He who aligned the stars

IV

Unfortunately for Wodime, further topics of conversation did not crop up easily and when they did, they rarely managed to last more than a few sentences between them and did not provide the foundation for relationship growth that he had hoped, loathe as he was to admit such a thing. It quickly came to his understanding that Ophelia was rather attached to the idea of remaining silent during the carriage ride.

While he privately found it somewhat disappointing, he could understand that she wanted to focus on the topic of thinking of how to make her request, or he assumed that was what she was concerning herself with. Or rather, he assumed that's what she was doing. She had fallen into a deep silence after the conversation itself and had not made an effort to speak again for the majority of the ride, despite his previous efforts to try and get conversation flowing.

He wasn't quite sure what had gone wrong, the topics he had brought up seemed to be the sort of thing that she would have found personally appealing. That being said, there really wasn't anything he could do about it. He would need to compose a list of that which Ophelia was not interested in talking about, or rather, what he learned she did not wish to talk about at length.

Evidently, asking such pressing questions as 'Where do you suppose they acquired a Hydra?' and 'Do you think they have a larger aquarium in the temple itself?' or even 'Do you think they have other sea monsters aside from a hydra?' weren't topics she wanted to discuss. He made a quick note to jot those down somewhere. Perhaps he would need to ask Daybit if it was a good idea or not to create a small fact file on each of them to see what they did and did not like…

Actually, now that the idea came to his head, consulting Daybit seemed to be rather pointless. That idea actually sounded incredibly appealing to him. Not least of all because it would help him in remembering all of their personality quirks, but he could also make a note of their likes and dislikes towards certain topics. It would pan out rather splendidly.

He released a pleased hum as the idea found root inside himself, that was what he would work on in his spare time. A small fact file for all of the people he encountered, it meant he would need some sort of personalised notepad for him to carry around but these were trivial concerns for him. With the plan in mind, and with the means soon to be acquired, he would need to only recall the details of those he was already affiliated with and then merely put pen to paper.

The only real problem was the type demonstrated during the last ten or so minutes of riding in silence, that being that some people might not be so open with him. But that was fine, no one ever said that these things were easy or took so short a span of time. In fact, he doubted that forging lasting and worthwhile bonds was something that could be done easily. Sure enough, there might be such a thing as 'fast friends' but he hadn't actually seen that…

Well, he had but Peperoncino was something of an exception beyond exceptions so he couldn't really be taken as the average. Actually, this might be the best starting place to work from, or it could also be the hardest. He hadn't encountered a topic of conversation that the man wasn't approving of in the least but that didn't mean it didn't exist, there could well be a series of discussion points that he had very little interest in being open about or were the equivalent of a landmine, to put it another way.

Turning in his seat, he glanced at the scenery as it blurred past, he could see the shadow cast by the mountains as they approached their destination. He was certainly impressed by the speed at which the Cerberus moved, in every other instance of his coming here it would have taken perhaps this amount of time just to make it a quarter of the way. He supposed he should have been marginally thankful for it.

He had been betting on the journey taking longer so that he could speak with Ophelia but if she wasn't interested then there was no sense in forcing a conversation. Silence could be just as much an opportunity for them to both think. His eyes swiftly returned to the Aquarium and the small hydra that swam inside of it. His eyes locked onto its own, noticing that the monster was perched on top of a human shaped skull.

…

He felt his brows furrow slightly.

…Was the skull decorative or was it more genuine? The fact he wasn't sure was somewhat alarming to himself but he imagined it would be a little odd for Hades to decorate his fish tanks with human remains, especially considering the fact he was actively working with humans. Unless there was some sort of message behind it…or it was just a plastic skull he picked up from somewhere. He didn't see any other skulls and it didn't look like a human skull to him but…

Well, there was always the chance to ask if he really wanted to.

On the topic of Hades, his mind drifted back to the original reason they had been called here. He had made the request of Hades to search for other Godly allies that he himself would consider to be a boon, he certainly didn't come swinging out of the gate asking to see if he could discover anyone who could fight Amaterasu. Because that would be complete nonsense, not even Hades could hope to compare with her sheer magical energy.

And he certainly didn't expect Shiva to come onto their side any time soon.

If he did, then it would certainly solve a lot of their problems but there was such a thing as being too optimistic. Regardless, the Lord of the Dead had been alerted to the fact they may end up fighting Amaterasu at some point. The response had been rather expected.

"If you wish to suffer death at the hands of a God, I could just kill you right now. I would at least ensure it is much less painful."

He had thanked Hades for his consideration but informed him that he had precious little intentions of dying. Besides, he had no doubts about achieving victory against Amaterasu, irrespective of whatever Cao Cao believed. There were some hurdles that were simply too big to jump over, but working around them was an entirely different matter. Especially if all went accordingly to plan.

Though that came with the need for muscle all the same and he could hardly rely on Cao Cao or any of the other Hero Faction members as despite all they said, they were still human. Declaring they were going to match the Gods and all other supernatural factions sounded exceedingly appealing on paper but the reality of it was that the number of humans who could actually match the upper echelons of power could be counted on one hand. Most of those being on the side of groups Wodime doubted would be willing to work with them.

