Chapter 4

Memories – Prophecies – Murder

"Hestia! Please calm down!" Artemis exclaimed as she struggled to free herself from the tiny goddess's surprisingly strong grasp.

Bell and Aiz could only watch this bizarre scene in bewilderment. Alfia was laughing at Artemis, who had another goddess crawling all over her trying to tell a story of how she was staying with another deity and was recently evicted. It was an odd scene for any who walked past them on the street.

Shooting an angry glare at Alfia who was laughing instead of helping her, she finally managed to pry her friend off from her before escaping and taking shelter behind a bewildered Bell and using him as a human shield.

"Eh? Artemis!?" Bell asked in a panic as he looked over his shoulder, only to be met with the pleading eyes of his goddess.

"Hestia, if you want to tell me about what happened, you can come by my Familia's home tomorrow, but we have somewhere we need to be right now." Exasperated by her friend's antics, she wanted to get away from there as quickly as possible. She didn't care that it was a lie, she just didn't feel like dealing with Hestia when she was this worked up.

"But Artemis…" Hestia desperately began to say but was cut off when Artemis hurriedly apologized and told her again that they had somewhere to be.

"I don't even know where you live!" Hestia shouted as her friend quickly disappeared into the crowd.

"Come by the old Zeus Familia home. That's where we live." Alfia said as she and Aiz, who had just finished her second potato snack, began to follow behind her Goddess and Bell.

"Zeus… wait what?" Hestia quietly voiced as she was left alone in the middle of the street.

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The group had arrived at the Hostess earlier than they planned, but to their surprise Luna and Enrich were already there enjoying some ale.

Anya had quickly sat the four at a large table before moving to clear off the table that the other two had just been sharing.

"Who was that goddess earlier?" Bell asked as they were all sitting down.

"Ah, that was Hestia. She was a friend back in Heaven. Like me, she is one of the three virgin goddesses. I hadn't realized that she had come down to the lower world though." Artemis explained as she thought back on the times that she would visit her home.

"I am actually surprised that she came. Back in Heaven, she was a bit of a shut-in." Artemis continued before quickly apologizing after realizing she said that aloud and that it was rude.

In typical Hostess fashion, the waitresses were quick to take their order and bring out the drinks. Aiz had sat next to Bell, and like him had stuck with water. Sitting quietly, she felt out of place as Bell and the rest of his Familia each held their own conversations. That wasn't to say that they were ignoring her, she just wasn't very good at holding a conversation that didn't involve the dungeon.

"Oh, we will be going to the Dungeon tomorrow after training. I was thinking that it would be fun to see the town in the Dungeon," Bell told Luna and Enrich who became ecstatic at the news before he turned to Aiz and asking if she would like to come along.

"We would love to join you on your first trip to Rivira."

The group quickly turned in the direction of the familiar voice. "Riveria?" Aiz questioned as she wasn't expecting to her and the others until later. Finn, Gareth, and the rest of her party had all shown up along with Loki.

Artemis invited Loki and the others to sit down with them, to which they happily agreed. It was a good way to get the word out that their two Familias were friends and allies.

As Loki was about to take a seat next to Aiz, a young elf quickly squeezed in and took the spot.

"Hey! What are yo-"

Ignoring Loki, Lefiya quickly spoke up. "Have you been with Bell since the end of training?"

As Aiz replied and explained that they ran into each other, Loki was having a tantrum over the fact that Lefiya had stolen her spot next to her precious Aiz and was now ignoring her.

"Mama, Lefiya's being mean!" She exclaimed as before asking Riveria to do something about it.

"Why do you insist on calling me 'Mama'?" Riveria questioned, not caring a single bit about her goddess's plight.

Artemis and the rest of her Familia could only look on with wry smiles.

"I guess Hestia isn't the only strange and excitable goddess." Bell said to quietly to himself, causing Aiz to turn and look at him with a small smile as she replied with a "Mmm" and nodded.

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Things calmed down some as the food began to arrive. Though, it was still the Loki Familia, and a few of them were quite lively, especially after a few more drinks. Bete had shown up a short while after the Loki and the others and was busy drinking and talking with Luna.

It was quite the surprise to see the two talking. Luna had apologized for what she did to him at their first meeting, but he just laughed it off. The two seemed to be getting along and Bete was giving her some advice about the facing some of the monsters on the middle floors.

