Hello everyone. Sorry I haven't updated in a while, there are a few reasons for that, but mostly things have been a bit hectic in my life recently and that had the effect of me not getting around to writing this chapter. On that note, I am going to apologize beforehand that this will be a short chapter and more of an interlude than a proper advancement of the plot. The reason for that is threefold. The first reason is that, given the deluge of positive reviews and feedback, I wanted to spend some time to thank you guys individually at the beginning of this chapter for your kind words. Secondly, I want a bit more time to think about what I want to do for the series in the future. When I started this series I had few key elements and scenes planned out that either have, or will be shown in the future, while leaving the interconnecting bits open to being filled in. However, as time went on, more and more got added and, while the planned plot will remain the same, it has added both more to work with and more I need to work in to the story, which necessarily complicates and lengthens the process. Not that I'm upset by that, much of what was added I am very happy with, for example the Bell X Achilles father relationship. That was not planned until people began reviewing about it. Drake Atlas's request to include his OC, alongside requests for more members of Zeus and Hera familia to make an appearance, both of which I fully plan to do, has actually given me an idea for the story that works in quite well with my original idea and which I am very grateful for. However, all of this takes time and contemplation. So, I apologize that things are, and may continue to take a bit more time to write. I will do my best, but sometimes things just get in the way, so I hope you'll forgive me that. Finally, given the second reason, I didn't want to keep you guys waiting any longer by writing a chapter that may well have been 20,000 words by the time I got everything I want down, so I'm giving you a shorter chapter to hold you over for a bit while I get everything sorted. Now, I think it's time I do some bribing, so let's get to the fan appreciation shall we? We'll be focusing on the most recent chapter, else we'll be here a really long time so, to start with. Minor spoilers and some reminders ahead:
Lucius Walker: I'm so glad that you approve of the Bell X Achilles relationship. I sometimes worry it's coming off as too unrealistic, it happened very quickly after all, but I've done my best within the story. Your words on Achilles are also greatly appreciated. I know many people don't like OCs, often with very good reason, my very first OC was a terribly OP, edgy, nonsense of a character, and was more a plot device than a character, so I'm glad that I can now create a fully fleshed out character that earns such praise. On the novels, you should most certainly read them. I don't have all of them myself, but they are great reads. Novel seven is my personal favorite. Your words on the Hourglass coming off like canon were very touching, and I can't really express how happy I am that I can write something that someone could think was legitimately apart of canon. I have tried my best to make the story seem as close to the canon as possible, at least up to volume eleven, and reading that review really made my day, so thank you.
dereturd:Firstly, thank you very much for reviewing, I do appreciate it. Secondly, I do understand your position with Bell X Aiz. It would seem a bit weird if Bell doesn't end up with Aiz, at least not without a good reason, though don't expect things to be so cut and dry as that in my story, I've got a few surprises in store :p . I am glad that my Riveria fix didn't come across as half-assed. I did my best to patch up my mistakes, but I was worried. As for the Zeus and Hera familia, yes, they will be based off Greek/Roman mythology and historical figures, however I am curious as to why you would like some OCs named Adam and Bruce added. Are they from another series that you love? If so, I can at least try to work something in, though I can't promise necessarily a Zeus or Hera familia member. But, given that Hestia is recruiting, who knows, maybe she happens to pull in two young chaps named Adam and Bruce? And yes, Hestia is hiding something, and she's not the only one. More and more will be revealed as time goes on, but not too much yet.
"Guest": I appreciate your flexibility with the pairings, a lot of people can be pretty connected to their pairings, myself included to some degree, and I don't want to start shipping war...yet. As for Freya, she is most certainly not out of the game. I've got a few ideas with her, but I want to think a bit more on what to do with her. She's too interesting a character to mishandle and I fear I haven't been giving her the proper care she deserves, so I'll have to work on that. Aiz and Bell will certainly have more moments in the future, as will Bell and Haruhime. As for Lefiya, I need to get my hands on the light novels for the side story as everyone says that the anime did it no justice and, given how annoyed I was with Lefiya, I suspect they're speaking the truth. If my opinion of her grows in response, I will happily add more of her. And Bell will certainly be encountering Revis in the future, I just need to think of how to get there.
