Chapter Text
Opening Notes: So I came across a story where an OC (likely an SI with no knowledge of where she is) Spartan outta Halo somehow found themselves in Danmachi. The novel idea was pretty damn intriguing, and well, here we are. That and our Marital Bliss During the Dark Times co op story isn't getting near as much attention as we'd been hoping, so this'll be another attempt at trying to do something together and all that. Still, if you all want more of Marital Bliss, hopefully it'll pick up soon because as things stand, I'm not sure if we'll be able to muster up the motivation to keep it going which sucks because we were having fun with it.
ORIGINALLY POSTED ON QUESTIONABLE QUESTING
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Chapter 1
A Titanic Struggle
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The Underworld, Lord Hades' Estate
Chronos' Stolen Throne
Melinoë, Princess of the Underworld's POV…
How many times, she couldn't have said, she'd lost count a long time ago. Yet her task was still incomplete. She was getting close though. She knew it in her bones. Every fight she had with the bastard allowed her to learn more about the Titan that had taken everything from her. Every attack he leveled against her, she ingrained into her memory. Every spell Chronos threw at her, she learned to counter. Every tactic he employed, she found a way to circumnavigate. Nothing could stop her. Nothing would stop her until she found a way to completely destroy Chronos once and for all.
So she stepped into the gaudy, gold covered grand hall that Chronos had taken as his own. Taken from her father, Lord Hades, ruler of the Underworld, and her mother, Persephone, daughter to Demeter. Two people she had no memory of, having been rescued by Hecate the night Chronos took everything from her while Melinoë had still been a baby. The very thought had Melinoë's blood boiling as her silver daggers, one blade a glimmering crescent moon, the other a parrying dagger, flashed before another Satyr, out of countless hundreds she'd defeated in previous runs through her father's realm, popped into a cloud of sand, cut down to size as she charged towards Chronos himself without missing a step.
"Blasted girl! I grow tired of this!" Chronos growled as he blurred across the length of the hall, apparently no longer willing to talk before they tried to kill each other again, a slash of his oversized scythe narrowly missing Melinoë's head as she ducked, the blade just grazing her hair. "Grrrraaaagh!" He hissed in pain when her daggers slashed into his chest and stomach before he could blur away from her as he'd done countless times before during their previous fights. Hit and run was his preference, but he wasn't the only one that preferred to be agile and light on his feet. The only difference was that she didn't float everywhere she went like a lazy lout.
Again they clashed, his scythe ripping space itself apart, leaving a jagged, wavering black hole with sand swirling around the edges before the rip sealed itself with explosive force a few moments later as every slash had before. And again, Melinoë cut into the Titan of Time, having dashed just ahead of his swing before he could hit her, leaving a cut on his right side. Before he could turn to face her anew, to blur away from her again, Melinoë had cut into his back two more times in those few heartbeats, forcing him to flee once more.
It was her turn to back off though when an impenetrable barrier appeared around Chronos, a dome of frozen time that only he could move through without issue alongside a dozen orbs of explosive sand contained in similar magic as the dome. If she got close, they'd detonate, showering her with countless grains of harsh, cutting sand. She'd done that a few too many times before, and had no desire to have her flesh shredded again. So while he took a moment to get his breath back at the same time a new wave of Satyr Cultists appeared, throwing dark fire orbs in her general direction, Melinoë was all too happy to slice them apart as she patiently waited for the dome to fall since Chronos couldn't keep it up forever.
The moment came at the same time the last Satyr Cultist fell to her whirling blades, having thrown her right hand dagger into the center of the goatman's forehead. She'd yet to decide if the dome fell after she killed the last of Chronos's summoned minions, or if it was simply because enough time passed. Either way, the fight was back on once the dome disappeared, and Chronos charged her down once more. She gasped in pain as his scythe caught her across the midriff before she could get out of his weapon's reach. Thankfully a timely inhale of her gut, and her backing off the moment she realized he was coming at her, saw the damage done reduced a great deal, but the explosion of reality sealing itself behind his slash was just close enough to her that the edges caught her, fresh cuts appearing across her chest a heartbeat later. She couldn't afford another hit like that. Fortunately she'd beaten him before while hanging on by a thread.
She could do it again if the need arose.
His scythe flashed again, this time Chronos following up with another two slashes, but she wasn't anywhere near him this time. A flash of bright light made the Titan howl as he covered his eyes with an arm, leaving him wide open for another five quick slashes from Melinoë's Sister Blades. Apollo's blessings were good for leaving any enemy blinded and disoriented, even Chronos wasn't exempt from that fact.
"Blasted Apollo!" Cursed the Titan as he slashed at her again, more to drive her back than to actually hit her as he struggled to restore his vision.
Her feet meanwhile, had barely touched the ground before she was back at it.
"This is the end, Chronos!" Melinoë shouted as she closed the distance between them once more, her daggers flashing in the unnatural torchlight from a number of braziers scattered about the edges of the room.