Tione was busy trying to cozy up to Finn, Tiona was regaling Enrich with some heroic tales. Though, he seemed to just be politely listening. Bell was telling Aiz and Lefiya about some of the monsters he had fought outside of Orario with the highlights being a few dragons and Antares. Alfia was talking with Riveria and Loki about the deep floors.

Seeing everybody so lively and having their own conversations, Artemis saw this as the perfect opportunity to try and speak with Ryu. Looking around the room, she tried to find the child of her dear friend.

"Hello, Bell. I have short break. Do you mind if I join you?" Ryu said as she walked up from behind Artemis and causing here to nearly jump out of her skin.

Bell looked up at the elf before scooting closer to Aiz to make room for Ryu to sit down. Of course, this made Aiz happy, though she would have been happier if it wasn't for the green-haired elf sitting down next to him.

"I apologize, but I overheard part of your conversation earlier. You're going into the dungeon tomorrow are you not?

"Yeah, it sounds like everyone here is coming with us. Would you like to come too?" Bell asked assuming that was why she had mentioned it.

"I do have tomorrow off, and I was hoping to come by your home tomorrow morning to speak with Lady Artemis." Ryu replied before she looked over to Artemis. "Would that be alright with you?"

"Yes, that would be great." Artemis smiled, happy that Ryu had taken the initiative.

As Ryu and Artemis worked out the time of their meeting and sharing some small talk, Syr was busy drinking in the sight of Bell's soul up close. It was so clear and bright that she struggled to keep herself from drooling. She wanted him badly before, but now that she got another good look at it up close, there wasn't anything that she wouldn't do or give up so that she might make him hers.

"Umm, hello…" Bell said nervously as he, Aiz, and Lefiya saw her staring at him.

Syr almost missed the fact that he had spoken to her because of how absorbed she was in admiring his soul. "You're the one that beat the King and Vana Freya aren't you?" Syr asked, though she knew for a fact that he was as she had been the one that he stepped on to start the fight.

"Ah… yeah," Bell replied as he nervously chuckled and scratched the back of his head.

"I saw you fight. It was very impressive, and I must say that after seeing that, I am quite smitten with you," Syr commented as she cutely swayed back and forth while giving him a dangerously cute smile and giggling before she scampered off with an obvious blush.

The table had gone silent as everyone stared at the girl as she escaped behind the kitchen door before looking back at Bell who had turned bright red from embarrassment.

"If you will excuse me Lady Artemis, but I must get back to work," Ryu said, breaking the silence.

As the morning sun was rising, the city began to slowly wake. Ryu woke early and mentally prepared herself for her talk with Artemis. She was both happy and nervous that Astrea's friend had taken an interest in her. While the Astrea Familia was allied with both the Freya and Loki Familia's, their respective goddesses weren't exactly friends.

As Ryu made her way across town to the Moonlit Mansion, across town a busty loli goddess was snoring away. She had asked for the day off and her stalls owner had reluctantly agreed so that she can meet with an old friend. However, Hestia saw it as the perfect opportunity sleep in.

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Artemis, Alfia, and Bell were all in the living room discussing what to look for in potential applicants. Something that they neglected doing after Aiz and run into them on the streets last night.

Bell and Artemis both agreed on the type of person they wanted to accept, people who were loyal, dependable, and honorable, yet friendly and could get along with others. Alfia had a slightly different take on it. She thought back on her time with the Hera Familia, and while most everyone got along, there were a few who were more abrasive, but had great potential.

Alfia pushed to focus more on a meritocratic approach for selecting their future Familia members. While they shared different points of view and ideals, they compromised and found a happy medium.

In the end they agreed to recruit adventurers with experience, but they needed to pass an interview where their integrity could be checked by the goddess. Any lie or deception would mean an automatic dismissal from the application process.

That didn't mean that they would turn away applicants who were level one, or people who were looking to become adventurers. Anyone who could demonstrate their ability and character would be given a chance. They needed people to fill various positions as front-line fighters and mages after all.

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Ryu walked up to the guards at the main gate of the Artemis Familia home. She recognized them as Enrich and Luna and quickly greeted them and followed Luna past the gate before she stopped as she took in the sheer size of their home.

"The Stardust Gardens was large, but this is on a different scale." She voiced, which earned a small laugh from Luna as Ryu couldn't contain her amazement.

"Tell me about it. We went from living in small cabins in the forest to this place. It takes some getting used to. Though, the baths here are to die for." Luna commented, sharing in the still present feeling of amazement.

"Are they large?" As an elf, bathing and hygiene were very important to her, so she couldn't help but wonder in excitement despite not being able to use them.

