Hello everyone. So here is the long awaited chapter. I apologize on that end, but I know the other story, A Brighter Future, provided the distraction that is needed. I am also working on some stories, to distract it. What I will do is give you guys and gals an idea of how long each update is.

So until then, enjoy the chapter

Disclaimer: I don't own Danmachi, nor the character

Chapter 2: Down, but not out.

Bell woke up a little exhausted. He felt someone holding him and assumed it was his Goddess, believing all of yesterday was a bad dream.

However, he noticed Miach asleep on the couch, and holding him close wasn't Hestia, it was Naaza. It made Bell realize Hestia was really gone. Able to get a look at his clock on the nightstand to find it to be morning, it was a bit early to figure out some stuff. But for Miach and Naaza, they heard what happened and came to comfort him as Ais had done.

It sparked a question about Ais' absence, believing she left for home after their arrival. Bell managed to get out of bed without waking Naaza to freshen up, trying to figure out what to do while doing so. When he came to Orario nobody accepted him until Hestia came along, and it's doubtful his victory over a single Silverback earned him much credibility.

After his teeth were brushed and face washed, breakfast came next. While cooking an egg, feeling bad he didn't have enough food to feed his guests. Bell noticed two cups on the table, it made him frown and focus on the task as a distraction.

Naaza's stirring got his attention, head turned to see her waking up. She softly smiled at the sight of him. "Good, you're awake." She got up, walking over to pat Bell's head, making him blush a little. "I was worried after we heard. I'm sorry about your Goddess."

He nodded and continued to cook, plating it with some bread, and moved to the table to eat. Naaza sat opposite and took a slice, her violet eyes on Bell as they ate before looking at Miach to see he was still asleep. She smirked and said. "You have a nice place."

"Thank you. Hestia told me it was given to her by a close friend to start off her Familia. I was planning to fix it up… seems I have a lot of time to do it." He said, becoming sad at what that meant.

With a raised brow, Naaza didn't break eye contact. "Are you giving up?"

He sighed, fork put down whilst he replied with eyes on the table. "I don't know. I don't feel like I have a reason to. Besides, I doubt any Familia will allow me in. Most of them probably know I allowed my goddess to die…"

"Stop right there, Bell."

Eyes still down, he didn't notice Naaza had moved next to him till a hand was on his shoulder. "What happened wasn't your fault, you couldn't have predicted what that monster was going to do. You stopped it before other people got hurt, or worse. You stood your ground from what we were told and stopped it."

She cupped his face, made their eyes meet, and smiled softly. "I need you to think about this. Did your Goddess blame you for it? Will she want you to continue being sad and blame yourself, or would you mourn then later get up and become stronger? If you do go back into the dungeon, do so for the sake of protecting someone else from dying."

Moved by her words, Bell allowed some tears to fall. "I… need time."

Naaza smiled, a good sign to hear. "Take as much as you need. When you're ready, Lord Miach can take you in."

He returned the gesture on his own and surprised Naaza by bringing her into an embrace. "Thank you, Naaza. Thank you."

A bit red, she ignored the warmth focused on her face and patted his back.

"Well, it seems you two are getting along well."

They turned to see the blue-haired God awake, smirking at their closeness. Both broke apart fast, their cheeks red out of embarrassment at being caught.

"Lord Miach! How did you sleep?"

"Mmmm, not bad at all. This is a comfortable sofa despite its condition." He got up with a good stretch. "Bell, allow me to give my condolences for your loss. However, know that she isn't in Heaven forever."

This piqued said boy's curiosity. "What do you mean, sir?"

Miach went over and sat in Naaza's chair. "Well, after time Gods and Goddesses can return to the lower world."

Bell perked up, eager to find out more. "Really? How long will it take?"

Miach answered, not sure how he'll take it. "It could take days, weeks, months, even years. No one really knows."

It made Bell depressed, but the deity attempted to make him feel better. "My advice is not to wait, Hestia would rather you move on. When she does come back and you're in another Familia, it's up to you if you want to return." He paused to let it all sink in before continuing. "Then again, I know you'll return to her, and you will prepare during that wait."

The young Adventurer smiled softly. "Thank you, Lord Miach. I need some time to think about it."

"Take as long as you need, our doors will always be open to you." Miach responded with a nod of acceptance.

Bell didn't stop smiling, being grateful he wasn't alone.

Twilight Manor

Sitting at the desk in her office, Loki had been contemplating on the letter she finished writing, being hopeful what was written will not be rejected.

Flashback

After leaving Bell in the hands of Miach and Naaza, Ais was told to see Loki in her office not long after entering the manor. The blonde now stood in front of her Goddess, awaiting what needed to be said.

"How is he doing, Ais?" Loki asked, staring at the Sword Princess, elbows on the table to rest her chin on clasped hands.

"He's grieving, but I comforted him and he went to sleep before Lord Miach and Naaza arrived, leaving him with them." She answered.

"And they were willing to keep an eye on him?" The redhead now asked, knowing of Miach's friendship with Hesta, therefore not surprised he'd be there for support.

She nodded. "They were nice people and seemed to know him better."

Loki smiled. "At least the shrimp made better friends."

