Heroes

by The Four Crosses

A powerful figure has returned to Orario seeking Bell. What does this person want? What will happen to Bell and all those around him? How will the gods react, and, more importantly, what will they uncover upon their return? (My not so grand return to Fanfiction is here!)

17. Rage and Love

Hello good people and welcome back! Have I got a chapter for you. Got to say that I've very excited for this one as I had a supertanker of inspiration come to me at work of all places. Please don't tell my boss. That said, I'm finding increasing difficult to write this story as so many ideas are popping up and organizing all of it coherently is a real challenge, but in a good way. Anywho, I'm very excited and hopefully, hopefully, I'll be able to actually finish what was originally supposed to be one long chapter and now has turned into four or five, I can't even remember at this point. I almost split this one because of how long it got and how much I put in it. However, I wanted to finish the original chapter idea and give you guys a real treat. Also, thank you all again for your responses, they are helpful and appreciated, and with that, let's get to the story.

I do not own Danmachi

---

Freya watched her dearly beloved Bell walk with his familia towards the Dungeon with a sly smile on her perfect lips.

The events of the party once more played through her mind, namely his threatening of her. Even now she felt a tingle go through her as the raw power he had exhibited filled her with unparalleled delight.

"Oh Bell, what am I going to do with you?" she wondered aloud.

Her attention was refocused when she noticed he and his familia had stopped in the middle of the street.

She watched attentively as Bell went through a range of emotions while his familia gathered around him providing what appeared to be comfort. Interesting as this was, it became more so when she saw the golden-haired renard approach him and take his hand.

"Hm, isn't that the girl that Achilles-kun was speaking to?"

She watched with increasing interest as Bell's eyes grew ever larger and a dusting of red appeared on his cheeks.

"Hm."

Out of the corner of her eye she saw Achilles and turned her gaze to him. He was smiling. More precisely, he was smiling at the two before him. Her Bell and the renard.

"Oh," she realized. "I see."

"So you're the one my dear Achilles was speaking with my beloved Bell about? How interesting."

She fell silent for a moment, her mind contemplating this new information, when she discovered a group of her familia surrounding the Hestia familia, glaring down at its captain.

Her smile grew as an idea began to form in her mind.

---

"Wait Dad!" Bell cried, hoping to stop his father from hurting what he feared was one of the Xenos.

"Wait?" his father turned to him, clearly confused.

"Watch out!" someone cried.

Achilles quickly turned back to the monster and proceeded to block its attack and then counter with one of his own. An attack that, Bell could tell, would kill the monster.

"No. Please. Please tell me that wasn't one of them."

He watched as the monster wrapped its hands around his father's neck and then, to his horror, he watched its mouth move in what was unquestionably language and language that Bell could understand.

"I...hate...adventure…"

The monster fell, its eyes pointing in his direction and he felt his breath catch as he saw all the pain, sadness, and fear in its eyes.

"I wish things had been different," those eyes said, just before they disappeared in a cloud of ash.

Bell felt his heart break as those words echoed in his mind and a crippling sense of failure fell over him. He had worked so hard to save every one of the Xenos when they were trapped on the surface and, by some kind of Heavenly grace, had actually managed to do so. But now, here he was, unable to do anything when one of them was struck down as simply as one bats away a fly. And this Xenos, this life he had vowed to help one day come to the surface, had been struck down by none other than his own father.

He tried to tell himself that his father simply didn't know. That if he did know about the Xenos he would pledge his own support for them and aid in their dream. But he couldn't. Because he wasn't sure if that was the truth.

"Would he help the Xenos?" Bell wondered as his eyes refocused on his father.

The moment he did so, his brow furrowed as he noticed that something was off.

His father's arm had fallen to his side, and it appeared as if all strength had left his body. Suddenly, he watched as the sword slipped from his father's fingers and crashed into the ground.

The sight was shocking, and not only for him. Everyone now stared at the fallen sword in shock before turning their eyes back to its wielder who, to their even greater shock and growing concern, was utterly lost to the world.

"Dad," he called out. No answer.

He was about to approach him when he saw Riveria out of the corner of his eye. She signalled to him that she would try, and he nodded, trusting her with his father.

"Achilles," she called gently, only to receive the same silence that Bell had received. "Achilles," she tried again, a bit louder and placing her hand on his shoulder. Still he did not move. The anxious feeling in the air began to grow as everyone, from Riveria and the Loki familia, to Bell and the Hestia familia, began to feel the icy touch of fear enter their hearts. "Achilles," she tried again, even louder and shaking him firmly. Yet, still nothing. Now bordering on terror, Riveria grasped his shoulder hard enough to bruise and shook him violently and cried out. "Achilles, are you alright!?"

Light finally returned to his eyes and he turned to her. He blinked a few times, clearly still recovering from his daze, before answering her.

"Yes...I'm…" he stopped as he looked away from her for a moment. She wondered where he was looking, but before she could check, he turned back to her. "I'm fine."

A shiver went up her spine when she heard the frigid way he'd said that.

"Are you sure? Did it hurt you somehow?" she asked.

"No. No. Just got distracted for a moment. Won't happen again," he stated. He then used his magnetism to bring his sword back to his hand before turning and walking away.

"Dad are you alright?!" Bell cried, worry permeating through him.

"Yes I'm fine. Just got distracted for a moment."

Bell didn't believe him, and neither did his familia, made clear by Ryuu's counter. Yet, he simply brushed it off with a joke. This did little to ease them, but whatever was wrong they felt it was best not to discuss it here and so let it go. The moment they did so Bell noticed a drop of relief come to his father's eyes before he promptly excused himself to check on the situation with Finn.

The moment he was gone, the members of Hestia familia turned to each other.

"What do you think is wrong?" Welf asked to Bell in a low voice, well aware of the ex-captain's propensity of overhearing things.

"I'm not entirely sure," Bell returned in an equally low tone. "But I think that monster was a Xenos."

A bit of surprise entered the eyes of his familia.

"But why would a Xenos attack adventurers, Bell-sama? Especially the Loki familia?" Lili asked.

"I'm not sure. It might be that they aren't a member of Lyd's group. Either that or they held too much anger towards adventurers to hold back," Bell replied, a look of unmistakable sadness entering his features.

Each of his familia understood how he was feeling and it wasn't long before Haruhime took his hand, catching his attention.

"Perhaps later we can ask Fels-sama to send a message for us to the others to see if something's happened and tell them what happened here."

"It would certainly give us a better picture of the situation," Ryuu said.

Bell thought about the idea for a moment, then, with a small smile, he nodded.

"I'll ask Hestia-sama if she can get in contact with Ouranous-sama and Fels."

The others smiled as well, glad to see that the suggestion had eased the burden on his heart. That done, they turned back to Achilles.

"Maybe you should go clean yourself up first," Finn suggested to the former Zeus captain.

"Why?"

The prum gestured towards Achilles's current state.

"Oh. Eh, no biggy. I'll clean up later. Certainly isn't the worst I've looked."

"The smell of blood might attract other monsters to us. It would probably be wise to clean off the mess," Ryuu stated, not interested in making the day any more difficult than it needed to be.

"Hm, true, but we did come down here with the intent of pushing ourselves so attracting more monsters isn't necessarily a bad thing," Achilles countered. However, after seeing the looks he was getting, he sighed. "Geez, fine, I'll go wash off. Feels like I'm a child being scolded by my mother."

Bell watched as his father walked away, barely noticing the chuckles around him as he recognized his chance to confirm his suspicions.

Excusing himself, he followed after his father, quickly finding him kneeling before a pool, looking like he was attacking the water.

"Dad?"

The elder adventurer's head shot to him.

"Bell!" he cried before quickly putting the still very much wet shirt back on. "What's up?" he asked, trying to sound nonchalant.

"Are you alright?" Bell asked.

"Yes. Just fine."

"He said that way too quickly," the white rabbit thought.

"Dad," his voice clearly indicated that he wasn't going to buy that.

"I just...got caught off guard for a moment."

"Why?"

Bell could tell his father did not want to answer by the way his body tensed and his face scrunched painfully as some thought reverberated through his mind. Finally though, he answered.

"I thought...I heard the monster speak."

The young captain felt a stone sink into his stomach as his earlier fear was finally confirmed.

"So they were a Xenos."

"I know it sounds crazy." Bell was snapped out of his thoughts by his father's voice. "Maybe I'm getting too old. Hearing things and all that." The tone his father was using quickly registered in Bell's mind and the stone sank deeper as he realized that his father was clearly confused and distressed by the sudden appearance of the Xenos. "I just-," his father tried to continue.

Bell cut him off by running up to him and wrapping his arms around him.

"I don't think you're crazy. I'd never think that," he affirmed.

He felt the tension fall from his father.

"Thank you Bell," Achilles said before returning the hug. Suddenly though, he pulled away. "Oh I'm sorry."

Confused, Bell eventually figured out that his father was apologizing for getting him wet and he laughed.

"It's not a problem. However, why did you put your shirt back on?"

The apprehension that had only just disappeared, returned the moment he asked that.

"Dad?"

His father sighed.

"I suppose it was going to come up eventually."

The moment his father lifted up his shirt, Bell felt as if his heart had sunk into his feet.

"He's...he's lived with this the entire time I've known him?"

A soul shattering sense of guilt filled Bell for his failure of knowing about the wound and giving his father the necessary support. Had Achilles been aware of this, he would have instantly countered by pointing out there was no way for Bell to have known, yet, had this occurred, it would have done little to ease the current disgust Bell felt at himself for failing to realize the pain his father was undoubtedly in.

"A little gift from an old friend," Achilles said.

"Dad," Bell repeated, practically shaking.

"Yeah, it's not very pretty is it? Even after all these years, and all my attempts, it's never really healed. I suspect it's cursed, or maybe it's just because, by all rights, this should have killed me."

Those were not words Bell Cranel was about to accept.

"Don't say that! Don't ever say that!" he screamed.

A soft smile grew on Achilles's lips.

"I'm sorry I upset you, Bell," he said as he went up to his son and began to stroke his hair. "But it is the truth. I shouldn't have survived this. I got stupid lucky. That's the honest fact of the matter."

"I don't care. You survived because you should have. Because the world needs heroes and it wasn't willing to let go of its best one."

"Oh my sweet boy," Achilles returned, pulling him into a hug and kissing the top of his head. "My heroic boy."

Bell didn't respond. He was too upset by what he'd seen and heard.

"He's had this for years. For the entire time I've known him, yet I never thought to ask. What is wrong with me?" he chastised himself. "I have to make this up to him, or at least try. But how? I don't know healing magic."

His eyes widened as he realized something.

"I may not know healing magic, but I know the perfect person who does."

