Hello my dearest readers! We are back and the tension and danger are rising. Bell is surrounded by enemies and those who would lead him astray, and yet he must charge forward into danger. Something is happening to Haruhime and the Athenian-Rakian War rages on. What is about to happen? What battles will our heroes fight and what horrors will they face? Let's dive into the next chapter and find out, shall we?
I do not own Danmachi
Note 8/24/2021: As some of you pointed out, I didn't mention Galadriel in the chapter when I should have. I have now gone back and fixed it. Thank you all for pointing that out and my sincerest apologies for that very obvious failure.
Hades grabbed his pen and lifted it above the paper, ready to begin.
"But how should I start?" he wondered aloud. "Would a 'Dear Zeus' be enough, or should I do something more familial? Perhaps a 'Dear Brother'. That feels a little out-of-character for me, but then again, the last letter he sent me began with 'Dear Dark and Spooky'."
The god of the Underworld chuckled.
"Part of me wants to begin 'Dear Loud and Sparky', but I think I'll just go with 'Dear Zeus' for now."
He brought his pen down and began to write.
Dear Zeus,
I have recently had the pleasure of meeting my great nephew, Bell Cranel. I must say I am very disappointed that you did not inform me you had taken such a charming young man into your care. Even so, I do not contact you now to chastise you for a simple failure of introduction, but because I have a few questions for you regarding Bell, namely, his heritage. Who were Bell's parents? Were they members of your and Hera's familia? If so, then I must inquire more about them. The reason, I am sad to say, is because I feel something truly sinister within Bell. A dark, foreboding power within him. I will not beat around the bush any more on this matter and get to the point. This dark power feels familiar in a way that makes me very uneasy, brother. It's almost like-
The door to his office burst open, revealing a clearly distressed Uriel.
"Uriel? Whatever is the matter?" he asked, rising to his feet.
"I believe Bell Cranel is about to fall into a situation not of his making. A situation that could lead to the destruction of Athens and his death."
The pen in Hades's hand snapped.
"Explain," he said with an icy seriousness.
"Raaa!"
Welf parried the final desperate blow of the mercenary before him, before quickly slashing them across the chest.
"Aaah!"
The mercanary fell with a dull thud as Welf, now finally free of his opponent, let his shoulders slump and worked to catch his breath.
It took him a couple of minutes, but eventually his breath stabilized, though he was still exhausted and sweating to an unhealthy degree.
"Here."
He turned and found Lili holding out a water skin.
He smiled in gratitude and took it before downing its contents.
"You doing alright Lil' Lili?" he asked once his mouth and throat no longer felt like sandpaper.
"Lili's fine, as are the others, though we're all very tired."
Welf looked up and found Mikoto and Haruhime sitting beside each other, both looking beat, but smiling.
"Yeah, things are a lot more difficult without our heavy-hitters with us," he commented.
"We need to catch up to them. Lili doesn't want to be a burden to any of them, especially Bell-sama."
He chuckled and nodded.
"Neither do I. Unfortunately, unless Bell finds a way to share Liaris Freese with us, it's going to be tough catching up to them since I doubt any of them are going to slow down for us. Still," he lifted his sword and placed it on his shoulder, "I'm not going to allow myself to drag any of them down."
Lili smiled and nodded.
The two made their way over to Mikoto and Haruhime who both rose to their feet.
"I think we've done about all we can do for today. We should head back to Athens," Welf said.
The ladies all nodded and were prepared to head off in the direction of Athens when another voice called out.
"Crozzo!"
The Hestia familia turned and found the Forest Elf leader approaching them with sword in hand.
They immediately took up defensive positions and readied themselves.
"I told you it wasn't over!" the elf declared as he approached, his hand tightening around his blade as he prepared to attack.
"Are you actually going to attack the person that saved your life? What kind of idiot are you?" Lili spat.
"I must agree with my companion. Anyone willing to attack a person who came to their aid is a fool and also extremely dishonorable," Mikoto stated as she stared into the elf's eyes.
"Shut up! I don't expect you stupid cows to understand! Now stand aside before you get hurt."
The ladies of the Hestia familia were about to deny him when a pair of forest elves appeared by their leader's side and grabbed his arms.
"That's enough sir," one of them said.
"What? What the hell are you two doing? Unhand me!"
The leader tried to break free, but neither released him, in fact, a moment later, two more elves joined them in restraining him.
"Don't be a fool, sir. This is a fight we can't win. Even if we could, it would bring dishonor to our people," the rational elf continued.
"Dishonor! Killing a Crozzo would bring us nothing but honor and glory."
"But killing someone who saved our lives would negate that, and I doubt his familia are just going to stand by while we do that, and hurting them would bring us nothing but dishonor and punishment."
"Cowards! Weaklings! The lot of you! How dare you stand by and do nothing while a Crozzo stands right there. UN...HAND...MEEEE!"
The elves dragged off their leader, but as they did so the elf who had been arguing with said leader turned to the Hestia familia, specifically Welf. Their eyes met and the elf gave him a single nod.
Thank you.
Welf lowered his sword and nodded back.
Happy to help.
The fight prevented, the Hestia familia allowed the tension to drain from them again.
"So," Welf turned to his familia, "shall we get a move on?"
The Hestia familia returned to the area where their dragonic mounts were designated to pick them up and found the Mania familia already there.
"We were beginning to worry about you guys," Rei said with a smile. "I was about to send Geneve to check in on you guys and make sure those Rakians didn't manage to snag you with some of their usual tricks."
"Nah, there was just a lot of them that was all, but we sent them packing," Welf replied with his own smile.
"Lili wouldn't have been unhappy to receive more help," the prum supporter stated.
"I can't say I wouldn't have appreciated reinforcements as well, but we made it back regardless," Mikoto added. "The Forest Elves we fought with were less than welcoming, however."
The Mania familia were confused for a moment, but quickly put things together and turned to Welf and all gave him an apologetic look.
"Oh gods' above, I should have remembered that. I'm sorry Welf-san. Next time I'll send one of my familia with you to keep them in line," Rei said.
"No, it's okay, Rei. Sure they weren't exactly happy to see me, but only one gave us some trouble and his own guys pulled him back when he tried to pick a fight," Welf explained.
"Really?"
"Yep. So really, no harm no foul."
"They wanted to kill you Welf, that by itself makes enough 'foul'," Lili pointed out.
"Well we're not about to let that happen. I'll speak to Mania-sama about this and she'll speak to the Forest Elf leadership. I promise you, one talk from her and they'll fall in line immediately," Rei vowed with all seriousness.
As much as Welf wanted to brush it off, he knew his familia and the Mania familia weren't about to let him and that there was little point in protesting.
Not that there was much of a point to begin with; all they want to do is keep me breathing which I'm not exactly opposed to, he reckoned. Besides, if Ryuu, Achilles, and Bell were here I'd already have kowtowed to their protection through nothing but the strength of their glares or Bell's puppy dog eyes...or would it be bunny rabbit eyes?
He chuckled and nodded.
"Thanks, Rei," he said.
Rei smiled.
"My pleasure. Now," the rabbit man turned, "looks like our rides are here. Let's get back, get some grub, then get some well-deserved rest."
Not a minute later the draconic mounts landed and the two familias were filing onto their backs and flying back to Athens.
The Hestia and Mania familia landed and disembarked. They began making their way into the palace when the sound of more mounts heading their way caught their attention.
They watched as the Loki, Athena, Kali, Zeus, Hera, and Freya familias, along with Aisha all returned within a few minutes of each other.
"It seems we all finished up about the same time," Welf said as he watched them land.
"Hopefully that means we all managed to complete our missions and halt the Rakian advance," Lili added.
