Orario and the Ghost of Sparta

Chapter 4

"The Weakling Supporter"

It was at sundown when Bell and Mordecai were at the guild with a request that surprised even Eina. "Seriously?! Floor seven?! But it was just the other day that you both almost got yourselves killed on level five! What in the world makes you think you're ready for seven?! How insane could you possibly be?! Especially you, Bell!" she asked in shock. "Funny you should say that, Miss Eina. Bell has really grown a lot since the day he and I met." Mordecai pointed out. "He's right. Did I tell you guys that my status is all the way at E rank already?" Bell pointed out, bringing a look of surprise to both Eina and Mordecai. "E rank?" Mordecai asked. "But that's not even possible." Eina added before Bell showed them both his familia insignia and the stats engraved in it. "His strength and endurance are both at E." Mordecai said, knowing that it took him a while to get his own endurance up to that level. "And agility is at... D?!" Eina said, absolutely shocked at how fast Bell had gotten. 'I bet it was from that Hephaestus brand knife that Hestia gave him.' Mordecai thought to himself, thinking back to the events at Monsterphilia and how Bell slayed the Silverback Gorilla that had gotten loose.

"Bell, you weren't kidding. You've been advancing extremely quickly! I'm not able to read the whole thing, but your abilities do appear to be genuine." Eina stated. "So I guess that means it'll be okay with you if I head down to floor seven starting today." Bell said. "On the one hand, your impressive status means I have no choice but to clear you both for floor seven, but, on the other hand, your armor..." Eina said looking at both boys and their armor, particularly Bell's. "Tell you both what, do you both have any plans for tomorrow?" she asked. "Not that I can think of. Why do you ask?" Mordecai asked back. They soon got their answer the next day in the center of town.

"Bell! Mordecai!" Eina called when she showed up not wearing her usual attire. "Miss Eina, no offense, but I didn't recognize you at first." Mordecai said sheepishly. "None taken. You both got here pretty early. Were you both looking forward to spending the day shopping that much?" Eina responded. "No, we just..." Bell began to say. "It's okay. I must admit, I was pretty excited to meet with you both, as well. That's why I got all dressed up. I think, Bell, this is the part where you and Mordecai compliment my outfit." Eina interrupted. "Oh. It, looks very nice on you. You, look a lot younger." Bell said, nervously. "Hey, I'm not that old to begin with, you know." Eina responded with a chuckle before head-locking Bell for a noogie.

"I suggest you apologize to her right now, Bell." Mordecai said before Eina started to laugh. "Could you please let go of me?" Bell asked. Sometime later, the three were on their way to their destination. "So, where are we going today, Miss Eina?" Bell asked. "In there." Eina answered before pointing to the large tower known as Babel, the location of the entrance to the Dungeon. "Babel? Specifically, where in Babel?" Mordecai asked. "One place, the weapons and armor shops. One of them being the Hephaestus Familia shop." Eina answered. But her answer brought a shock to Bell and Mordecai both. "Wait, WHAT?!" they both asked. "Eina, Hephaestus weapons and armor are so expensive, people like us can't even afford to THINK about buying something from there!" Mordecai declared. "Would you stop yelling? You and Bell really should loosen up a little." Eina responded before taking both boys by the forearm and heading towards Babel.

Soon, they came to the level the Hephaestus Familia shop was located via the elevator. Needless to say, Bell and Mordecai were amazed. "I had no idea there was a shop like this in Babel. This is incredible." Bell said as he looked around at all the weapons and armor for sale. "Of course, the top floors of the tower attract the most attention, but it's also one of the Hephaestus storefronts. Let's look around." Eina said before the three started window-shopping. And every time, Bell and Mordecai were amazed at how ridiculously expensive things were. "Sweet Hera! This blade costs 30,000,000 Valis!" Mordecai declared in shock before the door to that shop opened. "Welcome. How may I help you today, valued customers?" asked the employee of the shop, who was none other than Hestia herself in a maid uniform. "Hestia?!" Mordecai asked in surprise. "Goddess?!" Bell asked, just as surprised. "Bell?! Mordecai?!" Hestia asked, equally surprised. "What are you doing here!? I thought you worked part time at a food cart, not at a Hephaestus weapons shop!" Mordecai declared.

