Edit: I've edited stuff at the start!


A/N: Don't forget to fav/follow if you like this story! It really goes a long way in terms of encouragement~ And reviews too! I love reading them, even if they're not so pleasant!

Chapter 2: Loki

"What do you mean, just leave him here?" Bell shrieked. "He's unconscious!"

Godou sighed. "He's Level Five, he'll be fine." Really, the kid was such a worrywart.

Bell crossed his arms and glared. "I don't think you're allowed to say that when it took you only one kick to knock him out. And what happened to it's just a number?"

"Well, what do you want me to do then?" Godou asked. "He's going to wake up by himself sooner or later."

"We have to bring him back to his Familia."

It took Godou a moment realize what that entailed.

"No. Absolutely not. Do you know how many flags you're going to trigger if you walk into the enemy camp carrying the body of their teammate?" Remember Godou, stay clean. Stay out of trouble, he told himself. No more meddling with Gods. He frowned. He shouldn't have fought in the first place, but Bete hadn't really given him a choice.

A brief staring battle occured, and Godou found Bell's crimson eyes to be full of spirit and fight.

Still, he'd faced down Gods and not batted an eyelid, so he considered it his victory when Bell's gaze darted away and he huffed.

"Fine. I'll carry Bete," the boy said in resignation.

"Sounds good," Godou said. "Bye." He waved and began to walk away. See, this was the smart way to do things. To let someone else do it.

"Then I guess I have no choice but to tell everyone what happened," Bell said loudly, followed by an exaggerated sigh. "I'll have to tell Lady Loki and her Familia that Bete just wanted to talk, but you're such a violent and reckless individual that you ended up attacking him first. And then they'll all get mad, and then everybody will think that you're-"

Bell stopped talking when Godou stopped walking. "Alright, alright. I get the point." Godou's eye twitched. Didn't this kid want to be a hero? Blackmail didn't seem very hero-like. Briefly, Godou considered knocking him out too so he'd shut up, but that would only end up with him having to take care of two unconscious people instead of one.

"So you'll do it?" Bell asked hopefully.

Godou could have said no. It would have been better to say no. But he could almost hear Yuri scolding him if he just left Bell to take care of Bete even though he was the one that knocked the Werewolf out. She was a shrine priestess. He was a Godslayer. Yet she would have lectured him without hesitation that what he was doing was highly irresponsible and, as a Campione, mortals looked up to him and he needed to be a role model.

Something in his memory bubbled up at the thought.

Godou lightly nudges the body in front of him with his foot.

Doni groans in pain, and Godou decides to walk away. If that stupid sword-wielding idiot can still make noise, he won't be dying any time soon.

A hand grabs his shoulder, stopping him mid-stride.

Yuri has a disapproving look on her face when he turns around.

"Doni-sama is injured."

"Good. That moron deserves it after falling from the sky and trying to cut me in two. That's not how normal people say 'hello'."

"You cannot just leave him here." He sees her inflate one of her cheeks when she pouts, and it is absolutely adorable.

"If he wakes up and I'm anywhere near him, he'll just want to fight me again."

"It is still the right thing to do, Godou. You know he would do it for you if he actually injured you."

He knows she's right. As much as he hates to admit it, out of all the Campione, Doni is really the only one he would ever call a friend. The simple-minded idiot had an eccentric way with people that made them like him even if he was trying to cut them into half.

He takes a deep breath, then he grabs Doni's sword and starts pulling it, knowing that the Sixth Campione would never let go of his beloved weapon even in an unconscious state.

The little giggle Yuri lets out when she sees Doni's body being dragged across the mud makes his effort worth it immediately.

He missed Yuri. He missed all of them.

Bell was still standing in front of him, an expectant look on his face.

"Yeah, yeah. Loki's probably still in the Hostess anyway, and I've got to go back to work." Poor May, he realized, she'd had to cook for everyone this whole time. He shuddered when he tried thinking about Mama Mia's reaction to his little escape.

Godou sighed. How many sighs did he let out already? He let out another sigh when he realized the night's troubles had only just begun. He wasn't looking forward to what was coming next, and he dragged his feet towards the direction of the Hostess.

"Wait, what about Bete?" Bell asked, pointing at the unconscious werewolf.

Godou stuffed his hands into his pocket, not even bothering to stop. "You said you'd carry him, right?"

"But... you're stronger than me," Bell protested.

"Yeah, so you need the training. If you were beautiful girl, maybe I'd help you. But since you're not...don't lag behind." Really, this was all Bell's fault. He wouldn't have been discovered if Bell hadn't come to the Hostess tonight, so this was the least the boy could do.