Bell pulled back from him.

"Wait here a moment," he said.

"Bell?"

The Hestia captain smiled.

"I'll be right back."

Not giving his father a chance to respond, he ran off to find the perfect person that could heal his father, and in more ways than one.

Running back to where his and the Loki familia were located, he quickly found who he was looking for.

"Riveria-san."

The elf turned.

"Yes Bell-san?"

"I'd like to ask a favor, if I may."

Confused, but seeing no reason to deny the young man, she nodded.

"Of course, I'd be happy to help, if I can."

"Thank you. Follow me."

Riveria, even more curious than before, followed after Bell. However, they did not leave unnoticed with Finn and Gareth eyeing the situation curiously, Aiz watching them with questioning eyes alongside most of both her and Bell's familia, and Lili watching the two walk away with eyes of burning jealousy. Interestingly enough, hers weren't the only eyes burning right at that moment.

"He's trying to win Aiz and Riveria-sama?! That indecent human!" Lefiya internally cried just before the two disappeared behind the trees.

The two disappeared, leaving everyone else to speculate what was going on.

"Where do you think they're going?" Tiona asked out loud to no one in particular.

"Does it really matter?" her sister asked.

"Well yeah! What if we were wrong about Argonaut-kun. What if he was after Riveria the whole time and not-."

"Tiona."

The Amazon turned to Finn who was looking at her with disapproving eyes.

"Achilles is that way, I suspect it has something to do with him. Also, I'll remind you that it is not your duty or right to reveal someone else's feelings," he said sternly.

Quickly figuring out what he meant, Tiona looked at Aiz before rubbing her neck sheepishly.

"You're right. Sorry captain."

Bete rolled his eyes.

"Idiot practically spelled it out with that look."

Luckily, Aiz remained, to put it bluntly, too much of an airhead to recognize what was going on. It also helped that she was distracted by the concept of Bell liking Riveria.

"Bell's after Riveria?"

A terribly, gnawing feeling filled her stomach and an anger that she could not explain suddenly came across her.

"Aiz."

She turned towards Finn who had noticed her sudden shift in behavior.

"She's probably just talking to Achilles about something," his eyes turned. "See, here comes Bell now. Without Riveria."

She turned and, indeed, Bell was returning, a smile on his face as he walked over to his familia.

"What was that about, Bell-sama?" Lili asked, a hint of anger in her eyes.

Bell began to fidget, increasing the curiosity and anger amongst his familia before he replied.

"I'm not sure it's my right to tell you guys, but maybe if you guys know, you can help."

"Help what?" Welf asked, taking note of the increasing hostility in not only Lili's eyes but, even more frighteningly, Ryuu's eyes.

Bell suddenly looked at the Loki familia, and after checking to see that they were far enough away, he leaned in and signaled for them to do the same. Still confused, they nonetheless did so.

"Yesterday I found out something about Riveria-san. She likes my dad."

That garnered some surprise.

"Riveria-sama cares for Achilles-dono?" Mikoto asked.

Bell nodded.

"You're sure?" Welf asked.

Again, Bell nodded.

"And by like, you mean she's in love with him?" Lili verified.

Bell, now smiling widely, nodded vigorously.

"And I promised to help her win him over."

"Why would you do that?" Ryuu asked, not cynically, just out of simple curiosity.

"Because I want Dad to be happy and I think she'll give him that happiness. She's certainly a better candidate than Freya."

They all agreed with that.

"That's wonderful Bell-sama," Haruhime said joyfully. "I will happily help you bring them together."

"Count me in as well. The guy's a lot to handle, but he deserves a good woman to be by his side," Welf said.

"I'll help as well," Mikoto added.

Ryuu nodded, adding herself to the romantic alliance.

"I suppose Lili can help, as long as she's not after Bell-sama," the prum agreed.

Their new alliance made, they all stood up just in time to see Riveria return, her face putting most raging fires to shame with its color, heat, and intensity, as she all but ran passed not only them, but her own familia.

"Riveria?" Finn called. However she did not stop even for a moment, marching straight on passed, her head low and refusing to look anyone in the eye.

"Riveria!"

Everyone turned to see Achilles's rushing into the clearing.

Now, Riveria did start to run and within moments she had fled into the trees leaving a group confused adventurers behind her, none more so than the utterly bewildered Achilles who now stood with his hands on his hips at the spot where she had disappeared.

"What the hell is going on?" he asked aloud, his mind reeling at the actions of the woman he had known for decades.

"Dad," Bell walked over to him. "What happened?"

"I've been asking myself that for the past couple of minutes and I've got nothing," Achilles replied. "We were just talking and then she said…" he stopped.

"What did she say?" Bell pressed, hoping that his plan had worked, at least in part.

Achilles didn't reply, instead thinking back to what had been said.

"The only person that should be thanked is this woman for allowing you to come back to me."

"Come back to me."

"Come back to her?" Achilles thought.

Before he could contemplate further, Bell called out to him.

"Dad?"

He turned and, remembering where he was, he shook his head.

"Sorry. Nothing. She didn't say anything. Anyway," he quickly moved on. "We should probably continue down the Dungeon. I did say I was going to push you guys today."

Bell knew a dodge when he saw one, especially from his father, but whatever it was, he also knew he wasn't getting anything more from him at the moment and so nodded.

"I'll go get the others."

A few paces away, Finn was watching the whole scene transpire with interest and ever more knowing eyes.

---

Not far away from the two familias, Riveria had finally stopped running and placed her hand against a tree.

Her other hand came up and touched her lips.

"What would have happened if I had…?"

Her mind suddenly filled with imagines of the act she had oh so recently considered enacting.

Achilles was surprised, naturally, to have Riveria suddenly kiss him. No, kiss wasn't the right word. This was a passionate display of adoration. A silent promise of affection, loyalty, and safety that promised the one receiving it nothing but the purest, most honest and passionate love. So great was the fire of this display of utter adoration, that it filled him simultaneously with rapture and serenity, easing away all his pain, both within his body and within his soul. It was so wonderful that there was only one response that could be given and, soon enough, his eyes closed, his arms found their way around her waist, and he pulled her against him as tightly as possible, and returned everything she had given him with his own utter devotion.

She, feeling his adoration filling her soul, reached her own arms up and wrapped them around his neck, somehow deepening the kiss, filling them both with such indescribable warmth that both knew, in their heart and soul, that they would never feel cold again.

Suddenly though, before she could react, Achilles pulled back. She attempted to reclaim his lips and wondered why he had retreated from her only to find out a moment later when he began to nibble, oh so gently, on her ear.

"Achilles!"

Her eyes suddenly snapped open.

"What am I thinking?!" she screamed internally, her face feeling as if it truly would burst into flames at any moment. Her mortification wasn't over as she noticed a particularly interesting sensation.

Recognizing the feeling, she slowly looked down towards her waist, her eyes widening as the realization fully set in.

The bark of the tree she was holding suddenly shattered in her hand.

"Damn you, Achilles. You're turning me into teenager!"

---

The Hestia familia continued down the Dungeon at a steady pace. Achilles, for the most part, had taken a back seat to the whole affair, making sure that the younger adventurers had their chance to grow. However, he also encouraged Bell and Ryuu to take a step back so that the lower levelled members of their familia could gain the lion's share of the experience. They had agreed, though they still occasionally jumped in when things were getting a bit hectic. Finally though, they reached the twenty-fifth floor.

"It's so beautiful!" Haruhime declared.

"Indeed it is," Achilles agreed as he stared out at the what was known as the Water City. An aquatic paradise as far as the eye could see and, off in the distance the titanic Great Fall, a waterfall 400 meters across and at least twice that height, stood proudly.

"Should we turn back here?" Mikoto asked.

"I see no reason why we would need to. You're all still in very good shape and I'd say we still have some time before we risk staying overnight," Achilles said.

"Then let's keep going, at least for a little while," Bell replied.

"Excel-."

Achilles stopped when he caught sight of a semi-familiar figure.

"Dad?"

"We have company."

Bell and the others looked towards where he was looking and discovered a red-haired woman walking towards them.

"Who's that?" Welf asked.

"An enemy?" Ryuu asked getting into a stance.

"Bell," Achilles said. "That's the woman I saw in the Dungeon before. The one that tried to kill Aiz."

Bell's eyes widened, but only for a moment, soon they lowered into a glare as his grip on his knives tightened.

"So she's an enemy"

Achilles recognized that that wasn't a question, but decided to answer anyway.

"I'd say so, yes."

Everyone tensed as the woman drew closer, staring her down, waiting for whatever was to come. Finally, she stopped before them.

"Achilles Caesar?" the woman said, her voice devoid of all emotion.

"Yes? And who might you be?"

"My name is unimportant. You will come with me. Now," she ordered.

"Oh will I?" Achilles replied.

"You will if you value the lives of these adventurers," she threatened.

Suddenly, four vine-like monsters with flowers for heads popped out of the ground and surrounded the Hestia familia, looking down on its members with salivating mouths.

"So it's like that?" Achilles said, his eyes gaining a dangerous glint. The red-haired woman did not reply. "Well I'll warn you that I do not take kindly to threats, especially against my son and his familia," he stated, punctuating his warning by having his lightning pass along his blade, the crackingly of which echoed through the Dungeon.

"That's enough, Revis. Honestly, we simply must work on your manners."

Everyone turned and found a figure in black clothing that was covered in masks, standing some distance away. Naturally, another mask adored their face hiding their identity.

"And you are?" Achilles growled, in no mood for games.

"Ah yes, of course. Introductions must be done. My name is Enyo. This is Revis. And that is Ein."

Everyone but Achilles turned to find a third figure, also wearing a mask, behind them.

"Enyo? That's an interesting name," Achilles stated.

"Why thank you. And you are Achilles Caesar. The great captain of the Zeus familia. The Olympian. The first level seven, and the only person to have survived fighting the One-Eyed Black Dragon."

"If you're trying to compliment me, save your breath and tell me what you want."

Silence fell over the area as Achilles and Enyo stared at each other. Finally, the masked figure spoke.

"Straight down to business I see. I can respect that. Then I shall tell you. You see," Enyo began, his hands beginning to gesture about. "I have a particular goal in mind. A goal I think you can help me with, Achilles. To get to the meat of the matter I wish you to help me collect the special items that the Zeus and Hera familias had in their possession. You know the ones. The ancient and powerful items the two hid away. The items of which the world has not seen or been able to recreate since their creation."

Shock filled the features of the Hestia familia, which did not go unnoticed by Enyo.

"Oh it appears that I'm not the only one privy to the information," he said.

"Two questions," Achilles said. "One: what do you want such items for, assuming they exist? Two: why would I give them to you?"

