POV General -
A new morning dawned over the town of Gaze, its forest and the small cabin where the Cerberus crew had been hiding for three days now. They had bought everything they needed for their next destination and were just waiting for the last orders to be delivered. So, despite a hectic first night, the four days they had left to wait were mostly for relaxation after Belfort City.
In the small living room of the house, Lucas was sitting on a chair around the table, his brown eyes proving that he was calm and thoughtful. Not far from him, there was a small kitchen, half outside, from which various sounds were coming out. So everything was more or less quiet when Kali appeared in the stairwell, rubbing her eyes as she saw Lucas already standing before saying hello.
"Yaawn, hi Lucas, slept well ?"
"Oh Kali, yup and you ?"
"I was a little worried about..."
"Wait a minute, isn't that you in the kitchen making breakfast ? Earlier from the upstairs room I saw you get up."
Lucas didn't even give Kali time to finish that he was already asking her another question after his brain had stopped for a few seconds. He was sure he had seen his friend get up and had deduced that she had gone to prepare breakfast. So why was she standing there yawning as if she had just woken up ? Understanding where the young man wanted to go, Kali came to sit next to him by removing the mystery.
"Yes I was going to take care of it but there was already noise in the kitchen, I thought it was you and you had beaten me to it so I went back to bed."
A few seconds ago she was still too sleepy to realize it but now the young woman realized that she had been wrong too. Lucas sat doing nothing, thinking a melancholy look on his face as he often did when he was alone. Bringing a hand to her chin, Kali then pondered with her friend who it could be, too sleepy to get up and walk over to check directly.
"Mmmh weeell, Edward is training on the beach and spending time with Odin while watching the animals on the deck, Joe has been meditating by the cliff for the past hour, Mysie is still sleeping with Achi in our room up there so...who could it be ?"
"It's not the mom and son, I'm reaching out and they're still sound asleep"
Ulysses and his mother still in the farthest room upstairs were still sleeping having spent the night together after the events they had experienced. Kali who had excellent hearing could hear it in their breathing if she concentrated more to target the sounds. Anyway, even if they were awake, the two friends doubted that they would get a sudden urge to make breakfast.
"Yeah and then it's definitely not Buggy and Douggy they wanted to stay over on the ship and Hestia she is...she…is...she..."
"...."
Suddenly, as Lucas continued to eliminate one by one the members of the crew, arrived at his Captain a terrible doubt suddenly assailed him. Turning in panic to Kali, he saw her shaking her head as alarmed as he was, indicating that she didn't know what Hestia was doing. If everyone was already busy and neither of them knew where she was, it only meant one thing.
"D-Don't tell me that..."
"N-Not way..."
Turning their heads slowly toward the kitchen door, pale and almost shaking, the two friends realized that once again their stomachs were going to suffer. Disturbed by what she was feeling, unable to understand what was happening to her, the beautiful blonde had rushed into the kitchen. It was either that or commit a murder, Hestia having opted for the least complicated and most discreet solution for the greatest misfortune of her companions.
_____
- POV Mother -
"M-Mommy ? This really isn't a dream, is it ?"
"It's not a dream my darling, I'm here and we're both fine..."
It seemed to be noon, Ulysses and I had woken up at about the same time and the reunion had been more than emotional. For an hour he had told me in his own words what he thought had happened and how he had crossed the forest before entering "the super strong lady". My little boy hadn't met Hestia since then either and was probably as excited as I was, already having a boundless admiration for her.
Ulysses was only 7 years old, all his life he had been a slave, our story not the most exciting and happy one. He didn't grow up like a normal little boy, didn't know what it was like to have friends, to go to school and especially to have fun as he should at his age. Yet when Ulysses talked about Hestia, he had a new gleam in his eyes that I had never seen before, he had found a heroine.
"Say, say, what are they like the ones who came to save you ?"
"Well...I-I don't know."
As I gently stroked his hair and he hugged me he asked me a question I didn't expect. I couldn't really answer, I had only seen and talked to Kali and Edward and it would be a lie to say I wasn't wondering the same thing. Even though I was grateful I was also still wary as my son's innocence resurfaced, his sense of mistrust gone.
[I hope with all my being that these are all people I could trust by the time our paths separate]
I didn't know anything about them, except what the young woman had told me, which was only about the night our lives changed. I didn't know how many of them there were, what they did in Gaze or even in life, but they seemed very young to me. I was 37 years old and the first thing that struck me was our guests, two of whom I thought were between 19 and 23, which to me was crazy.
