Hellooo. This is another story I've wanted to do for a while. It's my take on the "What if" Alfia story. I think I have a pretty good story planned with this. Actually, this story could go two ways. I originally wanted to have Bell, along with his uncle Zard and aun- I mean mother Alfia along with their new son join the Hestia familia as I did a Loki familia story first. Buuuut, someone asked me if I could have them in the Zeus familia and as I started to think about it, I think I could also make that work. I am unsure of which familia it should go so I would like you guys to decide which one and that's where this story will go. Keep in mind, if I do the Zeus familia one Bell still won't get a status until they get into Orario. Oh, and it'll be a BellxAis story either way. I'm not saying the other girls are bad, they're great! I just like this pair the most so that's what all my stories will be. Also, for the Zeus familia one, as much as I'd like to there won't be any old zeus or hera familia members as I don't know if there even are any surviving members left. The gang will still, eventually, join the familia as time goes on. And I don't know exactly how I'm gonna do it, but for the zeus route the apollo wargame will still go on, but apollo and Ishtar familia would team up to go against Bell, Zard, and Alfia of the Zeus familia. It's kind of an overkill, I know, but I want to see how I'd make it work. Oh and we'd have crazy Freya in either story, but don't worry. Alfia will be there to bonk her and keep her and any girls away from Bell at all times. But for how long? This story is a work in progress and Elemental Hero will still be going, so it may be a while for the next chapter. Unless Ideas just hit me one day and I get a ton done. Actually the more I think about it, I'm kind of leaning towards the zeus familia route. If I do then Hestia familia will be on my next work in progress. That's right! Even though I'm starting this new story, I already have the beginning of a 3rd story in mind! Am I alright in the head? I don't know! But I do know that whatever route you guys choose this story will be a good one so please stick around to see it through.
We start off our story in a place near the mountains. A further way away was what looked like a small village. The sun was setting and gave an incredible red hue to the land. Staring down from the mountains were two figures; a man and a woman.
"After seeing him, are you sure you can go back?" The man asked her.
"…" She remained silent pondering the question.
"He looks to be healthy and full of life. The old man is at least raising him right in that regard." He continued.
The woman just kept silent. From where they were, with their high level senses, they saw a boy and an old man happily chatting along. The old man seemed to be telling him jokes and the little boy was laughing along without a care in the world.
"What will you do now? Shall we head back?" He politely asked.
"…" She did not know what to say. The man patiently waited her answer. Whatever she decided, he'd respect it.
"I'm sorry, Zard. After seeing him now, every fiber of my being just wants to hold him and keep him safe forever." The woman finally spoke, holding back a few tears. "I don't think I can do it. I don't want to leave him!" She added.
"Hmmm. Very well." The man, Zard, said.
"Erebus will just have to do this without us." The woman said.
"It can't be helped. He knew this may happen, and he still let us come here." Zard told her. "No use feeling bad." He added.
"I guess you're right." She said.
"Then, shall we go?" He asked.
"Yes, let's go to him. Thank you, Zard." She said.
"There's no need, Alfia." Zard said.
And so, they started making their way down the mountaintop and towards the village, to the young boy.
….
"Come on Grandpa!" The young boy called out to his elder.
"Slow down, Bell! These old bones aren't what they once were." The old man replied.
The pair were making their way back home. They were farmers that had just dropped off some extra crops they wouldn't need to everyone in the village. The old man had a knack for farming it seemed.
"And here we are, Bell." The old man said to the young boy as they made it back to their home.
"Can you read me another hero story again grandpa?!" Bell asked him as he entered their home.
"Haha! You really did get your love of heroes from me Bell!" The old man laughed in response.
"But let's hold off on that for now. We still need to give Mrs. Sherry her share of crops. She's still a bit mad at me for last time so about you go on ahead and tell her sorry for me!" The old man told him.
"If you'd stop trying to peek on the women during bath time grandpa they wouldn't be mad." He tried lecturing his old man.
"But Bell! Remember what I told you! PEEKING IS A MAN'S RRRROOOOMMMAAANNNCEEEE! He yelled.