"You're attempts at hiding their existence are pointless, Achilles. I have been aware that the items themselves have existed for a long time, only the specifics evade me. But to answer your questions. Firstly, I wish to, quite simply, bring about the end."

"The end? The end of what?" Achilles demanded.

"Orario. This age. Everything," Enyo replied. "It's already upon us. The end is near. A beautiful madness shall fall over the world and bring an end to it all."

No one liked the sound of that, but Achilles did not press on that issue. He still had another question, one that was far more important for him to receive an answer.

"And why would I help you with such a goal? Why would I give you what you seek?"

Though he could not see them, Achilles was keenly aware of the malevolent eyes behind Enyo's mask.

"Because if you don't, I will kill all those youngsters behind you."

Revis drew her weapon and Ein got into a stance as the vine monsters around them began to lean in, clearly preparing for an attack.

The Hestia familia all closed ranks and prepared for the onslaught to come, sweat dripping down their skin as they could tell just from the atmosphere, that every one of their opponents was strong.

"So?" Enyo continued. "Do we have a deal?"

His answer was not a spoken one. Instead, the crackingly from earlier grew louder and louder, bouncing against the walls of the Dungeon with increasing force until one might have begun to worry that the sound alone would cause a cave in. Finally though, Achilles, his eyes now nothing more than electric blue light, his teeth bared, and his blood boiling hotter than magma, responded.

"Here's what's going to happen," he began, his voice low and menacing, so much so that even members of the Hestia familia found themselves unnerved by his tone. "I'm going to destroy those monsters. Kill your little friends. Take that mask off of you and smash it against your face. Then, I'm going to beat you half to death before dragging your barely breathing carcass up to the surface to make you someone else's problem."

Enyo stared down the former captain.

"I see."

The monsters suddenly attacked, aiming for the Hestia familia.

"Close the shining gates of Olympus and bar all from entering its heavenly grace. Walls of Lightning!" Achilles roared.

Bell and the others were suddenly surrounded by light, just in time for the monsters to smash against them and be repelled by the attack. This gave Achilles time to counter-attack as he jumped into the air and kicked one of the monsters in the head. It fell gracelessly to the ground before bursting into ash.

"Hm, perhaps I underestimated him," Enyo thought aloud as he watched Achilles's relentless assault on the monsters. "No matter. We can try again another time. Time to go," Enyo said, signally to Revis and Ein.

"I can take him," Revis stated.

"No you cannot. Not now. He'll tear you apart, after all, he is stronger than the Sword Princess by far," he said, gaining a glare from Revis.

"With the violas and Ein, we can overcome him," she pushed.

"The violas will be gone in moments," Enyo said, his eye catching sight of Achilles cutting through another viola. "And besides, what of the other adventurers? It's not as if they'll simply stand by while you kill him."

"They are weak. We can deal with them."

"I wouldn't be so sure of that," he replied, his eyes zoning in on Bell who was watching his father cut through the monsters. However, feeling eyes on him, Bell turned and stared directly at Enyo. The masked figure watched as the young man's eyes turned from confused to determined, as if he was silently taking up whatever challenge Enyo wanted to throw at him.

"How interesting," the masked figure thought.

"No, that will not work. We will retreat for now," he stated firmly.

"You heard him," Ein said, appearing next to her master.

Revis was clearly not pleased, but seeing that Achilles was already finishing up with the violas, she realized it would be unwise to proceed.

"Fine."

With that, the three retreated, leaving behind an enraged Achilles, a worried Hestia familia, and a determined Bell.

The last of the violas dealt with, Achilles turned to where Enyo had been and found that he, and his associates, had already disappeared.

"Damn it," he growled, sheathing his sword. "Everyone alright?" he asked, going over to the younger adventurers.

"Yeah. A bit shaken up by whoever those guys were, but fine," Welf said.

"I am also alright," Mikoto added.

"Physically fine, but I'm concerned with how they knew about the items in Zeus and Hera's care," Ryuu stated.

"My guess is that Enyo is a god, and learned about it some time in the past."

"A god? But why would a god want to bring about the end of Orario?" Haruhime asked.

"Hard to say, but I think the short answer would be that he's an Evilus."

That word made everyone tense, none more so than Ryuu whose knuckles bled white as anger filled her.

"Deep breaths Ryuu. This certainly isn't going to be the last time we see them," Achilles told her.

She took a breath and nodded, knowing his was right. Another chance would come.

Ryuu now calm, Achilles focused his attention on Bell who, he quickly noticed, seemed lost in thought.

"You alright Bell?" Achilles asked, going up to his son.

"Oh...yeah. Fine. Just…"

"Just...what?" Achilles asked, a bit worried.

"I'm sorry I let them escape."

Achilles was surprised for a moment, but soon chuckled.

"You don't need to apologize for that. Letting them go was the right decision. We don't know how strong they are, but we knew they weren't pushovers, so there's nothing to apologize for. You did the responsible thing. If anyone should apologize, it should be me for losing my temper."

"They threatened us. If anyone understands getting angry about someone threatening or degrading someone's family, it would be me," Bell replied.

Achilles smiled down at Bell then affectionately stroked his hair.

"Thank you, Bell."

The rest of the Hestia familia allowed them a moment, in part because the affection they shared eased their own concerns and allowed the tension to dissipate. However, Lili eventually decided to cut in.

"That said, that temper of yours in quite scary, Achilles-sama, and I'd appreciate it if you didn't let it out very often."

Achilles chuckled and nodded.

"I can agree to that."

Lili nodded, content with his word.

"Now, with them gone, I think it would be wise to return to the surface. We need to report this to the Guild and I should probably talk to Loki familia about this," Achilles said.

Everyone was quick to agree and the Hestia familia turned around and began their trek back towards the surface.

---

The Loki familia had finished up their work with the Hermes familia soon after Achilles and the others had left, something which Riveria was extremely grateful for. However, what she was not grateful for was the constant presence of the eyes on her as they returned home. She could practically feel the questions on the lips of her familia, but they had, at least for the moment, kept silent. She knew that this would not last forever, but she needed it to last long enough to come up with a believable excuse.

"But how could I possibly excuse my behavior? It was beyond questionable, it was absurd! I ran from him. Like a child with a crush! And then I…" her mind replayed the scene she had concocted in her mind and she felt the blood rush back to her ears and face, something she was sure was noticed by the others. "I can't come up with anything. I'm going to have to lie, and lie badly, or simply deny the whole thing, unless I want to confess," that idea did not appeal to her, not only because her familia was still very wary of Achilles, and with admittedly good reason, but because, if they did accept her feelings, she knew what would come next.

"Riveria likes the Olympian! Riveria likes the Olympian!" came the teasing voice of Tiona. She could perfectly imagine the smirks on their faces as they began to conjure up ways of poking fun at her. This was only made worse as the idea transformed into having Tiona sing, "Riveria and Achilles sitting in the Dungeon…"

She actually face-palmed at that idea and sighed heavily.

"This evening is going to be terrible."

They finally returned to the Twilight Manor and Riveria was prepared for the onslaught to come.

"So, Riv-," Tiona tried to begin.

"Riveria," Finn cut in, his voice commanding and leaving no room for anyone else to enter. "Come with me."

Knowing that tone of voice and at the same time, eager to get away from her more prying familia member, Riveria followed without complaint.

Gareth joined them as they disappeared down the hall, leaving the younger members of their familia to ponder.

"No fair. The captain can't just steal her away like that before we can find out what that was all about," Tiona complained.

"For once Tiona, I actually agree with you," Tione replied.

The three leaders of Loki familia made their way through the mansion until they arrived at Finn's room.

"I figured here would give us the most privacy," he stated.

She nodded and all three entered.

"So," Finn began, taking a seat at his desk. "How long?"

The question caught Riveria off guard as it wasn't the one she was expecting.

"How long, what?"

He smirked.

"How long have you had feelings for Achilles?"

Red returned to Riveria's face as the overwhelming sense of being the child whose mother had just discovered their crush fell over her. It didn't help that Gareth was there, looking at her, not with eyes of surprise or disgust, but of knowing.

"I realized my feelings for him when Freya kissed him. Almost losing him before my eyes made me realize how I felt," she admitted. In truth, she was somewhat grateful to get this off her chest. She didn't like hiding her feelings from anyone and that included her familia, she had simply thought it was for the best given all that had happened recently. That said, it did not do much to decrease her embarrassment.

"But you suspected before then, correct?" the prum continued to push.

"Yes. It's been many years since I suspected I viewed him as more than a friend, but was unable or unwilling to admit it," she answered, her embarrassment growing further.

"Zeus's party for Foundation Day."

Finn and Riveria turned to Gareth.

"Pardon?" Riveria asked.

"That's when you started to fall for him. Zeus's Foundation Day party where you and Achilles played the piano together. Lean On Me, I believe it was. I saw the way your eyes changed after the song. They had a warmth in them that only comes about one way."

Riveria's face was burning now. Not only had Gareth been aware of her feelings, he had known the whole time. Longer than she technically had.

"Wow, the Foundation Day party? Really? That was a long time ago. Loki familia had barely started getting a name for itself back then. And, fell for him? Don't tell me you're in love with him Riveria?" Finn questioned.

She sighed.

"Yes. I am in love with Achilles."

"Huh. And here I was hoping it was simple attraction. Love makes it a bit more complicated."

"I am aware," she stated.

"Hm, well the others won't be happy, and I'm sure Bete will have a few words to say about it, but as long as it doesn't negatively affect the familia and you're responsible about it, there's not really a problem if you decide to pursue this."

Riveria did not fail to notice the suggestion in his words.

"I remind you that I am the oldest person in this room, Finn Deimne, and I do not need a lecture in responsibility," she said indignantly.

"That would have a lot more weight to it if you hadn't been acting like a schoolgirl the last few hours."

Riveria's blush grew as Gareth laughed.

"Ah leave her alone Finn. This whole thing has, no doubt, been quite the ordeal. Achilles is a good man, but he isn't known for making things easier for anyone."

"No. No he is not," Riveria agreed, allowing herself the smallest of smiles.

"Well, while I'd love to tease you more about it, I guess that's all there really is to say on the matter. Though I suppose Gareth and I are going to have to go and have a talk with him about treating our favorite elf right."

"Don't. You. Dare."

Gareth laughed again just before a knock came at the door.

"Come in," Finn called, curious as to who it could be.

Lefiya entered out of breath.

"Lefiya? What's going on?" he asked.

"There-," she took a breath. "There's been an attack."