The Hestia and Mania familia waited for the others to get their feet back on the ground, except for Haruhime, who made her way over to Aisha and greeted her with a smile.
"There's my little sis," the amazon greeted with a smile, going up and hugging Haruhime. "Everything go alright? Didn't have any trouble did you?"
Haruhime shook her head.
"It was nothing we couldn't handle, though it was quite tiring."
"Tiring? More like boring!"
The two turned and found a pissed off Argana a few paces away.
"I couldn't find a single decent man out there to make my slave. They were all weak and useless."
Haruhime shrank from the Kali co-captain while Aisha glared.
"I don't remember either of us asking for your opinion," the renard's big sister spat.
Argana did not take kindly to the tone and approached the two with a glare of her own.
"You looking for a fight, bitch? If you are, then you'd best prepare yourself as I'm still more than a little pissed off due to those disappointing men out there and am in no mood to go easy," Argana snarled.
"Bring it on. Maybe I'll give you a little lesson in humility," Aisha growled right back.
Argana smirked.
"Huh, you've got a little fight in you. Maybe I'll make you my slave and have that mouth of yours put to some use."
"Stop!"
Haruhime jumped between the two of them and put her arms up.
"Please. We're on the same side! There's no reason to fight!"
Argana looked ready to spit or vomit at the pleading of the young fox girl.
"We are not 'on the same side', you stupid furry twat. I'm just here out of boredom and because I want to claim that hunk of man meat, Achilles," she stated. "So I'd remind myself of that next time you step in front of me, little kit, or else I might make you into a fur coat," she said as she reached out her hand, looking ready to grab Haruhime by the hair.
She never got the chance as several blades suddenly pressed against her throat. The first, naturally, was from Aisha, who looked ready to tear out Argana's heart with her teeth. Another blade was from Mikoto, as well as Welf. The final two were held by Aiz and Patroclus while Tiona blocked Bache from interfering.
"That would be a very unwise thing to do," Riveria stated with burning eyes as she approached the standoff.
"Because these maggots have me surrounded?" the Kali captain snapped.
"No, though anyone with sense would realize that was more than enough," the Nine Hells threw in her face, making Argana growl. "No, the reason it's very unwise is because Haruhime here is like a daughter to Achilles, and he would not be happy if you so much as laid a hand on her head."
"No I would not be."
Everyone turned to find that Achilles had returned and was now covered in furious lightning as he approached the scene.
Everyone, knowing better, immediately backed away from Argana, who herself had no time to think before Achilles grabbed her by her face and lifted her off the ground.
"No one, and I do mean no one, touches Haruhime, understood?" he growled.
"U-Understood," Argana replied, terrified and aroused by the display.
"Good, but just in case I somehow wasn't, I'll let you in on a little secret. When it comes to Haruhime, and indeed all the Hestia familia, I am the second biggest thing you need to worry about."
With that, he dropped the amazonian captain and turned to the others.
"Come on, I'm tired from all that cardio and want to get this meeting with Athena over with as quickly as possible."
The other familias were more than happy to head inside, leaving Argana and Bache where they were.
"Thank you, Achilles," Haruhime said as they made their through the palace.
"Of course. I'm not about to let my little girl get hurt," he responded as he pulled her into his embrace.
"I don't tend to like seeing your temper flare up," Riveria said as she took his other arm, "but in this case I did find it quite...delightful."
Achilles turned to his favorite elf as his smile turned sultry.
"Well," he leaned into her ear, "maybe later you can show me just how delightful you thought it was."
Riveria shivered before turning her own burning eyes to him and nodding.
All the familias arrived at the war room and were quickly ushered inside. However, instead of finding Athena already waiting for them, they found Captain Metis and Admiral Liner before them.
"Where's Athena-sama?" Rei asked.
"Athena-sama is tired from all the recent events and has retired for the evening. Admiral Liner and I will, however, take your reports and bring them to her in the morning," Metis said.
Not a single one of the adventurers bought that. Something was going on, but they unfortunately didn't know what and knew that pressing the matter would get them nowhere.
"Very well. I hope she gets the rest she needs," Riveria said.
"She'll be back on her feet in no time, I assure you. Now, please give your reports," Metis said, though it came off as a command.
After a quick look between everyone, the adventurers began.
The Mania and Hestia familia detailed their own experiences followed by the Loki. On all fronts the Rakian advance had been stopped, though that did not seem to please the Athena captain much.
"I managed to stop the advance and complete the encirclement, as requested, and by the end a good chunk of the Rakian army had surrendered," Achilles stated.
"It was the same on our front," Ottar added.
"Good good, then the Rakians are weaker then they've been since the war began, perhaps since their empire began. Tomorrow we shall take back all the lost territory and destroy them once and for all," Metis avowed.
Whether or not any of the adventurers agreed with her assessment, they nonetheless nodded and were soon after excused, allowing them all to return to their rooms.
The Orario adventurers, minus the Freya and Kali familia, all returned to the Mania apartments, ready for some food, relaxation, and rest. As soon as they opened the doors, they were greeted by a smiling Hestia and Mania, as well as a smirking Hermes and frowning Asfi, though Achilles noted, she looked far more troubled by her god than normal.
Must have done something to annoy her. Maybe he tried peeking again, he thought with a roll of his eyes.
"Welcome back!" Hestia called as she went over to her familia. "Did everything go alright?"
"Things went pretty well on our end," Welf said.
"Nothing special to report with me either," Achilles added.
"Things got tense when we got back though," Lili stated.
"What happened?" Mania asked, joining the conversation.
"Aisha-san got into an altercation with the Argana of the Kali familia. Haruhime tried to intervene, only to have Argana threaten her," Lili informed them.
"What?!" Hestia cried.
"It was resolved quickly Hestia-sama," Mikoto quickly added after her goddess's cry, "Aisha-dono, Patroclus-dono, and Aiz-dono all jumped in to protect Haruhime-sama and Riveria-dono warned Argana of how unwise it would be to proceed with her threat."
"Achilles was the one who really ended things," Riveria noted.
"I'm sure you would have handled it just fine without me," the ex-captain said, kissing her temple, "but I was far too enraged to allow things to end totally peacefully."
"What did you do?" Mania asked, giving him a knowing look.
"Grabbed her face and warned her away from Haruhime before dropping her like a sack of potatoes."
A few of the adventurers chuckled while Mania rolled her eyes.
"I'm surprised that was all," Hestia commented.
He shrugged.
"I'm tired and didn't feel like wasting time with that little girl."
Riveria smiled at his description but said nothing.
"Well, we'll still keep an eye on her," the loli goddess said, getting a few nods, "but anyway, I'm sure Bell would like to hear how things went as well, so why don't we all head to his room and continue our conversation there."
"Is Bell-sama alright?" Haruhime asked.
"He's fine, but he's still a little tired, which is why I figured having our little familia meeting in his room would be nice."
The others nodded, though Achilles noted that something was off about Hestia.
Hestia, feeling his inquiring eyes, turned and met his gaze. After a brief moment, he understood that something had happened and nodded.
"May I join you as well?" Aiz asked. "I know I am not a part of your familia, but I would like to check up on him and...well...we do share a room."
"Thanks for reminding me," Hestia bemoaned. "But I'm sure he'll want to see you. In fact, if you three would like to join us as well, that would be fine too."
"Sure! I want to see how Argonaut-kun is doing!" Tiona declared before rushing to join the Hestia familia with a far less enthusiastic Lefiya joining her shortly after.
Just like Achilles, Riveria quickly noted that there was something going on. She gave a quick, side-long look to Achilles who silently told her that he'd also noticed that something was off.
I guess we'll all find out soon.
