Hello my dear readers and welcome back.
Before we begin, I just wanted to address one point some of you brought up, that being the use of Arcanum. From what I understood based on the events of volume 7 of the main series, using Arcanum itself doesn't send you back to Heaven, instead you have to be caught using it by another deity, which is why, when Freya saw Ishtar using Arcanum to heal herself after being bitch-slapped off the tower, she snapped her fingers and sent Ishtar back to Heaven. This, to me, is backed up by the fact that Hestia also used her Arcanum in the Dungeon and the fact that the deities can use part of their Arcanum to make their "mirrors" to watch War Games. For the sake of this story that is how it works here, which is why Athena deactivated her Arcanum before Hestia and Mania arrived so that she wouldn't be sent back. Anyway, I hope I have understood your reviews and answered your inquiries.
Now, with that point out of the way, it's time to get back to our story, see the aftermath of the battle with Athena, bring an end to Athens Arc, and fulfill Cassandra's prophecy, so let's get to it.
I do not own Danmachi
Everyone quickly made their way inside the Mania apartments, even the Freya and Kali familias joined them as they weren't about to be left out after everything that had happened.
"Well," Hades began, "you all had quite the action-packed day."
"Hades-sama-" Bell tried to begin, only to be immediately cut off.
"What the fuck is going on?!" Argana roared. "One minute I'm bored out of my mind, cutting down worthless Rakian soldiers, the next, bunny boy over there," she pointed at Bell, "is ripping and tearing through Athens!"
"I shall explain everything, young lady," Hades replied calmly, "but we should probably wait for everyone to be here before we proceed," he turned to Uriel, "would you mind fetching our missing three ladies?"
"Gladly, Hades-sama," she responded with a smile.
"Thank you, my dear."
Uriel departed, leaving the floor open once again.
"Who are the three ladies you're referring to, Hades?" Hestia asked.
"Dido, Imilce, and Mordred," Achilles answered for him.
"Mordred-sama?" Riveria asked, turning to her lover. "Why her?"
"Because she, Dido, and Imilce, alongside a host of Athena familia, tried to prevent me from returning to Athens," he answered.
"What?!" many cried out, loudest amongst them being Riveria, Mania, Ajax, and Patroclus.
"Why would those two try to stop you?" Patroclus asked.
"And why would Mordred?" Riveria joined.
"Apparently Athena offered Mordred a book she had been after for a while, and as for Dido and Imilce, apparently Athena blackmailed them with some information about Hera or so they claim," Achilles replied.
"What information?" Ajax questioned.
Achilles shrugged.
"No idea, they didn't feel the need to tell me. Must have been something important if they were willing to take me on though."
"Indeed, you are quite the force to be reckoned with," Hades joined in, smiling playfully.
This did little to ease the tension in the room, but there was little more they could do but wait.
As they did so, Bell made his way over to Hades. He opened his mouth to try and ask his question again, only to be interrupted again, but this time by Hades himself.
"Because I wanted to."
Bell jumped.
"What?"
"Because I wanted to, Bell. Not only to prevent a conflict that could leave a major power vacuum in the world, but because I wanted to help you," the god leant down so that he could whisper the next part into Bell's ear. "You are a good person, Bell. A heroic young man with a gentle heart. Admittedly you have a scary side to you." Bell's eyes turned away in shame. "But you've used that side for the good of others, including those that, by all right, should be your enemies. That's admirable," Hades pulled away and smiled down at Bell, "besides, seeing as you're my idiot brother's grandson, that makes you family. In fact, I'd greatly appreciate it if you called me Uncle Hades from now on, or maybe Grandpa Hades. Whichever you prefer."
"Hey hey, I'm the uncle here!"
They turned to Ajax who strode over to them.
"He can have more than one, can't he?" Hades asked. "I also suggested Grandpa Hades."
"Then that'll be your title. I'm the uncle here," Ajax continued.
Bell watched the exchange between the god and the adventurer with wide eyes. The day had not gone to plan in the slightest. Things had happened which were never meant to, yet, as he watched his two 'uncles' playfully bicker, he felt the warm sense of relief wash over him and his smile finally returned.
I guess today hasn't been all bad.
A knock at the door pulled everyone back to reality, and a moment later, Uriel strode in with Dido, Imilce, and Mordred.
"Ah now we can begin," Hades said.
"Begin what?" Dido asked, not liking anything about the scene currently playing before her.
"The explanation of, as the young lady over there stated, 'what the fuck is going on'," the god of the underworld replied. "I do suggest everyone sit down though as I suspect this might take a while and be more than a little surprising to some of you."
After a few exchanged looks between the occupants of the room, they did as suggested and found a place to sit.
"Wonderful. Now, I suppose I'll start with the source of today's excitement. The Xenos."
The room was deathly silent. For some, it was due to the shock of what they had just been told. For others it was to wait and see how those in shock would react.
"Talking monsters," Patroclus said in disbelief.
"That...can't be true," Bache said, looking at Bell.
"It is, though it's difficult to believe," the young captain stated.
"And you've...befriended them?" Dido spat with venom on her tongue.
"Careful Dido, you're on thin ice with me already, I will not take your vile or any idiotic action you wish to take," Achilles warned.
"She's not the only one freaking out here, Achilles," Ajax interjected. "Not only are you telling us something that seems to break the rules of the world, but you're effectively informing us that all of you are traitors to all races, mortal and immortal."
Achilles's hand fell to his sword, and he was not alone. Dido, Argana, Aiz, and the entirety of both the Hades and the Freya familia grabbed their weapons in preparation for a fight.
"Hey now, no need for that!" Hestia cried.
"She's right. They're just a bit shocked is all. In time they'll come to accept what we've told them," Riveria added.
"Accept? Are you insane? How could we accept any of this?" Dido demanded.
"By realizing that they're people."
Everyone turned back to Bell.
"Wiene. Lyd. All of them. They're people, with their own thoughts and dreams. Yes they are monsters, but they don't act like monsters. They're kind. Fun. Even gentle," he said.
"'Gentle' he says," Dido actually spit.
"If you met Wiene, you would agree," Haruhime stated, joining Bell's side. "She's sweet as can be. Like Rue Bee, or any other child."
"But she's not any other child. Hell, by your own admission she went mad and terrorized Orario!" the Hera captain threw back.
"That wasn't her fault," Bell defended.
"Then whose fault was it? This, Dix character and his familia? They were just doing what we all do? Profit from monsters!" Dido argued.
"Don't. You. Dare, defend what they were doing."
The Hera and Hestia captain sneered at each other.
"And what are you going to do about it, boy? Are you going to fight me to protect your precious monsters?"
"I fought Aiz to defend Wiene, I am more than willing to fight you to protect all of them."
Though it was not the happiest memory, Aiz smiled proudly at her lover.
Even back then he was so determined. So driven to do what's right.
"And don't forget, he's not alone," Achilles said, stepping forward.
"No he's not," Welf added as he and the rest of the Hestia familia stepped forward.
"You're all insane," Dido growled.
"Maybe a little bit," Hestia agreed, "but I wouldn't have it any other way."
As Dido stewed in her disgust, Patroclus stepped forward.
"Are you really sure about this, Achilles? I trust you with my life, but this…"
"Requires a different kind of trust, I know," his former captain replied. "I admit, I was extremely uncomfortable with it, but after meeting Wiene and the others, I can swear to you that it doesn't really bother me anymore."
"Then...I guess, if you'll permit me, I'd like to meet them too."
Bell and the others smiled and the young man happily nodded.
"I'm sure they'd be happy to meet you," Bell said.
Patroclus chuckled nervously.
"In any other context, I don't think I'd be happy to hear that monsters were 'happy to meet' me."
A few people laughed and it seemed that things were easing. Unfortunately, Dido wasn't done yet.