---

The Hestia familia, plus one made their way up the last of the stairs that led out of the Dungeon, carrying quite the load. Overall, the day had been a successful one, even if everything that had happened had left them more concerned than elated. They had collected the Goliath stone, the Rivira citizens being kind enough to break it into smaller pieces for a 'small' price. Still, they're minds were in quite the state as a thousand and one things went through each of their minds. But things only got worse when, upon exiting the Dungeon, they found Eina standing before them looking extremely anxious.

"Eina-san?" Bell called.

Her head snapped to him.

"Bell!" she cried and ran up to them. "Thank goodness you're okay."

"Why wouldn't I be?" he asked, confused.

"Miach familia was attacked."

Everyone's eyes widened.

"What?!" Bell cried in alarm.

"It only happened a short time ago. No one's sure who attacked them or why, but the city is in a panic."

"I have an idea who and why," Achilles growled.

"Who?" Bell asked. His father's response was to stare him directly in the eye. That was all that Bell needed and his eyes turned cold and his fists bled white. "Oh."

"Haruhime. Lili. Welf. Mikoto. Ryuu. Head to the Guild and drop off the stones, then immediately go home, preferable with a Guild escort," Achilles ordered.

"What? Why?!" Lili demanded. "Where are you and Bell-sama going?"

"We will go to Miach's and secure the area."

"And why aren't we coming?!" Welf demanded.

"Because taking along all these magic stones will only slow us down. Added onto that, if you manage to get home, Hestia can update your statuses which, in your case Ryuu, will be a major boon with what I suspect will be a level up. You'll take the lead of everyone else and make sure they get back safely. Once you've all returned home, you'll need to decide on a plan of action. Whether to join up with us, regroup with the other familia or to batten down the hatches. I'll leave that up to your judgment."

"You aren't our captain and we won't abandon Bell-sama!" Lili screamed.

"Everyone," they all turned to Bell. "Do as he says."

"But...Bell-sama," the prum lady said, her eyes begging him not to push them away.

"We need to play this as smart as we can, but we also can't abandon Miach familia. Dad and I will go and protect them. Once they're safe, we'll head straight back home."

"Do you promise?" Lili asked, her eyes pleading with him.

He smiled at her.

"I promise."

Not happy, but at least placated, Lili took a deep breath and nodded.

"Fine."

The others looked equally apprehensive about the situation, but if Lili was willing to concede, then they could too.

"Alright. We'll drop off the stones then immediately book it for home and inform Hestia-sama of the situation," Welf said.

"We'll also send a message to the other familia," Mikoto added.

Achilles and Bell nodded, looking at the two remaining members of Hestia familia. Haruhime was still greatly concerned but, after catching Bell's eyes, she nodded as well, trusting him wholeheartedly. Finally came Ryuu.

"I will not fail," she vowed.

The two captains nodded.

"We know," Bell said. "Eina-san." She turned to him. "Would you please escort my familia back to the Guild then provide them an escort back to our manor? We'll pay whatever we need to.

"No payment will be necessary. I'll arrange for it as quickly as possible," she said.

"Thank you," Bell replied. He turned to his father. "Let's go."

"Right," Achilles grabbed him and threw him onto his back. "Hold on tight, I'm faster than Aiz and I don't plan on making this a brisk walk in the park," he said.

Bell tightened his arms and put his head down as his father began to chant.

"Make me faster than even the gods. Lightning Steps!"

A second later, the two shot off into the sky in the direction of Miach familia's shop.

"Please be safe," every member of the Hestia familia thought as they watched the two fly away.

---

The two landed in front of the Miach store with Bell immediately displaying his horror and Achilles's eyes lowering in unquestionable anger.

The store was utterly destroyed. The glass was shattered, the door battered into splinters, and every item within the store obliterated, from potions to lamps. It also appeared that the attackers had attempted to set a fire as scorch marks were present on the walls.

A crowd had appeared around the shop, and Guild officials alongside members of Ganesha familia were attempting to control the situation.

"Hey, you can't be here!" one of the Guild employees shouted at Achilles and Bell.

Achilles turned his glare to the official, freezing them in place, and was about to respond when a familiar voice called out.

"Achilles-san? Bell-san?"

They all turned to see Shakti approaching them.

"Shakti-san," Achilles said, some of the tension leaving his body. "I'm glad to see you here."

"But why are you two here?" she asked.

"The Miach familia are our allies and friends, it's only natural that we came running," he answered.

"Are they alright?!" Bell cut in, not able to restrain himself any longer.

Shakti turned to him and sighed.

"I wouldn't use that word to describe them. But, they're alive and our healers are healing them over there," she said, pointing towards where their friends were.

Bell immediately ran off to go check on them, allowing Shakti to turn back to Achilles.

"It was-."

"We know who it was," he said firmly. Then, with a voice colder than arctic snow he said. "And we'll deal with them shortly."

Despite being a level five captain and veteran of Orario, Shakti could not help the shiver that went up her spine at that.

Bell ran towards where Shakti had points and a few moments later, found the Miach familia. The moment he did, he froze.

Cassandra and Daphne were beaten up, but nothing too serious, though Bell wasn't sure if that was because of the healers or luck. However, Naaza was much worse. Not only did she have bandages all over her, including a bloody one wrapped around her head, but he could not fail to notice that her silver arm was missing. Next to her, holding her hand, was Miach who, luckily, appeared uninjured.

"Naaza-san," Bell said, barely able to form the words.

The canine girl heard him and turned her eyes to him.

"Bell-san."

This caught the attention of the rest of Miach familia who turned to him.

"Evening, Bell-san," Miach said, his voice filled with concern he felt.

"Miach-sama," a wave of guilt crashed into Bell and he bowed. "I so sor-."

"No Bell."

Bell looked up, though he remained bowed before them.

"You do not know need to apologize. This wasn't your fault," the god stated.

"But it was because of what I-."

"No. No it wasn't. This was done by brutes who lack civility and any semblance of self-control. You did not do a thing."

Bell wanted to argue, but seeing the god's eyes, then those of his captain caused the words to get stuck in his throat. His eyes quickly shifted to Cassandra and Daphne, the first of whom quickly nodded her agreement with her god. Bell's eyes then landed on Daphne who, after staring directly into Bell's eyes for a few seconds that could have been days for all he was aware, gave him one, firm nod.

Bell knew he wasn't going to win this one, and so he accepted his defeat and stood back up.

"We'll help in anyway we can," he said.

Miach allowed himself a small smile and nodded.

"Much appreciated."

"Bell!"

Everyone turned and were surprised to find Aiz appear before them.

"Aiz-san! What are you doing here?" Bell asked.

"We heard what happened and I rushed over as quickly as I could," she said.

"I-I don't know what to say," he replied.

"Just tell me how I can help," the Sword Princess said.

In spite of the situation, Bell smiled, once more happy that he had fallen in love with the adventurer before him. Before he could respond however, several more of her familia appeared.

"Geez Aiz, don't go running off without us," Tiona said, while Tione nodded and Bete growled.

"I'm sorry," Aiz replied.

"Ah, I'm not really mad, at least not at you. The guys that did this however," she cracked her knuckles. "They're asking for a pounding."

"That they are," Achilles said, walking up to them alongside Shakti. "But we have other matters to attend to first, namely getting the Miach familia somewhere safe."

"They can stay at Twilight Manor," Aiz offered.

"No," Bell said firmly. "They should go to Hearthfire Manor. This happened because of their connection to us. It's only right they go there."

"Bell-san, I already said-," Miach tried to say.

"Miach-sama," Bell cut in. "Please."

The firm, but desperate way he said that made it impossible for the god to deny him, not that any of those present questioned his capitulation.

"Alright," he said with a nod. "We'll go to your home."

"Thank you. Aiz-san," Bell said, turning to the girl who held his heart in her unknowing hands. "Would you and the rest of Loki familia please escort they to our home?"

"Of course," Aiz answered immediately, though she and the other could not help but notice the way he said that. "Are you not coming?" she asked.

"The rest of my familia went to the Guild with Eina-san. We need to go make sure they got their safely."

Everyone noticed that there was something off about the way that Bell said that. Something that didn't seem to fit. Indeed, to all of them, it sounded like a lie.

"But he wouldn't lie. Would he?" Aiz asked.

"Alright," she said, not being able to accept the idea of him lying. "We'll meet you at Hearthfire Manor."

"Thank you," Bell said with a smile. "We'll see you soon."

Aiz, Tiona, Tione, and Shakti all walked over to the Miach familia to explain the situation. Bete, however, stayed behind just long enough to say one thing.

"Don't get yourself killed, rabbit."

Bell met his eyes and gave him a nod.

"I won't."

The wolf man nodded in turn and walked away without another word, leaving behind Achilles and Bell.

"You promised that once the Miach familia was safe we would return to the others," his father pointed out.

"I did, and the best way to ensure they're safe is to make sure the ones who attacked them don't attack them again," Bell said, his voice unnaturally dark for the cheerful young man.

"I see," Achilles replied. "And I agree. Though we'd best be prepared for the punishment the others are sure to give us for lying."

"If it means that everyone's safe, I'll take whatever they can throw at us."

Achilles smiled down at his son proudly.

"Alright. Let's go teach her some decency."

Both their eyes pointed towards the Tower of Babel where they knew a certain goddess was looking down on the two of them, awaiting their arrival.

---

Freya patiently sipped her wine as she waited for her dearly beloved guests to arrive. Not that she would have to wait long for them to arrive.

The sound of bells ringing outside her door was the only warning she and the members of her familia currently with her were given before the doors were blown open by the enraged Firebolt of Bell Cranel.

She turned around with a smile.

"You two do know how to make an entrance," she said in her usual calm, seductive manner, even as the officers of her familia all took up defensive positions around their goddess. The only exception was Ottar who stood in his normal place right beside Freya.

Bell and Achilles walked into the room, weapons drawn and staring directly at the goddess with nothing but utter contempt.

"Explain yourself. Now," Achilles demanded, his teeth practically causing sparks as they grinded together.

Freya stared into the raging infernos that were her beloveds' eyes at the moment, and though it gave her the most pleasant of tingles up her spine at seeing their strength, she decided that antagonizing them would not be the best play at the moment.

"Several members of my familia attacked the Miach familia and destroyed their shop," she admitted readily enough. "They did so without my orders, indeed going against my explicit instructions not to harm either of you or anyone connected to you."

"Don't you dare lie," Bell stated, his eyes burning even more terribly than before.

Freya shivered.

"To think he could look at me like that. Such fire. Such power. If only if was under better circumstances."

"I'm not lying, Bell-kun," she swore. "After the party I thought a great deal on how best to win both of you to my side-."

