AN: Welcome back everyone!
I'm glad everyone enjoyed the last chapter!
I'm actually quite satisfied with this one in all honesty. I think it has a decent bit of substance to it, but I'll leave you guys to judge as you wish.
Enough talk.
Let's begin!
Disclaimer: I, Beowulf, do not own PJO or JJBA. I only own this plot, my OC, and the disappointing truth that I do not possess D4C. If I did, I'd be jumping around universes like a bunny on crack.
~Chapter 15~
Athena's eyes narrowed in suspicion as her owl familiar followed a couple as they were walking to a car rental as it were.
As her patron animal, she could always take command of her owls to serve as familiars and scouts to gain information. A perfect skill for the Goddess of Warfare and Strategy.
One was a tall man with grey hair, despite his youth, with black clothing and red eyes with black sclerae. The other was a slightly shorter woman, probably around the age of twenty-six, only two years younger than her male companion. She had long blonde hair stylized into a series of swirls, with rich hazel eyes lined with mascara like some heavy metal singer. She had a spider-bite piercing just below her lips, which were covered in black lipstick.
She wore a spotless white sleeveless corset, baring a tattoo of a starry night sky that went from the top of her breasts over her shoulder to her back, covered by a long white cardigan that seemed to float around her. She wore a torn pair of grey jeans, and steel-tipped spiky boots. (1)
Athena ran through her mind quietly as she focused more on the tall man. He seemed...familiar. Breaking her concentration on seeing through her owl's eyes, she scanned over her massive web of a link chart. Her eyes widened as she saw the picture of the man linked to multiple killings of gangster leaders in France. "An assassin?! Why is he here, and how is he connected to Cyrus?"
Quickly going back to her owl scout, she melded with it, staying nearby as to hopefully glean some information.
"Ugh, Risi, why are here?" The woman pouted as she leaned against the tall man. She was practically draping herself over him, batting her eyelashes.
'Risi' simply kept up his impassive visage, looking through the possible cars that were shown. "You were on the call with Razione, Anette. He and Passione want us to track down the Boss and help him out. You know how much of a threat the Old Blood are. Preferably we can eliminate some of their agents as well."
Anette shook her head, still keeping her wide smile. "I know why you're here Silly. I'm talking about me. Why am I here Risi? You and I both know that you're the assassin, not me."
The man reddened slightly, but kept his serious face on. "Because Razione said so."
Anette looked at him for a moment, staring intently with a slight frown. "...That's not the only thing he said. Spit it out Risotto."
The Wisdom Goddess raised an eyebrow at that. "Risotto?"
The red-eyed man grimaced a little as he reddened a little more, pinching his nose and sighing. "He wanted you to come along because you're better with people than I am..."
"Awe how cute! Passione's Abyssal Jester has trouble admitting his people problems~," She said with a smile. Giggling a little at that, the woman got up on her tiptoes, planting a kiss on the man's cheek near the corner of his lip. "Don't worry Risotto, you know I'm only teasing!"
He grumbled at that, but a ghost of a smile still crossed Risotto's lips. "Enough of your womanly wiles Anette. We have to get going. Go ahead and pick out a car for us."
Anette smiled as she skipped away. As he watched her leave, Risotto's smile evaporated into a serious glare. He turned to see the owl perched nearby.
The Goddess's eyes widened as she saw his red eyes glow for a moment. "Did you think I wouldn't notice? Sloppy."
In a flash, Athena abandoned the owl, her astral form only catching a glimpse as the owl exploded into a spray of blood and razor blades.
"What...what in Hades...?" She thought to herself before quickly abandoning the area, determined to get more information on this 'Risotto.'
Risotto Nero shook his head as their would be pursuer burst into a mess of gore. Hopefully his display would be enough to deter any other would be spies.
He frowned a little as he recalled Razione's words.
"So, the Old Blood have a Holy Nail, and they've sent their own wannabe assassins after Cyrus hm? They must be underestimating him very much. He's the only Stand User who's ever managed to beat me."
He smirked a little as he recalled the events that had led him to meeting the boy, who was about fifteen when they first met.
