+Festival Conclusions+
It was Friday and the school was in a festive mood. Each club was hosting a different activity. Ceresei was dealing with the maid cafe. She was forced into wearing a pink maid's dress. The girl was furious with her classmates. Freya was the tour guide of the whole event. Fu and Ane were the coordinators. Each girl was assigned a role. The gods were entertaining the students. Apollon and Balder were competing in a fishing contest. Takeru was demonstrating his swordsmanship. Thor, Loki, and Tsukito were selling treats. Dionysus was with Ceresei. He wore a waiter's uniform. "This is bull. How did I get stuck with this job?" Ceresei said as she and Dionysus stood in front of the classroom. They welcomed the students into the cafe themed room. A few of the students notice Ceresei's outfit. The stares made the girl feel uncomfortable. Dionysus places a hand on her shoulder and gives her a smile. "Blame the popular vote. I got stuck with this job as well." He said.
"At least you are wearing pants. I hate dresses and I hate the color pink." Ceresei huffs. Dionysus laughs as he removes his hand. He looks ahead and Ceresei places her hands on her hips. "So tell me about why is he attached to me?" Ceresei said as she watches the students walk on by. Dionysus gives her a glance. He had noticed his brother being attached to the girl. Apollon was the only one who would go to Ceresei at random times of the day. Ceresei did not ignore him or push him away. The god was attached to the human girl for unknown reasons. "He might actually love you." Dionysus gives his answer. Ceresei could only cough. That answer was ridiculous. There was no way Apollon could love her. "His happiness is a normal action coming from his attitude and behavior. Apollon does have an attraction to you. I know that. Even when you aren't around he is concerned for your well-being." Dionysus explains. Ceresei thinks about her situation in silence. She knew she was caught in a love triangle. Before Ceresei could add on to the conversation, Apollon and Balder along with Tsukito walk over to them.
"Sei-san! Brother! How is everything going over here?" Apollon said. Dionysus chuckles and places his hands on Ceresei's shoulders. "Our cute maid has been attracting the students so it's pretty busy in there," Dionysus spoke. Ceresei growls at the compliment. She knew he was teasing her. "Sei-san looks really cute today. Please be our waitress today. I know it'll be fun." Apollon said as he took a hold of Ceresei's hands. Balder's eyes slightly displayed a hint of displeasure. He did not want Apollon being too friendly. He did see Ceresei looking cuter in the dress. The god wanted to flatter Ceresei himself. "Please, Miss Ceresei. We would be honored to be served by you." Balder said. Ceresei could not escape and gives in. She nods. "Fine. I'll show you three to your table. Follow me." Ceresei forces herself to walk into the classroom. The men followed behind. "This place has a bunch of students. The tour guide groups are the same. The statistics are positive for this festival." Tsukito said. Ceresei glances back at him. "Really? It is the first event." She said. Tsukito slightly nods. His expression remains the same. "The activities are running smoothly." He adds. Ceresei finds a free table and she guides the men over to it. The men sit down and Ceresei pulls out a notepad and pen.
"My name is Ceresei and I'll be your server for today. How may I serve you today?" Ceresei said as she was playing the role. "Sei-san, I want some sugar cookies and tea," Apollon said as he looks at the menu. "I would like a cup of juice and a muffin please," Tsukito said. Ceresei writes the orders down. Balder focuses on the menu but glances at Ceresei. Her wearing the costume made him see the girl as a target of his interests. "Ah, I can help you Miss Ceresei. I don't want you doing too much work." Balder says as he stands up. Ceresei nods as she knew refusing his help would not work. The students admired Balder so much that he could not catch a break. Ceresei knew she would not be alone with him with the other gods around. Apollon wouldn't let anything happen to her.
Balder follows Ceresei into the back of the classroom and into the connecting room where all the food and beverages were. Ceresei hands the slip to a student which had the orders written on it. "Here. It isn't too much I hope." Ceresei said. She stood patiently and Balder stood next to her. "You look pretty cute." He said as Ceresei watches the student places the dessert on the plates. "I was forced to wear this. I hate it. I don't even like pink." Ceresei said as she was embarrassed. Balder chuckles and he takes a hold of Ceresei's hand. "Balder, we are in public." Ceresei pulls her hand away. Balder's eyes dull and he grabs her hand once more. He pulls Ceresei close to him and he holds her in his arms. "Balder cut it out. Do you understand that this is not appropriate?" Ceresei said as she looks up at Balder. His eyes were dark. Even his cheerful demeanor was dark.
