Author's note: Nothing new, but as always, thanks for waiting!
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For the next several days, things have been uneventful, except for one of the Mad Hearts Neo being able to tag along with Mitsurugi. When she returned, Isuzu told the others what had happened when they took on Algol just before breakfast began.
Needless to say, this completely shocked Marie and the rest of the MHN, as they believed Siegfried had done away with him seventeen years ago. And while Patroklos and Pyrrha heard a bit about this revelation, the former seemed keen on asking her about it.
"I don't get it...could he be immortal?" the Greek girl asked.
"I'm not sure, so I gotta ask Isuzu about her and Mitsurugi dealing with Algol." he replied.
"Well, well, well...congratulations on making the big time!"
They suddenly jolted as they turned to see that it was Ares, leaning against the window of Pyrrha's bedroom. "Ares?! H-How'd you get here?!" Patroklos asked.
"Forgot to bring this up to you, but...did you have yourself a little 'encounter' with one of those foxy ladies?"
When Ares asked such a question, the blond sighed and replied with a small blush, "I had no regrets about what transpired between me and Liz, alright?"
"The same can also be said for me." Pyrrha added, possessing a similar flush on her cheeks. "Lydia and I went on a date together, and...we got 'intimate' together. I've no regrets, either."
"Is that so?" The god grinned as he added under his breath, "Wait 'till Athena hears of this."
Patroklos sighed, before he told his sister, "Let's get out of here, Pyrrha. I think this has gotten way too awkward."
She nodded, and they would leave the room, with only Ares present. However, he almost flinched when he heard Athena's voice calling out, "They did what?!"
"Oh, shit."
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Since he wondered what the Japanese woman had been up to while out with Mitsurugi, Patroklos turned to Pyrrha and asked, "Do you know where Isuzu could be? I want to ask her what she did outside of Lasberg."
"Well, she said that she's going out to the lake after breakfast. I've a feeling she wasn't going to the bathing chambers today." she replied.
"As much as I want to wait until she's finished, I'd go talk to her immediately."
Pyrrha was bewildered by what he said, and asked, "Wait, you're not planning on peeping on her, are you?"
"Of course not, sis!" he replied with a smile as he took off.
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As Isuzu arrived at the lake, she was ready to take off her clothes. Suddenly, she heard the sound of feet running on the ground.
She looked from behind, and saw it was Patroklos. "Ah, it's you again. Anything up to date lately?" she asked.
"Hey, Isuzu. So what sort of adventures you found yourself in?"
"Well, why don't you join me on swimming together?"
Isuzu's question prompted him to raise an eyebrow, and having remembered that he now had no sense of shame whenever he saw a woman naked (but then again, the same went for Pyrrha) he instantly complied by shrugging.
"Why the hell not?"
She grinned as he undressed, before doing the same for herself. Once she was down to only her fundoshi, she jumped in the water, and turned to see him.
Now in just his undergarments, Patroklos followed suit, and as he shivered a bit from how mildly cold it was, he heard her speak again.
"I traveled to Ostrheinsburg with Mitsurugi, so that he could confront Algol again. What we didn't expect that deep in the forest, there was a small area that served as a portal to Algol's dimension or whatever." she began.
"And from the moment you'd got there, did they have their share of words before battle?"
"Yes. They agreed to fight again, but to his chagrin he found out that Mitsurugi had me as an ally, and I was more than happy to fight him before he'd get to him."
She added, as she laid on her back, floating as she looked up at the sky, "I was pretty good, but Algol did best me, so I let Mitsurugi take over. And once he'd finally beat him, Algol was pretty angry about us double-teaming against him."
"So you're saying that next time, it'll be a one on one match between them?"
"Of course."
Her response made him smile a bit, but at the same time, he noticed her breasts almost sticking out. Thankfully, he was able to curb such perverted thoughts, and he asked, "You mind if you tell me more about your siblings? And why they become ninjas instead of samurai?"
Isuzu would then pull herself back down, briefly underwater before she would come out to see him with a smile. "I thought you'd never ask."
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After having been able to learn a little more of Riku and Natsu, Patroklos had chosen to visit the tavern for some afternoon brunch. Once he had ordered, took notice a pink-haired girl already eating (and thankfully, not drinking anything alcoholic).
It wasn't long before he recognized her as Helen, though he would wait until they had already had their food. She was able to call out to him by saying, "I'm trying to eat, so can we wait until I'm done?"
This got him to nod in agreement, keeping her word. "Sure." was his reply.
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Soon after, both of them had ate for the afternoon, with Helen having finished first. She went outside and waited, until he too, was through eating.
When he was done, he'd thank the waitress, and leave the tavern with Helen. "Didn't expect you to be here." he said.
"But I don't drink, thank you very much. I just came to have some food."
"Yeah, I didn't really want a girl like you consuming beer or even ale. Believe me, I learned that the hard way thanks to Athena."
"Athena? I've read about her in some books on mythology back when I was just a servant girl." she told him. "Is she your mentor?"
"Unfortunately, no. Thanks to a bet, in the form of a tournament, she lost to Ares." he replied.
"Pyrrha told me about how much of a jerk you were under his thumb."
"Yeah...but I'm starting to become a lot more reasonable and a lot more fairer thanks to not just Athena, but also my sis, as well."
Helen smiled at his words, before he continued. "Do you mind if we change the subject a bit?"
"Nope."
Clearing his throat, Patroklos asked, "Have you ever fallen in love before?"
The Russian girl was instantly surprised at his words, but replied, "Well, I-I once fell for the son of Baron Varskov, Sergei."
"Really?"
"Yes. But unfortunately, as handsome as he was, he was a few years older than me, plus he was also betrothed, too."
This prompted him to initially frown, but he gave her a reassuring smile that replaced it. "I think you'll find someone to love someday. Someone closer to you in age, maybe?" he asked.
