Danmachi: Westward Cloud [Complete]

[Vol.4] Quest 364- New Grandson

Morning at the Hestia Familia home, the Hearth Manor.

Bell wakes up with Ais still in bed.

"Ais…"

Bell's voice said everything he wanted to say to her.

"Yes…" She said softly.

"Alright. There will be food if you want any."

Bell gets up and gets ready for the day.

Ais was still getting over Cirrus’s death and wondering what to do next after the death of the Black Dragon. To her, Cirrus was the only person she could relate to with the shared pain of losing their mothers to the Black Dragon.

"… Cirrus."

She still acted the same, but something was missing behind her eyes—a sense of motivation and purpose.

Since that day, she hasn’t touched the sword once.

"Is there anything you would like for breakfast?" said Haruhime, hanging over Ais.

Ais looked up to see Haruhime with a soft, concerned look.

"…Something light."

"Hm. Better get up before Vento wakes up."

"Hm."

The morning was the same. Everyone got together for breakfast except for the guest.

"Hm! Hm! This is really good!" Metis said, stuffing her face. "Hestia, your home is truly wonderful! Good food! Good service!"

"It’s not a restaurant or some hotel, Metis!!" Hestia shouted. "Why couldn’t you be the same you back in Heaven? I am running myself ragged because of you!"

Metis has been staying with Hestia. It was not until Artemis and the others returned to Orario that Hestia knew she was hosting Metis. It was even her demand that made Hestia work herself so hard.

"Because I was crushed by a nonstop flow of souls with so few gods to help with the load, and I see this as a vacation!"

"Grr… Pass the syrup—?!" Hestia froze up, and Metis stopped. "T-this feeling!" Hestia quickly runs.

"Hestia?" said Bell.

"Damn, she got here quick," Metis said, recognizing this feeling on her skin.

They all went after her to find her opening the front door.

"Hello, Hestia." Said Hera, looking at Hestia with fierceness in her ruby eyes.

"H-H-Hera!?!? W-w-why are you here!"

Hestia was sweating bullets.

"I came to talk with Metis. Hermes said she was here, so is she…" She looks behind Hestia and locks eyes with Bell.

"Gulp!"

The words of Cirrus, Malion, and Zeus all make sense now.

Her eyes locked onto him like those of a dying man in the desert who just found water.

"Move." She pushed Hestia to the side.

"Hey!"

She walked straight up to Bell and grabbed his face.

Grab!

"Gah!" Bell said.

Her grip was tight and strong.

"…" Her eyes were like she was possessed; the fierceness in her eyes became unbearable, as though her gaze was bearing down on him. "You… son of Aegeus Cranel, and my daughter, Meteria. Are my words true?" She tilted her head to get a better look from a different angle.

'She has madness in her eyes! Grandpa!! Malion! Cirrus!!! I should have taken your words seriously!!’

"Y-yes!" he said.

A smile grows on her face as she looks at Hestia.

"Well, it seems I lost a grandson but gained another." She loosened her grip on Bell.

"What!!!!!" they all shouted.

They took some time to process everything after he explained everything to them. Bell made sure not to say anything about Zeus by avoiding naming his grandfather or anything else that could give her anything.

"It’s so nice to have another talented grandson!" she said, petting Bell.

"T-thanks?" Bell said in a situation he never thought he would be in.

"So Hera, what brings you to my home and dropping this bombshell of news?" Hestia said, eyeing her and Bell.

"Oh, I simply came here to talk with Metis." Her eyes then fell on Metis.

"Are you still angry about that, Hera?" Metis said, relaxing on the couch. "You know, I was the one who taught you so many things."

"…" Her eyes told what mood she was in, and she was fuming. "Why are you back? Seeing as Ouranos hasn’t kicked you back to Heaven, something must be happening up in Heaven."

"Well, aside from Nyx taking the reins and some other stuff, I’m not at liberty to say just yet. When you go back, tell Aphrodite to use cypress for the coffin."

Hera stops petting Bell.

"Tch… I’ll see you at the funeral, Bell. It was nice to see you. Goodbye, Hestia; you made a lovely Familia." She gets up and leaves.

