Hello everyone, and welcome back! So, the Zeus and Hera familias have finally arrived, but not without some bad feelings in the air, as well as some secrets of their own. Unfortunately, the bad feelings don't end with them as it appears that the gods and perhaps the city, now fear Bell and his terrible power. What will this mean for Bell and the others? Well, we'll need to continue our tale to find out. So let's get to it!
I do not own Danmachi
Achilles carried Riveria up the stairs and towards his bedroom. He had to shift her a bit in order to open the door, but managed it without waking her.
He walked inside his room, silently closed the door behind him, then placed the woman who had captured his heart down on the bed.
"You are so beautiful," he whispered as he looked down upon her.
"Thank you," she said suddenly, a smile appearing on her face.
"Were you faking that whole time?" he asked, his own smile showing he wasn't mad.
"No. I awoke when you placed me on your bed," she said as she sat up.
"Ironic," he replied.
She chuckled.
"Indeed. However, I'm not upset by it since it allows us to talk in private."
"Anything in particular you wanted to talk about?" he asked.
Her smile disappeared and a serious look took its place.
"Dido."
His smile vanished not a second later.
"You noticed it too," he said.
"Yes. The way she was looking at Bell; like he was an enemy," Riveria said, a touch of worry in her voice.
"Yeah, and that does not sit well with me. Even if Bell wasn't my son, I wouldn't like that she's obviously hiding something from me. Worse yet, I can already tell that she's not going to tell me what it is, even if I pressure her and despite how horrible she's hiding it. At least she won't any time soon."
"Do you think Imilce might?" the elf asked.
He shook his head.
"I doubt it. As much as those two are polar opposites, Imilce looks up to and respects Dido more than anyone, besides maybe Hera, and though I know she's always been intimidated, if not outright scared of me, she's unquestionably terrified of Dido's wrath. There's only one person that would have been able to get her to break her trust with Dido. Unfortunately, she's not here now," he said, his eyes filling with sadness.
"Briseis," Riveria stated, her own sadness growing at seeing her lover's misery.
He nodded before sitting down next to her on the bed.
"Imilce adored Briseis, and with good reason. She acted like the fun, but protective older sister to Imilce. Sometimes it got so bad it was like Briseis was her mother. I still remember how hard she elbowed me in the side when I called her 'mother hen'."
The two laughed and the previous sadness burned away.
"She'd be so proud of you," Riveria said, scooting up next to him and wrapping his hand in her own.
"You think so?" he asked, looking her in the eye.
"I know so," she replied without a hint of doubt.
His smile brightened and he leaned in to kiss her.
It was a sweet kiss, but filled with an intense adoration and appreciation that made Riveria feel like her heart would burst.
They pulled back, after a time, both a tad breathless, and Achilles put his forehead against hers.
"Damn I love you," he said.
She laughed lightly and brought hand up to cup his cheek.
"And I love you. So very much."
His smile somehow grew and he pulled her palm to his lips and kissed it, before turning back to her eyes.
"So...shall we go to bed?"
The obvious suggestiveness in his voice made her blush, but she recovered enough to respond.
"We've only been together a day, Achilles, and you already want to take me to bed?" she asked, her voice sarcastic in response to what she thought was just a joke.
"I most certainly do," he replied instantly and in such a tone that there could be no misunderstanding of what he meant.
Now her eyes widened and a fierce blush filled her face.
"But," he continued. "We'll get to that soon enough. Right now, we're both tired and I want to snuggle with my beautiful elf."
It took her a moment to respond as her mind was trying to collect itself, but eventually she managed to throw back.
"Your beautiful elf?" she asked as her heart began to regain its regular pace.
"Yes, my beautiful elf," was Achilles's response as he removed his cloak. "Just as I am your stupidly blind, old human."
She couldn't help but laugh at that, even as she shook her head.
"No, you're my handsome human champion," she countered, a hint of sultriness in her voice as she stood up and removed her overclothes, leaving her in just her skin tight under armor.
He smiled, pleased by both her words and the sight of her beautiful form.
"I really don't deserve you," he said, looking up at her from the bed.
"Yes you do," she said immediately and firmly. "And I won't have you doubting yourself anymore," she continued, before leaning down to kiss him. "Now, skootch over. I'm cold without my overclothes and I expect you to warm me up."
"It would be my pleasure," he said, holding open the blankets for her.
Riveria slipped under the sheets and pulled herself closer to her lover, who dropped the blankets and immediately wrapped her up in his arms.
"Mm, much better," she hummed contently.
"Yes, yes it is," he agreed.
"Good morning, Achilles," she said before kissing him.
"Good morning, Riveria," he returned.
Not a minute later, the two were asleep. A sleep that, for once, would not be filled with nightmares for Achilles, but warmth and join, which about awakening, would make him fall in love with Riveria all the more.
Some hours later when the sun was high in the sky, everyone woke up and, one by one, made their way downstairs for 'breakfast'.
"Looks like we're going to need a bigger table," Hestia joked as she looked at the overwhelmed piece of furniture.
"At least for when we have guests over," Lili noted.
"Eh, the little runts can eat on the floor," Ajax stated, dismissively waving his hand.
"Dad!" his children cried, causing everyone to laugh.
"This is nice though," Bell said, smiling his usual million valis smile.
"I agree," Haruhime said, smiling as well.
Everyone continued eating and talking until Finn suddenly remembered something.
"Weren't you two supposed to get new aliases yesterday?" he asked, looking at his fellow captains.
Most of the mortals in the room perked up at this, while the deities all tensed, none more so than Hestia.
"Oh that's right. The emergency Denatus was yesterday," Achilles said before turning to Hestia. "Did we get new names?"
Hestia, while still tense, managed to reply.
"Yes. All three of you, including Ottar."
Now it was Bell who tensed as the mention of the boaz made memories he wasn't quite ready to face, reappear. Luckily, Aiz was right next to him and took his hand, sending comfort into his body and allowing him to calm down.
"Let's hear them then!" Welf said.
"Well, Ottar was first," Hestia began. "He received the name, 'Humbled High King'. That was decided as a sort of middle ground because he's now a level eight, but you defeated him, Achilles-kun," she explained.