"Very. The women's bath has a dozen showers to clean up in, and large bath that could easily hold twelve people with plenty of room in between them." Luna explained to the excited elf who had a look of disbelief on her face before leading her inside the manor.

A small knock was heard on the door as the Artemis, Alfia, and Bell were finishing up their discussion, then the door opened, and Luna stepped inside followed by Ryu.

Bell was the first to welcome her as he gave her a kind smile and offered her a place to sit next to him as Alfia and Artemis sat on the couch across from him.

Ryu politely bowed and thanked the trio for having her.

"You don't need to be so nervous Dear; we won't force you to talk about anything that you do not wish to share." Artemis could sense the nervousness behind her stoic expression, so she spoke in a kind gentle tone to try and ease her nerves.

Ryu was relieved to hear that she wouldn't be forced to share anything, but she had already resolved herself to explain why Artemis's friend was no longer in the city as it was her fault for her leaving.

Before she got to that, Ryu asked if Artemis would mind telling her what Astrea was like back when they were in heaven. Artemis smiled and happily explained, even going as far as telling her some stories about how kind and just she was, even to those perverted gods who had been caught trying to peep on her when she was bathing. Bell's grandfather included.

Eventually though, the question came up as to why Astrea had left the city. Ryu's expression grew dark, and she hesitated. She was shaking slightly as she replayed the memories in her head.

"I am sorry Bell, Alfia, and Lady Artemis. I will tell you why she isn't here, and you can do with the information as you see fit. I will deserve whatever punishment that follows, for I am a dirty, dangerous elf. I forsake Lady Astrea's justice."

"Ryu…" Bell who had remained silent, apart from some laughs here and there from Artemis's stories, spoke up with a confused look on his face.

Ryu glared at him. Not an angry glare, but a glare that says, "It's true, believe me."

Ryu explained her story to the three in the room. She started from the beginning, and why she came to Orario, her experience before finding a Familia, and how she met Lady Astrea. At first she was looking at Bell, as if to explain to him that she wasn't always this dark, dirty, evil person that she saw herself as being. Eventually she got to the death of her Familia. She left out what exactly happened, but she explained that they were caught in a trap set by the Rudra Familia.

Bell and Artemis watched and listened as Ryu told her story as their hearts sank. It was awful what she had been through, and they felt sorry for her.

Ryu turned to Artemis and began to explain how she had asked Astrea to leave the city after her Familia's deaths. She didn't want Astrea to see what she would do. What she would become. She went on to tell Artemis how she murdered the entire Rudra Familia, and anyone connected to Evilus using whatever means necessary in her quest for revenge. She looked into Artemis's unwavering gaze as she spoke, not wanting to shy away from what she had done.

"As you can see, I am unworthy of your kindness. I have forsaken Lady Astrea and her justice. I am dirty, dangerous elf." Ryu said with a solemness to her voice that broke both Bell's and Artemis's hearts.

The room was silent for a few moments as everyone digested what they had just heard. Ryu, who had resigned herself to being arrested for her crimes sat there, staring at the ground as tears caused by the terrible memories flowed from her eyes.

"Don't you ever dare call yourself dirty or dangerous elf again." Bell said, his voice shaking in anger.

He hated what she did, but throughout her story he placed himself in her shoes. If someone had murdered his mother, grandfather, or any of his friends, there would be nothing stopping him from doing the same thing. He couldn't imagine the pain of losing everyone that he loved.

"Eh?" Ryu looked up in shock at Bell who was scowling at her.

"She's perfect. What do you think Artemis?" Alfia said with a large grin on her face.

"Eh?" The surprised look grew as she quickly turned to look at Alfia then at Artemis.

"Ryu, I don't condone what you did, but I was recently in a similar situation with Antares. Most of my Familia was killed, so I understand the pain of loss as well as the need to seek revenge." Artemis looked down at the ground and she recalled her rage. "I think you and I share many of the same ideals and values despite everything you have just told us. As such, I would like to ask you a question. We will keep your secret regardless of your answer. Would you join our Familia?"

Ryu stared blankly at Artemis before slowly looking to Alfia and Bell and returning to Artemis. She was expecting them to be outraged and immediately detain her. She even left a note for Syr and the others, explaining that she did not expect to be returning and that she would probably be arrested before lunch. She did not expect to be offered a place in another Familia.

"But I…" Ryu began but was summarily cut off.

