Hello my dearest readers! It's time for another chapter here at Heroes. I hope you're all excited, because I know I am. I've been planning this chapter for a little while and I'm very eager to delve into it. It's going to be a bit different from our usual chapters, though I won't spoil the reason why, you're just going to have to read and find out.
Oh, and to the "Guest" reviewer and any other that may be worried that this story will end once the romantic pairings occur, don't worry, I am nowhere near done with this story. Quite frankly, it's entirely possible this story will hit 100 chapters, but it's definitely not going to be done until at least chapter 50. There's a lot I have to delve into before this is done.
Alright, that's enough of my teasing, let's get going.
I do not own Danmachi.
Finn waited impatiently for the others to arrive.
"Getting all antsy isn't going to make time go faster."
He turned to his goddess, his frown deepening.
"Telling me what this is about might help calm me down," he stated firmly.
"You'll find out soon enough," Loki replied.
That was not the answer he wanted.
"It's about Riveria's mission isn't it?" he asked.
Loki was quiet for a moment.
"Like I said, you'll find out soon enough. I don't feel like repeating myself so you'll just have to wait for everyone else to arrive."
His frown deepened as his thumb began to throb.
I should have pressed Riveria harder on what she and Achilles talked about.
Finally, the leading members of the Loki familia began trickling in, the last two being Riveria and Aiz, both of whom, Finn noticed, were smiling.
"Alright, now that everyone's here and because I don't feel like beating around the bush, Riveria's mission to spy on Achilles is terminated," Loki stated.
Everyone but Finn, Riveria, and Aiz were, to say the least, surprised.
She told him, Finn thought as his eyes glared accusingly at Riveria, watching as she and Aiz sighed in unrestrained relief.
"Why? Didn't we all agree that the items were important?" Tione asked.
"Yes, Riveria, why don't you explain to us why you're mission was suddenly cancelled?" Finn cut in.
Everyone's eyes first turned to their captain, then to the elven princess who now looked down on the prum with controlled hostility.
"If you're accusing me of informing Achilles about my mission, I didn't," she threw at him.
"Bullshit," he growled.
"She's telling the truth." Everyone turned to Loki, who did not look at all in the mood for a fight to break out in her office. "Tall, dark, and zappy figured it out and naturally told his familia. Hestia then came here herself and asked me to stop which, after we talked about if for a bit, I agreed to."
"Why would you do that?" Finn demanded. "You understand, probably better than any of us, the potential risk of these unknown items."
Loki's eyes opened a fraction, her red eyes warning Finn that he was treading on dangerous ground.
"Believe it or not, it's not my goal to alienate people, especially not people I'm allied with and whose company doesn't tick me off."
Finn, still upset by the turn of events, pressed on, regardless of Loki's silent warning.
"I didn't realize you and Hestia were so close."
Loki chuckled.
"Yeah well, I guess she's grown on me as of late, and lucky for all of us, it seems I've grown on her too or else we wouldn't be able to have this particular discussion. Instead we would be having one on what to do now that we've lost our alliance with the Hestia familia, and likely the Hephaestus, Miach, and Takemikazuchi familia as well."
"You really think Hephaestus would stop doing business with us because we upset the Hestia familia?" Finn questioned angrily.
"Maybe not entirely, but Hephaestus is Hestia's best friend and vice-versa. I upset Hestia, I upset Hephaestus, even if she would deny it," Loki replied.
The room fell silent as Finn stewed for a moment while the others thought about everything.
"So what? We just pretend these items don't exist?" the Braver asked, sounding more like a demand than a question.
"You could try earning their trust," Riveria said as calmly as she could. "Achilles and the others might willingly tell you about the items then."
Both her and Aiz thought back to what was revealed to them, both happy that they had earned that level of trust.
"Like you have?" Finn questioned.
She smiled.
"Yes, Finn," the mama replied, towering over him. "Like I have."
Hestia sighed.
"Geez, this stuff is so exhausting," she complained.
"How do you think I feel, Hestia-sama?" Lili replied, annoyed. "But you're this familia's goddess so you need to take care of its finances properly."
"But it's so boring!" the goddess cried.
A tick mark appeared on Lili's forehead.
"Hestia-sama…" she growled in warning.
"Can't we take a break? Just for a few minutes. Surely that wouldn't be so bad?"
Lili wanted to deny her, if only out of spite, but it was a small request, and taking breaks was an important part of doing things such as this since it helped make sure your brain didn't fry.
"Fine," she relented. "But only a few minutes."
"Thank you, Lili-kun!" Hestia proclaimed happily before hugging the prum girl.
"Get off of me! Just because I said you could take a break doesn't mean you get to invade my personal space!"
"Hehe," Hestia giggled. "Then I'll go get us something to drink."
She got up and left the room, leaving Lili behind to sigh and rub her temple.
"Honestly, how can a goddess be so child-like?" she wondered out loud.
A few minutes later, Hestia returned with a trail carrying two glasses of ice water.
"Here you go," Hestia said.
"Thank you," Lili replied, taking one of the glasses.
The two sipped quietly for a few seconds before Hestia spoke again.
"It's quiet here with everyone gone."
Lili nodded.
"It is, but some peace and quiet isn't so bad," she said.
"I suppose so, but I miss Bell-kun," Hestia said.
Lili rolled her eyes.
