Asgard
2226 Words
Hearing beeps and murmurs of a few people, I wake up from the nightmare. My skin feels tight like I'm in a grave. The fear from the nightmare is still there lingering in my chest, preventing me to sigh. There is a breathing tube under my nose as well as electrodes attaching to my chest. I'm in an infirmary.
“You're awake, Leo?” asks someone from my left.
I couldn't guess who it is because my ears feeling like they're stuffed. Also, I shouldn't use my senses just for this time. My head feels so dizzy. I turn my head and see it is Darius. Eleanna is sitting on a chair beside his bed. Just now, she lets go of Darius's hand. What's up between them?
“How long have I been…” Ugh… my head hurts. “out?”
“Five days,” says Eleanna. “Darius woke up a day earlier than you but can't leave yet.” Her face becomes stern. “Both of you are suspended from missions until further notice.”
“What?” I question. Darius is looking like he got over it. Maybe she told him a while ago. “Why?” I ask.
“Insubordination. You disobeyed Lady Mila's orders.”
“That's it?” I ask with a grunt, trying to sit up. “I'm sure she will understand and forgive me.”
“Oh, I'm sure she has. But the decision of your suspension lies in the hands of the Council of Houses of Olympus. You're lucky enough to avoid graver punishment and very lucky that Lord Ashe found both of you.”
Those stupid Houses again… “But we were just trying to help-”
“Help the rogue gods to live after they deserted from their duties as the protectors of the Realm and led the uprising against the Ra Clan? I don't think the Houses are proud for what you did.”
“You don't understand!” I couldn't help but rage. “I have the feeling that someday they will help us!”
“I do understand but what I spoke are the thoughts of the Houses, not my own. I personally don't hold a grudge against them since they helped Olympus flee by stalling Dragunov. If Aurelia and I were there, we would've handled the situation but they timed their attack so well.”
“Lord Seok warned us about traitors hiding among us—that's why. They should start worrying more about that and lesser about our suspension.”
“They're working on it.” She looks at me for a second. “And they're considering that the two of you are the rats.”
“That's foolishness!!” I rage but Darius is calm that it irritates me. “Darius, are you okay with this?!”
He tries to answer hesitantly. “Leo, I… uh-”
“Darius understands the situation,” she cuts. “He knows laying down for a while will help mitigate the situation and eventually result in both of your releases and restoration of their trust in you.”
In frustration, I grunt, “I can't believe this!”
“You best believe.”
“Yeah, so… where are we?”
“Asgard.”
“What the hell?! It's so far away from Olympus! I need to keep searching to find my sister!”
“Well, we have no choice.”
“Everything is messed up!” Frowning, I squeeze my forehead. How can I find Hera while in this situation?
“Sorry, Leo. It's just the way it is.”
“Great…”
Minutes passed and only the three of us are in this room. Eleanna talks to Darius about her life in Asgard. They don't mind me frowning here all by myself. I can't stop thinking about my nightmare and if Hera is safe. Maybe their souls have come to haunt me through that nightmare. That would mean Hera is gone. No, no, no, no. She's alive. That was just a dream. It's not real.
The conversation between Eleanna and Darius is still going. I suspect that something is happening between them. But that would make no sense because I've been with him for quite a time and I would know about it first. Or maybe I don't. He has a private side of his life after all. Everyone has it. But if what I'm thinking is true, then I should congratulate him for fishing one of the best fishes there is in the sea. A powerful princess of Asgard at that.
Oh, they're looking this way. So I look away.
“I'll leave the two of you now for a while,” she says standing up.
“Okay, bye,” he smiles at her and I find it disturbing.
He never smiled like a normal person before.
“Bye,” she says, waving her hand, and smiling before closing the door.
I look at him and he looks at me, still putting on that smile of his.
“Nice catch,” I compliment him.
“You know me,” he boasts, putting both of his hands at the back of his head to lie down. “Being the best means getting the best.”
“Well, I think you and Lady Aurelia have a better chemistry.”
He springs up into sitting, widening his eyes at me. “What?! No. She's a tomboy, you know that.”
“Maybe.”
Looking away, he rubs his chin to think. It's with this kind of thing, he uses his mind more. “But it's weird if that's the case since I think of her as a step-sister.”
I let out a quick chuckle after remembering something from the internet. “‘Help, step-brother. I'm stuck.’—that kind of weird?”
He laughs but halts in seriousness. “No, don't me. You and Lady Mila have been doing well lately.”
“It's nothing like that. Like how you- Uh, no. I mean, she's not even the kind of girl I like but I like her as a friend. And…” What I'm about to say is something that needs to be treated seriously so I make my tone and face according to it. “I'm a human. She's a goddess. We're worlds apart and I shouldn't even think about it. Well, I don't even think about it. And I have no time for other things such as that but finding a way to find Hera.” I lie back on the bed to sigh. “I can't fool around while my sister is waiting for me to save her, Darius. You're lucky you have it all.”
