The group sat at a long table inside the giant tree. It was the same tree Bell had seen the girl with deer antlers on the balcony above. They were on a lower level of the hollowed-out tree.
The interior reminded Bell of the farmhouse. A wooden table with chairs. A kitchen and hallways that led to bedrooms and bathrooms.
Laid out on the tables in front of them was alligator meat with berries and wine. Some of the local delicacies of Beltane.
Sitting at the head of the table was the goddess Bheara and on her right was the princess Talvi. She was the girl with deer antlers that had captured Bell's attention.
He had never seen anyone like that before.
Next to Talvi was the man who put a blade to Bell's throat. His name was Lidari and he was the Vice-Captain of the Bheara familia. Hermes had told Bell he was a level five.
On the goddess's left was her captain. His name was Uskari and he had pale green hair and green eyes. His skin was also very pale reminding Bell of a ghost. But the thing Bell noticed the most was the man's elf ears.
This put the boy on guard as he knew elves hated mutants. So how would he react after finding out Bell was one, and a very dangerous one at that?
The rest of Bell's group was mostly scattered around the table. Hermes sat next to the captain while Bell sat next to Lidari. The blindfolded man made him nervous as he could've killed him had he chosen to.
Next to Bell was Welf. The boy was nervous as well but not for the same reason Bell was. This whole country gave him the creeps. The mist, the swamp. It felt like something out of a horror novel.
At the other end of the table is where Zeus sat. His eyes met Bheara's as they sat across from each other on opposite ends of the table. He wasn't bothered in the slightest by anything. He knew Bheara would welcome the help he and Hermes offered to kill the monster that had been plaguing their waters for centuries.
Asfi of course sat next to Hermes and kept her gaze on Bell. She was worried for him because the boy looked the most uncomfortable out of everyone there.
The atmosphere was tense but luckily for everyone. Talvi spoke.
"So you guys are outsiders? What's the world like? What places have you guys been to?" The girl asked. There was an air of excitement around her.
Zeus gave the girl a small smile. "Bell and I come from Altena. Welf here is from Rakia and Asfi and Hermes are from Orario."
Zeus made sure to leave out where Asfi was really from. Something the cyan-haired captain was thankful for.
Talvi grew wide-eyed and even happier than before. "Woah so you're all from different places?! That means you have so many stories to tell!"
Bell and Welf gave Zeus a side eye but the old god just chuckled. He guessed Talvi didn't know much of the outside world considering how sheltered the people in Beltane were to the outside world.
Bheara stuck her hand up and turned to Hermes. "There will be time for stories later Talvi. Now Hermes, tell me about this plan you have for getting rid of the Swamp King."
The goddess's eyes pierced into Hermes soul yet the blonde god didn't seem to care. He popped a berry into his mouth before speaking.
"Well, it's simple really." Hermes then pointed to Bell. "Bell right here is your answer! A simple touch from him and the monster is dead!" Hermes exclaimed.
Bell face palmed knowing Hermes plan relied solely on him. The goddess Bheara glanced over to Bell. An eyebrow raised in curiosity.
"Bell was it? Is what Hermes says true? Can you kill the Swamp King by touching it?" She asked.
Bell sighed and nodded. "Yes Madame, if I can get close to it I can kill it."
Bheara could sense that he was telling the truth. She also picked up on his accent and the Altenan slang he used. "And what's so special about you? What makes your touch so special?"
Bell nervously swallowed as he glanced at Uskari. The elf seemed to be interested in what he had to say as well.
Bell cleared his throat as he sat up straighter. "Well I um, I can make things explode by touching them."
Bheara smirked in delight while Uskari nodded with a smile. "Well then, it seems like the age of the Swamp King will be ending soon. But I assume your services aren't free?" The goddess asked.
Before Bell could answer Zeus spoke up. "That's correct, all we ask for is some water from the spring of life for our troubles. Not much either just a vial should be enough."
Bheara crossed her legs and placed her chin on her hand. "Hmm, very well that can be arranged. Do you mind telling me why you need the water?"
Zeus looked to Bell and then back to Bheara. "It's something very personal to Bell. It would also mean a lot to him if you do give it to him."
