Hello everyone! Hope you're all doing great! Well, I was wondering about several things during the writing of this chapter—but I've taken a decision. I thought that you guys would probably like to read about Palutena's party, but the main focus is still Pittoo and Pitty Pat, so I won't bother dedicating a chapter to it. You'll see what I'm talking about!

Thank you to the person who left a comment, it really warms my heart that you like this story so far! I hope everyone else does as well!

Well, good reading!

Yours truly, Circle of J.

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters from the Kid Icarus series. The deities mentioned are taken from Greek Mythology, remastered the way I imagine them. What I own, on the other hand, is the plot.

Kid Icarus: Heirs of the Light

Chapter 7: Bitter cold

"I can't believe he's back!"

Palutena stormed out of her castle when she saw that her warping tunnel had brought something along. As soon as she walked out, surrounded by a pair of Centurions that always made sure she was under protection, she met his eyes. He was standing in the garden, in midst of the multiple white picotees and peonies that she thoroughly took daily care of, and her heart felt about to burst. The Goddess of Light had dreamt of that moment for nights along: that moment when she'd see her captain again, when she'd be able to take him in her arms and never let him leave again—because no, she wouldn't. But this time, she wouldn't lock him up in his room… She felt awfully guilty about it, even though in the end she had achieved her primary goal in doing so. It was just unfortunate that Pit seemed to… hate her for that. She had just wished to trigger something within him. Successfully so, but to what price?

"Pit," Palutena murmured, desperately trying to suppress her excitement. Then she stepped forward, hoping not to scare off her cautious angel, until she finally gave in to the growing emotions in her body. "Pit, you're back, that's really you!"

"Uhh… y-yeah, me… That's… right…" He frowned. Who else could it be? he asked himself, confused.

Palutena simply smiled and nodded before she rushed towards him and pulled him in her arms. She found herself lifting him from the ground, since she was way taller than him. Pit yelped and wished to draw back, but soon enough he hugged his Goddess back, overwhelmed with happiness. He was back home, to his home, to where he belonged. Now of course he acted more distant, of course he was going to be wary of her every move. After the last talks that they shared... But he was still delighted to be back to her side. It had been so long, and breathing Skyworld's fresh air made him feel brand new. However, now was not the time to focus on it. His back was seriously about to snap in half with all the pressure she applied on it to keep the angel off the ground. Pit cleared his throat, coughed at his action, and whispered, half-strangled: "Lady Palutena, you're… kinda crushing me right now…"

"Oh, I'm sorry!" she immediately apologized, putting him back in the cold, watery grass and crushed flowers beneath his feet. He felt relieved and exhaled with ease. Palutena smiled and took one of his hands in hers to draw his attention. "We need to celebrate your return."

"Lady Palutena, you really don't have to," Pit reacted, shaking his head, then he looked down at his feet and gulped. "Look, I… I feel like doing this right now. I'm so, so so sorry, I wish I never—"

"Shhh, Pit… Don't start this right now."

"L-Lady Palutena—I wish—If only I didn't leave. I hope you're not disappointed in m—"

"No, Pit, quite the opposite, but let's delay that conversation," Palutena interrupted him, a finger on his lips so that he didn't insist.

Pit looked down at the grass, at the flowers that were whiter than his tunic—because he'd spend quite a lot of time walking around the forest and fighting off monsters of all horizons, so his clothes ought to be tainted with blood, dirt and grass. Pit eventually sighed. He hated to admit it, but Dark Pit's bad temper had defeated him. In trying to keep him close, he had managed to push him away. While he faintly ruffled his own hair, lost in his thoughts, he remembered one specific talk that he had with his twin.

Dark Pit had told him something a lot similar to: 'Every time I really want something, I either break it or repel it. It's a curse I've become used to with time.' Pit shut his eyes and a silent tear fell down his cheek when he thought about the memories they had shared and created together, for he cherished them more than anything. But after all this time, Dark Pit had done it: he had demonstrated what he had claimed. He had wanted Pit to stay so badly that he had found a way to hurt him without realizing it. When he thought about it, Dark Pit would scoff at him if he had been there. Oh, yes, he'd laugh and say, with his usual attitude: 'Told you so, Pit-stain.'—or something like that, for sure!