"You are a skilled woman; I can sense that. You have also proven that you are loyal to your friends and Familia while also being honorable enough to confess to your crimes. I personally don't care what crimes you committed before we met. I do care about the future of this Familia though, and you would be a great asset to us all." Alfia explained. In her eyes, Ryu was like hitting the jackpot as she fit perfectly with what she wanted to see in their recruits, and what Artemis and Bell wanted.

"Thank you, but what I was trying to say is that I am blacklisted by the Guild. I can't be an adventurer again."

"Oh," the three said in unison.

"I will speak to Ouranos and get your name cleared. I would like to have you join us. I will even send a letter to Astrea and explain that you have joined my Familia, and I will invite her back to the city. If she chooses to return, I won't stop you from rejoining her so that you can be at her side again."

Ryu was at a loss for words. She missed being an adventurer and going into the dungeon with her Familia. Now, here Artemis was offering her that chance again. She looked back up at Artemis who was giving her a large smile and nodded. Alfia had already explained her position, so she looked to Bell who hadn't said anything since he yelled at her.

Bell sat there with a big goofy grin as Ryu looked up at him with a look of uncertainty. Bell's smile reminded her so much of Alise's, he had even taken her hand, just like she had. Ryu's eyes began to tear up again, but she quickly wiped her eyes, and with a sniffle, she turned back to her Artemis, standing. "Thank you Lady Artemis. Please look kindly on me and allow me to join your Familia."

Artemis and Alfia both gave her a big smile and welcomed her. Bell stood up as she turned to him and he wrapped her in a hug, excited to have a new member.

"B-B-Bell, please release me. I am not ready for this yet." She stuttered, surprised by the physical contact but not fighting against it. She had in fact hugged him back without noticing it, as if it were the most natural thing to do in the world.

"Then why are you hugging me back?" he asked smiling.

As soon as she realized what she was doing, she immediately let go of him as he did the same.

"Ah!" Ryu yelled in a panic. "I need to get back to the Hostess before they find my note and worry!"

"Alright, well as your new captain, go home and pack up you stuff. Be back before 10:30 for training." Bell said, doing his best to mimic Finn's authoritative tone, which surprised him because Ryu stood up straight before bowing.

Alfia and Ryu raced back to the Hostess to gather her stuff and so that she could inform Mama Mia and the others of her new living arrangements.

Artemis and Bell rushed off to the guild so that she could speak with Ouranos as quickly as they could so that they could get Ryu into their Familia.

It didn't take long for Bell and Artemis to reach the guild as Bell had picked up Artemis and princess carried her there seeing as he was much faster than she was.

As they were running through the streets, people couldn't help but wonder why a strong wind blew past them carrying what sounded like a screaming, crying woman.

After they arrived, Bell set Artemis down and she repeatedly punched him in the arm while scolding him. "Never do that again! I swear, I thought I was going to die. Also, I think I swallowed a bug while you were running," Artemis pouted as she fixed her hair that the wind had messed up.

Bell couldn't help but smile at Artemis's outburst. She looked adorable as she stood there frowning while she fixed her hair. "I'm sorry Artemis." Bell said as he tried to stifle his laugh.

"Why are you laughing?" She asked as she continued to pout, thinking that he was making fun of her.

"The face you were making was just too cute." Artemis glared at him and thought about reminding her of just who she was, but Bell's smiling face and his childlike laughter stopped her. She didn't mind it too much as it was an innocent compliment, and she didn't get the sense that it came from some perverse thought.

The two made their way into the Guild, and it took some convincing, but Ouranos agreed to meet with Artemis.

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"Please, take off your shirt and take a seat," Artemis said as she patted the spot next to her on her bed.

Ryu did as she was asked. While she didn't like people touching her, she would tolerate Artemis seeing as she was about to become her new goddess. "How did you manage to clear my name?" Ryu was curious. She had massive bounty on her, but in less than two hours, she was free.

"Oh, I didn't do much. I simply asked and as a favor he agreed. Though I suspect that if it wasn't for Bell and Alfia being in my Familia, that he wouldn't have agreed. Being owed a favor from a Familia with two of the strongest adventurers in the city is apparently quite appealing." Ryu smiled after hearing that. She would need to find a way to properly thank them in the future.

"I also wrote a letter for Astrea as I promised. Ouranos promised that he would get it to her for me." Artemis continued to say as she poked her finger with a knife and let a drop of blood fall onto the elf's exposed back.

As Artemis was working to change Ryu's falna to her own, Ryu was curious about something that Artemis had said earlier. "Earlier, you said something about you and I having the same ideals. What ideals are you referring to?" She couldn't figure it out, she only told them about the darkness in her past, nothing of ideals that they could possibly share.