"You know...there's been whispers of talking monsters for years. Ages even."
No one knew where she was going with this, but everyone knew they wouldn't like it.
"Even the tale of Argonaut had the infamous Minotaur general," she continued.
"And your point is?" Achilles demanded.
"There have been whispers. In the dark places of the world, that another, very famous monster is capable of speech. The Dragon."
All the relief died the moment she said that.
"The Dragon...might be a Xenos?" Patroclus asked.
"He is a Xenos," Achilles stated.
As all heads spun towards him, the Father On High stared into Dido's eyes.
"Did you really think you could beat me, insect?"
Terror filled the hearts of all in the room, even those who had already heard the voice.
"I have been aware that the Dragon is a Xenos for 16 years, Dido. Why do you think I was so uncomfortable when I first learned of them?"
"Then why are you defending them?! Surely knowing these...things are just like the Dragon should make you instantly wish for their destruction!" she roared.
"Would you stop spitting your venom for one moment you vile bitch!"
Dido growled, but fell silent, allowing Achilles to continue.
"I have never hated monsters. Not once in my life. I just always categorized them in the same realm of life as storms and earthquakes. Things that you must deal with because it is their nature to be destructive. But the Dragon...I hate him. That's right, him. He deserves my hate because of what he's done. Because he happily and cruelly destroyed my family. Because he murdered my best friend!" Achilles roared. "But Wiene did not! Could not! Wiene is one of the most adorable beings I've ever come across. Like a giddy little school girl. And the others?" he threw up his arms. "Do you know what Lyd calls Bell? Belluchi. He gave Bell a playful nickname! Am I really supposed to compare the sweet little girl and the friendly dork to a being that personifies malice and wrath? If you think I am, then it is you who have lost your mind, Dido!"
Dido looked ready to go to war, but instead, he turned and departed the room.
Imilce made to follow her, but was stopped by Achilles calling her.
"Imilce!" She turned to him, wide-eyed and shaking. "You don't have to follow her," he said softly, "you really don't."
"B-But...she's my captain."
"No she's not. She has done nothing to earn that title. Not like Briseis did."
Tears filled Imilce's eyes and they were only prevented from spilling by Galadriel appearing by her side and taking her hand with a smile.
"I'll take her to my room," the dark elf said before turning to Imilce, "we can talk and catch-up there."
Imilce looked between her and Achilles, who smiled and nodded. After that little bit of encouragement, she managed the tiniest of smiles and walked with Galadriel to the dark elf's room.
"I'm glad that it didn't come to blows," Hades said.
"Or that Dido's head exploded in pure rage. I mean, that would have been hilarious, but the clean-up would have sucked," Ajaxed added.
Laughter and chuckles once more filled the room and everyone knew that, while the issue wasn't really over, things would be fine for now.
With that discussion now over, Bell turned his eyes towards someone he needed to have a...talk with.
The Red Dawn strode right up to Hermes, capturing everyone's attention. The god, for his part, just smiled and tipped his hat to the young man.
"You've had quite the day, haven't you, Bell-san?"
"You manipulated me...again," the Hestia captain shot back.
"'Manipulated' is such a harsh word. I'd prefer to say that I simply failed to inform you about the other projects Athena was working on. You were only there to rescue the Xenos after all."
"You intentionally hid the existence of the prisoners and the torture they were suffering so that I would discover them and go to war with Athena!"
"Again, 'war' is such a harsh word. 'Defeat an evil goddess' sounds much better, don't you think?" Hermes replied, still smiling.
Bell glared at him for a time, and everyone wondered what he would do.
"I warned you. I warned you that if you tried to trick me again, there would be consequences," he finally said.
"You did," Hermes acknowledged. "So what is my punishment to be, Bell-san? It appears you already have something in mind."
"I do," Bell stated. "When we get back to Orario we're having a War Game and the punishment when you lose will be your banishment."
Jaws dropped all around Bell and even Hermes finally lost his smile.
"Bell-kun," Hestia tried.
"Hestia," he quickly called, "please. Hermes needs to be punished. He has tricked us multiple times, each time putting us and those we care about in danger."
Nearby, Ottar grew a nearly invisible smile.
If Bell banishes Hermes, that will decrease his available 'allies' and probably earn him a few enemies given Hermes extensive network. He'll need my lady all the more then. I'm sure she'll also be quite happy to see Hermes gone.
"We get that, Bell-kun, we really do," Hestia replied.
"But this is too much," Mikoto added.
Bell's fists clenched, and it was only when Achilles stepped forward and placed a hand on his shoulder that he was pulled from his anger and disappointment.
"He needs to be punished, we all agree with that," Achilles said, sending a quick glare towards the god, "but, whether we like it or not, Hermes is our ally, and it's not precisely wise to banish one's allies, especially not when you just made enemies with an empire. Besides, if we have a War Game, that means we'll have to fight Asfi and Aisha, which I'm sure you don't want to do."
Bell turned to the two ladies of the Hermes familia, both of whom looked terribly worried and quietly pleaded with him not to go through with his punishment.
It was as Bell looked into the eyes of the passionate amazon that he had an idea.
"Alright. Fine. No War Game."
The entire room sighed, except for Ottar who lost his smile.
Pity. Still, the distrust is there. My lady will be happy to hear that.
"But you're still going to be punished, Hermes," Bell continued.
"I don't think I'm in a position to say no," the god joked, relieved that things hadn't devolved into a full-on battle.
"When I visited Aisha, she once told me that she wasn't an official member of the Hermes familia. Is that true?" Bell asked.
No one was sure what to make of that question.
"You aren't asking me to spill my familia's secrets, are you, Bell-kun?" Hermes replied, still trying to lighten the mood.
Bell's burning eyes indicated he was not amused.
"Yes," Asfi jumped in, seeing her fellow captain's eyes, "she is not officially a member of our familia."
"That would mean that she wouldn't be subject to the one year transfer rule then, wouldn't it?" Bell pushed on.
It was now that some people started to catch on, including Aisha herself.
Does he want me to…?
"I...suppose that would be the case. Yes," Hermes answered.
"Then you will transfer Aisha into our familia, assuming, of course, she wants to."
Bell turned to Aisha who soon found herself the center of everyone's attention.
It actually took the normally very confident woman a moment to regain her bearings, but when she did, she smiled adoringly at the young man.
"I'd love to."
Bell finally smiled again, before turning back to Hermes.
"Then that will be your punishment. You'll transfer Aisha to the Hestia familia."
"Hold on a minute!"
Everyone turned to Hestia.
"Don't I get a say in this?!" she demanded.
"Aisha is a level four, Hestia-sama, and we still need more members," Bell replied calmly.
"But why her?! Why not Asfi-kun? She's not trying to steal your innocence...I think?"
Asfi blushed and quickly indicated she had no such intention.
"Because Hermes wouldn't part with his captain and Aisha is like a big sister to Haruhime," Bell explained.
"But...but."
"Hestia-sama, please."
Hestia knew she'd lost as soon as she heard that gentle request. It didn't matter that she didn't like it. It didn't matter that Lili, Ryuu, Aiz, Bache, and even Tiona looked ready to combust with jealous rage right beside her. Her Bell-kun had asked her in that sweet, stupidly loveable voice. She couldn't say no.
"Oh fine!" she roared. "I suppose it's at least better than a War Game after all."
Hestia crossed her arms and began to pout. This didn't last long as a moment later she found Bell right beside her, giving her a smile.
"Bell-kun?"
He hugged her, filling her with warmth.
"Thank you, Hestia-chan," he whispered into her ear.
Her face burst into scarlet.
H-Hestia-c-c-c-CHAN?!
The poor goddess couldn't take it and promptly fainted, forcing Bell and the others to spend the next couple minutes waking her up.