Bheara hummed. "Very well these terms are agreeable. Bell once you kill the Swamp King you'll have full access to the spring of life. It should be unpolluted a few days after you kill the beast."
Bell was quick to give the goddess a small bow. "Thank you, Madame. I won't let you down."
Before the dinner could continue Welf spoke up. "I would like to offer my services as well. If Bell's going to fight this monster I don't want him to be alone."
Bheara let out a laugh causing the smith to furrow his brow in confusion. "Silly boy we're not sending in Bell alone." She paused to laugh some more. "We'll obviously make a plan first and use Bell as our ace in the hole. But what is it you can bring to the table?"
Welf was quick to answer and it shocked everyone. "I can control magnetism."
Bell's head snapped to Welf. His eyes wide with understanding. "Is that why that sword was bent?"
Welf nodded. "Yes, anything made of metal or that has trace amounts of metal I can control."
This surprised the table. Not even Zeus or Hermes knew that tidbit of information. Bheara's smile turned brighter upon hearing this.
"Oh, you will be useful. Very useful indeed. But tonight is a night where we break bread and forge bonds. Tomorrow is when we plan." She declared.
Dinner then resumed with the group getting to know each other. Bell found the local delicacies to be quite exotic. He had never had alligator meat before.
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After dinner ended the group were shown to their rooms and were given free rein of the place. While most went to sleep Bell decided to go to the balcony to look out onto the town.
When he reached the balcony and gazed out upon Beltane he was slightly taken aback by its beauty. While not as big or elegant as Ream the Rakian royal capital. It still had a rustic charm to it.
With houses and hollowed-out trees serving as their homes. Lanterns lighting the way as well as fireflies strewn all around. It was beautiful. Bell couldn't really find any other words to describe it.
He leaned forward and rested his arms on the railing. Watching as people went into their homes most likely getting ready for bed.
He then looked out toward the swamp that surrounded this small island-like land. Bell wondered in which direction the Swamp King was. Which direction he'd have to travel to kill it?
He knew the thing liked to move around the swamp.
His thoughts stopped however when he heard the door behind him open. He turned around and saw Talvi walking out.
She winced and smiled when she saw Bell. "Sorry, I can come back if you want to be alone."
Bell gave her a small smile. "No, it's fine. It would be pretty rude of me to tell you what to do in your own house Princess Talvi."
Talvi smiled back and walked next to Bell. She leaned on the railing as well looking down at her country.
"I always love coming up here. Just looking down at everything and everyone. Enjoying the natural beauty this land has to offer." She softly explained.
Bell had to agree. Beltane was a beautiful country. "It feels more homey than Rakia that's for sure."
Talvi seemed to brighten as she turned to Bell. "Ooh tell me about Rakia. Welf didn't want to talk about." She asked.
Bell sighed and turned to her. "Its architecture is like nothing I have ever seen. It was so grand and beautiful that it nearly took my breath away. But that's kind of where the good things end."
Talvi quirked an eyebrow. "The only good thing about it is the architecture?"
Bell had to suppress his gag reflex thinking about the pit again. So many lives were snuffed out. It made him sick to think about it.
He cleared his throat and focused back on Talvi. "Talvi if you ever leave this place I recommend you stay as far away from Rakia as possible. Someone like you would be exactly what they're looking for."
Talvi's face scrunched up in confusion. "Someone like me? Bell what do you mean by that?"
Bell internally cringed. "I'm sorry I didn't mean to say it like that. What I mean is you would fetch a high price on account of your deer antlers. Not many people have seen a deer person before."
Talvi giggled which confused Bell. "I'm not a deer person silly."
Bell pointed at her antlers. "But you have deer antlers."
Talvi giggled some more. "Yes, I do." She calmed herself down. "But it's a little more complicated than that. You see I have an ability that allows me to have over 30 different blood types. So in reality I'm not really anything since there isn't a name for what I am."
Bell was taken aback and shocked. "30 blood types?!"
"Over 30." Talvi corrected.
Bell chuckled and shook his head. "That's amazing. You're amazing. I mean think of all the lives you could save. I mean you're like a walking blood bank."
Talvi smiled touched by the compliment. "Thanks, Bell. You're pretty amazing yourself. You're taking on the Swamp King and you can kill it with a single touch. That takes a lot of bravery."