"LIKE HELL IT IS!" A woman shouted and burst through the door and smacked the old man through the wall.
"At least introduce yourself first before smiting someone, Alfia." Zard said as he picked up the broken door and placed it back where it went. It would need some repairs.
"And let him corrupt my Bell even further?! Absolutely not!" Alfia yelled in response and went and hugged said boy.
"It's alright, Bell. I'm here now. I won't let that foul man corrupt you mind anymore." Alfia said gently holding the boy.
"Good to see you guys too, Alfia. Zard." The old man said after emerging from his own sized hole.
"Uhm, grandpa? Who are these people?" Bell asked in Alfia's arms. He should be screaming after what he just saw. I mean, seeing a woman faster than he could see just destroy his door and sent his grandpa flying and then seeing a buff man taller than the doorway walk in behind her should ring off alarm bells, but he felt so warm and comfortable in her arms that he didn't want to leave. He would still like some answers though.
"Well, I never thought you'd ever see them, Bell, so I never got around to it. But guess now's a good a time as any." He said while making sure nothing was broken.
"Bell. Meet, your aunt, Alfia." He said.
"Aunt?" Bell asked as he looked up at her.
"Stepmother." Alfia responded with a glare.
"Huh?" Bell blinked in confusion.
"Call me stepmother Alfia." She told him.
"Okay?" He said still confused.
"Good." She said and went back to smothering him in a hug.
"Guess that makes you uncle Zard, huh?" The old man said.
"Hm." Zard said.
"So, what brings you here to our humble abode?" The old man said.
"I decided to live here and take care of Bell. Erberus can do his own thing." Alfia said dismissing the hug and standing back up.
"Ah. So that's what you decided." He said to himself.
"Bell, go take those crops to Mrs. Sherry. Me and your aunt have some catching up to do." The old man said.
"Uh, sure thing grandpa. I'll be right back!" Bell said as he picked up a basket and watched the door fall back to the ground. It still needed fixing.
"I'll take care of this. Run along boy." Zard said.
"Uh, yes. Thank you so much." Bell bowed politely and ran off.
'So I have new family members now? Uncle Zard and Aun-Stepmother Alfia? It looks like grandpa already know them. This will be so much fun!' Little Bell thought to himself happy that his family just got bigger. He loved his grandfather for everything he's done, but a small part of him had longed for more. He never met his parents. His grandpa told him that they passed not too long after he was born so he had no memories of them.
'Still, why has grandpa not mentioned them before?' He added as he made his way to their neighbor.
….
"We have a lot to talk about, Zeus." Alfia said coldly.
"Hey, hey! Calm down now!" Zeus said trying to calm the beast down.
"What are you teaching the boy?" She asked paying him no mind.
"I'm teaching him how to be a hero!" Zeus yelled proudly.
"No you're not!" Alfia said and blasted him with her magic.
"Ouch" Zeus said while once again checking for injuries.
"Maybe tone it down a bit, Alfia. We still want a roof over our heads." Zard said as he finished filling in another zeus shaped hole in the wall.
"Come on! Knowing him he's probably trying to corrupt poor Bell's mind and fill him with weird thoughts!" She accused.
"Of course I am!" Zeus confessed. "Being a hero and getting all the girls is what it's all about!" He added.
"Shut up!" Alfia yelled and punched him through another wall. Zard just sighed and got to work on the next hole.
"So, you decided to give up with the Evilus plot?" Zeus asked the two of them.
And just like that, the joking atmosphere turned serious.
"Yeah. After seeing him, I decided to live on." Alfia said. Zard noded along with her.
"So, what are you plans for those illnesses?" Zeus asked. That made them wince.
"Now that you've decided to live, are you really just going to slowly wither away as Bell grows older? You're the only family he has left." Zeus said.
"I know that." Alfia said as she clenched her teeth. Zard had no regrets for what he did to win, but that didn't mean he was just going to die quietly. He still wanted to fight.
"I have an offer for you two. I might know a way now." Zeus said. This caught their attention. While they had started looking for a cure 15 years ago, they eventually gave up as they couldn't find anything.