When Hestia had finally reawakened and calmed down after Bell's sudden display of affection, she called Aisha over.
"Turn around boys. And no peeking!"
The men all turned around.
"She doesn't have anything I like, anyway," Patroclus said.
Hermes removed his blessing and Hestia added hers to the amazon who, after receiving it, fixed her clothes, and stood up with a smile.
"Thanks for having me, Hestia-sama," she said.
"I only did it because Bell asked me to!" the goddess quickly declared. "And I'm warning you, Aisha-kun, don't you dare try and seduce my Bell-kun!"
"No promises," the amazon replied.
She then immediately went over to Bell while a dozen furious eyes watched her.
"Thanks for the invitation," she said.
"Thank you for accepting," he smiled.
"How could I not?" she asked as she leant down so they were eye-to-eye. "I'm still hungry for rabbit meat."
Bell yelped as Aisha grabbed a handful of his butt and licked her lips.
"Very hungry."
Aiz had her sword out before anyone could blink, with Bache close behind. Both launched at Aisha, intending on skewing her and smashing her to pieces. It was only by the quick intervention of Achilles that Aisha didn't become an ama-kabob.
"No killing our familia," he said calmly as he held both Aiz and Bache's arms. He turned to Aisha. "And please don't antagonize them."
She laughed.
"I'm just laying my claim. Besides," she turned to the blushing Bell, "he's got the best butt I've ever seen on a man."
Achilles sighed as the rage in the room turned volcanic.
It took ten minutes and lots of blown eardrums to finally get the room calm again, at which point Achilles finally addressed Hermes himself.
"Looks like your neck is saved."
"Oh, don't joke about things like that, Achilles-san! It makes me nervous," the god replied, rubbing his neck, but smiling.
"Good," the ex-captain instantly replied, "but now I can give you my punishment."
"Your punish-"
Achilles swiftly kicked the god right between the legs with enough force to actually lift the deity a couple inches off the ground.
Hermes didn't even cry out, he merely landed and promptly crumbled to the ground while everyone watched with slacked jaws.
"Let that pain be a reminder. Don't. Ever. Put my son in danger again."
Achilles looked out over the city, smoking his pipe and taking in the cool, night air.
Or is it morning? I guess it can be both, he thought.
The sound of footsteps caused him to turn and he found Bell approaching.
"What are you doing up this early?" the ex-captain asked with a smile.
"I was having a hard time sleeping," Bell confessed as he approached.
"Understandable. A lot happened."
"Because of me."
"Hey, don't even try to start with that, we all agreed to help you with Xenos and saving a bunch of people being tortured by a goddess is an incredibly noble act, no matter how angry you were," Achilles stated firmly.
"Still…"
Bell was pulled into a hug, making him look up at his father in surprise.
"You got justifiably enraged by a terrible injustice, there's no shame in that. Even if there somehow was, you have already started working on controlling your anger and your power with your grandmother, so if a mistake was made, you are currently correcting it."
"Dad…" Bell stared at him for a moment before smiling and hugging him, "thank you."
"You're welcome," Achilles replied, returning the hug, "now come on, we might as well make breakfast if we're going to be up and about."
The two made their way back inside, but any plan to make breakfast died the moment they saw who was waiting for them.
"Athena," Bell growled as he and Achilles took up defensive stances.
"Bell Cranel," she growled back, "Achilles Caesar."
"What do you want and who let you in?" Achilles demanded.
"This is my palace, Achilles Caesar, do you really think I don't know how to navigate it without others knowing?" she shot back.
"What do you want?" Bell echoed, his anger rising with each passing moment.
"I want many things, Bell Cranel. I want my city to stand atop the world. I want my stupid brother bound and chained before me and his puny country turned to dust. And," her eyes began to burn like an inferno, "I want you and your accursed father dead."
Achilles pulled out his sword, ready to attack the goddess, when she suddenly calmed and continued.
"But I will content myself with the second for now." Bell and Achilles shared a quick look, not sure what to make of her sudden shift in attitude. "So, in order to end this war and bring Ares to heel, I will give you both some encouragement."
"Encouragement?" Achilles questioned, not liking anything the goddess was saying at the moment.
"Yes. Something that will motivate you both to immediately go out, find Ares, bring him to justice, and leave my city."
"Uh huh...and what would this 'encouragement' entail?" Achilles questioned.
"The reason Mania was banished from Heaven."
The two men froze.
"I see she still hasn't told you the reason for her banishment, not that I can blame her, your rage is legendary, Achilles, and it appears your son takes after you," Athena said, eying the two men's reactions.
"Why should we trust a word you say, Athena?" Bell questioned.
"Because the truth gets me what I want. Because the truth, in this case, is more horrible than anything I can imagine up. Because telling you the truth that Mania has so painfully hidden will force you," she pointed at Achilles, "her beloved boy, and you," she pointed at Bell, "her dear grandson, to be filled with such wrath and fury, that you will immediately go and destroy Ares and Rakia for me."
Neither Bell nor Achilles liked how that sounded and knew this was a trap, but neither could deny that they wanted to know what had happened to Mania, especially since it sounded as if Ares had something to do with it. And so, they walked into the trap.
"Why was Mania banished?" Achilles asked.
Athena barely stopped herself from smiling.
"Mania's curse abilities and appearance have always made her a bit of an outsider, even in Heaven, if not especially in Heaven. She had acquittances and even a few friends, Loki first and foremost amongst them, but she was, for the most part, an outcast."
"Is there a point to this?" Bell growled.
"I'm setting up the stage, Bell Cranel," Athena replied, "now, being an outcast, and thus vulnerable, Mania was often the target of pranks and other childish cruelties. However, one day, her tormentors decided they wished to up the ante a bit. That simple pranks weren't enough and that more 'fun' was needed."
Both Bell and Achilles's fist were so tight after hearing the word 'fun' that the skin around their knuckles began to tear, allowing droplets of blood to leak through.
"What. Happened?" Achilles demanded.
"My brother Ares, along with Ishtar, Thanatos, and several other deities attacked Mania," she answered, "from what I heard later, Ishtar and the other deities held down Mania while Ares got on top of her and tried to rape her."
The very air in the room stopped.
"What?" both men asked at the same time.
"Oh it gets worse," Athena continued, "Mania, in self-defense, activated her curses, saving herself and causing them all to run away in terror. However, this very action so scared the other deities of Heaven that they called an emergency meeting where, in their fear of Mania's curses, they banished her."
Athena felt a shiver go up her spine as the previously warm room turned icy cold.
"They banished her, because she defended herself?" Achilles asked, his voice nothing but malice and rage.
"Yes. And Ares and the others escaped any serious punishment. While I'm sure you don't believe me, I did try to stop it and voted against the banishment as did Loki, Hestia, Hermes, and many others. Others simply didn't care one way or another, like Kali. However, the pressure was too great and the vote was cast. Thus, Mania, your dearly beloved mother and grandmother, was banished from Heaven for daring to defend herself against her would-be rapist. My brother. Ares."
Crackling and pale blue light filled the room as Achilles's lightning began dancing along his skin.
Seeing the lightning, Athena knew she had won and she even allowed herself to smile at that moment. However, her pleasure died almost immediately as her attention turned to Bell.
Athena froze as she found herself staring directly into the terrible, dragonic eyes of Bell.
"Very well, Athena. You get what you want," he told her, his voice like the personification of destruction and carnage. "We'll deal with Ares for you. And then we'll leave. I think we were getting sick of you spying on us anyway."
Shock mixed with fear as Bell and Achilles turned away and made their way back to the balcony. Once there, they both jumped into the air towards the Rakian lines. The force of their jump was so tremendous that the stone balcony could not take it and broke away from the palace, falling to the ground below and filling the early morning air with such a terrible noise that all in the palace were immediately awakened.
