"I… want to experience it with you."
"...Are you sure?"
There was a slight hesitation in her movements, but ultimately, Artemis nodded her head. And as soon as she did so, Van quickly summoned roots to lift the two of them up. And slowly, as their lips once again merged, the roots shaped into a sphere, completely covering the two of them.
Their stuttered breaths trapped along with them, as the two soon undressed to their natural state. One who had lived a very short life, but broken in more ways that one could ever imagine. And the other, who had already lived a thousand years, and yet managed to remain pure.
Together, the two entangled in a bond that exceeded time and even the universe itself as their filtered and muffled moans echoed throughout their sphere of love.
And a kilometer away from that sphere of love, was another maiden. Athena was on top of a roof, looking at the sphere with her eyes as sharp as it could be.
And with a light breath releasing from her mouth, she let out a smile and nodded her head,
"The Olympians will live on."
***
"Let's get this party started!"
"We're going home."
"Ugh, too much, too much."
"Perhaps tomorrow?"
"Guys? We're just starting?"
Dionysus raised 4 goblets into the air as he roared for the party's continuance, but alas, the only one that raised her glass was Nisha. The other people were either collapsed on the ground or have had enough alcohol to fill them for a week and were all currently exiting the tavern.
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "64ce79d606107d003c23ea27", id: "pf-5140-1"})Dionysus could only watch as his guests left one by one, no longer even looking at the wine he was offering. Maybe because he had lost his God Soul, the charm and the joy that people get from his parties have died down, if so… then why else does he exist?
"Don't mind them, let us drink!"
But the smile returned on his face as Nisha waved a glass and called for him, at least there was one sensible person here, Dionysus thought as he danced his way towards Nisha.
Unlike the rest of the Olympians, he wasn't one for strength. He was born for the purpose of igniting and stimulating the mortals' psyche with the power of joy. He had been feeling useless ever since they got out from their Fragmented World, but as long as there was one person that was having fun, that would mean that his life still had meaning.
"Has anyone seen Master Van?"
"Latanya! Where have you been!? You are missing out on the party, come, drink with us!"
A loud bang then resounded throughout the whole tavern as Latanya entered the tavern, "Nisha, have you seen Master Van?"
"I still have no idea what you're saying, girl," Nisha could not help but let out a sigh, "Just what exactly is happening to you? You know what, this is also your fault. If you would have been alright, then I could have passed the role of President to you. But you also just had to go crazy and leave everything to me."
"She is asking if we have seen King Vanny."
"Who cares where that guy is, tell her to drink!"
"...Come join us, Latanya," Dionysus squinted his eyes as he stared at Latanya. He was already informed by the others that Latanya was the embodiment of Asclepius's staff, but just how exactly did she gain a humanoid body? Even Athena could not explain the phenomenon, and she was the brightest Olympian she knew.
"No, I need to see Master Van."
"He'll turn up," Dionysus summoned a vine right in front of Latanya, with its end shaped into a goblet with wine already in its mouth, "He came to find Artemis. Knowing her, she's probably drunk out of her mind, talking to animals, and giving King Vanny a hard time."
Latanya looked back and forth between the goblet and the outside for a few seconds, before grabbing the goblet and proceeding to go to Dionysus and Nisha's table.
"What kind of language are the two of you saying? I heard Van speaking that once with that freaky tall guy."
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "64cc9e79c7059f003e4ad4b0", id: "pf-5109-1"})"Freaky tall guy?"
"Slightly dark skin, freakishly tall, a bit handsome, extremely skinny… Hercules?"
"Hercules was skinny before he died?" Dionysus almost spat the wine in his mouth, "Speaking of which, where is he buried?"
"At the northwest of the city, it's where we buried all the dead when… Van freed all of us."
"I see, to Hercules, then," Dionysus raised his goblet before gulping it in whole. He then placed his attention back to Latanya, who was surprisingly already at her 4th goblet.
"Do you know anything about Olympus, Latanya dear?" Dionysus said as he once again poured wine in Latanya's goblet, "Do you have memories from when you were just… a staff?"
"I do."
"Really?"
"When I woke up, there were these weird images in my head. I am still figuring out what they are since they are vague and filled with seams, but I am certain they are my… experiences from Olympus," Latanya said as she once again chugged her wine, "It feels weird, like all my life here was nothing but a blink, and everything I have ever done in this world had become… irrelevant. Becoming the chief, all of my men dying, freeing the people of the Pit, they've become just a dot in my life, completely overshadowed by my memories of Olympus."
"Then do you know who we are?"
"No, I only know of the names of those who wield me. Asclepius, Apollo, Hermes, and now Master Van."
"That is… weird."
"I told you the memories are vague, but they are there."
"..." Nisha was starting to fall asleep as she watched as the two spoke in a language she didn't understand. She tried to fight it, but alas, she easily gave in, hoping that tomorrow, the responsibility of being the leader of this small city would no longer be hers.
