Chapter 214: A visit

Chapter 214: Chapter 214: A visit

The club meeting had ended a while ago when the door suddenly flew open. Rias and the others had already left, but Akeno had stayed behind finishing a few things, knowing Issei would eventually show up even if he was late.

"Ara ara? Look who finally decided to show up."

"I’m sorry, Akeno-san!" Issei exclaimed as he rushed in, breathing as if he had just run a marathon. Part of his uniform was still damp, there was mud on his clothes, and his hair was still messy from his recent fall. "I tried to get here as early as I could, really."

Akeno brought a hand to her mouth as she looked him up and down. "Ohhh, poor Issei-kun. You missed the entire meeting. What happened to you? You look like you went through a war in the streets."

"I don’t want to talk about it," Issei muttered, comical tears gathering at the corners of his eyes. "I ran into two girls. One of them was really nice, but the other one... that redhead is crazy. First she insulted me, then she called me a loser, and then I ended up falling face-first into a puddle in front of half of Kuoh."

Akeno let out a small giggle as she walked toward one of the clubroom cabinets and pulled out a clean towel. "Fufufu, Issei-kun, it sounds like you had quite an exciting day."

"There was nothing exciting about it!" the brown-haired boy protested, though he eventually dropped into one of the chairs with a defeated look.

Akeno returned and began drying his hair with the towel, still amused by the whole situation. "What terrible luck. Though maybe you should learn to watch where you’re running."

Issei let out another groan while Akeno laughed quietly. Little by little he calmed down, and the silence that followed became much more comfortable as she finished wiping away some of the mud still near his face.

"By the way, Issei-kun," Akeno commented, folding the towel slightly between her hands, "have your parents said anything about how much time you’ve been spending away from home lately?"

Issei shook his head. "Not much. I think the little gift Buchou sent them helped a lot. My mom loved it, and now she seems to trust her more than she trusts me." The boy laughed before shrugging. "As long as I tell them I’m with the club, they don’t ask too many questions."

"Rias is pretty good at that kind of thing," Akeno replied. "Your parents seem to worry about you a lot."

"Yeah, sometimes too much." Issei settled more comfortably into the chair before looking toward her. "What about yours? I’ve never heard you talk about them."

The question caused some of the cheer to leave Akeno’s expression. "My mother died many years ago," she replied after a brief pause. "And my father is dead too."

Issei straightened slightly. "Oh... I’m sorry. I didn’t know."

"You don’t need to apologize, Issei-kun." Akeno set the towel aside and sat across from him. "My father was Baraqiel, one of Grigori’s leaders."

The name did not mean much to Issei at first, but the word Grigori immediately caught his attention. "Was he a Fallen Angel?"

Akeno nodded. "A pretty important one."

"Then... what happened to him?"

Akeno kept her voice calm. "Lord Damon killed him."

Issei’s eyes widened. "Wait. Damon? As in Damon, the Greek god?"

Akeno raised an eyebrow. "Ara ara... it seems you know the name, Issei-kun."

"Not really." The brown-haired boy scratched the back of his head somewhat awkwardly. "It’s just kind of hard not to know about him lately. He’s gotten pretty popular around the city ever since people started finding those ruins and temples dedicated to him hidden among the overgrowth. My parents talk about him more than I expected, honestly." Issei let out a small nervous laugh. "I definitely wasn’t expecting him to actually be real."

Akeno covered her mouth with one hand, amused again. "Like we already told you, Issei-kun, most of the supernatural things you’ve read or heard about have some basis in reality. Devils, Angels, and Fallen Angels aren’t the only things that exist."

Issei slowly nodded as a chill ran down his spine at the thought of everything that could still be out there. "So the Greek god Damon killed your father... that’s crazy."

"The supernatural world is complicated, Issei-kun. Much more than you realize." Akeno rested her hands on her lap. "We have our own conflicts, alliances, and wars, just like humans and their nations."