"You won't," Bell cut in. This earned him several glares and growls from the Freya familia, but a quick glare from Achilles warned them of the foolishness of any action against the young captain. Freya, naturally, was unaffected. Her Bell-kun was angry, she understood that and did not begrudge him that. His loyalty and protectiveness were two of the aspects that had made him so strong, so seeing them come forth was neither surprising nor displeasing.

"The best prizes in life are not easily won," she replied simply.

Now it was Achilles's whose eyes turned more ferocious as the words she had chosen, intentionally or otherwise, hit a nerve.

"That said, I swear that I did not order the attack on the Miach familia. Indeed, to show that I am being honest, I will swear to you both that by noon tomorrow, not only will I have personally punished the offenders, but I will have, ready for your collection, all the money necessary to rebuild the Miach familia shop twice over. I will also have the offenders clean up the mess they created. All of this I swear on my honor as a goddess, the head of my familia, and a woman."

Things were silent for some time. Both Bell and Achilles continued to glare at Freya, who simply continued to smile, knowing that her offer, even if genuine, would not be easily accepted. They had come prepared for a battle, and truth be told, she actually hoped that one would still occur.

"Who would win? The leaders of the most powerful familia in the world, defending their goddess, or the invincible father-son pair burning with justice-seeking rage?" she asked herself, the thought of which nearly bringing her over the edge as she subtly bit her lip to prevent herself from crying out.

Finally, Bell made his reply.

"Noon tomorrow."

Slightly disappointed, but still reveling in all that she was witnessing, Freya nodded.

"Not a minute later."

Bell stared into her eyes a moment longer before finally turning away.

"We'll be back then," he said before beginning to walk away.

Freya, now devoid of the eyes of her younger love, turned to the elder of the objects of her affections, whose eyes were still just as fiery as before.

"We won't tolerate any tricks, Freya," he stated before he too turned to leave, following after his son without so much as a glance back.

Freya watched them go with an unwavering smile.

"Oh, but Achilles, tricks are so much fun," she said, loud enough only for herself to hear.

---

Achilles and Bell stood before the gate of Hearthfire Manor, both knowing what was to come.

"You ready?" Achilles asked.

"Yeah," Bell replied readily.

"Alright."

The two walked through the gates and entered the mansion.

"I'm home, Hestia-sama," Bell called.

The sound of rushing met their ears and a moment later the goddess of the household appeared before them.

Bell felt his heart squeeze painfully in his chest.

She was crying. Tears streamed down her face, eyes red, and her hair was a mess. Even so, she held within her eyes an anger, disappointment, and terror that made the two men desperate to look away. But they didn't. They couldn't. They didn't deserve to.

"You lied," she said, her voice shaking to the point of near collapse.

"I did," Bell conceded immediately.

That did nothing to calm Hestia as the anger within her roared forth.

"Why Bell!? Why!?" she demanded.

"We needed to confront Freya."

"You need to confront…" Hestia's knuckles, had they not been covered by gloves, would have appeared bone white to the two adventurers after hearing that. "You needed to come home!" she screamed. "You needed to be safe! You needed to be with your familia! With me!"

"I'm sorry, Hestia-sama, but I thought that this was the best way to protect you all."

"You thought…?" Hestia looked ready to burst. Unable to hold it anymore, she ran up to him and began beating on his chest with her fists. "You are forbidden from thinking ever again! You will just do what you're told! And you!" she turned to Achilles. "You should have prevented this!"

"I would have had I thought it was not the right thing to do. As things were and are, I do think it was the right thing to do," Achilles answered calmly.

"You thought…?! Ah!" she screamed again. "Like father like son! Or like son...like...father...ah!"

"Hestia, please."

The three turned to find that it was Miach who had called out to the now raging goddess. However, he was not alone. Not only was the Hestia familia present, all of whom currently looking at the two captains with hurt, angry eyes, but the Loki, Hephaestus, Ganesha and Takemikazuchi familia were also present, looking at the two with some level of disappointment if not outright anger. The only ones present that did not appear as such were the Miach familia who felt that the current situation was their fault, and thus shifted no blame to the two captains.

"No Miach," Hestia quickly said. "These two broke their promise not to lie and did so in such a way that put them in danger, they have to be punished!" she declared.

Miach looked like he wanted to argue with this, but Bell quickly spoke again.

"I accept whatever punishment you see fit to give me, Hestia-sama," Bell said, bowing.

"As do I," Achilles added, also bowing.

The sight of the two bowing before her only made Hestia's fury boil all the more as she knew what their submission meant. It meant they knew they had done something wrong and yet had done it anyway.

"Good. Then there will be no complaints," the loli goddess said, shooting Miach a glare. Said god quickly backed down, knowing his efforts were pointless now. "Well," Hestia continued. "If you two are going to be punished then I need you to get on your knees, Achilles."

That gained the curiosity and interest of all present, but Achilles did as she ordered without a word.

"Good. Now."

A crack echoed through the hall.

A nice red mark appeared on Achilles cheek, courtesy of Hestia's slap.

"Now Bell," she said.

Another crack resounded through the hall, but Hestia was so angry at her captain that a single slap would simply not do, so she struck him again, this time on the other cheek.

"Now," she said again, her hands on her hips as she stared at their red cheeks. "You two are going to stay right there and let everyone, and I do mean everyone, slap you for lying and for the pain you've caused us. Am I understood?"

"Hestia," now it was Takemikazuchi who jumped in. "That seems a bit-."

"We understand," Bell and Achilles answered simultaneously.

A few looks of surprise passed amongst those present, but a look of triumph was the only thing present on Hestia's face.

"Good. Then we'll start with my familia."

Despite the absurdity of the situation, people soon found themselves lining up with Lili being the first after Hestia.

She went up to Achilles first, striking him twice, once on both cheeks, before turning her real rage at Bell.

"You lied!" she cried as she struck him. "You promised you'd come straight home!" another slap. "Why Bell-sama?! Why?!" she began beating on his chest and crying.

Achilles could practically feel how badly his son wanted to wrap his arms around the prum girl, apologize, and beg not only her forgiveness, but for her to stop crying. But he didn't. Now wasn't the time. Now was the time for him to receive his punishment.

Next came Ryuu who said nothing, only glared down at the two before giving them both a single strike and moving on to allow Welf to come up. He decided to return the head chop Bell had given him the last time lies had been uncovered, and gave Achilles a solid punch to the chest. Mikoto was next and her hand soon cracked against both their cheeks, though it was very clearly at least somewhat restrained. Finally came Haruhime who walked up to them looking very uncomfortable.

"Go on Haruhime. Give 'em a good whack!" Hestia beckoned.

"I-I...I can't," she said.

"Yes you can! And you will. This is their punishment," Hestia ordered.

"Haruhime."

The renard turned to Achilles who looked her in the eye.

"It's okay."

In a way that made it worse for the poor girl, but the encouragement was enough for her to be able to accomplish the task and slap the ex-captain, though one might have more accurately called it a gentle caress. She then turned to Bell who also looked her in the eye and, with a nod, told her the same as his father. A terrible sense of self-loathing filled Haruhime as she realized what she was about to do, but she managed to reached her hand up and strike the white rabbit, only to immediately wrap her arms around him and begin apologizing.

Ryuu and Welf quickly pulled her off before Hestia got too mad, but the heartbroken look on the renard's face was enough to prevent any punishment even had they not.

"Next!" Hestia ordered.

Now it was the Loki familia who came to the forefront with, of all people, Bete, leading the way. Even more interestingly, he went to Bell first. He raised his fist, and just as everyone was expecting him to take this chance to punch Bell, he slowly lowered it and firmly, but not painfully, punched his shoulder.

"Knucklehead," he said.

Bell was surprised, but seeing the look that Bete gave him, he allowed himself a small smile, and a nod of respect.

The wolf returned the gesture before turning to Achilles and proceeding to sucker punch him square in the jaw.

"Been waiting to do that for a long time," he said.

Achilles barely held in a growl as he resituated himself and checked to make sure his jaw wasn't dislocated.

Next up was Tiona who, following Bete's example, gave both men such a slap to the face that they were both checking to make sure nothing was cracked or dislocated. They should have waited to do this as, right after, Tione followed and proceeding to do just as her sister had done.

"Amazons," Achilles thought as he prayed his brain hadn't smashed against his skull.

Next was Gareth, who promptly knocked his fist against both of their heads, causing Achilles to groan out another mental complaint.

"She said slap."

Finn approached and proceeded to aggravate Achilles more as he flicked the two captains on the forehead with a force greater than the two Amazons' slaps, which in turn caused them both to lose their composure and grabbed their foreheads.

Lefiya followed her captain, slapping both the men twice, though no one failed to notice that she seemed extra vigorous when it came to Bell.

Loki was next and, after making some excuse about not wanting to break a nail, she poured wine on top of both their heads, quickly stating that it wasn't any good anyway.

Finally came the person Bell had been waiting for. Aiz.

The Sword Princess walked right passed Achilles as she had only one person she wished to confront at the moment.

"You lied," she said simply.

"I did."

The two stared at each other for a moment, long enough for the ladies of Hestia familia to begin to broil, when Aiz grabbed her sword.

Achilles had been ready to take whatever punishment Hestia had seen fit to give, but there was a limit, and seeing Aiz reach for her sword immediately pushed passed that limit and caused him to reach for his own blade.

Everyone tensed as she pulled out her weapon and more than a few noticed that Achilles's hand was gripping his, ready to step in if she dared to use the blade. However, she proceeded to walk over to the wall, put the weapon down, and instead grabbed her scabbard. Then, before anyone could realize what she was doing, she cracked Bell on the top of the head.

The blow sent Bell to his knees as he grabbed his now aching head.

"You will not do it again," she said firmly.

There was something in the way she said that that, in turn, made Bell only able to nod.

Satisfied, Aiz turned away and grabbed her sword.

"Well, I suppose I must balance things out," Riveria said, stepping forward.

She walked over to Achilles and their eyes met.

"I'm not as physically strong as the others, so I'm going to have to mix it up a bit to give you the proper amount of punishment."

Before anyone could ask what they meant, she began to chant. It wasn't long before Achilles's eyes narrowed and his shoulders slumped.

"I know that spell."

"Don't worry," she said with a smile. "I'll make sure it's not strong enough to do any real damage."

Achilles closed his eyes as she reached her hand up. The hand then came down and, to the shock of everyone, an explosion rocked the room and sent Achilles flying a few feet to the side.

"Ow," he said.

"There," Riveria said. "That should do it."

"A little bit of revenge for the embarrassment you caused me today," she thought, knowing this was an excuse to vent a bit, but not caring all that much. He could take it after all. It was one of the things she loved about him.

Everyone watched her rejoin her familia with wide eyes, accept for Achilles, who was too busy reconnecting what he now knew for certainty, was a dislocated jaw, and probably some hairline fractures.

