Note: Lady Moonlight Owl thank you for the review as always and Guest, whoever you are, thank you for reading marathon and reviewing :)

Warning: grammar and vocabulary error.

Dislaimer: none of the character below are mine, they are copyright of Masami Kurumada. I'm only borrowing for fanfic sake

It's Cooking Time!

Part 41

Finally, the dinner event began. Kanon had been busy with the bar and kitchen, while Saga was outside manning the pit and cutting the lamb. The charcoal had been moved to side, giving a slight heat on the lamb. Most of the saints had arrived. Cladded in casual clothes. The mariner and Poseidon had return to their mansion and back to Kido's once again. Their three pieces suit had been replaced with casual jeans and polo shirt, were now hanging around in the bar and the terrace. Julian was deliberately hanging in front of Kanon. The man had been quite weary of the God but was trying not to flee from the scene. Shion was there with Dohko, taking precaution for both Kanon and the bar (so no underage saints or mariner could sneak any liquor, that's it).

Sorrento and Tethys had warm up with the bronze saints slightly, being crashed in game and on the same range of ages might had something to do with it. There was another additional member of mariner right now. The green hair ice master had spotted his sensei at the corner with Shura and Aphrodite. He had walked away from the teen's group as soon as Hyoga said something about sneaking alcohol. Shun who happened to be nearby, was glaring at them with all his might but he had no mean to stop it since he was busy going back and forward to the kitchen, taking plates of mezethes.

"Isaac?" He heard his name was being called. Turning around, he saw someone that he recognized when he was little.

"… Milo – san, right?"

"Heh, you still remembered huh?" The blue hair saint grinned.

"Of course, you had babysat me when sensei was… was it flu?"

"Ahahaha. Yes, it was flu, all right." Milo chuckled but his eyes soften a little. "Camus was so sad when you were gone."

"Re – Really?" Isaac had thought he was nothing to that man, unlike Hyoga. He was… sometimes jealous of him. Sure, he was the senior between the two, being the first student taken by Camus but… From his own perspective, his master seemed to favor the Russian more…

"Huh? What kind of reaction is that? Of course, he was." The man looked at him, raising one of his eyes, questioning. "Have you greeted him?"

"… no, I have just arrived and…" He gave the circle another glance. "They were talking about something serious so…"

"Oh, that." Milo chuckled. It couldn't be help since it was conversation between Shura and Camus. Even Aphrodite couldn't tune the conversation down with that two. "Don't worry, come." He quickly grabbed Isaac's wrist and tugged.

"Wait… hold on." He said, unprepared. He had been speaking nonsense to Hyoga, calling Camus, a weakling in the battlefield. Why he had done that, he had wondered. It could be because he was jealous and envy as soon as he saw Hyoga. The Cygnus cloth was supposed to be worn by him after all.

"Camus, looks who's here?" The Scorpio saint said as soon as he was near. The green hair mariner gulped lightly. It had been a year since he was missing without trace, now his master was there, in person. The Aquarius gold saint glanced slightly, Shura and Aphrodite acknowledged the boy.

"I'm going to take raki, come, Shura. Let's go."

"I don't like ouzu that much…" Suddenly Milo's hand was placed around his shoulder.

"Don't like, huh? I'll ask Kanon to make something that change your mind immediately."

"What do you mean?"

"Come on, see later you two." Milo said as he dragged the Capricorn saint away from the two purposely. Aphrodite also followed behind while chuckling. Isaac had wished those three to stay and not leaving him alone with Camus, it was so awkward right now…

"Isaac?"

"Hai! I mean yes, sensei." He stopped. Wait… should he still called him sensei after switching side to Poseidon. He was now mariner and not saint.

"I had heard from Hyoga, you were saved by Poseidon."

"Yes…" He looked down to the ground. Being saint always mean so much to him, he had sworn to Camus that he would be saint but… now… Camus must had been so disappointed with him

"Did the underwater world treat you well?"

"I didn't live there very long… I'm now in Solo's mansion."

"Good to know." Camus let out a faint smile, unnoticed by Isaac. In one year since the last time he saw him, he noted the lad had change. He didn't know why his first student had suddenly become timid in front of him. 'Was it his fault?' Camus pondered. 'Or… is it guilt?' The saint was not sure of it. Maybe… he shouldn't be so harsh on them both, cold even…

Though… he had become more approachable as of late, being with his peers 24/7 and living/assisting Athena in Tokyo, had affect him greatly. Hyoga seemed to be able to brush his coldness more easily, plus Milo's I-Don't-Care-What-You-Do-You-Can't-Get-Rid-Of-Me attitude had been rubbing into the boy too.

But… Isaac only knew him as what he appeared in Siberia; quiet, aloof, cold and distant. He never saw the softer side of him, like what Hyoga had managed to see when he was around his… should he say 'his closest friends circle'? Plus the hangover… (Thanks Goddess, Hyoga didn't know about the sugar rush episode). He really wanted Hyoga to erase that hangover episodes from his memory. But if anything, the boy became more and more respected of him. He was so confused of that.

Now Camus was feeling rather surprise with himself. Since when did he become more receptive in catching other emotion? Contemplating of what to do to reassure the boy, he looked at him once again. The one that he hadn't seen and presumably dead by accident. Letting out a sigh, he reached his hand out toward his shoulder. Isaac tensed up slightly.

"I'm happy to see you well." He said, squishing his shoulder softly. The touch was gone as soon as it came.

"Ye – Yes." The Kraken hadn't really believe of what had happened. The affection especially touch was so rare, Camus only occasionally praised them when training went well. It somehow shock him lightly. The long hair saint nodded lightly. Suddenly there were flute sound on the dining room. Sorrento had been force to play some music. Someone also dragged piano there for Athena and Shiryu had his guitar in his hands.