It takes him for a few seconds to respond, “Well, I'm sorry for that.”
“Just don't talk to me about this kind of thing again. It doesn't help. Please.”
He lies down. “If you say so.”
Looking at the ceiling, I try to remember Hera's face so I can spot her from thousands of miles away when she shows up. I don't want to forget her face. Then someone opens the door.
It's Mila.
“Nice to see you, my lady,” we greet, sitting up.
She smiles and walks to the table between our beds. She puts a basket full of fruits on it. “I'm glad to see you awake, Leo,” she says to me.
“Thank you, my lady. I'm sorry for not listening to you.”
“It's okay. I forgive you. Just don't do it again.” Her eyes turn black. “Or I will chain you in the Depths of Tartarus!!”
I'm startled and she walks away, slamming the door shut as she leaves the room. A deafening silence invades the room. Darius is quite alarmed too.
“She's still scary as ever,” he says.
“You said it.”
“You know, she brought us food the other day but can't stay to look after us. She's busy.” He begins taking more than half of the fruits.
“Then where's the rest of the food she brought?” I ask.
“I ate them of course. They'll get spoiled.”
“You greedy bastard! Now you're taking more than half! Give me that!”
“I'm huwwngry!” he says with his mouth full and I try to reach the fruits in his arms.
“I'm hungry too! Hey!”
-
*
Walking in the passages, Mila looks at the ground. She's deep in thought.
“We're worlds apart?” she asks herself, biting her lip in worry. “That's not true.” Then she shakes her head to remove her thoughts. Looking straight ahead, she says, “He's right. We have no time to think about that.”
*
-
Days later, we are feeling fine. We can walk on our own and I can use my senses all the time without feeling dizzy. Eleanna brings both of us outside. We of course use masks and our suits but not battlesuits for both of us. We've been suspended after all. Eleanna and Darius walk side by side while I walk behind them acting as if I'm the third wheel for their date.
Well, anyway. Her reason to take us outside for a moment is to make us familiarize this fortress. We watch from a tower in the middle of everything. The underground shelter where humans stay as well as the resting place of everyone is surrounded by defenses. CIWS—gatling guns controlled by computers. Towers with snipers that can kill demigods and gods. Also, warning systems using radar. But there is radiation from the fallout. I'm not sure if it affects it. Then there are helipads and pads for vertical landing jet planes. There are defenses I don't know what they're for.
“As you see,” says Eleanna. “the defenses here are better than Olympus.”
“Far better—I would say,” I add.
“Except the Olympus survivors, the remainders of each Demigod Clans have this defense. The reason why we were able to set this up is because of Lord Seok's strategy. He used Olympus as bait to lure most of the Masked League and so giving me and Aurelia time to collect resources and manpower for them to build everything. Rest assured, when those men attack again, we will win.”
“That's if they come from outside,” I suggest.
“Right,” she nods at me. “and that's the hardest part.” She looks around, looking at the farthest we can see.
“May I ask, my lady? Is the King of Asgard here?”
Darius just looks at me while she turns around to say, “My father is dead, along with half of my clan.”
“I'm sorry,” I bow. I knew I shouldn't have asked that.
“It's fine.”
I'm amazed by how stoic she is for a girl. So leader-like. Then she continues to brief us about the situation:
“Lord Narada and Lady Hilde have been patched up very well. Both of them and Lord Seok decided to go lead the other Demigod Clans, leaving the rest of us, Seaters of Olympus Mons to defend this place but under the command of the Houses of Olympus. Their say, we do.”
I look down and shake my head for a bit.
“It sucks, I know,” she says. “But since they have the humans in their custody, we have no choice but to follow so we can keep our portions of prayers.”
“Even in the Apocalypse, that law still exists?” I question.
“It does,” says someone behind us. It's Mila. “Sorry for the intrusion, my lady,” she bows at Eleanna.
“It's fine.”
Walking to look at the view we are seeing, she stands beside me at the left. “Keeping the law of Olympus intact is showing that Olympus is still thriving. We may have lost a lot but that doesn't mean we have to abandon the order then plunge into chaos. Following the law makes everyone feel secure and have a side to turn to. It makes us one. And it makes us stronger. Just look at what we built here. This is built because of order. And that is why it's supposed to be Lady Aiko overseeing here but overruled by the Houses. She understands, regardless.”
I understand it now. Everything changed but not the system of ruling. I hate it. Those Houses are still living with silver spoons in their mouths.
After that, we head back to the shelter. Rooms made out of Olympian Steel walls are waiting for us. They confiscate Darius's Dagger and make us wear clothes without pockets. It makes no sense for them I do this to me because I can get out of here if I wanted to. I can free Darius and we will be on our way. But that would be stupid. Everyone will have no choice but to take us down. We won't stand a chance.
Hera… how am I supposed to find you now?
- Writer