No one stopped her; no one wanted to be the one under her fierce gaze, and no one but Hestia went after her.

"Hera!" she shouts.

"What is it?" Hera stops as she has her hand on the doorknob.

"Do you have any idea what she’s planning? She’s just been having the time of her life."

"As she said, she’s on vacation. Whatever she is planning with Nyx, she’s not on the job right now. You know how she is in Heaven. When she's on the job, she’s on the job. She will do it to the letter. Either she’s playing the role she was given or she’s actually on vacation. Only time will tell. Goodbye, Hestia, and tell Bell it was nice to finally meet him. Now I have a certain daughter to talk to."

Back at the Moonlight Tower.

After arriving and settling in, Aphrodite asked Astraea one thing.

"Hey, where is his body?"

"Hm? Why do you ask?"

"Because as a goddess of beauty, it’s only right to make him look honorable, as one of his statues and achievements should be."

"Well, Freya is the one making the arrangements for his body."

"Freya!?!? Why her!!"

"From what I heard, she and Cirrus are fairly good friends, and Freya does have a love for warriors. She is also a death goddess, so... there is that."

"Nonsense! I’m a better friend to Cirrus than her! I was the one who helped hitch Artemis!! Where is she!"

"She’s in Miach’s clinic, but are you—"

"I’m going!! Becklin!! Sandro!!"

"Yes, my lady!!"

Arriving at Miach’s clinic, Aphrodite used her charm to barrel through and arrive at where they were keeping Cirrus’ body.

"Freya!!" she said, slamming open the door. "What are you…" She could see the flame engulfing Cirrus. There was no heat or feeling, but an odd energy.

She could hardly believe it was his body. It was pristine, with not a single scar on his body.

"Hm?" Freya turned around as she was taking measurements of Cirrus’s body for his clothes. "You? The blonde hair, green eyes, and sea-themed attire. You must be Aphrodite; I heard a great many things from you as a fellow—"

"Yeah, yeah, I know that whole flattery stuff I came here to take over!" Aphrodite walked up to her. "So tell me why this flame is around Cirrus!"

"We do not fully know. Many have their theories, but none have proof to validate them. All we can gather is that his body is perfectly fixed and maintained before he was poisoned."

"Even his scars are gone."

"Yes…" Freya's lips pulled back a bit. "I am sure he had many. It’s a shame he lost them. Scars are a man’s pride; they are medals that show what they have survived and accomplished."

"I couldn’t put it better myself."

"Hm… Can you explain what you mean by taking over?" Freya looks at the smaller goddess. "If it’s my place in Orario, I can assure you, your pretty children will not stand against my children."

"Not that! Of course not! I’m not stupid! I mean, handling his body!" she points to Cirrus.

"…I find this whole current situation incredibly rude. He isn’t some item to be traded off. A hero of his pedigree should be treated with the highest honors of heaven and Gekai. As one of the few gods who has the attribute of death in Gekai, there is no one better to give him that." Freya spoke with a very, very prideful tone, as she, in myth, was the leader of the Valkyries.

"Then I shall help you! He is my friend as well, Freya. I can’t let him, the husband of my friend, look horrible." She said with an expression and tone that no love or god of beauty has made, well, as far as Freya has seen.

"…Does he truly mean that much to you?"

"Hm, of course. He is the only person to have my full blessing." She said it with a smirk. "Who else could make a goddess of love so proud than by making a virgin goddess fall in love?"

Freya also smirks at that.

"Very true, but wouldn’t Hesta’s child, Bell, also fit?"

"Well, I mean, sure, but who would you consider harder to fall in love with? The Goddess of the Hearth? Or the Goddess of the Wilderness?"

"Hmmm. You make a good point. Very well, you can help me. Right now, you need to get a coat. This room gets really cold."

"Very well, Becklin! Sandro! Let’s go quickly!"

"Right!"

As they left, Freya returned her attention to Cirrus’ body.

"…Cirrus." She touched his chest. "It’s always a shame to have lost such a fine man to death. I miss you already, my friend."

To the one who gave her all that she sought, Freya felt the same as Ais. Even more so. He was what she would have considered her first true friend.