Bell woke up and did his morning routine, he stretched, did his morning exercises, did a few practice swings with his weapons, shot a few arrows to train his accuracy with his bow, brushed his teeth, bathed himself with a water bucket, soap, and a towel, and once he was done, he got his clothes on and headed out to fight in the dungeon once again, and Hesita was still asleep since Bell wakes up at 5 every day and head off by 7, and still 2-3 hours before Hestia normally wakes up.

Bell headed to the dungeon where upon entering took about 10 minutes to shake his head straight, and fought a few monsters while testing his combat skills and weapons, today was the spear so Bell was throwing and thrusting his spear, as well as testing out its homing function, seeing how he can activate it, namely by seeing how the homing works, he got a feel for the weapon's limits and exited 3 hours later, being able to stay longer and longer in the dungeon, but still needing to get out or he would lose his mind with the dungeon playing trick's on his mind, especially after last night.

following Fels, who had told Bell he would be obligated to help a select group of people from the shadows from now on, he followed Fels into the dungeon as they both entered a large open area that seemed to be hidden in the dungeon and found not a hint of anything, then, he saw monsters and got ready to fight, however, he noticed that Fel's wasn't pulling out a weapon or chanting a spell, so Bell though this was some kind of test, so he got a weapon ready to draw but not bring out as he walked forward, but then the monster spoke.

Ray:" welcome again Fels"

Bell:" [Redacted] it talked... hold on, what's going on"

Fear:" that response is normal for those who find out"

Athena:" I know I did when I found out"

Bell:" Athena, what are you doing here, and with your Famili- this is the secret that only the shadow part of the guild knows, isn't it"

Gros:" at least he's smart enough to catch on so we don't have to explain, come, we're celebrating adding someone else to our allies list"

Bell:" you're celebrating for me knowing this and helping"

Lyd:" we don't get many who will accept us, the fact you didn't attack us on sight and choose to trust Fels even if it was iffy is proof you're not one to just rush in"

Bell:" a calm approach to thing's help's path the path clearer, and also allow's you to really think before you do, I promised I would always look at every possible option before making a decision, and choose to do what would help everyone, damn if it's stupid or idiotic by many"

Bell's words spoke volumes to not only the while the Xenos but also the Athena Familia, who more than anyone knew the meaning behind such words, while they all were eating, Bell remembered about his aunt and then Evilus, then seeing Athena, he thought if anyone can shed light on the situation with Evilus, it was her and walked up to her to talk seriously about something that's been on his mind for years.

Bell:" Athena, can I ask you a question, namely on Dark Familia nad Evilus"

Athena:" Shoot"

Bell:" so Dark Familia, they are said to only do the things they do because the gods promise to reunite them with their loved ones upon their dying, but upon returning to the heavens, aren't they sentenced to either Tarterous or its equivalent anyway so reuniting with their loved ones is impossible, and the gods who returned also get immediately punished so they are never able to even be allowed to fulfill such a promise int eh first place if they even intended to keep it, how does it work"

Athena:" sadly, it's mostly held by lies and hypocrisy, the gods know they won't be able to keep their promise due to the punishment that awaits them in the divine realm once they return, and a majority of them don't even care either, those gods are giving empty promises with empty words that mean nothing to them so they can play their games with the mortals, mortals are being's who, at their darkest moments, will cling to even a lie to give them a reason to live, it's why 99% of all their members are suicidal by nature, they don't have any plans to come back alive, and the one percent who do have a specific goal in mind but don't care how they get it"

Bell:" and my aunt"

Athena:"... the Zeus and Hera Familia were dealt a bad hand, losing a majority of their members, being attacked while they were half dead, and the kicker, more than half the people who survived were poisoned with an incurable poison that was comparable to the Hydras venom that killed them slowly day by day, the likes of Mero and Vannea were the lucky ones who didn't get poisoned and survived"

Bell:" and my aunt wasn't long even before then, but she did last longer than my-!..."

Bell fell silent, though, even someone who isn't as wise and experienced as Athena could tell what was on Bell's mind at that moment, and Athena gave a comforting shoulder as she placed a hand on Bell's shoulder.