They weren't the only ones to notice that something was up. Naturally, Hermes and Asfi were well aware of what was going on, but revealed nothing. Mania also noticed, but decided not to pry, trusting that, if need be, she would be informed. The last was Dido, whose eyes narrowed as she watched the scene unfold.
Something's going on.
"Do you mind if we join you?" she asked, surprising everyone. "I'd like to check in on Bell as well."
"Why?" Achilles asked, his own eyes narrowing. "You've hardly shown any interest in Bell up until now."
"That's hardly the case, I am quite interested in him and his development," Dido replied. Seeing Achilles eyes, she knew that wasn't enough. "I also recognize that my behavior has likely come across as hostile and would like to correct that."
"When did you start to care about coming across as hostile?" Achilles pressed.
Tension fell on the occupants of the room and some even wondered if a fight was about to break out. However, this was prevented by Hestia stepping forward.
"I'm sorry Dido-kun, but I think having you and the others in the room will make things just too crowded. Maybe after our little meeting you can check in on Bell and get to know him better. I promise that he really is a good boy," the goddess said with a smile.
This only deepened Dido's unsightly frown, but she knew she could not force the issue and that, whatever was going on, she would have to remain in the dark.
At least for now.
"I understand. My apologies for my forcefulness."
"I can't remember the last time I heard you apologize," Achilles said under his breath, though Dido undoubtedly heard it.
"Apology accepted, Dido-kun. Anyway, let's not keep Bell waiting any longer!" Hestia exclaimed, and a moment later the Hestia and Loki familias made their way to Bell's room, several pairs of eyes following them as they departed.
The Hestia familia soon reached Bell's room and Hestia knocked.
"Come in," came Bell's voice.
They all entered and found not only Bell, but Ryuu and Cassandra in the room as well, all of them looking very serious and at least a tad bit nervous.
Hestia closed and locked the door as her smile dropped.
"So what happened while we were away?" Achilles asked.
"What do you mean?" Lili asked before shifting to Hestia and then to Bell. "Did something happen?"
Bell nodded.
"Yes," he said. "But everyone's safe!" he quickly added, not wanting the others to worry. "I'm fine. Ryuu's fine, and so is Cassandra." The two young ladies nodded. "But something did happen while you guys were fighting."
"Well don't leave us in suspense, Bell," Welf said.
Bell nodded and took a deep breath.
"While you were away, Hermes visited me and told me he found where the Xenos are being kept in the city."
That shocked everyone in the room that didn't already know.
"He found them?" Haruhime asked.
Bell nodded.
"Yes. He even showed me where they were being kept," his eyes suddenly turned bitter, alarming the others, "after knocking Ryuu out."
"What?!" the Hestia familia shot their heads to the elf, who nodded.
"I don't actually remember anything myself, but apparently Andromeda-san was ordered to use a special pixie dust to knock me out so that Bell-sama could be brought to the location. Had he not informed me I would have just thought it was all a dream."
"Why would Hermes go through all the trouble to knock you out? He had to know how much that would upset Bell and that Bell would immediately inform you all," Riveria said.
"Because, as he put it, he wanted to give me a choice."
All eyes fell upon Bell again.
"The Xenos are being kept by Athena," he continued, shocking the others further. "And in order to rescue them I will have to fight Athena, at least in a way. He said that he wanted to give me the choice on whether or not to bring you all into this. If I wanted to take on the burden myself in order to protect you all from the repercussions."
"I think you already know what we would say to you if you did try to go down that route," Achilles stated.
Bell actually smiled and nodded.
"I do, which is why I immediately told Hestia and Ryuu after I returned. We talked and decided we would tell the rest of you, as well as Cassandra," he smiled at the seer, who blushed, but smiled back, "and all of you," he said to the Loki familia. "I will rescue the Xenos, no matter the personal cost, but I will completely understand if you don't want to get involved."
"Are you seriously saying that, Bell-sama?" Lili asked, giving him a look.
He chuckled nervously and scratched his cheek.
"I just wanted to give you all the option."
Lili rolled her eyes.
"There's no way Lili isn't going to help you with this," she stated firmly.
"Of course we're not letting you go in alone," Welf added.
"We would never abandon you like that, Bell-dono," Mikoto quickly joined.
"We'll help you rescue them, Bell-sama," Haruhime beamed.
"Heck yeah! Cool rescue mission! Count me in!" Tiona boomed.
"Quiet Tiona, we don't need all of Athens hearing us," Riveria said, earning an apology from the amazon. "But yes, we will help you, of course."
Aiz strode up to Bell and took his hands with a smile.
"I'll be right there with you when you save them."
Bell's heart melted at her vow.
"Thank you, Aiz," he turned his glassy gaze to the others. "thank you all."
"Hey, what kind of familia would we be if we didn't back you up?" Welf asked.
"And what kind of friends?" Riveria added.
"Still, thank you."
Hestia, nodding in approval then jumped into the conversation.
"So it looks like we're all on board. However, there is another matter we were all discussing before you all returned. The question of whether or not to bring in Mania and Hermes."
"Mania?" Riveria questioned.
"We told her about the Xenos not long ago," Bell informed. "It felt wrong to keep her in the dark."
"I see. Well, I can't say I'm too surprised. Mania is one of the sweetest, most loyal people I know. I can only imagine how hard it would be for you, as her grandson, to keep a secret from her."
"Yeah, it just felt wrong" the young man replied.
"Well, I'm certainly happy to bring Mom on board...Hermes however," Achilles trailed off.
"Lili agrees with both sentiments. Though we haven't known Mania-sama for long, she already seems more trustworthy than Hermes."
"If we could, I would ask that we bring in Andromeda-san while keeping Hermes out. Unfortunately, I do not expect that to be possible," Ryuu commented.
"Probably not," Hestia noted.
Things were quiet for a moment before Bell spoke again.
"I don't want to bring in Hermes either, but unfortunately he has information that would, undoubtedly, be of great help. So I think we have to."
A few people sighed or nodded.
"Hermes has a way of worming himself into situations where he's not wanted," Achilles growled.
"True, but Bell is right. We're going to need him for this," Hestia said.
They all knew she was right, but that didn't make any of them any happier.
"I'll go get them," Achilles said.
The Father On High departed the room and made his way into the living room where Mania, Hermes, and Asfi were still located, the latter two knowing why Achilles was back.
"Mom," Achilles called gently.
"Yes?" she replied, turning away from her discussion with Rei.
"Mind if I borrow you for a few moments?" he asked with a smile.
"Of course," she said, smiling right back. She quickly returned her focus to Rei, "can you handle things from here?"
"Of course, Mania-sama. You can always count on me," the rabbit captain replied, beaming at his goddess.
"I know I can. I should be back soon."
Mania headed over towards her son who gave her one final smile before it dropped and he turned to the other deity in the room.
"Hermes, get your ass over here," he demanded.
Achilles didn't even wait for him to respond and simply turned and headed back down the hall, a confused Mania following after him.
"Oh dear, looks like I'm in trouble," Hermes joked with a chuckle. "I hope you'll protect me, Asfi."
"Against Achilles? Don't count on it," she said before following after Achilles and Mania.
The four entered Bell and Aiz's room where Mania received smiles and a warm welcome while Hermes received anything but.
"So," Mania began, smiling at Bell, "what's going on?"
"Hermes has found where the Xenos are being held," Bell informed her.
Shocked, Mania turned to Hermes, who bowed.
"I do what I can."
"That's...wonderful!" Mania exclaimed after getting over her shock. "I'll be happy to help in any way that I can."
That made many in the room smile, none more brightly than Bell.
"Thank you, Mania-baa-chan," he said affectionately.
She cooed at the title and the warmth of his voice, already feeling that whatever came next was worth it.
"Indeed, we are lucky to have you on our side," Hermes said, entering the conversation and destroying all the smiles. "However, the one who is holding them is Athena, which I'm sure I don't need to tell you, will make things quite complicated."
