Reunion
2017 Words
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Philip stayed here for an hour until Hyun arrived. He's looking worried as he lands.
“My lord,” Philip bows. “I've kept them safe for you.”
“Good job,” he says, picking up Sayuri. He puts her head against his chest as he sits. With one touch of her cheek, all of her wounds heal. “Who was her enemy?” he asks. He brushes her hair over her ear as she's still unconscious.
“Zoya, the Goddess of Immortality.”
Hyun looks around, sharpening his senses. “Has she defeated her?”
“I don't know for sure, my lord.”
Carrying Sayuri, Hyun stands up and his eyes glow red. Something floats over the fire. When it comes closer, Philip figures out that it's Zoya cut in half. Her upper body separated from her lower. The body is all burnt into a crisp and almost unrecognizable. But the clothes are still the same. Hyun was able to control it because of the little trace amount of bl**d left inside.
“Is this her?” asks Hyun.
“Y... yes, my lord,” answers Philip.
“Are you sure? Because for someone that has injured Lady Sayuri like this is got to be so very powerful. We don't wanna let that person recover.”
“I'm certain, my lord. That's her.”
“Alright, then. It's Lady Sayuri's win. This ‘Zoya’ is already dead.”
“I'm worried that she might revive, my lord. We thought we killed her before but we were wrong.”
“No worries. I sense a new soul that's added to the collection of Lady Sayuri. I suppose it's the soul of this dead woman. That means she's dead.”
Back in Asgard, Mila, Aurelia, Hera, and Darius are still inside their cells. Darius is bored, lying on his bed and staring at the ceiling. He can sense everyone above this dungeon although he's shackled in Tartarian Steel.
“Lady Mila,” he says, breaking the silence. “who makes these Tartarian Steel chains?”
“Acheron and his kind,” she answers. Right now, she's sitting on her bed, hugging her knees.
“Oh... How then?”
“They can bend it like it's dough. I still have to check if they haven't released the formidable prisoners of Tartarus. Blaze is among them.”
“Blaze...,” Aurelia mutters, remembering the man who took the control of her leg from her.
“My realm is in a mess right now. I can't wait to get out of here and set things right.”
“You want me to bust you out?” asks Darius. “I will if you want to.”
“I said, no. We can't do that.”
“Then how long shall we wait in these stinky cells? Hera?”
“I don't know,” answers Hera. “I can't use my powers because of these...” She makes a jingling sound with the chains.
They all sigh and not a second after that, Darius says, “Someone's gonna visit us.”
“Who is it?” asks Aurelia.
“Your old friend.”
“Eleanna?” she guesses.
“Yup.”
“Your ex.”
“Why do you have to mention that?”
“Isn't it true?”
“It's true but why?”
“Nothing, just shut up.”
“Cr*zy cripple,” he grumbles.
Eleanna has arrived along with four demigods as her escorts. She looks at the four of them one by one. Aurelia and Darius frown, Hera is scared, but Mila is looking plain.
“Good morning, mutinous traitors,” greets Eleanna. There's no response from them. “It's time for your trial to be commenced. This has to go public or else I'd be deceiving the people. You better speak the truth or your souls won't enter Elysium. Guards,” she says to them. “leave us alone.”
“As you wish, my lady,” one of them says. Then they walk away somewhere far.
Once everything is set, Eleanna says, “I don't want to get unreasonable in dealing with the four of you. Actually, I'm willing to give all of you a second chance. However, you still have to be punished accordingly.
“It's not their fault, my lady,” says Mila. “I'm the one who decided all of this.”
“Even so, they willingly went with you. Mila and Darius, you two left a lot of responsibilities that only the two of you are capable of doing. Paperwork has been piling up in Lady Juliet's office, delaying projects and other important matters. Also, the disputes in our borders have developed violently. That's your responsibility, Darius. I thought you have become wise as Mila told me. Well, I'm disappointed. Anyways, I understand how Leo means a lot to the four of you but you have to think of the greater good. Leo is one man but the people weigh a lot more. Please don't let what we have built crumble in a snap. We've come so far and you four are quick in attempting to destroy it. Where did your conscience go? Something is happening in the Underworld that we cannot fix without you, Mila. We need you, Darius—the world's greatest fighter, to keep the people of Odin's Order safe. We don't know when will the Violet Storms will occur again, Aurelia. And we definitely want to keep the only girl on this planet that has the Oracle's Eyes.”
The four of them are startled. Their eyes widen and they're speechless for a second.
“What are you talking about?” asks Mila.
“Oh, don't play dumb with me, Lady Mila. Right from the start, I knew that she has a power like her brother.”
Mila swallows and asks, “Who else knows?”
“You don't need to know but you just have to be careful not to lose my trust in you again. One more slip and I can't guarantee her safety from the greedy men. They'll do anything to see the future.”