Risotto had already been co-leader of La Squadra Esecuzioni even before that. He was about the boy's age when he had joined Passione. His cousin had been killed in a car accident where the driver was high on drugs. That bastard may have gone to prison, but Risotto still gritted his teeth in anger at the prick who had killed his cousin.
Only two years after the fucker got out, Risotto killed him. He was only sixteen at the time of killing that drug-chugging driver.
After that, he met Polpo, that fat as hell Caporegime, and obtained his Stand Metallica, joining Passione in the hopes of making sure that drugs would never harm another innocent's life, much like he had been until his cousin's untimely death.
Risotto wasn't the best person, he knew it. But he did his best to stay good and true to his cousin. Only two years after he had joined and worked hard, he assembled his La Squadra Esecuzioni, with shared leadership with Vladimir Razione, a grizzled former Military official who entered the criminal underworld much like Risotto did, following revenge.
Things were looking good for them. La Squadra was quick, and efficient. The team didn't get their own territory, which sucked...but Risotto let it slide for now. Eventually the Boss would take notice and give them some territory...
Over the years, Risotto came to care for each of his team members. They were like his family. And Passione had given it to him. It had definitely helped that they weren't a part of the drug trade that had ended his precious cousin's life...or so he'd thought.
The sheer anger he had felt on that day, when he discovered drugs in the area around la Squadra's home, had been beyond anything he'd ever felt.
Passione had betrayed them.
And much of his comrades thought so as well.
Ghiaccio, who's mother had been addicted to hard drugs and often beat him down, leading him to become tough and overtly aggressive with a hair trigger temper.
Formaggio, who had always been made to feel small by his drug dealing abusive father.
Illuso, who had been neglected by his junkie parents and as a child had only been sure he existed because of a mirror where he could see himself.
Pesci and Prosciutto, the two of them had always stuck together, brothers in all but blood as Prosciutto had defended poor younger Pesci from his bullies.
And Sorbet and Gelato...Risotto could still feel the grief in his heart for them.
The two had been born to abusive druggie mothers, and bonded over it, eventually falling in love with each other.
They had all been furious.
Risotto had been ready to demand an audience with his capo Polpo, but Razione talked them down.
This had to be handled carefully. They couldn't just rush in blindly. They needed to find a way to get an audience with the Boss.
Sorbet and Gelato had volunteered themselves for the task, and set to work discovering the Boss's identity.
Big mistake.
One that Risotto would never forgive himself for.
The Boss had made his message clear...in the form of Gelato's horror-stricken corpse, and Sorbet in pieces.
He had never felt so helpless in his life. The Team were shattered with grief. They had a funeral for them, and when all others had left with Razione leaving with a hand on his shoulder, Risotto had for the first time in years, shed tears of grief.
It seemed like their hopes were lost...until a certain gray-purple trenchcoated teen arrived in Napoli. (2)
"Risi!" Risotto shook himself out of his thoughts as Anette shouted out to him. She smiled widely, spinning a pair of car keys in her hand. "Let's go! You're driving!"
The wielder of Metallica felt himself give another wry smile as he made his way over to the shorter blonde. He grabbed the keys before he realized what car she'd chosen.
He gave a small sweat-drop.
She'd chosen an all-terrain jeep...which would have been fine, if it weren't for the obnoxious neon green coloration it had.
He gave his companion a mild glare. She just smiled back before wrapping her arms around him. "Ah c'mon, you love me."
"Yes, I do, but next time you aren't allowed to pick."
"Oh shush Risi."
While the two were busy with each other and their new jeep, Cyrus was lost in his thoughts.
He felt...odd.
The six quest-goers were currently riding the Erymanthian Boar to the west. An uncomfortable ride for sure. Cyrus was no stranger to riding animals to places. After all, with Valentine's memories and such, he was a very able horseback rider...but damn this boar was uncomfortable to ride.
That wasn't the issue though. Ever since his kiss...he felt strange. He rubbed his left eye as it began to itch.
Slowly, he manifested D4C over his arm, overshadowing it slightly.
His Stand felt...light? Was that the word to use? All he knew was that something strange was happening...his Stand was feeling somewhat off and his eye wouldn't stop itching...
No matter, the quest was the priority, as well as Thalia herself.
