Some time pass, and it was now the start of the summer months. Cirrus is now 14 years old. One day, as Cirrus, Nox and Lili were eating at Mia’s pub, Ganesha came up to them with a proposition.

“You want us to perform at your banquet?” said Cirrus.

“Yes!!” said Ganesha with his captain Shakti and her little sister Ardi behind him. “I wanted to host a get-together with the other gods to show off my greatness!!” he shouted as he did body-building poses.

“I… see.” Said Nox.

“Miss Yoru and Mr. Sora.” Said Shakti, coming in front of her god. “We wish to hire you to play for the event, as you know the city is… well.”

“A dangerous cesspool where forces of evil are trying to cause chaos?” Cirrus said, taking a bite of his food.

“That is correct, but we wish to have an event to show them we, the Ganesha Familia, are more than enough to hold them back.” She said in a stern voice.

“We know it would be dangerous but — “before Ardi could finish Nox stepped in.

“How much?”

“Eh?” the sisters said.

“S-sir Sora! Miss Yoru a-are you really planning ongoing to such a dangerous place!?” Lili said.

“Depends on the money,” Cirrus said. “You will be surprised by what people will do for money; danger be dammed.” He said with a smile. “So how much?”

“Umm… how about 5 million Valis?” said Shakti.

Cirrus looks at Nox, and she shakes her head.

“Seems we have a deal!” he said.

“Great!!!” Ganesha said joyfully.

“W-we will give you the details when everything is all completed!” Ardi said.

“Mm, meet us back here if that is fine with you?”

“No problem at all.” Shakti gave a slight bow, as did her sister, taking Ganesha with them.

“… So.” Nox turned to Lili. “Seems we will need some nice clothes.”

“R-really!?”

 

Some days later, they returned and gave them the details. On the day of the Banquet, Cirrus and the others arrived early to set up.

“Mmmm….” Said Lili.

“No need to get nervous.” Said Nox.

“B-but we will be playing for the gods!” she said.

“So? Think of the gods as any other person. The only other thing that makes them even noticeable to normal people is their divinity, so when you’re playing, simply look at me and Yoru.” Said Cirrus, tuning his guitar and various other instruments.

"A-alright!" she said firmly.

“It’s pretty nice of Ganesha to prepare us so many instruments!” Nox said.

“It’s also a good thing we went and learned to play other instruments.”

“I-is that where your money went?!” said Lili.

“Of course! If a musician sticks with one instrument, what would happen if it broke one day? They would be lost! And starve to death!” Cirrus said dramatically.

“Don’t worry, you’ll be fine! You're rather good with the flute!” Nox said with a smile that made Lili a bit at ease.

“A-alright!” she said confidently.

 

A bit later, the party starts, and many gods arrive with their children. Loki came with Finn, Freya came with her captain Ottar, Hephaestus brought Tsubaki, Susanoo brought Kushida, Astraea brought Alise, Hermes brought Lydia, and Artemis brought Rethusa.

♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪~

The music filled the room, and everyone was enjoying themselves.

‘Hey Cirrus, you notice we were getting some intense stares?’ Nox said, giving glances at the guests.

‘I know, it’s from Freya.’

‘Freya? Why her?’

‘I asked Artemis about her, and she said because she is a goddess of beauty, she naturally has a passive charm effect.’

‘And that explains her staring because???’

‘Because she isn’t just a goddess of beauty, she is a god of death with many other attributes much like Artemis is the Goddess of the Hunt and Moon if she used her Arcanum she could manifest a bow as large as the moon, and shoot anyone she wants. It would stand to reason that since she is mostly known as a god of hunting and chastity, she would be more proficient in those rather than anything.’

‘So Freya is a god of death? So what she can see souls or something?’

‘It’s a high possibility given that she is a god of magic, so she must have some natural ability to see something no one could hide.’

‘Yes, and she knows I am Zephyr, but she does not know of my lineage. Astraea told me she and Hera did not get along very well.’

‘Good to know Ottar is a man of his word, then.’

The night went on to see many of the gods dancing with their children, and nothing occurred. It seemed the Ganesha Familia was able to fend off anything bad from happening.

           

Taking a break, Cirrus, Nox, and Lili went to the back to get some drinks and food.

“Sigh!” taking a large sigh of relief, Lili sat down exhausted. “I-I didn’t think I would be here.” She said.

“You are a hard worker.” Nox said. “That is what we asked of you, and you provide.”

“T-thanks!” she said, bright-eyed.

Cirrus and Nox knew she was an orphan; her endurance was far better than advantage immediately they picked up. She was in a Familia, but which one they never asked nor prodded into it. She was simply Liliruca Arde to them, a hard-working girl.

Knock! Knock!

A knocking on the door opens to show the elegant hands of the goddess of beauty.

She came in an elegant silver dress to match her silver hair and purple eyes, and the room slowly filled with her scent.

Cirrus quickly found Lili to be intoxicated by her scent alone and fell asleep. Nox laid her head on her lap.

“Oh dear, I’m sorry. It seems my divinity was a bit much for a tired child.” She said, coming in with Ottar behind her.

“No need to make planned excuses,” Cirrus said, keeping his wits about him now that he knows more of Freya’s natural abilities.

Cirrus removes his sunglasses to show his emerald eyes.

“You were always smart, Cirrus,” Freya said sweetly. “But you… I did not catch your name. I would assume it isn’t Moon, correct?” she said, sitting down.

“Well, seeing as you already know of Cirrus, I guess it’s no use hiding.” She touched the magic item and her natural color returned.

Her hair returned to a white as though it rejected the light itself. Her eyes were even more silver and radiant than even Freya herself, as she felt a color of a red dash across her cheeks before quickly regaining her composure.

“I had thought you were a very special Familiar; seems I was half right.”

A grin grew across Nox’s face.

“My name is Nox, a Sprite of old.” She gets up, handing Lili to Cirrus and gives a graceful bow. “And contracted with Cirrus.” She said with a bigger smile.

Frey looks at her keenly and then at Cirrus.

“I see, so that is why…” she murmured.

“So what brings you here, Freya?” Nox said, not adding an honorific to her name, much like the other gods she did not fancy.

Freya didn’t seem bothered by it but Ottar, they could see a light anger fire in his eye.

“Ottar,” Freya said, placing her hand on his wide chest. “It's fine.”

“… Mm.” he nods.

“Now Nox was it? I came here to greet you and Cirrus.” She said with a smile.

“So I would assume those times I was walking through Orario and that time I was talking with Hephaestus it was your sharp gaze, right? And that 'accidental' meeting was planned, right?” Cirrus said, stroking Lili’s hair.

“Fufu… maybe.” She hid her intentions behind a false and charming smile and tone of voice. “But calling it 'accidental' with our bump meeting, I’m a bit hurt.”

“I don’t know how long you have been keeping an eye on me but given that you are a god of war learning of the places I frequent from high on up was simple to plan ahead, after all, you survived to be one of Orario’s strongest Familia.” Cirrus picks Lili up and hands her to Nox and puts his hands to his sides. “So, what is your plan for this meeting?”

A devilish smile grew on her face.