"I need to go," Athena whispered to herself as she quickly made her way back to the secret passage she had used to enter the Mania apartments.
Once safely hidden away again, she stopped and gripped her clothes tightly.
"I...I think I've made a terrible mistake."
But it was too late now. Far too late.
Everyone rushed in, alarmed and a few of them holding their weapons.
"What was that noise?!" Hestia cried.
"I don't know, but…" Riveria looked around, "where are Achilles and Bell?"
Everyone then noticed the two missing men and their alarm turned to dread.
"I'll go check Bell's room," Welf quickly said.
"He's not there, the bed was empty when I woke up," Aiz informed them.
"It was the same for me," Riveria added.
"The balcony's gone!" Patroclus cried.
"What?!" a few people cried as they all rushed over, finding that he had spoken the truth.
"Well that explains the noise," Hades said calmly, grabbing everyone's attention, "and I suspect that is connected to our two missing adventurers."
"But that only raises more questions!" Mania declared.
"Peace Mania, things will be alright," Hades said, still completely calm. He pulled something out of his pocket.
"That's…" the goddess's eyes widened.
"'The Eye of the Fates', yes," he confirmed.
"How did you get that?!" Hestia asked.
"I've had it for a long time. I briefly let my brother borrow it following the defeat against the Black Dragon, but it is effectively mine at this point."
"I'm sorry, what is that and how is that going to help us find Achilles and Bell-sama?" Lili asked.
"To make a long story short, this is a special item that I will now use to reveal to us what happened in this room just before the balcony was destroyed and, more importantly, before Bell and Achilles disappeared," Hades answered. "Now, just to be sure, you three aren't going to send me back to Heaven for using my Arcanum?"
Hestia, Mania, and Hermes all shook their heads.
"We just want to know where they went," Hestia replied.
"Good, just wanted to be sure."
Hades activated his Arcanum and all the mortals felt their legs buckle under his immortal power. Any Arcanum was powerful, but for those who had experienced it in the past, this one felt even more powerful, wiser, and darker.
"Μοίρες, αποκαλύψτε μου το παρελθόν για να μάθω την αλήθεια."*
The eye began to glow with blinding light and the mortals all turned away or covered their eyes. Luckily it lasted but a moment and when they opened them again, they found the room to be the same.
"Did something happen?" Tiona asked.
"Give it a moment," the god replied.
Everyone waited and after a few seconds, a familiar face appeared from the hall.
"Bell?!" the adventurers cried.
Aiz was the quickest and rushed over to him to wrap him up in her arms, only to find her arms getting nothing but air and for Bell to walk right through her.
"This is the past," Hades explained, "I'm using the Eye to find out what happened just before they disappeared. It evidently wasn't that long ago."
Understanding now, they all watched as Bell made his way towards the balcony, where they discovered Achilles, smoking his pipe.
"And there's Achilles," Riveria said, feeling instant relief.
"Unfortunately, it looks like they had company," Hades stated.
They all turned once more and found, to their shock and anger, Athena exiting a secret passage.
"What is she doing here?!" Hestia screamed.
"I believe we're about to find that out," the god of the underworld replied.
Bell and Achilles reentered the room and immediately lost their smiles and began their exchange with Athena.
They all listened to the three go at each other, with everyone feeling more and more anxious the more Athena mentioned this 'encouragement'. Finally, Athena stated what it was.
"The reason Mania was banished from Heaven," Athena's specter said.
Mania froze as all eyes turned to her.
"She wouldn't," Mania said, her voice more terrified than any of them had ever heard.
"I fear that she is about to," Hades said.
"No! She can't! If they find out what happened, they'll-!" she stopped as realization hit.
"They'll go straight for Ares and will attack him with all the fury a son and grandson can muster," Hades finished for her.
"WE HAVE TO STOP THEM!" Mania cried. "WE HAVE TO! IF WE DON'T-!"
Hestia grabbed her and wrapped her in a hug, trying to calm the terrified mother, but with little success, in part because she was terrified too.
"I don't understand, what's going on? Why would Achilles and Bell going after Ares be a bad thing?" Rei asked.
"Just listen," Hades said, gesturing back to the scene.
"NO! PLEASE! Don't show them, Hades! They'll join them if they find out!" Mania begged.
"Because they love you, Mania," he replied, "and as people who love you, they have a right to know your past and the mistreatment forced upon you."
"Please…" Mania begged weakly.
Geneve went over to her goddess and gently took her hand.
"Mania-sama, please allow us to learn what happened. Let us share your burden, as you've shared ours."
Mania stared into Geneve's eyes as her own filled with tears.
"I can't lose you all."
"You won't. We promise you won't," Geneve replied instantly.
Mania did not reply for a time, and they all wondered if her silence was the only consent they were going to get, when she finally spoke up again.
"Cover Rue Bee's ears. She shouldn't hear this."
Frandine immediately covered the little girl's ears, allowing Hades to continue the scene.
"What. Happened?" the apparition of Achilles demanded.
"My brother Ares, along with Ishtar, Thanatos, and several other deities attacked Mania. From what I heard later, Ishtar and the other deities held down Mania while Ares got on top of her and tried to rape her," the past Athena answered.
A horrible silence fell upon the room.
"W-What?" Krysta asked.
Mania shrank on herself.
"Ares...tried to force himself on you?" Rei asked, his voice dark and his face reddening with rage.
"He...he did," the goddess answered.
"B-But...that doesn't make any sense," Clara said. "Why would they banish you when you were the victim?"
"I believe Athena is about to answer that question," Hades said.
"Hades, please," Mania begged.
"Mania, they love you, and want to help you."
"They can't do that if they run off to attack Ares and get killed!"
"I suspect it's already far too late for them to try. Bell and Achilles are almost assuredly already on their way to do punish him," he replied.
"That's right?! Achilles and Bell are heading for Ares right now, we have to-!"
"Mania!"
The goddess turned, wide-eyed and mouth agape to her captain.
"Please," Rei begged, "let us know what happened to you. You're our goddess, and helping you is something we all want to do. Learning about your past allows that because it tells us how you were hurt. From there, we can figure out how to help you heal."
"B-But...Achilles and-"
"Achilles and Bell are both very strong," Rei interrupted again. "Hell they may be dragging Ares back as we speak. So please, please Mania," he turned his furious, but tearful eyes to her, "let us hear the truth."
She knew she couldn't say no to that, especially not when she saw the faces of the rest of her familia. As such, with great reluctance, she nodded.
Hades reactivated the scene and they all listened.
"Oh it gets worse," Athena's past self continued, "Mania, in self-defense, activated her curses, saving herself and causing them all to run away in terror. However, this very action so scared the other deities of Heaven that they called an emergency meeting where, in their fear of Mania's curses, they banished her."
Mania's head fell as Hestia hugged her again.
"They banished her for defending herself?" Norman asked in disbelief.
"Effectively, yes," Hades answered.
"And what the fuck were you all doing?!" Frandine roared.
"Every deity here tried to stop her banishment," the god of the underworld informed her, his voice stern to silence any suggestion otherwise.
"It's true," Mania said, looking up, "they all voted to let me stay. Hestia and Hades even demanded it be Ares who was banished."
"As it should have been!" Geneve cried. "Him, Ishtar, and all the others!"
"Yet, unfortunately, it wasn't," Hades stated, "and we can't change the past. Speaking of which, we should see the rest, just to be sure we know the full story."
As reluctant as the Mania familia was at this moment, they knew their goddess would want to know what happened to her son and grandson and so, silently, agreed.
They watched as the scene continued, Athena explaining as Achilles lightning began to crackle, but it was when Bell reentered the conversation that they all froze again as ice poured into their veins.
"Very well, Athena. You get what you want, we'll deal with Ares for you. And then we'll leave. I think we were getting sick of you spying on us anyway."