"He's only been gone a few hours Hestia-sama."
"But he won't be back until tomorrow at the earliest!" the goddess whined.
"You agreed to Achilles-san's suggestion that they train in the Dungeon to prepare for the tournament and earn money for new equipment," the prum pointed out.
"Doesn't mean I'm not going to miss him!"
Lili sighed.
"Lili will too, but think on the bright side." Hestia gave her a questioning look. "With both Bell-sama and Achilles-san in the Dungeon, the likelihood of them causing some new headache is greatly reduced."
The two stared at each other for only a second or two before they burst out laughing.
"That is true," Hestia agreed. "But knowing them they'll likely find something that'll turn these black hairs, gray, in spite of my divinity."
Lili laughed appreciatively.
"Especially since they're together. By themselves they cause all sorts of trouble, together they attract it like magnets."
"Maybe I shouldn't have let them go then. By the end of the day they'll probably find some new floor boss or enrage every monster in the Dungeon."
"Don't jinx us, Hestia-sama!"
The two burst out laughing again, wondering just what sort of trouble the two human males were doubtlessly getting themselves into.
The two slowly calmed down, their laughs turning into chuckles before finally disappearing.
"Goodness, those two really are something. I wish they wouldn't worry me so much," Hestia said.
"Well, when they get back we'll give them a stern talking to about not worrying us," Lili replied.
Hestia chuckled.
"They'll probably be terribly confused by that and wonder what they've done."
"Of worse, they won't be and will know exactly!" Lili declared.
The two laughed again, picturing the guilty looks on the two men's faces upon getting scolded for yet another incident they were almost certain to have caused.
The laughing died out again and Lili took a deep breath before fixing herself and shifting back to the matter at hand.
"Now, let's get back to work," Lili stated.
"Aaaw," Hestia whined.
Ryuu smiled at the sign of her former place of employment before she made her way inside.
She didn't even get a chance to open her mouth before she was suddenly pulled into a tight hug.
"Ryuu!" Syr declared joyfully.
"Hello, Syr," she greeted, her own smile soon appearing as she wrapped her arms around the gray-haired young woman.
"Ryuu's here!" came the familiar voice of Anya.
"Ryuu's here?!" Chloe's voice called back.
Soon she was surrounded by all her former colleagues, all of whom were trying desperately to get a chance to hug her.
"Hello everyone. It's wonderful to see you all," she said, returning the hugs as best as she could.
"Ryuu."
All the girls stopped and turned to the towering figure of Mia who stared down at her former employee.
"Mia-s...Grande-san," she stopped herself before bowing. "I'm sorry for interrupting your work."
Mia rolled her eyes before pulling the elf into a hug.
"It's good to see my best employee again," she said, giving Ryuu a smile.
"Hey!" a few of the girls called, but Mia ignored them.
"You're not interrupting if you buy something," Mia stated, earning a smile from Ryuu.
"I am a bit famished," the elven maiden said.
"Of course you are. No one comes here if they're not hungry or thirsty. Now come on," Mia signaled for her to follow to the counter. "And no more of that 'Grande-san' crap," she ordered.
Ryuu's smile grew.
"Alright...Mama."
Mia chuckled.
"Better. Now sit. I'll prepare your favorite."
Ryuu did as ordered while the other girls sat around her, knowing full-well this could earn Mia's ire, but not caring at the moment.
"So, how are things going at the Hestia familia?" Syr asked.
"Things are going well. Very well actually," Ryuu said with a smile. "We're all very focused on preparing for the tournament, naturally."
"Naturally," the girls all agreed.
"Achilles isn't giving you trouble, is he?" Mia asked from the kitchen.
"No," Ryuu replied with a shake of her head. "In fact," she smiled. "I've come to greatly respect and appreciate him."
"Really?" Mia asked, surprised. "You don't hand out your trust easily. What did he do to earn that?"
All the girls leaned in as they too wondered how the man they had nearly battled with had earned the trust of their most skeptical member.
"He gave me the push I needed to get me going down the right path," Ryuu answered cryptically, her smile still dancing across her lips.
All the ladies of the Hostess of Fertility shared a look, including with Mia, but even she couldn't tell what that meant.
"Alright well, as long as he's treating you well and not being a total ass," Mama finally relented.
"Not a total ass," Ryuu repeated, smiling at Mia.
Satisfied well enough, Mia turned back to cooking and though the other girls still wondered what Ryuu meant, they let it go for now, wanting instead to focus on catching up with their friend.
Some time later Mia brought the food and drink out and everyone began eating, though their chatter went on uninterrupted.
It was a simple, but lovely experience that didn't even last an hour, but which Ryuu appreciated immensely.
However, her eyes turned to Syr. This isn't why I came here today.
Everyone finished up eating and Mia ordered them back to work.
"Mama," Ryuu called gently, catching everyone's attention. "Would you mind if I borrow Syr-san for a moment."
Everyone but Syr once again shared looks, while the girl in question stared at her friend with confused eyes.
"As long as it's quick," Mia answered.
Ryuu bowed.
"Thank you," she said, then turned to Syr. "Let's go to the back."
Syr followed after her, every other eye following after them as they disappeared out the back door.
Now outside and away from prying ears, Ryuu took a deep breath.
"Syr," she said, looking her friend right in the eye. "There's something I need to tell you."
"What is it?" Syr asked, cocking her head to the side.