"I have kept in contact with Hermes just in case this happened. As it turns out, there may just be a way. It's nothing permanent, but this will keep your conditions from worsening for the time being. However, I need you two to do something for me." Zeus told them.
"What is it?" Zard asked.
"For you two to teach Bell. For you to teach him basic skills, Zard, and for you, Alfia, to help him with his studies. He's a smart boy, he may be able to learn magic with your teachings." Zeus said.
"What?! And why should I?" Alfia yelled.
"Because you decided to live. You wanted to join Erebus for the Great War back there in Orario, you wanted to create a new age in heroes. Now that you've backed out, new heroes may not emerge. That leaves our Bell here vulnerable. If he wants to be a hero, what better way than to learn from two of the greatest?" Zeus asked.
"Hold on a second! He's still a boy! Why are you making it sound like he's getting ready for war? And why does he have to be a hero? He can live to be whoever he wants to be. The only reason he'll say that he wants to be a hero is because you filled his head with those stories and that's what you want him to be!" Alfia accused him.
"That's not true!" Bell yelled. The three of them turned to see young Bell standing in the doorway. He had just returned from delivering the food, empty basket in hand.
"Bell." Alfia said.
"I want to be a hero because they are the coolest! Grandpa never told me to be one! I want to be a hero that can save everyone! I want to be the coolest hero Aunt Alfia! I want to show grandpa how cool I can be! I want to show you too Auntie! I want to be a hero that can save everyone! Even you too! Please!" Bell pleaded.
This shocked Alfia and Zard, seeing him talk so confidently. Of course, this could be brushed off as nonsensical whims of a child. But Zeus, Zeus had seen when Bell arrived and baited Alfia into saying something to trigger Bell's will.
He was happy. He knew it with every fiber of his being that Bell had the makings of being a hero. He just needs a few pushes along the way.
"Huh. So be it." Zard said.
"Zard!" Alfia said.
"What's the worse that can happen?" Zard asked her.
"He'll turn out like him." Alfia pointed back to Zeus.
"Then you need to make sure he doesn't." Zard said with a smile.
"Ughh. This is giving me a headache." Alfia groaned.
Zeus just laughed at the whole ordeal. "Come on Bell! Let's read another hero story!" He said.
"Coming grandpa!" Bell yelled happily. Soon they were sitting on the living room couch as grandpa Zeus opened up a new hero book.
….
"I don't know Zard. I want to keep Bell as far away from this stuff as possible." Alfia told him as they watched Bell soundly asleep.
"That's not entirely up to you, Alfia." Zard said.
"Zard!" Alfia yelled.
"Shhh." Zard said as he held up a finger to shush her and pointed back to Bell.
"But still!" Alfia said quieter.
"If he chooses to be an adventurer, then shouldn't we do as much as we can to prepare him? Besides, if you want to live long enough to prevent that, we'll have to follow Zeus's request. Anyway, what's so wrong with learning how to defend yourself at least? And what's wrong with teaching him a bit?" Zard reasoned.
"But." Alfia tried to protest. She wished that Bell could stay here in the village as far away from combat as possible, but she couldn't enforce that.
"He'll be fine, Alfia. He's got some fight in him." Zard said.
"I guess you're right." Alfia said, defeated. "But there's no way I'm letting that geezer dirty Bell's mind!" Alfia countered.
"Fair enough." Zard chuckled.
Now with that settled, Zard and Alfia would spend the night thinking up how they'd train Bell and keep themselves alive. They walked into Zeus's room and told them they accept his conditions. Now all that was left was to send a letter to Hermes and wait for things to roll.
And there's the chapter! I know it's short but I also need some help here deciding which direction to take this story.
Does anyone know what skills and spells Alfia and Zard have and what their chants for it are? If so please tell me what they are in the reviews. I read each and every single one of them.
Also, I know Alfia and Zard may be a bit out of character, but I think I'm just going to roll with it. Let me know what you guys think and don't be afraid to throw out suggestions of your own. If I like one of your suggestions, I will use it and give credit at the start. Thank you all and hope you have a great day!