"I want you. Let me hold you like this. It feels right." Balder said. Ceresei sighs and lets the god hold her. "Balder...I am the one to lead everyone to graduation if not then I will be the one to die." Ceresei said softly. Balder's hold on the girl tightened. He could not imagine Ceresei killing herself. "I will not allow it." He said with his voice getting softer. Ceresei smiles and pats his head. 'I promise I won't die. Now let me serve these desserts." She said and Balder releases her. Ceresei grabs the plates and she brings them over to the table. Once the plates were set, Ceresei walks away until Apollon calls her back over, "Eat with us Sei-san. You need a break too." Apollon said and Ceresei shakes her head in refusal. The cafe was busy and she needed to help her fellow classmates. However, Apollon was too persistent with convincing her. Ceresei sat down and she rests her feet.
"So who planned this? Apollon I know it was you. I got stuck in the costume." Ceresei said. Apollon laughs as he picks up a cookie. "It is to increase the student's school spirits. It seems to be working well. All the students attended." Tsukito explains. Apollon eats a cookie and nods. He was happy with the way everything was going. "At least you guys are learning about the humans." Ceresei sighs in relief.
Hades found Ane and Fu resting outside the performance hall. Ane and Fu were sitting on the bench watching the students enjoy their time. Ane and Fu were wearing business attire. "My god it's busy today. This idea is fun but we are a part of the labor." Ane said as she ran her fingers through her hair. "At least it's not dull," Fu said with a laugh. Hades was walking past the girls not wanting to burden them with his presence. Ane glances in his direction and she calls out to him. Hades glances at Ane. He was quiet. "Hades please come here." Ane not sure if he would approach her. He hesitates for a second then walks over to the girls. "You called me?" Hades asked. "Yes. Are you done for the day? Fu and I were going to get something to eat. You can join us." Ane says with a smile. Hades looks at Ane with a confused expression.
Ane was being nice once again. "Join us Hades. Your nephews are there. I know you must be tired." Fu who was now grinning spoke. She knew Hades was not very social and Ane was the one to convince him. "..." Hades lets out a sigh. If he refused he would be left alone and he would feel bad for denying Ane. He did not understand why Ane communicated with him. Ane disliked seeing Hades by himself. He never asked for the girl's attention. Though he could not refuse her. Ane was polite. She had the patience to deal with him. "Okay. I will go with you." Hades answers. "Great. The festival is supposed to end in a few hours. Let's go eat while we still have the chance." Ane said and the three students begin to walk.
"How is everything on your end?" Ane asks Hades. Hades blinks and responds, "It is fine. I never seen so many humans get entertainment from participating in these activities. I only see them wander into the underworld." "Your life must be boring. We, humans, are entertained by many methods. Next time Apollon drags us to another festival you will have fun." Fu said as she stopped by a booth that was selling masks. She snickers and skips away leaving Hades and Ane alone. Ane was able to guess what Fu was trying to do. "That girl..." Ane sighs. "What's wrong?" Hades asks as he thought of himself to blame. Ane shakes her head. "Fu is just being Fu. It's not important. I plan to talk to her later on tonight." Ane said. She and Hades were quiet. "I apologize," Hades spoke. "Don't apologize. Actually...I wanted to know if you would like to eat lunch with me in the courtyard." Ane said in a casual manner. She did not want to make him feel comfortable. The god was used to being alone.
Interacting with this girl was different. Ceresei was not intimidating though in godship they were siblings. Hades would remember her last words. Freya was shy. Fu was a jokester. Ane was someone different. She was bold but not like Ceresei and Fu. Ane spoke her voice. "...I will go." Hades responds. In truth, he wanted to overcome the feeling of loneliness. Maybe Ane could understand him. A friend from the outside did not sound so bad. "Great! We can learn more about each other as well." Ane was happy to hear Hades accept her offer. This was a start. He was not distant from her. "Great! Oh, I wanted to ask you something else too...is it possible to see ghosts wander around here? I know the students but there is a woman who wanders around at night. I have only seen her a couple of times." Ane said. Hades was interested to hear more. "Let's go to the astronomy club room. Does anyone know about this?" Hades spoke as he could tell Ane was serious.