Athena:"... my condolences for your mother"

Bell:" I at least got to see her for a year, you never even met yours, plus being in your father's head for so long"

Athena:" smartass"

Athena punched Bell in the shoulder and a crack could be heard as Bell felt his shoulder bone break, though Athena did chuckle to herself as the rest of the night would be knowing how to handle Xenoz, Bell left to go buy supplies he needed while it was dark and just about closing since he knew no many people would be nearby, Bell was walking down to exit the tower he was in at night since it wasn't crowded when he went shopping for some maintenance gear with his earnings when he heard the noise of one of the doors behind him opened.

with what he knew, he was jumpy since he was thinking too much, and upon looking, he found Aphrodite and Demeter as the 2 were exiting a room in robes that were loose on the both of them were blushing and flustered as they acted lovey-dovey with one another, Demeter even for frisky and picked Aphrodite up from her ass since she was taller and started kissing intensely with her tongue reaching as far into Aphrodites mouth as possible with them seeming like they were going to go at it again before they spot Bell, slowly stopping their kiss as the drool between the 2 falls and Demeter set's down Aphrodite.

Aphrodite:" OHH... I didn't know anyone was here this late"

Demeter:" yeah, normally, no one's around"

Bell didn't say anything at first, taken aback by what he saw with his eyes wide open in surprise as the 2 goddesses in front of him stumbled to fix their appearance even if a little, he looked at the hickeys all over their neck and likely their bodies as well, lipstick marks and smears on both of them, and Aphrodite had milk on her mouth and body while it seemed like Demeter was leaking from her breast, plus, the 2 has their hair a mess, and Bell knew that goddesses value their appearance more than anything, it's one reason why Bell isn't allowed to look at Hestia in the morning and has to spend half an hour with a blindfold on toll Hestia was decent to look at, Bell may not be a detective (Much), but even he can tell what happened as clear as day.

Bell:"... only the 2 of you here"

both Demeter and Aphrodite only nodded in agreement as they were in a compromising position.

Bell:" I see... the 2 of you dating is a surprise, but I'm not in any position to say otherwise... I'll leave now and... pretend I saw nothing, is that alright"

the 2 goddesses nodded as they went their separate ways, and Demeter and Aphrodite left while feeling cockblocked, something that will affect their behavior for the rest of the day, as Bell was thinking back to it, he had a headache thinking too much about it, a common thing for him, ever since he had to kill his aunt,

as Bell exited the dungeon to get his stones to turn in, he saw it was a bit more crowded than usual as it was more crowded and took 10 minutes to get to Enia, or her stand in as Enia recently got a promotion, which meant more responsibility and jobs he had to take care of and was busy managing Monsterphelia, which was probably why the dungeon was so busy even though Bell saw fewer adventurers in the dungeon this time, while walking around, he figured he would explore since he had nothing better to do, and decided to see what the buzz was about.

in a cafe, 2 goddesses were meeting, one of the human race and one of the Renard race, and they both drew eyes as the 2 faced one another, and they both had a sense of hatred, annoyance, and despise for one another that made everyone watching think they were going to throw down at any moment, and yet, they didn't.

Ishtar:"... why did you call me over here, contrary to what you may think I do all day, I am quite busy, and suddenly coming here was no small feat, I have a lot of stuff I need to manage in my Familia as I'm expanding past the red light district"

Freya:" I heard, having a hand in trade, and even funding farming projects as well, like with Demeters farms"

Ishtar:" and that isn't something that happens overnight, now what do you want, and remember, the only reason I came here was not to give you a reason to come to the red light district yourself and cause a scene, much like that bastard of a child Syr, the (extremely mocking tone) "mortal" girl (regular tone) is a walking disaster, and I won't want her or anyone she reminds me of near there, now say what you want so I can go, fallen off goddess of war who lost such a title due to her arrogance and hubris"

Freya:" (while checking her fist)... I need you to go along with something I plan to do that may cause trouble"

Ishtar:"... HAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHA, YOU'VE GOT TO BE KIDDING... (calming down slightly) and why would I do that"

Freya:" because then I'd have reason to attack you"

Ishtars laughing stopped as he then took a peak at Haruhime, Ishtar was serious as Freya took note of how Ishtar was acting.