“I'll end them before they do that!” Darius roars.
“Darius!” Mila scolds him.
Eleanna half-smiles, looking at him over her shoulder. “I suppose you can but what would that make of you? A monster.”
“Do you think I care?!!”
“DARIUS!!!” Mila had enough.
Even though she's bound in Tartarian Steel, her eyes become black and smoke flows out from below her feet. Eleanna is surprised about it and how Darius settles down, listening to Mila. Then she too calms down.
“I never thought that you can use your powers with that on,” says Eleanna.
“She's the Goddess of the Underworld,” says Aurelia.
“Right, well... why didn't you free yourself and escape?” she asks Mila.
“I want to make things right, my lady.”
“And that means you're ready to face the consequences of your actions in front of the public.”
“I am, my lady.”
“Not only you but Aurelia, Hera, and Darius. I don't know if they'll accept that.”
Aurelia kneels. After seeing that, Hera and Darius do the same. Eleanna looks suspicious.
“I'm sorry to say that I don't know when will the four of you betray me again.”
“We could've escaped here a long time ago if we want to, my lady,” says Darius. His tone is calmer and more humble than earlier. “but as Lady Mila said, we want to fix everything including your trust.”
She half-smiles but they didn't see her face as they're kneeling and looking at the floor in submission.
An hour later, they have been brought to the War Room of the palace. It's the same place where Aiko and Dany have been brought to. The four of them are in the middle, gazed upon by hundreds of dissatisfied people. Aurelia is in a wheelchair because she can't use her powers with Tartarian Steel Chain on. They mutter their curses and insults, filling the whole place with bad air.
Eleanna stands up and everyone shuts their mouth. She planned everything before entering the room. Instead of telling the nobles and officials that Mila attempted to abandon her duties, she told them that it's part of Mila's plan not to tell anyone so that she can subdue the God of Gravity that invaded the Underworld. Mila, Aurelia, Hera, and Darius don't like the idea of making Leo their enemy so that they could share a common enemy with everyone else. It's all for the sake of regaining their trust.
Then when all of that is over, Eleanna removes the chains and brings the four of them to a balcony somewhere in the palace. This balcony faces the west. There, the sky is approaching dusk.
“Wait here,” she says, going back inside.
“Who are we waiting for?” asks Darius. He's frowning, resting his chin on his hand as he looks at the mountains in the distance.
“Lady Aiko,” mutters Aurelia.
“What?” he asks, turning to look behind him.
She's walking with Dany at her left and Eleanna at her right. Aurelia stands up from her chair then runs to embrace her. Mila followed after her.
“My lady!” she cries. “Where have you been?!”
“I'm sorry,” says Aiko. “and I'm surprised you're not angry with me.”
“You're a part of our family, how could we be angry with you?”
“Thank you, Lady Mila.”
While the three of them, are embracing like that, Darius is uneasy and curious about the little boy beside them. Hera is left out the most.
“Who's the boy?” he asks.
“He's my son,” Aiko answers. “—my and Lord Enzo's son.”
“WHAT?!!!” the three of them exclaim.
Darius clears his throat and calmly says, “Big deal.”
“What's his name?” asks Aurelia, kneeling to level her face with Dany. She's smiling a bit too much while her cheek is still drenched in tears.
“I'm Dany,” he introduces himself. “the God of the Sea.”
“Of the Sea?” asks Mila, looking at Aiko. The answer she got from Aiko is a nod, although not that confident. “Oh, that's right... Enzo was—”
“You look like Enzo!” Aurelia giggles, holding Dany's cheeks.
“He does,” Aiko agrees.
“By the way,” Darius says, scratching his head. “Where is he?”
“Pardon me?”
“Enzo.”
“Uh... I... we don't know.”
“Why don't you know?” His eyes are skeptical.
“That's gonna be a talk for another time,” Eleanna interrupts. “As I too, trying to find out. On the other hand, I suggest that you and Lady Mila use the remaining time of the day to check on what you left off so that tomorrow will be easier to manage. Hera will, from now on, will be attending classes with the other deities.”
“Why?” asks Aurelia.
“She'll need it.”
The way Eleanna said it, she means that the reason is something to be discussed privately.
“For what?” asks Aurelia again, not getting the gist.
However, her clever sister does. “Lady Eleanna is right,” says Mila. “We should educate her in a godly way as her brother did.”
“Okay, then.”
Mila and Eleanna look at each other for a second before breaking off.
Kneeling, Mila introduces herself to Dany. “Lord Dany, I'm Mila, the Goddess of Death and the ruler of the Underworld.”
Then it's her sister's turn. Aurelia's style of introducing herself is more cheerful. “And I'm Aurelia, the Goddess of Lightning!”
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