"No, I think not, girl." He stated, his unexpected certainty very unnerving for a reason she couldn't quite place. It didn't stop her from finishing her latest attack, a barely perceptible blur thanks to a number of blessings from Hermes as she slashed into him again and again despite his efforts to keep her at bay. Or she tried to at least as her limbs strained, her muscles shook, her mind raced, but she remained frozen in place, the shadows lengthening all around her until she could only see the glow of Chronos' eyes. "You think you're the only one who's learned from our fights, my misguided, naive granddaughter?" He spat out, arrogance incarnate. "No more slinking into the shadows for you."
"Wh-what did you do?!" Melinoë raged, unable to move a muscle no matter how much she tried. "What is this?!"
"I thought you were a clever little witch? Surely even you could figure this out, girl?" Chronos chuckled darkly as a suddenly blinding light encompassed her, revealing a magic circle unlike any she'd ever seen before.
A magic circle that she realized was made entirely of Chronos's foul ichor courtesy of all of the cuts she'd marred his cracked flesh with. "No… blood magic?!"
"An ancient variant, but one I never thought I'd have to use against anyone, least of all you, girl. What the Satyrs use is a far cry from this masterpiece, but because of your resilience against my stasis spell, simply containing you is impossible, and given your stubbornness, girl, I realize you'll never stop. So… consider this my final solution. Your time has finally run out!"
"Chronos!" Melinoë roared, but nothing she knew of magic, after years and years of study at Headmistress Hecate's feet, would help her to unravel this one since she didn't recognize the magic circle's configuration at all. Its intricacy alone was astonishing, but it was about the only compliment she would ever give the Titan that had taken so much from her.
"You should feel honored, girl, this will take more than a small effort." Chronos boasted as sand, the very sand that he shaped to his will, that was an intrinsic part of his very being, swirled around the glowing circle's edges all while the darkness continued to deepen by the moment. "Now be a good girl, and disappear!"
"No." A single word had never held so much contempt as the entire hall shook, as if a great earthquake was ripping through the entirety of the Underworld. "Y-you will… not do this, Chronos!"
"Impossible?! Nyx?!" Chronos exclaimed, his spellwork momentarily forgotten as the shadows themselves lunged towards him. His left hand rose to block the attack with his palm as he reasserted his control, but he was struggling now, the primordial night itself having managed to slip through the cracks of her prison to aid Melinoë as best she could. His left arm was soon wrapped in shadowy tendrils, forcing him to strain against the power Nyx was bringing to bear despite her prison otherwise still keeping her locked in place.
The daughter of Hades redoubled her own efforts, keeping the Titan busy, and now that he was fighting on two fronts, he suddenly appeared no longer as confident as before. The strain of whatever magic he was trying to use on her had clearly weakened the stasis spell he'd placed on all of the others that numbered among the House of Hades' closest friends and family alike, allowing Nyx to use her power to help her. "Melinoë, you've… grown so strong. Your mother and father would be so proud."
"Lady Nyx!" Melinoë exclaimed, the shadows continuing to roil around the Titan of Time as they tried to drag him deeper into the darkness that Nyx herself controlled. A power so great and primordial, so intrinsic to the very fabric of reality itself, that even Hades himself feared what Nyx could potentially do to him should they ever come to blows, or so Hecate had said once when Nyx's name had been brought up during one of their lessons together. So it was with a burst of magic, tendrils of pale bluish-green appearing all around her, unlike any Melinoë had conjured up before, save for once where she had tried, and failed, to bring Icarus back to life, costing her an arm for her arrogance, that the circle's boundary began to crack, allowing Melinoë to move again. It was like her limbs were being weighed down by stone, but the more she struggled, the more the paralyzing effect of Chronos's spell began to weaken.
"You've no idea what you're doing!" Chronos roared, sounding equal parts afraid as he was enraged. "You're going to kill us all!"
"It'll be worth it if it means you fall with us, Chronos!" Melinoë shouted back. "Better to die free than to be your eternal prisoner!"
"You stupid, stupid girl!" He hissed, turning his blazing gaze on her, lifting both hands before bringing them down in a vengeful gesture. Time and space blurred and froze, intersected with the light of distant stars in the darkness and the splattered ichor of the Titan frozen in front of her eyes. For a moment that just as well could've been an eternity, Mel simply found herself unable to move, then it felt as though a hook had been punched through her very being, dragging her away through time and space, farther and farther and farther than anything Chronos had ever done to her before. Distantly, she heard an explosion and the Titan's scream of pain and rage before everything became a confusing maelstrom of light, sound, and sensation that put anything Typhon himself had ever managed to conjure to shame.
"Wh-what?!" Melinoë gasped, feeling like her head was going to explode though not before she went mad from the sensory overload as she continued to fall through reality itself. And just as suddenly as it began, it stopped as she was spat out… somewhere. Falling through the sky, Melinoë only had a few moments to see what looked like cobblestone covered ground in the center of some city she didn't recognize at all rushing up to meet her before everything went black.
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Orario, town square
Early evening…
Miach POV…
Miach had seen a lot of strange things in his time on the mortal plane.
