But they tend to have a few customers, him included if he wanted a good soak. And maybe a pork cutlet bowl or two thanks to Hiroko.

It took him a good while to get used to the new environment after his mother up and deciding to move out one night, and without any knowledge to the Olympians. He did, however, asked her why they had to move out one time…though it did cause his Mother to stiffen up a bit before placing on a small smile as she patted his head.

"You'll understand when you're older."

And that was only a millennia ago.

And by now, times have changed as people either grew old and die as new ones moved in. His mother, going about her duties as the Goddess of Harvest and Agriculture and overlooking her tasks. He can see the power difference between him and her, and one day, he might be able to help her in the near future since his powers were improving at each passing year. And it was mostly around springtime when it was at its strongest.

Though to be fair, he doesn't really know if it was meant for him. Don't get him wrong, he loved his mother. It could be some typical teenage angst that he had been hearing (don't know if he went through one of those yet or just currently) but he was vaguely feeling something like a slump nowadays. Such as dealing with these constant questions that he had nowadays.

Such as if he achieved his Godhood, what then?

Would he just spent his eternal life simply growing flowers and help his mother with the harvest season?

Would he also get the chance to visit Olympus again?

Can he be allowed to go further beyond his home without even an escort?

Maybe learn the reason why they left Olympus…

Then he stopped in his tracks when he heard his stomach growl. He blushed in embarrassment as he held his stomach.

"That is what I get for skipping breakfast…" he muttered to himself. Then he looked to the outskirts of the Hatsetsu village and smiled. "Maybe I should drop by for a visit."

It doesn't hurt to see his favorite mortals and be at least a few minutes late, it couldn't be that bad right?

—

Persephone felt the weighted sensation being lifted off of his shoulders as soon as he walked through the village. Even though its one of the secluded villages, it wasn't by no means a backwater type. Hatsetsu was considered a hidden gem among gems, due to its beautiful beach where they gather up the fish, the squid and sea urchin are the most sought after. It was bustling with various walks of life, be it human or otherwise. He took in the sights and sounds as they went on their daily life. He could see an occasional nymph or two flirting with a passing male (human or satyr, it doesn't matter to them), a Roman Faun was debating at a human merchant's shop, even shopkeepers shouting out bargain prices. He stopped to admire the freshly picked pomegranates by the fruit stand.

Persephone always loved the deep red color of the said fruit, vaguely reminded him of blood. It was a bit macabre to describe it, he would admit that but the true beauty lies beneath the shell. The gem-like seeds that shone like tiny garnets or rubies that can only be found deep underground…

It was almost a shame to eat them.

"Would a strapping young man care for the pomegranate?" he heard a Shopkeeper spoke, making him look up to see the latter smiling at him. "One fruit is only a drachma, I can even give you an extra for free."

The young god returned the smile and shook his head.

"Tempting but no thank you," he replied politely before bowing a bit. "But thank you for the offer though."

Persephone gave the Shopkeeper a wave and then proceed to head on to his destination. As much as he liked the fruit, the thought of having a large hot pork cutlet bowl sounded more appealing. he walked down the familiar path and smiled when he come across the familiar sign to a modest looking inn.

The Yu-topia Katsuki.

His smile grew wider upon his face before making his way to the entrance, bowing a bit before the short curtain. Once he was inside, Persephone was greeted by the warm atmosphere. He took in the modest interior, seeing drapes and some foreign looking plants to help make the place tied together. He made a note to ask Hiroko on where she purchased them, maybe to try to grow them himself whenever he have a time. As much as he wanted to continue to admire the interior, Persephone broke his train of thought when he saw a short plump woman let out a greeting.

"Welcome, how may I…" then she paused when she noticed him before letting out a gasp and smiled brightly. "Oh, Yuuri! I wasn't expecting you to be here!"

Persephone returned the smile as he went over to the mortal woman to give her a hug.

"It's good to see you again, Mrs. Katsuki." he greeted.

"Oh, enough with the formality, Yuuri." she reassured him, releasing the god. "You're practically family around here."