The Takemikazuchi and Hephaestus familia followed. Luckily for Bell and Achilles, Hephaestus had only brought Tsubaki, so two slaps from the powerful ladies was all that was necessary. The same was true of Ganesha, as he had only brought Shakti. The captain had readily punished the two, along with Eina who had done as requested and escorted the Hestia familia home, but it was only after facing the terrifying rage of Hestia that Ganesha submitted, feeling, initially, that it went against his nature as the god of the masses to strike the two. But one glare from the goddess of the Hearth and he'd submitted. The Miach familia also politely declined to take part, no matter how much Hestia ordered them to, as it just didn't sit well with them given all that had happened. And so, with cheeks so burning hot you could have seen them in the dark, as well a number of other injuries that the two would need looked at, the punishment was over.

"Alright," Hestia said. "You've been punished and I everyone seems satisfied." A few nods were all the confirmation she needed. "Now tell us what happened with Freya,"

"May I humbly request we be healed before we begin talking?" Achilles asked, the pain in his jaw still very much present.

Hestia consented and Riveria and Cassandra proceeded to heal the two, Riveria smiling at the glare she was receiving from Achilles.

"That was totally unnecessary," his eyes growled at her.

"I know," hers playfully responded.

With the two all healed up, they took their place on the couch in the adjacent room and began to tell them what happened.

"After we separated from the others we headed straight for Freya. Both of us could sense that she was in her room at the top of Babel," Achilles began. "As we made our way to the top, Bell's Argonaut skill began to ring and so he," Achilles couldn't help but smile here. "Decided to make a proper entrance."

"How?" Hestia asked, not failing to notice the smile.

"I shot an enhanced Firebolt at her door," the rabbit-like captain responded.

Everyone was silent for a moment, being able to do no more than blink a few times.

"O~~kay," Loki finally said. "Can't imagine her kiddies liked that much."

"They didn't, but we didn't care," Achilles stated.

A few sighs passed through the room, but Hestia pressed on.

"Then what happened."

"We demanded answers," the ex-captain said. "Freya readily confessed that it was members of her familia that attacked Miach's shop." More than one pair of eyes lowered into a glare at this. "But she swore, not only that she hadn't ordered the attack, but that they had gone explicitly against her orders."

"Bullshit," Loki said.

"We thought so too," Bell entered. "But, to show her good intentions, she promised not only to punish the members herself, but also to have compensation for Miach-sama ready by noon tomorrow and to have the ones responsible clean up the mess."

That gave everyone pause.

"Do you think she'll make good on that?" Hestia asked.

"Surprising...yes," Achilles answered.

Everyone was quiet again for a moment as they contemplated that.

"Then," Miach spoke up. "What do you think she's planning? Why did she attack our shop?"

They all looked at Achilles expectantly, unfortunately he could only shrug.

"I don't know. In a way, this situation is more complicated they I care to admit. Yes, this is Freya and it's far more than likely this is a part of some plan of hers. However, given the widely known infatuation Freya's children have for her, it's not entirely out of the realm of possibility that they did, indeed, act on their own. It's at least plausible enough that we can't just point the finger and say that she's the one behind it."

"But you do think she is behind it?" Hephaestus asked.

"Either that or she knew about it and decided not to stop it, at least that's my guess," he replied. "Towards what end, I can't say specifically, broadly though I can certainly make a guess."

Everyone nodded, knowing what he meant.

"So what do we do?" Hestia questioned.

"The only thing we can do. We go tomorrow and see if she keeps her word," he said.

"There's nothing else?" Naaza asked.

Achilles sighed.

"Not unless we want to fulfill what half the city is afraid of happening and start a war in the streets," he stated honestly, though it pained him that he couldn't give her a better answer.

No one liked that idea, but that didn't make things any better as they were forced to swallow what they were sure was some part of Freya's plan.

"Then tomorrow, the three of us are all going to collect what Freya promised tomorrow," Hestia finally declared.

"You're coming, Hestia-sama?" Bell asked.

"Of course! There's no way that I'm leaving you two alone with her again. With me there it'll be harder for her to try and pull something."

Achilles nodded.

"That seems fair."

"Good. Then it's settled. Tomorrow, Bell-kun, Achilles, and I will all go to the Tower of Babel and collect from Freya. If we're not back quickly, you'll all know something's happened."

"In which case, what?" Loki asked, though she already knew.

"In which case, what Orario's been fearing since the party will have begun," Achilles put bluntly.

Everyone nodded solemnly, hoping it wouldn't come to that.

"Alright, with that out of the way, I think we all need some rest," Hestia said.

"That sounds wise," Miach agreed.

"Indeed. It's been quite the eventful day," Achilles added.

"Haruhime, would you mind showing the Miach familia to the spare bedrooms?" Hestia asked.

"Of course, Hestia-sama," the renard readily replied.

"Thank you, Hestia. For everything," Miach said with a bow.

"Oh stop that. We're friends. This is what friends do," she replied with a wave of her hand.

He smiled then joined his familia as Haruhime escorted them towards their rooms.

Achilles took this as his sign to get up and he proceeded to make his way out of the room and upstairs where his own bed was waiting. Just before he reached his door, Bell called out to him.

"Dad."

He turned and gave his son a tired smile.

"What is it, Bell?"

"Shouldn't we have told Loki familia about what happened in the Dungeon? With that Enyo person?"

"Perhaps. But I figured that everyone had enough on their minds at the moment. I'll talk to them at the nearest possible moment, hopefully tomorrow, after all this is over."

Bell saw the logic in that and nodded.

"Alright."

Achilles, seeing the maturity of his newly minted son, gently stroked his head.

"You really are something, Bell. Few would have been able to handle what you did today with the grace and dignity you showed. I am very proud of you."

Bell blushed lightly, but smiled nonetheless.

"Thanks Dad."

Achilles brought him into a hug and held him for a moment, reveling in the relationship he had formed with the young adventurer and happy that he'd been so lucky.

Bell was thinking much the same. He'd never had a father figure in his life, the closest being his grandfather, naturally, and to now have one in his life was something he would always be thankful for.

"Good night Bell," Achilles said, pulling back.

"Good night Dad."

The two parted and made their way to their respective rooms, neither knowing that Haruhime was watching from just down the hall, smiling at the display she had been allowed to witness.

---

Hestia, Bell, and Achilles stood at the entrance to Hearthfire Manor, ready to confront Freya in the Tower of Babel. The rest of Hestia familia, along with their allied familia were before them, all of them trying their best not to seem nervous for what was to come.

"We're heading out," Hestia said to all those gathered.

"If anything happens, just send us a sign and we'll come running," Hephaestus said.

"I'm sure we can manage that," Achilles said.

"Good," the smith goddess replied.

"Well, as much as I'd like to keep that perverted goddess waiting, I don't want Miach's shop to be in its current state for a moment longer than it needs to be, so let's get going!" the goddess of the hearth declared.

The three left and began the trek towards the Tower of Babel, each desperately hoping they weren't walking into a trap.

The walk there was unnaturally quiet and each of them noticed that they were receiving looks. However, unlike the ones Bell had received the day before, these were filled with a far greater degree of worry and fear.

"The entire city's on edge," Achilles said.

"I can imagine why. If Freya decides to, the whole city could be dragged into a conflict not of their making. She's already shown she's willing to go to war and now everyone knows why," Hestia stated.

"It won't come to that," Bell said, his voice firm and unwavering.

The two turned to him and, after quickly sharing a look, smiled.

"Well, if you're saying it won't, then it won't," Achilles said.

The three made it to the Tower of Babel and began their trek up. Just like outside, those they passed looked at them with nervous eyes, and Achilles noted that there were fewer adventurers about. Perhaps their deity had called them back in case things spilled over or perhaps they were just afraid, it didn't really matter, he simply hoped that by the end of the day their fear would be deemed unnecessary.

Finally they reached the top of Babel where the doors that had been blow open had already been replaced and were now guarded by the two elves that helped make up Freya's highest officers.

"Our lady is waiting for you," the blonde elf stated.

"You will be on your best behavior," the dark elf warned.

Achilles was about to bite back with a snarky reply, but was surprised when Bell beat him to it.

"No promises."

Hestia was clearly surprised, but whatever surprise the elves may have carried was easily overshadowed by their anger at his blatant disrespect. Still, this was their mistress's beloved, and thus they could do nothing but push open the doors and let them in.

The three entered and were immediately greeted by the sight of Freya standing before them, smiling, with numerous chests before her.

"Welcome," she greeted. "As promised, the compensation for Miach's shop and," she waved her hand. A moment later a group of adventurers walked forward, their heads bowed. "The adventurers responsible."

Hestia, Bell, and Achilles all eyed the adventurers, attempting to gauge if this was some sort of trick. However, none of them would even so much as raise their head and they remained utterly motionless. Not getting anything from them, Achilles walked over towards the chests, bringing him closer to Freya, who smiled more brightly at his approach. He spared her barely more than a glance before he opened the chest and found them each filled with valis. He was silent for a moment, acting as if he was counting to make sure she hadn't jipped them. But he already knew it was all there and that Freya would not react to his not so subtle way of calling her a liar. Even so, if he managed to piss off her familia a bit, he'd feel a bit better about the situation.

"This should do it," he finally said to Hestia.

The goddess of the sacred fire nodded.

"Good. Then we'll be taking the valis and those adventurers with us," she said.

"Of course," Freya replied, still smiling. "They shall clean up the mess they made and, with any luck, Miach's shop will be back within a few weeks, and better than ever," she then looked over her shoulder and Allen walked forward. "Allen will accompany you and watch over them to ensure they do as I have ordered to the letter. If their actions are in any way unsatisfactory, simply inform Allen and he will pass the message to me and I shall punish them again for their failure to atone."

"Why is it Allen? Where's Ottar?" Achilles asked himself.

Hestia nodded.

"Thank you. We will do so, if necessary," Hestia said.

"I hope you do. If my familia where to fail in simply cleaning up their own messes I would be deeply ashamed."

"We won't fail you, Freya-sama!" one of the adventurers suddenly declared.

"We will never bring shame to you, Freya-sama!" another declared.

"We would rather die!"

Freya's smile grew.

"You see? They'll do exactly as they are told," she said.

Not keen only allowing things to end on her terms, Achilles walked over the adventurers, his eyes boring down on them with such ferocity that they could not help but look up.

"We will be the ones to determine if you succeed or fail," he stated, his voice leaving no room for argument.

Freya brought a hand up to cover her growing smile.

"Oh Achilles, I love it when you're like that."