Artemis paused her work for a moment and stared up at the elf who was looking back at her from over her shoulder. "Tell me, do you know what I hold dominion over?"

Ryu simply shook her head and replied, saying that she was the Goddess of the Hunt. Artemis smiled at that and nodded.

"I am one of the three virgin goddesses. As such, I hold dominion over purity and chastity. Though, a few of my children who have recently passed have tried to convince me that love is worth pursuing." Seeing that Ryu was still confused, she continued.

"You are a pure maiden at heart." Ryu furiously blushed as soon as she heard Artemis's words.

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Aiz was standing on the training field with the rest of her Familia and most of the Artemis Familia. She looked around, but she couldn't find Bell anywhere. He was someone that she looked forward to seeing each day, and after he told her that she was already very strong, and that is why he focuses on some of the others during training, she felt like he had finally acknowledged and seen her. Though, that didn't stop her from wanting to be around him more to train with, fight with, and to explore the Dungeon with him.

Bell walked through the doors leading out to the training field and apologized for the delay before announcing that the Artemis Familia had a new member. Turning, he introduced everybody to Ryu who had followed behind him. When he introduced her to everyone, and their eyes fell on her, she blushed lightly since she was wearing only a simple white shirt, green bloomers, long brown gloves, and long brown boots. She felt exposed.

Everybody immediately recognized her as one of the waitresses from the Hostess. While they didn't know her circumstances, everyone from the Artemis Familia readily welcomed her.

The Loki Familia, at least most of them knew her from her time with the Astrea Familia and were happy to see that she had found a new Familia.

After the short welcoming and congratulations, training began as usual with an hour-long sprint, followed up by splitting the teams into two groups based on level.

Ryu was high level four, and she was close to leveling. She just needed something that the gods would recognize as a worthy feat to push her over the edge and allow her to level up.

Bell was excited to train with the lower levels today. He would get to spar with Aki again, and he would get his first glimpse of what Ryu could do.

Aki had redoubled her efforts with training and sparred with Aiz before going to the dungeon, and her hard work was paying off. She was able to last several minutes sparring Bell before she would end up exhausted and finally taking a hit. Even though he had to hold back against her significantly, she was proud of herself for keeping up so well.

Ryu was a surprise to everyone. They thought that she would be rusty and out of practice, but she wasn't. She had kept up her training even after everything that had happened. She even surprised Bell once or twice when she switched fighting styles and used some techniques that she had learned from her old Familia. Despite his surprise, he was still easily able to defend himself and defeat her.

Even though she couldn't seem to beat him, she had a smile on her face the whole time. She had a training partner that she couldn't take things too far with as he was much, much stronger than she was.

As the training came to an end, the group went inside to have lunch before they would make their way into the Dungeon.

Artemis had made sandwiches for everyone, and Bell had quickly grabbed a couple before sitting down at a large table. As soon as he sat down, several of the girls quickly followed suit and sat down next to him.

Aki, thanks to her cat-like reflexes, managed to slip into the seat next to his, while Ryu who was used to slipping between people after working at the Hostess gracefully sat in the chair on his other side.

Aiz was enamored by the variety of sandwiches and distracted by Lefiya didn't notice that she had missed out today. When she finally had made up her mind and turned to go sit next to Bell, a small frown appeared as she saw that the seats were already taken.

'Playboy rabbit,' she huffed as she sat down across from Bell and the others. Thankfully though, while the tables were long, they weren't very wide, so she was still able to easily talk to him.

As everyone was sitting around a large table in the dining hall, the older members of both Familia's were sitting there laughing amongst themselves as they watched a truly odd sight. Bell was surrounded by girls from both Familias.

A ring came from the doorbell as everyone was busy with their lunch and discussing their plans for their trip to the dungeon. Enrich, who had been keeping to himself while Luna was talking with Bete got up and answered the door.

The moment he did, everyone stopped what they were doing after what they heard next. Artemis's face froze while Alfia, Bell, and Aiz sat there and snickered seeing as they knew who it was.

"ARTEMIS! I'm sorry I'm late! I overslept. Do you have any food I'm starving? Wow, this place is nice, where's my room going to be?" the small woman yelled as she entered the dining hall that Enrich had led her to.

The moment she threw open the doors, she was met with the blank stares of several high-leveled adventurers along with the horrified and embarrassed face of Artemis.