A few people, including Achilles nodded.
"A simultaneous upgrade and downgrade. I suppose it could have been worse," the ex-captain said.
"Much worse," Hestia said lowly, this time catching the attention of most of the room.
"You were next, Achilles," Hephaestus said, before anyone could question her friend. "Hestia managed to get you the name she wanted."
"Oh? What was that?" the mortal asked, interested.
Hestia managed to smile now.
"Father On High," she replied.
Achilles immediately began to beam and it was beyond clear that he was very pleased with that name.
"Thank you," he said.
"I thought you'd like it," she said, smiling back. "The others were more open to that name given your victory of Ottar, so luckily there was no push back."
"That has to be a first," Gareth said, earning a few chuckles.
"It might have been. Can't remember the last time no one put up a fight over an alias," Loki said.
"And what about Bell-sama?" Haruhime asked excitedly. "What's his new name?"
And just like that, all the giddiness and laughter was gone.
Hestia frowned and her eyes fell to the table as everyone around her became tense. However, she knew she couldn't not answer, and so, with a sigh, she replied.
"The Red Dawn."
For most, there was no reaction. Sure it wasn't what they expected, but it didn't seem so bad. However, the moment it reached their ears, Haruhime, Tiona, and Achilles all three of them frowned.
"'The Red Dawn'?" Achilles asked. "That's...ominous."
"How so?" Finn asked.
"Red dawns appear in a lot of old legends and heroic tales. They're symbols or story-telling devices. It's said that when a red dawn appears it symbolizes that blood has been spilt during the night."
Many eyes at the table widened as they now understood how dark the name was.
"It was also a middle ground," Hestia began to explain. "Many of the others wanted darker names given...given what happened during the last fight. 'The Red Dawn' was chosen because it was 'the best of both worlds'. On one hand is what you've said, Achilles. The ominous, dark meaning behind the title. On the other hand, dawn is also a symbol of warmth and hope. Something that burns away the darkness of night. So, since I couldn't get what I wanted, 'Argo Vesta', and I was not about to accept the worst suggestions of others, we went with 'The Red Dawn'."
It was an understandable situation and, in truth, not all that surprising. As they had just been so recently joking about, the gods and goddesses did love to fight over names, and it was only the most powerful familias that got the names they really wanted, and even then it was a fight. But the name still left a bad taste in most people's mouths. More importantly, there was one question on the mortals' minds that they wanted to ask, but didn't dare. Except for one.
"What were some of the names they were suggesting?" Bell asked.
The tension in the room grew exponentially as the Hestia captain's eyes met those of his goddess.
"It doesn't matter," she quickly tried to brush off.
"Hestia-sama," he pleaded. "Please."
Her fists clenched as she did not want to answer, but she could never deny him when he asked something of her like that.
"There were a few," she said. "All of them horrible, but I will only tell you one. The one I refused to allow, no matter what," she said, a rage in her voice that all knew was directed at the deities who dared to degrade her beloved captain. "'The White Dragon'."
The room fell silent for not a single person did not recognize what that name entailed. However, the silence lasted but a moment as the sound of crackling filled the room.
"The...what?" Achilles asked as lightning danced across his skin.
"'The White Dragon'," Hestia repeated. "They chose it because of his skill."
"Who chose it?" Achilles demanded, very clearly desiring to find and punish the deity in question.
"Dad." Everyone turned to Bell, whose head had fallen as he stared down at his lap. "It's okay."
His lightning dispersed upon seeing the state of his boy, but was still clearly furious.
"No, it is not okay!" he roared. "They tried to curse you with that name! Try to degrade you. You!" he slammed his hand on the table. "The sweetest, bravest young man this city has ever seen. That is not okay!"
Riveria took his hand, which did restrain him a bit, but his fury was still clearly evident.
For a time, all was silent as everyone either stared at the young man or, in Aiz's case, rubbed his back and spoke sweet nothing into his ear. That all changed when Ajax suddenly stood up and made his way around the table to Bell.
The young man looked up at the big man, his eyes glassy and filled with worry, only to have that worry replaced with surprise the moment Ajax put his hand on top of his head and began to ruffle his hair playfully.
"It's okay kid. No need to cry over fools. You'll be crying forever if you do that."
"But I did something horrible," Bell said, looking into Ajax's eyes.
"You were pissed because someone hurt your dad. I'd hardly call that horrible."
"You know what happened?" Achilles asked.
Ajax nodded.
"We heard about it when we arrived. Then at the Guild we watched the whole fight thanks to something called a recording crystal," he explained.
"Recording crystal?" Achilles asked.
"I forgot about that," Riveria said, jumping in. "I met a man named Lumin right before the fight and he had invented a device that captured images and sounds so that others could see them later."
"Yep, and see it we did. The whole thing," Ajax said.
"You...you saw it?" Bell asked, more than a tad anxious.
"Yep, including that skill of yours. So no need for those tears, kiddo. I'm not scared of you...well okay, maybe a little, but no more than I'm scared of my captain over there. I mean, the man gets a spear shoved through his heart, only to pop back up like nothing happened and beat the strongest guy in Orario! That's way more terrifying than what you did. You're not a freaking walking corpse!"
A few people managed to chuckle at that as the tension in the air began to dissipate.
"You really mean that?" Bell asked, his eyes filled with hope.
"Of course I do kid. I'm not a liar. Even if I wanted to be, I'm such shit at it that anyone can tell. Ask my wife."
"Language," Polyxo chided, even as she smiled. "But yes, he's telling the truth, child."
With that, Bell's tears dried and he smiled brightly.
"Thank you," he said.
"No problem, kid."
Almost everyone was happy and relieved that the horrid weight on their shoulder had been lifted and that the Hestia captain was smiling again. However, Dido was not so pleased.
"You shouldn't be so easy on him, Ajax. What he did was wrong. Objectively and undeniably," she growled.
All eyes turned to her and many came in the form of glares, the worst of which were undoubtedly from Achilles and Aiz.
"Maybe so, but making him feel like sh-," Polyxo held up a finger. "Feel bad," Ajax corrected. "Won't solve anything. Bell here's a good kid, I can tell, but I will concede that it would probably be for the best if he works on keeping his temper under control."