Pit cringed at the thought, almost able to imagine the dark angel standing before him, with a glowing purple stone around the neck. He could picture him staring straight into his counterpart's lighter eyes and smirk, hand on his right hip. He'd have that sharp, clever look of his', and eventually he'd blink and roll his eyes. Though he was pretty much thrilled by the illusion, the light angel focused on that stone his clone would be wearing, and he had a thought for it. Despite the fact that it had one linked them, he'd left it behind in this dark forest—he would never find it again, even if he looked for it. Somehow he felt like he made a mistake to drop it amongst the grass, between thousands of other rocks that now sort of looked similar to it. He had no clue why it mattered to him anymore; after all, that thing had lost its magic.

"Pit? What's… happening to you? Or should I say, what's happened?" Palutena knew that he was preoccupied—mainly because he was deadly silent—and furrowed her brows in concern. "You're usually much more talkative and less… dark…"

Pit shook his head to come back to reality, and eventually he frowned at her comment. Dark? he asked himself, however not a single explanation would come to his mind as to why she'd say that. So instead of standing there in silence, torturing himself with his very own thoughts, he looked up at her and furrowed his eyebrows even more. "What do you mean, 'dark'? I'm wearing the same tunic—Wait! Did I tan?" he asked, excited at the idea, but Palutena shook her head.

Here was the Pit she knew and loved—No, what was she saying? The Pit all knew and loved, of course! The Goddess of Light lightly giggled when she saw how puzzled he looked and expanded on what she had meant to say: "Not like that! More like, your attitude: you've never been so silent."

"Oh! So that's what you meant!" Pit realized, slightly embarrassed, yet a sparkle of wisdom lit his blue eyes. That was, before it completely died out when his thoughts drifted back to what he had been thinking. How could he put his deepest, darkest worries out there the simplest way possible? To be fair, he… really had no will to explain what he had been thinking about, since it was private. Even though Palutena was… private too—Well, anyways, he didn't want to, not right now. Plus, he still didn't really forgive her for what she had done… Unfortunately, the lesser he talked to her, the better he'd feel… The light angel looked off, biting his lower lip while he thought of the most cliche thing to say, then an idea came to him.

Of course, since he hated to lie—mainly because he sucked at it—he would play it off like it was nothing. He had… limited options—Dark Pit would even say: 'a limited brain too', however they didn't quite agree on that. Nonetheless, Pit had learnt to live with them in his long life! He could handle the situation just fine. Watch me, he thought to himself, before a mask of confidence crept on his face. He smiled and waved his hand, as if to tell Palutena she had no reason to worry. "Sorry about that, Lady Palutena! I was thinking of everything I've went through just to get back here in Skyworld!"

Wonderfully delivered. Simple, efficient, and extremely vague. Utterly perfect for the situation at hand! And hopefully, she'd drop the subject and they'd be able to move on to something else. Or so he'd have thought…

"It must have been awful for you, my poor little Pit... Being so far away from home, stuck with a person who hates on you all day long… I told you not to go, didn't I? Yet you ran away…" Palutena sighed, looking down since she felt strong pity for her captain—who had been lost for around three weeks, far away from his homeland and with no possibility of joining his Goddess. Such a tragedy… Or, was it?

Pit wondered if the tragedy wasn't in fact… him coming back to Skyworld, for it meant one thing that got him to grit his teeth: he had failed to fulfill his quest. Indeed, he didn't find the meaning, nor the origin of his gifted stone. He had been that close to it all… He also hadn't discovered the real nature of his feelings towards Dark Pit. Somehow, he couldn't put his finger on it, despite trying to reach within himself for his heart to say it. He… had failed miserably at everything he attempted to do. And yet, he was back to Skyworld, next to Palutena, his feet buried under dozens of crushed white picotees.

Now that was perhaps the most tragic in context.

Pit sighed and focused on his stomachache, which had arisen immediately after he had set a foot in the grass of the gardens and had been growing in intensity ever since. He had to admit that something felt awfully wrong about this whole situation. His gut never lied to him: his mission was still on the Overworld, his heart belonged with Dark Pit… for whatever use they may find. Pit needed—no, he craved his twin's company! Quit lying to yourself, Pit, he thought to himself, feeling his heart pounding in his chest. Yes, he longed for Dark Pit's words, for his roughless character, for his snaps, for his anger issues, for his… just for him, as a whole being. Pit couldn't choose what it was that he preferred in Dark Pit: he wanted to claim him entirely. It was all or nothing to him.