No one even commented on him revealing their mission, they were far too afraid for that. Even Hades felt his heart thundering in his chest.
Could he really be…? the god wondered, his fists tightening as he hoped beyond hope he was wrong.
Shortly after, Bell and Achilles disappeared, destroying the balcony, and Athena made a hasty retreat.
Hades deactivated the Eye and took a deep breath.
"Now we know what happened, and there's no real question where they're heading and for what purpose."
"We need to stop them. If they attack Ares, he'll use his Arcanum to capture or kill them," Mania said desperately.
"That was likely the real reason Athena told them. Ares and Rakia were already on the retreat, the conflict was effectively over, but after yesterday, Athena was desperate to have her vengeance upon Bell. Getting rid of Achilles would just be icing on the cake," Hades replied.
"I'll go get the draconic mounts saddled up," Rei said.
"We'll go get ready," Ryuu added, getting nods from the other adventurers.
Mania just nodded, unable to find the strength for a reply.
Everyone quickly departed, leaving only the deities, and Hades's entourage in the room.
"They'll be alright Mania. I know they will," Hestia vowed.
"They have to be. I-I-I don't know...I don't know what I'll do if..." Mania couldn't finish as tears filled her eyes.
Hestia took her back into her arms and hugged her tightly.
"I do not believe that the question is whether or not they will be alright," Hades said, causing everyone still present to turn to him, confused.
"T-Then what is?" Mania asked.
"Whether or not my great nephew's rage will be sated when he kills Ares."
Mania strode right up to Athena's door, not caring that at least 20 guards were posted there.
"Halt!" one of them demanded.
She did not.
"I said halt!"
The guards took up a defensive stance.
Not having any patience for this, Mania growled.
"Step aside or I will curse you all so terribly, you all won't be able to eat, sleep, or shit in anything but agony for the rest of your miserable lives!"
Freaked out by the threat, a few immediately lowered their weapons and backed away. The one who had issued the order managed to hold on for a bit longer, but after staring into Mania's raging eyes for a moment, she too backed down.
The rest were quick to follow, and opened the way for Mania.
"Smart girls."
Mania strode past them and burst into Athena's private room.
Rushing through the aisles of books, Mania soon found herself before Athena's personal sanctuary.
"Why?! Why Athena?! Why would you tell them?!"
Athena, who had been reading a book to try and calm her still shaking nerves, sighed and put down her book.
"If it makes you feel any better, I now regret that decision."
"It does not!"
"I didn't think it would," the goddess of wisdom replied as she finally turned to Mania. "I invited the Orario adventurers here because I thought my empire might finally have a chance to beat Orario and claim the spot as the center of the world. Yet, when they arrived, that hope was almost immediately dashed, which was extraordinarily frustrating."
"I don't care about your ambitions, Athena!" the goddess of curses screamed.
"I'm explaining myself, Mania. If you want an answer to your question, you need to listen," Athena replied calmly, the realization of her mistake having sapped her of her rage and strength.
Mania growled and flexed her claws, but did nothing more than that.
"Thank you. That was just the beginning. Next came the failure to acquire Haruhime, which was another major frustration. Finally came yesterday. Not only did Bell Cranel rampage through my city and attack me personally, not only were my...Xenos and prisoners released, but perhaps most terribly of all, you betrayed me."
Athena rose and moved towards Mania.
"I gave you a home. A place to make a familia of your very own. And," a couple of tears peaked out of the corners of Athena's eyes, "you are the closest thing to a best friend I have. Yes we bicker and argue, but I truly thought we were friends, Mania."
Mania's rage dissipated as shock replaced it.
"But I guess I was wrong," Athena continued, looking away.
Mania stared at her fellow goddess for a few tense and bitter seconds, before she sighed.
"You are my friend, Athena. And I am beyond grateful for all you've done for me, but I cannot condone what you've done."
"Is what I've done really so bad!" Athena suddenly screamed as tears now freely flowed down her cheeks. "Have the other gods not done just as bad, if not worse! I don't see you running off to find Ares for his warmongering or for his attempted rape of you! And what about your beloved son! Has he never done anything wrong, hm? And what about your newly discovered grandson? Do you know what he is? What he's capable of?!"
Mania held Athena's tearful gaze for a moment before answering.
"You're right, there are many others who have done terrible things, worse even than what you've done. Ares is a monster and I would like nothing more than to curse him into perpetual torment and madness. Achilles, too, has made many mistakes, and perhaps it's about time I do my duty as a mother and give him some proper chastising. I will grant you that. But I find it very ridiculous that you compare yourself to someone like Ares."
"Why's that? Aren't I just as bad in your eyes?" Athena spat.
"No. And that's the point, Athena. You are better than him, and as such, I expected better from you."
Athena's tears stopped as she looked into the now sad, but tender eyes of Mania.
"You are intelligent, Athena. Brilliant, even. You love your familia wholeheartedly and with an inspiring amount of passion. You are ambitious, which in the right circumstances is very much a plus. You are a good person, Athena," Mania said, "but your goodness is hidden underneath a mountain of uncontrolled ambition, paranoia, greed, and wrath. If you could only dig yourself out from under all of it, you would be the goddess you were truly meant to be."
Silence fell between the two goddesses for a time, neither saying a word, just looking at the other.
"Digging out from under a mountain is not an easy thing to do," Athena finally said.
Mania smiled softly.
"Then it's a lucky thing that you have help. Your familia, your people,...and me."
Athena's eyes filled with surprise, but soon she smiled.
"I guess I have a chance then."
"More than chance," Mania replied, "however this doesn't mean I've forgiven you. I'm still furious at you for all you've done, especially for telling Achilles and Bell the reason for my banishment."
"I know. And I do realize my mistake with that now, after seeing that...boy..." Athena trailed off.
"Bell is a good, kind young man."
"That is not how I would describe him after what I've seen. He's dangerous, Mania. More dangerous than any mortal I've come across."
"He wants to protect those he loves, I wouldn't call that dangerous," Mania defended. "Even so, I am already working with him to control his skill."
"Skill? I don't think we can call that transformation a skill. It seems too deeply rooted for that. As if it's always been a part of him."
"Careful, Athena."
The goddess of wisdom held up her hands.
"I mean no offense, truly, but calling it a skill seems false or, at the very least, inaccurate. I've seen and read about many skills, Mania, including ones based around rage and loss of control in exchange for power, but this is different. I'm not quite sure what it is, but I do believe that whatever that power is, it has been with him his whole life, only now, it's awake...and hungry."
Mania did not like that one bit and wished to deny her. Yet, in Athena's eyes was nothing but honesty. She truly believed what she was saying, which worried Mania terribly.
"Well, whatever the case, I'm already helping him with it, so you can rest easy," she finally replied.
"I hope that's true Mania. I really do."
Mania rushed down the halls towards the landing platform, trying to get Athena's words out of her head.
She's wrong, or...confused. Bell's sweet and gentle. Maybe a bit too defensive with a temper a bit too like his father's, but he's a good boy. Nothing will convince me otherwise.
Finally, she arrived and found everyone almost ready to go.
"Mania-sama!" Geneve called as she and the rest of her familia rushed over to their goddess. "Where did you go? We were worried."
"I'm sorry, but I needed to have a talk with Athena."
"What?!" her familia cried.
"I know, I know, but I had to. I couldn't just let what happened slide."
"Did anything actually come of it?" Hestia asked, joining the conversation.
"Surprisingly, yes," Mania answered. "I think she might actually grow up a bit now."
"What curse did you use to get that result?" her fellow goddess asked.
That got a few chuckles, and some of the worry began to dissipate.
"The curse of compassion," Mania replied.
"Ah, a terrible curse indeed," Hades joked, getting a few more chuckles.
"I'm glad that things went so well, though I still think it would be wise to keep to our plan and leave with the Orario adventurers," Rei said.