Still, he had only made the request of Hades rather recently and the fact he was getting back to him so soon with information - provided it did actually relate to this particular topic and wasn't something else entirely - meant that he had already been considering something similar and had a list of names prepared for him, or rather a number of leads that he could follow up on, or the number of those who would actually be willing to aid them amidst the supernatural factions was actually much higher than he was prepared to admit.

One thing he now had to consider was the relationship they might have with Loki, though it still wasn't a certain thing, it warranted examination all the same. Especially if the suggestion paid off and they ended up allied with the trickster God. Any God who earned a reputation such as the God of Mischief - whose main purpose was to be deceptive and bring about Ragnarok - was one that required a delicate hand to deal with and more than two eyes placed upon at any given time.

While it could have been argued quite easily that he was getting ahead of himself, he thought differently. This was something that had been brought to their attention by Jedidiah and if they were anything, it was accurate. On the rare occasions they had made suggestions, they had always panned out for the greater good. Still, for someone with the name they held, it made a great deal of sense that they would be wise unto themselves. Though it brought with it the curiosity if he was a reincarnation or a long lost descendant. Who could say?

That odd quirk aside, Wodime wondered if he should inform Ophelia to pay close attention to the likes of Loki. Especially since that he would more than likely be in a similar position to that of the Old Satans and be more interested in using them for his own goals rather than actually forming a mutually beneficial partnership. If they achieved their aims, there was nothing to stop Loki from betraying them and it was hardly as though many would believe them after they had killed Odin.

That was the main problem of working with Gods.

They all had their own aims they wanted to see to completion.

That being said…

"You spoke of gaining the aid of Loki during the meeting." The question was delivered, though he did not immediately turn his attention onto Ophelia, he could hear her move in her chair, in accordance with the creak of leather. "I understand this came at the suggestion of Jedidiah, yet I am personally curious as to how you would go about obtaining his aid."

His eye turned, glancing to her from the corner of his vision and watching her. Ophelia looked somewhat put on the spot, but quickly composed herself and sent him a curious look in retaliation. Though she did not immediately make to speak, which was clearly a request for him to be more elaborative. "We have already covered that Loki is the God of deception and mischief, but how did you intend to gain his support for us?"

Even if Jedidiah made the suggestion, there was still a considerable gap between approaching a God for support and then actually achieving it. For the time being, he would assume that this was the most likely path they would have to take. At least in regards to the Asgard problems, but it should have gone without saying that things would not be so simple. He knew Ophelia would be aware of that, so he was simply curious as to what her plan would be to obtain the assistance of Loki.

Well, it was early days for the plan thus far so he wasn't expecting anything concrete of her. That would be rather absurd, especially since they weren't even certain he would be willing to lend them aid. What mattered more was why he would help them, what sort of goal they would be willing to work towards with that required the assistance of them. It was hardly as though they could conceal the fact they were working towards the assassination of Odin, that was the sort of thing that Loki could easily account for.

Ophelia straightened herself, leaning forwards. "I…had not given it great thought at length, Lord Kirschtaria." she admitted with a small lit of shame in her words. That wouldn't do, he wasn't criticising her here.

"It is not meant as an admonishment." He explained with a shake of his head, turning himself to fully face her. "It is merely something for you to consider. If this does not bear fruit then there is very little that we have truly lost, but if you approach it from a viewpoint that you will be met with success, then there is just cause to believe that further work will be required."

There was a silence from her for a moment, then she straightened herself out in her seat and looked as though she wanted to ask something. Hesitation played on her face for a few moments before she eventually cooled her features, the mask falling over her and making it impossible to read her. "If I might be so bold, how did you become on amicable terms with Lord Hades?"

Was she going to apply his advice in being on good terms with Hades for an approach with Loki? It certainly bore fruit but Gods were as radically different a bunch as one could get. Even those from the same pantheon could be as night and day - in some cases, quite literally - when it came to their personalities. That being said, it was not an approach that he would discredit immediately. It was better to come from a position of experience than not at all.

"I can only explain my own method for speaking with Hades; whether or not this advice would be applicable to Loki is an entirely different concern." Her expression tightened ever so slightly at his words, he would have called her looking almost dejected. That wasn't what he was looking for, fortunately he still had more to say on the matter.

"That being said-" Ophelia noticeably perked up, becoming more physically attentive to what he was saying. "-my approach towards Hades was based upon what he is rather well known for and I built our relationship up from that point." leaning forwards, he raised up a single finger "Namely, Hades has been well known to respect honesty and those who demonstrate personal skill. Such as allowing Orpheus to retrieve his wife after hearing one of his songs. Or, in regards to the former, when he offered fair deals towards Heracles to retrieve the Cerberus provided he do it no true harm."

He paused for a moment, then felt the need to clarify just so she didn't get the wrong idea. "I feel as though I should point out that I was not confident enough in my singing to try and serenade the God of the Dead, nor did I have the strength of Heracles." his lip twitched upwards "Unfortunately, I was not able to replicate either one of those feats to try and earn the good graces of the God. In regards to him, he merely asked me for a demonstration of my resolve and my skills. That which I felt most proud of in showing him."

The former had been a bit tougher, considering Hades asked him to walk from his own starting point straight to the Temple where he resided. Worse was that he imposed the restriction that magic could not be used to aid in his movements and that he would be ejected from the realm should he make the attempt. It certainly made for a remarkable sight seeing hike, that was for certain. Though he wouldn't so readily make it again.