Drake Atlas: Hello again, and I'm very happy I could bring a smile to your face with all the love going around. I am quite glad you're enjoying the story, including the Riveria X Aiz bits. There have been a few times I thought I was pushing the "Mama of Loki familia" idea a bit too hard, but if you're enjoying it, that's what matters. You hit the nail on the head of something I was worried about. Aiz immediately giving in when Achilles confronted her. Unfortunately, I don't really have an excuse. It was simply a matter of I was concerned about the lack of new chapter and the already long length of the chapter in question and didn't want to drag things out another 500-1000 words as she tried to deny the truth that was eventually going to come out. That was lazy of me, and I apologize. I will attempt, once again, to patch that up a bit in this chapter, but it will be patchwork, so I do apologize again. On Riveria and Achilles, thank you for your generous words. Riveria is a calm, collected person, but I was worried, as stated, that my attempts to explain away her lack of response to all that was happening with Achilles was mediocre. However, I am very glad that you enjoyed the chapter and the scene between Bell and Riviera and I will strive to do even better in the future.
Satellizersama: Thank you so much, and bless you for such a joyful review. It still makes me smile :) .
kageg200: I am working on trying to make sure everyone is included in the story, though sometimes that's difficult, especially given that certain characters are meant to have center stage. However, I will work on it, and soon enough we will see Ryuu get her moment as well as a few interesting scenes will other characters, both canon and OC, but I fully recognize and agree with your assessment and will strive to make sure no one's pushed to the side. We love these characters and they deserve their time in the limelight.
On Soaring Wings: Oh, you'll be getting hints soon enough, however, the better question is: what did all the gods do?
giacomoX: I apologize for the confusion, but you'll be getting a bit more in this chapter with what happened with Hestia, but not too much. Thank you for accepting the Riveria explanation, I know it could easily have been viewed as poorly done, so I do appreciate it, and well, we'll get to the next chapter soon enough, I swear!
R3d-Ga1ns: Something weird was happening with the reviews for some time, not sure what, but they seem to be working fine now. Anyway, I also hope to see Aiz's origin revealed at some point in canon, at least to Bell as I think that will create an interesting situation. With regards to the Hourglass, how it works will be revealed, at least to some extent, in the future, as of right now, all that's been revealed is that it's an ancient item that was in the possession of the Zeus familia and that only a god would have the power to manage something like pulling Aiz a thousand years into the future. It hasn't been revealed who the god is or why they did it, only that Achilles has a theory surrounding those two questions. With regards to pairings, I won't say much and will leave that up for debate of how things will go, and reiterate my past words; I have a few surprises in store. Your idea of an OC for Haruhime is an interesting one though, so, at the very least, I'll keep that in my back pocket, if not for this story, than perhaps for a story in the future based around that concept as it piques my interest. As for Bell origins, I can say that, in my story, Bell is not the reincarnation of the Argonaut. As stated in chapter three, his soul in brand new. It has never been reincarnated, which can be seen because it remains clear and 'uncolored' by past lives. He is a brand new soul, which, according to the discussion Achilles and Freya had, means he is either the child of spirits or gods. Finally, Bell and Asterios will be seeing each other again, and Achilles will have to be confronted with the reality of the Xenos at some point so expect a Weine X Achilles meeting in the future. Thank you again.
ElMagoMagico2: I apologize, my Spanish was never very good, but from what I can tell, you appear to be enjoying the story which, if that's the case, I am very glad for that. With regards to the Xenos, Zeus familia, and Achilles, if I'm understanding you correctly, the Zeus familia did not help the Xenos in the past, given that the Xenos only appeared after they were destroyed. However, what Achilles will do when confronted by the existence of Weine and the others...well...you'll have to wait and see.
Mairsarmy321: I'm so sorry I've been slow in updating, I'll do my best to be more on top of things. Hopefully this chapter helps at least a little bit.
iiiiiiik: :) I'm happy you're happy with the ship and not mad about the cliffhanger.