"As do I," Mania agreed, "but for now, we need to find my son and grandson."
"That's right, we need to hurry and find them before-" Hestia would never finish that sentence.
Suddenly, the world was filled with light as a pillar of divine power shot towards Heaven far off towards the horizon.
Everyone within 100 miles turned and stared at the pillar of light, watching in awe as it shot into the sky.
Ares is going back to Heaven? Hestia thought as relief filled her.
"No Hestia," Hades said gravely, "he's not."
Before she could even turn her head, Hestia and all those watching, felt the dread enter the deepest recesses of their souls.
The divine pillar began to quake and wane, as if in terrible pain, then suddenly, energy as black as night burst from the pillar. Again and again this dark power exploded out of the beam of light like water from a broken pipe, tearing it apart more and more until, finally, the divine pillar, that beckon signaling the return of a god to Heaven, could take no more and shattered into a billion pieces.
Millions of eyes stared in shock at where the column once stood. They would not get the chance to try and figure out what had just happened, for something else rose from where the pillar had originated.
"RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAWR!"
That terrible, triumphant roar, would be recorded in history books for ages to come. Travelers and merchants would tell of its horrifying, but gleeful might to all they met. Parents would use it to warn their children, saying how the beast that made it would come for them if they were not good. And somewhere, very far away, a mother would shiver as she felt the very earth quake in fear, while a father smiled in delight at his son's growth.
In Athens, the Orario expedition, the Mania familia, and the Hades familia, all stared out towards the horizon with wide, fearful eyes.
"W-W-What just happened?" Lefiya asked.
"Ares has just been killed," Hades answered, though how he managed to keep his voice from shaking, even he did not know, given his shaking hands.
"Y-You mean he went back to Heaven?" Geneve asked.
"No, I mean that he is now dead, or perhaps destroyed would be a more accurate word," the god answered.
"B-But...how? How do you kill a god? And who or...what did it?" Krysta asked.
It was not Hades who answered her this time, but a most unexpected person.
"It was Bell," Cassandra said.
They all turned to her.
"Why would you say that?" Bache asked.
"Because of my dream."
Everyone looked nearly as confused as they were afraid after that response, except for Hades who approached the girl.
"What was this dream, my dear?"
"While we were travelling to Athens, I dreamt that a white dragon would eat the heart of a warrior," she explained.
"And you believe the warrior in your dream was Ares and the white dragon was Bell?"
"Yes. The dragon felt like Bell. It was angry, but it still held his warmth. I didn't want it to be him. I hoped beyond hope that this dream, out of all my dreams, wouldn't come true, but…" her eyes fell, "it did."
As those around them tried to make sense of what they heard, Hades nodded, and gently placed a hand on her shoulder.
"I am sorry you've had to suffer with these prophetic dreams, child, and I thank you for your honesty. Once this whole crisis is over I would be happy to help you with this power."
Cassandra looked up, shocked, but with hope in her eyes.
"I will as well," Mania added, joining the two. "If there's anyone who knows curses and unwanted powers, it's me."
Cassandra's eyes filled with tears of relief.
"T-Thank you! Thank you both so much!"
"Our pleasure, dear child. However, we must put this aside for a moment as we have two men out there who are, no doubt, in quite a state and need our help as well," Hades stated.
Everyone nodded and quickly mounted their dragons, though not a single one of them could deny that they were afraid of what they would find once they had located Achilles and Bell.
Bell and Achilles flew through the air, their eyes scanning for their target.
Where are you? they both growled in their minds.
Each second they didn't find Ares felt like an eternity for the two, having long since departed with their patience.
"Bell! There!"
The Red Dawn turned and found, about a mile away, what was obviously a large, hidden encampment.
"Ares," he snarled.
Both men landed then shot off towards the camp.
"We were so close!" Ares roared. "If the Orario adventurers hadn't come, we would have won!"
"That's doubtful. Likely, it would have simply turned into a war of attrition," Marius stated.
"Which we would have won!"
Marius sighed.
Suddenly, a huge crash echoed through the tent, making them both jump.
"What was that?!" Ares bellowed.
The two quickly left the tent, alongside the guards and not a moment later, a tidal wave of lightning smashed through the camp, sending screaming soldiers and adventurers into the air. Before they could begin to comprehend that, a bolt of fire blew up another section of camp, sending even more people flying.
"What is going on?!" Ares cried.
"Athens has found our camp," Marius deduced.
"But we moved after receiving that message yesterday. How could they find us so quickly?"
"It doesn't matter. We need to leave, now!"
"No one's going anywhere."
Everyone froze as Achilles and Bell landed in the center of the Rakian camp.
"Achilles Caesar!" Ares screamed.
"And Bell Cranel," Marius noted, his eyes trained on the young man.
"Who?" the god asked.
"He's Hestia's captain, i.e. someone who's certainly not your biggest fan," his vice-captain replied.
Ares was shaken, but he still had his pride as a god and wasn't about to surrender himself to the two adventurers. Not yet, anyway.
"Well then, welcome Achilles Caesar and Bell Cranel. Have you come to offer terms from Athena, or perhaps you heard that I will greatly reward anyone who joins me. If that the case-"
Achilles swung his sword to the side, sending dozens more flying while Bell did the same with a Firebolt.
Ares fell silent.
"We are not here for money, or even your surrender, Ares," Achilles snarled.
"We're here to punish you for what you did to Mania," Bell growled.
Ares paled.
"Mania?" Marius asked, turning to his god. Seeing Ares's bloodless face, he asked, "what did you do?"
"Nothing! Not really! She used one of her curses before-"
Ares rantings ended the moment Achilles cut off his head.
"Shut. Up," Achilles ordered.
Marius and the other guards backed away in shock while many of the surrounding soldiers and adventurers fell to the ground in fear.
However, things were far from over as Ares's Arcanum activated and put the two pieces of the god back together.
"What do you think you're doing?! You dare strike a-!"
This time, it was Bell's knife piercing his heart through the back that stopped him.
"You-!" the god tried, only to have the top half of his head cut off by Achilles.
Over and over the two cut Ares to pieces, let his Arcanum heal him, then cut him to pieces again.
"Did you really think there would be no punishment for what you did?!" Achilles bellowed.
"You hurt Mania, and so many others! That cannot be forgiven!" Bell cried.
Over and over, Ares was slaughtered and rebuilt while his soldiers watched in horror and disgust.
"ENOUGH!"
Bell and Achilles were sent flying from the god as he fully activated his Arcanum.
The god now stood before all the mortals, shining with enraged, divine light.
All the Rakians and mercenaries quickly kneeled, recognizing the divine power and knowing that it was not the head of the Ares familia that now stood before them all, but the true God of War.
Achilles and Bell were not inclined to bow, and made to attack the god again, despite his release of his power, only for him to point at them.
"Kneel."
Divine power fell upon them both, halting them in their place and making their knees buckle.
The son and grandson of Mania resisted though, with all their might, refusing with every fiber of their beings, to kneel to the God of War.
"I said," Ares raised both of his hands. "KNEEL!"
He threw down both of his hands, sending the full weight of his power against the two mortals and forcing them to their knees.
"That's better," he said as he calmly walked over to the two. "You two fools have committed a terrible crime this day. Raising your hand against a god. But don't worry, I shall properly discipline you both. My men shall chain you both and throw you into the worst hell we can find. There I will personally oversee your punishments, teaching you the true meaning of pain. And only when you are broken and begging for death, will I remove your heads from your shoulders and send them back to Mania in a beautifully wrapped box."
Ring
"What was that?"
The god turned his eyes and found Bell rising to his feet.
Ring
"I told you to kneel!"
He forced his power down upon Bell, but he did not send the Red Dawn back to his feet. In fact, Bell took a step towards Ares. Then another, each time with a ring of the dark bells.