He'd experienced his share of them personally with his Familia, which currently only numbered in the single digits, but Naaza Erisuis was, despite the headaches Miach caused her with his far too generous and compassionate nature, ever by his side. He'd forever be grateful for her presence, especially now that another seemingly young woman had quite literally fallen from the sky before hitting the stone of Orario's streets right at his feet. Anyone else would've surely been dead on the spot, but it only took him an instant to see why this strange woman wasn't a red smear before him. The fact her left arm was missing, replaced by a spectral limb created entirely by magic alone, also got his undivided attention. If only he'd been able to do something similar for Naaza, he might still have the rest of his Familia members by his side.
"What's a foreign goddess like you doing here?" Miach asked himself as he gingerly picked her up in a bridal carry before rushing back to the empty halls of his former Familia's home, and away from the onlookers that had naturally noticed the strange sight of someone randomly falling from the heavens as she had. He didn't remember her from his own time in the celestial realm, and stranger still, he had yet to meet a god or goddess that wasn't flawless, barring the notable exception of Hephaestus of course although the goddess of the forge was a rather special case, so the skeletal limb was rather attention grabbing and surely would've marked this stranger as special all on its own. Curious, as was the fact she positively stank of magic of the likes that was as foreign to him as the goddess in his arms.
Only the likes of Hecate could come close to what he could sense off of this young goddess, meaning she was quite gifted in its use. Curiouser and curiouser, but given the extent of her injuries, getting her fixed up was the most immediate concern on his mind. The rest he could figure out once her wellbeing was assured so he didn't slow down when he reached the doors of the Blue Pharmacy, he simply burst through the wooden doors, startling Naaza half to death.
"Miach?! Why are you-" She took one look at the woman he was carrying, and groaned with exasperation before asking, "Who is that?"
"I don't know, Naaza." Miach admitted as he gently laid the young goddess on a nearby examination table, the narrow bed soft and comforting as it was sturdy enough to withstand even the strongest of adventurers while they were in pain and thrashing about as a result. "She fell from the sky and landed in the town square. It looks like she was in a fight before she got here."
"Wait, is she someone you know?" Naaza asked as she hurried to get some first aid supplies together while Miach did what he could to get the goddess's clothes out of the way.
"Surprisingly no." He replied as he grimaced at the sight of the wounds that had been inflicted upon her. The ichor that covered parts of her body didn't feel natural in the slightest, nor did the slash marks that had been left on her pale flesh for that matter. Only two things that he knew about could harm a god with any certainty while they were still in the heavens. Another god, or a being on par with them. "I don't recognize her at all, but I think she's a powerful spellcaster of some kind because she stinks of magic." Naaza had since joined him by the table, her arms loaded with a number of salves, potions, bandages, and other such tools to aid in the healing process. It was the work of moments to get everything set down in a semi-organized fashion on a nearby bench, allowing them to get to work on this strange goddess.
"You had better not die on him, otherwise Lord Miach will be depressed for the next century." He heard Naaza mutter under her breath, making him smile fondly despite the dire situation as they got to work in cleaning up every trace of ichor and blood that marred the young goddess's skin before beginning to tend to her wounds more directly. She hissed a couple of times as they cleaned and bandaged her injuries, but otherwise the woman remained still, the only signs she was even still alive being the slight rise and fall of her chest, but also the fact her spectral limb hadn't disappeared. Miach seriously doubted it would've remained intact had its owner expired, so that alone was reassuring despite its otherworldly nature.
Otherworldly… He mentally hummed, wondering if there was something to that. Again, it wasn't important right now as they finished their work, having done what they could to help her. "Thank you, Naaza." Miach said as he smiled appreciatively towards the young mortal woman at his side. "I might not know who this goddess is, where she came from, but she needed help."
"Yeah yeah I know." Naaza said with a wave of her silvery mechanical prosthetic hand. "You're always having to save every cute girl that catches your eye."
"You make me sound like a lecher when you put it like that." Miach laughed sheepishly in response as he rubbed the back of his head at the same time.
"You sure act like it sometimes." She grumbled moodily under her breath, so lowly that Miach didn't quite catch it. Out loud though she sighed and softly added, "But… what's a goddess doing just falling from the sky? Has that ever happened before, Lord Miach?"
"No." Miach replied gravely, no longer smiling as he glanced towards the covered, sleeping goddess before them, having pulled the blankets up to her chin once they'd finished their work. "This has never happened before that I'm aware of. We tend to arrive a bit more gracefully than that. I'll have to ask the other gods to be sure, but I don't think they'll know anything either. Whoever she is, I don't think she's a goddess from our world at all."
"Are you serious?! Is that even possible?!" Naaza exclaimed before slapping her hands over her mouth, looking sheepish for her outburst. Thankfully, their patient didn't stir at all, having fallen into a deep, restorative sleep now that she was no longer in any immediate pain or danger.
"Before, I would've said no." Miach admitted as he put a hand on his young charge's shoulder. "But now… I think we're going to be in for some quite interesting and exciting times." He'd be lying if he said he wasn't looking forward to the excitement that this strange goddess might just bring to all of their lives because like all of the other gods that had chosen to give up most of their power in exchange for living among the mortal races, Miach had left the heavens because it was just so dreadfully boring. Nothing ever truly changed, nothing new ever happened, but both of those things weren't true for the mortal plane. New and exciting things were always happening somewhere in the world. Stories were written, legends were forged, and adventures unlike any the gods had ever experienced before their descent were told through the bonds shared between them and their Familia members.