"M-Mommy ?"
"Yes honey ?"
Again, Ulysses called out to me, gently patting my lap on which his little head had been resting for a while now. As I answered, he plunged his beautiful blue eyes into mine before straightening up and putting an ear to my stomach. I knew my son by heart and I knew exactly what he was going to ask so without letting him worry any more I answered him without him having to ask the question.
"Yes honey, the baby is fine~"
"I-it's true ? I'm so happy !"
The next moment a big, sincere, relieved smile appeared on his face as his eyes lit up at this news. Throwing himself into my arms nearly toppling over backwards, I held him as tightly as I could, as happy and relieved as he was. Both our bodies were still hurting, but this time it was a soft, comforting, loving pain that warmed our little bruised hearts.
Our embrace seemed eternal, I could hear Ulysses sobbing softly as he tried his best to hide it from me. This time, his tears didn't tear my heart out and it was even a brand new feeling I was discovering or had forgotten. As we stood together, suddenly behind the door there was a shout that cut us off and made us jump.
"MYSIE GIVE ME MY DIARY BACK OR I'LL MAKE YOU KISS THE BROOM !"
"TEEHEEEE~"
[A-A...a young girl ?]
The screaming and laughter had echoed down the hallway followed by the sounds of running footsteps that according to my ear had come down to the first floor. The voice had been that of a girl who sounded like she was 14 or 15 years old, which made me even more confused and confused about our hosts. Motioning to Ulysses to be quiet, I reached out with my ear, concentrating more letting myself hear voices talking to each other downstairs.
"W-We're going to see mommy ?"
"I-..."
My son also seemed to have picked up on the voices and after what had happened in the hallway I knew he was curious more than fearful. I knew we would eventually leave this room but I couldn't help it, I was terrified and wary. I didn't know what to say to him as negative thoughts started to invade me before I felt a small hand on mine and heard Ulysses' voice.
"I-It will be fine...I...I'm sure of it~"
He too was shaking slightly but he kept his radiant smile that he always showed me when he felt I was scared or told me he loved me. Yes, all his life my little ray of sunshine had been strong and braver than any child of his age. Once he was proving to me that he was that little warrior that I loved so if I couldn't trust this group again I was going to trust him.
"Alright~"
Putting my hand on his hair to pat his head and nodding, helping each other we decided to get up to look. I was using my crutches and Ulysses, thank god, could walk even if it was slowly, it was always faster than me. My body was less heavy, it still hurt but I had seen worse days and the pain seemed to fade little by little with rest.
*creak*
That was it, Ulysses was opening the door by pulling himself up on his tiptoes because my arms were caught by the wooden crutches that kept me upright. Suddenly the sounds of voices became even louder now that we had one foot almost in the hallway. Pushing my head through the door, I slowly moved forward to discover the upstairs, all made of wood and composed of four rooms in a hallway with a staircase at the end.
My son was the one who had given me the courage to meet them all but at that moment he was standing behind me clutching my dress moving forward only when I did. Taking my courage in both hands, I continued to advance in the corridor feeling myself shaking a little more each time. At the end of 5 minutes of effort I finally found myself in front of the stairs that I started to descend, my heart not ceasing to drum in my chest.
It is thus both stressed to death that we decided to go slowly, taking care not to fall or to hurt ourselves. After another 5 long minutes struggling with my crutches, I finally put my foot on the ground floor with Ulysses still behind me. Suddenly I felt very embarrassed as the feeling of being watched took me away from them, preventing me from looking up to meet their eyes.
[O-Open your eyes, p-present yourself...say hello...don't be rude, look up]
"H-He-Hello !"
As I struggled with my anxiety, the small, shaky, hesitant voice suddenly echoed in front of me, making me open my eyes instantly. He had walked past me and leaned forward in respect, a sad reminder of his life as a slave. I was impressed and speechless, once again he had found the courage to do what I had not dared to do, encouraging me to finally raise my head.
In front of us there were six people who looked at us with a palpable surprise in their eyes after our sudden appearance after two days locked up. There was Kali who I had seen twice before, she was carrying plates in her hands and was putting them on a table. Edward was there too, he had a cat on his head and was sharpening an axe leaning in a corner of the room slightly behind.