TheZidaneTribal: Thank you very much and don't worry, it looks like the Riveria X Achilles ship is here to stay...at least until Freya decides it's time to sink it.
Cosme Csar: I will happily give you more! Thank you for your kind review.
"Guest" #2: Aisha still has a part to play with our main cast and she's far too much fun to write to leave her alone for too long.
Alright, that's all the pandering I can do...darn. So, let's get to the actual story, shall we?
The two looked at each other for a long time. Achilles, with steady eyes as he calmly smoked his pipe, and Hestia, with wide, alarmed eyes, an erratic heartbeat, and a body that would not stop shaking.
"Y-You're lying."
Achilles stared at her, casually smoking his pipe for a moment.
"I'm not," he replied easily.
"You have to be!" she screamed. "There is no way you could have found out the truth! We destroyed everything!"
Her eyes were on fire as she glared at him, and he knew what she was trying to do. She was trying to cow him into silence. Force him to submit so that the truth could never get out, and, perhaps more importantly, reach Bell. However, Achilles was not cowed.
"You and your fellow gods did do a pretty good job hiding the truth, but the information was out there, hidden in deep, dark places. After what happened with the Dragon, I decided I wanted to understand what exactly I was dealing with, so I went hunting for that information. And I found it. I'm not the Historian for nothing."
"I don't care. I refuse to believe-."
"Gaia."
Hestia froze.
"W-What did you say?"
He stared directly into her horrified eyes.
"Gaia," he repeated.
Now she knew he wasn't lying. In all honesty, she already knew he wasn't, but she had tried to deny it. Tried to push the idea away with desperate pseudo-logic, telling herself over and over that he couldn't know. It was impossible. But now, she could no longer deny the truth. He knew. However Achilles, not satisfied yet, walked over to.
"And in case that wasn't enough," he said, staring down into her now pleading eyes. "Then how about this."
He leant down and whispered something into her ear. The moment he did, the strength evaporated from her body and she fell to her knees.
"Looks like you believe me now," he said.
Things went silent again for a few moments before Hestia, with a voice that would have been impossible to hear for anyone but Achilles, asked the one question that her heart now needed to be answered.
"Are you going to tell Bell?"
Achilles response was instant.
"Yes. One day. When he's ready."
The casual way he said that felt like a punch to the gut for Hestia.
"He'll never trust me again. He'll never trust any of us again," she said, her voice shaking as tears welled up in her eyes.
"Maybe. Maybe not. He cares quite a bit about you though and he's not about to cast aside the friendships he's made with the other gods without serious consideration. But, if you want my opinion," he took a breath from his pipe. "I don't think he's going to abandon you."
Hestia's tear filled eyes widened.
"Y-You...don't?"
Achilles shook his head.
"Nope. And for one simple reason. This 'truth' I've found just proves something he, I, and every other adventurer already knows about you gods. You're fallible. Just. Like. Us."
"I-I'm not sure I understand."
"Then let me explain," he took another breath of smoke. "You gods think of yourselves as higher beings. Immortals that don't really die and have access to tremendous power. You limit that power for the simple sake of entertainment. You think of yourselves, whether or not you say it, as superior. Despite this fact, you are: lustful, quick to anger, mischievous, lazy, drunkards, prideful, wrathful, and prone to jealousy, among other things. In short, you're just as sinful as we mortals. But, most importantly, you are unwise."
"What?" Hestia asked, a tint of anger coming to her eyes.
"You are unwise because of your inherent nature. Your immortality is not a gift, but a curse. A curse which compels you to never learn the lessons of life, for why would you have to? Even if you miss a lesson, you have all eternity to come across it again. And again. And again and again and again. You don't have to learn actual wisdom, because you don't have limited time to learn it. So the most important lesson life has to offer, that being not to waste life, is lost on you, because life is cheap to you. It's why we mortal races, especially us humans, are the wisest of all species despite what some, indeed many, might think. We are the wisest because we are so limited. We don't have the angelic beauty or the semi-immortality of elves. We don't have the helpful characteristics that animal people have, or the toughness of dwarves or strength of Amazons. We don't even have the excellent sight or the collective nature of prums, we are inherently, the most flawed and weak of the races of this world. And yet, humans are probably the single most powerful race. Why? Because that flawed nature of ours forces us to learn. Forces us into confrontations that require our growth. Require us to learn wisdom and take it to heart. And thus we grow. We become stronger. That is why I am happy I was born a human, and why, not only do I recognize the flaw of you gods and pity you for it, but why I would never want to be a god. Not unless I got to keep those lessons in my mind."