Unfortunately, most gods like himself were… not pleasant company.
While he was like them in that he sought to be entertained, to experience new and exciting things, Miach was a far more benevolent god than many of his peers. He truly cared about those he came into contact with and had a friendly rapport with, even if they weren't a part of his Familia. Kindness cost nothing, and the world was always a little brighter when someone smiled joyfully and with warmth in his not so humble opinion. To have been the cause of such a smile was even better. Saving lives was also a rewarding experience all on its own, even if Naaza often complained he gave away too many of their limited healing potions to any in need that they had friendly relations with.
As if reading his mind, Naaza gave him a flat look, and said, "You know this is going to cost us, right? That, and we don't even know if this goddess is friendly. For all we know she was exiled for doing something bad."
"Perhaps," Miach agreed as he glanced towards the woman once more, "but we'll just have to wait and see for ourselves."
Naaza grumbled something under her breath as she stalked away, but Miach let her fume without complaint. He could understand her frustration with him, but he also knew she cared in her own way despite the front she often put up. That said, her ability to manipulate customers into buying the more expensive potions they put together wasn't something he really approved of, but Miach also understood that Naaza felt extremely guilty for the heavy debt they were in because of the silver arm that he'd bought for her after a terrible accident in the Dungeon had left Naaza near death's door.
He'd been able to heal nearly all of her injuries, including three of her limbs that the monsters had started to devour while she'd still been conscious, but one of her arms had been beyond saving, so he'd done the only thing he could think of at the time once Naaza had been stabilized, and had begged another Familia for their aid. That had been some time ago, but to this day, Naaza was utterly terrified of monsters, and couldn't bring herself to get near one again. While she could still fight them from afar with her incredible accuracy with a longbow, even that was, at times, beyond her ability. He wouldn't force her to fight in any event, no matter how far in debt they still were, or how lonely they were now that the rest of their Familia had abandoned them once everything was said and done.
No… he would never be that kind of god.
For now, all he could do was clean up the mess they'd made after tending to their most unusual patient, and wait for her to awaken. That was fine though since time was on their side. Even if Naaza hadn't entered the Dungeon in some time, she was still blessed by him, still carried a great deal of strength because of it, so her aging had been slowed as a result, as were all adventurers that were touched by a god's blessing. A blessing that grew stronger the more they made a name for themselves through overcoming great trials and turbulent times in or out of the Dungeon alike.
It was the better part of two days before their new houseguest finally woke up, and by then, Miach had had time to do a little, albeit discreet, research. As expected, none of the other gods he'd spoken with had ever heard of someone, least of all a goddess, simply falling from the sky as this one had. Trying to be discreet about her presence at his home was thankfully easy enough which was just as well since the last thing Miach wanted was for every god and goddess in Orario to start kicking in his door just so they could see her for themselves, or to start plotting ways they might amuse themselves with her.
Even so, he breathed a little easier when their guest finally opened her eyes.
He wasn't surprised however when she sat up like a bolt, a pair of silvery daggers appearing in her hands with two flashes of pale gray light that was reminiscent of moonlight as she whipped her head to and fro. "What?! Where… ugh, I feel like I've drank one too many bottles of Ambrosia." The young goddess groaned as she put a hand to one of her temples, mindful of the blade still in that same hand.
Miach smiled amusedly at the comparison to a mortal spending too long at the bar even as relief flooded through him despite the fact she'd called her weapons to her hands. "Considering the extent of your injuries, I'm surprised that's your only complaint."
He was a bit surprised by her mismatched eyes since heterochromia wasn't a common trait, in her case with one a crimson red, the other an emerald green, when she leveled them his way, a curious look on her soft, round face once she had calmed down a little. "Did you help me then?"
"I did, as did a dear friend of mine." Miach said as he walked over to her, hands up and empty to show he meant her no harm.
Thankfully that seemed to be enough as the young goddess remained where she was, "Thank you…?"
"Ah, my name is Miach, god of healing, among other things." Miach said with a gentle nod of his head. "And you are?"
"Melinoë, princess of the Underworld, daughter to Lord Hades and Lady Persephone." Melinoë, an almost lyrical name if he'd ever heard one. "Thank you for helping me. I… don't know how I can repay you for your assistance." She glanced down to her hands, and grimaced before dismissing her daggers as easily as they'd appeared.
"Don't bother offering him anything because he won't accept it." Naaza tiredly chimed in from behind Miach, who blushed and sheepishly rubbed the back of his head again.
"Oh?" Melinoë inquired with an admittedly cute tilt of her head. "But that doesn't feel right. You were kind enough to treat my, a stranger's, injuries, surely there's someth-"
"No, my dear daughter, Naaza, is correct." Miach said with a gentle shake of his head. "I did what I did out of the kindness of my heart, nothing more, Princess."
