Council of Odin's Order
2353 Words
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“Weee!” Dany is sliding on the water slide he made with his power inside the bathroom. He's bare and barely done cleaning himself.
Aiko is cooking something she has never tried for a long time. The island has no pork and the only meat they could get was from birds, fish, and such. She's cooking it on the pan on an electric stove. The stove is on the floor, so she kneels. The room becomes hotter because of it. Sweat drips from her forehead.
“Yup,” she says, I forgot how to cook this. She giggles to herself. Then, “Dany?” she asks, noticing that he's taking too long in the bathroom. “Are you done taking a shower?”
“Uh...,” he hesitates. “yeah?”
“You're lying, aren't you?” He didn't answer and stops playing. “What did I say to you about lying?”
“Lying... is bad...”
“Now, clean yourself and get out of there. I thought you'd want to go to the ocean.”
“Yay!” he cheers and starts to clean himself as fast as he can. “Ocean! Ocean! Ocean!! Woo!!”
She smiles, shaking her head. “You might look like your father,” she mutters. “but you didn't inherit your energy from him. I wonder who did you get that from.”
The food is done so she puts it on a plate on the mat on the floor. Dany is done cleaning himself. She dries and dresses him in a sleeveless shirt and shorts. While he's distracted looking at the mini water animals running around him, she spoonfeeds him. Sharks, birds, fish, and other animals that he has seen on the island are behaving like they have lives. Water is life, after all. Without water, there's no life.
Once she's done changing, it's time for them to go. She's wearing a hooded sweatshirt so that she could hide her face well.
“Let's go, sweetie,” she says, holding his hand.
“Yay!!”
She uses her powers and notices something strange. “Wait...,” she mumbles.
“Hurry, Mom!” Dany grows impatient.
“I can't teleport!” she screams in her mind, sensing something bad is coming for them. Someone knocks on the door five times.
A voice of a young man says, “This is the Armed Forces of Odin's Order. Lady Aiko, we know you're in there. We mean no harm to you and your son.”
“Mom?” asks Dany, sensing something is wrong. “What's going on?”
“It's gonna be fine, Dany,” she says. “Just visitors.”
The person behind the door continues, “Please don't resist and let us escort you to the Palace.”
“What for?”
“Please open the door now and we'll tell you further once we get there.”
Aiko swallows, foreseeing that they're gonna take her son away from her. She looks through the window, peeking behind the curtains. Dozens of demigods and humans are surrounding the building. They have a truck that generates an energy barrier that covers the whole area around the building. The barrier is orange like it's made of glass. She even senses others in the building on lower and higher floors. She's got nowhere to go.
“Open the door within ten seconds or I'll kick it down. Ten, nine...”
“Mom?” Dany asks, scared and confused.
“eight, seven...”
“Just sit on the bed, sweetie,” she says to him.
“six, five...”
It's hard for her to force a smile. She fails to keep him calm. He's starting to tremble as he takes a seat on the bed.
“What should I do, Enzo?” she whispers to herself, hesitating to touch the doorknob.
“four, three...”
“If only you're here, my love.”
“two, one! You're out of time!”
The door breaks after the person kicks it down. It's Shui, clad in advanced armor. He frowns at the hole in the wall. Aiko jumps off the building with Dany. Guns point at them as they are surrounded by dozens of demigods and humans with anti-demigod guns. Aiko doesn't hesitate to attack them to get through. Dany follows her by summoning tons of water, sweeping them away.
“Don't shoot!” Shui shouts to his men as he jumps off of the building.
So, the men couldn't stop them from attacking the truck that generates the barrier. Aiko punches glass. Shui is in time to intervene, summoning a wall of glass to protect the truck. She faces him after pushing her son back. The glass shackles him.
“Mom!” he screams.
“Dany!!” she cries, breaking the glass but it keeps on growing to devour him. “Let him go!!” she roars at Shui.
He just walks calmly, putting his hands up to be less threatening. “He's gonna be fine, my lady. That's if you don't do anything stupid. Let us shackle you with Tartarian Steel for precaution when we take you to the Palace. After that, I'll let go of your son.” He speeds up the creeping glass, going to cover Dany's face.
“Arghh!!” he squeals.
Aiko can't handle it and yells, “Fine! Just let him go!”
She offers her wrists and Shui nods to his men to apprehend her. The Tartarian braces are now around her wrist, weakening her into the strength of an average human. At the same time, Shui lets go of Dany. The boy gasps for air while crying. Aiko embraces him, thinking about how cruel Shui treated her son.
“Please come along, my lady,” says Shui. He commands his men to deactivate the barrier and move out.
The flooded street is thrashing from the steps of the men. People in the building who witnessed the commotion have started to calm down. Aiko carries her crying son while she's restrained. She feels heavy because of the steel.
“It's gonna be okay, Dany,” she whispers in his ear. “Mom's gonna protect you.”
“Daddy's gonna beat all of you!!” he screams all of a sudden.
“Dany... calm—”
“He's gonna teach you a lesson!”
“Yes, please,” Shui teases in sarcasm in front of them as he leads the way. “It's gonna be a good lesson since it's from the fabled ‘Throneless King’. Isn't that right, my lady?” He smirks at her over his shoulder. She doesn't answer and frowns, looking to the side. He frowns too, saying, “While we're here trying to rebuild what we lost, trying our best to make this planet a good place as it once was, you—a former Olympian abandoned your duty. How pathetic is that? All of you of the Hayashi House are pathetic. Even the stupid twins ran away. A house full of lunatics!” He laughs all he likes.