Hestia was flabbergasted. Never, in all her eons, had anyone ever told her something like this. That her immortality was a curse. A flaw. That she and her race were inherently flawed and, most shocking of all, that they never would wish to be a god.
"That is why," Achilles continued, intentionally ignoring the look on her face. "I don't think Bell will abandon you. He understands that you are flawed, perhaps not to the degree I recognize, but enough that he won't be willing to abandon the goddess who offered to take him in when no one else would," with that, he turned to leave.
"Will." He stopped. "Will you let me tell him? Like you allowed Aiz Wallen-whatisit to tell him her secret?" Hestia asked.
He looked down at her.
"If it's in my presence so that I can be sure that he's getting the whole truth and nothing is being manipulated, that's fine." Light came to Hestia's eyes. "But not yet. He's not ready and he has far too much on his mind right now."
Hestia, smiling, stood up.
"Agreed."
Achilles nodded then turned to leave.
"Achilles."
He stopped again and turned.
"Do you hate us?"
He looked at her for a moment, staring directly into her eyes as if searching for something, before answering.
"I think what you all did to some extent was right, and to some extent was wrong. As with most things in life, it's gray. However, I've spent fifteen years trying, and admittedly mostly failing, at not letting my life being ruled by the past. As such, given the eons that have passed and that I am a firm believer in judging people based on what they do, especially what they do now, I can say that I don't hate you. But," he quickly added. "That's not the same as trusting you."
She nodded.
"I understand."
"Alright. Well, now that we've come to an understanding I think it's time we both hit the hay."
"That sounds wise," she said with a small smile.
Achilles smiled back.
"Just make sure you act normally tomorrow. I don't want to be the one that has to try and explain any awkward behavior to the others."
"Eh-heh, will do."
"Goodnight, Hestia."
"Goodnight, Achilles."
Now alone, Hestia looked up at the sky, her heart heavy, but a tinge of hope flowing through her.
"Please don't hate me, Bell."
Aiz returned to Twilight Manor, content with how things had gone with Achilles and Bell, but knowing she had to speak with Loki and the others.
Making her way through her home, she came across the main group of her familia; the group of adventurers that many outside of Loki familia had labelled as 'monsters' making their way to the dining hall.
"Ah, Aiz, there you are," Finn said, noticing her. "Sheesh, Achilles did a number on you, didn't he?" he stated, taken note of her battered state.
"What?!" cried the familiar voice of her goddess, who suddenly appeared before her and began to look over her. "Grrr, the Olympian will pay for hurting my Aiz-tan," she swore.
"Loki." The goddess stopped and looked at Aiz. "Finn. Riveria. Gareth. May I speak with you?"
The serious, yet gentle tone, piqued their interest and each shared a look before turning back to her.
"Did something happen with Achilles or Bell?" Riveria asked.
"Yes. Both actually," Aiz replied simply.
"Man, will a day go by where something doesn't happen involving those two?" Loki sighed. "And we were just about to eat dinner, too."
"It can wait if you'd like," Aiz offered.
"No, no, something tells me I'm going to want to drink after this, so it's best if we wait for dinner until after. Alright, come on," Loki said, turning around and heading for her office.
The others watched them turn away with concerned eyes. Given that this was yet another moment they were cut out of whatever was happening, Tiona called out.
"Aiz!" The Sword Princess turned. "Are you going to tell us what happened this time?" the Amazon pleaded.
To all their surprise, she smiled.
"Yes. I will," she said resolutely.