He didn't notice little golden sparks of light flickering in and out around him, nor a few rocks and pebbles being pushed away from him... (3)
Suddenly, the pig skidded to a stop, plopping down and panting after being ridden for gods knew how many miles. If Cyrus had to guess, they were somewhere in the deserts of Sonora.
"This is as far as it'll go." Grover said as he clambered off.
Percy and Cyrus followed after, grimacing at their sore crotches. "Ugh, that is unpleasant...why couldn't it have been horses? Horses are nice...what do you think Thals? You wanna go Pegasus riding or something when we get back to Camp?" He asked with a smile as he helped her down, D4C materializing into being to gently carry her down.
Thalia's cheeks flushed at being helped down like that, before smiling down at him. "I'll think about it..." She replied quietly, completely forgetting about her fear of heights, at least for now.
Zoe and Phoebe got off last, with the boar getting up and trudging over to cactus. With its gargantuan tusks, it tore up a nearby cactus, drinking heartily. Grover clopped over to it, whispering tender goodbyes...even though the boar had tried to turn them into shish-kebabs.
Cyrus facepalmed a little at that while Percy simply dragged the satyr away from the very scary piggy.
As the three guys walked back to the three girls, their stomachs began to growl a little. Hearing that, Thalia jerked a thumb over her shoulder towards the lone building in the distance. "Looks like there's a restaurant up ahead, you guys wanna grab some food?"
All of the boys' eyes lit up as Cyrus rubbed his hands in glee. "Ooh food? I'm not gonna complain, let's go!"
Thalia smiled at that, before arching an eyebrow almost imperceptibly as she noticed a large gold ring on his left middle finger. "Where'd he get that from?" She thought, before just shelving it for later. Food first.
...or it would have been first. It turned out that the restaurant was unfortunately closed, making Cyrus groan in annoyance as the other two males of the group despaired and the girls glared at the closed door and dark lights.
Screech!
The scream of tires braking echoed across the Arizonan desert as a painfully bright pink limo flashed into existence.
Cyrus winced as his eyes stung from the almost neon pink coloration. Sure, his Stand had pink on it, but at least it was a tasteful compliment and not...whatever the hell this was.
The driver's door opened, revealing a man who appeared to be in a chauffeur's tuxedo. He was covered in scars and wore a scowl like it was the default expression from birth. His eyes were covered in black shades, with a small orange light shining behind both lenses, revealing the fire that filled his sockets.
Percy's eyes narrowed in annoyance mixed with hatred, while the most of the rest followed suit. They drew their weapons and glared at the man.
As for Cyrus, he grinned widely as he strolled over. "Ares! So good to see you again!" He spoke brightly, as if greeting an old friend.
Ares paled as he stepped back, "You stay the fuck away from me!"
Cyrus mock pouted, "Aw how rude! Are you still tetchy about that little stunt I managed to pull on you? It's not my fault you tried to force me to show you my powers, I just was on a time crunch as it were!"
He grinned inwardly as he recalled the incident. Ares had been trying to hunt down the Stand User as per Zeus's orders, and had actually managed to stumble across him while he was waiting for Aphrodite for their date.
And, in his infinite wisdom, the War God had tried to pick a fight with him, only for Cyrus to simply shove him in between a wall and a car, sticking him halfway in between universes with his head viewing the infinite multiverse.
Eventually it seemed that Aphrodite, who had come for their date, literally had to pull him out from his being stuck. The poor War God had been traumatized by the amount of things he'd seen, his violent brain struggling to keep up.
Hey, if you thought that was rough, Cyrus could have just let him go in between universes and let Gravity take control of the situation.
Cyrus frowned imperceptibly as the thought of Gravity lingered in his mind for a moment, before shaking it off and keeping his wide grin towards Ares.
The God of War glared at him, jabbing a finger at him. "You just stay the fuck away from me, got it? I'm only here 'cause my girl's got a soft spot for you."
During this exchange, the other five travelers were looking back and forth between the two, with Percy in particular trying to stifle a laugh at Ares's expense.
Who knew the big bad God of War was scared of the dark-maned teen?
Apparently, his attempt at stopping his laughter failed, as Ares turned to the group, his scowl deepening as he locked eyes with the son of Poseidon.