"Hmmm... I see." Issei hesitated before asking the question that had been circling his mind for the last few moments. "So... do you hate him?"

"Not really," Akeno replied.

"Or at least that’s what I’d like to say." Akeno lowered her eyes slightly toward her own hands. "The truth is, I don’t know. I don’t know what I’m supposed to think."

The mood in the room changed with those words. Issei did not know how to respond, and for once he decided it was probably better not to say anything.

Akeno eventually stood and smoothed her skirt with both hands. "It’s getting late. I’ll see you tomorrow, Issei-kun. Try not to miss the entire meeting again."

Issei stood as well. "Uh... yeah. Thanks, Akeno-senpai."

Akeno gave him a small smile before gathering her things. The conversation had dampened her mood a little, but she had spent years learning to live with emotions far worse than that. She did not need to figure out exactly how she felt about Baraqiel tonight.

The two left the club shortly afterward and went their separate ways, though Issei returned home with far more questions than answers.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Olympus

Damon returned to Olympus a few hours later. No one asked where he had been. He had left Gaia resting in the clearing a little longer before returning to Olympus. There had been no need for a long goodbye; they both knew they would see each other again.

The following days were fairly quiet. Olympus returned to its usual rhythm and Damon fully resumed his responsibilities, handling everything that had piled up during his absence without finding any problem that required his urgent attention.

Among the few matters that did catch his attention was a report about increased activity at some of his temples. It was nothing concerning, but one region stood out considerably more than the others.

Japan.

Damon went over the report with some curiosity. Over the past few weeks, offerings had increased, along with the number of people asking about him, especially around Kuoh. Apparently, the remains of ancient shrines discovered among the overgrowth and the temple Amaterasu had built in his honor had started drawing more attention than he expected.

He couldn’t help thinking that the wolf was probably quite pleased with herself.

Damon set the report down on his desk with a small laugh. He had no intention of chasing after new followers, but he wasn’t going to complain about people starting to remember his name after so long.

Either way, it wasn’t something that required his attention for now.

It was during one of those days that a familiar visitor arrived at the palace.

Gabriel’s presence quickly drew attention. It wasn’t common to see an Archangel walking through Olympus as a guest, much less one who wasn’t there for a political meeting, a treaty, or some problem between factions.

Damon found out shortly after the Archangel arrived. By the time he entered one of the palace’s private rooms, Hestia was already with her.

"Gabriel." Damon raised a hand in greeting as he entered. "I’m glad to see you finally decided to come."

The Archangel turned toward him with a warm expression. "Lord Damon. Thank you again for allowing me to visit Olympus."

"Ohh, dear, it’s nothing." Damon briefly glanced toward Hestia before continuing with a smile. "As long as my sister is happy, I’d do almost anything for her."

Hestia glanced at him from the corner of her eye, surprised by the sincerity in his words. Her heart skipped a beat as she looked at Damon with a warmth she struggled to explain even to herself. She said nothing and eventually turned her attention toward Gabriel before anyone could notice how much the comment had affected her.

"And I still wanted to thank you," Gabriel replied before turning back toward Hestia. "You really do have a good brother. I don’t think any of mine would have let a friend just walk onto my floor in Heaven like this." The Angel let out a small laugh, a little embarrassed to admit it.

Hestia looked toward Damon again for a moment before nodding with a small smile. "Yeah... I know. He can be pretty annoying sometimes, but I couldn’t ask for a better brother."

Damon raised an eyebrow. "That almost sounded like a compliment."

"Don’t get used to it," Hestia replied before turning her attention back toward Gabriel. "I thought it would take you longer. Heaven always seems to have something that needs attention."

Gabriel let out a small laugh. "It does. Michael could probably find work for all of us even if the entire world were at peace."

"That sounds exhausting," the Goddess of the Hearth commented softly, genuinely concerned for her friend.

"It really is." Gabriel let out a sigh. "But it’s what we have to do for our brothers."