"Hestia, I have guests! Why are you screaming and throwing open doors like you own the place?" Artemis asked in an annoyed and slightly angry tone.

"Geh…" was all Hestia could muster as she froze in place when she realized everyone was staring at her, until she noticed the assortment of sandwiches and fruit on sitting on a table. She rushed over and stacked as many sandwiches as she could onto a plate then sat down next to Artemis.

Everyone sat and stared at the tiny woman with a morbid fascination as she began to scarf down food while going on a rant about how Hephaestus had kicked her out and now, she was living in an abandon church alone and had to work at a jagamarukun stand just to eat.

"Have you at least tried to find someone willing to join your Familia?" Artemis asked in exasperation while she held her head in her hands as she.

"Yeah, but nobody wants to live in a dilapidated church. I was hoping that you would let me live here with you. Maybe somebody will join me then." Hestia explained as continued to scarf down food and looked up at her friends face that wore a dumbfounded expression.

The rest of the room was in whispers as people were trying to figure out what was going on and if Artemis was really going to let this person stay in their home.

"If not, maybe you can let me at least have one of your children so that I can start my own Familia. It looks like you have plenty of members here, and they all look strong. Can I have the white-haired boy? He looks like a cute little bunny, and he looks strong. He could earn enough money to take me out on fancy dates every week." She said excitedly as she looked over at Bell.

"NO! He's Orion!" Artemis shouted at Hestia in disbelief that her old friend would even ask such a ridiculous question to begin with.

The room went dead silent. Hestia first looked at her friend in shock after she yelled at her but as soon as she registered what she said she looked back at Bell with wide eyes.

"Y-Y-You're her husband!?" Hestia asked as the blood drained from both Artemis's and Bell's faces. Aki, Ryu, Lefiya, and Aiz all stared at him with eyes the size of dinner plates.

"Eh??" Bell meekly squeaked out.

"Orion is the name of her champion, the one that is supposed to be her eternal husband. You didn't know?" Hestia asked in confusion before she saw everyone around Bell shake their heads then she looked back at her friend who was seething in anger.

"The answer is no! You cannot stay here, and you cannot take Bell or any other of my Familia members." Her voice shook with anger. Taking a deep breath, she calmed herself before continuing. "I can't believe you Hestia. Please leave." Her voice was no longer filled with anger, but disappointment, frustration, and sadness. It sounded as if she were about to break down into tears.

"Artemis! Please, at least-"

"Alfia, please escort her off of the property." Artemis snapped as she cut off Hestia.

Alfia quickly stood along with Riveria as they both walked around the table to usher Hestia through the doors and out of the front gate where Riveria notified the guards that she has been trespassed from the Moonlit Mansion.

"I apologize for what you guys had to witness," Bell said as he bowed to everyone. "I'm going to speak with Artemis. If you would like to wait for a bit before going to the Dungeon, make yourselves at home. You can ask Luna or Enrich for anything you might need. Otherwise, we can postpone our trip until tomorrow."

"We will wait. Go, speak with your goddess." Riveria said as she and Alfia walked back into the dining hall.

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The moment she left the dining hall Artemis ran to her room as fast as she could. She ran in and jumped onto her bed and screamed out her anger and frustration into her pillow as she pounded on her bed.

'Why did Hestia have to say that? Why did she have to believe in that stupid prophecy? Oh, what am I supposed to say to him now?' She thought to herself before releasing more screams and punches in the bed trying to release her frustration, until she felt someone sit down next her on her bed.

"Artemis, are you alright?" Bell asked in a gentle voice. He himself was confused by what Hestia had exclaimed but making sure his goddess was alright was his top priority now.

"Bell…" Artemis said into her pillow in between her sobs.

"Orion." Bell said a little more forcefully. "If you want to keep calling me Orion, I won't mind. I like the name, remember?"

Artemis lifted her head and looked him with her puffy red eyes and tears still running down her cheeks.

"Are you alright, Artemis?" Bell asked as he scooted closer to her, but she only shook her head and mouthed the word "no," as her face reddened and she gasped for air after crying so much.

"I'm sorry about Hestia and what she blurted out like an idiot. You don't have to listen to her. She believes in those stupid ancient prophecies, not me." Artemis said as she sat up and scooted herself to the edge of the bed so she could sit next to Bell and talk to him.

"So, what is this prophecy that made Hestia believe that I am your husband?" Bell looked over to Artemis with curious and attentive eyes.

"Ugh…" Artemis let out as she really didn't want to talk about it but figured that Bell had already heard part of it, so she might as well tell him everything.

