Three months later and summer was ending.

“Ah!! The beach!!” said Lili, running around.

“Don’t run too fast!” shouted Nox.

“Come to one Yoru, let her have fun. She’s a kid… actually, have you played at the beach?”

“… Actually no? Just the sand.”

“Well, why not enjoy yourself?” Cirrus said as he sits on a lawn chair with a drink in hand.

“And what about you? Circe is with Lenoa making potions. Ai is on patrol. Are you just gonna sit there and drink with Poseidon?”

She turned her gaze to Poseidon, who was next to him.

“Hey-yo!” he said.

“Uhh… yes? I had enough time on the beach, as you know.”

“Ah… right… well fine, just don’t let this god try to give you alcohol.”

“Come on, he’s old enough! 15 is a good drinking age! Plus, with his immunity rank, he’ll be fine!” said Poseidon.

“…” she stared at him before going to get Lili.

“Hmm, pretty good disguises 'Sora',” Poseidon said in quotations. “And once again I’m sorry about um…”

“It's fine. I was the only one capable of getting near it and killing it. If it had escaped, it would have killed many people. So no need to beat yourself up on it, especially from what I heard. You tried to look for me for 6 months scouring the sea.”

“Still… I didn’t think you would be gone for 4 years; I would have taken Nox, but… her eyes were like the world caved in and she was desperately looking for a light.”

“…”

“Sorry to make the mood so sad… say I heard you are a musician now, right? You even played in a Gods Banquet! So how was it? Did you see Freya!”

“I did, and many more gods with their children. Apollo was… um, kinda well…”

“Ah yes him… yeah he’s a very… shall we say, putting it lightly is… passionate.”

“Hmm…”

Cirrus knew of Apollo and some of his myths. He really was a passionate god, a little too passionate of you to ask a mythologist. Several strings of lovers all, all never had a good ending.

“…” Poseidon glances at Cirrus a bit.

“What is it? Is it something on my face?” Cirrus could feel his eyes on him.

Cirrus looked to see Poseidon staring at him closely.

“No, no… I just thought… you looked like someone I know?”

‘Of course he knew them. I heard from Fels and Ouranos that my biological mom and Hera looked like each other reflections.’

“I’m sure I do for a god who has walked the world of Gekai for so long. I’m sure you have seen many with my face.”

“True… but oh well, it’s been so long to pin it down.”

He returned to his usual position as he drinks from his glass.

“Oh, by the way, I forgot to ask did some of the Amazoness…” Poseidon asked, looking a bit fidgety.

“… They did.”

“Ah fuck!!” he shouted, knowing he had some grandkids.

“It was nice of you to invite me here,” Cirrus said, moving this conversation along.

“Ah… well yes, seeing as summer was about to end and the beach is empty, I figured why not bring him and let him enjoy some peace and joy? Orario has peace but um… I figured that would end with a knife to the back sooo…”

“Hahaha!! Yeah, it does have that… thanks… you have some alcohol, right?”

Poseidon smiles and rummages through his bag and takes out a bottle.

“Of course!”

 

Sometime later, as the sun was setting, Cirrus fell asleep, Poseidon left drunk, and Nox took Lili back to the inn.

Whoosh!

Whoosh!

‘The sound of the ocean tide coming in and out… how relaxing.’

"***"

‘Hm? who’s talking?’

"***"

Cirrus slowly opens his eyes to see an older woman with ruby eyes and grey hair.

“Um… could I help you, miss?” Cirrus said, getting up to find he still had his sunglasses.

“Oh, dearie me, I was hoping if you wish to buy some of my wares!” she said slowly, getting a seashell bracelet.

“… Sure,” Cirrus said with a smile. “How much is it?”

“10,000 valis!”

“Oh well, that’s--!!” Cirrus had to stop and process that amount. “C-can I ask why it’s so expensive?”

“It’s for my grandchildren. They're too young to work out at sea, so I’m selling my wares at a higher price than I would like.”

“Ah… how very… hmm, I don’t have a word for it. Uh, hardworking?”

“Mmm…” she eyes Cirrus up and down. “Tell me, boy, you have a girl in mind, don’t you?”

“…” Cirrus stared at the old woman carefully. His shadow had a hand ready to attack.

“Sorry! Sorry, dearie! I just have an eye for these kinds of things!” she rummaged through her bag and pulled out a red spider conch earring.

“What’s this?”

“It’s a red spider conch, very rare to find one, even more, to find one this small.” She said, holding it up to the moonlight. "It’s said to let you hear the soft, loving whispers of your love.”

“Ummm.” Cirrus’s face reddened.

“Don’t worry, young one.” She said with a smile. “This one costs 30,000!”