"Athena?" Mania questioned, once more turning to the god. After thinking about it a moment though, she nodded. "I suppose that's really not too surprising. Something like intelligent, talking monsters would not be something Athena would ignore. The very rumor of such would cause her to investigate, but once she found out they actually exist well...that would be a top priority for her."
"Even so, I want to rescue them," Bell said. "I admit I don't know how Athena is treating them, but I don't feel like I can bet on the Athena familia being overly kind."
Mania nodded.
"That's probably fair to assume. Even if they won't outright kill them due to their rarity, they will want to know how they 'tick', so to speak, and many in her familia won't feel the need to really restrain themselves given that the Xenos, in their eyes, will just be monsters."
Bell's fists clenched, but he managed to keep control.
"That's why we need to rescue them as soon as possible."
"That we do," she readily agreed. "So what's the plan?"
"We don't have one yet," Hestia admitted, "we wanted to bring you in before anything was decided and," she turned to Hermes, "given his expertise in these sorts of things, we figured that Hermes had a plan in mind."
Everyone turned to the god who bowed.
"That I very much do. If you would all be so kind as to perk an ear."
Everyone gave him their full attention, even if most were still frowning at him.
"As was stated, we know that Athena is holding the Xenos and where the location of her secret base is." Asfi pulled out a map and Hermes circled where the base he had led Bell to was located. "This, of course, makes things much more difficult. If it was an Evilus familia or some criminal faction we could simply bust in there, tear it apart, and rescue the Xenos lickety-split!" he declared.
"Don't make it sound so easy," Hestia said, all-but glaring at Hermes as she remembered the injuries Bell suffered after fighting Dix and his cronies.
"Compared to what we will have to do now, it will be," Hermes replied. "If this had been like the previous Xenos rescue mission, we might have even been able to enlist Athena to our side in some way or fashion. In this case, however, that is obviously out of the question as we are going against Athena herself. This also means that, unless the goal is to go to war with Athena, we have to find a way to rescue the Xenos without Athena knowing it's us."
The others nodded. They didn't like Hermes, but they knew he was right here. Off to the side, however, Asfi's frown deepened as her god's words echoed in her mind, something which, once again, was not missed by Achilles.
I was wrong before. She's not just annoyed with him, she's legitimately furious. But why? What precisely don't we know? he thought, not liking the missing pieces one bit.
"Asfi can help with the infiltration," the god continued before allowing the young woman to step forward.
"I can create several Hades Head helmets for you all which will help you infiltrate and delve into the base, however it will take at least a couple of days for me to make all of them."
"That would be greatly appreciated, Asfi-san," Bell said, giving her a genuine smile.
She managed a small smile back and a tiny nod.
"Of course."
"Asfi also knows the layout of the base and so will be your guide," Hermes jumped in, making her lose her smile immediately. "But her items will only get you so far. If Athena notices you all missing, she will have questions and will eventually come to the conclusion that you might know about her base and raise security. As such, you can't all go, especially those whom she specifically requested. So that means no Achilles," he pointed towards the former captain. "No Sword Princess. No Nine Hells. No Thousand Elf. Asfi was also requested, but I think I can come up with some excuse, especially since Asfi isn't the, 'take on an army by myself' kind of adventurer," he said with a smile.
"You want me to allow my son to go on a dangerous infiltration mission without me?" Achilles growled.
"Come now, Achilles-kun, you are smart enough to recognize that it's safer for you not to be there," Hermes pointed out, making Achilles actually growl. "Besides, Bell is plenty strong himself, as we all know, and we certainly won't be alone. He'll have the rest of your familia. Tiona-chan here, another level six. Asfi. And I'm sure Aisha will be happy to help."
Achilles looked ready to argue, but Bell jumped in.
"Dad, it's alright. We'll manage. I promise."
Achilles met Bell's eyes and held it for a few seconds before closing his electric blue orbs and sighing.
"Fine, but if anything goes wrong, no one is allowed to give me shit if I tear the city apart to get to them."
A few people chuckled and all were more than willing to agree to that.
"So Achilles, Aiz, Riveria, and Lefiya will continue operations against Rakia to limit suspicion as much as possible. If you're willing to offer some help as well, Mania, I'm sure it would be very valuable."
"Of course," she replied quickly. "However, at this point my familia is unaware of the Xenos. They've heard of the rumors of talking monsters due to our own investigations and missions but we've never actually come across one. As such I must ask, may I tell them what you've all told me?"
The other members in the room shared looks. There was a bit of uneasiness as no one failed to understand that the more people who knew about the Xenos, the more likely that the information would get out, which could have dire consequences. Even so, they held no ill-will towards the Mania familia and, in the Hestia familia's case, held an ever-deepening comradery.
"I would say yes," Hestia eventually said after getting nods from her familia. "But if there's any objection, I'll understand."
The Loki familia shared a few looks before turning back to the Hestia familia and nodding.
"I think we can trust them with this knowledge. Shocking as it is," Riveria said.
"Thank you," Mania said with a grateful smile. "I promise this trust isn't misplaced."
"Wonderful! So now we have the Mania familia fully onboard as well," Hermes declared. "I would have also suggested bringing in your comrades as well, Achilles, but I sense a little tension there."
"I'm honestly not sure how Ajax or Patroclus would react to this information. I trust them both with my life, but this knowledge goes against decades of ingrained beliefs and given how our familia ended, it may be too great a hurdle to overcome," Achilles admitted as old pains resurfaced for a moment, only going down when Riveria rubbed his back soothingly. "If it wasn't for Bell's trust in them, I may not have been able to get past my own fear, I'm sad to admit. So, as much as I'd like to bring them on, I don't know yet if that's wise. As for Imilce and Dido," he frowned. "Imilce's a good girl, but her timidity might be an issue. As for Dido...she's hiding something. Maybe a few somethings, which makes me very uneasy. It feels horrible to say, but she cannot be trusted with this."
An almost vicious entered his features, combining with the guilt from earlier to turn into a twisted face of all the worst emotions. In time though, Riveria managed to sooth him again, adding a few, gentle whispers to his ear to calm him once again.
"Then there's Galadriel. In a way, I suspect she'd be the most likely to help. She would likely find the Xenos curious or interesting and not simply as dangerous monsters. At least, that's how she would have acted sixteen years ago. Now, I have seen her for nearly two decades. That's true of the others as well, but just like Dido, I feel like she's hiding something. However, unlike the acting head of the Hera familia, I don't believe it's malevolent. That said, there's still pieces missing and thus, as much as I hate to say it, and you all know I do, I don't think we should bring in the Hera or Zeus familia. At least not for this."
The others understood he did not say any of this lightly, but only after deep deliberation and by being painfully honest with himself. The only one who was tempted to argue was, interesting enough Bell, but only for one person. Galadriel.
No, he quickly caught himself, just because she knows Mom doesn't mean she can be trusted with the secret of the Xenos. Though...his face scrunched as he fought with himself, I always trusted Mom.
As much as it pained him, he let it slide. He wanted to trust Galadriel and the others and, in the future, he very much hoped to tell them about the Xenos and gain their help. However, at this moment, he would trust his father.
We'll talk about it later, Bell promised himself.
"Indeed, this is one of those secrets that cannot be shared with those whose reactions we cannot reasonably trust or whose motives are in question," Hermes said, nodding.
"Yeah," Achilles said, not caring for how the god worded that.
"Well then, we have the start of a plan! Asfi and I will come up with a more detailed one over the next couple of days while you all rest and prepare, unless anyone has something to add."
Things were quiet for a few seconds, after which Hermes clapped his hands.
"Excellent! Then we can-"
"Hermes."