"Shortly after we gods came into existence…" Artemis began to explain.

Bell listened as she explained how every god is alone, but there was a prophecy that had been shared that said that every god had a destined partner for them. She listed off Freya's Odr, Hestia's Torch Bearer, her Orion, and she explained that these souls were meant to be with them as their eternal partners once they had been found. She herself used to believe it, but after countless eons, she began to see that gods were unchanging. What they started out as is what they were meant to be for the rest of eternity. Though she had found her Orion, she still doesn't believe in the prophecy since she was destined to be a virgin goddess for eternity, as gods are unchanging.

"So, you see, I can't take you as my husband. Before you met me, I only had women in my Familia, at least until I took Enrich in, but I forsake love and saw it as an impure concept. I hated it because it's something that I could never have. I'm doomed to be unchanging, and I wouldn't condemn you to an eternity living a life where you can't feel the love of having a family or children. No man would ever want that." Artemis said as she began to cry again, cursing her fate.

Bell felt his own eyes begin to moisten as he listened to her. She believed that she shouldn't love since she couldn't be loved. She believed that nobody would ever love a woman who they couldn't lay with as man and wife. Bell wrapped his arms around his crying goddess and held her tightly to his chest. He thought about how to comfort her, but he couldn't find the right words. Instead, he chose to share his own thoughts on the matter.

"I don't know anything about love. I only have ever loved my mother and my grandfather after all. But I don't believe gods are unchanging. The gods are powerful; they can create worlds… they can create life. Surely, they, themselves are powerful enough to change and break the shackles that chain them down." Feeling Artemis look up at him as she moved her head against his chest, he looked down at her and smiled. "Don't give up on love. You changed your beliefs once before; you just have to be strong enough to change them again."

Artemis squeezed Bell as tightly as she could and began crying again. "Orion, thank you. Thank you for listening. Thank you for joining me and thank you for staying."

Bell held Artemis until she calmed down. He still didn't know what to think about being told that he was supposed to be the eternal partner of a goddess, but he did know that she was a woman, and he didn't want to see her cry. He never did listen to Zeus's lessons on women as his mother prevented that. However, a couple of rules did stick with him. One being, never leave a woman to cry alone.

Two hours had passed, and the group downstairs was getting ready to call it a day, and just go to the Dungeon tomorrow when Bell and Artemis walked back through the doors.

"I apologize for keeping you all from entering the Dungeon, and for the unsightly display that both myself and Hestia had caused." Artemis said as she stood before them all.

"There is nothing for you to apologize for." Finn spoke up for the rest of the people in the room.

"Indeed. Asking another goddess for a place where she can freeload and to be given the strongest adventurer in the city is a ridiculous request to make." Riveria spoke up as well.

"Everyone ready to go?" Bell asked, wanting to change the subject as he fiddled with his chest plate straps. Every nodded in agreement and they took off.

.

"Where are all of the monsters? I thought that they would be crawling around everywhere in the dungeon." Luna asked as they passed through the tenth floor.

"I haven't seen or heard anything yet, and I'm even reeling in my aura." Bell commented as he too was curious where everything was.

"You're wasting your energy doing that. The dungeon is a living thing, it can sense you and how strong you are. I doubt we will see anything except for the Goliath with you and Alfia around." Finn explained.

"Well, that's boring," Enrich said dejectedly as the group continued.

"Bell… are you married?" Aiz asked, oblivious to the fact that everyone was avoiding the topic, causing everybody to groan.

"No," Bell softly chuckled as he looked down at the ground, thinking about what Artemis had told him. "I can't say too much as it isn't my place to say, but…" Bell explained the prophecy, and how every god supposedly had a partner that they were destined to be with but left out Artemis's reasons for not believing in the prophecy.

"In then end, she doesn't believe in the prophecy, and she won't make me marry her." Bell finished with a sigh. This was all emotionally taxing.

The trip down to the wall of sorrows only took a couple of hours walking at a moderate pace that the level threes could maintain. It didn't hurt their time either that not a single monster showed up in that time.

"I call dibs" Bell cheerily called out as they approached the room, excited at the prospect of fighting something new.

"You sure you don't want to see it first?" Riveria asked with a wry grin. She didn't know what to think of Bell calling dibs on a monster rex the first time he entered the dungeon.

"Nah, I haven't gotten to fight a monster since my trip to Orario," Bell said as he rolled his shoulders to loosen up as he walked out into the middle of the room and looked at the wall as he heard the first cracking sounds.