"I'll do that, I promise!" Bell immediately vowed.
"See? If he works on that, then there really shouldn't be any issues."
"You're trying to make this less of an issue than it is. He nearly destroyed the Coliseum and who knows how much else," she growled.
"You say that like our two familias weren't doing that every other week," he threw back, earning him an even more ferocious glare. He then shrugged. "But maybe I am a bit. Then again, how was I supposed to not to? The kid's feeling all glum and my fatherly instincts kicked in. Though I suppose that field has already been taken," he joked.
Achilles, now smiling again, replied.
"It has indeed, and while the help is appreciated, I would warn you away from trying to move in on my turf, Ajax," he joked.
To most everyone's surprise, it was Bell that replied to that.
"Maybe you can...be Uncle Ajax then?" Bell asked timidly, hoping he hadn't crossed a line.
By some dark miracle, Dido's frown seemed to deepen.
"Hm, Uncle Ajax. I like the ring of that. Uncle Ajax it is!"
Bell smiled brightly and was soon joined by everyone else, except Dido of course.
"I guess that makes me Aunt Polyxo or Aunt Poly," his wife added. "And I guess that means this lot are your cousins now," she said, signally to her children.
The youngsters all turned their gaze to Bell, who did likewise with them, before suddenly, all hell broke loose and the excited youngsters rushed over to him, excited with the news of their new family member.
Laughs flowed through the room as Bell became overwhelmed by the children, though it was clear he was enjoying the situation immensely.
"Looks like that's taken care of," Riveria whispered into Achilles's ear.
He chuckled then turned and kissed her.
"I suppose so."
The scene went on for a few more moments, before suddenly, one of Ajax's children, Telamon, asked him.
"How old are you?"
"Fifteen," Bell replied, smiling at him.
"Wait...fifteen?"
Bell turned to see his entire familia giving him a confused look.
"Oh right," Bell said bashfully as he scratched his cheek. "I guess I've never really told you guys when my birthday was."
"Well I think I speak for all of us when I say we'd like that massive oversight corrected," Achilles said as the entire familia and much of the other familias, nodded. "When was your birthday?"
"It was the day I fought Aiz," Bell informed them.
The Hestia familia and Aiz all blinked while a few people chuckled in the background.
"And you didn't tell us this, why, Bell-sama?" Lili asked.
"I guess I was so caught up in everything that I just sort of...forgot," he answered, tapping his fingers together.
"Bell!" his entire familia cried.
"I'm sorry!" he cried back.
"Alright, this needs to be corrected, now," Hestia ordered.
"Agreed, Hestia-sama. This is an oversight of terrible proportions," Ryuu stated.
"It's not that big of a deal, really," Bell tried to say.
"Bell, this isn't a fight you're going to win, so there's no point in even trying," Welf said.
"He's right, Bell-dono. We should have known for a while now and must correct this," Mikoto added.
"And we will!" Hestia declared. "We are celebrating Bell-kun's birthday today and I want it to be as big as possible to both make up for our failure and as a congratulations on his levelling up!"
"Right!" the Hestia familia declared.
"We need to get presents!" Haruhime declared with wide eyes.
"That's not necessary!" Bell tried again.
"Shush, Bell-kun, she's absolutely right," Hestia cut him off. "So, that's our plan for today. We'll all go find birthday presents for Bell, then come back here in the evening for a party."
"I'll go to the Hostess of Fertility and ask them to deliver again," Ryuu said.
"Good thinking, Ryuu-kun. Then let's get to it!" Hestia declared.
The Hestia familia and the friendly familias were preparing to leave, much to Bell's embarrassment, when the children suddenly chimed in.
"Mommy, can we get presents for cousin Bell too?" one of their daughters, Antiope, asked.
"Of course, my sweet thing," Polyxo replied, picking up the little girl. "Let's go with daddy and he can show us around the city."
"Sounds like a plan to me," the father said, causing his children to cheer.
With that, most everyone began to shuffle out, leaving only a skeleton crew behind.
Bell was stunned by the reaction of the others and didn't know what to do.
"Bell," Aiz called, gaining his attention. "It's okay. They just want to be happy for you," she said with a smile.
"I know," he said scratching the back of his head. "But it really isn't necessary."
"But it is. It's a chance to show you how much we love and appreciate you."
"Just having you all with me is more than enough," he stated.
She smiled, kissed his cheek, then stood up from her chair.
"Then why don't we spend the day together? We can go wherever you want and do whatever you'd like."
His eyes brightened and he could barely contain his joy.
"I'd like that."
She smiled and held out her hand, which he immediately took.
"Oh! I hope you don't mind us leaving you here," Bell said to Patroclus, Imilce, Dido, and Bete, who were the only ones who remained.
"Of course not, Rabbit. With everyone gone I can finally catch up on some sleep," Bete growled.
"Sounds good. Feel free to use any of the spare rooms," Bell said.
Not a moment later the two lovers departed, hand in hand.
"Geez, those two are so lovey-dovey, makes me sick," Bete growled as he got up from his chair.
He didn't even bid the others farewell as he simply left the dining room.
With him gone, Patroclus turned to Dido.
"I don't think you need to be so hostile to Bell, Dido. He really does seem like a good kid."
"A good kid doesn't turn into a monster and go on a rampage you damn fool," she spat back.
Just outside the room, Bete stopped and turned his eyes towards the dining room.
Careful, bitch. There's a lot of people who would put you in a world of hurt for spouting that bullshit, and that includes me.
The Hestia familia split up soon after departing the manor and Ryuu headed towards the Hostess of Fertility. She knew she had to be quick since it was already past noon, courtesy of their abnormal sleeping schedule, which meant that the restaurant would soon be preparing for customers.
Arriving at her old workplace, the elf smiled and went inside. As if sensing her, Syr turned to her.
"Ryuu!" she happily declared, rushing over to hug her.
Hearing the cry, the others appeared and went to greet the elf.
"It's good to see you too, Syr," Ryuu said, returning the hug. "It's good to see all of you."
"Likewise," Mia said, coming forward. "But something tells me this isn't just a social visit."
"In a way it is. We're having a party at the Hearthfire Manor and we're going to need lots of food," she explained.