"Freya. She saw her too." Ane adds as they saw Freya drinking from her bottle of water. "Hey, Freya!" Ane calls the girl over. Freya was on break and she walks over to Hades and Ane. "We need to talk," Hade said. The three students were in the club room. The doors were closed and no one else was around. "This "ghost" as you call it has been roaming the academy at night. When did you first see her?" Hades said as he took a seat on the couch. Ane looks out the window. "That woman has appeared a couple nights ago. I see her standing outside in the courtyard." Ane said. "S-She's also seen in the woods. I saw her there. That woman is dressed in some Greek-like attire. There is no way she's from our time" Freya says as she could remember the sounds of the woman sobbing. It was haunting. "Did anyone have any female friends or lovers?" Ane asks.
Freya leans her back against the wall. "...The one I know who did have a lover is Apollon. There was a woman he fell in love with, but she died and Apollon became depressed." Hades explains. "Zeus must have known," Ane said feeling bad. "He knew. Apollon isolated himself from the other gods for months." Hades said with a soft sigh. Ane watches the students walk around. She looks at the garden and notices the woman standing by the rose bushes. Ane's eyes widen and she gasps. "What?" Freya sees the look on Ane's face and she walks over to the window. Freya sees the woman. "No way. Why is she now?" Freya said. Hades stands up and walks over to look out the window. His eyes noticed the same thing. "That is his dead lover." He confirms it. "Shit. Will the other students notice her?" Ane questions. "No. They can't see her..." Freya answers.
"Who is she going to target?" Ane asks another question. "Doesn't Apollon like Ceresei?" Freya asks trying to figure something out. "Dead ex-lover trying to go after potential new lover. Makes sense." Ane said with a nod. "Spirits...ones who can cling onto the living. Either harm or good can be done to the ones the spirits are attached to. If she sees Apollon around Ceresei then that spirit will possibly become hostile." Hades said as he had witnessed the incident occur before. "So we have to hunt a ghost and keep Ceresei away from Apollon while this goes on." Ane came up with a plan. Freya frowns. She knew this plan would be a difficult one. And the girl was already afraid of ghosts. "If need be you might talk to Zeus about this," Hades suggests. The suggestion made both girls cringe.
"I will do that later." Ane sighs.
Once the festival ended, Ceresei was with everyone in the Student Council room. They were celebrating the success of the festival. Everyone cheers together after Apollon makes a short speech. Ceresei was sitting on the couch. Between Balder and Apollon. Freya sat in a chair. Tsukito stood next to her. Takeru, Thor, and Dionysus were talking. Loki was poking at Fu's mask. Hades and Ane were talking. "My feet hurt," Ceresei complains as she slips off the heels. "At least you didn't have my job. I walked everywhere." Freya said as she picks up a cookie off the dessert tray.
"You did a good job," Tsukito said. "T-Thank you," Freya says softly. "The students were excited by the demonstrations. Next time you will be a part of it, Ane." Takeru says with a smirk. "Heh, I'll gladly beat you," Ane says in confidence. Tsukito saw a friendly rivalry between Ane and his brother. "I can see those two challenging each other nonstop.," Freya said. Tsukito nods in agreement. Heh, eld his pet rabbit in his arms. Freya glances at the animal. "Is it a boy or a girl?" She asks. "A boy. Usamaro runs around I usually find him in a classroom." Tsukito said. Freya stares at the rabbit and smiles, "He's cute. I'm not allowed to have pets at home." "Do you want to pet him?" Tsukito asks. Freya nods and pets the rabbit's head. She smiles as the rabbit did not refuse her. "Usamaro likes you," Tsukito said.
"Ha! Ceresei has to wear a funny maid costume all day." Loki laughs as he points to the frills on the apron of Ceresei's costume. Ceresei picks up a shoe and tosses it at the redhead. Loki gets hit in the head and glares at the girl. "It's too fitting. I'll dress up as an officer next time." Ceresei says with a smirk on her face. "Sei-san is good at throwing objects," Apollon said as Ceresei off the thigh-high socks. She rolls them up into a ball. "While you were standing the majority of the time we sold a bunch of sweets." Loki brags. "Let's just hope we don't do this again..." Ceresei yawns.