"Maybe..."
Helen smiled back, finding herself comforted by his words. "Anyway, I better head back home. See you later!" she said, before she would leave, with Patroklos saying his goodbyes to her.
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Once evening came, it was time to eat, as usual. Towards the end though, it was Lydia who asked Patroklos, "We still have a date going on after we eat up, right?"
"How could I forget? Of course we still do." he replied. "Yet Athena reminded us not to drink anything alcoholic."
She nodded and said, "We're just going there to talk and just have a good time, not consume more food. Otherwise, we'd end up with serious stomachaches."
Marie had instantly heard the conversation between both of them, before asking, "Um, Lydia, are you...in love with someone?"
The burgundy-haired girl's ears figuratively perked up at the German girl's question, and simply replied, "Yes, and with two people I might add."
"Freyja heard a bit about you having some kind of polyamorous relationship with the Alexandra siblings; is that true?"
"It is true! What, are you so naive about romance?"
Hearing those words made Marie scowl, and would tell her, "I'm not that naive...it's just that I've really yet to figure out if I like him or not."
It was apparent that she had harbored hidden feelings towards Patroklos (and to some extent, Z.W.E.I., though he had been more romantically interested in Viola to her relief) for quite a considerable amount of time since she and the MHN tagged along with him and Pyrrha. However, she was worried that she could screw up her chance and make a fool out of herself.
Especially since he had gotten quite intimate with Elizabeth.
"Is that so? Then maybe I should just forget about swinging both ways and just stick with Pyrrha instead? Just so that her brother will be all yours, right? Or maybe Z.W.E.I., since you've had a bit of crush going on there?"
"No!" Marie exclaimed, sporting a rather annoyed, if a bit angry, expression. "I just don't know when I'd give romance a shot. After all, my parents fell in love with each other as they grew older."
Lydia rolled her eyes, while Pyrrha, having been able to finish eating, said with concern in her voice, "Can both of you please stop arguing?"
The blonde sighed as she began to resume eating, and the British girl reluctantly caved in. "Now, if I may excuse myself..." the Greek girl added, before getting up.
As the servants took care of cleaning things for her as she went out, Patroklos was still confused as to why Marie and Lydia would argue over such things. Since the two had somewhat of a rivalry going on, he was intent on why the argument happened.
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Aside from bringing her weapon along with her in case someone attacked her, Pyrrha went towards the hill. Once there, she sat back, put her sword and shield down, and stared up at the sky.
Though she was content, she was still concerned if Lydia and Marie would continue their war of word. A sigh escaped her lips as she kept her vision glued to the starlit sky.
Suddenly, she would hear the sound of guttural growling, before getting up and equipping herself. Before long, Pyrrha saw that a large, male figure was approaching the direction of Lasberg.
"They must be destroyed!"
"E-Excuse me, but...who?" she asked, which would get his attention.
"The Fated Hero and Fated Heroine...they will know the meaning of suffering!" was Astaroth's reply.
He was, in fact, one of the many Astaroths that were mass-produced over the years. He also added, "And when I'm through, their allies will be next!"
Pyrrha, now sporting a serious look on her face. With the Omega Sword and Elk Shield, both given to her by her mother, in hand, she said, "You won't go near my brother and his friends!"
Raising Kulutues up with both hands, he made his first attack. With one big slash, Pyrrha was knocked down, but it was clear she wasn't fazed by his strength.
When he attacked again, she blocked with her shield, before counterattacking as her sword pierced through him several times. Astaroth grit his teeth whilst taking those hits, yet he still had enough energy in him to keep fighting.
He struck once more, this time with at least four more nearly fluid movements of the giant axe in his hands. Pyrrha's armor nearly broke, prompting her to shudder before she fought back.
This time, she performed her Critical Edge, a trio of hits from her sword, knocking Astaroth back. Just as he was about to charge for her, however, a figure in black and red armor (and matching helmet) stopped him.
Pyrrha blinked in surprise, and managed to ask, "A-Ares?"
Ares had no time to talk to her, as he wielded two fairly large swords (named the Blades of Blood), one in each hand as he stood before him. Though he ended up taking the hit meant for her, he seemed more than happy to take over for her.
One of his blades had almost effortlessly begun to figuratively cut through the golem, who wound up exclaiming, "A puny god such as yourself won't stop us!"
"Puny god, huh?"
Ares's hands let go, and the swords didn't fall. Instead, they made a flurry of hits on him, which was also his Critical Edge. The golem not found himself outsmarted by a young girl such as Pyrrha, but also the Greek god of war.
As the swords returned to him, Ares, along with the blonde, watched as the golem collapsed. Looking up at the former with a look of worry, she asked, "Is he dead?"
"Pretty much. But I've heard there's more of him across Europe, maybe even Asia!"
Pyrrha nodded, before she asked another question. "Can you please remove your helmet? You're...starting to frighten me a bit."
Are shrugged, before doing what he was told. "How were you able to help me?" she asked again.
"Another question, eh? Well, it just so happened that a mere human like you wouldn't take down a giant completely, so I chose to pitch in."
"He wasn't just a giant, he's also a golem."
"Yeah, yeah, I know. Let's just head back to town and check up on everyone else, allright?" he told her.
Pyrrha nodded, and was just about to take off for Lasberg when she heard Astaroth speaking under his breath.
"The girl...she has potential..."
This quickly scared her, and she would quickly leave, with Ares following her despite having dematerialized.
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Yes, that was intentional foreshadowing for the rest of the fic. Also, sorry if Ares's weapon is too Cervantes-esque (or that he's a sort of spiritual successor, minus the Soul Edge). Stay tuned for the rest of Chapter 9, though!
With love for my fans,
Chrissy