Bell nervously scratched his cheek. "But it's for a selfish reason. You guys have something I want and this is the price for me to get it." He frowned and looked away from Talvi.
"I don't see how that changes anything. Selfish or not you're still heading into the swamp to kill it. You still have to fight it either way. That's still brave. At least to me, that is."
Bell chuckled. Talvi's kindness reminded him of his mother. Bell couldn't stop the softening of his features as he thought of her. He thought of Lefiya as well.
Did she hate him now? She had to understand he left her behind to keep her safe. She understands. Right?
"Everything alright?" Talvi asked. She lightly shook him to get his attention.
Bell sniffled and wiped away the lone tear on his cheek. "Yeah, I'm fine." He then let out a chuckle. "But like I said stay away from Rakia. With what you told me you'd be priceless as a slave."
Talvi let out an awkward laugh. "Uh thank you."
Bell cringed and winced. "I'm sorry that's a terrible thing to say. I shouldn't have said that."
Talvi kept laughing and giggling. "No, it's fine. I understand what you're trying to tell me."
Bell nervously chuckled and rubbed the back of his neck. "But yeah uh stay away from Rakia."
Talvi finally calmed down and sighed. "Alright, I will. But you're from Altena. Can you tell me about that place as well? Maybe teach me some words too?"
Bell chuckled as he recalled his homeland. While not growing up in the city itself he still saw himself as a citizen of that nation.
But more importantly, he saw himself as the legacy of the Zeus and Hera familia. A child born from members of each familia.
His loyalty belonged to them.
But Altena was still a nice place to call home. Mutants were treated well there since Cazador and the two other high mages ran the city.
Bell thought that maybe one day it could become a safe haven.
"Sure, I can tell you a bit about Altena. But be warned, the language can be pretty hard to learn." Bell said.
Talvi smiled and nodded and listened to the stories Bell told.
Meanwhile, Zeus watched in with a smile behind the two. He had come up here to tell Bell to get some rest. But seeing him smiling and talking to a pretty girl made him stop. While Bell had calmed him down Zeus still believed a man's romance was a harem.
So with a smile, he turned around and walked back downstairs. Leaving Bell and Talvi alone for the rest of the night.
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The next morning arrived making Bell and Talvi realize they had stayed up all night. Yet Bell didn't feel tired. Excitement ran through his veins. Or it was more like nervousness.
His mind ran wild with thoughts on what if he failed. If he failed he'd be dead. But then his mind wandered to Welf and he wondered if the smith could kill it if he couldn't.
Maybe by raining down hundreds of metal objects would do the job if Bell failed?
The boy shook the thought from his mind as he and Talvi headed downstairs. When they arrived the group was waiting for them. Teasing smirks were on a few faces. Except for Lidari. His lips were a thin line and Bell could sense protectiveness and malice emanating from his very being.
Bell felt a chill go down his spine. Not that he would ever admit to that, however.
"How nice of you two to finally join us. Enjoy your night?" Bheara asked. She had a teasing smirk on her face.
Talvi was quick to nod. "Yes, lady Bheara. Bell here told me so much about the outside world. Ooh, and he taught me how to speak a sentence in Altenan!"
Bheara smiled and gestured with her head. "Well come to the table so we can plan. Oh, and Bell drink this."
The goddess and Bell a vial full of a clear liquid. The boy quirked an eyebrow as he held it. "What's this?"
"Water from the spring of life. You didn't sleep at all so that's meant to rejuvenate you. You can't last on nerves and adrenaline alone." The goddess explained.
"And what's to stop me from taking this vial and running?" Bell asked.
"Lidari will kill you if you do." Bheara shrugged.
Bell looked over to the blindfolded man. He saw Lidari's hand on the handle of his katana ready to attack. Bell let out a nervous breath before uncorking the vial and drinking it.
The cool liquid went down his throat and Bell's eyes widened. He had never tasted anything so pure before.
Taking the vial away from his lips Bell felt rejuvenated and awake. His whole body was light and on alert.
"Woah, this feels weird," Bell said.
Uskari chuckled. "Yes, that's how the spring of life feels for a first-timer. Now come on it's time for the plan."