Pit shook his head and looked back at Palutena when the Goddess snapped her fingers at his face. An embarrassed smile distorted his lips. "You know, it really wasn't that bad compared to being locked up in my room," he said, quite accusative, before he decided to continue: "I know it's hard to conceive, but Pittoo is amazing company!"

"Even when he's insulting you constantly and beating you up because you say 'no' to his requests?"

The angel rolled eyes and crossed arms against his chest defiantly. "Still better than being ignored when I bang at my own door, don't you think?"

Palutena looked down, ashamed of her actions, and did not reply. Instead, she moved on with the conversation, since she couldn't find the right words to apologize properly, and invited Pit to take a walk to the hot springs, which he admitted he definitely looked forward to. The love of his life… He was going to meet them again, his precious, gorgeous hot springs… There was nothing he'd love more than them in his entire existence—aside from Dark Pit, of course! Pit blushed at the thought, hiding his face with his hand so that Palutena couldn't see the flash of red on his cheeks. He walked alongside his Goddess while she talked about what happened in Skyworld lately. He had to say that… his focus was on something else.

Maybe if he told her about the situation—about his feelings, more so, she could talk some sense into him. If he explained what had happened, if he clarified the way he felt with the few, little words he could find to picture it, maybe she'd be able to guide him and give him the next steps to follow—in order, of course, not to screw it up once again. At this point, anything was worth trying.

"So I sent Phosphora, who fortunately agreed to lend me a hand, in order to protect the city. Now of course, Thanatos was tough—"

"Thanatos?" Pit asked, incredulous, since he'd just gotten into the conversation.

Palutena frowned and nodded, then she asked, slightly irritated: "Yes, Pit. Did you listen to anything I said?"

"Uhhhh… No? B-Bad answer?" The angel of light rubbed the back of his head and laughed nervously when he met his Goddess' glare on him. "Probably a very, very bad answer…" Choosing that it was probably a better option to keep quiet about the subject and quickly move on, he looked down at his feet and kept silent for the rest of their walk. The Goddess of Light and her captain soon reached the hot springs—which were displayed like a regular pool in a camping: lots of different depths and temperatures, in different baths scattered across an entire temple dedicated to them.

The place was filled with steam, it was almost impossible to see where Pit was heading. For a moment, he was fortunate that he knew the directions ever since he was a young angel! Walking in such a foggy environment would have been a nightmare. Palutena followed him and decided to sit down in the first pool that she had found. Pit didn't say anything—despite the fact that he wanted to complain: that bath was too cold!—and silently settled down, still wearing his trusty tunic. He thought that, maybe, dipping it in a hot spring would work its wonders and take out the few stains it bore. Perhaps he was a little too optimistic.

The Goddess sighed in relief when she felt the healing, soothing effects of the water on her skin. Of course, she'd left her dress behind, so that her body would be completely defenseless and at the mercy of the magical water. Good decision, she had to say. Nothing more relaxing. She briefly opened her eyes and seemed to notice strange scars on Pit's shoulders, and a little bit of maroon red on his tunic, at the very top of the white fabric. She frowned and asked: "Results of a fight, I presume?"

Pit furrowed his brows, having no idea what she was talking about, until he suddenly realized that she looked at his shoulders. He scratched the back of his head and hissed at the memory. He could feel his entire body shaking at the thought of Dark Pit attacking him again, those nails dipped in his flesh. "Let's say more of an altercation…" he whispered under his breath, hoping she'd not hear.

Palutena just stared at him—he was unable to tell if she had caught a word of what he had said—and pointed to the golden water they bathed in. "Maybe you should put some water on those. They'd probably disappear, they don't seem to be too deep." Pit did what she suggested and was impressed by the rapidity at which the scars had vanished. This water really was magical. The Goddess narrowed her eyes at him, and a sharp expression stuck to her face. He knew she was about to be accusative, and he also knew exactly who she'd blame—rightfully this time, he had to say. "Tell me Pit, was it Pittoo?"