"Your daughter? But she looks nothing like you?" The question was innocent enough, yet the implications were startling as Miach blinked owlishly at the same time he heard Naaza suck in a surprised gasp, yet he could detect no lie from her. Melinoë's confusion was genuine, which meant, as impossible as it might've seemed if he hadn't been there to see her arrival, she truly was from… elsewhere because every god of their world knew how things worked. Even that blockhead, Ares, knew, and he was obsessed with trying to conquer the world. Thankfully, Ares was an idiot, and was always inevitably driven away anytime he tried to raise an army against Orario's numerous adventurers.
So Melinoë's confusion only solidified the truth of her circumstances for Miach.
"Wh-what are you saying? Do you really not know how things work around here?!" Naaza exclaimed as she all but jumped the half dozen feet between himself and their guest.
"So… my suspicions are true then." Miach began as he put a comforting hand on his daughter's shoulder. "You aren't from this world."
Melinoë sucked in a gasp this time before she growled out, "That bastard! If I ever get my hands on Chronos again, I'll rip out his heart with my bare hands!" Before Miach or Naaza could begin to move, to ask who or what Chronos was, or what he'd done to deserve her ire, streams of pale greenish blue light began to swirl around the young goddess as she began to channel her magical power. "O' Night, show me the way to a Nexus so I might find my way back from whence I came." Whatever she was expecting to happen wasn't what ended up occurring because when her spell seemed to come apart around her, Melinoë's eyes widened to the size of saucers before she tried it again only for the same result. "No… why isn't it working?! Is there no Nexus point for me to hone in on?!" She quietly gasped, alarm and fear all too easy to hear in her every word.
"A Nexus point?" Naaza whispered to Miach, who only held up a finger so he could attend to the more immediate problem in front of them. Mainly, keeping their guest from doing something rash in her mounting panic and dread, understandable as both were given her circumstances.
"Your more immediate concern should be in recovering after your ordeals, Princess Melinoë." Miach said, hoping his gentle reprimand would be enough to get her to focus on something other than her failure in her magecraft. "After that, finding the answers you seek will go much smoother."
Melinoë heavily sighed, took several, calming breaths, using what was unmistakably a meditation technique many spellcasters he'd encountered over his time on this plane tended to utilize, and slowly turned to look his way once more. "My apologies for my outburst, but you must understand. I can't stay here. I have to get back as soon as I can. My family, my friends, the resistance, all of them are depending on me in the fight against Chronos."
"And who's Chronos?" Naaza asked, the name unfamiliar to them both.
Before Melinoë could answer the question, Miach held up a hand and said, "There will be plenty of time to talk once you feel better, Princess Melinoë. For now, just know that you're in the city of Orario, the city of adventurers, and the home of the Dungeon which you'll learn about in due time. So long as you're in my Familia's home, the Blue Pharmacy, you're safe. Unfortunately, I'm far from the only god here, and many of us aren't… nearly as kind."
That was putting it mildly.
"Well thank you for the warning even if I've many questions for you both despite my urgency to get home." Melinoë replied with a dip of her head before she coughed off to the side, and rubbed at her throat. "Ugh… any chance I could bother you for some water?"
"O-oh, of course!" Naaza said as she hurried off to fetch a pitcher for their guest.
Miach merely smiled softly at the sight as Naaza quickly returned, handing over a small clay cup that Melinoë took with a gentle nod of her head in thanks. "Take it slow, you've been through a lot, Princess Melinoë."
She did as he advised, setting the cup down on the right side of the bed with a relieved sigh once she'd finished. "It's just Melinoë, Lord Miach."
"Well it's just Miach to you then, Melinoë." Miach happily retorted, earning a cute little blush on the strange goddess's cheeks at the same time Naaza scoffed.
"Can you not be a natural gigolo all the damn time, Miach?" She grumbled, earning another sheepish smile and a 'cough' from their guest that didn't disguise the laugh behind it.
"A natural charmer I see. Forgive me then Miach, but I've no interest in a mate, even if he is a far better sight than Narcissus." The comment might've been addressed to Naaza more than him, who promptly let out a sigh of relief, but Miach still smiled amusedly at the exchange even if it was at his expense. He was far more glad the two women in his humble abode seemed to be getting along already despite Naaza's earlier worries about Melinoë's potential intentions.
That said, Melinoë really was unlike any god or goddess he'd ever seen. Her skin was unnaturally pale from a distinct lack of sunlight, her left arm missing from the elbow down, replaced with the previously noted spectral, magical limb which revealed her bones, the arm and bones alike a ghostly green, and her feet when she moved them a bit left behind quick to fade fiery prints. Fire that didn't burn whatever they touched he noted with immense relief. With a short head of hair of wheat colored locks, the laurel crown he'd gently removed from atop her head upon her arrival to his Blue Pharmacy had been quite the beautiful headdress.
Miach remembered well how the orangish red leaves had emanated a magical warmth while the silver crescent moon ornament between them had offered a comforting coolness by comparison, a crescent moon that had previously parted her bangs. A look he found most suitable to her if anyone were to ask his opinion. And like many acrobatic, agile types he'd seen over the course of his time on this plane of existence, Melinoë was slender, tall, and willowy, but even in her weakened state, she moved with an easy grace and fluidity that was impossible to miss.