"Another one? Didn't Finn and his girlfriend come here last night to get food for you guys?" Mia asked.
"That was because several members of the Zeus and Hera familia arrived yesterday and we spent the whole night and early morning telling them stories."
"There's more Zeus and Hera familia in the city?" Mia asked as the waitresses became both interested and slightly concerned.
"Yes. The first, Galadriel, arrived the day of the final fight," Ryuu said, noting how Mia tensed at the name. "The others: Ajax, Patroclus, Dido, and Imilce, arrived the day after, along with Ajax's wife and children."
"Ajax settled down? Well I'll be," Mia said, her tension slipping away as a fond smile appeared. "So then what's this new party for?"
"As embarrassing as it is to admit, we all just found out that Bell's birthday a few days ago, and so we intend to make up for our failure with a party."
A now very familiar tension fell upon Ryuu and she turned her gaze to see the uneasy eyes of her former co-workers, the most uneasy of which was unquestionably, Syr.
"Are you afraid of him now?" Ryuu asked her best friend.
Silence was her response as Syr's eyes fell and a deep feeling of shame radiated off her.
"I admit…" the waitress finally managed. "At first I was. Terrified, even. Seeing him like that...I didn't know Bell was capable of that." The other waitresses nodded in understanding. They had been horrified when Bell had transformed and were still recovering from their fear and uneasiness. Ryuu and Mia, however, simply looked at the girl, their eyes holding no blame, only a hint of sadness. "However," Syr continued. "Now I'm ashamed. I know that Bell's still the same, good person he always was, just more powerful and perhaps a bit more defensive, not that I can blame him after all he's been through. But, the fact that I was terrified of him," she looked up at Ryuu, tears in her eyes. "How am I ever supposed to meet his gaze again after thinking so poorly of him?"
Suddenly, Syr found herself wrapped up in Ryuu's arms.
"The same way you always do, with a smile on your face and love in your eyes."
"B-But, I was-," the waitress tried.
"So was I, but I haven't given up on him. What happened was terrifying, but one moment of fear, even great fear, doesn't mean you stop loving someone. It is, at worst, an acknowledgment that they are not perfect. Bell is many things. Kind. Strong. A bit silly," the two girls laughed. "But he is not perfect. So you don't need to be ashamed of what happened. We were all scared and Bell is aware he went too far, so I very much doubt he would hold it against you. So don't give up on him because of a moment of fear. I'm not, and what fun would it be if I wasn't competing with my best friend for the man we love?"
Syr looked up her friend with happy tears leaking out of her eyes. She laughed, then pulled Ryuu into another hug.
"Thank you," she said.
"You're welcome. However, if you wish to really thank me, come to the party later, if Mia will allow it of course," Ryuu said, turning to the matron.
"Not like she'd be a lot of help here," Mia stated.
"Mama," Syr chided, even as she smiled at the dwarf.
"Looks like you're free," Ryuu said.
Syr laughed again.
"Looks like it. I'll be there."
"Good."
Seeing that their moment was over, Anya jumped in with the question that all the other waitresses were dying to ask.
"We love?"
Ryuu's eyes widened as she realized her mistake. She turned and sweat began to pour down her skin as the shining eyes of her friends loomed over her, demanding answers.
Aiz and Bell walked the sunny streets of Orario, arm in arm and with ludicrously large smiles on their faces.
"So, is there anywhere you want to go or anything you want to do?" Aiz asked.
"I'm fine going anywhere as long as I'm with you," he replied, smiling adoringly at her.
Aiz smiled just as adoringly back, before stopping and kissing him.
When they broke apart, he laughed.
"I can't believe I get to do that now. I've wanted to for so long and I'm still trying to wrap my head around the fact that this is all real."
"But it is real. That's all that matters. We finally have each other," she said, taking his hands in hers. "No more shyness. No more worrying about how the other feels. We're together, and I don't plan on letting you go, ever," she said resolutely.
He laughed again before pulling her in for another kiss.
"I love you, Aiz."
"I love you too, Bell."
The sound of a growling stomach caught their attention and a moment later, Aiz blushed.
"I got so caught up with everything during breakfast that I didn't really eat much."
Another chuckle from the rabbit-like young man.
"Then let's get something to eat. I think there's a good Jagamarukun stand around here."
Her eyes lit up and she pulled him into another kiss.
"I love you so much."
The two turned in the direction of the stand, returning their arms to their interlocked position and smiling even more blissfully.
It was because of this bliss that they were unaware of all the eyes on them.
"Did you see that?"
"That can't be real. I must be seeing things."
"But it was real, wasn't it?"
"The Sword Princess is untouchable. She's turned down a thousand requests. There's no way she'd be with...that...thing."
"Yeah, something's up. Maybe he's blackmailing her or using some spell or potion."
"There's no way the Sword Princess would fall for that!"
"Well what other explanation is there? That she loves that thing?!"
"He's right. We should follow them in case she needs help."
"And what are you going to do against that?"
"I don't know! But if the Sword Princess needs help, I'm her man!"
Soon after, the onlookers all came to an agreement and began following the couple with the intent on rescuing the Sword Princess from 'the monster'.
It did not take too long for the couple to find the Jagamarukun stand and the two approached it, still smiling.
"One regular Jagamarukun for me please," Bell said, not noticing that the stand owner was frowning at him. "What would you like, Aiz?"
"One Jagamarukun with extra cream," she replied.
It took a moment for them to notice because they were so wrapped up in each other, but eventually they noted that the stand owner had not replied. In fact, the whole area seemed oddly quiet.
"Oh, I'm sorry, are you busy right now?" Bell asked, his good nature shining through.
Aiz however, noticed the dark eyes sent Bell's way and her own eyes darkened in turn.
The stand owner looked at Bell a moment longer with those unwelcoming eyes, before turning to Aiz.
"Sword Princess, you shouldn't associate with this freak."
The two froze, though in Aiz's case, it was only for a moment, as soon her whole body filled with rage and began to shake.
"What did you say?" she demanded, giving the stand owner just one chance to correct his terrible mistake. He didn't. If anything, he seemed even more intent on digging his own grave as he replied even more vehemently.