---

Achilles had been watching the clean up like a hawk for the last few hours, his eyes warily checking for any suspicious actions. However, there had been none. The adventurers had been doing what Freya had said they would. Cleaning up the shop they had destroyed.

Of course, he wasn't the only one suspicious. The moment they had left the Tower, they had found the rest of Hestia familia and all their allied familia waiting for them outside. After they had explained the situation they had all lost a great deal of the tension they were carrying, but Miach familia, namely Daphne and Naaza, had been glaring at the Freya adventurers the entire time and even now, as the mess was being cleaned up, still refused to look at the Freya adventurer's with anything but contempt.

Almost everyone else had left after Hestia had explained the situation, happy things hadn't devolved into a fight and ready to get back to something akin to a regular day. The only one who had remained was, interestingly enough, Aiz, who had volunteered to stay just in case. Hestia had protested this, but she had been quickly shut down by the other gods who pointed out her jealousy was no reason to prevent extra security. Begrudgingly, the loli goddess had accepted, though she had ordered that Bell not flirt, much to Aiz's confusion and Bell's embarrassment.

Of course, Hestia's order had gone completely ignored. While the two weren't flirting per say, Achilles could not have failed to notice that they stayed close to each other the entire time they were watching the clean up and that the only time they turned away from it was when they were focusing on each other.

"Your girl is undoubtedly in the lead, Riveria, but I know she hasn't given up on the Dragon yet, she's just found a limit to her hatred. Besides, with Bell's recent revelation, there's no way my girl's out of the race yet, all she needs is a little confidence and she start closing the gap, of that I'm sure."

Turning away from the affection and fluff that the two youngsters were giving off, he focused on something much less smile-inducing.

Allen stared at Bell and Aiz with unrestrained disgust.

"Why my lady holds him in such high regard I will never understand. Yet, in spite of having her heart, he pines after the Sword Princess. The moment my lady loses interest in him I will punish him severely for his transgression."

"Jealous?"

Allen turned, displeased, not only to find someone had snuck up on him, but on discovering who it was.

"I should rip out your tongue for such an insult," the catman said.

"And here I thought I taught you a lesson in modesty not too long ago," Achilles replied.

Allen growled, remembering his humiliation.

"You got lucky."

"I was weakened. Greatly so, thanks to your mistress. If I could slam your head into the ground in that state then there's no hope of you ever beating me," the Olympian countered.

Allen growled as the grip on his spear tightened.

"Is there something you wanted?"

"Where's Ottar?"

Allen snorted.

"He has other business to attend to."

"And that business is?"

Allen let out a single chuckle.

"You might be able to kill me, Olympian, but you can't make me talk."

Achilles stared down at his smiling face for a moment, before leaning in so that they were mere inches apart.

"You do not want to tempt me to try...boy."

---

Haruhime walked through the streets of Orario with easy steps.

This morning had been so stressful and everyone had been afraid of what was to come, and yet, their worry had been for naught. Freya had done as she said she would and even now, the Miach store was being cleaned up and soon would be repaired better than ever.

With the fear of a war in the streets no longer looming over their heads, she had headed out to collect groceries to refill their pantry. She decided that she would make something extra special tonight to ease away the rest of everyone's worries. This, however, was not to be.

"Sanjouno Haruhime."

She stopped. She would recognize that voice anywhere.

Slowly, she turned.

"O-Ottar-sama," she said, barely managing to get out her voice.

"Please come with me. My lady wishes to speak with you."

"W-With me? W-Why?"

"You will find out shortly. Come."

Nothing about his voice was threatening, then again it didn't need to be. This was Ottar. The 'King' of Orario. He could take her as easily as a child picks a flower. She had to go with him, no matter how much she desperately wished not to.

She began to follow.

The captain of Freya familia evidently knew ways of getting around the city unseen as they moved through paths that Haruhime had never passed through before and not once did it seem they were even at risk of being detected by the many people now moving about the city. In a way, she found herself impressed by this. Here was one of the most powerful people in the city, perhaps even the most powerful, Achilles being the only other potential candidate for that position, moving about completely undetected. If nothing else, his enormous size should have garnered attention, but he never did.

"I suppose it take more than brute strength to become the most powerful in Orario," she recognized.

Finally, they stopped in front of what Haruhime immediately recognized as the home of the Freya familia.

"We made it all the way here undetected?" Even if she had just conceded Ottar's skill, it was still as impressive as it was disquieting.

The two made their way inside and began to triverse the halls. She found herself increasing nervous as, no matter how long they walked, not a single member of Freya familia passed them by. It was as if the whole mansion was abandoned.

"Um..excuse me...Ottar-sama but...where is everyone?"

"Training."

Something about the way he said that made the hair on her tail stand on end.

After walking for longer than Haruhime knew, they arrived at an elaborately decorated door. It wasn't the door to the ballroom, and it seemed too small to be something like a throne room. She wasn't allowed to contemplate for long as Ottar knocked on the door. Not a moment later, the unmistakable voice of his goddess answered.

"Come in you two."

Ottar opened the door and Haruhime obediently followed.

Upon entering, Haruhime realized that this room was neither a ballroom nor a throne room. Instead, it was a bedroom. More importantly, given the luxurious bed that look more comfortable than anything she'd ever seen, the beautiful art arrayed across the walls, the silken curtains, the shelves of books, and the presence of the goddess herself, Haruhime realized that this was Freya's personal bedroom.

Freya was standing before a table with what looked like a bowl in front of her. Haruhime wondered what was in the bowl when the goddess called out to her.

"Sanjouno Haruhime."

The renard jumped, which caused Freya to laugh.

"No need to be so jumpy my dear, I only wish to talk to you," she said as Ottar took his place beside her.

"F-Forgive me, Freya-sama, but I have a hard time believing that. After everything that's happened, I am not sure that it is possible for you to 'only talk' with anyone," Haruhime replied, making sure not to look at Freya.

Freya's smile grew.

"You're not a fool. That's good. Bell-kun shouldn't be surrounded by fools. And you're correct, this isn't a simple social gathering."

Haruhime tensed. She was not the one holding the power here, but that didn't mean she wouldn't do her best to protect Bell from the woman before her.

"I assume this has something to do with Bell-sama."

"Correct again. I knew there was something I liked about you."

Freya walked over Haruhime and placed herself right before the girl. The eastern lady was almost hyperventilating and her terror was reaching a boiling point. Freya knew this and was content to simply stand before her for a moment. But only a moment. After staring down at the terrified fox girl, she grabbed Haruhime's chin and forced her to look up into her eyes.

Haruhime's heart stopped as she looked directly in Freya's eyes.

"Please no," she begged.

Freya smiled at her.

"Don't worry my dear, I'm not going to Charm you, though you certainly would make a beautiful addition to my familia. Then again, I'm not even sure I could Charm you. Given Bell's immunity and Achilles's resistance I'm beginning to doubt my ability to turn people."

"T-T-Then w-what do you want?" Haruhime asked.

Freya's smile grew and she leaned down until their lips were almost touching, once more filling Haruhime with fear as she begged for her first kiss not to be taken by someone other than Bell. But Freya did not kiss her.

"I want to know why my dear Achilles thinks you're the perfect person for my Bell-kun."

"W-What?" Haruhime barely managed to squeeze out.

Freya's eyes gained a predatory gleam.

"What makes you perfect for my Bell, Sanjouno Haruhime? What am I missing that you have?"

Haruhime was frozen. Freya had expected that. The girl was clearly afraid, which she actually found quite enjoyable. The power she had over the mortal was its own kind of intoxication. That said, she still wanted to answer. A real answer. A 'I don't know' would not suffice here. This girl would give her an answer and she would not leave until Freya was satisfied.

"Come now, Haruhime. Certainly Achilles told you why he wanted you and Bell to come together, didn't he?"

That's when, for a reason that Freya could not explain, everything changed.

To Freya's legitimate surprise, the girl's frightened gaze suddenly changed. First it shifted into something akin to realization and then, to Freya's actual shock, the girl's gaze turned hard as she broke away from Freya's grip and backed away a step.

"You wish to know why Achilles thinks I and Bell belong together?" she asked.

The firm, resolute tone took Freya aback, and yet intrigued her greatly.

"Yes. More now than ever," she said, her voice beginning to tingle with anticipation.

"Kindness."

A single perfect brow raised on the goddess's face.

"Kindness?"

"Yes," Haruhime said, her voice losing none of its surprising new strength. "You utterly lack kindness, compassion, gentleness, and the tenderness that men like Achilles and Bell not only need, but deserve. You can't give that to them because to you they aren't men. They aren't lovers that you wish to protect. To warm when they're cold. To comfort them when they cry or feel weak. They are but toys to you. Something to enjoy and discard when it no longer entertains you. In fact, you toy with those you claim to love, and in doing so you hurt them, like you hurt Achilles. I saw what you did to him at the party. The tears in his eyes. I do not love him in the same way I love Bell, but I love him enough to know his pain. To feel it piercing my heart. And that night, it was as if someone had ripped my heart out. You were hurting him so terribly. Tormenting him because to you, he was not Achilles, the man. The friend. The father. He was the Olympian. The legend. The idea. And then," Haruhime was quickly becoming overwhelmed by her feelings, but she could not stop. She would not stop. "Then you used your Charm. You stole who he was. The fire that makes up his soul all the while claiming that you loved him, when in truth, all you wanted to do was claim him as some sort of prize. That's not love. I don't know what it is, but I know the last thing someone who loves another would want to do is hurt them or steal away what makes them who they are and treat them as a thing. That is why Achilles believes I belong with Bell. Because I know that. Because I will never do to Bell what you did to Achilles. So do what you will, Freya-sama, but I will do what I must to protect those I love, even if that means making an enemy of you. Because they deserve someone who will treat them right and love them with all their hearts and who will not," she glared at Freya. "Use and discard them like you will."

Freya stared at Haruhime, her smile now gone and replaced with a look of curiosity.

"So you think you're worthy of Bell?"

"Yes," she answered immediately.

"More worthy than me?"

Haruhime was silent for a moment, but then, with a fire that actually caused Freya to take a step back, she answered.

"Yes."

Things were silent for a moment as the two ladies, one: the mistress of Orario's most powerful familia with a wit sharp enough to cut marble; the other: a foreign princess with a heart of the purest gold, simple stared at each other. Finally, a smile appeared on the lips of the elusive temptress.

"Oh my dear," she said as she strode back up to the renard, reached out her hand and stroked her cheek. "It's a pity I don't like to share, because you are simply delightful."

Haruhime said nothing, she simply continued to stare resolutely at the goddess. Not that Freya minded. The fire in her eyes was astounding and the only people she had ever seen with fires to match were her beloveds.

"Perhaps there's room for a third," she thought.