Fact of the matter was, to this day he still wasn't entirely certain whether or not his success had been a fluke. Whatever the case was, he made the journey and that fulfilled the first of the criteria. Which led to the creation of Site F as a landing zone for their group in the underworld. As for the second aspect…

Probably best he not discuss that with her. Gods had their pride and all that, he doubted Hades would be particularly pleased if he was spreading around that story.

Ophelia, meanwhile, nodded her head to him as though the answers had been expected. Which wasn't quite what he had been prepared for and was now feeling slightly awkward, he wasn't quite sure what image she had of him now but he really wanted to assure her he wasn't anything like Orpheus or Heracles. Theirs were much stronger feats than his own, especially considering he was now riding in a carriage pulled by the very Cerberus the Demi-God 'fought' and he was rather certain he wasn't going to be beating it in the arena of strength anytime soon.

"You speak of approaching Loki - provided I do work alongside him - from an arena that he is more familiar with and that which he holds in high esteem." She thinned her lips, a thoughtful look flashing across her eye as she turned herself from him slightly, bringing her right hand up to cup her chin. Whatever plan he had of trying to correct her died when he noticed how thoughtful she was appearing to be, best not to disturb her else she lose it.

He relaxed into his seat, watching her from a distance and then directing his eyes towards the window once more. Quite frankly, he was stumped as to how she would be able to approach the trickster God. Everything about him detailed that he deceived and tricked the other Gods and the Jotuns on many numerous occasions. So unless Ophelia was considering a career in dolling out Godly pranks, he wasn't entirely certain how she was going to approach him.

…Then again, he had faith in her abilities. If there was any individual who might be capable of trying to forge an alliance with Loki, then Ophelia was certainly one of the people on that list. It was an admittedly short list and a majority of the others on it were just Gods who could overpower Loki if push came to shove and win his allegiance through sheer brute force.

He was now torn between trying to offer her help and…no, no. This was a task for Ophelia, to try and offer her aid would be to almost take control of her efforts. The worst part was he wasn't sure whether or not she would reject that. If she asked for his help, then he would grant it, but until such a time, he would not. This was Ophelia's plan and she needed to see it through. That felt like a responsible path to take to ensure proper growth.

Loki was a god of mischief and frequently sided with those more liable to cause the greater chaos.

…

…Was this what they called a 'shoe-in'?

Now he was wondering if this really was Jedidiah using his powers or just the man stating the obvious.

Her mind sorted through every legend that she was aware of when it came to the God of Mischief. Everything that she was aware of in preparation for the earlier discussion that she was certain was to have arisen, at least during the meeting. The fact that it had not was rather odd to her but as expected, they seemed more placted with the idea.

Working with Devils must have softened them up for the potential of working with Gods. Setting that aside, she put her mind back towards the words of Lord Kirschtaria, his actions in winning the favour of Hades. Putting forth effort into something that the God Loki would find appealing? All of his legends related to him causing chaos between both the Gods and the Jotunns. How then, was she supposed to win the favour of someone like that?

Everything in his legends indicated he would find chaos and mayhem appealing, especially that which would cause trouble to those of the Norse pantheon, but the whole point of the plan was to gain his aid before they invaded Asgard and killed Odin, not to obtain it after the fact. Especially considering she did not believe he would willingly ally with them for just the mere promise of something they could achieve.

Ophelia felt her jaw tighten, her arms folded themselves over her chest and she became completely focused on the general plan. Her brows tightened, eyes narrowed. It was difficult to consider a plan by which she could obtain the favour of Loki. She did not believe that time was so great an issue, similarly it would be best to obtain the aid of Loki sooner rather than later. She could approach him under the flag of diplomacy as well and present their ideas to him, or rather a bare bones version of their plan which would not cause harm if it was unveiled.

A hum rippled through her throat, long and ponderous, she would need to go back and examine everything in further detail. That was the only thing she could decide upon in this one instance, all else fell to the wayside for the time being. It would also be better to focus on one God at a time. Loki she could deal with at a later period of time, Hades was the more pressing of the two.

Her eye drifted towards the direction of Lord Kirschtaria, the blonde staring out of the window with his expression set in a picture perfect visage of serenity. Nothing looked as though it phased him in the least. Rolling her jaw, the stray thought floated through her mind for a brief moment.

Could she ask Lord Kirschtaria for aid?

…No. No, she would not burden him further. He was already close allies with one God, she would not push further problems upon him with the addition of another God. Especially considering it was her idea in the first place, it would be irresponsible of her to push the possible failure of the plan squarely onto the shoulders of Lord Kirschtaria. She would deal with this situation herself.

Turning her attention away from the blonde, she focused on the fishtank next to her for the first time during their arrival. Her eye stared at the hydra swimming about the tank with mild interest, it was of the smaller variety but a Hydra was still an exceptionally dangerous creature to the Divine. Maybe one of this size would hardly be a threat to one such as Hades, but the Grim Reapers would be a completely different story. Still, it was likely the equivalent of a person keeping a taipan as a pet or a King Cobra.