"He's right, you never mentioned anything about two jobs!" Bell added. "Well, I'd like to know what you're both doing here. And if this young lady happens to be with Mordecai." Hestia responded. "It's very nice to meet you, goddess Hestia. I'm guildswoman Eina Tulle. But more specifically, I'm the labyrinth search advisor for Mr. Bell Cranell." Eina said politely. "Is that so? I highly doubt you're just trying to use your authority to get closer to either Mordecai or Bell." Hestia stated, clearly thinking that Eina was just trying to snatch either boy. "Your doubts are justified because I keep business and pleasure separate." Eina responded. "Keep in mind, Hestia..." Mordecai said before drawing out his sword. "I do not tolerate you accusing my friends, and Miss Eina happens to be a good friend of mine. So back away, jealous heathen." he added as he pointed his sword at her, causing Hestia to sheepishly back away. "M..my mistake." she said before giggling.

Later, the three were in the elevator heading up to another level. "My apologies that I had to draw my weapon. It's the only way to get her to calm down from her jealous spells. You see..." Mordecai said before bringing Eina closer so that she could hear. "I believe that Hestia is in love with Bell, and clearly gets jealous whenever another girl is around him, even though it's supposed to be taboo for a god or goddess to have a romantic relationship with a human." he added. "I see. Well, even if she wasn't jealous, she's quite a character." Eina responded. Soon, they reach another floor. "Well, okay, here we are. Now, I assume you both think these high quality Hephaestus items are going to be way out of your price range, right?" she asked. "Well, in a sense." Mordecai answered. "Well, you both may be surprised." Eina responded before showing them both a cheap blade. "See? Look at this one." she said.

"Wow. 1,200 Valis isn't that expensive." Bell said. "Pretty good, right? Everything sold here is by novice craftsmen and they can be sold for cheap, way below standard prices. Plus, good reviews are a big help for all the beginner blacksmiths. Sometimes you can find a real bargain if you know where to look. This way, if you please." Eina responded before moving on. Soon, they reached a quaint shop. "Bell, follow me. Let's look this way." Mordecai said before he and Bell went to a back corner of the shop. "Wow! This is perfect! A full set of Spartan armor! And it's for cheap, too!" Mordecai said with lit up eyes. Bell soon spotted a box full of light armor before turning the breastplate around. "Looks like there's a signature here. Welf Crozzo." he said as he looked at the signature and the rabbit engraved above it. "Interesting. And I have a signature on mine, too. Sidir Oplo." Mordecai pointed out as he looked at the elephant engraved above the signature on his armor.

Bell checked the price for the Crozzo armor and was in shock. "Only 9,900 Valis? That's about all I've got on me." he said. "You think your armor of choice is a bargain, check out the price on this full set of Spartan armor, 8,300 Valis!" Mordecai said with a smile when Eina showed up. "Well, I thought you two would be browsing around back here. I found some good pieces over..." she said before seeing what both boys had in hand. "I think we both have what we've been looking for. Light steel armor for Bell, and moderate but durable bronze for me." Mordecai said. "I should've known Bell would pick another set of light armor, and I expected nothing less from you to pick bronze, Mordecai." Eina responded.

"Is that a bad thing?" Bell asked. "I doubt that." Mordecai said, bluntly. "He's right. If your hearts are set on those particular sets, I think you should get them." Eina concurred. "I think so, too." Bell said. "Are you both heading into the Dungeon tomorrow?" Eina asked. "To battle test this new armor, absolutely!" Mordecai said boldly. "Well, I'd prefer it if you both teamed up with someone, if you can. At least find yourselves a couple of supporters." Eina said. "Us, hire supporters?" Mordecai asked. "Yeah. I think it would make you both more efficient adventurers. I'll be happy to help you both find one." Eina answered. "Let me think about it." Bell said. "I think it'd be worth a shot to try and find one." Mordecai stated. Later, the three returned to the center of town where their shopping day began.

"Thanks a lot for all your help today." Bell said. "One more thing. I want you to have this." Eina said before unwrapping and presenting a bracer to Bell. "What's the bracer for?" Mordecai asked. "It's a present, of course. And Bell, don't forget to use it." Eina responded. "Are you sure it's okay for me to have this?" Bell asked. "Of course it's okay. Take it, not just for my sake, but for your own. After all, adventurers have no idea what day might be their last. I've known several who never made it back alive. I don't want to lose you, too, Bell." Eina responded before giggling slightly. "I guess it is for my sake, then, isn't it?" she added before tapping his nose. "And, besides, when I see how hard you work at this, I really want to just do whatever I can to help you out. So please accept this gift, Bell. Please? For me?" she continued. Turning bright red, Bell accepted. "Okay, Miss Eina. Thank you." he said.