Another deep breath as Ryuu began to shake a bit.
"You are my best friend and savior. I owe you a debt that can never be repaid, but even so, I will do my best until my dying day to do just that," the elf began.
"Ryuu," Syr said quietly, not sure how to react.
"However," Ryuu pressed on. "I must be honest with you. For quite some time now, I was attempting to bring you and Bell together because I knew about your feelings for him and wanted you to be happy. However…" the shaking became worse. "I can no longer do that."
"Why?" Syr asked.
"Because I love him too."
The alleyway behind the Hostess of Fertility was utterly silent. Neither young woman even moved for what seemed like centuries for Ryuu.
"You have feelings for Bell as well?" Syr finally asked.
"I do," Ryuu answered. "I didn't mean for it to happen," she said quickly. "But the more time I spent with him the more I fell for him. I tried putting up walls, tried to push him away, but being who he is, he brought all those walls down and opened my heart to him."
"I see."
The cold tone from her friend hurt Ryuu like a knife to her heart.
"Hurting you is the last thing I ever wanted to do!" she cried. "Even when I realized my feelings I tried to push them away. Tried to ignore them because you mean so much to me! You're my best friend and your happiness is what I want most!"
"Except for Bell," Syr pointed out.
Ryuu bit her lip as her head fell. After a few seconds, she nodded.
Silence fell upon them again and Ryuu was certain their friendship was at an end.
"Ryuu."
She didn't want to look up, knowing what was coming. Knowing that the moment she looked up Syr would end their friendship.
And all because of my selfishness!
"Ryuu, look at me," Syr commanded.
The young elf finally did as commanded and looked her friend in the eye, even as tears entered her own.
"I admit I'm a bit surprised," Syr began. "You've never seemed the type to be interested in romance to me. However, I suppose Bell does have a way of bringing out the side of a girl," she said smiling.
"Syr."
"I'm glad you told me. I'm glad you stopped torturing yourself about this and admitted what you wanted."
"Syr I-."
"However!" Syr proclaimed as if she hadn't heard her friend. "That doesn't mean I'm just going to give him to you!" she pointed at her friend. "I fully intend to become Bell's wife and neither you, nor any other girl is going to stop me!"
Ryuu's mouth was open as she processed the declaration and smiling face of her friend. It was only after looking into Syr's eyes that she got the message she needed to.
You're still my friend and nothing will change that.
The tears Ryuu had barely been restraining, finally burst forth, only now they were tears of happiness, and she threw her arms around her friend.
Syr laughed as she returned the hug.
"Did you really think I would abandon you over a boy?" she asked.
"I'm sorry," Ryuu mumbled from her shoulder.
Syr laughed again.
"You're my best friend too, Ryuu, and that's not changing anytime soon," she assured. "But that doesn't mean I'm not fighting for Bell. I did find him first."
Ryuu laughed.
"What's that saying you used to say? 'First the worst, second the best'?"
"Well that's not how it goes this time! This time, the one who's first has the claim on him and will totally win him in the end!"
The golden elf laughed again.
"We'll see about that."
Syr smiled.
"I guess we will," she said, eagerly taking the challenge.
The two, now reassured in the security of their friendship, hugged once again, then turned to go back inside. Right before Syr opened the door, she stopped and turned back to Ryuu.
"Then again, we don't really need to be rivals," Syr said.
"What do you mean?" Ryuu asked.
"Well, if there's anyone I wouldn't mind sharing him with, it would be you," Syr answered with a mischievous smile.
Ryuu blushed.
Lefiya was breathing heavily as she looked at the spot where her latest spell had hit.
Clapping snapped her back to reality as she turned to see Filvis standing a few paces away, smiling at her.
"Well done, Lefiya, you really have grown," she complimented.
"Have I? It doesn't feel like it," the redheaded elf said, her ears falling.
"It's not even a question. You've gotten so much stronger since we met that it's honestly making me a bit jealous," the dark-haired elf replied, using her finger to force Lefiya to look up. "So no more drooping ears."
"I…" Lefiya stammered as her face grew bright red.
Finally realizing what she'd done, Filvis's face lit up as well and she quickly dropped her finger and backed away.
"Ehem. Like I said, you really have grown. You should be proud," she quickly said, trying to push through her own embarrassment.
"I hope so," Lefiya said, still appearing downcast.
"What's wrong?" Filvis asked.
Lefiya played with her staff for a few moments, neither answering nor looking at her fellow elf.
"I just...I feel like I'm falling behind," she finally replied, her voice barely above a whisper.
"You mean with your familia?" Filvis questioned.
Lefiya shook her head.
"Do you know Bell Cranel of the Hestia familia?"
"Only by reputation and what I briefly saw of him during the War Game and Freya's party," Filvis answered.
"He and Aiz have been getting closer recently. Much closer," she emphasized.
"I see," Filvis replied before falling silent for a few moments. "And you're afraid he will win her heart and you'll lose her?"
"Yes and no," Lefiya answered, finally turning to her friend. "I recently talked with a member of his familia. A beautiful, strong elf named Ryuu. She told me not to give up just as she wouldn't. It raised my spirits and is part of the reason that I'm training so hard to get stronger. But there's two problems."
"Those being?"