Ishtar:" don't play dumb Freya... I know you're up to something"

Freya:" and who's this beside you"

Freya then pointed to the golden-haired Renard standing next to Ishtar in a maid uniform, she was a teen who was of outstanding beauty, as a Renard beastfolk, she has a large, puffy, and long fox tail and soft, fluffy, and long fox ears, both the same color as her long, straight, and neat golden blonde hair except for the white tip on her tail, same color as her fur pelt coving her forearms and her legs from her ankle to upper thighs, both her shoulders, including her armpits that she doesn't shave like Artemis does probably due to the fact she doesn't feel a need to like Artemis does, that connect to the fur on her neck that covered the whole neck but not covering any part of her chest, the sides of their abdomen and her back.

the girl herself had a great body, lean, looked smooth to the touch, and gave off the look of what many would assume was the perfect feminine figure, with ample breasts seemingly had an E cup if not an F cup, a slim but not too slim waist, and good strong hips perfectly designed for bearing children as if it was meant to, and the emerald green eyes made them seem like jewels were more than captivating enough to draw you in and suck you up at a moments notice, yet, she gave an aura of innocence and kindness, a natural warmth with her presence alone, she wore a maids uniform, but she still seemed elegant in her appearance, drawing as many eyes as Freya and Ishtar were.

Ishtar:" her, she's just my new personal attendant, I got her when I saw her in the slave market immediately, tidied her up, got her new clothes, and put her to work doing things I ask"

Haruhime:" yes, lady Ishtar has been very kind to me, she even removed the slave collar and just pays me to work for her like this, though, the work is hard at times and I have a hard time doing some of it, though I eventually get it done"

Freya:"... really"

Haruhime:" though the combat training is hard"

Ishtar:" don't cry, your training is subtle and pushes you just enough, sure, you get a few black eyes here and there, but nothing too serious considering you're new, now, can you get me a lemonade dear"

Haruhime:" yes lady Ishtar"

as haruhime left, Freya decided to act, with a sadistic grin on her face as well.

Freya:" that girl seems special to you, you treat her far better than the others even with your sudden change of heart and better treatment of your Familia, as well as banking them from kidnapping and raping, removing members who were too rowdy, even freeing the slaves you bought as well and employed them and continuing to free slaves and the men in your personal harem as well, while your Familia has never been more profitable and never been stronger as you now have 4 level 6's as of late, and in such a familia, she is treated especially well, and even helped her with her position in her Familia"

Ishtar:" I don't know what you're talking about, what do you even-"

Freya:" in a way, you treat her in a... motherly fashion, like she was your own daughter you loved the second you gave birth to her, and you changed so much from how you were before 17 years ago, and how old is this girl, 16 right"

Ishtar:"... you would be wise to back off now... or else"

this, would be a long day for everyone.

authors notes

this meeting for the Xenos is supposed to show not only the guild, but some familia are aware and support the Xenos, this is to really showcase the stakes on the line now, as well as the context to how the fate of the Zeus and Hera Familias played out.

yes, I'm adding the spiciness of a lesbian goddess couple with Aphrodite and Demeter, so this isn't a one-time thing, and who knows, I might even add a detailed sex scene soon, it is also no coincidence.

I replaced Loki with Ishtar for 2 reasons, one, because while the Loki Familia is a powerhouse, she's not the only one, so a meeting with Loki is pointless and I feel Freya wouldn't go to the others since 3 of them are technically police units, and second, because in my version, the Loki Familia's reputation, namely due to Finn wanting to play hero, make's the Familia unreliable in the publics eyes, so even if they stop Freya, they aren't a credible source for passing prosecution, especially after the minotaur incident

and yes, I'm giving the technical position as the town's protectors to Ishtar as well in place of the Loki Familia with a reason behind this

for those who can guess, yes, in my story Ishtar is Haruhimes birth mother, thus making her a demigod, how we will get to the killing stone, I'll come up with something, either way, I will have the events of the Ishtar Familia play out, but in a different manner