"You're very welcome." she responded. Soon, both boys were on their way. "It's getting late, Bell. We best be on our way back." Mordecai suggested before a female pallum bumped into them both. "Sorry. Are you okay?" Bell asked. "Just where do you think you're going, you stupid, pathetic girl!?" shouted someone charging in with sword in hand and madness in his eyes before Bell and Mordecai blocked his blade with their own, with the glow of Bell's knife catching the girl's attention. "You both have a problem? This mongrel a friend of yours?" asked the angry adventurer. "No, we never saw her before. But I've seen you a few times, Ged." Mordecai responded. "Then why are you trying to help her?" Ged asked. "Easy, you can't just go looking to kill someone around these parts, especially a lady." Mordecai answered. "Well, that's a ridiculous reason to die." Ged said before readying his sword.

"That's enough!" said a stern voice. "Ryuu." Moredcai said quietly. "Please, crossing swords within city limits. Whoever started this should be ashamed." Ryuu reprimanded. "You can thank Ged the hothead over here." Mordecai pointed out. "And you both oughta keep your fat mouths shut! Now beat it, elf, before I have to..." Ged began to say. "Be quiet!" Ryuu interrupted. "I try to avoid resorting to violence. I tend to get carried away sometimes." she added before Ged just walked off. "Well, that was close. Thanks for defusing that situation, Ryuu." Mordecai said, grateful. "I probably shouldn't have intervened." Ryuu said. "Hey, that girl. Where'd she go?" Bell asked, unaware that the pallum in question was hiding behind a corner. "Maybe she escaped while Ryuu had Ged the hothead distracted." Mordecai suggested while the pallum in question just smiled.

"You know that Syr would be extremely upset if either of you got hurt. Just be careful around people like that Ged." Ryuu advised. "Right." Bell simply said. "Well, good night, Mr. Cranell and Mr. Mákho." Ryuu said before departing. "Thanks again, Miss Ryuu." Bell said as she left. The next morning, Bell was putting on his new armor and seeing how it looked. "All set. Goddess, I'm heading out now." he said after making sure everything was on. "Okay, I'll see you later." Hestia responded, sleepily. Later, Bell was at the fountain outside of Babel when Mordecai showed up. "Bell, good morning." he said before Bell turned to look at him, completely decked out in his Spartan armor. "Wow, your armor looks amazing." Bell complimented. "Thanks. Now I feel, and look, like a Spartan warrior. Oh, I wanted to introduce you to someone. This is Vegotas Toxovélos." Mordecai responded before introducing Bell to an elf carrying a scepter, a bow, a quiver of arrows and a pack. "You must be Bell Cranell. My employer, Mordecai told me about you yesterday. I'm his supporter." Vego said with a smile.

"I've seen what he can do, he's the finest elven archer in the city." Mordecai stated. "I inherited my skills from my father and grandfather. Two of the finest elven archers in the world." Vego explained. "Meaning I can hit a target in any weather, including misty mornings like this." he added. Bell looked around and saw several adventurers with supporters, as indicated by the incredibly large backpacks they were carrying, Vego included. "So, a supporter, huh?" he said to himself before one came up behind him. "Mister? Hey, mister! You, with the white hair." they called before Bell turned and recognized them as the pallum girl from the previous evening. "A very good day to you, sir. Sorry to bother you, but would you happen to be in the market for a supporter?" she asked. "Hey, you're the girl from last night." Bell said. "I'm sorry, you must be confused, but it's not really all that complicated. I'm just a poor, lonely supporter offering her services to an adventurer who doesn't have a partner." she responded. "Yeah, we kind of gathered that, and I already have Vego as my supporter, but you do look like the pallum girl we met yesterday evening. Must be your height, no offense, miss." Mordecai said.

"It's no offense at all, but I'm not a pallum. I'm a chienthrope. You know, an animal person." she responded as she pulled her hood back to reveal little dog ears. "A chienthrope? Well, what do you know." Bell said in amazement as he started petting the girl's ears, only for her to tell him it was being inappropriate. "You'll have to forgive him. He can be easily fascinated by something surprising." Mordecai said, while Bell sheepishly laughs and the chienthrope girl smiles a small smile before they all sit by the fountain and get acquainted. "So, Liliruca is your name?" Bell asked. "More importantly, why did you ask Bell? Out of all the single adventurers heading down to the dungeon, why Bell specifically?" Mordecai asked. "Well, it seemed to me that he was all by himself. He is an adventurer, right? He's carrying a backpack around and wearing armor like you are, so I just assumed." Lili responded. "So have you decided yet, mister? Do you want me to be your supporter or what?" she asked Bell.