"Yes," Pit admitted, then he looked down at his tunic and tried to wipe off the dry blood with hot spring water. "We had a bit of a quarrel."

"And that led him to harm you, apparently. That's how trustworthy he is, right?"

"Oh! Because you're much better, keeping me on lock down!" Pit groaned, then he kept his bitterness for himself and focused on the subject at hand. "Anyways, I gotta go left on that one," he said, and, seeing that she was confused as to what he meant, he expanded: "Lady Palutena, he didn't intend to, I know him. It's just that… the necklace makes us act weird." After he'd said that and kept silent for a second so that his words sank in his Goddess' head, the light angel finally looked up in defeat since the small stain didn't disappear from his clothes—what a shame, he'd have to grab a new tunic—then he stared right into Palutena's green, twinkling eyes. "It makes us feel out of control. I become slow and silent, and he becomes violent and super aggro…"

"Two opposite effects for the same stone," Palutena pointed out, not convinced at all. She raised an eyebrow at her angel. "Isn't that a little overpowered?"

"You're telling me, you're a Goddess!"

Palutena laughed frantically, despite the peek of anger that still lingered in her heart. She really hated talking about Dark Pit, it always got her on her nerves. "I mean—for a stone, Pit! Even if Aphrodite supposedly created it, it seems to hold a great deal of magical abilities."

"Well, fair point." Pit could only agree, for he'd witnessed the stone's breathtaking magic with his own two eyes. Indeed, it was a really impressive jewel, even filled with emotions and… a conscience, according to Dark Pit's experience at hearing its 'voice' talk to him. There was something that they all didn't know about the jewel… Otherwise, it was impossible for it to be so powerful. It was just thought to be a link between two people who didn't realize they loved each other... How could it hold such devastating effects on their mood and character? When Pit gave it a thought, he seemed to realize how frightened Underworld forces were when he wore the necklace around them… As if the thing, on its own account, could wipe them out in one instant. However he didn't focus on it, thinking it could all be his imagination working up for him.

Palutena cleared her throat and rubbed her eyes with her hands. "Well, that's all a mystery for another day," she said.

"How did you—" Pit looked up, squinting his eyes suspiciously, thinking that she'd read his thoughts. He grabbed his laurel crown and hesitated to put it aside, behind him. Palutena laughed out loud when she saw his reaction and reassured him: it really was all a joke, she couldn't read his mind through his laurel crown. However, the angel didn't seem convinced and stared right back at her, putting his precious golden crown on the cold tiles with a little smile on the lips. The Goddess chuckled at that. Pit then took advantage of the situation, of the good atmosphere, to open up a whole new subject that he wanted to talk about—still related to Dark Pit though, even though he knew how much his Goddess hated to talk about him. "Lady Palutena, I'm choosing this moment to tell you something that is really important to me!" he started, and Palutena briefly looked up at him before resting her head on the edge of the bath. She closed her eyes, still listening but also enjoying her spa time. "But first, I'd like to know how you knew I would escape, because I know you did."

"You're one curious angel," Palutena answered, however she complied and said: "Actually, it was my plan that you escaped. I was counting on it."

"You were? Why?" he asked, narrowing his eyes and folding his arms.

There was the explanation that she dreaded: telling him the reason behind her actions. Of course she could tell him bluntly, but she didn't want him to completely lock down after that, because he would. If he knew that she'd been… sort of directing him in a specific direction, he would be even angrier towards her. Perhaps he'd even think that she was only doing this for her own interests, and she would hate for him to.

Palutena quietly opened her eyes and glanced at her dear little Pit, still not fully realizing that he was real yet. If she closed her eyes, would he vanish? Would she wake up in bed, was it all a dream? Nothing was less certain, thus she'd refrain from blinking too often. She left those thoughts aside to focus on how to word things. She had to be cautious… One wrong move, and she was sure never to see him again. "You know, Pit… I've been observing you. No, that sounded wrong. I mean, I've been looking at your relationship with Pittoo, and I figured that… there were things you two didn't understand. Namely, your feelings towards one another. So I thought that… if I refused to send you to save Pittoo and locked you up somehow, you'd take the decision to do it anyway. And I hoped that this would help you realize how much more you care about him than what you seem to think. Did that sound right, or do you hate me?"