The confident answer mixed with the smile filled Tiona with a warm feeling and she knew her friend was telling the truth which, in turn, caused her to smile.
"Well then, we'll go get some food while we wait for ya," she replied happily.
"Sounds good. I'll talk to you soon," Aiz returned.
With that, the five leading figures of Loki familia turned away leaving the others to the feast that was prepared for their familia.
The five made their way into Loki's office with the goddess plopping herself onto her desk.
"Alright, so what's this about? What did the idiot Achilles and the white rabbit do now?"
"Achilles figured out who I am."
Everyone froze.
"What do you mean, he figured out who you are?" Loki asked, hoping it wasn't what she thought.
"He knows I'm Aiz Waldstein," the Sword Princess confirmed.
Shock covered every inch of their faces, and Loki's eyes not only opened, but looked ready to pop out of her skull.
"What?!"
Aiz, after getting over the ringing in her ears, continued.
"He was able to figure out who I was."
"How?" Finn asked, clearly as shocked as his fellow familia members, minus Loki who took the cake.
"Last night, after we have finished training, he asked me several questions focused around the One-Eyed Black Dragon. The first, was why I wanted to kill it. I informed him that it was because it had killed my father and kidnapped my mother. From that, he was able to figure out who I was. He then confronted me today during our training."
"And you didn't deny it?!" Loki cried.
"It seemed pointless. You all may have known him longer, but I can tell when he's serious and I knew he wasn't going to let this go. He had figured out the truth and he wasn't going to let me lie. In fact, now that I think about it, I think that's why he pushed me so much harder during today's training session. To make sure I couldn't simply run away."
Riveria sighed and rubbed her temple.
"In all honesty," she began. "We shouldn't be too surprised. This is 'The Historian' after all. He's probably read the tale of the Sword Hero more than everyone in this familia combined."
"That does seem like him," Gareth agreed. "Did he say what he was going to do with this information?" the dwarven leader asked.
"Nothing. He said he was simply curious. When I inquired if he was going to reveal it to the public his response was to ask what the point would be to that. Even if people believed him, he said, there was really no point to it."
Relief washed over those around the Sword Princess, none more so than Loki.
"So no one else knows?" the goddess asked.
"Bell knows."
All Loki's relief instantly vanished.
"What?!"
The three leaders of Loki familia all sighed at that. Nonetheless, Aiz continued.
"Achilles told me of his intent to tell Bell, saying he wouldn't keep secrets from him, especially about me."
"I wonder why," Riveria thought, unable to help the small smile that grew on her lips.
"He also informed me that this would, in turn, be shared with the rest of Hestia familia."
Loki groaned.
"Oh great, now Chibi's going to be holding this over my head."
"Hestia does not seem like the kind of person to use something like this against you, even if there is some way of doing so," Riveria defended.
"Eh, probably not. I just don't like the idea of her knowing it," Loki grumbled. "So, we can be pretty sure that, by now, the good ol' Olympian has informed the rabbit?"
"No," Aiz said firmly, catching their attention. "I told Bell."
That raised a few eyebrows.
"You told him?" Loki asked.
"I asked Achilles if I could be the one to tell him. If he was going to learn it anyway, I felt I should I tell him. It...felt like the right thing to do."
Riveria's smile grew again.
"They're getting closer and I have yet to even get involved," she thought contently.
Loki, however, was not so pleased.
"Aiz…" she began, getting up. "What exactly is your relationship with the rabbit?"
"I've told you. He's a friend."
"You've got loads of friends, and you ain't shared your past with any of them," Loki pushed.
"I was actually going to ask that I be allowed to do that right now," Aiz stated.
Once more, those around her were surprised.
"Are you sure, Aiz?" Finn asked.
She nodded.
"Yes. It seems wrong to hide the truth from them."
Now all of the big three were smiling as they found themselves in agreement with her. The others had proven themselves time and again, and though they weren't always the most discreet people, they weren't going to blabber one of their friends' big secrets.