"One, he grows so much faster than me. He hasn't even been an adventurer a year and he's already a level five. It's taken me years to get to level four!" she declared, her voice desperate and filled with anguish. "And more importantly, I want Aiz-san to be happy. No matter what, I want her to be happy and he seems to make her happy. Happier than I've ever seen her. So I don't even know if it's right to try and be with her."
Filvis stared at her despairing friend, not knowing what to say, but hating to see her so miserable. So, going on instinct, she stepped forward.
"Lefiya," she cooed as her hands gently cupped the younger elf's face. "Love is a complicated thing, but I do believe it's worth fighting for. I don't know much about Bell Cranel, nor do I know how Aiz feels about him. What I do know is that you deserve her."
"Y-You...you think so?"
"I know so," Filvis gave her a smile. "You are stronger than you give yourself credit for and Aiz Wallenstein would be lucky to have you. She would also be a fool to deny you."
"N-No! Aiz-san only deserves the best!" Lefiya tried to defend her idol.
"And how exactly does that disqualify you?" Filvis inquired.
Lefiya's face, which was already red, began to truly burn at that, and her eyes turned away for a moment as she found herself unable to look into her friend's eyes. However, after a bit of patience on Filvis's part, she spoke up again.
"Do you really think she'd be lucky to have me?"
"She'd be extremely lucky to have you by her side," Filvis reinforced.
Lefiya's eyes finally turned back to her and she smiled.
"Then I won't give up."
"Good," Filvis said, finally pulling away. "Then let's try another spell."
"Right!" Lefiya cried, now pumped up and ready for more.
Filvis smiled at the young elf, though the moment Lefiya turned away, a deep sadness entered it.
Enjoy life while you can, Lefiya, Filvis thought.
"I'm very glad you came to visit, Mikoto," Takemikazuchi said. "I know we see you plenty when we come over to train, but it's nice to be able to simply sit down and talk every once in a while."
"I agree, Takemikazuchi-sama," Mikoto said, a tad bit of red on her cheeks.
"Yeah, I miss being able to just talk with you. I still haven't really gotten used to you being at Hestia familia," Chigusa said. "Not that I don't understand why you did it! It was very honorable of you to transfer to their familia to help them in the War Game," she quickly added, clearly embarrassed.
"Thank you, Chigusa, and I've missed being able to talk with you too. But, many months have already passed and it won't be that much longer before I come back," Mikoto said.
"Are you sure you're coming back?" Ouka asked. "Given how well the Hestia familia is doing it would be wise to stick with them and I don't think any of us would fault you if you wanted to stay."
Chigusa's bright eyes lost a bit of their luster, but only for a moment as Mikoto answered quickly.
"I'm sure I'm coming back. The Hestia familia is wonderful and in many ways I consider myself as close to them as I am with all of you. However, this is my home and when a year passes I will be coming back, stronger than before and ready to help this familia be the best it can be!"
Everyone smiled, with Chigusa's being the widest before she threw herself at Mikoto and wrapped her in a tight hug.
"I'm glad to hear that," Take said. "Losing you, even temporarily, has been hard, and the thought of losing you permanently, well…I don't like to think about that."
"T-Thank you, Takemikazuchi-sama," Mikoto replied shyly, feeling the teasing smiles pointed her way.
He smiled at her, which did nothing to help with her blush.
"I'll make us all some more tea," Chigusa suddenly said, getting up. "Would you mind helping me, Mikoto?"
"Oh...Of course!" the ninja replied, jumping to her feet.
Both girls left the room and made their way into the kitchen where they began making the tea. They worked silently for a time before Chigusa spoke up.
"So are you still holding out on confessing until your return?"
Poor Mikoto nearly tripped, but managed to save herself from that particular embarrassment before she shifted to the far greater one.
"Chigusa!"
The shorter of the two ladies laughed lightly.
"Well? Is that still your plan?"
Mikoto, though still embarrassed, managed to calm herself down before nodding.
"Yes. I feel like that will be the right time."
"I understand. Though, if you confess sooner you two will get more time together," Chigusa pointed out, smiling.
"That's if he accepts my feelings," Mikoto pointed out. "However, I don't see why we're talking about my feelings when we should be talking about yours."
The previous cheekiness Chigusa displayed instantly disappeared as her face exploded in red.
"W-We're happy the way we are. I-I wouldn't want to ruin what we have," she responded.
Chigusa expected Mikoto to argue with her, maybe even throw her own words back at her, but she was surprised when she found her hands suddenly being taken by her friend and squeezed.
"Chigusa, you need to tell him. You love him and you and I both know that you won't truly be happy except with him. Worse yet, if he finds someone else and you never share your feelings, you'll be destroyed on the inside," Mikoto said as gently as possible.
Chigusa squeezed her hands tightly.
"B-But...w-what if he...what if h-he doesn't feel the same?" she asked, her voice shaky terribly.
Mikoto took a deep breath as she stared into her friend's eyes.
"Then you have two options. One: you try and move on, knowing that at least you told him and that you didn't hold in your feelings and ask 'what if' the rest of your life. From there, in time, you start opening your heart up and see if there's someone else who you can love."
"And the second option?"
Mikoto smiled.
"The second is that you try and earn his love because if there's anyone who deserves to be with the person they love, it's you."
Chigusa managed to smile at that.
"Thank you, Mikoto," she said.
Mikoto pulled her into a hug.
"I'll always be there for you, Chigusa. I promise."