Bell set the vial down and focused. He looked at the map and noticed it was a map of Beltane with the swamp surrounding it. The map was broken into five quadrants.
"Alright, we've broken this plan up into three parts. The first phase is the search. What you'll do is be assigned a quadrant and patrol it. Your job is to look for the Swamp King and confirm its location. Once that's done you'll shoot a flare up in the sky to signal you found it. For phase two we'll set a trap somewhere in the quadrant to hold it in place. Welf you can use your control over magnetism to hold it down. Phase three is the battle and it's subsequent death by Bell's hands as it's pinned down by the trap. Any questions?"
Asfi was quick to raise her hand. "Who's going to be assigned to what quadrant?"
Bheara pointed to each quadrant. "Lidari will be in sector one. You'll be in sector two. Welf will be in sector three. Uskari will be and four and Bell will be in five."
Bell was the next to raise his hand. "Why are you only sending one per sector?" He asked.
"Because everyone else will be preparing to create the trap. We're acting as the forward scouts. We do not engage but report back what we find." Lidari answered.
"But we don't know how to navigate the swamp like you do." Welf pointed out.
"Lucky for you the path is visible and straight. The entire swamp is a circle-like pattern with those five paths. The path you came in was quadrant one." Uskari explained.
"Alright, so all we do is walk up and down the path to see if we can spot the Swamp King. Any idea what he looks like? Also, how will we stop our flares from getting damp?" Bell asked.
"Think big crocodile!" Talvi exclaimed. She held her arms wide to emphasize how big it was.
"As for the flares we have them sealed inside a tube that stops the moisture and water from getting inside it," Bheara added.
She then laid out said tubes across the table. Inside was another smaller tube. Bell picked one up and examined it before attaching it to his belt.
"Now if there are no more questions let's get ready. After breakfast is when we'll begin the mission." Bheara then clapped her hands together signaling an end to the meeting.
The group dispersed and Bell walked over to his side. Zeus and Hermes had teasing smirks while Welf looked baffled. Asfi didn't seem to care but in reality, she was glad Bell made another friend.
"So, you had a long night with the princess," Zeus smirked. Bell knew exactly what he was inferring.
He rolled his eyes with a slight blush on his cheeks. "Nothing happened we just talked. More importantly Welf, how come you didn't tell us you were a mutant?"
"It never came up in conversation." Welf shrugged.
"Oh come on you know that's not an excuse." Hermes chided.
"Ok, how come you didn't tell me Bell was a mutant?" Welf countered.
The group was silent before they all muttered.
"Yeah fair."
"He does make a good point."
"Never came up in conversation."
Welf rolled his eyes and shook his head. "Alright well now you know. Anyway, I'm starving and want breakfast. So let's get going."
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An hour later the five scouts were getting ready to walk down their paths. As Bell walked to his path he noticed that the entire village seemed to be working on a giant metal cage covered in spikes coated with poison.
They took great care not to get cut by it and Bell noticed that the cage was absolutely massive. By his estimates, it was about 55-60 feet long.
He gulped knowing that the Swamp King was that big. But Bell was snapped out of his stupor feeling a hand clasp his shoulder. He looked to his right and saw Uskari holding him.
"You nervous kid?" The elf asked. Bell found it odd that he was touching him.
"A little, but hey it's only scouting. Shouldn't be too bad." Bell shakily replied.
Uskari patted him on the shoulder before standing in front of him. "That's the spirit. But before you head off I want to thank you?"
Bell quirked an eyebrow. "Thank me? But the job isn't done yet."
Uskari shook his head. "Not for this. But for telling Talvi about the places you've been to. That girl has been stuck here unable to see the world. You telling her stories made her smile. All of us here adore Talvi so seeing her smile means a lot to us."
Bell cleared his throat. "Oh uh well you're welcome. I uh just told her what I saw, and to stay away from Rakia." Bell rubbed the back of his neck in nervousness.
Uskari nodded. "Yes, Rakia would be a bad place for her to go. A bad place for me as well."
Bell felt his heartrate start to pick up. "Yeah, I hated being there. So much destruction and for what? To prove a point?"