She grits her teeth but eases when she realizes nothing she could say to argue with him. They just walk until Shui transports them with his flying platform made out of glass.
It takes them half an hour to get to the council room of the palace. The Olympus Mons Seaters except for Mila and Aurelia are present on their thrones—arranged into a crest, surrounding the space in the middle. Aiko and Dany are standing there. Bleachers for witnesses and nobles are full. They are a mixture of old and young people. Murmurs fill the room, making Dany feel more uncomfortable. In the middle, Eleanna is sitting on her decorated throne. She's dressed like a harmless goddess. She's not, and everybody knows this.
“Lady Aiko?” Juliet mutteringly asks. She's sitting at the left side of the crest. The throne beside her is empty. Mila is supposed to be the one occupying it.
“After all these years...,” says Hyeon beside her at the left.
“And... that's her son?” asks Ruby beside him.
“Could be,” he says. “They have the same blood.”
“Then who could be the father?”
“No doubt, it's Lord Enzo,” says Juliet. “We knew that he took Lady Danae's power before he disappeared. And this boy, I can sense the Power of the Sea from him.”
“Don't call them ‘Lord’ or ‘Lady’,” says Shui from afar, sitting back and his hands behind his head. “They are deserters and traitors to the Realm and its people.”
“They're not traitors,” she argues, not raising her voice.
“They stole the Power of the Sea and abandoned their responsibilities. Heck... they sure ain't traitors.” He and Han laugh.
She puts on a serious face at them, almost glaring but Shui scoffs with a smug. Annoyed, she breaks her gaze but Hyeon is still glaring at them.
“Let them be,” she whispers to him, holding his hand.
“Shall we start?” asks Eleanna. Everyone in the room except he, stands up and bows. “Alright, please be seated.” She turns her gaze to Aiko and Dany—still in her arms. “Before you, is the Goddess of Teleportation, a former Olympian, and a member of House Hayashi. Now I agree that this House is full of troublesome people.”
“That's right, my lady,” Shui agrees.
“Lady Mila, Lady Aurelia, Lord Darius, and Hera—the sister of Leonide are nowhere to be found. But that's another story for another time. We are interested in what's before us in this instance.”
“Aye!” the people approve.
“Lady Aiko, are you the mother of this child?”
“Yes,” she answers, muttering the words.
“Answer again, let the people hear your answer.”
“I... am the mother... of this child. He's my child.”
“And who is the father?”
“Lord Enzo.”
The council room is filled with murmuring. Even the Seaters are discussing it among themselves. Eleanna waits for them to quiet down before asking, “And we assume that your son is the God of the Sea—is this right?”
“Yes.”
Murmuring comes back again but Eleanna glares at them so they stop after a short second. “You're a former Olympian. So, you must be fully aware of the huge responsibility of whoever holds the Power of the Sea. Yet you hid the child after all these years.”
“He's doing his part as the God of the Sea. I always take him around the world to take care of the Oceans.”
“Don't even use that to ask for pardon, my lady.”
“I am not,” she says, gritting her teeth, looking to the side.
“And where is Lord Enzo?”
“I don't know.”
“Let me ask again. Where is Lord Enzo?”
“I said, I don't know.”
“Why?”
“He didn't tell me.”
“Are you trying to plot against us, my lady?”
“That's absurd. I just came into this city to raise my children.”
“Children, you say?” Eleanna raises her eyebrows. “Oh, you're pregnant with another child. I didn't sense it, until now.”
“My lady,” says Juliet, looking worried as she stands up from her seat. “Please unbind her. The Tartarian Steel will be bad for the baby.”
“No,” Shui argues. “don't listen to her, my lady. She's close to the members of the Hayashi and she just wants Aiko to get away.”
“I'm not trying to do that,” she says, controlling her anger.
“Shut your mouth, Shui,” growls Hyeon. “or this won't end well.” His eyes faintly glow red.
“Oh?!!” Shui laughs.
That confrontation sparks troubled chattering in the whole room. It's always a serious problem whenever members of the Seaters threaten to fight one another.
“I said, calm down,” she says to him.
“But he's accusing you,” he reasons.
“We know that's not true so don't be upset. Let me handle this.”
Sitting back, he says, “Fine,” gritting his teeth, his fangs show. Han and Shui smirk in satisfaction. She clears her throat and explains. “Tartarian Steel restricts the energy flowing in our bodies as people who have Olympian Strength. The baby depends on this energy flowing inside the mother. If it doesn't get enough, the baby would likely die inside the womb.”
“We can't be sure if Lady Aiko can be trusted,” says Eleanna. “We'll wrap this up as soon as we can.”
Juliet says, “Then... put the chain on the child.” Before anyone could react, she looks at Aiko and mouths the words, “I'm sorry.” Aiko nods and understands. She turns her attention to everyone else. “That way, we are sure that Lady Aiko cannot teleport her son with her. She will never leave her son here so we are certain she will not try to escape.”
“How can we be sure about that?” Shui questions.
“A mother doesn't abandon her child,” says Aiko.
“Hmm? Are you sure, my lady?”
“Yes,” She glares. “I am.”
“Nah, not buying it. She could teleport her allies here and take us all out—not that they can but it'll be still a lot of trouble. Right, Cairo?”
Cairo is startled when he heard his name has been called. He's sitting at the right side wing of the crest. Aiko is looking at him in a way she doesn't have to say that she needs his support.
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- Writer