"I promise too."
The two held onto each other for a few moments before they both remembered what they were doing and quickly broke apart to rush back to the tea which, luckily, had not been ruined.
The two returned with the tea, both slightly embarrassed by their near mistake.
"Are you two alright? Your faces are a bit red," Take pointed out.
The two blushed harder.
"We, um, got a little distracted talking and nearly ruined the tea," Mikoto explained.
"Ah, well," the god took a sip. "It tastes fine to me."
Both were relieved and rejoined the others, happily chatting for the next couple of hours. Finally, it was time for Mikoto to return to her home away from home.
"It was wonderful to have you, Mikoto," Take said, giving her a hug.
"It was wonderful to be here, Takemikazuchi-sama," she replied, happily returning the hug, even as her cheeks lit up.
"Don't be a stranger," Ouka said, giving her a hug as well.
"I won't," she promised.
"Stay safe," Chigusa said, also giving her a hug.
"I will," she replied, then, just loud enough for Chigusa to hear, she added. "You can do it."
Chigusa hugged her more tightly.
"Thank you," she whispered back.
Having said her piece, Mikoto pulled back and gave them all one final smile and bow, before she departed.
"Alright, we should get back to training," Ouka said.
He and the others were prepared to do just that, when a soft voice called out to him.
"O-Ouka?"
The young man turned to his banged companion.
"Yes, Chigusa?"
"T-There's...there's something I need to tell you."
"So let me get this straight," Aisha said. "Bell puts the necklace around your neck, tells you you're beautiful, straight to your face, and you don't immediately jump his bones?"
Haruhime was ready to explode.
"A-A-Aisha-san!"
The other girls all laughed.
"Ah, leave her alone, Aisha. We all knew she was shy already," Samira stated.
"No amount of shyness should stop a woman from claiming the man she desires!" Aisha threw back, causing a few shouts of agreement and Haruhime to hide her face in her hands.
"I guess you're right," Samira conceded. "Truth be told, while I can appreciate the appeal of the rabbit, I'd far prefer big daddy," she said, licking her lips.
Harhime 'eeped' and turned on the amazon.
"Please don't call him that!" she begged.
The intensity of her request actually startled the other girls who now all wondered what had inspired that reaction.
"Haruhime?" Aisha called gently. "What's wrong?"
Haruhime, who was barely managing to hold onto consciousness, hid her face in a group of pillows.
"Haruhime," Aisha called again. "If something's bothering you, you can tell us."
There was no response for a time, all the ladies of the night pondering the potential reasons for her reaction, before she finally pulled her head out.
"Not long ago, we all had a meeting with Freya-sama," she began.
Instantly all the girls were heavily invested.
"I think I heard something about that," Aisha said. "And something happened?"
"A few things yes," Haruhime said with a nod. "But at the end...ooh," her blush returned with a furious vengeance.
"At the end?" Aisha pressed.
"A-At the end, I asked Freya-sama what exactly was it she wanted from the three of us. Bell-sama, Achilles, and myself." All the girls nodded. "And she said...she said," she took a deep breath. "She said she envisioned all four of us together happy and...exhausted in bed."
Now, for the former Ishtar members, this was hardly anything scandalous. They had seen and done far worse than a mere foursome, but they knew what Haruhime was like and so nodded in understanding.
"That must have been very embarrassing for you," Aisha consoled.
"I-It gets worse," Haruhime said.
All the ladies were pulled back in.
"Achilles noticed something odd about the phrasing and inquired further, to which Freya-sama replied, 'I know very well that you and Bell don't, 'swing that way' as the saying goes, but I see no reason that you and Haruhime couldn't be intimate'."
Now Aisha understood.
"She suggested that you and Achilles…" she signaled with her hands, afraid that if she actually said it the poor girl would finally faint.
Haruhime nodded.
Things were silent for a moment as everyone took that in. The silent ended when Samira piped in again.
"So what?" she asked. "That sounds like a treat to me!"
This changed the mood in the room, for though the girls understood what Haruhime's feelings were on the matter, they themselves saw no problem with the idea.
"He's like a father to me!" Haruhime cried.
"So? That just means you get to experience a daddy kink to its fullest extent without actually crossing a line."
Haruhime finally couldn't take anymore and fainted.
"Samira," Aisha chided as she began to wave her hand in an effort to wake up the renard.
"What? Does anyone here disagree with me?" she looked around and quickly found the entire room on her side. "See? She's got access to two of the best men in this entire city! The best men, some might say, and what does she do? Act like a shy little maiden when she should be dragging them to bed and having her way with them or, since this is the Rabbit Foot and the Olympian we're talking about, she should be letting them have their way with her!"
All the other girls were now openly fantasizing, even drooling at the thought of being overpowered by 'real men'.
"Oh, can you imagine the daughters they'd give us?" one declared.
"Gods, just thinking about it gets me so hot," one added.
"We should go over there right now and force them to take us. To ravage us senseless until we're all our bellies are round with our daughters."
Samira smiled in triumph as more and more of the girls began to agree with that idea.
"What I tell you? All these girls would kill to get to those two. If there's anyone in this whole city that could satisfy us, all of us!" she gestured at all the girls. "It would be those two. I say we head over there right now and demand they satisfy us and give us daughters!"
Cheers went up and Aisha rolled her eyes.
Then again, I wouldn't mind finally getting my hands on Bell, she thought.