Uskari shrugged before patting Bell's shoulder again. "Hey, no need to be scared of me. I don't care if you're a mutant if that's what you're worried about. Sure some of your kind destroyed the Alf royal forest. But you didn't, hell you probably weren't even alive when it happened. I blame the people responsible. Not a whole group."
Bell let out a sigh of relief glad the elf didn't hate him. "That's nice to hear. I was honestly scared you and Lidari hated me."
"Oh, Lidari does. He doesn't like how close you and Talvi got." Uskari laughed.
Bell looked at Uskari dumbfounded. "Wha- all I did was talk to her?!"
Uskari kept laughing. "I know, but Lidari is Talvi's half-brother. He's very protective over her. Don't you have any siblings or someone like that?"
Bell'a face dropped and he looked away for a second. Images of Lefiya flashed through his mind. He quickly shook his head and got rid of them, however.
"I do, but let's get ready."
Uskari could tell Bell was withholding more but kept quiet. "Alright well quicker we find this beast the quicker you can go home. Race you to see who finds it first."
"Oh come on that's unfair. You know the layout of the swamp better than me." Bell complained.
"Then move fast." Uskari teased. He then patted Bell's shoulder once more and went toward his quadrant.
Bell shook his head and sighed. He turned and walked toward his quadrant while feeling a pit of nervousness in his stomach. He felt like something might go wrong.
Something would go wrong.
But if it meant the Swamp King died in the end Bell didn't care. If that monster died and Bell got his hands on the vial it would be worth it.
He'd be a fourth of the way to finishing his journey. A fourth of the way to saving his mother. To seeing Lefiya again.
Bell once again shook the thought from his mind. He needed to focus not be hung up on her. On how he hurt her.
"Focus Bell. You'll make it up to her when you get back. Just need to focus on saving Mom. She'll understand. She has to."
Bell took a deep breath and his eyes focused. He faced forward and marched into his quadrant. Ready to find the Swamp King and kill it.
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Bell hated the smell of the swamp. It made his nose crinkle in disgust when the air hit him. The mist blanketed his vision once more making it hard to see. Bell wondered how they would be able to see the flare should he fire it off.
He kept walking down the muddy path. Swearing he could see something moving in the water. Like it was tailing him. But he couldn't tell. Not with how thick the mist was closer to the water. All he could make out were the rippling of waves.
"Remember what you're doing this for Bell. Remember who you're doing this for." He repeated in his head.
Bell made his way deeper and deeper into the swamp. His eyes darting all around him hoping to see something. Anything at all.
Bell heard water splash to his right and jumped in fright. He looked down at his feet and let out a sigh of relief.
It was just a frog.
"Hah, sacred me little buddy. Scurry off now there's a monster around." Bell warned.
The frog croaked before hopping away. Bell let out another sigh of relief and chuckled. "A frog scared me. If Grandpa knew he'd-
Bell never got to finish his thought as he yelled out in pain. Something was biting his leg and it had many sharp jagged teeth. He fell to the ground and felt himself being pulled toward the water. Bell tried to grab onto something. A root or a rock stuck in the mud.
But he failed and was dragged into the water. It was dark and murky and he felt himself being thrown. Bell could only make out the outline of a massive creature.
Before he could react the creature turned on a dime and started making its way right at him. Bell attempted to swim away but screamed into the water as he felt the teeth sink into his stomach.
The crocodile surfaced allowing Bell to get a gasp of air and allow the blood to flow from his wounds in the open air. The crocodile shook its head before tossing Bell away.
The boy realized it was playing with its food as he slammed through a tree. The wood creaked and shattered against his back.
He slammed into the water and felt the teeth sink into his stomach again. It was biting down so hard that Bell thought he'd be split in two. It shook him in its jaw and threw him up into the air.
Its tail swung around and slammed into Bell's side. The boy went flying and bounced against the water. Once he sank back down Bell noticed he could stand again.
Even though it pained him Bell pushed himself to his feet and on pure instinct alone moved out of the way. The next thing Bell knew was that his shoulder was on fire.
He opened his eyes and saw the giant jaw of the crocodile biting down on his shoulder. The boy yelled in pain as he felt the teeth get stuck in his bones.
The monster bit down harder and harder and Bell grew scared that he'd lose his arm. But that's when Bell's brain caught up with him.
