"Why are we in the underworld?"

I look upon the maw of the cave that leads into the underworld, Agnes place down the massive sack of food on the ground and takes a breather. Stretching my arm, I get off my bike and lean back on the seat with ease and turn my gaze at the harpy beside me.

"While you were having fun with your new plaything..."

I glance at him and scrunch up my eyebrows together, "Agnes..."

"Ugh, I'm sorry, 'not a plaything', fine. Do you want me to apologize more, or do you want to know about the sack of food on the ground?"

I have no idea where his sudden anger is coming from, "Come on Agnes, what's the matter? Why are you angry all of a sudden?"

"I-I don't like her... I think she is bad for you."

"Daisie?"

"Yes her."

"Don't be ridiculous, Agnes. She won't hurt me, besides you are only saying that because you haven't got to know her yet."

"Look, Andre, I'm sure that she is a great girl and all, but I don't think she suits you and I have a bad feeling about her. She... might not be... the one for you—"

"You know, She...propose to me," I said nonchalantly, interrupting her.

Agnes looked at me with widened eyes, stunned by my words, "What?"

"My heart wants to say yes, but I said to her that I need to think about it." I gaze at the small pebble underneath me and play with it with my foot.

"Isn't you guys going way too fast..."

"She couldn't wait anymore...because of what happened to me and her in the past. She knows about my past, Agnes, we were lovers then, even though it was for a short moment."

"She knows?"

"Yeah, but not all of it, right at the end of her story, some things seem amiss. The story isn't complete, my gut is telling me that there is more to it."

Agnes sigh as he looks away, "Ignore what I said earlier...if you really want to be with her, then who am I to get in the way of you both."

"You're not just anyone. You know that you are more than a best friend at this point, you're like a cute little brother to me. I'll take your word into consideration, and thank you for being honest."

"Andre...I was just talking out of my ass, there's no—"

"La La La! I can't hear you," I smirk and shout aloud to drown out his words.

"What are you a seven year old?"

"Maybe I am...OoooOoo," I try to make a silly ghostly sound, and it causes a half grin to appear on Agnes's face.

"Good day."

"Banana and cheese!" I yell out.

I was flabbergasted that my whole body jerks upright causing me to stumble a foot forward. After I gather myself, I turn my head and let out a relieved sigh when I see Shin waving his hand with a smile on his face. Agnes tries to hold his laughter as he turns his head away.

"Shin...please don't do that, you're going to make me crap my pants."

He looks away, while he pouts his lips, "I-I'm sorry."

"It's okay, why are you here?"

"I brought the table just like Agnes requested."

I look behind him, a table that wasn't there before, appear out of nowhere. Agnes carries the sack and place it on the table, then spill the content on it. Different kind of food spread out on it, mainly fresh ingredients, such as vegetables, and fruits.

"Wow, that's a lot of food."

"I know what you are thinking. Except, it isn't for me, though." Agnes looks far off to the distance.

I join his gaze, I couldn't help myself but smile when I see a group of Minotaur heading toward us with giant smiles on their faces, but it's not just them, a group of Harpies and other kinds of monsters such as The Arachne, The Lamia, The Cyclops, and many others.

"It's for them, doesn't it?"

"Yes...I want to help them, they are still my family, my people."

"It's a good deed, but why?"

"Because of... you."

"Me?"

"Yeah, you...what you did for Adrestia and her daughter, inspired me, you managed to mend their relationship back together. If you can do it, why not me? I want to mend my own ties, I want to try instead of running."

I place my hand on his head, "I didn't know you look up to me that much."

"Who said I look up to you?" Agnes blushes bright red.

"You did."

"No, I didn't, I said I was inspired by you. Besides, who would make you, a weirdo, his own role model?"

"Awww, I love you too." I hug Agnes and lift him off the ground.

"Stop it!" Agnes yelp while being tightly embraced by me. Shin, a few feet away, look at us with an amused smile.

"I see that you both are still close as ever," Kraus greet us with his own tribe behind him, along with the other monster tribes.

I let go of Agnes, and he munches on my forearm. "Ouch! Hahaha, hello Kraus." The bite wasn't that painful, but I play along with him.

"Good day, Andre, Agnes, and Prince Shin."

"Prince?" I turn my head and look at Shin. In response, he steps away and hides behind a rock. I guess he is embarrassed by the title, his dad is the king of the Underworld, it makes sense if he is called the prince.

"Good day, Kraus. please all of you, help yourself to the food, I know it isn't much, but I hope it can help you all in any way. I'll try to bring more and regularly."

One of the Lamia, a half woman, half snake speak out with subtle hiss in her words, "Why are you doing this? Our kind and you're are different."

"To us maybe, not to others, they called us a monster, doesn't matter whether we are a Harpy or a Lamia. So why do we divide when we can unite to help each other and make our lives better."

One of The Arachne, a half woman, half spider speak out this time, "How do you attain such plentiful food?"

"I had help." Agnes glance at me.

I take a step forward, "It's not true! It is all him, he wanted to help all of you, wanted to try to make your life better."

The reaction afterward is not what I expected, I can hear murmurs of concern after I speak out, their distrust of gods still as strong as ever.

"Agnes, ooh Agnes, do you think we are going to eat the lie that you and the shit, you called friend spun. The gods did this to us! They damn us here, they don't give a shit about us and will never do. We don't want your rotten fruits and poison vegetables, we don't want your sympathy or forgiveness, we can survive out here all on our own without anyone help, especially not from a coward." Uvoah cackle then she spits onto the ground after delivering her own speech.