Damon took a seat across from them while Hestia served the tea. There was nothing formal about the gathering, something he appreciated quite a bit after so many conversations between gods, leaders, and representatives of other factions. Gabriel didn’t seem interested in discussing anything important either. She looked much more relaxed now that she didn’t have to represent Heaven in front of half the supernatural world.

"How has Heaven been?" Hestia asked as she handed her a cup.

"Quiet, as much as it can be. We’ve had a few minor problems, but nothing out of the ordinary." Gabriel accepted the cup with both hands. "Michael is still busy with the changes after the meeting. I think he ended up giving himself more work than he expected."

Damon let out a small laugh. "He’s the one who decided to gather everyone."

"I remind him of that every time he complains," the Archangel replied with a hint of satisfaction.

Hestia smiled at that. "I’m starting to understand why I like you."

Gabriel covered her mouth with one hand, amused. "Michael would say I’m being a bad influence."

"Michael seems like he could use a little bad influence," Hestia huffed.

"I’m going to pretend I didn’t hear that," Damon commented, rolling his eyes. He hadn’t expected his sweet sister to start taking shots at Heaven’s leader right in front of Gabriel, though judging by the Archangel’s amused expression, she didn’t seem interested in defending him either.

Fortunately, Gabriel wasn’t the type to be bothered by comments like that, so the conversation continued naturally, jumping from one subject to another without any particular direction.

Damon noticed that Hestia seemed much more comfortable than usual. His sister wasn’t antisocial, but she didn’t normally seek out the company of other gods either. Seeing her talk and laugh with Gabriel without having to worry about problems in Olympus pleased him more than he expected.

Gabriel didn’t seem to have any intention of leaving anytime soon either, and by that point the two were talking so easily with each other that Damon barely needed to participate.

Damon stayed with them a little longer, joining the conversation from time to time, but he knew there wasn’t much point in remaining there. As much as he appreciated Gabriel, she hadn’t come to Olympus to see him. Damon didn’t want to insert himself into something that, for now, clearly had far more to do with his sister than with him.

He also couldn’t ignore how useful that friendship could become in the future. Gabriel was one of the most powerful Angels still alive, and if Michael ever stopped being the one in charge, she could easily end up holding a much more important position within Heaven. Having Hestia close to someone like her could benefit Olympus in many ways.

But in the end, that was up to Hestia and Gabriel. Damon couldn’t build that relationship for them. "Well, I’ll leave you two alone," Damon commented as he stood. "Gabriel, enjoy your visit. Hestia... try not to bore her."

Hestia gave him an unimpressed look. "Go away."

Gabriel covered her mouth as she let out a small laugh. Damon smiled, raised a hand in farewell, and started walking away. "That’s what I was doing."

Gabriel’s attention followed Damon until he disappeared through the doorway. She remained quiet for a moment before bringing her teacup back toward her lips. "I really like Lord Damon," she admitted, almost absentmindedly.

Hestia’s eyes shifted toward her. "Really now?"

Gabriel paused with the cup close to her mouth, apparently realizing only then that she had said it aloud. "I mean... he’s different from what I expected." A faint trace of embarrassment crossed her face. "I thought he would be much more difficult to approach."

Hestia relaxed slightly and leaned back in her seat. "Yeah, he definitely can be a pain in the ass, I tell you that...."

"That isn’t what I meant." Gabriel lowered her cup with a small smile. "He’s surprisingly easy to talk to. He cares about the people around him..." She hesitated briefly before adding, "he is rather handsome."

Hestia stared at her, not expecting that coming from Gabriel, out of all women... A light blush appeared across the cheeks of the angel, knowing well the thoughts of her friend. "What?"

A small smile slowly formed on Hestia’s lips. "Nothing, just thought here and there, you know....."

Gabriel covered part of her face with one hand, clearly embarrassed now, while Hestia quietly enjoyed the sight. She wasn’t going to tease her too much—not now, at least—but there was no mistaking the interest behind Gabriel’s words.

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