"KNEEL!"
Again, he could not force Bell to his knees and the bells sang their ominous tune. However, this time, Bell looked up and met his eyes.
"No," he boomed as his dragonic eyes stared into Ares's shocked eyes.
But this was just the beginning.
Once more, Bell began to transform, but now, he had reached a new stage in his evolution.
Claws, fangs, and scales soon appeared as they had before, but now they were joined by a pair of bone white horns that jutted backwards from his temple like the world's most terrifying crown.
"What...what are you?" Ares asked as he backed away.
The White Dragon's response was immediate and agonizingly sure.
"I am your doom."
Ring Ring Ring
Bell moved towards Ares again.
The God of War enraged, more than he had been in a millennia, growled like thunder.
"My doom? You dare to think that you, a mere mortal, can strike me down? YOU INSOLENT FOOL!"
Ares's power flared again, only this time, instead of trying to send Bell to his knees, he gathered the power in his hands.
"For your insolence, I shall sunder your very soul with this!"
A battle-axe appeared in Ares's hands and he lifted it above his head.
"The Flaming Axe of War! With this, I shall remove you and those accursed bells from existence!"
The Warrior swung down with all his might, but at the last moment, the White Dragon raised its scaled limbs.
"What?"
The Warrior could not believe his eyes. The White Dragon had blocked his strike with a black blade that burned with cursed black and blue fire.
"Why won't you die? WHY WON'T YOU DIE?!" the Warrior demanded.
"Because I am the culmination of all your sins. I am the fury you have called down upon yourself. Because I am here to eat. Your. Heart."
The White Dragon forced the Warrior's axe down then, before the Warrior could save himself, the White Dragon plunged his black blade into the Warrior's heart.
A look of terrible pain and shock filled the Warrior's features as the flames filled his body.
"Now disappear into oblivion," the White Dragon commanded with a twist of his blade.
The Warrior's eyes widened and turned skyward.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!"
A beam of heavenly light shot towards the sky, blinding all within the camp.
However the god at its center would never make it back home, as dark energy rose with the column of divine power and began consuming it from the inside out. Soon, the dark energy began to burst through the pillar, tearing it to pieces before finally, completely and utterly destroying it.
Ares's body fell to the ground, lifeless and worthless.
The White Dragon stared down at the corpse of his defeated foe. He stared down at it for but a moment, before a triumphant smirk grew upon his lips, he lifted his head, then roared his victory.
"RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAWR!"
Nearby, Achilles watched, stone-faced, but with the heaviest heart he had felt since his familia's destruction.
Please Bell, don't let the world consume you. Don't lose your goodness. Please Bell.
"We're getting close!" Riveria called as best as she could in the air.
They were nearing where Ares's pillar had appeared, though they did not have an exact location.
"Wait. There's something down there," Uriel called, pointing towards the ground.
Those that heard looked towards the ground and discovered small, human-like shapes moving towards Athens.
"That must be them!" Hestia cried.
"Yes, but it appears they have company," Hades added, noting the literally hundreds of others following after the two leading figures.
Wasting no time, they all flew down towards the ground, soon discovering that, indeed, it was Bell and Achilles.
"Bell!"
"Achilles!"
The Hestia familia, Mania, Aiz, and Riveria all rushed at the two, with the others following close behind.
"Morn-" Achilles tried, but was cut off when he and Bell were both pulled into a hug by a crying Mania.
"D-Don't...Ever! Run off for me again! Do you hear me?!"
The two returned the hug, rubbing soothing circles on her back.
"I don't think either of us can promise that, Mom," Achilles said.
"I won't ever promise not to protect or avenge my family," Bell added.
The coldness of his tone startled everyone and it was only then that they noticed that Bell's eyes were still slitted.
"What happened?" Hestia asked.
"We found Ares," Achilles answered, "and-"
"And I killed him," Bell finished.
Never before had any member of the Hestia or Loki familia been so shocked. Had you told them at this moment they were in a dream, or more accurately, a nightmare, they would have believed you without a second thought, so insane was the thought of Bell actually saying he'd taken a life, and to say it in such a cold, nonchalant way.
"T-That can't be true," Hestia said.
"Of course it's not! There has to be an explanation. Lili refuses-!" the prum agreed.
"His corpse is over there," Bell said, pointing behind him.
They all turned their eyes to those behind Bell and Achilles, discovering that they were Rakian soldiers, all of whom were disarmed and looked tired, shocked, and terrified. Amongst their ranks was a group of Rakians carrying what could only be a body shrouded in a Rakian flag.
"B-But why, Bell-sama?" Haruhime asked.
"Why?" he asked, clearly confused. "Because of what he did to Mania. Because of what he's done to so many others. He was an evil person who deserved to die."
This was not their Bell. Their Bell didn't talk like this. Their Bell was good, kind, and heroic. If ever their Bell killed someone, he would be filled with regret, even self-loathing, which of course they didn't want, but which seemed, at that moment, to be far better than the cold response he was giving now.
"You say that like you don't regret killing him," Ryuu said, hoping beyond hope that the next response from her beloved captain would not be the one she feared to hear.
He turned to her, his eyes still slitted and cold as ice.
"Of course I don't. And if anyone ever dares hurt any of you I'll-"
Crack!
Bell was stopped by Ryuu's full strength slap.
"Don't you dare finish that sentence!"
Bell blinked and his eyes finally changed as they filled with surprise.
"You are not an avenger, Bell! You are not! You are too good for that! Too pure! I understand that you were angry, angrier than perhaps you've ever been, but don't you dare become the kind of man who thinks that it's right to punish others in the name of those he loves! Don't you dare even consider it!"
Bell stared at Ryuu with an open mouth and wide eyes. His confusion quickly turned to horror as he saw the tears in her eyes.
"Ryuu."
"Promise us Bell. Promise all of us you won't take that path! That you won't become a killer. Especially not for us!" she demanded.
Bell's eyes turned to the rest of his familia, all of whom had tears in their eyes as they silently pleaded with him to make the promise.
"B-But," his eyes filled with tears of his own, "I-I just want to protect you all," he pleaded.
"Then protect us! Be there for us! Watch our backs as we watch yours! But don't become someone you're not in our names! That's the last thing in the world we want for you!"
Once more, Bell's eyes turned to his familia, who all silently told him that this was the truth. Once this was confirmed, his eyes filled with tears of regret and his head bowed in shame.
"I-I-I'm s-sorry. I-I'm s-so sorry!"
Immediately the Hestia familia rushed him and pulled him into a hug. Aiz, Tiona, Cassandra, the Mania familia, and even Lefiya, and Bache joined in as the young man promised over and over to his familia he would never fall again, while throwing in as many tear-filled apologies as he could.
The only member of the Hestia familia not in the giant hug was Achilles, who closed his eyes and sighed in relief.
Thank Heaven.
He felt his hand being taken into another and opened his eyes, finding Riveria softly smiling at him.
"It'll be alright. He'll be alright," she promised.
He smiled at her and kissed the back of her hand.
"I'm sorry."
"You should be, you worried me terribly, but for now, I'm just glad you're alive and alright," she stated before pulling him down into a kiss.
Not far away, Hades watched the scene with a smile.
Just when I think I've figured things out, life throws in some surprises.
"Which I am eternally grateful for."
The Orario expedition, Mania familia, and Hades familia all returned to Athens after dealing with Ares's body and the Rakian soldiers.
They had given Ares a proper funeral, despite his crimes, and burned his body. Once this was done, they told the Rakian soldiers to head home, and tell their people what had happened. The Rakians were surprised by this, but gratefully accepted. When the question was raised whether or not this was wise, Bell had asked whether anyone thought they deserved to be treated as test subjects by Athens, which, despite all that had happened, no one did. As such, the issue, right or wrong, was dropped.