"Hm. Perhaps you're right," Loki responded. "But I still think something's funny about you and this...Bell Cranel. Ever since he came into the picture you've been more emotional, not that I'm complaining. But that seems real interesting to me," she continued, eyeing Aiz. "Not only that, but ya've been spending more time with him lately, haven't you? And don't think I forgot what happened at the party. The way that you jumped in to try and intercept him before the King got in your way. Something's up, and I want an answer as to what it is."
Aiz didn't have an answer. To her, this all wasn't something she had thought about. It was just how things were. A progression that came naturally. However, now that she was confronted about it, she began to think.
She thought on all that had happened since Bell had arrived in her life. Training him might have been construed as odd, but wasn't unheard of and she had trained others, and Tiona had helped as well during the War Games. But some things did stand out. Her dancing him with, twice, the only two times she had danced, in spite of Loki's furious insistence, for one. She remembered how much she enjoyed dancing with him, the second even more than the first as something, she didn't know what, seemed to have been amplified since their last dance.
She continued to think and the more she thought, especially about recent events, the more that fluttering, floating feeling in her stomach grew, and the more her heart pounded in her ears.
She remembered the night she confronted him about his growth, the pain in his eyes, and the smile he gave her when she left. She remembered the next day, when they had found each other, talked, and the question he had asked her, and her response. How it had suddenly burst forth from her without her knowing where it came from, yet not regretting it for even a moment. Then she remembered the party. Seeing Bell dancing with Freya. Seeing Achilles fall, and then seeing Bell walk towards Freya, the thought of his surrendering screaming through her mind.
The memory caused a sinking feeling in her stomach, just as it had before, but that was instantly washed away when she remembered the smile he gave her, so much like the one he had given her after she confronted him. So bright. So warm. So...something. Something she couldn't describe, yet was somehow familiar.
Then, when he pulled Achilles back from Freya, she remembered the relief she had felt. The warmth that had spread through her as the cold fear burned away. She remembered it all within the few moments after Loki's questioning and by the end, the fluttering in her stomach was so overwhelming she feared she would float away, but only if her heart didn't hammer out of her chest first.
The four all watched Aiz, waiting for her answer. However, with each moment that passed, the more they realized as they watched Aiz face grow redder and redder, her body fidget more and more, and the lost, but excited look in her eyes become more and more out of control, that they already had their answer.
"She's truly breaking out," Riveria thought happily.
Finally, Aiz, fidgeting so much one would think she was suffering from hypothermia, turned her eyes back to Loki, whose own were now wide in shock and horror at what she now knew, and answered.
"I-I don't know why I did that. It's just...it all felt so wrong. I had this...feeling in my stomach. Like there was weight in it. It had been their since he'd danced with Freya, but it got worse, much worse, when he started walking towards her after Achilles was Charmed. I thought...I thought he was surrendering to her, "she paused, as if the words were causing her physical pain. "I had to do something. Anything."
Riveria, feeling that enough had been said and not wanting this conversation to get anymore uncomfortable, cut in.
"Alright, Aiz. We understand."
"You do?" the young woman asked, clearly not seeing how that was possible given that she herself did not understand what was happening with her or what she was feeling.
Riveria simply continued to smile.
"We do," she reassured her. "Now, you said you wanted to tell the others the truth?"
Distracted by the question, Aiz did not press her on what it was they all understood that she herself did not.
"I did."
"Well, I think I speak for everyone when I say that we agree to that idea," she quickly checked over her shoulder and both Finn and Gareth smiled and nodded. Loki was a bit too distracted at the revelation of what was happening with Aiz to answer, which is why Riveria decided to ignore her. "So why don't you go and get the others and then you can tell them all with us as support."
Aiz smiled.
"I'll go get them. Thank you," she said before quickly disappearing.
The moment she left, Loki, heartbroken, spoke.
"I can't believe it. Aiz-tan...Aiz-tan is…" tears welled up in her eyes.
"Oh stop it you," Riveria chided her goddess. "This is a good thing."
"A good thing?! She's falling for that rabbit!" the trickster goddess proclaimed.
"And we all need to be there to support her," Riveria stated, her voice broaching no room for argument.
"Honestly thought I'd never see the day where she opened up her heart," Gareth said, beaming like a proud father.