"Have you eaten anything yet?"

"No…"

"Come, Saga had been grilling since morning," The ice saint said as he walked away.

"Sensei." Isaac called, stopping the man from advancing forward.

"Yes?"

"I… I can still call you sensei, right?" He said, he didn't like how vulnerable he sound like.

"Have I ever say I'm not your sensei anymore?" With that, Isaac beamed for the first time since he arrived.

Saint

Seiya

Kanon had been back from the kitchen after making more mezethes. He let out a dejected sigh. He didn't like to face Julian so soon, deceiving a God was punishable, although Athena had been able to snatch him back into her rank. He knew the God of the sea might not feel the same.

"Heh, he should had hug him instead." He heard Milo said. He looked at the corner where both Isaac and Camus were. Aphrodite was chuckling while Shura was finding his simple cocktail of ouzu and coke with interest.

"That's Camus, we are talking about. He only hugs you." The rose user let out a grin once more before sipping his Greek inspired mojito.

"Oi!" Milo glared. With that, the Pisces saint giggled even louder, even Shura let out a smirk. Kanon smiled at that before an empty glass placed onto the bar table.

"… Julian – sama, should you drink this much?"

"… No… but you keep avoiding." The God of the sea said while giving him a glance. Face void of any emotion.

"Do you… want another?"

"No, if you stay to listen and not fleeing with excuses of going to the kitchen."

"… but…"

"That assistant of yours have already stopped bringing out plates and is now outside." True enough, Shun was outside trying his hardest to cancel whatever plan his friends had for sneaking liquor

"Can't I at least… announce the dishes first?"

"As long as you don't run away." With that, Kanon clinked a glass for attention. He moved out from the bar. He cleared his throat before doing an announcing.

"Minna-san. We are copying an event in Greek for Eastern. I believe, the gold saints had remembered doing something like this with Shion when we were much younger. We hope the foods are up to expectation." He said as he glances to Shion. The papacy gave him a nod and Dohko grinned while giving him a toast. "The main dish is grill whole lamb with the offal. Please asked Saga for the cuts. We had olives, myzithra, maroulo salata, and jotopoulo lemonata sti skhara. If you want bread or potates fournou, please asked Shun. Enjoy."

There were cheers after that. The peoples were sitting on the provided chairs or hanging out on the terrace or garden. Athena had been dragged to the terrace after piano performance and right now Aphrodite was playing some slow piano pieces. Whoever know that the Pisces saint was actually good at piano anyway? The Goddess let out a smile, she made a good decision with this cooking task, now then what after the cooking task? Music performance maybe? Singing competition? (But before that let's just get back to Kanon.)

The youngest Gemini had sighed and was back to behind bar. The place had been deserted since most of the people had been outside watching Saga cut the grill lamb. Only Jullian and, on the places further from them, Shion seemed to be there just to observed. The man was thankful for that.

"Poseidon sama, about what happened 14 years ago."

"I already know your plot since the beginning, so don't brother with explanation."

"I see, I mean it was me and only me, the other didn't have anything to do with it, even if Saori – san already settled with you. I know that it might not be enough so if you want my head." Kanon said quietly. He didn't want anyone heard about it

"Who say something about wanting someone head?"

"Em… ok… then?" The ex-mariner looking a little confuse.

"I had been making arrangement with Athena for this world. You are and always be her saint." He said, his hand was playing with the empty glass.

"Yes, I am."

"But! It didn't mean you are off the hook with repairing the pillar."

"Eh?" Kanon blinked.

"The mariner general had been repairing the pillar aside from their job in Solo's company. Like the gold saint temple which need the current owner's cosmo in repairing. The pillar is also the same."

"…"

"Tell me, do you use yours in repairing the Gemini temple?"

"… no, I mean I can but I don't need to."

"Right. That's why my condition of giving you to Athena included you serving and repairing the pillar until it finished."

"That's it?"

"That's it. If only you didn't run away and avoiding or your brother didn't interrupt, I could had been going out on my way to other party today. They served French food." He said smirking lightly.

"… I see, I mean I'm sorry."

"Hmrf." There was easy pause instead of the heavy atmosphere that had been surrounded since the beginning of this conversation. "Don't get it wrong though, the pillar is different from the temple, while the temples in Sanctuary built for defend, the pillar was built for control. You will be stuck repairing and feeding it cosmo for at least 10 years."

"Geh…you mean every day?" Kanon widen his eyes in shock, was that mean he had to stay in Poseidon underwater domain for another ten years?

"7 days every month for the next ten years. Be thankful with Athena that she had fought hard for this. I really want it finished in two or so years at first."

"Aaaa…" Kanon shoulder moved down in dejected, he let a long sigh. He once again looked back at his former master. "I'll promise, the pillar will be repaired as good as new."

"Hmrrf, good then." The God moved from his chair and turned around but before he could move toward the terrace direction, Kanon's voice stopped him.

"Poseidon – sama… Thank you and…" He trailed slightly before finishing. "Do you enjoy the event though?"

"Ma ma ne… (I suppose so)" He waved his hand in casual manner dismissively, his mouth though let out a faint smile.

To be continue

Note:

Mezethes: meal course which can be served as appetizer that served alone as separate eating experience where complement and enchace the taste of ouzu or raki commonly share with family/friends also created happy even noisy atmosphere

Myzithra: fresh cheese made with milk and whey from sheep/goat/both

Maroulo salata: crisp cos romaine lettuce with dill and spring onions

Jotopoulo lemonata sti skhara: grilled lemon chicken

Potates fournou: roasted potatoes with lemon, orange and oregano