Persephone smiled more fondly as his brown eyes softened at the mention of his nickname.

"Of course…"

Now I know what you're thinking…why is he, Persephone, child of the Harvest Goddess, went by a human name and mingling among mortals? Well, it was an interesting story to tell…

Since he is a deity, time has no meaning to him. A century for humans is a year to him, considering how human lifespans are akin to mayflies. Persephone noticed that humans aren't the same as gods when he was young, he noticed that while he remained the same…every single person he had met grew older and older until death as Thanatos waits for them. He remembered going to his mother concerning about this, bawling his eyes out at the sight of losing another friend to age and Thanatos. He recalled on how impassive his mother looked but the way she stroked his hair with solemness within her dark brown eyes.

"We are gods, Persephone," she spoke in a heavy tone, "Since the Great War, we have lived above them, blessing mankind many gifts. And in turn, they worshipped us for generations. We can intermingle with their lives but alas, they cannot be with us. We can offer eternal life, but they have to be worthy to receive it."

He remembered her words. They were heavy but yet filled with wisdom.

So, he learned. He learned to take the time with the humans that he spent alongside them since their departure from Olympus. Relishing the time that they had left until the day they died.

And each time, they said the same thing.

"I'll see you again."

It was amazing how four mere words can hurt him.

Gods cannot die.

They can bleed, they can get hurt, but they cannot age. They can change their form to however they wish but yet chose to stay the same.

But nevertheless, Persephone still managed to keep up a front, not let anyone in whenever he mingled in Hatsetsu, just kept to himself whenever he wanted to go out aside from training. That is until one day, he come across a young couple building a house that is nearby a newly discovered natural hot spring. He did recall trying out bathing in a stream with Yuuko and some of her own girl friends once during one summer time. It was mostly out of curiosity, and partially the fact that he had done nothing but train and stay at home most of the time, Persephone decided to just go up to them and say hello.

He even remembered his choice of name.

Yuuri.

He learned that within the far Eastern land, that is a word for the desire for victory, yet it was similar to another word to describe the lily flower. So in a way, he adopted the name Yuuri. Similar sounding yet have different meaning. In a way, it was a suitable alias for him, the flower part that is. Persephone didn't know much about his "desire for victory", he's not really competitive. Although Yuuko does say that he tend to be…fired up when invited into games…

He recalled how he approached them. Just a simple hello and welcome to the neighborhood as he usually does from time to time, though something else kind of happen. Perhaps it was the way that they greeted him, but something about them seemed warm and welcoming. He remembered on how they somehow convinced him to stay over for dinner and was introduced to the most delicious food that he had ever tasted. Their cooking was enough to rival the ambrosia from Olympus, Hiroko practically spoiled him with her famous pork cutlet bowls. They practically talk about anything that is under the rainbow, no matter how small or random the topic until Persephone found out that he was supposed to be home before sundown. Of course this lead to a scolding from his mother for staying out too late, but in a way it was worth it. Since then, he had been visiting them whenever he had the chance.

For a good long while Persephone had been debating on whether or not he should tell them that he is a god and get it over with. But within time, even after they had their first child, he had a feeling that they somehow got the idea…and still wanted him to visit whenever he can. That was enough to give him a new resolve, savor his time with mortals like them until the end.

A contented sigh escaped from his lips at the memory as soon as he was lead inside the inn, taking note that there are a few patrons that were enjoying a good meal and drink while swapping stories in the dining hall. Even some that leisure around at the baths and outdoor spring. While it was a good business, it wasn't really active during summer times. People said that it was inconvenient and rather to bathe in a warm weather. Besides, who would do that sort of thing? It wasn't like the weather was getting colder than autumn.

"You go and relax in the hot spring while I fix up your favorite," he heard Hiroko spoke to him. "I'm sure that you had a long day."

Persephone gave her a soft smile in genuine gratitude as he held her hand. "Thank you so much."