“… Cunning is more like it. Here for your grandkids.” Cirrus reached behind his back and hands her 30 thousand Valis and she hands him the earring. “So I just — “

He looked up to see her vanish.

“… Ah fuck, was she a witch!”

 

In Melen, on the town’s outskirts, the old woman enters her home.

“So, how was your grandkid?” Waiting at the table, looking at his glass of water, was Poseidon.

He looked to meet the old woman’s ruby eyes.

“He was nice, Poseidon.” The old woman took off her hat and sat down.

“This makes us even right?”

“Of course.” She snaps her fingers and peacock feathers quickly run across her to reveal her true self. The dull grey hair became as lustrous as gold. “But.” She placed her arm on the table and rested her head. “It’s a shame you didn’t know where Zeus was.” a smirk formed on her perfect face.

“Hera…” Poseidon said with a disgruntled face. “I already feel bad for leaving the kid out at sea, but doing this… you know I don’t like— “

“You’ve grown before. You were a lot like Zeus… well, maybe a bit of him is still there.” She said, getting up to get a drink.

“Then… are you done here?”

“Hmm… I don’t really know. I don’t want to rebuild my Familia; it has no more purpose anymore if Zeus is not with me. I don’t want to get back at Freya or Loki, even if they struck us when we were down.”

“You know they did it so Evilus wouldn’t— “

“I’m fully aware of it, but still would you be able to forgive Njord if one day your Familia was weakened, and he came in and kicked you out?”

“… Fine, but what then? You wanna spend time with Nephele’s kid?”

“The thought raced through my head. I did plan on it, but seeing him in person and, well… it brought back memories of her… and why she left.” She poured herself a drink and sat back down.

“Ay… when I first saw that you come to Melen, I had thought you come to retake your place in Orario or that Zeus was here.”

“Yes… I made sure you told me everything that happened that day and of that spirit.”

“Hm… are you really just going to look at him from afar? I’m sure he would like to talk with you?”

“He’s fine,” she said, taking a drink. “Whoever raised him did better than what I or Nephele could have done… what do you think?”

“Well… he can handle his liquor, that’s for sure, but… the kid is good; he has good sea legs and a good head on his shoulders! Oh, listen to his music! He’s very talented!”

Hera smiled gleefully as a grandmother would for their impressive grandchild.

“I’m sure he is…. fufu I bet you are jealous of my grandson huh!” she said in a mocking tone.

“Baah! There’s that damn mocking tone of yours! I’ll have you know that I have some grandkids of my own!”

“With Kali right?”

“… I would need to look into them, but nevertheless, they will be strong!”

“As strong as my level 7 grandchild with two Sprites contracted with him?” she said with a shit-eating grin.

“… I should have kicked you out of Melen.” He said, downing a drink.

“Ma-hahahaha!!!” Hera laughed out loud.

The two old gods would drink well into the night.

 

The next day.

“Sorry, Lord Poseidon is usually here,” Lance said. “It would seem he met up with some old friends and went out drinking.”

“His loss!” said Polly.

“Polly watch--!!” shouted Lance

Polly walked into an open door, hitting his eye.

“Ahhhh!!! My eye!! Again!!"

“… Well, it was nice to have you play for us out here,” Lance said with a smile.

“Not at all!” Cirrus went in for a handshake, and Lance leaned in.

“It was nice to see you again, Zephyr.”

“I can say the same.”

They both leaned back with a smile.

They waved goodbye to the residents of Melen as they were being taken to Orario. In a small glimpse, Cirrus saw the old woman, but as he turned to see her, she was gone.

“Something wrong Sora?” asked Nox.

“Yeah, you look like you saw something?” Lili said.

“… Seems I need to drink more water.”

Cirrus gets out of his canister and drinks from it. As he drinks, Lili notices a red spider conch earring on his left ear.

“Where did you get that!” she shouted and pointing at the earring.

“Bought it. Sorry I couldn’t get you or Yoru one. They only had one.”

‘I think?’

Watching her grandchild leave from the shadows of Melen, Hera smiles.

“So did you enchant that earring?” Poseidon asks, drinking water like he was out in the desert.

“Maybe.” She said with a smile.

“A Red Conch… heh, who’s the lucky girl?”

“I’ll know soon enough. I am the Goddess of Marriage. I’m sure whoever he picks will be just fine.”

“Bah-hahahaha!!! I didn’t know you can tell jokes!” Poseidon laughed as he walked away.

“… Lucky you're good friends with Zeus.” She said, pulling out a purple conch. “I may not be as skilled in magic as Freya, but making something for keeping in touch with family is easy enough.”

She touches the conch and a small divine window popped up and sound started to come out of the conch.

“Now let’s have a look into your life.”