They all returned to the palace without issue, not even being stopped by the Athena familia to question what had happened, likely as a direct order from Athena who was still locked up in her room.
Finally, they all returned to their apartments, where everyone removed their gear, got into something comfortable, then headed to bed early so they could awake early to leave Athens. However, instead of all going to their individual rooms, Mania had ordered that they all stay together that night and had made the living room into, essentially, one giant bed for them all to sleep on. No one dared to challenge her on this, and soon, they were all sound asleep together in a giant pile with a newly returned Bell at its center.
"Geez, it's so crowded!" Hestia complained.
"It's the great Piraeus harbor, it's supposed to be busy," Achilles said over the crowds.
"The war certainly didn't help either. Material and soldiers coming in, refugees fleeing the war, and people fleeing to safer places, all ends up right here," Mania added.
"Hopefully we'll soon be able to find a boat," Riveria said.
"We'll find something eventually, though there's no telling how much it will cost or how comfortable it will be," her lover responded.
The Orario adventurers continued their search for a ship back to Orario, but came up with nothing.
"This sucks!" Gumi cried.
"At this point I say we just steal a ship," Kali suggested.
"Oh, I didn't realize you knew how to sail, Kali," Hades joked.
"Well we need to find something. I don't want to walk all the way back to Orario," Hestia said, getting a chorus of agreement.
"Excuse me?"
They all turned and found a young woman wearing an Athena familia uniform.
A few of them reached for their weapons as Mania strode forward.
"Octavia?" she asked.
"Yes Mania-sama," the young woman replied with a smile, "I'm happy that you remembered me."
"You're one of the few, pleasant members of Athena's familia, of course I would remember you. Now, why are you here?"
"I'm here to offer you all a ship back to Orario," she informed them.
That was a surprise, but once that surprise wore off, suspicion replaced it.
"That seems uncharacteristically generous," Hestia said.
"Athena-sama figured you would distrust her, that's why she also gave me a message for Mania-sama," Octavia added.
"That message being?" said goddess inquired.
"'Consider this my first attempt at digging myself out.'"
While the others didn't have a clue what that meant, it didn't matter, as Mania smiled and nodded.
"I hope that's true. Very well, lead the way."
"Mom, are you sure?" Achilles asked.
"Not completely, but I trust all of you and your ability to get yourself out of trouble. Now if only I didn't so thoroughly trust your ability to get into trouble, I would be a much happier woman."
Octavia led the way, followed by Mania and the rest of the adventurers, except for one.
Bell hung back for a moment. The guilt of his recent actions and his total disregard for his usual compassion still weighed heavily on him.
I didn't feel bad about it. Not even for a moment until Ryuu slapped me. In fact, his fists clenched as the guilt sank deeper into his gut, I was proud of it. Glad that I had killed him.
His head fell in shame.
I really am a monster, aren't I?
"Bell?"
He looked.
"Cassandra?"
"I saw you back here and I was worried about you."
"I'm...I'm fine," he said, giving her an absolutely pathetic smile.
She stared at him for a moment, before suddenly going up and hugging him.
Bell was surprised by the action, perhaps even more surprised than he had been when Ryuu had slapped him. This was Cassandra after all.
"No you're not," she said quietly in his ear. "I know I'm not in your familia, but if you need to talk, I'm here."
His surprise only grew at how confident and steady her voice was. Unbeknownst to him, Cassandra was using every ounce of her inner strength to keep it up, knowing that Bell needed help at the moment. Help she could provide. As such, her usual shyness had to be put aside for the moment. Whether or not she would faint afterwards, was up for debate.
"No," he finally admitted, "no I'm not."
Her hug tightened.
"Tell me," she said gently.
His fists tightened again and he had to fight back tears.
"I fulfilled your prophecy, Cassandra. I was the White Dragon and I did kill, just like you said I would. And worse yet, I...I liked it."
He felt her begin to shake.
"I'm disgusting aren't I?" he laughed mirthlessly as he lost control of his tears.
Cassandra suddenly pulled back.
"No! No you are not! Not at all! You just…," she looked away, "you just let your anger take control...which is something that happens to everyone! Even I get angry! One time Daphne stole this tart I had been saving and I yelled at her for ten minutes until she promised to get me two tarts as an apology!"
Whether it was the conviction of Cassandra's voice or the simple novelty of her putting his murder in the same category as her stolen tart, Bell didn't know, but either way, it was simply too much to resist and he began to genuinely laugh.
It lasted only a few moments, but when it was over, Bell was smiling and the light had returned to his eyes.
"Thank you, Cassandra. Truly, from the bottom of my heart."
She smiled brightly and pulled him back into a hug.
"You're welcome, Bell."
The two hugged for a few more moments before breaking apart.
They turned, only to immediately stop when they found Achilles standing before them.
"It's a damn good thing I'm the one who saw that," he said.
Both young adventurers blushed.
"And here it is. The Noctua**," Octavia declared.
The ship was quite impressive. Large, and clearly new.
"What is that wheel thing on the side?" Hestia asked.
"Oh, that propels the ship forward. You see, this is a new type of ship we've recently invented here in Athens, called a 'steam ship'. We burn coal or other materials in an engine, which heats up water and turns it into steam. That steam then moves the mechanisms of the ship, which in turn propel it forward."
"Interesting," Riveria said.
"Isn't it? This will be the future of all travel, I think. It's certainly faster than just using sails or oars."
"Well, if it gets us home faster, I'm not complaining," Welf said.
Everyone started to climb onboard, including a newly returned Bell, Cassandra, and Achilles, the latter two of which were still trying to get over their blushes.
"Thank you, Octavia, and thank Athena for me," Mania said.
"Of course, Mania-sama. I don't really know or understand everything that's happened over the last few days, but I do hope that you and Athena-sama are still friends."
"We've hit a bit of a rough patch in our relationship, but we are still certainly friends. And yes, you may tell her that."
Octavia smiled and bowed, before wishing them all a safe trip.
"Do you really think Athena can change?" Achilles asked once Octavia was gone.
"I think she can be who she is underneath all the ambition and paranoia," his mother answered, "just as I'm sure you can be who you are underneath all your anger and self-loathing."
"I am trying to work on my temper," he conceded.
"And the hatred you hold for yourself?" she asked.
"Bell's helped me with that some, but…" he stopped, "I failed them Mom. Briseis. Alfia. Zard. All of them."
"No you didn't, silly boy. You tried as best as you could. You fought as hard as you could, but you didn't have the strength back then."
"And now?"
"Now you're much stronger, and you have even more to fight for."
He turned and looked up towards the ship, finding the Hestia familia, Riveria, and Bell.
He smiled and nodded.
"I guess I do."
Achilles held out his arm to Mania who smiled and happily hooked her arm in it, allowing them to walk arm-in-arm up the ramp and onto the ship.
An hour or so later, the ship departed the Athenian port and the Orario adventurers, alongside their new friends and allies, began the return trip to Orario.
Whew, finally! The Athenian Arc is done!
I know a lot of you really wanted this wrapped up/were sick of it, so I hope this makes you happy or at least less grumpy with me.
Whatever the case, a lot happened in this chapter didn't it? Mania's past was revealed. Cassandra's prophecy was fulfilled, and Bell has to come to terms with the fact that he has now taken a life. Things are developing nicely, if I do say so myself.
But don't get comfortable yet, kiddies, there's plenty waiting for you once we return home to Orario as well as the answer to one of your big questions in the next chapter.
That said, this chapter is done. So, please tell me what you thought in the reviews, and I'll see you all soon. So, until next time, bye for now.
*Greek. Pronounced: Moíres, apokalýpste mou to parelthón gia na mátho tin alítheia. Translation: Fates, reveal to me the past so I may learn the truth.
**Latin for owl.