"Oh, Yuuri? Is that you?" came a familiar cheerful voice. Persephone looked over to see a middle aged man with dark grey hair coming into the dining hall with a tray filled with bottles of rice wine that they have imported from their birth country. "What a surprise! I didn't expect you to come over today."

Persephone smiled sheepishly as he bowed a bit.

"I'm sorry if there is any inconvenience, Toshiya." He apologized.

"Oh nonsense, Yuuri, you know how much we love it whenever you come over," the old man reassured him. "It has been a while since the last visit though. Mari has been missing you."

The god felt himself relax as he looked at the old man with a soft smile. "Yeah, I missed her too." He had been doing his training overtime lately, haven't been able to visit Yu-Topia without his mother knowing.

"Well, I suppose that better late than never," Toshiya chuckled as he distributed the drinks. "So as always, make yourself at home."

Persephone gave the man one last bow. "Thank you so much." And with that, he headed over to the front desk to retrieve the necessary supplies for the baths from the cashier who was nice enough to hand him a bucket with some bathing necessities such as shampoo and soap. Persephone made his way over to the bathing section to cleanse himself a bit in preparation of soaking into the hot spring, despite the warm weather. When he finally finished, he allowed to be immersed into the steaming spring pool, letting out a contented sigh as Persephone felt his worries and tension being washed away. This is one of the things that he liked about this establishment, aside the delicious pork cutlet bowls.

There was something relaxing about this place, more so than Olympus.

And the Katsukis were a pleasant company…and if he was going to admit to himself, it felt like he was a part of their family. Perhaps it was how honest they were with their way of life, how loyal they are to one another. They were never petty…they don't betray each other…

Something that is not alike with his own family.

Don't get him wrong, he loves his mother. Even though she can be a bit strict and overprotective sometimes, but it was for his own good. After all, there things that despite of him being a god, that might hurt him…or worse. But from what he had experienced from visiting Hatsetsu, the locals are decent. Like Takeshi for example, he was quite intimidating when he first met him but eventually warmed up to the man, seeing how much Yuuko loved him. Not to mention that their triplet daughters adored him to death. That and the Katsukis always treated him like a part of their family.

Thinking about the idea of family made him wonder about his father. He never get to meet him face to face, his mother never talked about him for some reason…

Then Persephone blinked as he noticed that his head was getting light, not to mention that he was almost nose deep in the water. A sigh escaped from his lips when he took note that it was time to step out before he would overheat.

"Better wash up then," he commented to himself.

Mari did always point out that he tends to worry too much…

Another day, and yet another uneventful moment on Mount Olympus.

Zeus let out a sigh as he lounge about upon a chaise longue, gazing out at the blue skies with a goblet of wine at hand.

Normally, he would be out and about to see if there is another bedwarmer for the day (whenever Hera wasn't looking of course) but right now, it was a rather nice day. Helios was shining as he rode his chariot across the skies, the birds are singing, the sound of the fountain flowing was rather relaxing as well. Not to mention that he would get to enjoy the latest concoction that Dionysus had brewed today. He hadn't heard anything that may or may not be the latest mischief or some petty tantrum of any kind from his children.

Except for Athena, she is the most behaved among all of them. (Though the rivalry between her and Ares are legendary).

He took a slow but savoring sip of wine before letting out a sigh, feeling the pleasant burn slid down his throat as well as tasting the bittersweetness. This is a good day for him…nothing is going to go wrong for him.

That is until he felt a chill in the air.

It wasn't the soothing breath of Zephyrus, it was colder than that. It was the kind of chill that was foreboding, and dark…

And the shadow that is looming over him seemed to be the indicator.

He looked up and saw the familiar visage of a black-clad young man with long silver hair that seemed to be flowing within the air like smoke, despite the lack of breeze. The way he was levitating off of the marbled floor somehow gave him the illusion that he seemed taller, his electric blue eyes seemed to give off an eerie glow as he stared down at him with a soft smile upon his face.

Zeus was surprised that he managed to keep his composure this long as he cleared his throat, straightening up a bit upon his seat.

"Brother…what a pleasant surprise."

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