Agnes brings down his gaze and grits his sharp teeth, I was about to reply, but I can see the determination in Agnes's gaze as he looks at Uvoah once more. "How long?"

"What?"

"How long are we going to live with hatred in our hearts? Until the bitter end? Are our next generation going to live like us, with anger and hatred in their hearts... will we ever find happiness? Enough with the hatred and anger!"

"I can't believe what you just said! Are we just going to forget the unjustified treatment the so-called gods enacted on us?!"

"I'm not saying that to forget! I'm saying that enough with the hatred and anger, you can keep your distrust on the gods, but don't let it consume you. Let's show them that we are better than them, and show them that we are not the monster that they fear."

"All I hear is nonsense coming from you."

"If the Harpies doesn't want it, then give it to us. I'm not going to shy away when someone is offering free food, besides, you all know full well how hard it is to try to find something to eat here." Kraus chimes in with a smirk, and Uvoah response with a glare.

A murmur of agreement can be heard across the crowd, what Kraus said seem to pick the right note amongst the monsters. They start to reconsider their decisions, Uvoah becomes more irritated when his own group starts to think the same way.

"Traitors! All of you, after what they did to us? You're willing to just let go?"

"Uvoah, no one is betraying no one, our younglings are hungry, we are hungry. The food that Agnes is offering, We can use it to feed our own people." One of the harpies speaks out to Uvoah.

"I-I...Fine, take it if you want, but I don't want any part of it." Uvoah starts to fly away.

Agnes flies and grabs a fruit off the table with his talon, "Uvoah, please wait!"

The red feather harpy hovers and turns around after hearing the called out. Agnes extend the fruit to her, "I know that I run away when you needed me the most, I know that you hated me, I know that you can't forgive me, but it doesn't mean that I couldn't try to change that, I miss you, I wish that we can be together again, just like in the past, brother and sister once more."

Uvoah stare at the food and glare at Agnes, "You didn't just run away, you abandoned me, they threw stones and spit at me for defending your name after you got exiled, but I never lose hope, I believe that you would come back and prove them wrong, but you didn't, and you never did, and I had enough you! No more!"

"Besides, you already have another family," Uvoah look at the familiar symbol on Agnes's belly.

Agnes looks at Uvoah with guilt, "Uvoah..."

"Don't say my name, you don't deserve...to say my name." With spite, she takes the fruit with her own talon and threw it to the ground below, then fly away without turning back.

A tear drip down Agnes's cheek, as he lowers his gaze with pain in his heart, but he didn't stay gloom as he hovers down and wipes the tears away. Then with a smile, he turns around, "Please help yourself, but make sure you leave enough for everyone else."

Everyone is looking at each other, un-moving and uncertain what to do next. Kraus speak out, "What are you waiting for? Line up." Everyone starts to form a line and pick their choice of fruit or vegetable to bring home to their family.

I never lose my sight on Agnes, as I'm about to walk to him and comfort him in any way I could. A group of Minotaur consist of a male, female, and a child stop me, "So, you're the one who broke my father arm and horn."

"Hmm?" When I look at the female Minotaur, I recognize the similarity between her and Kraus, "Are you Kraus’ daughter?"

"Yes, I am."

I scratch the back of my head as my gaze meet with her glare, "I'm really sorry about that."

The male one examines my entire body in a quick glance, "Hmph, she does have the muscle to do it."

"Uhmm, there's not going to be any trouble right?"

"What? No... in a matter of fact, I would like you to marry my husband."

"What?" I look at her with wide eyes.

"Adding your blood to our family would prove to be an advantage to Rockhide's family lines."

The young Minotaur hiding behind Kraus's daughter legs, step out and look at me, "Are you going to be my new mother?"

"Aaahhh, Kraus! Kraus!!!"

Kraus walk up to me laughing, "Daughter enough, I told you not to bother my friend here. Go on ahead, Andre, let me have a talk with my family."

I laugh awkwardly and quickly jog away. Stopping myself when I near Agnes, I look at him as he sits on a rock with a gloomy face. He stares at the squash fruit and sniffs his tears away. I was about to reach him when Shin walks past by me and place his hand on the Harpy shoulder.

"You'll reach him next time."

"You're right, I'm going to keep on trying until I get into that hard-shelled heart of her."

What is this feeling in my heart? gladness and... concern. Am I afraid that Agnes would leave me someday? Don't be ridiculous Andre, he won't, but I am glad, though, that he is making more friends.

I let out a sigh, look down and notice that the scroll on my belt is glowing. I take it out and reveal the content, it says, 'Kynígi'. Hunt, a world named 'Hunt'. The well of knowledge shoot every information it had into my brain, causing me a slight headache, lush jungle, wolf, big animals, and four-arm? All I can make sense is the world belong to Artemis.

"Agnes!"

His body perk up, he wipes his tears away, and turn his head toward me, "We have to go, duty call."

"Where are we heading?"

"Kynígi."

"The world of the lush jungle?"

"Yep, do you know where it is?"

"Of course."

"Good luck." His voice creeps up on me from behind, causing me to stumble forward in surprise.

"Shin! Again?"

Agnes and Shin both giggle at my expense, I glare at Shin, and he points his finger at Agnes, "He told me to do it."

"Agnes!"

Before I could pinch both of his cheeks, he turns into a bird and flies away, I run to my bike and chase after him.