An odd habit but people still did it. Unless there was a specific reason that Lord Kirschtaria was drawing attention to it. Her eye narrowed on the hydra, several heads turned and faced her for a few seconds. It presumably noticed the intensity in her gaze as the other heads soon turned in her direction, all of them now facing her. The grey scaled lizard pushed off the ground and swam across the length of the tank towards her, ceasing its paddling and sinking back down to the stone.

It crossed the remainder of the distance on foot, eventually coming to a halt and staring at her with what she imagined would be curiosity. She wasn't aware of the intelligence of the hydra's but she imagined it was rather high for an animal. Especially considering the curiosity it was displaying. Perhaps that was what he was calling attention to, the higher intelligence of the creatures of the world being beyond what they would be expecting. Perhaps it was something else he was pointing out attention to?

Perhaps there was something less tangible about it.

…How mundane it was.

The Cerberus pulled their carriage and a hydra was in a fishtank. In the world of man, such a thing would be beyond the furthest reach of comprehension of doing. These were some of the greatest phantasmal creatures to live upon the planet and they were put into such trivial roles. Perhaps the Cerberus was more of a show of power but the hydra was nothing special, at least to the Gods.

Was it to prove the Gods were so powerful they could afford to take for granted such boons and place them in such pitiful situations?

There was quite a bit she could actually infer from this that she didn't know where to start and where her own supplications actually ended. It could have just as easily been that he was alluding to all of them at the same time, perhaps there could even have been more that she wasn't able to infer. This was eerily similar to speaking with Daybit, where he could motion to something that could have multiple meanings to it without actually drawing attention to them in the first place.

It was to be expected that both Lord Kirschtaria and Daybit would-

"Ophelia." She jolted slightly, her body twitching as her eye flew to the direction of the voice and her attention soon followed. Finding herself unable to move with the fact that Lord Kirschtaria was now looming over her, or leaning would be a more appropriate word, with a stoic mask and his own eyes focused on her. Panic briefly washed through her.

Had he asked her a question that she had not been paying attention to?

Her concerns were put to rest with his next sentence, however. "We have arrived." He explained, turning his head away from her and towards the window, she blinked, then followed his line of sight as he continued his casual assessment. "The inertial dampeners on this carriage must be rather extraordinary, perhaps more in line with a spell, considering that I would never have imagined that we had moved even a single metre."

There was a short hum. "I suppose credit can also be provided to Cerberus as well, considering that it would require quite a bit of skill to ensure that such a carriage did not swing from side to side, as I am not wholly convinced we would remain ignorant to something like that." another pause, then he turned away from the still image beyond the window and started to advance on the doors. "Though I am now curious how gravity affects this room. If we were to travel up a steep incline, would we even be aware of the change?"

Ophelia kept her eyes on the window, then gradually pulled them towards her associate as she watched him advance to the door, an almost comfortable nature about his stride as he pushed the door open. Then took in a deep breath of air. "I must say, this is a much more welcoming scent than the location where we first arrived. Almost…I believe it is akin to a touch of rosemary."

He turned to her "I have never asked, but do you suppose they picked that fragrance based upon the nature of the Black Death where the doctors believed that disease was caused by 'bad smells' and would walk with bags of incense?" The fact his expression was so serious made it impossible for her to consider the prospect that he was joking. Yet there was no way he could have been asking her a question so unbelievably absurd as something like that.

And he was still staring at her as though he was expecting a serious answer, was this some actual curiosity that he held?

After what amounted to a good six or seven seconds of silence, she felt her brows flatten, pushing herself out of the chair and back to her feet. Quickly adjusting her suit as she did so. "I do not believe it would bear relevance to Lord Hades, given that it was a practice more commonly utilised in central Europe." Though that did leave open the option that he was more aware of what occurred, "Though this is based upon my own knowledge which, I confess, is not greatly familiar with the medical practices during the Black Death."

Lord Kirschtaria hummed in acknowledgement of her reply, a troubled look passing over his features for a few seconds before it was replaced by a somewhat accepting one. Then shifted once more, now looking somewhat determined, or perhaps expectant, turning his head back towards the exit and taking a step forwards, it was only his parting words that managed to send her back into a state of shock.

"Perhaps I shall ask him about it when we meet."

She remained there for a few seconds, once more watching as the blonde passed beyond the door, hearing his steps receding as he descended down the steps. She blinked twice, then followed after him, moving through the door only to stop as she watched him wave his hand towards Cerberus, giving a cordial smile as he did so. "My thanks for the comfortable ride."

Cerberus released a small warbling sound that sounded almost prideful, though when she glanced in the direction of the three headed hound, she froze as she noticed it's eyes fell upon her with a clear demand hiding within them. She remained fixed on the spot for a second, briefly debating what she was supposed to do. Perhaps it was in situations like this she should take after Lord Kirschtaria and…

…And he was giving her the exact same look as Cerberus was.

Evidently she was expected to thank them as well.

Clearing her throat, she brought up her right hand as she fixed her attention on the dog, giving it a single wave down as thanks, not trusting herself to speak but accompanying the wave with a nod of the head. The bizarreness of the situation being more than enough to spur her onwards, else she doubted she would have been able to do much of anything otherwise.

That was all she had to do, just avoid thinking about it.