Everyone turned to Bell and found him staring at Hermes with a seriousness that actually made them all freeze, Hermes included.
"If you try anything like you did last time, you will be answering to me. Do you understand?"
Last time? Mania wondered as she tried to get over the sight of her loveable and adorable grandson being so intimidating. It was only when her confusion turned to suspicion that she managed to get over her shock and turn to Hermes. What did you do 'last time', Hermes?
Hermes was not someone easily shocked or intimidated. He delved in the underbelly of the world after all. He'd seen some of the worst the world had to offer. So the fact that he was honestly intimidated by Bell was no small feat. Yet, fear was not the only thing he felt.
Well I'll be, Bell's not only grown some teeth, but learned how to bear them, he thought with an internal chuckle. Oh yes, things are going spectacularly.
"I understand completely," he said with his trademark smile.
"Good," Bell replied.
You'd better, the Red Dawn added to himself.
Asfi entered her room, removed a few pieces of equipment, then sat down on her bed with a sigh.
This can only end badly, nay, horribly.
"Damn you, Hermes," she said out loud.
A knock at her door made her look up and her frown deepened.
I swear Hermes, she rose and made her way to the door, ready to slug her god. Her fist was even raised as she threw it open, only to find Achilles standing before her.
"It appears I've done something wrong," he said, eying her fist.
"Achilles!" she cried out, immediately dropping her fist. "N-No! Not at all, I thought you were Hermes," she quickly explained.
"He's actually the reason I'm here. Do you mind if I come in?"
"Uh...no, no of course not," she replied, moving to the side."
"Thank you," he said as he entered.
She closed the door and things fell silent for a second or two, before she asked.
"So what precisely did you wish to speak with me on?"
"Well I couldn't help but notice that you seem rather stressed and even more upset with your god then normal," he revealed. "As such, I wanted to learn what was going on and see if you were alright."
Asfi fidgeted for a few moments, not knowing what to do or say. She knew she couldn't reveal what Hermes was trying to do, but that didn't exactly make things easier on her.
Then again, her eyes turned to Achilles who waited patiently for her to respond. Why can't I tell him? That would certainly ruin any plans Hermes has and prevent the potential war he's trying to brew up. But then again, she turned away ashamed, I don't know where that leaves me. I'm not a hero like Bell or Achilles. I'm just the strategist. The tool maker The-
A soft hand on her shoulder snapped her out of reality and turned her attention back to Achilles.
"If there's something you need to get off your chest, Asfi, I'm all ears," he said with a gentle smile.
Heat rose in her cheeks and became hotter and hotter until she turned away in an attempt to hide them. She placed a hand over her thundering heart before beginning to take deep, soothing breaths. Soon enough, the burning subsided and she managed to turn back to him with her usual, professional attitude.
"I appreciate that, Achilles-san, but I'm fine," she finally said.
His smile dropped and his eyes clearly showed that he didn't believe her, which pulled at her heart far more than she would ever be willing to admit.
"You deserve better, Asfi."
That statement and the genuineness behind it surprised her and made her professional persona drop once again as a bit of warmth returned to her cheeks.
"I'm not so sure about that," she replied after a moment.
If the genuineness of his voice surprised her earlier, then what Achilles did next shocked her to her core.
Achilles reached out and softly, impossibly softly for a man of his size and power, moved a strand of her that had fallen in front of her face behind her ear before smiling at her.
"Good thing I am then."
There was nothing Asfi could do to hide her blushing now and she was absolutely sure that he could hear her thunderstorm of a heart, pounding in her chest as she stared up at him with big, doe-like eyes.
His smile softened further as he reached down and took her hand, before wrapping it up in his own.
"I know that, in many ways we're still little more strangers, but I can see how good of a person you are Asfi, and I'm sorry you have to deal with so much stress and anxiety. If you need anything or ever need to talk, come to me and I'll do what I can, okay?"
She managed the shakiest of nods.
"Good. Then I'll leave you alone. Have a pleasant evening, Asfi."
He let go of her hand, not noticing the way she immediately tried to reclaim his, and left the room.
Upon closing the door he paused in the hallway.
"She's a good girl," he said with a smile. "You'd better not hurt her, Hermes," he added before walking off.
Inside the room, Asfi was still staring at the door, her legs shaking uncontrollably before they finally couldn't take any more and she slid to the ground.
Oh fuck, she thought as realization dawned on her.
Bell and Mania stood before her familia, all of whom were wide-eyed and slacked jawed.
"That's...a lot to take in," Rei finally managed.
"Yeah," Bell readily conceded.
"So there, in fact, talking monsters?" Geneve asked, just wanting to make absolutely sure she wasn't imagining everything she'd just heard.
"Yes," Bell confirmed.
"And you helped a group of them, including this...Wiene," Kaios asked with apprehension.
"I did," the Hestia captain confirmed, noting the uneasiness from Kaios.
"I'm really not sure how to feel about this," Krysta stated honestly, getting a few nods from the others. "I mean, we don't fight monsters nearly as much as I'm sure you do, Bell-san, and you seem like a really good guy, so I don't want to say something like 'your crazy', it's just…"
"Knowing that you sided with monsters, even against despicable people is not something one can easily swallow," Norman said.
"I understand," Bell replied, his fists tightening at his side.
"What's with all of you?" Mania asked, disbelief written into her features. "Don't we all pride ourselves in helping the downtrodden? Those who society has turned against? Isn't that what makes this familia so wonderful?"
Most of her familia looked down in shame.
"That is true Mania-sama," Rei agreed, "but we're talking about monsters here, not chienthropes being targeted by humans for their features or a group of prejudicial High Elves throwing their weight around. Even you have to admit that this is, at best, unusual."
"Isn't that what this familia is based around? The unusual?" she countered. "Just look at me," she held up her clawed hands and swung her tail widely around. "I am one of the very few chienthrope deities. Am I not unusual?" she pointed at Rei. "And you're a rabbit chienthrope running a well-respected familia. How many of those are there?" Rei's head fell. "We have chienthropes. Renards. Even an adorable little were-deer with us!" she declared, picking up Rue Bee who smiled and snuggled up to her. "Are we not unusual? Do we also not know the pain of people targeting us because we're different?" she looked over her familia who could come up with no reply. "We've all suffered in our own ways. And the Xenos Bell met have also suffered. And now, the Xenos hidden in this city are also likely suffering. That's what matters. Not that they're monsters, because they're not, they're people, just like all of us."
Even Bell, who had fought so hard for the Xenos, was shocked by her passionate defense, yet, it was not long before he recovered and grew a teary, grateful smile.
The Mania familia remained quiet, too ashamed to even attempt a reply. This allowed a certainly little were-deer the chance to speak up.
"Bell-onii-chan."
All eyes turned to Rue Bee.
"Yes?"
"Is Wiene-onee-chan nice?" she asked, her voice the manifestation of innocence.
Smiling brightly, he nodded.
"She's very nice."
"And are Lyd-onii-chan and the others nice too?"
"Yes, they're all very nice, though Gros can be a bit grumpy."
"Then," Rue Bee turned to the others, "please save them everyone."
Everything was silent for a moment.
"Damn," Kaios said, quickly receiving a punch on the arm from Mavis. "Ow! What was I supposed to say? There's no way we can say no to that."
Mavis continued giving him a harsh look even as she and the other recognized he was right.
"Yeah, I think my heart would break in half if I even tried to say no," Geneve said as a smile appeared.
"She definitely knows how to weaponize her cuteness," Krysta added.
"That's for sure," Norman said with a chuckle.
Mania and Bell shared a look and both felt their hearts rise as their smiles grew.