The monster's teeth were stuck in his shoulder. Meaning he could grab a hold of it. Thinking quickly Bell used his left hand and grabbed the monster's head. He had to work quickly before the beast severed his arm and circled around for another attack.
Sending a charge through the monster's head its whole being began to glow a dark purple. It grew brighter and brighter and after a few seconds, it exploded.
The impact sent Bell flying back into the water. He sunk below the surface as chunks of flesh and bone rained down into the water.
Bell was quick to swim up. Or as fast as he could with only one working arm. When he surfaced he took lungfuls of air and looked around.
The monster was gone. Its giant body still raining down chunks of flesh, blood, and viscera into the swampy water.
But Bell didn't have time to think about it as he stumbled back to the path. He looked over to his shoulder and saw a huge chunk of his flesh missing. So much was missing in fact that Bell could see the bone of his shoulder.
His stomach had multiple puncture wounds from the teeth that he was nearly gutted. His intestines barely hanging in his stomach.
His left leg was nothing more than peeled flesh. He could see the bone as well as the tissue that made up the inside of his body.
Bell started feeling dizzy as he fumbled around with his belt. He reached for the tube which held his flare. He was thankful the tube kept it dry.
After reaching the path Bell collapsed to his knees. He felt sick and his consciousness was fading. But luckily for him, he had the flare in his hand.
He bit the bottom of the tube with his teeth and pulled down causing the flare to shoot into the sky. Bell's arm then went limp next to him as he dropped the tube. But luckily for him the red light glowed brightly in the sky. Seeming to pierce the fog with its radiant light.
Bell hoped someone would come for him. He felt more of his consciousness slipping as his eyes began to grow heavy. He knew the quadrants closest to his were Uskari's and Idari's. He hoped one of them would help him.
Bell's breathing grew weak and ragged. He coughed up some blood that splattered on his chin. His life flashed before his eyes as Bell realized what was happening.
He was dying.
"No...no...I can't...I can't die...not yet...please." He begged.
More flashes of Lefiya, his Mother, Grandmother, Grandfather, and Welf. Asfi and Hermes. Alfia. A lone tear streamed down Bell's face as he still had so much he wanted to do. So much he needed to do.
He needed to save his mother.
But as he lay bleeding out and dying in the swamp. Bell knew that wouldn't be the case. This is where he would die.
In the Land of Mist.
"I'm sorry Lefiya. Mom. I failed." Bell thought. His eyes closed and in his delirium Bell thought he heard a splash next to him.
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"He's fading!"
"Quick use these!"
"We need more!"
"Damnit use all of them. He killed the beast least we can do is save his life!"
"I need more bandages!"
The healer's room was in chaos. Multiple healers pressed bandages and other linen on Bell to stop the bleeding. They were pouring dozens of vials of water from the Spring of Life to try and save him.
But it seemed to be a losing battle as Bell's body kept giving out only for him to be brought back again.
"He's losing to much blood!"
"Go get Talvi!"
It was a rigorous process but the people of Beltane refused to give up. They would bring Bell back. He was the hero of their country now. He had done what no one else had been able to.
Bell had killed the Swamp King.
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Zeus sat by Bell's bedside reading a book. The boy was practically covered from head to toe in bandages. The healers had worked their hardest and pulled off a miracle.
They had saved Bell's life. Something Zeus would be forever grateful for.
Zeus closed his books hearing the sound of Bell groaning. He looked over and saw Bell's eyes opening. The old god leaned forward and put his hand on Bell's chest. He wanted to stop the boy from sitting up.
"Careful now. You don't want to mess up all the healer's hard work." Zeus softly said.
Bell groaned in pain again and looked at his Grandpa. "W-what happened? I thought I was dead."
"You almost were. The Swamp King mauled you pretty good. Bheara used up most of her supply of spring water to keep you alive. Talvi also gave you lots of her blood to keep you alive. Didn't help you were poisoned as well."
"The Swamp King? But what about the plan?" Bell weakly asked.
Zeus chuckled. "Swamp King's dead Bell. Plan's out the window. Congratulations you did it."
Bell let out a sigh. "So that's what attacked me. Honestly, I couldn't really tell. I just knew whatever it was, it was massive. I thought it was going to bite me in half."