"Y-You can't."
Everyone turned back to the now awake Haruhime.
"Both are in the Dungeon right now. tTraining," she informed them.
Every girl deflated.
"Well, when are they getting back?" Samira demanded.
"I-I don't think I should tell you that," Haruhime replied.
Samira, and a few of the other girls growled at that.
"You don't get to keep them to yourself," the amazon stated.
"I'm not! I have any interest in Achilles!."
"Bullshit, I know you're type. Sweet, innocent girl holding in hidden desires."
Haruhime wildly shook her head.
"No! That's not true at all. The only one I want is Bell-sama!"
"Again. Bullshit!" Samira called. "You just don't want to share. There is absolutely no way a little girl like you doesn't positively melt at the idea of an older, experienced man, taking you into his bed!"
"He doesn't have any experience!"
All the girls stopped as Haruhime, realizing what she had just revealed, covered her mouth with her hands.
"What does that mean?" Samira asked.
Aisha stared at Haruhime, her eyes trying to figure out what Haruhime had meant, but it was only when she caught Haruhime's emerald eyes that the pieces began to fall in place.
"Achilles has never been with a woman," she said.
The room fell deadly silent.
"No way," Samira said.
Haruhime, who felt absolutely terrible now, knew she wasn't going to be allowed to leave until she answered.
"When we had our meeting with Freya-sama, she revealed how Bell-sama had been coming here for training. After he calmed us all down, Freya-sama informed us that both of them were still innocent."
Silence.
"No woman has claimed the Olympian?" Samira asked.
Haruhime did not want to answer, and she didn't need to.
"He's mine!" Samira roared, instantly setting off a war in the room.
"The hell he is!"
"Why should you get him!"
"No one's claiming him but me!"
"I'll fight all you bitches!"
"He deserves a real woman, not you slags!"
"Who are you calling a slag!"
Haruhime's face fell back into her hands as she apologized to Achilles over and over. Aisha, meanwhile, gently stroked her back.
It's the least I can do, she thought. That little tidbit has distracted them all from Bell, meaning less competition for me.
The sound of ringing metal filled the air as the two hammered away at their respective projects.
This is how it should be, Welf thought as he took a quick glance at the woman a few paces away.
"Keep your eyes on your work," Hephaestus softly chided.
His smile grew.
"Yes, Ma'am."
She rolled her eye at the playful response before turning back to her own project.
The hammering continued with only brief intervals of silence occurring when one of them stopped and checked their work.
"What do you think of this?" Welf asked, holding up an armguard.
Hephaestus put down her work and went over to him before checking the piece.
"Looks good. Just make sure the measurements are all right and that it's not too heavy. Bell might be a level five now, but his main advantage is speed. Every ounce of armor more he wears will minimize that advantage."
"Got it," he replied before turning back to his work.
They continued working like this for a few hours, stopping occasionally to check work, get something to eat or drink, and maybe share a bit of small talk, but always returning back to the piece they were working on.
Finally, with a good amount of progress made, Hephaestus stood up.
"That's enough for today," she said.
Welf nodded and got up before stretching.
"This may be my best work yet," he said proudly.
"It better be. You shouldn't be getting worse, especially when you're having me check every piece you make," she teased.
"It wasn't every piece. Just most of them," he replied, smiling.
"Right."
Hephaestus gathered up her tools and began putting them away. She had just put the last one away when she felt arms wrap around her waist.
"What are you doing?" she asked.
"Embracing the woman I love," Welf replied.
She smiled again, but this time it was softer. Warmer.
"I'm covered in grime and sweat," she pointed out.
"So am I," he countered.
"Yeah, and you stink," she told him before gently pulling away. "Come on, we can use my private bath to wash the filth off."
Welf happily followed after her.
Quickly stripping off his clothes, Welf entered the bath, towel wrapped around his waist and began looking around for his red-headed goddess.
"Well, someone was eager."
Turning, he discovered her a few feet away, a towel wrapped around her torso and a smile playing across her beautiful lips.
"Can you blame me?" he asked.
She chuckled.
"Come on, I'll wash your back."
Welf sat down and waited impatiently for Hephaestus to start.
A bucket of water was suddenly thrown over his head, soaking him from head to toe.
"Cool down," she told him, still smiling all the while.
After getting over his surprise, he turned back to her and smiled.
"Not sure that's possible with you around in nothing but a towel."
Her smile finally dropped as a blush appeared on her cheeks.
"Flatterer," she said, before signaling for him to turn back around.
He did so and a moment later felt Hephaestus begin to wash him.
Her years at the forge apparently made her an expert at this as she was neither too soft nor too hard with her scrubbing, but just right, knowing just what level of pressure she needed.
Welf fell into bliss as he felt her perfectly going over every inch, ending with a content sigh escaping his lips.
Hephaestus smiled when she heard that, glad she could do this for him.
"Alright," she said once she finished. "My turn."
Welf immediately got up and switched places with her.
"Dump a bucket of water on me and you'll be sorry," she warned.
He laughed.
"I wouldn't dream of it."
He gently poured some water over her back and began to gently wash her back.
"You can be a bit harder, I'm not made of porcelain," Hephaestus.
He nodded to himself and began scrubbing a bit harder which soon had Hephaestus falling into her own little world as she enjoyed her beloved mortal's handiwork. This did not go unnoticed by Welf.