"The worst part is he's not even aware he's doing it most of the time." Naaza grumbled, her tone one of long suffering that had Melinoë shooting him a small, amused smile in turn despite the still present anxiety he could see in her mismatched eyes once Miach had pulled his attention back to the present moment.
Just as quickly though, Melinoë's smile disappeared as she gingerly put her feet over the edge, and tentatively tried to stand on her own, fire wreathing her feet briefly the moment they touched the wooden floor. Both he and Naaza were ready to spring into action should she stumble or for the floor to catch fire, but Melinoë proved able to walk under her own power though she still took it slow, a hand on one of the bandages they'd put on her, the floor thankfully unmarked. "Ow… Blood and darkness. I never thought I'd say this, but I think I prefer returning to the Crossroads after a loss to that Titanic bastard than having to heal my injuries the slow way." She turned to them next, the sheets from the examination table the only thing covering her at the moment, and said, "I assume you had to take my belongings to tend to my wounds. Can you tell me where they are? I don't intend to leave yet, not without knowing more about where I am if nothing else since I've a bad feeling getting back home isn't going to be easy."
"Of course. Naaza?" She'd already slipped away before Miach could even finish speaking. That left him to offer Melinoë an arm to help keep her steady as she kept the sheets tight around her body with her free hand as he gently led her to a place she could change back into her clothes. "Do you want anything to eat since you're up now? It's been two days since your arrival, and I imagine you must be starving."
The loud growl from Melinoë's stomach answered that question as she blushed cutely again. "Y-yes, if it wouldn't be too much trouble."
Miach only smiled softly in response.
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Orario, the Blue Pharmacy
Lord Miach's dining room
Early afternoon…
Melinoë's POV…
Melinoë's mind was buzzing incessantly with all that she'd learned since waking in this strange new place. Extraplanar travel was one thing. Passageways in and out of the Underworld, let alone Olympus, were well known and easily navigated for those capable of it much like herself. But traveling to an entirely new world with its own rules, its own unique peoples, cultures, regions, and more besides?! That kinda magic was exceedingly rare, rare enough that Melinoë had only come across half a dozen entries in only four books from Headmistress Hecate's personal collection, which, thanks to her powerful magic, was quite extensive, stored away in its own pocket dimension since space was limited in the Crossroads haven that Hecate had carved out for the resistance's use after Chronos's initial takeover decades ago now.
A fight she needed to get back to as soon as she could.
For the moment however, Melinoë had little choice but to regain her strength and to learn all she could so she could hopefully figure out a way back. Besides, the last thing she wanted was to rip a hole into reality only to end up letting some eldritch abomination loose upon this world by mistake because she didn't take into account some intrinsic rule of this place. Speaking of this world though, Melinoë couldn't help but look out in wonder at the setting sun just beyond the window she was standing in front of. She'd been on the surface before, but it'd always been at night under the stars and Selene's pale light from her lunar chariot. She'd never seen Apollo's light however, not without using his blessing anyway, and while the sun had already dipped beyond her sight due to the numerous strange buildings and houses that no doubt surrounded the Blue Pharmacy, the sky was still a marvel to behold as it slowly changed before her wide, awe filled eyes.
"So beautiful." She softly exhaled, only to blush when she realized she'd spoken aloud.
Miach though only smiled when she glanced over her shoulder. "I imagine a denizen of the Underworld wouldn't have much occasion to see the surface world."
Lord Miach was a handsome young man, at least by appearances, with a head of long dark blue hair and dark blue eyes. He wore a black robe that reached down to past his knees, a tan brown stole that also went past his shoulders, and a pair of comfortable looking if simple brown shoes. While she preferred her sandals, Melinoë could see herself wearing something similar though only if she wound up stuck here half as long as she feared she would be.
"No… the Three Fates of my world decreed eons ago that any born in the lightless realm of the dead would never know the light of day of the living world. That I'm able to persist here at all is its own mystery since, even the slight unraveling enchantment I managed should've worn out by now." Melinoë admitted, glancing down to her spectral, ghost-like left hand, her brow furrowed since she truly was at a loss to explain it. Then again, it was probably something as simple as the Three Fates having no power here due to this being a world not their own, so any of their decrees would also likely not hold any sway over her any longer as a result. The fact that she was even on another world however she was still having a lot of trouble believing, even if she knew they had existed before now. That said, knowing about a thing and experiencing that thing for one's self were never the same thing, so it was no surprise she was still trying to wrap her head around all that had occurred.
"Why?" Naaza asked, pulling Melinoë's focus back on the present.
Reluctantly turning away from the window if only because the view was so enthralling, she gingerly sat down at the table, silently still in awe of… everything despite the ever present worry about finding a way back as soon as possible. Again Melinoë reminded herself that she was still in bad shape, and would be no good to anyone as she currently was. "That I don't know, only that they felt it necessary, so they made it so. My best guess is that the living and the dead should never reside in the same world for long lest reality itself begin to break down. A god's might and power is much greater than any number of mortal souls, so it was no doubt even more important to keep us apart."