Pit chuckled nervously at the question and ruffled his hair, making it even messier than it already was naturally. Suddenly, it was as if the water was burning his skin: all that he wanted to do was run off to his room and lock himself up. But… maybe that'd be a bad idea. He didn't have food in his room, and he had no will to be locked up again. He had learnt his lesson. The angel looked back at Palutena, his eyes slightly more serious than they had been before. "So that's why you did this… May I ask, the Underworld forces…?"

"Were real, at least for the most part," Palutena completed his sentence, hoping that would not make him mad.

Pit only nodded in acknowledgment, suddenly very silent and focused on the water they bathed in. She couldn't tell if he was pissed off, she couldn't tell if he was sad; his blue eyes looked empty of any emotion. He was probably thinking back at all he had been through… Palutena bit her lower lip, feeling all the more guilty. She knew it was the only way to make them both realize what was happening, and she knew she couldn't delay it either… "That was why you were talking with Medusa the other night, right Lady Palutena?" Pit's voice arose, catching her attention. "You were planning this with her. You were asking for her troops."

"Yes, that's right… Pit, do you hate me?"

"No, but I hate this."

The Goddess of Light looked off, only for her angel's hand to land on her shoulder. He was now much closer to her, which she admitted to like, since she wanted proximity with him. He was her little captain, her champion, she wanted to hold him close to her heart and never let go. Palutena looked into his blue eyes, which had started glimmering, and pecked him on the forehead. She trailed her hand up to Pit's cheek and lightly caressed it, enjoying the moment that they were sharing. There wasn't anything romantic in it, just sincere mother-and-son affection. The angel drew back after a moment and sat on his side of the hot spring, rummaging through his thoughts when he looked at Palutena once more. This time, he seemed relaxed. "I think we should tell Pittoo what that was all about, he deserves to know."

"I'll let you do that, Pit."

"No, I really think you should do that," Pit countered, rubbing his shoulder bones with the glowing water to soothe the tension in his back. "He'd really feel better if you told him, Lady Palutena."

"Are you giving me orders?"

"N-No!"

"It's alright, Pit, I was joking!" Palutena smiled, then she nodded, slightly absent-minded. "Though, I must admit that you have a good point. I'll see if I can get him to come over in Skyworld to explain the situation."

Pit nodded and immediately tried to change the subject of their conversation, so that they didn't argue once more. But what could he say? He still felt angry at her, to some extent, so making small talk—or in this case, attempting to—would be pointless, if anything. Although… he couldn't really think of anything else, so he'd give it a try. "You know, I didn't realize it at first, but… when I was away, I had a hard time getting up in the morning."

Palutena glanced at him. "Oh, why's that?"

"You're the only person I do it for, Lady Palutena," Pit answered and his cheeks turned red.

Palutena laughed and raised her head to look right into his eyes again. He was so adorable, it was such a sweet thing to say. That was one of the reasons why she had missed him so badly: his undying compliments warmed her poor, isolated heart. "Aww, you're so cute, Pit."

"Come on, you're gonna make me blush… I swear it's all true, Lady Palutena! My body felt so weak… That's why I'm still happy to be here," her captain certified, flapping his wings, then he sat up and ran his hand over the hot, steamy water. A smile appeared on his lips as he thought of what to tell her, since there were so many things she needed to know. He was ecstatic at the perspective of talking about Dark Pit and his newfound feelings for the dark angel with Palutena, now that he knew she was aware of them and had wanted to trigger them. He had never wanted to mention it, neither to demonstrate anything since, at that time, Dark Pit wasn't very receptive. But now, he believed that it was more than time to say things out loud and bear the weight of his choices on his shoulders, like an adult. A responsible adult, that was.

Pit looked at Palutena, who had kept silent and appreciated the small amount of free time she had in the company of her favorite angel, and cleared his throat. She cocked an eyebrow, curious, and he finally found the strength to start the conversation. "I guess your efforts ended up paying off."

Palutena smiled mischievously when she asked, "My efforts to get you to run away?"