"Thank you for your time," Freya said. She turned and walked over to a nearby desk and pulled out a purse. "Here," she said handing it to Haruhime. "This should cover your groceries."

Haruhime looked at the purse, then back at Freya, before she grabbed it and bowed.

"Thank you."

That was the last thing she said to the goddess before she turned and left, leaving behind the pleased goddess and her stunned servant.

"Are you alright, my lady?" Ottar asked, having been concerned ever since he saw his mistress back away from the renard.

She turned and smiled at him.

"I'm fine, Ottar. That was quite something, wasn't it?"

"Indeed," he replied, his demeanor calming now that he knew his goddess was alright. "I was unaware she had just strength in her."

"As was I, but I can't say I'm disappointed, especially now that I have so much to think about."

"I'm glad to hear it, my lady. Is there anything you require of me?"

"No, that will be all. Although, I would like to ask a favor of you."

"Anything, my lady."

"Watch over that girl. It would be a shame if anything happened to her."

---

Haruhime did not remember going grocery shopping or returning home, yet, when she deposited the bags of produce, fresh meat, and assortment of goods down, she realized she somehow had done just that. She looked down and stared at the purse Freya had given her, now empty, courtesy of the groceries. She stared at it for a few moments, before walking over to a trash bin and throwing it away. That done, she began to work on dinner.

She worked silently, not humming as she had a tendency to do, instead focusing entirely on the task before her. She was so engrossed that it was only when she felt a hand on her shoulder that she was pulled from her thoughts.

She jumped and turned, finding a startled Bell looking at her with wide eyes.

"Bell-sama! I'm so sorry!"

"No, no, I should apologize," he quickly said.

"No, I wasn't paying attention, it's my fault."

"Well I shouldn't have scared you like that," he said, trying again to apologize.

"I should have heard you, I was too engrossed in what I was doing," she replied, not allowing him to take them blame.

Bell fell silent, opting instead to simply look at her.

"Is everything alright, Haruhime?"

The renard was quiet for a moment, unsure of how to answer. She wanted to tell him what happened with Freya, but not here. Not now.

"Bell-sama may we...may I speak with you later? Privately?"

"Uh," he seemed a bit lost, but nonetheless nodded. "Yes, of course."

"Thank you. I'll come to your room later. After dinner, if that's alright."

"O-Of course," he said, not really sure how else to respond.

"Thank you," she said, before turning back to dinner.

Not sure what else to do, Bell turned to leave, but not before giving her a final look towards her as he wondered what precisely she wanted to talk about.

A short time later everyone else returned for dinner and soon enough the entire Hestia familia, plus the Miach familia, and Achilles were all sitting down enjoying a nice meal.

"You've outdone yourself, Haruhime. This is even better than normal. I didn't know that was possible," Achilles complimented.

"Thank you," she replied with a blush. "I just wanted everyone to feel better so I made sure to work really hard today."

"Well I certainly feel better," Achilles said.

"I can second that," Welf added.

"Mhmm, it really is delicious, Haruhime-sama," Mikoto said.

"It is good," Daphne said.

"I like it," Cassandra said shyly.

"It really is good," Bell said, making sure to catch Haruhime's eyes. "Thank you."

Haruhime returned Bell's gaze, detecting within his eyes something more than praise. She quickly realized he was silently asking her to tell him what was going on to which she silently replied.

"Soon."

Luckily Bell got the message because Hestia, noticing that Bell and Haruhime were staring at each other, felt the need to jump in.

"Stop that!" she screamed, jumping in between them.

"Hestia-sama?!" Bell cried.

"No one gets to stare lovingly into Bell-kun's eyes but me!" the goddess declared.

"What!? What gives you the right?!" Lili demanded.

Thus began an argument. Welf and Miach simply laughed at the antics. Naaza meanwhile, simply shook her head. Mikoto blushed in embarrassment for her familia's behavior while Daphne decided to ignore it and instead focus back on her food. Ryuu stared with barely concealed jealousy at the two fighting over Bell while Cassandra's head fell as she felt a tugging at her heart. However Achilles completely ignored the two ladies, instead focusing on Bell and Haruhime, noticing that, while the Hestia and Lili were fighting, they were sharing a look that indicated that something was going on that none of them knew about.

"Hm, this is an interesting development."

Dinner ended not long after and everything was cleaned up. Achilles, Bell, and the Miach familia then explained what had happened at the store, informing everyone that, to their surprise and relief, the Freya familia had done exactly as they had said they would. The store was cleaned of debris and was ready for reconstruction. The money had been counted and there was actually more than enough to rebuild it two times over. With the money they now had they could become one of the biggest stores in Orario. There was some debate about paying off some of their own debts, but Achilles shut that down giving them the same promise he gave Hestia with regards to their debt as a thank you for all their support. Miach had tried to politely deny him, but after Achilles insisted and a jab in the side from Naaza, he relented, instead thanking the adventurer. With that, everyone decided to turn in with Bell, Haruhime, and Achilles being the last.

"Bell," Achilles called when the young man turned to head in. "Mind if we talk for a moment?"

"Sure. What's is it?"

"Did something happen with you and Haruhime?"

Bell's look turned contemplative.

"Not really. At least, I don't think so. When I came home today I found her working in the kitchen and called out to her, but she didn't respond. Eventually I went up and tapped her on the shoulder and she jumped."

"Lost in thought?"

Bell nodded.

"I asked her about it and she said she wanted to talk to me privately after dinner."

"Hm. Did she say about what?"

"No. She…" a small blush came to Bell's cheeks. "She only asked if she could come to my room."

"That's interesting," Achilles thought. "But this is Haruhime, she would never try outright seduction. Then again, if she's trying to win him she might try a different strategy. She did learn from the best after all."

Achilles smiled.

"Then I shouldn't keep you. Whatever she wants to talk about I'm sure it's important."

"Uh...yeah...right. Of course," Bell said, a bit uneasy.

"Well, good night Bell. I'll see you in the morning," Achilles said, kissing the top of his head.

"Good night Dad."

Achilles walked away a silent prayer passing through his mind.

"Please let this be a step forward."

---

Bell went to his room, removed his jacket, sat on his bed, then waited. He didn't know what else to do. Should he clean his room? Should he bathe? Ideas bounced around in his head, including on the subject of whatever Haruhime could want, and of all the ideas that came to his mind, one stuck out.

"You are a hero, Bell-sama. Nothing will change that in my eyes and no matter what comes next, I will follow you."

The memory, and the revelation that came from it reverberated through his mind and caused warmth to rise in his cheeks. Finally though, a knock came at the door.

He almost rushed to the door, which in turn almost caused him to trip, but he managed to get to it without falling over, and opened it.

"Evening, Bell-sama," Haruhime greeted.

"Evening, Haruhime. Please, come in," he invited, opening the door wider.

"Thank you," she replied, walking in.

"Please," Bell said, signally for her to sit down.

"Thank you," she repeated as she sat down.

Bell sat down next to her and looked her in the eyes.

"What did you want to talk to me about?" he asked.

"I wanted to talk to about what happened when I went out today. You see Bell-sama, when I went out shopping today, I was stopped by Ottar-sama."

Bell's heart stopped.

"What?! Are you alright? He didn't hurt you did he?" Bell asked desperately, taking her hands.

She shook her head.

"No. He asked me to accompany him as Freya-sama wished to speak to me."

"Freya wanted to speak with you? Why?"

"She wanted to ask me a question."

"What question?" Bell asked, his heart now beating eradictily as fear began to take hold, but that fear disappeared the moment Haruhime smiled at him.

The smile was beautiful, unquestionably so. It was warm, and gentle, like being wrapped in a blanket next to a fire during a cold winter's night. It made his breath catch in his throat as his senses were overcome by the tenderness and unlimited affection it seemed to radiate.

"She asked me why Achilles thought that you and I belonged together."

That was not what Bell was expecting. In a thousand years he would never have guessed that and as such, could not find the words to respond.

"What?" was all he was able to manage.

She continued to smile at him.

"Your father has entrusted me with your heart. I know that you have given it to Aiz-sama and that you love her deeply, but I'd like you to hear my answer to Freya."

Bell remained silent, which was enough for her to continue.

"I told her that the reason Achilles entrusted you to me, was because I would do what she would not. I would treat you as you are. As Bell Cranel. The man. Not the Rabbit Foot or the record holder, but as the man with dreams and aspirations. The one who loves heroic tales and who would do anything for his friends and family. I would be there to comfort you when you cry, warm you when you were cold, and protect you from danger. I would love you fully, and never use or discard you. That I would fight for you, even against her."

"Haruhime."

"You are the greatest man I have ever known, Bell Cranel. You are kind, brave, and determined. You are a hero and I would be happy to stand by your side as your friend if that's what you wish. However," she grasped his hands in hers, gentle stroking them with her fingers. "I will no longer stand by and watch you chase another. I may not win your heart and I can accept that if indeed that is what happens, but I will no longer stand idly by. I will fight for your heart, Bell Cranel, because, with every finger of my being, from now until the day I die, I will love you."

Before Bell could even begin to try and make a response, she leaned over and kissed his cheek. Then, as his face began to burn and his mind threatened to burst as it desperately attempted to comprehend all that was happening, she stood up and smiled at him.

"Goodnight, Bell-sama. I'll see you in the morning. I love you."

And with that, she left, leaving behind a stunned Bell who could do nothing more than stare at the door and hold his now wonderfully warm cheek.

---

Holy Hell! That was a monster! Sheesh! I can't believe I actually made that one chapter. So much was put in there and it really bounced around didn't it? I'm not sure if that's a good thing or a bad thing. Maybe I'm just crazy. Hard to tell these days. Anyway, thank you guys so much for reading, I imagine this one was a bit harder than past chapters, if only because it was bordering on 20,000 frickin words! That said, I truly want to thank you guys, you have no idea how much I appreciate you being a part of this story. Writing is one of the few ways I know of turning my day around, and writing here, where the focus isn't profit or the spreading of some message, but simply to entertain and write as well as possible, really helps me at times and reminds me why I write and how much I love it. So thank you. All that mushiness and craziness out of the way, please tell me what you think of the chapter. I'm sorry if I'm not getting things and people like Enyo and the others right, I still haven't managed to get my hands on the side story light novels yet. I tried but accidentally bought the first mange instead because...I'm an idiot. If something seemed off, or I wrote someone a bit out of character please tell me and I'll see what I can do to fix the issue if I can. With that said, I will bid you all a good day and I'll see you all next time. Bye for now.

P.S. Oh, and in case anyone was wondering, the song that Achilles and Riveria played is Lean on Me by J2. Check it out, it's quite lovely.