"I guess it's settled then," Rei said. "Not like we could have exactly said no to Mania-sama either, but Rue Bee just made sitting on the sidelines entirely impossible." A few people chuckled. "Still, I hope you know what you're doing, Bell-san. You and Achilles are very powerful, but Athena is no pushover. She commands both her own familia and her own empire. Even if you make it out of Athens with the Xenos, she will still come for you. Hell, she may never stop until she deems you properly punished."
"I understand."
"As long as you're sure then we'll do what we can for you and your friends," Rei finished, giving his fellow captain a small smile.
"Thank you very much," Bell replied before bowing before them all.
"Ah geez, come on, no need for that," Rei said, embarrassed.
Bell rose and gave them all one of his million valis smiles.
"Thank you. You all don't know what this means to me."
"I think we're beginning to," Rei replied, "but enough of all this serious stuff, let's move onto lighter topics."
"I think that's where I come in!" Clara proclaimed. "I think we could all use a proper feast after everything that's happened and to celebrate our upcoming rescue! So, what sounds good to you all?"
As the Mania familia began spouting off requests, Bell moved next to Mania.
"Thank you so much," he said.
She beamed at him before bringing a hand up to cup his cheek.
"There's no need to thank me."
"There really is," he said as he gently placed his hand on top of hers. "However, I'd like to ask for your help with something else too, Mania-sama."
His tone and the use of the honorific let her know that this request was perhaps even more serious than the Xenos and thus, needed as much privacy as possible.
"Rue Bee, my sweet apple, why don't you go over and tell Clara what you'd like to eat?" she suggested as she placed the little girl down.
"Okay, Mama!" she cried before running off towards the others.
"This way," Mania said once the were-deer was gone.
The two departed the room and headed into Mania's room.
"Now, why don't you tell your grandmother why you have that serious look in your eye," she said.
Pain and guilt filled Bell's ruby orbs, which scared and hurt the goddess immensely. Yet, she waited, knowing he just needed a moment.
"You're the goddess of curses...right?" he finally asked.
Though surprised by the question, she nonetheless nodded.
"Yes, that is correct. Amongst other things."
"And...you can help with curses...right?"
"I can," she replied, not liking at all where this was going.
"So if I needed help with-"
"You've been cursed?!" she cried as she immediately set out to try and figure out how he'd been cursed so that she could lift it, ignoring his pleading and attempts to calm her down as she did so. However, as she worked, she found she could not detect any hint of a curse, causing her to eventually stop. "I don't detect a curse."
"It's not a curse, at least...not in the usual sense," Bell told her before taking a deep breath. "Not very long ago, I gained a skill that...feels like a curse."
"Feels like a curse?"
He nodded.
"It makes me into something horrible. Makes me into a monster. I've…" he met her worried eyes, his own screaming shame, "I've even attacked Dad because of it."
Nothing that had occurred that day shocked Mania more than that did.
"You've attacked Achilles?" He nodded again, his body radiating an agonized guilt. "Why? What could have happened for that to happen?"
"I...I can't go into it. Please Mania-sama, I-I just can't."
His broken voice and ashamed face broke her heart and while she was desperate to know what could have possibly happened to cause her adopted son and grandson to fight each other, she was far more desperate to ease the boy before her.
Bell was suddenly pulled into a hug and not a moment later felt his hair being stroked.
"Okay, I won't push you."
He gripped her clothes tightly and buried his head in her chest.
"Thank you," his muffled voice rang.
"However," she continued, pulling back just enough to look him in the eyes, "I do need you to explain this 'curse' of yours."
He nodded and took a deep breath.
"As I said, it's actually a skill. It's called 'Wrath of the Dragon'."
"That's...a terribly ominous name," she commented.
"Yes, and it's a terrible skill. It makes me more powerful, but it comes at a cost. Not only does it only activate when I'm enraged, but it seems to feed that rage, making it worse and worse until I'm not...me, anymore."
Or reveals who I really am, he thought as his heart clenched.
Though he did not speak these words, Mania would hear them clear as day from his face and immediately cupped his face.
"Now listen here bucko. You are not whatever this skill makes you, do you understand? You are not a bad boy or a monster, and I won't let you entertain that thought for even a moment, got it?"
"B-But-"
She pinched his cheek and pulled.
"No buts!" she shouted. "You are a good boy and I will hear nothing saying otherwise."
She let go of his cheek, and he rubbed it for a moment, before giving her an unsure, but appreciative smile.
"Okay," he conceded.
"Good boy," she said as her smile returned. "So, you want my help controlling this curse-like skill, is that right?"
He nodded.
"I thought, or should I say, hoped that, maybe you would know ways to help manage it."
"Well, my expertise in curses does give me some know-how on unpleasant skills and spells, so it certainly wouldn't be out of the realm of possibility that I could help."
"Really?!" he cried, his eyes sparkling.
"Mhm," she said as her smile brightened. "However, I will tell you right now that it won't be some easy, cure-all fix. Since this is your skill we're dealing with, I can't just remove it or silence it with a spell or potion."
"I understand."
"Good. That said, there are many techniques that can help you prevent it from activating, manage its effects, and maybe even - if you so desire - learn to control it."
"Control it," Bell said with apprehension.
"Yes. But getting to that level will take time. At this moment the focus should be on preventing and managing it until you get more comfortable with the techniques."
"I'm ready to begin whenever you are."
Mania laughed.
"As nice as it is to have such an eager student, it has been a long day for everyone and I think it would be wise if you get some food in your stomach and rest before we begin your training," she said, giving him an affectionate pinch of the cheeks.
He blushed lightly, but nodded.
"Yeah, that makes sense."
"We'll start tomorrow after everyone heads out to clean-up the Rakians. Sound good?"
"Perfect!"
Laughing, Mania swept her grandson into her embrace and kissed his forehead.
"You'll overcome this, Bell, and I'll be there every step of the way in case you stumble and need some help," she vowed.
"Thank you, Mania-baa-chan," he replied as he hugged her as tightly as he could.
"You are very welcome," she replied as she returned the hug with just as much warm and fuzzy strength.
The next day arrived and Haruhime awoke with an adorable yawn.
Another day, she thought as a bright smile appeared on her lovely face.
She got dressed and made her way to the door, but upon opening it, she found Agrippina before her.
"Agrippina-san. Good morning," she welcomed with a smile.
"Good morning, Haruhime-san," the vice-captain replied, smiling back. "I'm sorry to come to you so early, but I was to make a request."
"A request?" Haruhime asked, tilting her head adorably.
"Yes. I was hoping you would be willing to accompany me around Athens today on a sort of 'friendship, slash, apology outing'."
"But what about Rakia?"
"Oh there won't be any fighting today. Since we were able to do so much damage to the Rakians in our counter-attack, Athena-sama is currently working on a plan to finish this war once and for all. While she works on that we all get a little time off."
"I see," Haruhime said, a bit anxious as she felt that this was a little too convenient.
"Before you say anything, I did bring you a little bribe to try and win you over," Agrippina pulled out a delightful looking pastry. "A strawberry and cream tart! Fresh from the Owl's Rest bakery just down the street!"
She held out the tart and though Haruhime did resist for a moment, she felt it would be rude to deny the warm, delicious-looking treat, and so took the pastry and bit into it.
"Mmm," she hummed in delight.
"I know right? I figured that if I was going to ask such a big request, I would really have to make it worth your while."
Haruhime continued eating the pastry while Agrippina happily watched on until the renard had finished.
"Thank you very much, Agrippina-san."
"My pleasure. So...have I properly bribed you?"
The resistance Haruhime had earlier felt was no longer present and she happily nodded.
"Yes. I would be happy to accompany you."
"Wonderful! Then let's get going!"
"Oh, just a moment, I need to tell the others," Haruhime stated.
"No need, I already passed the message along."