"You on the other hand..." Ares growled lowly as the lights behind his sunglasses began to glow brighter and no doubt hotter, "You, I'll kill without a second thought, Sea Spray."
Percy snorted as he gripped Riptide in hand. "I've beat you once, I can do it again Ares." He snarled back. Cyrus gave a quiet nod of approval. Kid had guts, impressive.
Ares just grumbled, "Yeah yeah, whatever. Just be glad I'm not one to get violent in front of my lady." He walked over to the backseat door of the limo while beckoning to Cyrus and Percy. "Right, you two, let's get this over with. The lady wants to see you, and the sooner I'm gone, the better." He added at the end as he glared at Cyrus.
Thalia scowled at that, raising her spear and ready to turn her bracelet into her shield at a moment's notice. "Fat chance! You're not taking them anywhere!"
The War God sneered at that, summoning a massive claymore-like sword in hand as he smirked at them. "Hmmm...I think I will be. After all, if I want I can go all out on you guys for challenging me."
Cyrus's eyes turned cold as they glowed with power. He stepped forward a little as D4C materialized in an instant next to him, its cheek pressed against his as he tilted his head. One of its arms were wrapped around Cyrus's midsection while the other reached over its user's shoulder towards the War God. Miniscule golden sparks flickered in and out of existence around him, not that he or anyone else noticed, and its fuchsia eyes glowed menacingly alongside its user. "Are you...threatening her, Ares?"
Looking at the boy, the War God's eyes seemed to widen behind his shades. "What the...!"
Ares shivered a little as the teen's cold stare seemed to bore right through him alongside the strange figure. "I forget, you and much of Olympus have not been introduced to it...feel free to pass on the information when you return, but this is Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap. My Stand. And I suggest you don't threaten them again Ares, unless you want worse than I unleashed upon you last time."
The voice of Cyrus was as dark as the deepest blackest pit, promising pain without end. Ares scowled at that, putting away his blade and trying to ignore the cold stare of D4C.
With that, the teen dismissed the figure, "Good, now that we're all civil, we'll go with you Ares." He looked over his shoulder to the rest. Thalia seemed immensely hesitant on the idea, with rest following suit, albeit to lesser extents. He gave a reassuring smile back to them. "Don't worry guys, it'll be fine. Just wait out here."
Zoe sniffed at that in displeasure, her eyes focusing on Ares, "And what shall we do in the meantime?"
Ares's scowl remained the same as ever as he snapped his fingers.
Behind the group, the restaurant that had once been dark and closed, erupted with life, with its lights switching on and doors swinging open, letting the lovely aroma of freshly cooked food fill the air.
Relenting, the other four questing travelers put away their weapons and began to make their way to the newly opened restaurant. Thalia however, looked back at the Stand User, her eyes still showing her reluctance along with worry.
He gave her another reassuring smile and a wink before turning to his sea-green eyed companion. "Right, c'mon Sharkbait, let's get this over with."
It seemed like whoever was in the car wanted to see Percy first, because Ares had stopped him from entering the limo, shutting the door as Percy entered.
Cyrus simply grinned at the God of Violence, who refused to make eye contact with him. "So...how have you been Ares? Did you enjoy the little trip I sent you on last time we met?"
The War God scowled deeper as he glared. "So, you're a Stand User...I should've known...what the hell did you even do to me..?"
Smirking, the teen nodded, "Behold the secret behind my powers. And as for what I did to you...well, I'll just leave that as a secret for now."
Ares growled as he tried to pick a fight, only for Cyrus's cold stare to stop him dead in his tracks. Grumbling to himself, the War God relented and the two stood in an uncomfortable silence.
After about five or so minutes, Ares opened the door and pulled Percy out by his collar. The young boy gave the God a glare at the rough treatment, despite his obviously blushing face. That glare quickly gave way to a thoughtful expression.
Cyrus smirked at the boy, before the God pushed Percy away and beckoned to Cyrus, gesturing for him to get into the limo.
The Stand User shrugged and did as asked, climbing in with ease before looking to see 'the lady' as Ares had referred to her.
He was greeted with what appeared to be an older Thalia, but with different features shifting and shaping themselves as they came to the surface.