"You shouldn't be next to this...thing. He's dangerous, even for you."
"Yeah!" someone from the onlooking crowd said. "He's a freaking monster!"
Many people within the crowd shouted their agreement.
Bell, finally realizing what was going on and seeing the many hostile eyes around him, shrank and turned his eyes towards the ground. A fact that Aiz did not take lightly.
How dare they?! And on a day that's supposed to be about celebrating him!
"Bell is not dangerous, nor is he a monster!" she threw back with an ever-growing fury.
"Not dangerous?! Did you see what he did? What he became?!" another stranger shouted.
"It's not a he. Monsters aren't 'hes', they're 'its'," came another voice.
That one hit Bell hard as he shrank even more and his fists tightened to such an extent that, to Aiz's horror, she saw blood dripping down to the ground.
Unforgivable! She mentally shouted as more and more people poured abuse on the man she adored. They're hurting him! They're hurting my Bell!
"We can go get more adventurers if you want to deal with it," offered one of the people that had followed the two.
That was when Aiz lost it.
"How dare you?!" she roared, simultaneously silencing and frightening everyone in the area. "Bell is not an 'it' nor is he a monster! He's the kindest, bravest, most driven man I know, and a thousand times better than all of you! How dare any of you-!"
Her tirade ended the moment Bell grabbed her arm.
She turned, worried he was hurt, only to find him still staring at the ground.
"It's alright, Aiz. Let's just go," he said.
Nothing about the quiet, broken way he said that spoke that he was but, 'alright' and utterly shattered Aiz's heart.
Acting on pure instinct she suddenly picked Bell up, bridal style, then flew off with him, leaving behind a group of startled, frightened, and confused assholes.
Aiz carried Bell all the way through the city until she arrived at their spot on the wall, at which point she finally put him down.
"Aiz," he said, his voice shaking a bit from surprise and not from his previous misery, much to her gratitude. "Why did you do that?"
"Because you were hurting," came her immediate answer.
"Oh?" his eyes turned down again. "I was fi-."
She stopped the incoming and obvious lie with a kiss, before pulling back and looking him in the eyes.
"You were not fine!" she cried. "Everything screamed how much you were hurting! How much those...those...fucking assholes' words were tearing you apart inside! You were not fine! So I took you away. Away from the pain, because the last thing in the world I want is for you to be in pain!"
"Aiz," was all Bell managed to say.
"Bell, you are the most wonderful person I know and I can't tell you how lucky I feel to not only know you, but to have earned your love," she smiled at him. "You are not anything that they said you are and in time they'll stop being dumb and realize that, and for those that don't well, like Ajax said, 'no need to cry over fools'. So please Bell, smile. Be happy. For me. Please."
Though he was, of course, still worried about the people of the city and what the future would hold now that he had fallen from grace again, Bell couldn't deny her. Of course he couldn't. He had never been able to deny a plea from those he was close to, so a plea from the woman he loved was absolutely impossible to deny.
He smiled softly at her before reaching down to take her hands.
"Okay," he said gently. "I won't let what they said bother me."
She smiled back.
"Thank you, Bell."
They simply enjoyed their quiet moment together for a moment, before Bell decided to ask.
"So, what should we do now? There's still a few hours until the party."
"I'm not sure. Should we just head back?" Aiz wondered.
He knew that was likely the smart thing to do, but the young man wanted to spend more time with the woman he could finally say was his, alone.
Remembering where he was, he got an idea and smiled.
Pulling away from Aiz, he went over and sat on the battlements looking out from the city before turning to her and patting the space next to her.
It took a moment for her to realize what he meant, but once she did, Aiz's smile returned and she quickly went over, sat next to him, and snuggled up into his side as they looked out onto the world. They would stay like that until the sun was about to set, at which time they, warm, content, and without a care in the world, would head back to Hearthfire Manor, hand in hand.
Bell and Aiz entered the manor and were greeted by a wave of noise.
"We're back, everyone!" Bell called.
"Bell-kun!" came the familiar voice of his goddess. A moment later, said deity appeared. "Everything's almost ready! Come and see!"
The three made their way into the living room where they were greeted by the sight of everyone rushing around, putting up decorations or arranging presents.
"You guys did all this?" Bell said, legitimately surprised by all they had managed to do in such a short amount of time.
"Uh huh. And Ryuu got food from the Hostess of Fertility, which gave Haruhime enough time to bake a cake!" Hestia said, smiling at her captain.
"Hestia...thank you. I still don't think you all needed to do this for me, but thank you."
"You're welcome. Besides, how could we not celebrate a birthday, let alone the birthday of our captain and the first member of my familia?"
"I guess when you put it like that," he conceded.
"Now, as I said, things are almost ready. The presents are out, Haruhime's putting the frosting on the cake, the only thing we're waiting for is the last of the food to arrive. So, we all figured you could open presents first, then we'll have dinner, then cake. Sound good?" the goddess asked.
"That sounds great."
"Perfect! Come on everyone, we're going to open presents!"
Those in the room stopped what they were doing, while those outside it began to shuffle in, ending with Haruhime.
"I'll be just a minute everyone, I'm almost done frosting the cake!" she explained.
"We'll wait," Bell said.
"Thank you, Bell-sama," the renard replied, giving him a smile, before heading back into the kitchen.
"So, what were you too doing today while we were out?" Achilles asked.
Aiz tensed, remembering what had happened. Few failed to notice this and concern began to return to their hearts, only to be stopped when Bell smiled.
"We just spent some time together, walking around the city. We eventually found our way to the wall and just enjoyed the scenery and calm until the sun began to set," he explained.
The joyful, simple response Bell gave made many wonder if they had misinterpreted Aiz's reaction, but one quick look at her surprised face proved that they hadn't.
Something happened, but I don't think anyone here wants to risk ruining the good mood, Finn noted.
"That sounds nice. Back in our village, Ajax and I would occasionally go for walks when the weather was pleasant. Sometimes it's nice to just spend some quiet time with the one you love," she said, snuggling up to her husband, who immediately wrapped his arm around her.
"It is," Bell agreed.
Aiz wondered for a moment if she should say something as, undoubtedly, everyone would want to know what had happened, but the moment she caught Bell's eyes and saw his genuine smile, she decided to drop the matter.