Had Haruhime been in her right mind, she would have noticed how quickly Agrippina had stated that. How it was just a little too quick and her voice was just a little forced. However, though she did not fully comprehend it, a fog had fallen on her mind. A fog that had been growing thicker as of late and was made even more so after eating the tart.
"Really?" Haruhime asked.
"Of course. It would be rude of me to steal you away without permission, right?" Agrippina replied, giving Haruhime her best smile.
"Oh...well then, let's get going."
"Right! Come on, I have so much to show you. Oh, and don't worry, there will be plenty more sweets along the way," Agrippina promised before taking the renard's hand and quickly dragging her out of the Mania apartments.
Bell woke up, turned to Aiz and kissed her forehead.
"Good morning," she mumbled from her pillow.
"Good morning," he replied as he stared lovingly down at her.
Aiz sat up and stretched, before turning to Bell, smiling, and leaning over to kiss him.
"Come on, let's go get breakfast," he said.
She nodded and the two got out of bed, got ready, and made their way out of their room.
They entered the kitchen and found a few people already awake, including Achilles and Riveria, who were happily chatting next to each other as they ate.
"Good morning," Bell greeted.
"Good morning," the elder adventurers returned.
Aiz and Bell got some food and joined the two at the table where they began to eat. Soon afterwards, the others started to shuffle in and began eating as well.
Soon, everyone was present except a certain renard, which Bell did not fail to notice.
"Where is Haruhime?" he asked.
"Maybe she's still in her room?" Hestia suggested. "It was a busy day yesterday so maybe she was just extra tired."
"But she's usually one of the first one's up, even after delving into the Dungeon," Bell pointed out.
"I'll go check up on her," Mikoto offered as she rose from her seat and made her way into the hall.
Something's not right, Bell thought as he watched Mikoto depart.
A minute or two passed as Bell stared down at the hall, waiting, hoping that soon both Mikoto and Haruhime would come into view and relieve the weight he felt pressing down on him. Yet, when she returned, Mikoto was alone and looking alarmed.
"She's not in her room."
That stopped everything at the table.
"She's not?" Hestia questioned, looking ever more anxious.
"No," Mikoto replied with a shake of her head. "And I found no note either."
"Then we need to look for her!" Bell said, jumping to his feet.
"We will Bell," Achilles replied, rising as well as he moved to calm his son, even as he himself felt more than a tad anxious. "We all will."
"Actually." Everyone turned to Rei. "I think I know where she is, or at least, who she's with."
"Really?!" Bell cried.
"Yeah. Agrippina was here earlier to tell me that there are no missions today as, apparently, Athena-sama is making plans to finish off Ares since he's so weak after yesterday's operations. However, I figured she would just leave after that, but now that I'm thinking on it, I don't actually remember her leaving."
"Agrippina," Bell growled, sending a shiver up everyone's spine.
"Bell." He turned and found Mania's gentle gaze. "It's okay. We'll find her. No need to get worked up."
"But Agrippina-!"
"Is a silly girl playing some silly game," Mania cut him off. "We'll find Haruhime. I promise."
As angry as Bell was, her tone was too soothing and her eyes too gentle to remain enraged. So, after a moment, he closed his eyes and nodded, sitting back down and taking a few breaths to calm down while Aiz rubbed his back soothingly.
Meanwhile, everyone else, impressed by how she managed to calm him so quickly, turned to Mania, who smiled.
That's my mama, Achilles thought proudly.
"Rei, would you and the others help the Hestia familia look for Haruhime? I know that this is your day off, but..."
"We'd be happy to, Mania-sama," Rei quickly said with a smile.
"Thank you. Now, why don't you all finish eating? No search was best done on an empty stomach."
Though most wished to begin immediately, they relented and finished their meals before heading out, Achilles in the lead as he activated his Lightning Steps and rushed out into the city.
"We'll find her," Aiz said, giving Bell a reassuring smile and a hug before joining the Father On High.
"Yeah, it's not like she's easy to miss, bright gold fox ears and all!" Tiona declared.
The others chuckled.
"You're right. I'm sorry I snapped everyone," Bell apologized.
"We're all worried, Bell-dono. I was just as prepared to rush out the door as you were and I cannot say I'm particularly happy with the idea of Agrippina taking Haruhime out without telling us," Mikoto replied.
"Agrippina certainly has some explaining to do," Lili added.
"That she does. But making sure Haruhime is safe is the first priority," Bell stated.
"Right!" his familia replied.
"Alright! Let's get going."
"Actually Bell." They all stopped and turned back to Mania. "I was hoping to borrow you for a little while."
"But...Haruhime…"
"I know," she replied gently. "But this is important. Besides, your familia, my familia, and the Loki familia are all going to be looking for her, not to mention my speed demon of a son," she joked. "They'll find her and bring her back safe and sound. All you need is to trust them and be patient."
Bell was terribly torn.
This is about my training, he realized. But that can wait! I need to find Haruhime! Then again, he remembered his little outburst not so long ago and how easily he fell into a wrathful state and what that state could have led to, maybe it would be best to start as soon as possible.
He sighed and turned to the others.
"Will you guys be okay without me?"
"Of course, little bro," Welf replied immediately, giving Bell a reassuring smile. "Do what you gotta do. Will have Haruhime back her before you know it."
That confidence did ease the young captain quite a lot and he nodded.
"Alright. Then good luck."
"Hey, we have a lucky rabbit as our captain, luck is a given!" Welf declared.
Bell chuckled and nodded again before bidding them all farewell.
With all the adventurers gone, Hestia decided to pipe up.
"So what do you need Bell for, Mania?"
Bell answered for his grandmother.
"I asked for her help in controlling my skill."
There was no question which skill he was referring to.
"Oh," Hestia replied, not sure what else to say. "I guess I can see why you both thought it was so important."
"I figured I should start as soon as possible given...my outburst," Bell said, ashamed of himself.
"That wasn't much of an outburst," Mania commented, giving him a smile. "At least not in comparison to what I've seen in all my years. You should see Hera when she's mad."
Hestia shivered.
"Don't remind me."
"Sorry," Mania replied with a chuckle before turning back to Bell. "Your familia member is missing, likely due to the actions of another person, being upset is only normal in that situation. Still, I'm glad you agreed to stay."
"As am I," Hestia added. "I know how much this skill has been eating at you, Bell, so if working to control it gives you some peace, I'm all for it."
"Thank you, Hestia-sama," her captain replied, giving her one of his best smiles.
Hestia felt her heart soar and she smiled back.
"Well, I'll leave you both to it. If I hear anything about Haruhime or she returns, I'll tell you immediately."
"Thank you," he said.
Bell and Mania entered her room and she encouraged him to sit down at one of her chairs.
"Alright Bell, we're going to start with something very simple," she said as she went over to a table and lit a candle. "Meditation."
"Meditation?"
"Yep. All you need to do is close your eyes and breathe deeply."
He looked a bit skeptical, making her laugh.
"We can delve a bit deeper once we get things going. For now, just close your eyes, breathe deeply, and take in the smell of the candle. This all will help you calm down and center yourself. That will be the baseline for your training. Learning to stay calm."
Understanding now, Bell nodded and closed his eyes before beginning to breathe deeply.
"That's it Bell. Just breathe. Let everything else just drop away and breathe."
"Oooh, let's go here next!" Agrippina said, bringing Haruhime to yet another little shop, which had to have been at least the tenth, though Haruhime wasn't keeping count.
"Okay," she readily agreed.
This shop, like half of those they had already visited, was food-centered. In this case it was a bakery focused on muffins and cupcakes.
"Ah, Agrippina-sama. Welcome," a woman at the counter greeted. "And who is this lovely creature with you?"