"Bell! The other wall!" Aki yelled out as saw Bell staring at the wrong wall, causing everyone one to laugh.

"Is he always this giddy?" Ryu asked the group.

"No, only when he is excited. When he fights, he is always serious." Alfia commented as she watched Bell turn.

"Oh! Got it! Thanks, I'll buy you a fish for dinner when we get back!" Bell yelled back as he quickly turned to around to face the correct wall.

"UGH! Don't you dare die to this thing. I need to slap you first!" Aki yelled back.

Bell gave Aki a thumbs up looked up as the Goliath began to break out of the wall and took its first steps into the room.

'Wow, that's big and ugly' Bell quietly thought to himself as got his first look at the monster rex. "Storm of Jupiter" Bell spoke out loud with mild amusement.

"AAAAAGHHH!" The monster let out a massive roar as it looked down at Bell, or rather where he used to be.

As soon as the Goliath began its roar, Bell sprinted forward faster than anyone but Alfia could see. As he got to the Goliath, he swung his sword, cleaving off its foot and lower part of its shin. Running past Goliath as it fell, Bell leaped into the air and used the wall as a springboard and jumping at the back of the Goliaths neck, leaving a crater where he launched from.

Flying through the air, he swung his sword again, slicing cleanly through the Goliath's neck decapitating it.

Bell landed on the ground just before the head and body of the Goliath collapsed and disappeared in a large poof of ash.

"Well, that was fun," Bell said with a massive smile. It was his first kill in the dungeon.

The rest of the party walked over. Some were in disbelief seeing the Goliath killed in fifteen seconds, while the Loki Familia captains were excited to see what he could do in the deeper floors.

As Bell was standing there with a grin, he raised his hand for a celebratory high five with Aki as she walked up to him with a smile and thinly veiled irritation.

SLAP* "That's for assuming I like fish!" Aki said with the same smile she had when she walked up. Everyone watched in amusement as Bell exaggerated the strength of her slap and spun around.

"You don't like fish?" Bell asked as he rubbed his cheek.

"I love fish! I just hate that you assumed that would make me happy." Her smile softened a bit as she looked back up at him.

"I know that Aiz loves jagamarukun and now I know that you love fish! I am learning more about you all." Bell said aloud causing Aki to wave as she went back to the others, and Aiz to perk up after hearing her name and the name of her favorite food.

"Uwah! Raul's got some competition!" Tiona shouted as she ran up and hugged Aki who began denying that there was a competition since she didn't see him like that.

Aiz pouted as she recalled what Tiona and Tione had said on their first day of training. It did seem that Bell had a thing for Aki, and mini Aiz was throwing a tantrum in her head while shouting at her to do something to make the rabbit hers.

Bell turned around and picked what he thought was a large white rock at first, but as he looked at it, he saw that it was a tooth. He excitedly showed it off to everyone while announcing that it was his first drop item in the dungeon. His excitement was infectious causing everyone there to smile and joke around, with the exception of Bete who was grumbling in about Bell being a showoff.

The group picked up the stone and moved onto the eighteenth floor. As they came out of the tunnel, Bell, Luna, and Enrich were in awe as they looked over the lush green landscape and the massive crystals in the ceiling of the cavern that lit up the entire floor. They never expected a paradise like this to be found in the dungeon.

"It dims at night and brightens in the morning just like outside." Aiz said as she walked up to the three, stopping next to Bell.

"Let's continue on to Rivira," Finn called out as they began to make their way through the forrest.

"Welcome to Rivira." Bell dejectedly read the sign aloud. "Is the whole town this depressing?" Bell asked.

"Worse. Don't buy anything here. Everything is way overpriced. The inn is comfortable, but its expensive too." Tione said as she walked past Bell and slapped him on the back.

Bell and the party walked through the town, but they haven't seen anyone yet. As they walked further into town, they ran into a large crowd outside of the inn.

"Bors! What's going on here?" Finn asked trying to figure out what all the commotion was about.

"Ah crap, Loki Familia." Bors sighed. "There was a murder at the inn."

A/N: Some may feel like I am too harsh with Hestia's character, but I don't like her. Sure she has her moments, but over all, I still don't like her. Also, someone mentioned how they didn't like Alfia as she seemed to hover over Bell. That wasn't my intention, nor is it how I picture her in my head. If that is how she is coming off as, then that is my fault as this stories author. I will try to fix that, but I can also use it as a source of character improvement.

Anyway, I hope you all liked the chapter.

Affinity7208