Therefore, when Cerberus nodded their three heads at her and gave the same pleased warble they gave Lord Kirschtaria, she remained completely unaffected and turned from them, descending down the steps and following after the blonde until she reached the bottom. It was when the ground started to rumble again, that she watched the hound start to move away from them and take the cart along with them, vanishing off into the distance in a cloud of smoke, the rumbling of the ground fading away until she could feel it no longer. The fact she was stood there long enough to watch both the cloud of dust and the Cerberus itself vanish was proof enough that she had been there a while.

"That was certainly an experience." It was only Lord Kirschtaria's voice that brought her mind back into the present, gradually turning her head to face him once more and reading his expression as best that she could. There was something content about the way he appeared, as though he was pleased with this recent turn of events in a way that couldn't be described. Like he had been able to achieve something, or that was the best she could equate it too.

His eyes snapped to her after a few seconds, then he straightened himself up ever so slightly, his features reverting back to the calm mask. "Though there will be time enough later to ponder the manner of our arrival." he turned around, facing the structure before them and the rather large set of marble steps leading towards the temple.

Sure enough, the structure itself was magnificent, much like the design of the carriage, the actual headquarters where Hades presumably resided was built in a similar way to match the great temples of the in Greece itself. The large structure built into the side of the dark rocky mountain, two large pillars rose up on either side of the stair case ending in braisers burning with brilliant orange flames.

Towering pillars rose from the foundation towards the arrow shaped roof, a band lining along joint with images carved into the stone working, detailing much of the same as on the carriage but much more this time around, almost as though they were extending the scene. Right before the great stone doors of the temple, there were a set of the three figures.

The first - the one stood in the middle - was a dominant looking man with a short stubble beard and slicked back hair, his expression set in a stern mask as he seemingly gazed out across the horizon, she didn't need many guesses to determine who he was, given that in his right hand there was a stone carved into the shape of a lighting bolt, and raised above his head as though preparing to throw, while his left hand was clenched into a fist and sitting by his side, his apparel being that of a simple toga which exposed his right shoulder and upper arm.

To the left of the statue of Zeus, there was a man who bore a similar resemblance but had slightly more polished features, his beard was longer but looked smoother, almost as though it was flowing water than rough hair. In both hands he held a long trident, the three prongs rising up and in an almost matching set to his brother. Though his toga was reversed and by his feet there was an almost rippling effect, as though stood on the ocean, denoting him as Posideon.

Which left the final figure on the right and very easy to deduce.

Both hands resting on the top of a skull shaped staff, his featureless skeletal face staring blankly towards the horizon and a long covering robe cloaking his entire body. Hades was by far the most unique between his brothers but that did nothing to take away from the design of the statue or its aura of magnitude.

Though she had to wonder why Hades depicted himself as being on the lesser side of his two brothers, namely because she would have expected him to be at the forefront of both Zeus and Poseidon, especially within his own realm. It could just as easily have been due to his nature, especially considering Hades was recognised to be the stronger God between his brothers, but that made it no less odd. For one thing, he had never expressed a desire in taking control of the Greek pantheon…

Shaking her head, Ophelia glanced towards Kirschtaria and watched as the blonde ascended the steps, nodding her head once and taking off after him. Unfortunate it might have been, she had contemplated how to address Hades for the duration of the carriage ride, even going so far as to try and tune out whatever Lord Kirschtaria was saying to her. Not something she would have normally done but she needed every moment she could afford to consider how she was going to speak in the presence of the God.

Doing something as shameful as embarrassing herself would only serve to damage the relationship between Hades and Lord Kirschtaria and that was the last thing she wanted. Therefore, it came down to speaking with the utmost respect and ensuring she asked no impertinent questions. It all came down to phrasing, she would have to present the request of Lord Hades - she needed to get into the habit of calling him that - in such a way that she did not come across as too demanding.

She envied Lord Kirschtaria's ability to be so casual about this, leaving her only with the hope that she did nothing overtly shameful in the upcoming meeting.

Would it be terribly rude if he asked Hades to have these stairs replaced with an escalator?

Wodime briefly debated the question in his head as he ascended, he didn't imagine that it would be an impertinent thing to ask, especially considering the modernisation that Hades had already done. He'd noted a rather nice looking filter in that fishtank with the hydra, meaning that Hades was not overtly against technology, but perhaps he was going for a theme here?

Then again, there weren't too many places that still used staircases, or if they did they were usually the optional mode of transportation. Asking for an elevator would seem a bit much and it wasn't that egregious a climb, he supposed. It was just something that he considered worth the attention of the God, or perhaps not. Especially given the trouble that would likely occur if he asked such a thing.

Moving past the statue, he gave it not even a glance as he strode for the large stone doors, coming to a halt in front of them and slowly extending his hand towards the silvery orb just to the left. His palm fell upon the orb and he pressed inwards, a moment later there was a deep reverberating bell that tolled through the space, muffled slightly from behind the door, he took a single step backwards and patiently waited. Staring silently at the doors with a small note of expectation, though nothing too serious.

Seconds passed by in silence, then there was a deep sound of stone cracking, he watched as the stone doors of the temple shifted, dragging themselves inwards as they opened up, one thing that always impressed him was the fact there was never any scratch marks on the polished tile flooring, nor was there every any dust inside the building…though now that he thought about it, was it not something along the lines of ninety percent of household dust being dead skin?