For now, she added.
"All done!" Haruhime declared as she entered the room.
"Great! Then we can begin opening presents!" Hestia stated.
"Me first! Me first!" Ajax's son, Alexander cried.
A moment later, he rushed over, holding out a bag to Bell.
"Thank you," Bell said, taking the bag. He opened it and found it full of candy. "Oh, it's been forever since I've had some candy! Thank you," he said.
Alexander smiled, then ran back to his parents.
Next up was the oldest daughter, Electra.
"Happy birthday," she said holding up a small box.
Bell took it and opened it, revealing a bracelet with a falcon charm hanging from it.
"Dad told us the falcons were a symbol of good luck," she explained.
"Thank you," Bell said, smiling. "You can always use more luck."
The girl nodded, though many noticed her cheeks were a bit redder than they were before.
Seriously, is there a way to turn off the charm with this kid, Achilles thought as he chuckled.
Next up was Telamon, who handed Bell a bigger box.
"Throwing knives," Bell recognized upon opening the box.
"I saw that you used knives, so I thought this might be helpful to you."
"Thank you," Bell said.
Finally was the youngest of the bunch, Antiope.
"Happy birthday," she said as she handed him a doll. "It seemed like you might have been scared when you fought that big man, and my doll always helps me when I'm scared," she explained.
More than a few 'ahs' were heard in the room, and Bell's smile somehow grew.
"Thank you so much," he said before holding out his arms.
Not a moment later, Antiope was in his arms, giving him a hug, getting another chorus of 'ahs'.
After the two broke apart and Antiope returned to her mother's arms, Hestia stepped forward.
"Alright, my turn!"
And so it went. One by one people gave Bell presents, he thanked them wholeheartedly, before the next person gave their present.
Amongst the treasures was a very nice weapon maintenance set from Welf, an Elven charm from Ryuu, potions from Naaza, but perhaps most interesting of all, a white rabbit from Cassandra.
"I-I found him today, while out searching," she explained with her usual shyness. "He looked like he needed a home, s-so I bought him, thinking you might like him," she said, before her nervousness overwhelmed her. "B-B-But if you don't like him…!"
Her anxiety burned away the moment Bell came up and took the rabbit from her arms.
"Thank you, Cassandra. This was extremely thoughtful of you," he said.
Her eyes widened and her cheeks burned red, forcing her to look down. However, despite her embarrassment, she was smiling.
"Y-You're welcome," she managed.
"It looks like he likes me."
She looked back up to see the rabbit snuggling up to him, making Bell to smile and laugh.
"That is probably the cutest thing I've ever seen," Hestia said, getting many nods throughout the room.
The final gift came from Achilles who, upon seeing that all the gifts had been given, stood up.
"Given all he's been through, I think we can officially declare Bell an adult," he began, approaching Bell with a bottle and cup in hand. "Meaning he's also allowed adult drinks, and there's no better adult drink than Ambrosia," he finished as he began pouring into the cup.
"Where the hell did you get that?!" Loki cried, immediately getting called out by Polyxo.
"That's a secret," Achilles replied. "For those who don't know, Ambrosia is the one drink in the world said to be greater than Soma's perfect wine." Now it was Lili who was in shock. "It doesn't give you the same blissful feeling, but it's said to be able to heal grievous wounds, lift curses, and even give the drinker a long, healthy life. Given that's precisely what I want for Bell," he held out the cup to his son.
Bell took it, but looked a bit apprehensive.
"If you don't want to drink it, I will!" Loki offered, getting a smack on the back of the head from Riveria.
"It's alright Bell, you can start with a sip," Achilles said.
Bell nodded then took a sip. To his surprise it was actually really good.
It's sweet, but not a kind of sweet I've ever tasted before.
His apprehensiveness now gone, Bell continued to drink and, much to everyone's surprise, downed the whole cup.
"Looks like someone liked it," Achilles joked, getting a few laughs.
"It was...better than I expected," Bell said, a tad embarrassed.
"Well it is Ambrosia," Ajax said.
"Well then, it looks like it's time for dinner," Hestia said, now that the presents were all finished.
Everyone eagerly followed that command and headed to the dining room, now supplied with a few extra small tables for the children, and sat down to eat.
Conversation flowed and a sense of ease flowed through the dining hall as the concerns from earlier that day began to burn away. Even Dido seemed less irritated.
The merriment paused when the gate bell rang.
"That must be Syr. She's later than I expected," Ryuu said.
"I'll go let her in," Haruhime said, getting up.
About a minute later Haruhime returned with an out of breath Syr in tow.
"I'm...so sorry...I'm late," she said as she tried to catch her breath. "I just couldn't decide which dress to wear."
So you ended up choosing the most provocative one you could? Achilles mentally questioned.
The dress wasn't provocative in the normal sense. It was actually quite modest in comparison to many of the styles in Orario, and was closer to a lovely sundress than a sultry ball gown. No, the reason it was provocative was because the dress perfectly matched Bell's eyes, a fact that was not missed by any of the ladies who sought his affections, nor the implication behind it.
"Thank you for coming, Syr-san," Bell said, getting up from his chair to greet her.
"Thank you for having me. And happy birthday, Bell!" she replied, giving him a dazzling smile. "I hope I haven't missed too much," she said, noting the dining table.
"We have already opened presents, but as you can see we're in the middle of eating, and we still have cake," he informed her.
"Oh good, I was worried I had taken too long and didn't even eat before I left."
"Well, please sit down and join us. The more the merrier," the Hestia captain said, giving her just as dazzling a smile.
Syr did just that and took the spot that Ryuu had saved for her, before beginning to eat.
"So, now that we're here, what was it you had planned for us, Captain?" Patroclus asked Achilles.
"I told you, Patroclus, I'm not your captain anymore," the ex-captain chastised playfully.
"You'll always be my captain," Patroclus responded, a dusting of red on his cheeks.
A few people around the table shared a look, making sure they weren't the only ones noticing the behavior before shrugging, smiling, or rolling their eyes.