He almost felt bad with the constant grunting sounds Bell was making behind him, but hey, Bell was the one that didn't want to leave Bete there.

XXXXXXXXXX

By the time they returned to the Hostess, Bell was panting, sweating, and after dumping Bete unceremoniously on the floor in front of Loki, he promptly collapsed next to the werewolf.

"So... heavy."

Unfortunately, the entire spectacle was completely ignored by the Loki Familia since their eyes had been trained on only him ever since they returned. From overhearing conversations, Godou knew a few of the members. He'd met Loki and Aiz before already of course, but he recognized the short blond Pallum as Finn, their captain, and the green-haired Elf as Riveria, the vice-captain. There was a Dwarf by the name of Gareth as well, but Godou didn't see him around.

Finn's gaze lingered on Bete's form for a moment. "He's not dead...is he?"

To be honest, Godou hadn't checked, but he hadn't hit Bete that hard. Still, he shrugged, prompting Riveria to kneel down and perform some healing magic.

"So," Loki began, sounding rather annoyed. "What happened? Why is one of my top adventurers in such a sorry state after chasing a cook from a bar?"

"He tripped," Godou replied blandly.

"He has three fractured ribs," interjected Riveria.

Loki raised an eyebrow at him.

The entire table, about a dozen members present, turned back to face him. By now, the entire tavern was looking at him, including the staff and a very irritated-looking Mama Mia, and Godou felt very put off by the attention.

"Fine," Godou said. He lifted a hand and pointed a finger at Bell's exhausted form. "He did it."

It was going to take more than stares to drag a confession out of him.

The sheer incredulity of being accused seemed to fill Bell with life, and he bounced back upright, vehemently shaking his head and waving his arms in denial. "Me? That's not true at all! Bete wanted Godou to follow him, but Godou didn't want to. Then Bete drew out his knives and Godou kicked him and then Bete fainted!"

The outburst had expended what little energy he had left, and Bell sunk into a chair, breathing deeply.

Godou was unimpressed. What a little snitch.

"Self-defence," Godou said sagely. It was true. Bete had taken out his weapons after all.

Loki squinted at him. The rest seemed skeptical as well.

"One kick?" Aiz tilted her head and asked.

Godou nodded. "One kick."

"Bete's a Level Five," Finn said, his entire body exuding doubt.

"Well, you can ask him. He's going to wake up right about...now," Godou said. He'd seen Bete's fingers twitch slightly.

True to his word, the werewolf suddenly sat up straight, gasping for air and clutching his stomach. The bruise there had faded significantly, and Godou had to admit he was slightly impressed by the healing technique Riveria had used.

"YOU!" The Werewolf yelled, pointing a sharp-nailed finger at him. He tried to lunge up, but suddenly stopped with a wince and clutched his side.

"You're ribs are still healing," Riveria informed him. "Try to be a good boy and sit still."

Godou found Bete's subsequent glare to be as intimidating as a puppy's.

"What was that thing you did?" Bete demanded. "I've never seen any magic that lets people travel that fast! I could barely track your movements and Werewolves' have the best senses!"

"Oh? So let's add super speed to your list of mysterious abilities," Loki said slyly, causing Godou's lips to sink into a frown. Campiones liked keeping their Authorities a secret, and even though he had plenty of other skills to rely on, he didn't like it when people knew what he was capable of.

It only made them want to challenge him more.

A gold flash suddenly interrupted the conversation, and Aiz Wallenstein was now squatting dangerously close in front of Bete. The Werewolf turned as red as a tomato, scooting backwards from the sudden proximity. "Aiz?" the Werewolf asked uncertainly.

The Sword Princess cocked her head slightly to the side, and in her demure and soft voice, she said, "one kick?"

Godou almost spat out in laughter, but it would've ruined the moment, and according to Erica and Ena, he'd done that more than enough already.

Bete blinked rapidly, clearly confused. Then realization hit him and he turned away and huffed. "Yeah, so? I heard you got your sword stolen too, so that makes us equal."

Aiz flinched. She stared down at Bete hard, before standing up and extending an arm to help him up. When he accepted it, she nodded. "Equal."

"Great!" Godou clapped. "So everybody's made up. Let's adjourn this meeting and-"

"Nuh uh uh," Loki stood up and put a finger to his lips. "We've only started the party. Well done Bete! Even if you got your ass kicked, you still brought Kusanagi Godou to me. Ten points!"