"To tell you the truth, I have been thinking about getting one. And Mordecai already has one, as you can see. So it sounds like a good idea." Bell responded. "Wow! You really think so? Does that mean you'll take me with you, mister? Pretty please?" Lili asked, excitedly. "Well, I'd say do it. I don't see anyone else around." Vego suggested. "Granted, I don't have much money. So I wasn't exactly sure what I was going to do. And besides, you do kind of owe me, because you touched my ears, without asking first. So it's best for you to take responsibility for such behavior." Lili said, causing Bell to turn red quickly while she giggled. "You've got a point." Bell admitted. "I guess maybe I will hire you as my supporter then, but just for today." he added. "You won't regret this." Lili said with a big smile.

Later, down in the dungeon, the foursome was dealing with multiple creatures called Killer Ants. "Mordecai, behind you!" Vego shouted before firing an arrow. Mordecai ducked, and the arrow struck and killed the ant that was about to attack from behind. "Thanks, Vego. Now to return the favor, duck!" Mordecai said before throwing his javelin. Vego ducked down and the tip of the weapon struck a Killer Ant, destroying it. "You watch my back, and I watch yours." Mordecai said with a smile as Bell dispatched two more Killer Ants. "Master Bell!" Lili shouted as a third came out from the wall, only for Bell to kick it in the head so hard it died from the impact, leaving its neck muscles exposed and vulnerable. "That was really good." Lili complimented. "I agree. Vego and I did fine as well." Mordecai concurred. "It's good to have you and Vego here with me and Mordecai, Lili. Now we can concentrate more on fighting." Bell pointed out. "Oh, no. You and Mister Mordecai taking out all those Killer Ants was way more impressive than anything me and Vego did combined, Master Bell." Lili responded.

"Hey, it's a team effort between me and Mordecai. We agreed to it the moment we met." Vego pointed out. "Good point, but I'm guessing most of Master Bell's power comes from that weapon he's holding. Doesn't it?" Lili responded. "You could say that again. I'm starting to wonder if I'm depending on it too much." Bell admitted. "So, where did you get a knife like that anyway?" Lili asked. "Where'd I get it? The goddess of my familia gave it to me." Bell responded. "Speaking of familias, are you part of one, Lili? Vego?" Mordecai asked. "I'm with the Ullr Familia." Vego stated, referring to the Norse god of archery. "And I'm from the Soma Familia." Lili added. 'Soma? The god of wine?' Mordecai thought. "Soma, huh? Pretty cool." Bell said. "Master Bell, that Killer Ant still has its magic stone. It shouldn't be too deep inside the neck, if that's even where it is. Me and Vego will get the ones that fell on the ground." Lili said after pointing out the dead Killer Ant in the wall before giving a regular knife to Bell to cut the Killer Ant's head off and get at the magic stone.

"Want to call it a day after that, guys?" Lili asked. "I suppose. Besides, I came down here to test out my new armor in battle, and it was pretty sturdy." Mordecai responded. "Well, of course its sturdy. Its bronze." Vego pointed out as Bell started to cut at the Killer Ant's neck muscles. "It's kind of hard to cut." he said. "Well, no wonder, you're not using your Hestia Knife." Mordecai stated as Lili eyed said weapon. Later at the guild, Bell, Mordecai and Vego were about to cash in their magic stones while Bell was telling Eina about Lili. "So, you said that your supporter is in the Soma Familia?" she asked Bell. "Yeah. What's wrong with that?" Bell responded. "The Soma Familia mainly focuses on exploration and they sell a lot of alcohol as well. Not that there's anything wrong with that, but, the group always seems to be so desperate. Like, they're always in a panic about something. But besides that, what do you think of Liliruca? Did the two of you end up getting along?" Eina explained.