Pit grinned but he still shook his head, collecting his thoughts on the subject. What did he expect? Of course she was going to joke around… However, he shouldn't lose his focus and, most of all, his will to tell her everything. If he was so easily disheartened, he'd never get to experience anything with Dark Pit; revealing his feelings to Palutena sure was a huge step, but it was nothing compared to the courage he'd need to say it to Dark Pit's face. After a brief moment of silence during which he collected himself, Pit sighed and his eyes drifted to Palutena's. "No, your efforts for me and Pittoo."

"You and Pittoo? So what did you find out?" Palutena inquired, all of a sudden more interested and curious about the matter. A lot of things seemed to have happened in just three weeks of time, she never would've thought things to be that easy! "Come on, you can tell me, Pit! After all, I planned this to begin with and I'd love to hear the results."

The angel tried to smile. "Well, I must… say that I'm still… unsure," he admitted, then he lowered his head and planted his sapphire orbs in the golden water he was bathing in. Indeed, he wouldn't want to claim something that was not certain—not to Palutena. He ought to stay true to her, no matter the circumstances. He scratched his head, messing his hair up, and thought about what else the crazy heartbeats he felt when he stood next to Dark Pit could mean. Obviously, he couldn't find any other explanation, for there only seemed to be one for this common phenomenon: Love. "Maybe I do know, but I wouldn't want to be mistaken."

"Hypotheses are welcome," Palutena told him, so that he could finally spit out whatever he felt like telling her.

Pit laughed nervously and briefly looked away before he walked into the lion's den and said: "I'm in love with him, I've been for a long time—I think, I don't know for sure…" he confessed, fidgeting with his hands to release the stress he felt deeply inside of him, crippling him like a disease. He glanced at Palutena, who stared at him, motionless, and quickly added: "Please don't smite me…"

"Pit!" she laughed at that, with a true smile on her lips. "Really?"

The angel shrugged one shoulder and chuckled softly, in a low voice so that he didn't bring all the attention towards him. She felt just how uneasy, how scared he really was and rolled eyes. Goddess Palutena did not say anything, nor did she look away from her dear angel. Somehow, she was still surprised, even though it was what she had wanted. Those two had always been close to one another, complementary; it was impossible to avoid such ends. However, she did not worry about them; she knew they could go the distance—or simply wreck each other beyond repair.

The angels she knew did everything to the fullest; always pushing their goals and actions to the extreme, always doing absolutely everything and anything to meet their expectations and giving all they had or nothing at all to succeed. She knew it'd be the same way if they ever tried to get somewhere together: it would either be luminous or chaotic. And to be fair, she didn't think she had the right to interfere—only Aphrodite could do something about it, since her angelic sidekick—Eros—had gone missing for nearly two hundred years…

Palutena just thought that Pit didn't know exactly what he was getting into. Of course, she could give him advice, tell him to be careful and to, maybe, forget the idea altogether—although she had longed for it. However, she wouldn't: they both deserved a chance… Plus, she had worked so hard to achieve her goal! It would all be wasted if she gave it up… After what she had done to Dark Pit, how badly she damaged his pride and their recently established friendship, she refused to backstab him again. She'd let Pit take it into his own hands and be the big boy he was starting to become! Soon he'd be an adult and he needed to know how to deal with these feelings.

"Lady… Pa…lu…tena?" The angel looked straight into her eyes for several seconds, wondering why she'd been so silent and perhaps also if she was going to punish him roughly, and Palutena smiled to reassure him. Her poor little Pit was shaking from head to toe, and he had bitten his lower lip so hard that he managed to make himself bleed.

"Pit, first things first: I won't smite you, so you can calm down," Palutena started off, and Pit exhaled in deep relief.

He put a hand over his chest and breathed in heavily. "Thank the Gods."

Then Palutena added, much to his dismay: "Now, I think you should let Pittoo know about what you feel!"

His heart completely stopped beating for a moment and he gasped, incredulous. Had she just said what she had said? Then his stomach heaved him as he replied in a shout: "I have tried, Lady Palutena… But I don't have what it takes."

"Now that's a load of baloney, and you know that! Pit, you know he's dying for it! Step up for yourself sometimes!"

The angel looked down, uncertain and, mostly, frightened. He held onto his laurel crown as if his life depended on it, trying his best not to meet Palutena's glistening green eyes. "B-But he… He will hate me even more than he already does…"

"Pittoo would never, ever hate you! I know that for a fact! You're worse than a doormat, Pit! Come on, show your strength of character! You're old enough to handle this!"