"Points? I thought I'd get a Grimoire-"

"Now Kusanagi Godou." Loki put her arms at her side and puffed up her chest. She extended an arm out to him. "Join my Familia."

Godou looked at it. "No thanks. I'd rather cook." Stay clean, stay out of trouble. That was the motto of his new life. Maybe in the past, when he was clueless about everything and dependent on everyone, he might've considered the offer. The Loki Familia seemed to have fun in whatever they did, but he'd left that life behind him. Orario...Orario was his retirement.

Loki looked as though she'd been slapped. Then she quickly recovered and pumped her fist. "No worries. I was prepared for rejection! How about we up the ante? If-"

"That's enough, Lady Loki," Mama Mia's strict voice suddenly cut in, and Godou found himself being lifted into the air by his shirt. "The boy is right. He's a cook. My Cook. And he's missed nearly an hour of work."

At first, Godou had thought he was being rescued. But now, feeling her fingers tighten around his collar, he could only gulp in fear. "Yes, Mama. I'll be going into the kitchen right now," he stuttered out, and she released him.

"But-" Loki tried to argue, but a swift chop to Loki's head shut her up, and Godou's jaw dropped.

"You can try to recruit him after working hours." Mama Mia's tone of finality ended the conversation abruptly. Godou was slightly amazed at Mama Mia's audacity. Even he, a Campione, wouldn't have dared to shut down Loki like that.

The admiration died when Loki pouted, rubbing her head where Mama Mia had hit her. A goddess...pouting. Now Godou knew he must have been in a different world. "Okay, Mama Mia. You don't have to be so mean about it, jeez. But just you wait, I'm going to steal your chef."

The burly woman snorted. "Yeah, I'd like to see you try. I know Godou, and he's only got an eye with girls with big tits."

If Godou had been drinking anything, he would have spat everything out. Still, he found himself choking at that statement. "Mama Mia!" he cried out.

"Don't think I haven't caught you stealing looks at my girls and customers, Godou," Mama Mia smirked.

Damn. And he thought he had been discrete.

"Godouuuu..." Loki's voice was uncharacteristically low, and the way she dragged his name at the end reminded him of whenever he'd pissed off one of his own girls in the past. "I can't believe you were lying when I let you touched my breast."

All of a sudden, Godou found himself the subject of every glare in the room, and there were quite a lot. He did a quick count of the room: all the waitresses, all the girls, the entire Loki Familia, and all the men. So yes, with a single sentence, Loki had somehow managed to make the whole room hate him. Trickster Goddess indeed.

"Lady Loki?" He held up his hands in a placating manner; he'd even added the Lady part to butter her up. "Please don't say things that will make people misunderstand our relationship."

"What relationship?" The goddess sniffled. "After you got me into bed with you, you escaped through the window when I left for a little bit. Clearly, I don't mean anything to you."

Now there weren't only glowers. Godou was certain there were silent curses and death-bringing prayers all being targeted at him.

He turned to the only person that could clear his name. "Aiz! You were there, right? Tell them its not true! Loki's totally taking things out of context!"

The girl blinked, and opened her mouth to speak. Loki nudged her and she stopped before the first word. As if realizing something, she brought her sword to her chest and hugged it tightly.

"I remember. You...you stole something that was very precious to me that day."

Godou's eye twitched. Was she in on this too?

"The Sword Princess? But she's so young and pure!"

"How could he? What a fiend!"

"But a goddess though...that's too much."

All around him, people began to whisper judgmentally, and Godou felt powerless to stop them.

Completely destroyed...his reputation...torn to tatters in a matter of minutes. This was exactly like when Erica had transferred into his class and convinced all of his friends that they'd engaged in all kinds of debauchery.

He brought both hands to his face and let out a huge groan when he realized something.

This...this was exactly how it'd started out the last time too.

XXXXXXXX

The prospect of overtime, or as Mama Mia had called it, 'Punishment Work', had seemed daunting to him at first. But now, Godou was almost thankful for it.

The Hostess of Fertility, technically closed, was completely empty besides him. Him and over a hundred mugs that needed washing. Really, he should've seen this coming when Mama Mia had offered a thirty percent discount on all drinks last night. But still, the act of doing nothing but rinsing, soaping, then drying was strangely cathartic.

It gave him something to do so his mind wouldn't wander and dwell on a past that he didn't want to think about. It gave him a sense of normalcy in his life, and he liked to pretend that this was something he'd been doing his whole life, and would continue to do for the rest of it.

And so, when Loki burst in through the door, a big cheeky grin on her face, Godou had been quite annoyed. He looked at the clock. Not even lunch time.