"That makes sense." Miach said as he and Naaza began to lay out quite the banquet, at least by Melinoë's reckoning since rations at the Crossroads were carefully accounted for and doled out in measured amounts despite Charon, the Boatman, never being late when it came to his deliveries, on the small wooden table between the three of them. "These Three Fates you speak of sound like the Norns in a way. Always manipulating and shaping the destinies of every mortal and god alike that falls under their auspices."
"The Norns? Are they as difficult to contact as the Three Fates?" Melinoë asked, hoping that wouldn't be the case, but it was a thin hope at best. That said, as invested as she was on the conversation taking place, Melinoë couldn't help but feel her gaze being drawn to Naaza over and over again. She tried to be subtle about it, but she just couldn't help herself since Naaza was unlike anyone she'd ever encountered before. Yes, she'd seen Satyrs, Lamia, and all manner of spirits, monsters, phantoms, and more, but most of them were too focused on trying to kill her for Melinoë to have a civil conversation with any of them.
Yet Naaza was neither baying for her blood, or trying to inconvenience her like Eris, Strife Incarnate and one of Lady Nyx's many, many children, had done more times than Melinoë cared to think about whenever she tried to reach the top of Olympus. As for Naaza herself, she was quite the pretty looking young woman despite her unusual features given the canine ears, the brown bushy tail, and her purple eyes that reminded Melinoë of a hawk with how sharp they appeared, missing nothing that happened around her. Yet what really caught her attention were the floppy dog ears atop Naaza's head, and just as when she'd first met Hecuba, and Cerberus for that matter, freed from the spirits that plagued him, Melinoë had the intense urge to scratch those furry ears. She doubted Naaza would positively respond to such a thing if she tried though, not unlike Cerberus whenever she'd tried to pet the three headed guardian of the Underworld's gates. Thankfully, all he'd done was growl at her instead of ripping an arm off as he was infamously known to do to anyone that dared try to break in, or out, of the Underworld. Melinoë didn't know what Naaza would do if she tried to pet her, and wasn't in a hurry to find out either no matter how strong the impulse to do exactly that remained.
She doubted the archer glove on Naaza's right hand was just for show.
Speaking of Naaza's clothes though, the light brown haired girl was rather stylish even if her asymmetrical sleeves were making Melinoë's eye twitch a little, her at times too organized and tidy mind rebelling against the uneven lengths of Naaza's sleeves. The shirt itself wasn't anything remarkable though, a yellow and blue striped thing that covered Naaza well so as not to reveal anything with a white, scarf-like piece of fabric adorning her neck and shoulders. Given the fact they were simply languishing in Miach's home, her shoes were a pair of simple dark blue slippers rather than anything more practical and functional, but it likely had something to do with the fact this place wasn't in a constant war with an undying legion commanded by a Deathless Titan.
Truly, her life was stranger than fiction.
"I'm no expert on such matters, but I don't believe they can be reached at all unless they want to be found." Miach replied solemnly as he soon enough sat down across from Melinoë while Naaza pointedly sat down to her left, putting herself squarely between them in a sense. Given the suspicious looks the young woman had been throwing her way, Melinoë suspected it had nothing to do with her worry she wanted to bed her lord Miach, and more to do with her concern Melinoë was up to no good, a suspicion she couldn't fault Naaza for since Melinoë would also be suspicious of a stranger finding their way into the Crossroads unannounced, as unlikely as that was to happen given all of the protective wards in and around the encampment. That was saying nothing about the labyrinthine forest of Erebus that surrounded the Crossroads itself. It'd taken her whole life to figure out the right path in and out of the area that housed the recently deceased until Lord Hades could properly judge them, sending them to their final resting place.
A process that had been halted thanks to Chronos taking her father's realm.
"I see." Melinoë said aloud as she forced herself to focus once more on the present rather than circumstances she could do nothing about just yet. Her recovery had to be her focus, not the war she'd been a part of for as long as she'd lived. The war that she had been shaped by and forged for. A war she hadn't asked for, yet was her destiny to end by any means available to them. Gritting her teeth, Melinoë again had to take a few more calming, soothing breaths before she trusted herself not to snap at her two generous hosts that had already done so much for her.
This was going to be much harder than she'd initially anticipated.
Clenching a fist just on top of her chest, her eyes closed to further aid in her calming exercise, Melinoë blinked owlishly when she felt something dangling around her neck. Something that hadn't been there before. Using her spectral hand, Melinoë blinked again, this time in astonishment when she saw what looked like three, skull-like hound heads staring back at her, the pendant affixed to a silvery chain no wider than one of her fingernails. A delicate thing that could've been forged from Selene's pale light itself, yet she instinctively knew that nothing short of another god's strength could hope to break the chain holding the pendant that now rested in the palm of her spectral hand. Yet it was the keepsake's pendant itself that had her undivided attention as a face she'd only seen in pictures flashed behind her eyes.
A roguishly handsome young man with eyes exactly like hers.
"Zagreus?" She breathed out, ignoring the curious looks from Miach and Naaza as Melinoë did her best to focus on the keepsake, to hopefully sense anything about it that might explain why she had it at all.
"Melin-?" Naaza started to ask, but Miach must've silenced her without a word because she didn't finish whatever she'd been about to say.