When your body did not age and you suffered from none of the physical problems associated with it, there was very little chance of suffering from the process of dying skin, which made sense. He doubted Hades was going to be inviting corpses into his house any time soon.

Wodime drifted his attention back to the doors, watching as they continued their journey inwards and parting fully to reveal the lavish interior, if there was such a thing as a cultural divide, this was it. While the outside was more in line with greco-roman designs - or just ancient greek - the interior had more in common with renaissance Europe than anything else, with the curvatures and the fixtures.

He could even imagine Peperoncino having several comments about such a place, though he was slightly curious about what Ophelia was thinking of at this current moment in time. He quickly darted his eyes to the left and noticed that she had come to a stop next to him, her expression once more devoid of emotion as she stared straight ahead. Though he noticed a brief moment were her head turned towards the direction of the walls and the pillars, then back to the interior, her lip curled down for a split second before reverting.

Wodime found himself glad he was not alone in the shock of the interior, he had kept his thoughts private when he first met - or as private as he could keep them - and had thus far avoided a confrontation with the God over his choice of interior decoration. It wasn't that he objected with the designs, just that the outside didn't match the inside. If he was going to have renaissance Europe as a theme, then he would have to rebuild the outside of the temple to match it.

His eyes parted from Ophelia and back to the room, given that the doors were already opened, he determined that it was perfectly acceptable for them to step inside. Moving with as much confidence as he could muster, he stepped through the periphery of the doors and into the temple, his shoes quietly clacking against the ground with each step he took, he avoided looking down just in case he saw he was trailing dust or something inside. That would be rather awkward, especially as he could see his own face in the reflection of the tiles. Hades did value cleanliness.

Though one thing he noted was the lack of Grim Reapers, he would have normally encountered one or more of them during this point in time, especially within the confines of the temple. Yet the surroundings were quiet…almost too quiet. He fought back a frown, though his eyes darted around the entrance of the great hall and over the gold plated halls and bannisters, right up to the railings of the overhead flooring on either side of them. Not a single soul could be seen anywhere.

This was most certainly rather unusual-

"Welcome, dear visitors." A voice emerged from his right, along with the sudden sensation of a newfound presence flooding his every instinct. He turned immediately, though not too fast as to appear alarmed. He had registered the effeminate tone of voice from being not so hostile, but the sudden nature of their arrival put him on edge slightly. As he turned, he quickly found himself staring at the new arrival.

Platinum blonde hair was braided into a ponytail which travelled down, presumably to her hips given that he could see it poking just under the side of her right arm, his eyes roamed over her face briefly, there was a gentleness to her features, an almost welcoming aura to her but something else, something a little colder. Perhaps it was the icy blue eyes that seemingly pierced into his very being. Her appearance was certainly beautiful from an objective standpoint, looking no older in age to himself.

Her attire consisted of an autumn red dress which travelled down to her ankles, exposing black heeled shoes but ending around her shoulders, exposing her arms that moved around to her front and clasped together at her waist.

The woman continued to stare at him before what he supposed was understanding flickered across her face, she bowed her head ever so slightly. "My apologies, I appear to have startled you. That was not my intention, dear visitors."

Ah, was that what she was concerned with?

"No, it was merely that I had already raised my guard at the lack of Reapers." He explained easily to her, keeping a measured gaze on her. There was something about this woman that seemed likely puzzling, as though there was more to her than met the eye.

Her lips - painted with rust red lipstick - pulled themselves upwards into a rather gentle expression that was still welcoming, her head bowing ever so slightly. "The Reapers are away on a matter for this evening, there are only the houseguests, myself and the Lord of the manor present at this current time." raising her head slightly, she met his eyes. "Am I to assume you are the visitors that Lord Hades has been expecting? I was informed that Cerberus was returning only recently. Once more, I apologise for not being here to greet you immediately."

His apprehension of the woman aside, he did not let it affect his manners. "I admit that our arrival was rather swift and without warning." he allowed himself to relax ever so slightly "In truth, I had not expected to arrive here in such a timely manner. It was my first experience in the company of Cerberus, the original I should say."

"Lord Hades is very proud of the guardian hound." She replied, the smile remaining on her face "He is currently away in his study, shall I take you to the waiting room until he is available to meet with you?"

"If he is engaged in important matters, then I will not seek to disturb him immediately." Especially since he had effectively dropped in somewhat unannounced with a guest who was also unannounced. Marching straight into his private study and demanding to see him would certainly be quite rude. "We shall wait as long as is required of us."

"Thank you for understanding." The woman turned away from the two of them, then started to walk "If you would be so kind as to follow me."

He already knew the way to Hades' private study, but this individual clearly took their role rather seriously and it would be somewhat rude to undermine her efforts. Though he did not recognise her from any of his previous visits. Which could mean that she was something of a recent arrival or hire. Though her role was something he couldn't begin to guess, she did allude to the house staff but she wasn't dressed like a maid.

…Was she a secretary?

That would make a good deal of sense.

As they walked, he focused on her for a few moments before he opened his mouth "Forgive me if I am mistaken, but are you a recent arrival to this place?" The woman stopped walking for a few moments, then slowly looked over her shoulder with a slightly puzzled expression upon her features. It took him a few seconds to realise that he might have just asked her if she was actually dead. "By that I mean that I have not seen you in any of my previous visits to Lord Hades."