Cyrus noted a few of them in particular. He could see a light tan from a girl in California that he knew of, the tattoo of a certain Italian-French friend of his, and an eight-pointed star mark on her face from another Italian friend of his.
Her long hair seemed to continually change, mainly staying as Thalia's raven locks, but also adding a few blonde and dark brown strands of hair in as well. The blonde strands seemed to form swirls while the brown hairs seemed to twist themselves into braids, and finally, a few pink locks as well. Unlike the rest of her, her eyes stayed static, with the left being an electric blue and the other being a rich black color.
Blushing faintly, Cyrus gave a small smile as he greeted the woman, clearing his throat as it ran dry from the beauty in front of him. "Erm...hello Aphrodite. It is nice to meet you properly at last."
The Goddess of Love gave a small giggle at that as she leaned forward, resting her chin on her hand. "So, you're the fascinating demigod that everyone on Olympus has their eye on hm? You've made quite the stir as well. It certainly does help that you're quite the cute one." She said in a beautifully harmonic voice as she looked the young teen up and down.
"Uh, why thank you?" He squeaked out pathetically before shaking himself out of it. He scowled to himself. "Pull yourself together Cyrus. You aren't just some idiot fool who'll go crazy over a pretty face. You are the Boss of Passione, act like it!"
He quickly schooled his face into something less embarrassed and more stable, regaining as much control as he could. Aphrodite pouted at that. "Ugh, what happened? We were having so much fun!"
"You mean, you were having so much fun." Cyrus corrected, letting his lips curl into a small smirk.
"Eh, details," Aphrodite waved a hand dismissively. "Still, I expected differently from you! Come now, where's the fabled 'Bestia della Passione'?
Cyrus's eyes widened at that as his heart skipped a beat. "Wh- how do you know that name?"
The Goddess of Love smirked at him. "I am the Goddess of Romance, Cyrus. Did you think your antics in France and across the world would escape my sight? Granted, I only caught glimpses...you naughty boy you."
Shaking off his blush at the implication, Cyrus still frowned. "Glimpses meaning..?"
Aphrodite shrugged, rolling her heterochromatic eyes. "Oh this and that...mainly about how much of a flirty beast of a man you'd become ever since you disappeared from that other camp. Especially in Europe! 'The Beast of the Passion'! All those ladies' hearts you wooed in Italy and France hmm? I was honestly expecting a bit more just now for our first meeting."
Cyrus rubbed the back of his neck a little, giving a slight grimace. While he wasn't happy about hearing that the Gods knew about his time in Europe now, it seemed like they weren't aware of the whole picture of what he was doing there. "Well for starters, I wasn't expecting the Goddess of Love to come knocking. And those women were just me dating around a little, against my choice."
He still was annoyed at that. Formaggio and Illuso just kept annoying the crap out of him until he caved and just went on a few dates and such...the two womanizers were such pains sometimes. Something about a proper Italian being able to do romance properly or some crap. Cyrus had not been a fan of that, only doing it to shut his two friends' mouths. Although there was at least one that he enjoyed the company of...
"Oh of course...that explains the amount of loving and lustful thoughts I kept getting from girls throughout Italy and France. As I said, naughty naughty boy..." She trailed off with a teasing tone, making Cyrus's cheeks redden in embarrassment.
The Stand User shook his head of his thoughts. He cleared his throat, "Uh, as nice as this is, this still doesn't explain why you are here Aphrodite. Lady Aphrodite, excuse me." He added at the last minute, hoping the Goddess didn't take offense. He really didn't want to split himself if she transformed him into some random animal or something over disrespect.
Aphrodite smiled brightly at that. "So polite as well? Aren't you the gentleman! Such a shame you never went to Camp HalfBlood," she lamented with a sigh, "it would have been such a treat to have one of my girls break your heart..."
Cyrus scrunched up his nose at that. Why would a Goddess of Love, want hearts to be broken like that? Wasn't her whole shtick involved in getting people matched together?
Women were so confusing...
He pinched the bridge of his nose gently, "So why are you here Lady Aphrodite?"
The Goddess brightened up at that, "Well that, my dear, is easy! I'm here to help you!"