Zeus rubbed Bell's shoulder. He felt a slight shake from the boy mentioning the attack. "It nearly did. Looks like luck once again was on your side."
Bell let out a weak chuckle. "Yeah, the cards are always in my favor."
Zeus laughed. "Maybe get a better hand next time."
Bell groaned in slight pain. "How long was I out?" He finally asked.
"Almost a week. In that time Bheara and her people have been working on clearing the dams and pollution the Swamp King caused. The Spring of Life should be back to normal soon."
Bell nodded. "Good, that's good. Once we get the vial, we should go." Bell winced in pain as he tried to sit up. But Zeus gently pushed him back down.
"Easy Bell. We're going to be here a little longer to let you heal." Zeus told him.
Bell shook his head. "No, we're wasting time. We need to get that seed and then that Stag." Bell groaned.
Zeus shook his head at the boy's stubbornness. "Alright. If you can get up without help, and walk to that door by yourself we'll go." Zeus offered.
Bell grunted and groaned in pain as he tried to sit up. But white hot pain shot through his body forcing him to lay back down.
"We're staying." Zeus declared.
Bell panted and felt his head swimming. He knew that was a bad idea and yet did it anyway. But he had to try. If he could move then that meant they could leave and continue on to their next task.
The longer he was laid up in bed the longer his mother suffered under the curse.
Silence filled the room as Bell felt the pain in his body slowly numb and not shoot through him. Once that was done his Grandpa spoke.
"So do you want to talk about it?" Zeus asked.
"Talk about what?" Bell groaned.
"Nearly dying." Was the god's reply.
Bell was quiet for a minute. He thought back to the fight. Well, it was more like a one-sided beatdown before Bell touched the thing.
All that blood and the feeling that he'd be ripped in half or that his limbs might be torn off. How the Swamp King was playing with its food before it killed it. Drawing out its pain and agony.
Bell sighed and shuddered as the memories came back to him. He shut his eyes so Zeus wouldn't see the tears.
"I thought I was going to die. Alone and cold in a swamp with no one to comfort me in my final moments." Bell's voice started to crack as he kept speaking. "And all I could think about was how I failed Mom. How I probably hurt Lefiya really bad when I left. How I'd never get the chance to apologize to her. How I'd never see my mom or you and Grandma. I was scared. Scared and alone."
Bell's lip began to quiver and his body shook. Tears streamed down his cheeks as Zeus rubbed comforting circles on the boy's shoulder as Bell broke down again.
To Zeus Bell's emotions were all over the place as he worked through his grief. Seeming to bounce from one stage of grief to the other as grief wasn't a linear progression. Just something you had to work through.
After many minutes Bell was finally able to calm down. He took a deep calming breath and wiped his eyes. Zeus remained quiet and kept comforting Bell.
Bell took another shaky breath and sniffled. "So who saved me? I want to thank them."
"Oh, Lidari. He saw your flare and could sense something was wrong. Honestly, the senses on that man are like nothing I have ever seen before."
Bell gulped in fear. "H-he saved me. The man who hates me."
Zeus shrugged. "Well I mean you killed the Swamp King. He probably doesn't hate you as much now. Wait why does he hate you?"
"Because I talked with Talvi and he's her half-brother."
Zeus just busted out laughing and had to hold his sides. Bell just rolled his eyes at his Grandfather as the old god kept laughing.
"I'm sorry. You met a protective older brother. Oh, that's hilarious. You're finally moving up in the world."
"What's that supposed to mean."
Zeus waved Bell off. "Nothing, don't worry about it. Anyway, you need your rest. Your body needs to heal from the beating you took."
Bell let out a yawn and felt his eyes grow heavy. "Ok, Grandpa. Can you stay with me?" Bell asked.
Zeus smiled down at him. "Of course, I won't leave your side."
Bell yawned again. "Thank you, Grandpa."
Bell then shut his eyes and was soon asleep. His body was still exhausted from the beatdown. Once Bell was asleep Zeus sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose.
"Cutting it real close Bell. Real close." The good muttered.
Well, Bell almost died by being mauled by a giant crocodile. The plan they made went out the window as the Swamp King decided to have Bell as a snack.
Anyway, not much to say other than I hope you enjoyed and I'll catch you next time.