Obviously they were not alone, hanging from the chandelier of the room, a girl who seemed younger than Kali, red hair tied in a braid was trying to escape from another. Just below, a blonde who was probably 15 year old seemed to be trying to catch the feet of the one perched on the ceiling, pouting with a face that was more cute than scary. Behind the two girls, a young man with long hair and an impressive height was about to grab them both by the collar.
The last one was a man, probably the oldest of them all although still young to me, gray hair, quite elegant, studying a map on a small table. Everyone had stopped what they were doing to look at us, as if the scene had stopped in mid-motion. There was an awkward silence before finally Kali set the plates on the table before answering my son with a smile.
"Hello, Ulysses~"
____
10 minutes after we arrived in the living room, we were all seated around the table with a huge feast that seemed to be too good to be true. I had never seen so much food and I felt embarrassed to be there with my collar on, like I was breaking an important rule among slaves. Ulysses was on my lap, silent, all red with embarrassment squirming softly from a terribly adorable shyness.
When I arrived, I had scanned the entire room but had found no trace of anyone with golden hair. Hestia was not among them and I wanted to wait for her arrival to thank them all, to introduce myself and my son. I knew all their names now, Lucas Deadrose, Mysie Kortlein, Kali Deimos, Gentlemen Joe Newgate, Edward Hartvigsen and finally Achi Coconut, a name that Ulysses had found funny.
The six who seemed to be very close had welcomed us very kindly despite my instinct that made me shiver every time I looked at them. They looked at us intensely which made me feel a little uncomfortable, being relieved that my bandages were covering my scars, my damaged and ugly body. But that wasn't why I was most nervous, every minute that passed I was dreading the moment when Hestia would appear.
"We're waiting for Hestia to start eating, she went hunting for fun and exercise, I don't know when she'll be back but she shouldn't be too long anymore and..."
*VLAM*
Just as the young woman named Mysie seemed to have figured out what I was stressing about and gave me more direction, she was cut off by the sound of a door opening rather loudly. Looking up at the source of the noise, it was there that I finally saw her for the very first time, our savior, our golden-haired heroine. Hestia was standing in the doorway and as my eyes fell on her, I froze.
[H-Hestia...]
Hestia stood before me, not only could I not move, but my breathing seemed to stop at the scene. Her golden blond hair was long, wild and almost down to her hips, perfectly matched with cold, piercing gray-green eyes. She was the one who had saved me, I could never forget that look that night that had terrified me and that today fascinated me by their beauty.
She carried on her right shoulder a huge boar and a second one in her left hand as if they weighed nothing at all and I understood why. Hestia was wearing black pants, a white blood-stained shirt that was completely open, revealing tattoos and well-defined abs glistening with sweat. The young woman also had huge scars on her body, and one eye, making me shiver once again, wondering what the hell she had been through.
[A warrior...]
It was the only word that came to my mind, Hestia was for me a rare wild warrior beauty, as if she could carry the world on her shoulders. She gave off this terrifying, suffocating, yet hypnotizing aura of danger that reminded me of a powerful, majestic, and dominant tiger. Like the first time I met her, she was covered in blood which seemed to be a habit accentuating this strange feeling.
I hadn't seen her the first time since Hestia had her face hidden the night she saved me, but she was unreal in her beauty. I hadn't felt this way in years and never so intensely but my heart was pounding, my body was shaking and I felt myself blushing. It was this woman who had saved me, she, who had flown to my rescue without even knowing me, putting her life in danger without question.
It was a good feeling and the more I thought about that night the more my face warmed up to the idea that Hestia had carried me in her arms all the way here. What was happening to me ? All I wanted to do was give her my name, apologize and thank her, but her entrance had changed everything. She was staring at me intently and I found myself unable to speak, unable to move, unable to blink, hearing my heart beating like crazy in my ears.
[C-Calm down]
Unable to calm myself and to support her gaze which seemed to be able to read my soul, I lowered my eyes while she started to move again, dropping the boars on the ground. Without a word Hestia went to sit at the end of the table next to Kali and Lucas, right in front of my son and me. He too was speechless, watching her every move with a great admiration that grew every moment a little more.
Was I also admiring, grateful or something else ? Trying to breathe as naturally as possible, I began to shake Ulysses' hand even harder. The meal was about to start, everyone was looking at us in turn and I just wanted to hide. Everything was so intense and at that moment I didn't know it yet but I was not going to be able to open my mouth at noon and even less to address Hestia.
[Fuck ! What the hell is wrong with me ?]
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