End Flashback

After their talk, Loki thought about it more, still wanting to help Bell one way or another. A few knocks were heard to break her out of her thoughts. "Enter!"

The door opened to reveal Lefiya. The Goddess wanted to send Ais, but she needed to get her weapon repaired. Lefiya wanted to tag along before being summoned by Loki.

"Y-Yes Goddess Loki?" she asked nervously, not due to Loki's status as a Deity, it's because of her antics, remembering those times she groped her chest.

"How are you feeling?" The redhead asked.

"I'm better now. Thank you for asking." Lefyia replied while attempting to act normal with a smile and hands clasped at front.

"Good. I need a favour done, then you can join Ais after."

The elf looked surprised, although nodded eagerly "Of course! What do you need me to do?"

"It's simple. Deliver this letter to an abandoned church near Blue Pharmacy, you can't miss it. Give it to Bell Cranel, it's important he gets it." Loki explained, holding an envelope between two fingers.

Lefiya blinked in surprise at the easy task, not going to question why she was chosen for it. "I'll deliver it to him."

"Good." Loki handed it over. "You may go now, and thank you, Lefyia."

The teen nodded before departing. The trickster sighed and took hold of a different letter, this one was from Dionysus, a frown made once done.

'Seems you know about this more than anyone…' She thought, looking out a window, now thinking about strange events that have been going on lately. She had hoped things were going to be quiet, but it didn't seem that way.

Abandoned Church

Once Miach and Naaza left for work, Bell decided to spend his time cleaning the church to make it as decent as possible. He was dusting the benches when a knocking sound was heard.

Bell rushed to answer the door and found a female elf. Being polite, he asked. "Hello. What can I do for you?"

Lefiya held out an envelope that had his name. "I was told to deliver this to you."

He accepted and gave it a quick inspection, a symbol recognised on the back after turning it over. It was of the Loki Familia.

"Thank you very much." He said to the silent girl.

After she gave a nod and left, Bell closed the door and opened the envelope, removing a folded letter. Giving it a read after noticing another piece of paper.

Bell Cranel,

I would like to meet with you today. Included in the envelope is a pass to help you get into Twilight Manor.

From Loki.

He pondered the why, but he decided to do this immediately. He went to shower and did his best to find something as respectful as possible. He then took Hestia's knife and was ready to leave when a knock on the door was heard.

"Who could that be?"

He answered the door and was surprised to see it was Eina. She immediately hugged him before he could say a word and said. "I'm sorry for your loss, Bell."

Eyes closed, said boy responded after accepting the embrace. "Thank you, Eina…"

"Sorry I couldn't come yesterday, I was summoned by my boss about your situation. I was also ordered to give you this." She explained, breaking the hug.

He blinked after finally noticing a large bag on her back. "What is it?"

"There was a reward for the Silverback you defeated. The Guild wanted to give you this and condolences for your loss."

Bell nodded before being given the bag.

"I was also told you're given time to grieve, and when you are ready you need to update with us if you're able to find a new Familia in order to continue into the Dungeons."

He placed the bag behind the door and sighed. "Right now I'm uncertain how things are going for me, Eina."

She nodded. "I understand. Take your time, you know where to find me if you ever need to talk."

Bell gave a smile. "Thank you, you've been a big help since I started out."

Eina returned the gesture with red cheeks. Ignoring it by asking. "What are you going to do now?"

"I've actually been invited to see Goddess Loki about something." He replied, showing her the envelope.

"I wonder why." The elf became confused about the Deities' reason for wanting to meet him.

Bell shrugged, pocketing it. "It didn't say."

"Do you want me to walk you there?" Eina offered, wanting a reason to spend more time with him.

"Umm, sure." He accepted, not knowing where Familia's place was anyway.

She smiled, took Bell's hand, making him blush a little, and said. "Let's go." All he did was nod before they left after locking up the place.

Twilight Manor

Still got a little distance to walk, Bell stopped to stare at the mansion and felt intimidated. Eina had to return to the Guild, bidding Bell farewell before going.

Taking a deep breath, Bell moved towards the double gates where two Familia members stood guard, stopping Bell in his tracks. One of them said, "State your business."

He took out the invitation to hand it over, having them inspect it, brief eye contact was made and a nod. He gave it back to Bell, saying. "Lady Loki's in her office. Second floor on the left."

"Thank you."

Walking through one gate after it opened, Bell nearly got to the door when it quickly opened and a figure shot out.

"You're finally here!"

Bell was tackled to the ground by Loki, becoming confused as the redheaded Goddess saw who it was she knocked down.

"Oh, sorry about that. I thought the ladies were returning." She said while getting up and helped him. "I'm a bit surprised you accepted my invitation."

"A-Are you busy?" He felt flustered at the incident just now.

Loki smirked. "Oh no, I'm actually free at the moment." She then turned around, gesturing to him to follow. "Come with me."

He nodded and did as he was told. Once inside they went to Loki's office for privacy, Bell sat at the desk while Loki went to the liquor cabinet. "Thirsty?"

He shook his head in refusal. "No thank you."