Understanding flickered through her eye, as well as intrigue, though it lasted but a moment before it was replaced by the same cool aura as before. The woman turned back around and continued her walk, leading them both through the building and into a series of corridors and hallways. "I see, it is likely that you visited during periods that I was away." She explained "Much of my work keeps me away from this location, I am usually in charge of handling the logistical affairs of the realm."

The logistical affairs?

"There are other times where I am involved in meeting with those who wish to have an audience with Lord Hades, or relating to organising his time to be more efficient."

Ah, so she was a secretary.

That made sense.

He hardly expected Hades to be able to do all the work that the underworld required at once, and there would likely be times where he would be away. Still, if it was just Hades and this woman - along with the other staff - then he assumed that the Reapers were certainly away on important business like he had alluded to. That being said…

"I hope we did not arrive at an inopportune time." He apologised properly, just to ensure that they were being polite with one another. "Given the lack of Reapers and only the number of staff available. I also failed to schedule a proper appointment with Hades-" he cut himself off and winced as the woman stopped walking and turned to him, raising a single eyebrow in his direction with another flash of intrigue passing through her features.

He might have made a mistake in speaking so formally, that was quite the blunder, "Forgive me, Lord Hades." the correction was made but the words already hung in the air, there would be very little to do to remove them now. It was not a blunder that he would have usually made, but there was something about this woman that made him lose his composure for just a moment. Perhaps a subtle effect to make him feel more at peace? A suitable skill for a secretary, he supposed.

The woman continued to examine him with the strange expression before it melted back into the soft mask that she had worn earlier, shaking her head and turning back around, resuming her pace. "If Lord Hades is comfortable enough with allowing you to refer to him without his title, then it is not my place to criticise him." There was a brief pause for a moment. "Though I would offer warning, dear visitors, that others might not be as understanding as I and might mistake your familiarity for disrespect."

He understood that well enough. "It was a mere blunder, I assure you."

"I do not doubt it, dear visitor." The clear assurance in her tone did wonders for his nerves, but he could not shake that odd feeling when around her. It was only when she pushed open the door before them and they stepped into what looked like a grand hall - ornate golden fixtures and ornamental designs covering the walls - that he realised they had travelled to his personal study, or the room just adjacent to it. Continuing on her path, she stopped and gestured to the large luxurious sofa opposite the golden throne, between the two of them sat a large table which easily stretched the length of five metres. "If you would be so kind as to wait here."

She gestured to the seating before continuing on her path towards the door just at the back end of the room. "I shall inform Lord Hades that he has guests." pausing for a moment, she turned back to face them with an apologetic expression. "Forgive me, it would seem I was in error and neglected to ask for your names."

"Kirschtaria Wodime." He introduced himself with a small bow of the head, then gestured to his left "My associate is Ophelia Phamrsolone."

The moment she heard his name, the woman's eyes widened slightly before her lips curled upwards into some manner of smile that looked almost amused, though the emotion was so fleeting that it could barely be said to exist at all. "Thank you, I shall return with news soon enough. Make yourselves comfortable."

With that, she disappeared through the door.

Certainly an odd woman, friendly sort. Very conversational and rather polite. He would dare say that she was very much like the interior of this temple itself. Very much out of place when one considered the location they were currently in. He was almost reminded of autumn when she was around, which was pleasant. Perhaps she was the one responsible for the pleasant scent of rosemary from outside? Certainly possible, there seemed to be quite the motif around her but perhaps it was merely coincidence.

He pulled himself across the room, moving towards the seats and making himself as comfortable as he could be, resting his hands on his lap. A quick glance to the side revealed that Ophelia was still standing, though she looked torn between glancing to the door and then about the room before finally settling on something and furrowing her brows.

Wodime followed her line of sight…

…There was an ashtray on the table.

Emptied, naturally, but the fact there was an ashtray there at all was a little…peculiar.

Dismissing it, he glanced towards the woman once more "The wait might be some time, I would recommend getting comfortable. Standing for excess periods of time would be more problematic for you."

Ophelia jolted then nodded to him silently, soon moving around to take her own place on the sofa.

…Roughly two metres from him.

…Did he smell bad or something? She kept sitting at increasingly long distances from him. The first time was at the other end of the carriage and now she was sitting a rather unsociable distance from him now. He thinned his lips, turning away from her and directing his focus towards the table.

…Had he done something to offend her?

There was a bolt, his eyes flickered to the door and noticed the woman return, the smile still present on her face. "I have informed Lord Hades of your arrival. He will be along shortly, his work required his full attention."

That was understandable. "I hope he was not put off by the sudden nature of our visit."

Shaking her head, the smile remained "Lord Hades was not troubled by your arrival in the least, I can assure you. Only that you be patient enough to wait until he is prepared to meet with you." she paused for a moment, her eyes flickering between himself and Ophelia for a moment before she hummed, walking across the room with a quiet clack of her heels. Sitting herself down on the sofa.

…Around one metre from him.