"Well, to answer your question," Achilles continued. "Assuming that something doesn't get in the way, which is entirely possible around here, believe me." A few people chuckled as acknowledgment of the truth of that statement. "Then my hope is that the four of you will train the lower levelled members of this familia in combat so I can focus on the higher levels. Of course, your experience and knowledge is useful for everyone, no matter their level, but I want to give these youngsters a more personal touch to ensure they get the most out of their training."
"I think we can handle that," Ajax said, getting a nod from Imilce.
"And what about us? Are you going to keep training us as well?" Patroclus questioned.
"If you want. I do need to see how your swordsmanship is doing. And don't you think for a moment that I'm a pushover now that I'm old," Achilles joked.
"You're not old, Captain. If anything, you look better than ever," the younger Zeus member said.
"I quite concur," Riveria said.
Patroclus turned to the elf, his eyes losing their light glint. Feeling his eyes, Riveria turned.
If he can be pulled away from Freya, he can be pulled from you, elf, his eyes warned.
Hearing his message, she lifted her chin just a tad higher.
You can try, little boy, but you will not succeed, she threw back.
"Well I appreciate the kind words," Achilles said, pulling the two back from their visual spar. "But I'm definitely older. I'm expecting gray hairs any day now."
"While I doubt that's going to happen, especially now that you're a level eight, I do think you'd pull off the silver fox look very well," Riveria said as she began to play with his hair.
Her significant other laughed.
"Better that than bald, I suppose."
The dinner continued until everyone was just about full, as they needed to make sure they still had room for cake.
"Alright, it's time for the birthday cake and for Bell-kun to blow out his candles!" Hestia said happily.
Haruhime brought over the large cake with its fifteen candles burning brightly, and set it down in front of Bell.
"Alright, Bell-kun! Make a wish!"
To everyone's surprise, Bell did not blow out the candles. In fact, he didn't do anything except scrunch his face.
"What can I wish for? I have everything I could ever want," he said.
Dozens of eyes softened and dozens of smiles grew at hearing that.
"Wish for the first thing that comes to mind. It doesn't matter what it is," Achilles suggested.
The first thing...Bell thought for a moment and then a sad, yet somehow also optimistic smile grew upon his lips. I wish you were here, Mom.
Then he blew out the candles, a round of applause going up in response.
"Happy birthday, Bell!" everyone cried, which caused his usual, bright smile to return in full force.
"Thank you, everyone," he responded.
They began to slice up the cake with Bell, naturally, receiving the biggest slice, even if it was a tad against his will.
"This is delicious!" Tiona cried out, before quickly stuffing more sugaring goodness into her mouth, much to her sister's disgust.
"Thank you. I was worried while I was making it since I haven't baked many cakes," Haruhime replied, smiling bashfully.
"Well no need to worry, my dear! It is absolutely delightful!" Hermes declared.
Achilles glared at Hermes, not liking the overly friendly tone the god was giving his favorite renard. Luckily, not a moment later, Asfi jabbed her elbow into his side, ceasing any possible attempts at flirting. As Hermes began to complain to his captain about her cruel behavior she turned and winked at Achilles, who smiled back in silent thanks.
"It really is good, Haruhime. Thank you," Bell said.
Haruhime's already blushing face became that much redder at his compliment, but so did her joy, if her wagging tail was any indication.
"You are very welcome, Bell-sama."
The cake eaten and the plates put away, everyone was prepared to adjourn to the living room to talk and tell more stories, when suddenly, Syr stood up and made her way over to Bell.
"Since I was late, I was hoping you'd allow me to give you my present now, Bell," she said smiling at her favorite familia captain.
"Oh, you didn't have to get me anything," he assured her.
"But I wanted to, silly," she replied with a quick laugh. "So, will you allow me to give it to you?" she asked.
"Of course. And thank you," he said.
All around the two, people were noticing that Syr wasn't holding anything.
Is it hidden in her dress? Achilles wondered.
Did she leave it at Mama's? Ryuu questioned.
Neither of these were the case. In fact, Syr had brought her present with her, and everyone understood that soon after she spoke again.
"You're fifteen now, correct?" she asked Bell.
"Yes," he answered, a bit confused by the question as he wasn't sure what it had to do with presents.
"Then fifteen birthday kisses it is."
All eyes widened, but none were quick enough to stop the waitress as, before they could even blink, she had leaned down and kissed his cheek.
"One," she began.
She kissed his other cheek.
"Two."
Everyone was frozen, none more so than Bell, who simply sat there, like a gaping statue as Syr pressed on.
"Three," she counted after kissing his forehead. "Four. Five," she continued as she kissed the back of his hands. "Six. Seven," his palms. "Eight. Nine," his ears. "Ten. Eleven," both sides of his neck.
This sent a shiver up Bell's spine and snapped everyone back to reality, most importantly, a certain blonde swordsman who now glared at the waitress with terrible rage.
"Twelve. Thirteen," Syr continued, kissing his eyes and unperturbed by everyone around her or the glare Aiz was sending her. If anything, she seemed to enjoy it. "Fourteen," she kissed the tip of his nose. "And fifteen."
Syr leant down one final time to give him a quick, but hardly innocent kiss on the lips.
"Happy birthday Bell," she said.
Aiz's chair launched against the wall as she stood up, ready to tear Syr apart.
"What?" Syr asked Aiz, innocently. "Do you guys not do birthday kisses?"
"I don't believe anyone has that particular tradition, especially not like that," Achilles stated even as he wondered if he was going to have to intervene to prevent a murder.
"That's a shame. Bell seems to have liked it."
All eyes shifted to the young man, who was still just sitting in his chair, mouth agape and body frozen as his mind tried desperately to figure out what was going on.
Suddenly, before anyone could do anything to stop her, Aiz picked up Bell, threw him over her shoulder, dashed out of the room and up the stairs before slamming the door to what was presumably Bell's room.
"Oh geez, I guess I'd better intervene so Aiz doesn't do something drastic to reassert her claim on Bell after that display," Achilles said, eying a still smiling Syr as he got up from his chair.
Everyone watched him depart and waited for whatever was to come next. They didn't have to wait long as about a minute later they all heard.
"GO AWAY!"
A few people jumped and many a look were shared before Achilles reentered the dining room, his finger in his now ringing ear.