"She never did show any sign of walking down that path, but can't say I'm particularly upset by it, even if it came from such a surprising place," Finn said.
"Bell Cranel is truly showing himself to be the most surprising young man," Riveria readily agreed, her happiness at seeing her young ward becoming the woman she'd always hoped she'd be filling her to bursting point.
Aiz returned shortly after, all the main figures of Loki familia in tow.
"What's this about?" Bete asked, staring at Aiz with suspicion due to her weird behavior.
"Aiz-tan has something she wants to tell you," Loki said, still trying to get over her heartbreak while silently trying to concoct a plan to get rid of a certain white-haired rabbit.
"What is it, Aiz-san?" Lefiya asked, curious, but a bit worried.
"There's something about me you all don't know. About who I am and where I come from."
The new arrivals all gained looks of confusion, passing looks back and forth in hopes that one of the others would have some clue as to what she was talking about.
"What the shit does that mean? Don't pull our tails here, just spill it," Bete demanded.
Aiz nodded.
"My name isn't Aiz Wallenstein. It's Aiz Waldstein and I am the daughter of Albert Waldstein, the Sword Hero, and Aria Waldstein, the Wind Spirit."
The room fell silent, until Bete, confused and frustrated barked out again.
"Is this some kind of weird joke?"
Aiz shook her head.
"It's not. I'm telling you the truth."
"She is," Finn said firmly, making sure that they all understood that this wasn't a game.
"But...they lived over a thousand years ago. How could you be here if that was true, Aiz?" Tiona asked.
"I don't know," she answered honestly. "My last memory before I came to this time was right after my father had been killed by the One-Eyed Black Dragon and my mother had been kidnapped. I was suddenly surrounded by some kind of magic and transported here, to your time. But, Achilles may knows something."
"Achilles?" Bete asked, not likely that his name was suddenly dropped. "What's he got to do with this?"
"He figured out who I was and confronted me today. I knew he wouldn't let me leave until I had answered honestly, so I did. Achilles then told me he would tell Bell, to which I requested that I be allowed to tell him personally, which I was allowed to do."
"Wait, wait. The Rabbit got to know before we did?!" Bete roared.
"Easy Bete," Finn warned. "The situation was out of her control and given the predicament she was in, I think we can all recognize why she did what she did."
Bete growled.
"But Captain," Tione cut in, not wanting to fight with him, but also clearly upset. "Why weren't we told before now? Didn't we deserve to know the truth? Did you not trust us?"
"That's not it."
They all turned back to Aiz, whose head had fallen and whose eyes now shown with guilt and sadness.
"I trust you all, and I wanted to tell you all sooner, but we weren't sure how the information would be taken."
"Did you think we would tell everyone?" Tiona asked.
"It doesn't have to be that you intentionally spread it," Riveria jumped in, knowing that Aiz was undoubtedly feeling pressured. "It was concern over the simple fact that the more people who know about this the more likely it is to spread further one way or another. And, even now, we have no idea how the public would react if they found out Aiz's past. Whether they would be indifferent. Curious. Or even willing to fight to try and claim her."
Things fell silent again as they thought on her words. They understood her well enough. They would never have intentionally spread the information, but things happened in life. Mistakes and slips of the tongue, or even capture by enemies seeking information. No one could be sure that they would never reveal it no matter what. Still, they were hurt by the lack of trust, even if they logically understood the reason.
"Alright. We get it. But it still...sucks that we weren't told until now," Tione said.
"That's fair," Finn replied, knowing that she didn't want to fight with him, which was also true for him in the reverse.
"What was Achilles's reaction?" Tiona asked.
"He didn't care," Aiz answered. "He was simply curious and had no intention of spreading the information."
"So he says," Bete growled.
Riveria wanted to defend the man, but decided against it. For now, it was best to let them vent.
"And Bell-san?" Lefiya asked. "What was his reaction?"
A soft smile with an unmistakable meaning grew on Aiz's lips.
"He hugged me and gave me his full support. He won't tell anyone, I'm sure of it."