Hephaestus sighed as the stress of the day was washed away.
Guess it wasn't a bad idea to suggest this, she thought.
Her pleasant musings ended when she felt the hands on her back begin to move somewhere else.
Her eyes opened and she looked down to see the hands that had been on her back were now on her stomach, gently stroking it.
"Welf? What are you doing?" she asked.
He moved his head to her shoulder and kissed it before saying.
"Pleasing my goddess."
The tone he used sent a wave of heat through her entire body and almost caused her toes to curl. She didn't have time to think about the tone and what it suggested, let alone respond, before she felt one of the hands travel further down.
"Ooh," she moaned.
"Does my goddess like that?" Welf asked, his voice gruff and overflowing with desire.
"W-Welf! This...this isn't why...ah!" she bit her lip. "This isn't why I brought you here!" she rushed out.
"It isn't? That can't be right. You come out wearing nothing but a towel then wash me down with those wonderful hands of yours. That was clearly you attempting to seduce me," he teased.
"It was no-aaaah!" she cried out as his fingers delved deeper.
"Definitely seduction," he stated before kissing her shoulder again. "And who am I to deny the desires of the world's most beautiful goddess?"
She managed to turn to him.
"F-Flatterer."
He chuckled, sending another wave of desire through her.
"Maybe. Or maybe I'm just sick of watching everyone around me dance around the people they love. Bell. Achilles. Lil' Lili. Everyone I know loves someone, but they're all just stuck. So, I guess I decided that I wouldn't hold back anymore," he got up and moved to squat in front of her. "I love you, Hephaestus. I want to be with you in every way I can. To give you every piece of me and take every piece of you that you're willing to give me."
Hephaestus's body temperature increased with each word he spoke, and she was a bit stunned with this side of Welf. He had always been confident and straight-forward, but this was more than that. Even so, she was still Hephaestus, goddess of the forge. She wasn't Hestia or Freya. She didn't dance around what she wanted, and right now she wanted the man before her.
"Then come take it. Take everything," she said, placing her hand on his cheek.
His smile filled her heart with warmth at the same time it sent tingles throughout her body.
"My pleasure."
Not a second later, Hephaestus was lifted into his arms, having to wrap her own around him so she didn't fall and pressing herself fully against him.
He began walking towards the bath while Hephaestus kissed him. He managed not to fall or slip, despite nearly all his attention being on the woman in his arms and slowly got into the bath and sank both of them into its warm waters with mutual sighs of contentment.
"Don't think that just because you surprised me that I'm going to allow some kid like you to take the lead, Welf," Hephaestus stated, looming over him, water dripping down her skin in the most delightful of ways.
"I wouldn't dream of it," he responded, still smiling. "Besides, with a view like this I am more than willing to be the bottom."
Her blush returned.
"Flatterer," she said one final time before she situated herself above him.
She grabbed his manhood, causing him to groan.
"Oh?" she called, seeing a chance to get back at him a little. "You like that?" she asked, slowly moving her hand up and down.
"Y-Yeah," he said, trying to control himself.
"Hm, then maybe I should just do this, and nothing else," she teased. "I mean, if you're acting like this from just my hand, maybe you're not ready to go all the way."
She was shocked when she suddenly found herself pulled down and her lips were attacked with furious abandon. She didn't even have time to think before Welf's tongue forced its way into her mouth and began to utterly conquer every inch of it. In spite of herself, she soon found her eyes closing as she fell into the kiss, only opening them again when his hand found her breast and began to give it some attention as well.
This all lasted a good minute or so, though neither had any reckoning of time at the moment as they were far too engrossed in each other.
Finally, Welf pulled back, his burning eyes staring directly into hers.
"Don't you dare," he ordered.
Remembering what had caused this reaction, she smiled.
"I guess you did show you're not quite as green as I thought."
The teasing now officially done, Hephaestus resituated herself above him, grabbed him once again, noting how he restrained his groan this time, before slowly sinking down on him.
Both let loose moans of ecstasy as they were finally joined.
"Hephaestus," he groaned.
"Welf," she gasped. "Guess I can't treat you like a brat anymore, can I?" she asked, smiling down at him.
His response was to grab her ass possessively.
"I'll always be your brat."
She bit her lip.
"That's right. My brat. All mine," she said before sealing her lips over his.
As they locked lips, Hephaestus began to lift herself up and down on him. It was slow, deliberate, and certainly not uncontrolled love-making, but for them, at that moment, it was perfect. Hephaestus's warm, tight cavern, slowly moving up and down on his hot, firm manhood, each side relishing in everything they felt.
"Fuck, Welf. Why did we wait so long to do this?" she asked.
"I don't know," he responded, barely managing to keep his voice level. "But we should make up for lost time."
"Yes," Hephaestus said, smiling. "Yes we should."
"Hephaestus!" Welf groaned when she suddenly picked up the pace.
"Come on, Welf. Make up for lost time. Show me that your personal steel isn't any weaker than the steel you work in your forge."
That challenge was enough to awake Welf's fire and he wrapped his arms around her, tightly pressing her against him as his lips found her breasts.
"Yes! That's it, Welf. Show me that fire inside you. Show your goddess what you're made of!"
Welf happily did so as he began to thrust back at his goddess every time she fell, sending shockwaves of delight through her body.