Cyrus's stomach felt like it'd been filled with enough rocks to sink him down to the bottom of the ocean. He gulped quietly. "Erm...help me how, exactly?"
Rolling her beautiful eyes, the Lady of Doves gave a small laugh. "Why, with your little lovebird! And by that I mean, Zeus's daughter. She may be all rough and punk-ish, but you know that's all to hide what's within~." She said with a knowing smile.
"I-is that so?" Cyrus asked, not seeing where this was going.
"Yes! In reality, she wants the same thing all girls want in the end. To be treated with love! You know, spoiled, held, kissed...although you've done those last two twice already," She added at the end, her lips curling into a teasing smile that made Cyrus shift in his seat. "But as I was saying, the biggest thing she wants...is to know about you."
Cyrus closed his eyes, wincing at the reminder of all the things he hadn't told Thalia. Some of the things he even had nightmares over...where would he even begin..?
"I'll tell her, I swear it..." He spoke softly.
Aphrodite looked at him with a curious expression before replacing it with a sly smile. "And by about you, I mean your past relationships."
"Past relationships..? What the hell does that.." Cyrus's eyes bulged a little as it clicked in his head. "Wait do you mean-?"
"I do! Oh I can only imagine what will happen when she learns about you knowing about those other campers!" She said with a hint of glee, making Cyrus grimace.
"Shit, I almost forgot about that..." He ran his hands through his hair, ruffling his long mane a little as he groaned. "Oh wonderful...She'll definitely kill me when she finds out. Probably going to need to swap out bodies once or twice." He muttered to himself, especially the last part.
The Love Goddess, oblivious to his displeasure, continued with a smile. "Oh I can already taste the drama and romance! Your tale of love will be among my best works Cyrus Khan! Right up there with Percabeth, Cyralia vs Cyreyna!"
"Cyreyna...?" Cyrus frowned at that one. "Hold on, I have nothing romantic with her." He stated outright. She had been attractive, yes, but that was the extent of any attraction. That said, he did wonder how she was doing nowadays...
"Oh sure..." Aphrodite said knowingly as she looked at him. "For now at least...who knows what the Fates have planned with you and that Bellona girl? And even then, you have that other person I heard about in...Italy was it? What was her name...something E?"
Cyrus groaned as he rubbed his forehead. "Why me...?" He frowned as he gave her a small glare. "I'm starting to see why the Goddess we're trying to save has such a low opinion of you."
Aphrodite's beautiful face twisted into an annoyed scowl. "Ugh, please don't bring up that party pooper Artemis." She said with a snarl marring her features. "Do you have any idea how many times her and her hunters have ruined my plans and pairings? Oh if only I could interfere to wrap my hands around all their throats, especially that cursed Nightshade."
The Stand User's eyes narrowed at that, letting D4C manifest near his shoulder. "I would tread lightly when threatening those I am allied with." Cyrus stated with a hint of coldness in his voice.
Taken aback for a moment, the Goddess narrowed her eyes at the young man, only sparing a glance at the Horned Stand. "You dare to threaten me?"
"I do not make threats. I make promises. My friends are under my protection." Cyrus said firmly, his green-pink eyes burning with a...dark determination.
Aphrodite just stared for a moment, before breaking into a smile. "Now I see why you're such an object of fascination Cyrus Khan." She reached out and gave him a little ruffle of his mane. "Such passion...I'll be keeping an eye on you~." She said with a teasing smile, poking a finger at him.
Still blinking at the quick shift in personality, he grumbled at the ruffling of his hair as Aphrodite looked up at D4C. "So, a Stand User hm? I must say, this is the first time I've seen a proper demigod using one of these." She mused, smiling at the pink accents as well as giggling a little at the bunny ears atop its head. "I approve! Oh, you will be a very interesting tale indeed Cyrus..."
Cyrus grimaced at that, dismissing D4C as he rubbed his temples. "Why thank you..." He muttered out, quietly wailing at the thought of how difficult his life would become from this point onwards. "Is there anything else, or is my torment over?"
"Oh don't be such a baby," the Goddess teased, "I've already helped you with your quest. When you leave, feel free to ask little Percy about it. As for what I want from you..."
Aphrodite gave a wry smile. "A concert at the Greek camp."