Any joy that Riveria might have taken from that was instantly ruined by Loki grumpily cutting in.
"Except his own familia of course."
Riveria sighed.
"What does she mean?" Tione asked.
"Achilles informed me that he and Bell would be inclined to inform the rest of Hestia familia as they don't keep secrets from each other. I want the same for us, which is why I asked to be able to tell you all the truth today."
"Great, so now the Rabbit's little friends know too. Anyone else?" Bete asked.
"No, that would be everyone. At least as far as we know," Finn said.
"As far as we know," Bete repeated back with unrestrained hostility. "Meanwhile Achilles could have told half the city by now."
"He's not like that," Riveria stated, a bit more bite to her words than normal, which, while missed by most in the room, was not missed by Loki, Finn, or Gareth.
"Yeah, the guy who threatened to kill us all isn't the kind of guy to cause us trouble. Right," Bete countered with a roll of his eyes.
Riveria's brow scrunched in frustration. She knew Bete was right. Achilles had been an unquestionably hostile element in their lives, and she couldn't deny that. Yet, not only was that not the full truth of the matter, but now that her feelings were no longer suppressed, she felt that she needed to defend him, at least to some extent.
"Achilles is a flawed man. That's true. But he was, at one point, our friend," she signalled to Finn and Gareth. "Quite a close friend, in fact, but our relationship became complicated for the reasons you all already know. Even so, I would ask that you give him the proper respect he deserves as the former captain of the Zeus familia, a level seven, the only person to have survived fighting the One-Eyed Black Dragon, and as a man. Else you may risk committing the same mistakes I have committed in the past."
The impassioned speech left everyone dumbstruck, not only because of the request itself, but also who it was from. This, in turn, once Riveria had calmed down, left her, once again, in a state of embarrassment as she realized she may have revealed more than intended.
"Wow, Riveria. I didn't know you had that in you," Tiona said, surprised, but happily so.
"Yeah, that was quite something," Tione agreed, though not quite so happy as her sister.
"A respectable position and one I think we would do well to listen to," Gareth said.
"Indeed," Finn replied, his eyes boring into Riveria.
Aiz said nothing, but, catching Riveria's eye, she smiled, calming the high elf a bit, even if concern over her secret was still very much present.
With so many people voicing their support for her and what she said, Bete found himself unable to push back against her words and growled.
"Alright. Geez. No need to pull my tail. I'll give him the respect he's earned," he bit out.
Riveria sighed in relief.
"Thank you, Bete," she said.
"Yeah, yeah. Sheesh. What's with everyone and defending those two guys anyway?"
A sense of calm fell over the room as everyone fell back onto the same page, now even closer than before as Aiz's secret was no longer a barrier between them. However, whatever peace they may have shared was ended by the sudden interjection of a loudly grumbling stomach.
Everyone turned and found Loki grabbing her waist.
"I'm hungry," she complained.
More than a few eyes rolled.
"Well, we did skip dinner in order to have this talk, so I suppose that makes sense," Riveria said.
"Then why are we still hanging around here? Aiz said what she wanted to, now let's go eat. I need food and wine!" Loki declared.
Riveria smiled as a few noises of happy agreement erupted, namely from Tiona, and they all began to file out of the office.
Gareth was about to follow after them, when he noticed that Finn wasn't moving from his spot, opting instead to follow Riveria with only his eyes.
"Something wrong?" he asked the prum captain.
"No," Finn answered, his eyes still on Riveria. "I just think I might have learned something today that may be even more surprising than Aiz opening her heart."
Done. I am so sorry that took so long to get out, as stated at the beginning, things have been a bit hectic as of late, but enough of that. I do hope you enjoyed the chapter, I know it was a bit short, especially without all the fan appreciation at the beginning, but I promise we'll be getting back to the meat of the story next time, and that I'll be doing my absolute best with it. No half-assing! Anyway, that all said, please tell me what you guys think. If you had problems with the chapter, any or all of it, feel free to tell me, I do wish to improve, and suggestions are happily accepted. With that, I bid you all a fine farewell and I will see you all next time. Bye for now.