"That's it! That's it! Make it up to me, Welf. No holding back. No dancing. Just show me how much I mean to you!"
Welf suddenly lifted her up again and moved her to the nearby wall before pressing her against it. He then went on the offense and gave her everything he had. Everything she demanded.
"Yes! Welf! Shit, it's been too long!" she cried.
"Hephaestus!" he growled, trying to hold himself back. "Whenever you want it. Whenever you need it! Just tell me. I'll be there. I'll be there to give you everything!"
"Do it! Give me everything, Welf!" she demanded, her legs wrapping around him and refusing to let him leave.
That was the final straw for the mortal as the last of his restraint fell away.
"Hephaestus!"
"Welf!" she cried as she too was forced over the edge.
The bath fell silent as only the sounds of their heavy breathing passed through the air.
"That was incredible," he said, still pressing his goddess against the wall.
"It was...passable," she said.
He pulled back to give her a look, causing her to laugh.
"Alright, it was wonderful," she said, placing her hand against his cheek again. "And though it may give you a big head, I will admit that was the best I've ever had."
He smiled.
"Even though I was green brat."
She rolled her eye.
"Yes, well, I suppose doing it with someone you love and who loves you makes it better," she said.
Welf smiled at her before he reached up and lifted her eyepatch, revealing her other eye. She wondered what he was doing when he leaned down and kissed her other eye.
"Yeah," he said, pulling back. "I think you're right."
She blushed again, even as a wonderful joy filled every inch of her.
Stupid, lovable brat.
Finn sat in his chair, a deep frown on his face as the thought on recent events.
Achilles is keeping secrets that may destroy us all; Riveria and Aiz can't be trusted to keep secrets because of their feelings; and Loki backpedals on her own orders because she 'talked' with Hestia, his frown deepened. This is all beyond ludicrous.
He got up from his chair and began pacing. The throbbing in his thumb was borderline agonizing now, but he didn't know what to do. He knew what he wanted to do. He wanted to punish Riveria and Aiz for going behind the familia's back and either outright informing a rival familia about their plans or not doing nearly enough to hide them. But he couldn't, not with Loki now effectively backing them.
The cohesion of this familia is falling apart. Our leading members are turning to others for support and trust them more than they do the familia they are actually a part of, his thumb throbbed again. Maybe it's time to start considering my options. If I can't get what I need here then there are other familias that will take me and do so ecstatically.
He stopped as he felt a pull on his heart and the image of a certain amazon played in his mind.
Not yet. It hasn't quite gotten that bad, he reasoned. But that doesn't mean I can't start making plans in case things do finally become too much.
Only a few floors below Finn, a few of the lesser known members of his familia were making plans.
"So we're all agreed?" the leading member asked.
The others nodded.
"Yeah, the rabbit and his little friends need to be taken down a notch. They get more time with our leaders than we do," one growled.
"We can't be rash about this," a calmer voice pointed out. "Together we can probably deal with Cranel, but we have to make sure the rest of his familia aren't around or it'll be impossible with our numbers, and there is no way we'll be able to handle Caesar."
Everyone nodded again.
"You're right. We have to plan things right and keep our eyes and ears open. Bell Cranel needs to be alone and someplace we can get to him without being interrupted. That's why I think luring him into a trap is our best option," the leader said.
"Got any ideas on how we do that?"
"Erik noticed he gets along well with soon street kids. Using one of them as bait could provide us the chance."
"We're dragging kids into this?" a new voice asked, clearly ready to argue.
"Just to pull him in. Once we've got him surrounded we'll let the kid go without a scratch," the leader assured.
"Then he'll run off to get help," the growling member stated.
"Then we'll wait until we're done with Cranel. We'll be covered to hide our identities so it's not like the kid we'll be able to point at us."
The growling member didn't seem fully placated, but they fell silent regardless.
"So we're really gonna do this?" the unsure adventurer asked. "We're really going to try and kill a level five?"
"It has to be done, not only to send a message to his little familia, but because we all saw what he did a few weeks ago." Everyone nodded as they remembered the black explosion over the city. "Bell Cranel is a monster and danger to us all. We're doing a service to both our familia and to Orario by getting rid of him," the leader said confidently.
Not everyone was so confident, but they all agreed nonetheless.
"Alright, so we're all agreed? We use the tournament as cover to get rid of Bell Cranel. Permanently."
They all answered the same.
"Yes."
Whelp, that's another one done.
As I'm sure you all noticed, we had a painful lack of Bell and Achilles in this chapter. I hope that didn't upset you all too much, it's just that one of my great worries for this story is that I'm not giving the other characters enough time in the spotlight. I didn't even cover everyone in this chapter, but I wanted to spread the love a bit and get away from my OC a bit. I know that many don't care for OCs and I completely understand why, so I decided it would be a good idea to get a little break in this, admittedly OC-dominated story.
Now that said, I do absolutely want to hear back from you. Did you like the chapter and wouldn't mind seeing one like this again in the future? Did you hate it and want to demand I never do it again? Tell me in the reviews or PM your thoughts and ideas. You guys have really helped make this story better and hearing from you does bring a smile to my face.
Anyway, next chapter is the beginning of the tournament! I hope you're all excited because I have a lot planned. I absolutely can't wait, especially for the final chapter.
That said, it is time for me to bid you all a fine farewell. So, until next time, bye for now.