Pit didn't look convinced and Palutena groaned. The young angel glanced at her with tearful, horrified sapphire eyes. "I'm only 157 years old…"

"Wow, Pit! That's very young, now isn't it?" Using sarcasm was probably a bad idea, yet Palutena had felt like trying it. Pit would clearly understand the message if she accentued every word right, correct?

Mistake on her part. "Uhm… Yes, that's… what I meant to say?"

Palutena shook her head in disbelief. How could he be so easily deceived by words? Even when she had made sure he'd understand it was sarcastic! Sometimes, she'd never understand just how simple-minded her precious angel could be… "I was kidding, Pit. You're old enough. Look at all the things you've been through in your existence—there ought to be worse than this!"

"I don't… know…"

"Pit, in Zeus' name, I'm not asking you to have kids! Just to declare your burning love for Pittoo!"

"But… Lady Palutena," Pit began, as he ran his hands through his hair to hide his nervousness. "Pittoo is not… the easiest person to tell those things to… I-It's not that easy, I'm kind of scared…"

"Then don't be, and it'll be easy! I completely set you up, you just have to go for it!" the Goddess replied, lying down to get the most out of the warm water she bathed in. A sigh of ease escaped her lips and Pit giggled nervously, still very much taken aback by what she had said.

Was she aware of who Dark Pit was? She had to know that he rejected any feelings towards him—he was foreign to affection and love! How would he handle the news, you ask? Well, Pit had a pretty clear idea of how it would turn out: Dark Pit would stare at him, laugh, and eventually cry before tearing his twin to pieces using his Silver Bow. Then, he'd take the pieces to the river and throw them for the crocodiles to eat, so that nobody ever suspected anything! For the bones, he… he'd just bury them in his backyard, or even just hide them under his bed, where he'd be sure nobody would ever stumble upon them! And boom, just like that, Pit would disappear from existence! Thinking about what he believed was a rather accurate depiction of the scene sent shivers down his spine, despite the fact that he was sitting in boiling water.

But if he put all of that aside, Pit still felt somewhat happier than he'd been those last few weeks. In the end, he had missed spending all his time with his Goddess, despite the locking up incident. He remembered when he was still a young angel, she would take a day off to go visit the Overworld with him, tell him about his mission as a servant of the Light, and he'd listen to every single word she'd say. There wasn't a week where this wouldn't happen at least once.

The Goddess of Light would tell him stories belonging to the human world, would read him books with heroes and princesses and dragons, and then she'd also teach him how to fight. Between parades, counterattacks, fakes and dodges, she would train him up for hours along, even at dawn, to make him the best warrior there ever was. When Pit thought about it, he hadn't really asked for anything, but at the time she needed a hero; the Centurions were not… efficient without a leader—a prompt, daring leader with a strong sense of justice. However, one thing she hadn't achieved was making him more mature, since Palutena herself acted like a teenager at times.

Pit dipped his hand in the water and stared at it while he kept thinking, lost in his memories of another time. He could recall the first time he had put his hand in this water… He had a small hand, very small, and it was covered with cuts and bruises. It was after one of their training sessions… Such good times, yet all so far away into the past. Unreachable, unforgettable still.

"Come on Pit, we have a party to set up!" Drawing his attention, Palutena stood back up, stepped out of the hot spring, and grabbed the dress that she'd left on the ground because she couldn't be bothered to hang it. "And to quickly go back on the subject: I know Pittoo seems intimidating, but I also know that he softens up when he's with you. Food for thought, am I right?"

"Uhhh… Lady Palutena, I don't think thoughts need food… Oh! What if they do? That's why I lose track of my thoughts all the time—they starved!" Pit panicked, his eyes widened, and Palutena just laughed and started to walk off.

He was always so fun to hang out with.