"I remember my first wielder dying in the hands of a man who could conjure up lightning, I could remember the pain in Apollo's cries as he tried to avenge his son, and then I remember Hermes dropping me in the Pit, eventually for Master Van to find."
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "663633fa8ebf7442f0652b33", id: "pf-8817-1"})"...Sounds rough," Dionysus could not help but let out a sigh, "Wait… did you say Hermes left you here for King Vanny?"
"Yes, that is why it is my purpose to serve him," Latanya let out a small smile as she stared at her sullied reflection on the wine, "I never knew why I was so attached to him, but now that I have remembered, I must do everything I can to fulfill my fate."
"No, wait. Hermes personally told you to serve King Vanny? You talked to him?"
"Yes, why is that so weird? Give me more alcohol!"
"When? When was that?"
"I don't know, a long time ago. Perhaps Evangeline would be better suited to answer your questions."
"Why?"
"She was with him when he left me in the Pit."
"But that doesn't make sense…" Dionysus completely stopped drinking as his mind wandered, "I thought both Hermes and Seraph Azrael gave their life to create King Vanny. Could this have been before they conceived the King?"
"No," Latanya quickly shook her head, "I could already feel Master Van's presence inside Evangeline, how else would I have known that it is he who I was fated to serve?"
"That means… Hermes was still walking this earth with Evangeline after the Seraph died," Dionysus's breaths started to become heavy as a thought was starting to build inside his mind,
"Naughty… naughty Evangeline."
Truly, a party would not end without a rumour being thrown here and there. And this particular rumor? It had all sorts of juiciness oozing from it. He might not be as intelligent as Athena, but it was now clear to see why Evangeline was doing all of this.
The Seraph might have been the one who conceived Van with Hermes, but judging from the limited stories he had heard, the Seraph did not really have a set sexuality. It was more than likely that a being like that would not be capable of love… But Evangeline?
Evangeline who held all of the Seraph's memories, all of her wills-- she was in love with him. Of course, it was already quite obvious from the start, but now that Dionysus came to know that she had actually spent time with her here in the mortal world, it all changes everything.
...Just what exactly did the two share in their time together? But more importantly…
...how did Hermes truly die?
Finally, like a spark being ignited inside of him, Dionysus has found his new purpose-- to find the truth, whatever it may be. He may no longer have his usual powers as the god of festivities, but rumors?
Rumors never die. If this was how he would serve Van, then he shall do it so… one whisper at a time.
"Where is everyone?"
"Ah, finally decided to join us, Artemis?" Dionysus then quickly shifted his expression as Van and Artemis entered the tavern, "But sadly, you are late, the party is over… and you caused King Vanny to miss the most of it!"
"S… sorry," Artemis could not help but slightly lean closer to Van as they approached their table.
"It's fine," Van shook his head, "I… had more fun spending my time with you."
"Oho?" Dionysus could not help but squint his eyes as he noticed something different between the two.
"I smell something familiar," Latanya then suddenly stood up, her steps a bit tipsy as she made her way towards Van and Artemis. Her nose then fidgeted as her eyes scanned the two, and afterward, she suddenly moved a few steps back.
"I smell semen!"
"What!?" Dionysus quickly stood up from his seat, dropping all the wine in his hand.
"N… no!" Artemis quickly waved her hand in, her face though, which was redder than even Latanya and Dionysus, however, completely drowned her denial, "Van, tell them!"
"We did it."
"!!!"
"Ho… ho… Ahahaha!" Dionysus then suddenly burst out in laughter, "I guess…
...the party isn't over just yet!"
***
More than a week passed after the whole fiasco, and as Evangeline and Athena planned, it was time to retrieve Hermes's body from the Circle. A battalion of the Resistance, led by Angela's brother, were already on their way to the Circle's main base in America, and although their battle was also important, they were only a decoy from Evangeline and Athena's plan.
While the Circle is busy with their small forces, they would be infiltrating the place where Hermes was being kept, in a reservoir a few kilometers from their base.
"Tell us again why we need all of these?" Van said as he looked at their current team, who were currently waiting for all the commotion to start.
The team consisted of him, Evangeline, Athena, Artemis, Angela, and her sister, Angelica, and finally, Sarah, who was the key component of the plan. If he was going to be asked, this team was a bit of an overkill.
"Can't we just… ram our way through?"
"You still did not tell my son why?" Evangeline blinked a couple of times as she glared at Athena.
"He's your son, you tell him."
Hearing Athena's words, Evangeline could not help but shake her head and sigh. She was about to open her mouth, but before she could do so, Angela stepped forward.
"It's not that simple, Mister Evans. If we did this the wrong way, there's a possibility that Hermes's body would… explode."
"...Explode?" The rest of the team who were also unaware of the fact could not help but widen their eyes, "What do you mean explode?"
"Kaboom," Angela waved her fingers as she held her breath for a few seconds, "Strong enough…
...to destroy our pretty little planet."