"Yeah. She was nice. We got a good haul today, too. Much like Mordecai and Vego over there." Bell responded. "Well, that's great. I won't suggest otherwise, then. Do whatever you think is best. I mean, it is you own decision to make, after all." Eina said with a smile. Speaking of Mordecai and Vego, they had just finished trading in their stones and were shocked to find that they got 20k Valis. "Please tell me I'm not dreaming." Mordecai said in absolute surprise. "You're not dreaming, my bronze clad ally, we scored 20,000 Valis!" Vego responded. "Incredible. Here, you take half and I'll take half." Mordecai said before giving Vego his half of the money. "I'll make sure this money is spent wisely." the kind elf said as he took the bag, grateful. "Well, thanks a lot, Miss Eina." Bell said before turning towards the cash out desk to exchange his magic stones for money. "Uh, Bell? Your knife, it's gone." Eina said as she looked at Bell from behind and saw the scabbard holding his knife was empty.

Bell turned felt around on his belt and was in horror when he realized she was right, so were Mordecai and Vego. "I DROPPED MY KNIFE?!" Bell shouted at the top of his lungs. Elsewhere, at a place known as the Gnome's General Store, Lili was trying to sell the Hestia Knife. "I can only give you 30 Valis for it. It's not very sharp and it won't cut anything. The blade has gone completely dull." said the owner, named Bom Cornwall. But Lili took it and left, upset that she failed. 'You've got to be kidding me. It cut down all those Killer Ants without getting scratched and Bom offers me only 30 Valis? That's ridiculous!' she thought before noticing Syr and Ryuu coming her way, prompting her to hide the knife, though Ryuu managed to catch a glimpse of it. "Wait a second. You, little pallum. Let me see that knife you're hiding in your cloak." she said. "Ryuu?" Syr asked, unsure of what was going on.

"I want to find out if it belongs to someone I know, who lost theirs." Ryuu continued. "You must be mistaken. This is mine. I'm sorry, but I can't help you." Lili said, a bit panicked, prompting Ryuu to automatically suspect that she found the thief that stole Bell's knife. "Give it to me. I only know of one knife that's covered in markings like that." Ryuu said as she readied a Valis coin. "And it's not yours!" she declared before flicking the coin at Lili's hand, making her drop the knife before she took off running. Meanwhile, Bell and Mordecai had stopped to catch their breath after running around looking for the Hestia Knife. "Bell, where did you..." Mordecai began to say before Lili ran right into Bell, causing them both to call at Mordecai's feet. "Lili?" Bell said in surprise. 'Now where did she come from?' Mordecai pondered. "Master Bell? Mister Mordecai?" Lili said, just as surprised before Ryuu showed up, causing her ears to perk up as Ryuu realized she wasn't a pallum, but a chienthrope.

"Miss Ryuu?" Bell said, more surprised than before as Syr runs into view from the alley. "Syr? What are you and Ryuu doing here?" Mordecai asked. "More importantly, have either of you found a knife around here? It's jet black from top to bottom and it's really, really, really, REALLY important to me." Bell added, frantically before Ryuu shows him what he sought. "Looks like this?" Ryuu asked. "That's it! My knife! Thank you so much, Miss Ryuu. You're the best." Bell responded, gratefully holding both the handle of the knife and Ryuu's hand. "I'm pleased to see how grateful you are, Mr. Cranell, but would you please not do that?" Ryuu asked before Bell let go. "Here you go." she added as she handed him his weapon.

"Thank the gods." Bell said as he took hold of his weapon, allowing it to breathe again and allowing Lili to see the glow again. "Please forgive me, goddess Hestia. I swear I'll never drop it again." he prayed. "You dropped it?" Ryuu asked as a look of guilt instantly fell over Lili's face, which Mordecai was quick to notice. "Yeah, I did. Where'd you find it?" Bell responded. "To be honest, a young pallum said she found it." Ryuu explained. "A pallum, you say?" Mordecai asked as he noticed Lili's ears droop a bit, as did Syr. "Anyway, we should really be going." Ryuu said. "Okay, and thanks again." Bell said, grateful to have his weapon back. "You shouldn't be such a naughty little girl." Syr whispered in Lili's ear before she and Ryuu walked away. 'Seems to me like we have a little thief here.' Mordecai thought, instantly suspecting Lili to be just a thief selling her service as a supporter to see who she could steal from.