She gave a small smile. "Shame. It helps in moments of loss." After pouring a glass of wine, she moved to sit down opposite the white-haired teen.

"First I want to give my condolences for your loss. Although Hestia and I never got along, she didn't deserve what happened." She watched Bell look down in sadness, their moment of silence used for her to drink a little before continuing. "I also want to apologize."

Going from sad to confused, Bell stared at her. "Apologize?"

Loki nodded, elbows on the desk for her chin to rest on her hands. "I'm sorry my own Familia allowed those minotaurs to escape. I heard what happened on the fifth floor."

It didn't surprise him that she knew about that because someone had to have talked about it with her. "Look Lady Loki, I should have been…"

A hand went out to stop him. "I know my Ais saved you, but what I'm trying to do is apologize on their behalf. The minotaur's appeared out of the blue and Finn's group tried to stop them all. Had Ais not been there, you would have been killed. So, you have the right to call on anything you desire."

Loki became silent as he looked down, not needing long to get a response. "I... I can't accept that. I know I shouldn't have been on the Fifth floor yet, and I know I'm still weak. Plus it was stupid of me to…"

"Stop right there, Bell Cranel." She frowned at the negative reasons he voiced about himself.

Loki got up and grabbed her chair, moving around to place it next to him. "Look, I know Bete told you those terrible things at the Hostess of Fertility, I punished him for that. Also…" she paused to grab his hands, making Bell blush and her smirk. "I think you're a lot stronger than you look. When did you start heading into the Dungeon?"

"Umm, about 2 weeks or so." He looked a little embarrassed, eyes on their caressed hands till he decided to make eye contact.

Looking into his ruby eyes, Loki saw the truth, it made her ask next. "How did you get that strong?"

"I… I don't think I'm strong." Still being in denial of his strength despite what happened yesterday, it could be because of his failure to protect Hestia.

She smirked. "You took down a Silverback single-handed. An average Adventurer wouldn't have lasted long. You're amazing."

Bell blushed at the praise, eyes on their hands instead of the Goddess. Loki finally let go to pat his head, her other hand going for the glass to have a drink. "I have an idea. How would you like to join my Familia? We can help you get stronger than you already are."

Like Miach, Bell needed time for such a decision. "I need time to think about it. I was given a similar offer from Lord Miach."

She nodded. "That's fine, I'm not going to push you. Take as much time you think you'll need, just let me or Miach know. Regardless of which one of us you choose, I'll still help you out."

Bell nodded. "Thank you."

"Good. Now, is there anything you would like to ask me?" She asked, examining what's left of her wine.

"Yes. I know other monsters were loose yesterday, I'd like to know if anyone got hurt."

She smiled at how much he cared for other people's safety. "Well, one injury from my Familia, but it was from an irregular. I'm still uncertain how it got there. The monsters that were loose, well… It's strange how they were coordinated. From what I gathered they seemed to have been tamed."

"I see…" He accepted the answer given.

"Yep. You should ask Ganesha's Familia for more information." Loki suggested, keeping a certain meeting to herself since there's no telling how Bell would react. Although a kind boy, humans can be unpredictable after finding out the truth involving specific events.

"I might do that."

She nodded and drank a bit, nearly finished. "Anything else?"

Bell shook his head. "No, that'll do. I'll be leaving now, so thank you for inviting me."

He got up to leave, being stopped after reaching the door. "You know, you're the first person to call me Lady Loki." She teased with a grin. "I didn't think you'd be into tomboys."

He blushed, being out the door immediately without a word. Loki was left laughing. "Ha-ha-ha! Oh, shrimp, you've got a shy boy there, but a nice one." She finished her drink, going for another before needing to prepare to meet with a God later.

Hephaestus Workshop

Hephaestus was hitting the hammer on a piece of armour, focusing to remove a big dent. She kept going till it was done, a sigh released before she stood to place it on a wall spot. Picturing her deceased friend's smiling face on it, her left hand caressed the metal. "Hestia… it hurt so much knowing you were sent back to Heaven."

Learning of her death sent her to work non-stop, trying to forge weapons, repair them, anything to distract her. The only person to not be disgusted by her lost eye had died, and she would not return for a very long time.

Hephaestus remembered Hestia wanted the knife she made for the only member in her Familia, wondering how he's doing. It's never easy to accept loss, it would take time to get over it.

Deciding she needed a break, some fresh air would be good. As Hephaestus departed for the door, Tsubaki noticed while half done with what she's doing. "Where are you going?"

The Goddess stopped to answer, no eye contact made. "Just going for a walk."

"Be careful out there." After yesterday, there's no telling what might happen despite Ganesha's Familia on patrol along with other skilled Adventurers.

Hephaestus nodded and left the shop, thinking she might pay a visit to a certain someone going through the same feeling of loss as she is.

To Be Continued!

A/N: And now we have one more visitor.

Yeah, Bell will go through grief, but knowing his character, he will bounce himself back up a lot stronger from this.

The route on this story would be unique. And I am uncertain on pairings on this one, to be honest, but I know where this story will go and how it will end.

Next Chapter: Hephaestus have a heart to heart talk with Bell, Bell returns the wallet, and Loki finds details of the monsters on the loose.