"Well...Aiz is definitely the jealous type."
Aiz glared at the door, daring Achilles to try and enter. However, she soon heard the sound of his feet moving away and she relaxed for a moment, but only for a moment, as she quickly shifted to Bell, her eyes burning.
It had been a while since Bell had been honestly intimidated by Aiz, but he was unquestionably intimidated now as she loomed over him.
"Did you like her kisses?" she asked, her voice almost a roar.
"W-What?" Bell squeaked. "No! Of course not!" he stated, now with a bit more force behind it. "I was just shocked. I mean...it just happened before I could even figure out how to respond. I know now I should have immediately pushed her away, but it was so unexpected and happened so quickly."
Aiz continued to glare at him, trying to see any hint of a lie. However, the more she looked, the more she found nothing but pure honesty.
He really was just shocked.
She started to calm down and, after a few moments, she managed to smile at him.
"Good," she said.
Seeing that she had calmed down, Bell smiled back then took her hands.
"Aiz, you're the only one I want to kiss," he told her.
Her smile grew at those words, but after a moment, a new fire grew in her eyes, only this one wasn't angry, but predatory.
"So you like my kisses then?" she asked.
The change in her tone made a shiver go up his spine. It wasn't an unpleasant shiver, like the shiver of fear, far from it. It actually felt kind of nice, and left a warm tingle in his body. But it was a warning that he was about to go down a path he needed to be prepared for.
Swallowing, he answered.
"I love your kisses."
That was all Aiz needed as she pounced on him.
The two tumbled into his bed, Aiz claiming his lips so possessively they might as well have had her name tattooed onto them.
"Mmm," Aiz moaned as her hands rose to entangle in his hair.
Bell groaned in response and wrapped his arms around her waist.
Not long after the two became officially entangled with each other, the two turned their heads and opened their mouths to allow their tongues to do likewise, causing them both to moan and groan again in appreciation and delight.
The two went at it for so long and were so focused on each other that they forgot to breathe and were eventually forced to pull apart.
"Hah...hah," Aiz breathed deeply, trying to regain her breath, her forehead resting on Bell's as she did so.
The two stared adoringly into each other's eyes and soon, neither could resist any longer and were back at it again.
The two shifted so that they were both fully on the bed, Aiz still very much on top as she wrapped her arms around Bell's head and tried to pull herself as close to him as possible. This, in turn, led to her grinding her waist against his, resulting in a deep, desirous moan from Bell.
"Aiz...Aiz wait…" he tried to say, pulling back for a moment before she reclaimed his lips, not keen on parting with them for even a moment.
She continued to grind against him, causing his eyes to roll up in passionate euphoria, but he still had enough sense to control himself, and finally managed to find enough strength to push her off of him.
"Aiz...I need you to...stop," he said, his voice raspy with need and desperate with barely maintained control.
"I-I thought you said you loved my kisses?" she asked, looking into his eyes, a tiny bit of fear and hurt in hers.
"I do! I love them so much!" he vowed, unable to bare the sight of her pained expression. "But you're overwhelming me and you're making me want to-," he stopped suddenly, unable to say the words.
"Making you want to...what?" she asked, her heart beginning to thunder as she hoped it was what she thought it was.
"To...do more," he admitted.
Her pain and fear turned to ash the moment he made his confession and she smiled as brightly as the sun.
"Would that be so bad?" she asked.
"No," he admitted again, managing to gain some control over himself. "But I want our first time together to be special, because you deserve special, Aiz. When you and I…" he took a breath to calm himself. "Come together. I want it to be the very best it can be. I know I'm inexperienced and don't know how to do anything, but-."
She cut him off with a kiss.
"We'll learn together," she stated, after they pulled apart. "And as for being special, just being with you will make it special," she said with a smile. "However, I am willing to wait, if that's what you want," she finished, before snuggling up to him.
His anxiety disappeared as her warmth enveloped him and he kissed her forehead.
"Thank you, Aiz. I love you," he said, smiling and pulling her closer.
"I love you too."
An hour later the two, still very much snuggled in each other's arms, heard a knock at the door.
"You two do remember that there's a birthday party going on, correct?" Riveria asked from the door.
The two looked at each other and blushed.
Oops, they both thought.
Untangling themselves, they had one final kiss, then opened the door.
"I'm sorry," Bell said.
"I'm sorry," Aiz added.
"Uh huh. Well, come on," Riveria said, gesturing for them to follow.
The three made their way downstairs and found everyone waiting for them, more than a few with suggestive smiles on their faces.
"You two were gone for quite some time. Anything you'd like to share?" Hermes asked, only to be immediately elbowed in the side by Asfi again.
Bell blushed lightly and Aiz, remembering the reason behind her sudden kidnapping of Bell, lifted her head triumphantly, and smirked.
For a moment, many of the party-goers wondered if perhaps they had done something, but this all ended when Aisha jumped in.
"The two haven't done the dirty," she said firmly. "I don't smell the sweet scent of passion on them."
"Aisha-san!" Bell cried, not appreciating her phrasing, only to get a smirk back from the amazon.
While Aisha had put it in a way that few had wanted, a series of sighs of relief passed through the room, none greater than those from the other ladies still very much after the young hero.
"So," Royman began, staring at people before him. "What does the Athenian Empire want from Orario?"
The High Elf amongst the group sneered at the elf before him, and refused to say anything. Luckily, he was not required to as one of his other two companions, a woman wearing regal looking clothing with an owl embroidered on it, stepped forward in his place.
"Thank you for seeing us, Royman. We are here for one simple, but dire purpose. To call on Orario's aid against Rakia."
And done. Another bites the dust and the relationship of Aiz and Bell continues to grow, along with the suspicions amongst former comrades. Not only that, but Athens has arrived and it appears they bring war with them. However, that's for next time, so you'll all have to wait and see.
Anyway, what did you guys think? Does it seem like I'm rushing things now that Aiz and Bell are together or do you think I'm going too slow? Are there any problems that you're seeing or concerns you have with the story? Please, share your thoughts as I do read what you have to say and take your criticisms seriously.
With that, I'll bid you all a fine day and I'll see you all next time. Until then, bye for now.