"Dear valued customer, we are closed," he said, as neutrally as possible. "Please come back after three."

"Aha," Loki said coyly. "I know you're closed. That's why I'm here!"

Of course. Hadn't Mama Mia said it herself? "You can try to recruit him after working hours." Great, and now if he knew any better, Loki was going to be here until three. "Don't you have a Familia to run?" Godou asked.

"All my adorable children are in the Dungeon, and you know," Loki winked, "recruitment is a very big part of managing a Familia."

"You have some nerve, still asking me to join after that stunt you pulled last night. You know, none of the waitresses are willing to look me in the eye anymore." It'd been even more awkward trying to cook with May; she'd slapped him out of reflex when his hand had brushed past hers on accident.

"Ah." Loki even had the audacity to sound embarrassed. "It was just joke!"

"I got spat on by a customer as I was leaving yesterday."

"Ooph. Sounds harsh. What'd you do to make them do that?"

Godou glowered at her.

She recoiled. "Sorry," she mumbled.

He blinked. It was rare for a God to apologize to him. "I can't hate you for it," he said while shrugging. "You're the goddesses of tricksters. I suppose stuff like this is in your nature."

"Finally!" Godou nearly jumped at Loki's sudden outburst. "Somebody who actually understands!"

"Doesn't mean I've stopped blaming you, either. Haven't forgiven you too."

"Oh," Loki said mutely. "So...that's a no on the Familia thing?"

"Yes. I'm not joining your Familia. Or any Familia for that matter."

Loki visibly deflated, and she let her head rest on the table. For a while, it was just silence, and Godou resumed his work.

"Hey, Godou." Loki sounded despondent all of a sudden. "Do you hate us?"

Godou looked up. "Us?"

"Gods," Loki clarified. "I noticed it the day you woke up. I mean, you trying to stab me was one thing, but you were already on edge even when talking to Freya, Hephaestus, and Hestia. You'd only just met them, too."

Had he been that obvious?

"I...don't have many good experiences with Gods," he told her. She seemed so dejected that Godou felt like telling a bit of the truth. "They've done nothing but to cause trouble for me and the people I care about."

"You know, Gods don't have as much control of the world as much as you think we do. It's actually really hard to alter fate."

Godou wiped a mug clean, inspected it, and placed it on the rack with all the clean cups. "I'm not talking about the world. I'm talking about you. Gods have no control over themselves when they're the ones who need it the most."

Loki flinched. "That's not true. I mean look at us. No God that's descended into the mortal world has used their Arcana in decades, except..." she trailed off. "Except when you showed up."

Godou blinked. "What do you mean?"

"A week before you collapsed in front of the Dungeon... there was a blast of energy. A God had used their Arcana, and we suspect that whoever did also summoned you from...whatever world you came from."

Godou froze. "So you know?" he whispered softly. And he'd been trying to keep it a secret too.

"Just because we've lost our immortal bodies doesn't mean we've lost our knowledge. There isn't a place called Japan, and there never has been. And it doesn't take a genius to figure out the real reason why you were so clueless about adventurers and everything."

Cautiously, Godou allowed himself to relax. "And you guys aren't alarmed? Or curious?"

"I'm curious. Some of the other Gods don't really care. And as for the alarmed part...no, I guess we're not. I mean, we Gods have always viewed the Dungeon as a bridge between ours and another world. We certainly never created monsters, and there seems to be no other explanation why the Dungeon can resist our authority and give birth to an infinite number of them."

"And you guys aren't scared?"

Loki scoffed. "What for? We're Gods. This is our home turf, it's not like anything here can really hurt us anyway. It's just that we might end up destroying the whole continent so we're suppressing our powers."

Godou tried his best to smile, but all that came out was weird laugh. "Yeah, I guess that's true."

If only they knew.

If only they knew that it hadn't been another God that had brought him here. There wasn't a shred of doubt in his mind. That blast of energy they had felt...it had been him. When he'd been cornered in the Dungeon and had no choice but to release Verethragna's full power.

If only they knew that the Dungeon had summoned the worst monster imaginable.

If only they knew he was a Campione, a Godslayer.

XXXXXXXXX

A God. Doing dishes. The idea was nearly laughable. Yet here Loki was, next to him, wearing a spare apron and rubber gloves.

Godou wondered if she was just that bored, or if this was another attempt on her part to get close to him so he'd join her Familia. Whatever the case, he didn't mind. Less work for him.

"I can't believe there are people who are satisfied with doing something like this their whole lives. I've only done three cups and I'm sick of this already!" Loki complained.