"This is Haruhime. I'm showing her around all my favorite places in the city and so had to come here."
"I'm glad I could make your favorites list," the baker woman said with a smile, before turning to Haruhime. "Are you new to the city?"
"I and my familia came from Orario to help with the Rakians," Haruhime explained.
"Orario eh? Never been myself, but I hear it's quite something. Not that I'd ever leave Athens, mind you. All my roots are here, after all."
"Athens is certainly lovely," Haruhime replied, giving the baker a warm smile.
"You've got yourself a sweet one here, Agrippina. Just for that," the baker pulled out two cupcakes, "here's a couple of my special, red velvet cupcakes. On the house."
"Oh I couldn't," Haruhime responded.
"Sure you can. Besides, it's not everyday I get such a nice customer through my doors. Just think of it as me showing some good old Athens hospitality."
"Well," Haruhime debated for just a moment, before nodding. "Alright. Thank you very much."
"You are very welcome," the baker replied with a big smile.
Haruhime and Agrippina took their cupcakes and sat down at one of the tables.
"So, what do you think of Athens?" the vice-captain asked.
"It is lovely. I see why you are so happy here, Agrippina."
"It's great, isn't it? I know we aren't the 'center of the world', like Orario, but we also aren't as crazy as Orario, all this stuff with Rakia notwithstanding."
"Orario can certainly be very hectic," Haruhime readily agreed.
Agrippina smiled as her demeanor changed. She leaned in and took Haruhime's hand.
"So...have you ever consider staying in Athens?"
Haruhime blushed at the contact and part of her wanted to say that she would consider it.
But why? I would never leave my familia or Bell, she thought.
"While I certainly find Athens very enjoyable, Orario is my home," she answered.
Agrippina frowned and for a second it appeared she was contemplating something, before she suddenly began smiling again and nodded as she pulled her hand back.
"I understand. Leaving Athens would be really difficult for me, so I can only imagine how difficult it would be to leave Orario. Anyway, you should really finish that cupcake or else I might be tempted to steal a bite."
Haruhime, smiling once again, nodded and finished the sweet treat, not recognizing that, as she did so, the fog around her mind grew denser.
"Come on, I have more to show you," Agrippina said, getting up.
The two bid the baker farewell and made their way outside.
"The next place isn't food related, I promise," the Athena vice-captain said. "It's this nice clothing shop, hidden away in a back alley that only those in the Athena familia know about."
"That sounds wonder-"
Haruhime was suddenly bumped by a passerby.
"Excuse me," they said before rushing on.
"Hey!" Agrippina yelled, but the person had already disappeared. "Geez, some people are so rude. Are you alright, Haruhime?"
"I'm fine. They didn't bump me too badly," the renard replied.
"Might want to check your purse though. I know some thieves use bumps to snatch them."
Haruhime quickly checked for her purse and found that it was still there.
"No, it's right here. I guess it was just an honest mistake," she said.
"Hm, still rude," Agrippina said before dropping the matter. "Alright, to the shop!"
She grabbed Haruhime's hand and dragged her off to the next shop.
The two spent the next two or three hours together, rushing from hidden shop to hidden shop. Agrippina explained that these were all of Athens's best kept secrets and that's why they were all hidden away. Finally though, they stopped in a square not far from the palace.
"Well this has been a blast!" Agrippina exclaimed.
"It has certainly been very fun. Thank you, Agrippina-san," Haruhime agreed.
"My absolute pleasure, Haruhime-chan. Well, as much as I'd like to spend the rest of the day with you, I should head back to Athena-sama."
"And I to my familia."
"Right."
Haruhime turned to leave, only to hear the vice-captain call out to her.
"Oh, and Haruhime."
"Yes?"
"Would you mind keeping this a secret from your familia?"
"Why?" Haruhime asked, actually shocked to be asked such a thing.
"Because I showed you some of the best hidden spots in all of Athens and I'd hate to have to start fighting with others in order to enjoy them."
Haruhime began to fidget.
I...I can't keep secrets from the others. We promised not to keep secrets. But then again...it's so small, it couldn't hurt, right? It doesn't matter if it's small! You're still keeping a secret! Hiding things from your familia! From...Bell.
This back and forth went on until the name of her beloved reappeared in her mind and suddenly clarity filled her mind as he filled her with strength again.
No. I can't keep secrets. Not from the man who holds my heart.
She turned back to Agrippina.
"I'm sorry, but I-"
Agrippina placed a hand on her cheek and captured her gaze.
"Please Haruhime-chan. Won't you do this for me?"
A new, denser fog fell upon Haruhime's mind and she could do nothing to fight it as it gently washed over her.
"O-Of course," she replied, her voice dull and quiet. "I will keep our day a secret."
"Thank you!" Agrippina said, throwing her arms around Haruhime and hugging her tightly.
The hug lasted far longer than it should have and while Haruhime returned it, something deep inside her felt horribly uneasy.
Finally, Agrippina pulled back, smiling like a lunatic.
"Thank you," she repeated. "Anyway, as much as I'd really like to continue our date, I need to head back to Athena-sama. I really enjoyed today, Haruhime-chan."
"I did too," the renard replied.
"I'm glad. Well, bye for now. Oh, and make sure you keep enjoying those sweets for me, alright? They're too delicious to go to waste."
"I will," Haruhime vowed.
Agrippina waved goodbye and departed, leaving Haruhime by herself.
"I should head back," she paused, "I also need to come up with an excuse for where I was."
High above, Ottar watched the golden fox girl head back inside before turning his burning gaze towards the Athena vice-captain.
You have outstayed your welcome, child.
He turned to Hogni who had removed his disguise and waited for his captain to speak.
"Did you acquire it?"
"Of course," Hogni pulled out one of the candies he'd stolen from Haruhime. "And I've already tested it. It's just as we figured. These candies, and I'm guessing all those pastries as well, contain the animus flower."
Veins began popping up on Ottar's skin, which soon began to steam with rage.
"She dares to use the 'mind control flower' on our lady's beloved!"
"It appears so. They must really want the fox if they used something as valuable as the 'suggestion flower'. They're not easily found and cost a fortune to acquire. Still, I must say that I'm actually surprised that the renard has been able to resist as much as she has. These contain double the amount normally used for such attempts at control, yet our lady's beloved has managed to show resistance despite that and her low level."
The steam around Ottar cooled and his usual, stoic expression returned.
"As our lady has said before, Haruhime Sanjouno has a great inner strength."
"And our lady is once again correct, not that I doubted her," Hogni replied. "So, when do we reveal this?"
"When the Athena familia tries to spring their trap. There is no doubt they will do so soon, so we must simply wait until then."
"And what if the Athena vice-captain tries something before then?" Hedin asked, entering the conversation. "We all saw the look she has every time she leaves the renard. She may attempt to force herself about our lady's beloved before Athena decides to reveal her intentions."
Immediately, all of Ottar's rage returned.
"No one touches Haruhime without our lady's permission. If the vice-captain tries, I will personally tear her apart."
"Understood," Hedin replied.
And there we have it!
This chapter was actually supposed to be a bit longer, but I decided to break it up since I'm going to be very busy the next few days and didn't want to keep you guys waiting. Plus, this was a nice 10k+ chapter, so it didn't seem like a bad place to stop. However, the next few chapters are where the real fun begins. I'm just trying to get your saliva glands going, that's why I kept mentioning all those sweets like the red velvet cupcakes! Aren't I evil, muhahahaha! Okay, not really, but anyway.
So, what did you guys think? Did you like the chapter? Hate it? Share your thoughts with me in the reviews and, if you would be so kind, share the story around, I'd really appreciate it.
Well, that's all I have for now, so I'll bid you all a fine farewell. Have a wonderful evening and week everyone! :)