"Talk about great timing. I was wondering if I'd ever be able to find you." Bell said to Lili. "So, Lili, do you want to go back to the Dungeon with us, tomorrow?" he asked, surprising her. The next day, the foursome were back in the Dungeon. "Master Bell? Thank you for officially hiring me. It really means a lot." Lili said before noticing that Bell's knife wasn't where he'd normally have it. "Where's your weapon today? Don't you usually carry it behind you on your belt?" she asked. "Yeah, but I'm gonna start carrying it in my bracer now. That way I don't drop it." Bell answered. "Really?" Lili responded, clearly distraught that it's not in her line of sight for her to steal again. "Anyway, you sure you don't want a down payment first? Mordecai already gave one to Vego." Bell asked. "Nah. We may be a party of four, but it's just you and me in a separate team, so it shouldn't be too hard to figure out who gets what. Besides..." Lili responded. "Besides what?" Bell asked. "I want to do whatever makes things easier for you, Master Bell." Lili answered, surprising Bell. 'Just the same, I'll keep my eye on you.' Mordecai thought, suspicious that she may try something.

"So, you all ready to go?" Lili asked. "As long as we each do our best, I'm sure there won't be any problems at all." Vego said, confidently. "Right." Bell said before they all journeyed on. "Wonder how much loot we'll get today." Lili pondered. Later that evening, they were all shocked at how much Valis they made. "26,000?!" Bell and Lili said in shock. "You think that's something! Me and Vego got 30,000!" Mordecai declared. "We're all not dreaming, are we? We really got as much as we did?!" Bell asked, completely shocked. "You and Mr. Mordecai are amazing! Thanks to both of you, we made more than a whole party of five level one adventurers would've made combined!" Lili said with a beaming smile of pride. "Well, it's like my grandfather once said, when flattered, even a pig can climb a tree." Vego stated.

"I have no idea what that means, but sure! If you say so, Vego. Let's try to get even more tomorrow! But now we just have to decide how we're gonna split the money." Lili responded. "Oh, that's easy. Vego, you get 15,000 and I'll take 15,000." Mordecai said. "In that case, here." Bell said as he handed half of the 26k to Lili. "I bet I can buy goddess Hestia lots of nice dinners with all this.." he added with glee. "Speaking of which, how about we all grab a bite to eat right now?" Mordecai suggested. "Wait a second. This looks like its half. I don't understand. Should you get a bigger share, Master Bell?" Lili said, baffled that Bell split the money with her evenly. "Why? I couldn't have made this much all by myself, just like how Mordecai couldn't have made his 30,000 Valis without Vego. And like him, you're half of the team. You were a huge help, Lili. So, thank you. It's good to have you onboard." Bell responded before extending his hand for a handshake, which she accepted.

"You're a weirdo." Lili said quietly under her breath, though Mordecai heard her. Meanwhile, at the guild, Eina and Misha were overhearing a complaining member of the Soma Familia at the cash out desk. "Not this again. It's another one of the Soma Familia members." Misha said, quietly. "Just as unstable as ever." Eina added. "Bell. Please try to be careful with your supporter." she said, quietly, remembering that Bell said Lili was from the Soma Familia. Meanwhile, down in the depths of the Dungeon, Ais and another member of her familia, an elf, stood ready for battle in a massive room as the wall began to crack, indicating the arrival of a massive monster. "Here it comes, the Monster Rex, or floor boss, of the thirty-seventh floor." said the elf. "Riveria, please, allow me to take care of Udaeus." Ais insisted as she drew her sword, ready to fight this beast. Meanwhile, on the surface, Freya spotted her 'little rabbit' walking away from Babel with Lili, Mordecai and Vego.

"Goodness. I was just going to sit back and watch for a little while, but I simply cannot help myself today." she said before going to her bookshelf and selecting a book. "I must see it emerge, the power that I know sleeps deeply within you." she added as she looked at the book, titled 'Modern Magic That Even a Goblin Can Do'. Elsewhere, Hestia was on her way home after a hard day's work. "Another day, another Valis. I mean, yeah, I owe her money and everything, but why does she have to work a poor little goddess so hard?" she wondered, remembering that she made a deal with Hephaestus before Bell's knife was forged. "I sure wish Bell was here with me." she added before hearing the sound of his all-too familiar laughter behind her. She turned and in the crowd of people coming her way, she saw his unmistakable white hair and the top of Mordecai's Spartan helmet.

"I knew it! It is Bell!" she shouted happily before she saw him and Lili holding hands, breaking her heart completely crushing her. 'How could he cheat on me?!' she thought, though Mordecai spotted her, realized what was going on and just shrugged. 'If she's gonna be jealous all over again, I may as well conk her on the head now.' he thought.