"Clearly, the life of a mortal is not meant for you," Godou drawled out.

"Join my Familia?" Loki asked out of the blue.

"No."

"Blegh. I thought I had you with that one."

"You were close."

"Really?"

"No. Not at all."

"Hmph," Loki turned away, and Godou saw her staring at the clean cup in her hands as if it had done some great wrong against her. "Godou, can I ask you a question?"

"My answer's not changing. I'm not doing it." He didn't mind having a conversation while washing mugs, but conversation had to comprise something other than the same, repeated question.

"What was your old world like?" she asked instead.

He had been expecting this question for a while. He'd spent the past five minutes thinking about how much to reveal. "Different. The Gods there keep themselves hidden with magic. Few humans know about their existence, and even the knowledge of magic is limited to a handufl. And there aren't other races. Only Gods and Humans. No monsters either."

"Sounds...peaceful," Loki said, making a weird expression as she tried to picture the bizarre world in her mind.

"Not at all." At seeing Loki's surprised look, Godou began to tell her of the Heretic Gods. How they descended into the Human World for no other reason than to bring chaos and harm to others. How their mere presence caused natural disasters and calamities. How they paid no mind to collateral damage, only stopping when they were satisfied with themselves.

Loki gulped. "Sounds...terrifying. No wonder you don't like Gods very much. But...if what you say is true, how did humans even survive?"

Godou shrugged. "We just did."

"It really sounds like the Gods in your world don't care about humans very much."

"Just the Heretic ones," Godou corrected her. "But the ones stuck in our version of Heaven couldn't do much to stop them."

Loki seemed deep in thought, and Godou wondered if he'd said something weird.

"Godou. Did you ever meet me in your world? I mean...the version of Loki there." Loki had hesitated, almost as if she had been afraid to ask the question.

"No," Godou said. But he'd met Thor, her brother, and defeated him. But that wasn't something Godou planned on sharing.

"That's good then," Loki said, looking relieved. "I can't imagine myself, even other versions of me, doing the kind of things you mentioned."

"Lady Loki." It was only now that Godou realized something he should have a long time ago. "You care for mortals, don't you?"

"Of course I do! What kind of mother doesn't love her own children?" She sounded offended.

Children, huh. That should've been the way his Gods saw humanity. Too bad they hadn't. "Is that why you descended?" he asked. "To walk among us?"

She nodded, flashing a big cheesy grin. "I felt so distant in Heaven, and there are so many stupid rules up there that stop us from interfering. But down here, I can tell when I'm making a difference in someone's life. It feels great. Watching the members of my Familia grow...I haven't felt this good or proud in centuries! And it's not just that! I can sense your civilization grow with every passing day. Orario expands a little wider. The buildings grow a little higher. People get a little smarter. It's a wonderful feeling!" Loki let out a contented sigh, closing her eyes as her expression morphed into one of bliss.

Godou felt a smile creep up onto his face. He felt as if he was listening a child who'd just experienced her first Christmas. Except the child in question was an eon-old goddess. "You know, Lady Loki. If I ever learn how to traverse between this world and my old one, I think I should bring you to visit. The sights you'll see will have you spellbound."

"Really?" Her eyes snapped open with excitement, and the fires that burned within her red irises came from passion instead of power. "Why?"

Godou told her. How humans there had built buildings that reached the clouds. How they had machines that could traverse across the skies. How they had built entire worlds using nothing but science and technology. With every word, Loki grew captivated. He could see her curiosity grow with every tale he said, her anticipation increase with each new wonder he introduced her to, her admiration intensify for each new breakthrough he described.

"Wonderful! Just splendid!" Loki declared jubilantly. "I cannot wait! It's a promise, Kusanagi Godou! You shall bring me to this...Earth, and show me all these magnificent inventions. And in return, I, the mighty Loki, will do everything in my power to research on space-time magic and help you return!"

Godou blinked. He certainly hadn't expected that last part. He smiled. "Thank you, Lady Loki."

The Goddess beamed. Then as if she'd forgotten something, she straightened. "One more question, Godou."

"Yes?"

"Join my Familia?'

His smile dropped. "No."

"Urk." Loki clutched her chest, as if she'd just been shot, and did a false stumble out of chair. From where she lay on the ground, she cracked one eye open. "Was I closer this time at least?"

He rolled his eyes. "No."

"Rats," was the goddess' response.

Godou sighed and turned away, making sure that the small smile on his face couldn't be seen by her.

It was a good thing he could lie to the Gods.