Pit quickly followed her, still scared over the thought that his thoughts themselves could be dying because he didn't feed them. His heart raced in his chest, and he felt just about to faint. What a monster he was…

Palutena tied her necklace, which was nothing more than a golden collar attached to three chains, around her neck. She then turned and told Pit that it was quite cold outside when she darted a look at his clothes. The angel sighed when he himself noticed that he'd have to wear a soaked tunic for the rest of the day, facing freezing cold wind… Those were things he had forgotten during his journey on the Overworld, and that he sincerely hadn't missed. He gritted his teeth. Then, he attempted to focus on the conversation they'd had before he wandered off in his own thoughts, walking right next to his precious Goddess who had just put on her green shoes. "Lady Palutena, do you think my thoughts are dying?"

"Pit, as you said it yourself: thoughts don't need food. Now what about that party? Are you excited?"

The angel of light shrugged and looked back at the hot spring with a little nostalgia in his blue eyes. It'll be like a regular birthday party, he thought to himself. It'll be fun, but it'll be weird to be there without Pittoo. Usually, he invited Dark Pit to every party that Palutena organized. The dark angel would always claim that he had things to do, only to come in the end and say that he found the time to be there anyways. Sometimes, Pit had wondered if he just didn't want to come but forced himself to in order to see his twin… Highly possible, however he didn't want to think about it at the moment. Instead, Pit really focused on what he was looking at for once: the hot spring. Oh, he'd miss it, for the time being—since Palutena assured him that they'd come back sometime. But despite what she had said, Pit knew that, now that he was back to Skyworld, he'd have hundreds of things to take care of in the next few days, and rare would be the occasions he'd get to come back to the hot springs for a bath… His wings fluttered down when he told himself that the cold water of his private shower would do until then.

Before he came closer to the door leading outside, he whispered under his breath: "I love you, hot spring."

"Brace yourself, Pit." Palutena opened the door to the gardens, and Pit felt the freezing cold breeze on his soaked clothes and hissed. He stepped back, hid from the wind, much to the Goddess' amusement. He yelped and fought back when she grabbed him by the arm, pulling him outside with her. She claimed that they needed to head back to the castle in order to take care of this party she wanted to throw the same day, and Pit sighed. She always had him wherever she wanted him, and knew that very well. He could call that abusing her power, but he also knew it'd had close to no effect and that Palutena would only laugh at him for using big words like these.

So, instead of focusing on that, he asked his Goddess about the recent events. She told him about the increasing threats of greedy Gods—she named Poseidon and Hermes—who planned on attacking the Overworld. She mentioned several cities, including that Dark Pit and Magnus lived in. Pit turned white, he felt suddenly tensed and stared at Palutena in disbelief. Some God was planning an attack on their city? And Palutena didn't react, didn't step in to say no?

Pit frowned and looked away. "Now we can't let them do that!" he cried out, determined, as he clenched his fists. "Lady Palutena, we alone can do something to stop them! You are the Goddess protecting humans!"

"And it is not my role to meddle with the other Gods' affairs," she said blankly.

Pit sighed and groaned in anger. "You did it for Hades and Viridi!" he yelled at her, then he slid his arm out of Palutena's hand. It forced her to stop in her tracks and turn around to look at him. The angel gritted his teeth but took a deep breath to calm himself down—that was a method that Dark Pit had taught him during his stay on the Overworld. He called that self control, Pit called it a ticking bomb. "You don't want to do it because there's Pittoo involved, and you wish he will die!" he accused her.

The Goddess gasped, hurt to hear such words, and shook her head. "How could you think that of me?" she asked in a low voice, heartbroken. "After all I've done for him, and for you, how could you say that?"

"I know you don't like him!"

"And you think I'd let him—along with hundreds of humans—die because of that?" she asked him.

Pit blinked and looked to the side, sighing. No, Palutena would never do that… Why did he become so defensive? What had happened to him? He'd never reacted in such a way before… The necklace must have really changed his personality… Pit gulped and hoped the changes wouldn't be permanent. "Right… I'm sorry, Lady Palutena. I didn't think."

Palutena smiled softly and put a hand on Pit's shoulder to reassure him. "Ease your mind. It's nothing. If anything, I should've known you'd react that way: you're always so preoccupied with Pittoo's safety," she said, in a soothing, calm voice that she used to take whenever she read him stories as a young angel. Then she glanced over to the castle and thought about something. "How about we head back now? I'll tell you everything about the recent attacks and the situation once we're there."

"Gotcha."

To be continued…

Updated: 02/11/2019