"Until such a time as his arrival, Lord Hades has asked me to keep you entertained so that he does not appear to be an uncaring host." She continued on, something swimming in her voice, the smile remaining on her face. "I would say you are free to ask me any question you so desire, though I am certain you have intimate knowledge of this location already, given your familiarity with Lord Hades."

That was true enough, he knew mostly everything and trading words with the woman would seem somewhat unnecessary, but he was curious about a few things.

"I noticed that you have an aura of autumn about you." He spoke after a moment, the woman raised an eyebrow ever so slightly "Therefore, I would like to ask about the scent of rosemary I detected just outside." he shuffled upwards, leaning forwards "Does it relate to the black death and plague doctors belief on bad smells?"

The woman blinked once, then gave him a rather strange look. "To my knowledge Lord Hades decided upon it due to the nature of the smell." There was a brief moment before the look faded into something different. "Though the dead are kept more placated with the scent of rosemary. I suspect that plays heavily into keeping large quantities of it within the air. To that aim…it would not be incorrect to say the human physicians of old were incorrect with their belief in smells. Only that they were a touch…premature in their diagnosis of its effectiveness."

He felt his lips twitch upwards, directing his attention towards the table once more and his eyes landing on the ashtray. "I suppose that would answer one mystery. A coincidence if nothing else. Though, I would like to ask, why then that Lord Hades-"

"You may call him Hades if he has allowed you to." She politely interrupted him "There are few and far between who would allow him to speak so personally with him. I would not wish to deprive that list of a member."

"If you insist." He hummed "Returning to my original point, I would ask about the presence of an ashtray."

"That is for family members." She replied so quickly and so seriously that he was almost certain she was joking. Then he saw her eyes and realised she was telling the absolute truth.

Family members.

…

"...Ardent smokers, are they?"

Her brows raised slightly, her lip twitching upwards "...One of them is."

"...Am I permitted to guess?"

The brows lowered, the smile widened ever so slightly, she leaned back into the sofa, crossing her legs over one another. "That would depend upon whether you believe you would get an answer from me. They do say that mystery is the spice of life." inclining her head, she continued on "I could provide an answer if you so wish…"

He shook his head "Merely a curiosity and little else. I doubt the answer is truly so groundbreaking." After all, it was most likely to be Ares anyway, that seemed like the sort of thing he would do.

Humming, the woman brought her hand to her chin and rubbed it "If you insist." though he noticed something golden on her ring finger.

"Married?"

She paused, then glanced at it "Happily." she replied after a moment, lowering her hand back to her lap. "It took some time, but it works as well as it can do."

"I am glad to hear it." That was always nice, regardless of differences. "I can imagine that working here grants you interesting tales for your spouse."

Something passed through her eyes ``...At times, yes." her silver eyes roamed up and down his expression before widening slightly, the smile grew to the point where she looked as though she was going to laugh. Had he missed a joke somewhere? "Though…my work here often involves my husband, on occasion."

"Oh? He has a role here as well?"

"...He does, yes."

"What does he do?"

The woman bit her lower lip, eyes flickering away from him for a moment before they returned, her expression schooling itself. "The equivalent in your realm would be managing human resources. Though 'Grim Reaper Resources' sounds much less inviting."

"That would seem an important role, also busy." He furrowed his brows, shifting slightly and frowning "Forgive me if this seems rude, but does your work as a secretary not allow you to spend much time with one another?"

Ophelia made a hacking noise to his left, causing him to raise his brows and turn to her. For whatever reason, she looked rather pale. Opening and closing her mouth repeatedly in an effort to formulate words. "L-L-Lo-Lord Kirschtaria-" She was able to wheeze out, though managed little else.

Unfortunately, his answer would have to wait, the door across from them opened a moment later and the familiar presence flooded the room. "Who is the one who dared to disturb my work-?!"

He turned to the voice, smiling cordially as Hades strode into the room - imposing figure that he was, standing well over a full head when compared to himself, fleshless body and pale boned features - the clothes he was wearing were far different to his usual attire. A plain crimson robe with white fabric draped over his shoulders, a braided rope tying them together, across his body from one shoulder to the other.

The God paused the moment he took notice of Wodime, freezing on the spot and straightening himself out. Glowing cyan orbs in the sockets of the skull remained on him for a few moments before they slowly drifted away from him and towards the woman. His voice shifted, lowering from the deep reverberating tone it held but a moment ago. "Persephone, you neglected to mention who the visitors were."

The woman hummed, then leaned back and slowly moved her head to face the God "Did I? How unusual that something like that must have slipped my mind. Like how I was completely unaware that the human who could speak to you so informally was visiting today." she paused for a moment, then added on almost as an afterthought

Her voice shifted, faux surprise coating her every word as she pointed at him "And that he was human. I was led to believe he was a Grim Reaper." shrugging, her tone continued, returning to a more cordial pace "Though, these mistakes can happen at times, can't they dear?"

…

…Persephone?

"Oh, and I wasn't able to answer your question." And just like that, he found himself back under her focus once more, the smile widening to the point where her amusement now made a much greater degree of sense and he felt as though he had leapt face first into a minefield. "I am pleased to say that my line of work means my husband and I see quite a bit of each other."

How could he save face here?

"...Delighted to hear it." He responded earnestly, smiling as best he could.

A quick glance to Ophelia didn't help matters.

It was truly impressive how a human could reach such levels of mortification.