Cyrus paused for a moment. He slowly stuck a finger in his ear, rotating slowly before pulling it out and snapping his fingers next to his ear. Hearing correctly..."I'm sorry what?"
"Oh come now. You didn't think I'd find out?" The Love Goddess's smile widened as her eyes twinkled. "I don't know how, but I know you're friends with her Cyrus. An 'Anette'?"
The Stand User groaned a little, but nodded. "Alright fine...but it's not going to be one of those lovey dovey songs you and Apollo seem to gush about nowadays."
Aphrodite waved him off. "Yes, yes that's fine. As long as the focus is Love in the end, I don't mind."
Cyrus nodded exasperatedly as the door to the limo opened up suddenly, revealing Ares. The god scowled upon seeing him, reaching in to pull the boy out.
That plan failed miserably when Cyrus gave him a dark glare, making him stiffen up and retract his hand. The Stand User grinned at that as he stepped out, cracking his neck. Ares shut the door behind him, before making his way back to the driver's seat.
"Oh and Cyrus?" The teen turned around to see Aphrodite had scrolled the window down as Ares started the limo's engine. He arched an eyebrow as she gave him a wink. "Between us, when you and Thalia get together properly, use protection!"
Cyrus just gave her a viciously hungry smirk. "Don't go telling me what to do~."
The Love Goddess gaped at him in shock for a moment as the limo zipped away with a screech.
The teen Stand User gave a bark of laughter at managing to make the Love Goddess speechless as a parting gift before making his way back to the restaurant in the distance.
It was a dark room with only a chair and desk within. A lone man sat quietly in the darkness, seemingly toying with something in his hands. He was tall, and wore a rich dark red suit with golden lining. His face was cloaked in darkness, with longish gold-blonde hair being the only visible feature. The door creaked open slowly, revealing an old man who peeked their head in. "U-uh, Boss?"
A silky male voice answered from the chair. "Yes? What is it?"
The old man wringed his hands nervously as he walked forward. "E-erm, it appears that...uh, Khan has managed to...defeat, two of the hitmen you have sent after them."
"Is that so...?" The silky voice had now gained an unmistakable edge to it, like the rumble of an incoming thunderstorm. "Hmmm, how interesting. Perhaps the next two we send should put an end to him and his merry traveling circus of demigods. If not, simply have the remainder of them patrol the areas in the city and near the mountain. Is that clear?"
"Y-yes sir..."
The old man quickly left the area, almost fleeing as he zipped through the door.
Meanwhile, the man continued to twirl and toy with the object in his hands.
"Hmmm, so Cyrus managed to pull a win over on those two it seems...how unfortunate. No matter, my partnership with the Crooked One shall be his undoing. I will not be denied. Passione will be mine, and when my grasp over it is complete, the world shall follow!"
"After all," He held up the object he was toying with, revealing it to be a large crucifixion nail, tipped with red-gold blood that had long since hardened. "This has not led me astray yet. One way or another, this nail shall find a Stand User capable enough of killing Cyrus Khan. And if not...I will do it myself."
AN: Damn, what a long chapter.
So we finally get a peek at what Risotto and co. are doing in America, as well as a glimpse into the past of Passione in this world. Cyrus meets with Ares and Aphrodite, and we finally get a glimpse of the enemy's side of things...
Who is the strange blond man in a red suit? Who knows...? And he has a Holy Nail huh?
This should spice things up quite a bit for our merry gang.
Notes:
(1) Ooh a new character hmm? How curious. I will say, this is an OC of mine, but her name is based off of a particular musician. I wonder if you all can guess who it is?
(2) A glimpse at the alternate timeline of Passione. I took the backstory of Risotto and tweaked it slightly to make them more sympathetic as it were. In the anime and manga itself, they're badasses for sure, but they were only betraying Passione for a bigger slice of the pie. This gives them more of a Bucciarati gang type of motivation.
(3) Oh? A strange feeling in a Stand and an itching in the eye huh? Hmmmm...
Alright, that does it for the notes!
Hopefully you guys enjoyed the chapter as much as I enjoyed making/struggling with it.
Remember to leave solid reviews if you would be so kind. The criticism and feedback sustain my mind.
Cheers!
Beowulf