Not that Melinoë would've answered even if she'd been able to, too focused on the pendant as she was. It was just as well because there was a very faint pulse of magic in the little keepsake, something that pulled her towards… somewhere else though it was currently too weak to get a clear direction. Given how all of her other keepsakes had worked before now, Melinoë figured spending enough time with it on her person in dangerous situations would empower this one as well. And just like all of her other keepsakes, precious items from all of her friends and loved ones alike, Zagreus's three headed skull pendant had a minor power all its own, though what that power was Melinoë couldn't have said just yet, too faint as it currently was to discern what it might do for her. That her brother, like Nyx, was reaching out to her like this though was enough to make grateful, joyous tears spring to Melinoë's eyes.
She felt a hand on her arm some time later, and looked up only to see Naaza giving her a comforting look. Whatever her earlier suspicions about Melinoë, they seem to have gone now after her… admittedly embarrassing display of emotion, but Hecate's words echoed through her ears the moment the thought had finished. "Tears aren't so precious a thing as to be kept contained. Let them spill forth when they become too numerous to hold back any longer." That made her smile a little more strongly despite the fact tears were still slowly running down her cheeks as she slowly looked up. "M-my apologies… but my brother, Zagreus… somehow he's sent me a gift. I don't know how or why, but… contained as he and the rest of our family is by Chronos's power, it's the first thing he's ever been able to do for me."
Miach's smile was as gentle as it was warm as he nodded his head in response. "That he was able to do so at all means that there's likely a way for you to return."
"Y-yes, that thought had already crossed my mind as well. I now just need to figure out the how of it." Melinoë replied as she gingerly put the pendant underneath the top of her shirt, where it would be safe, ever close to her heart. Once that was done, only then did she finally set about filling her stomach with the delicious smelling food the two of them had prepared although only after she'd dried her eyes with her one remaining sleeve. Most of what was laid out before her was rather simple, sure, but it was far more varied than most meals she'd ever had throughout her strife-filled life. She ignored the flat look Naaza started to level her way after the third bite of the tastiest meat covered in a number of delicious spices and some kind of sauce she'd never had the pleasure of tasting before.
"Seriously?! Are you going to eat it, or keep tongue fucking it?!" Naaza eventually said, causing Melinoë to blush again when she realized she'd been letting out rather… lewd moans every time something new greeted her tongue.
Miach at least only laughed before managing to say, "You'll have to forgive her Naaza, I get the feeling food where she's from has been limited in its quality and variety alike." It came out as a statement, but Melinoë could hear the question all the same.
"Y-yes, Lord Miach is right, Naaza. The Crossroads' supplies are limited, rationed out so we're never left in a vulnerable position in case supply lines are cut by Chronos and his forces. Even so, my apologies, I didn't even realize I was… being so vocal." Melinoë finished lamely, dipping her head in shame and abject embarrassment with a tinge of mortification for good measure.
"Ugh… and now I feel bad." Naaza grumbled into her cup.
Once she was able to find her voice again, Melinoë finally asked a question that had been on the tip of her tongue since getting her first good look at the girl between her and Miach. "Pardon me for asking, Naaza, but this has been on my mind for some time now, but just what… are you?"
The aforementioned dog-like tail, the similarly canine, furry ears atop her head, and her purple eyes all made it clear she was different from a normal human being, shade or living alike. Naaza thankfully wasn't offended by the question, and shrugged her shoulders before saying in her seemingly typical exhausted sounding voice, "A chienthrope. Basically a dog beastman, or woman in my case."
"There are many races in our world, Melinoë." Miach chimed in then. "Some are beast people like Naaza here. Others are exceedingly long lived elves of various types. Some are even spirits, guardians of the land that live harmoniously with those that protect and live alongside nature rather than trying to bend it to their will."
"I see." Melinoë really didn't, but she didn't wish to be rude by asking countless questions then and there, not with all of them still eating such a delicious meal. So for now all she said on the matter was, "I'll admit that that answer just sparks even more questions, but I've a feeling I'll have a great deal of time to figure things out for as long as I'm stuck here." She'd have to if she wanted to find a safe way back even with Zagreus's keepsake to hopefully guide her along to some of those answers. At least she had a safe place to return to at the end of a day of searching for said answers. Whether it stayed that way or not though, that was a question she had no immediate answer for. That said, Melinoë resolved to ensure no harm came to Naaza and Miach given all that they'd done for her in turn.
She'd make a very poor guest if she did anything less.
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End Notes: Well, hope you all like it folks. Starting to think I'm getting sick again because I've felt congested all day and a little while yesterday (as of this writing), but here's hoping it's just my allergies being a pain in the ass. That said, if I slow down or disappear for a bit altogether, that's likely why. At any rate though, hope you all enjoyed, and as ever, go unseen.
P.S. Before I forget, Zag's keepsake, something you can thank [USER=34624]@Nomad-117[/USER] for by the way, has yet to have a minor power assigned to it. My first impulse was to have Mel be able to siphon blood/life energy from anything she manages to hurt, healing her wounds should she be hurt, and empowering her magic when she isn't. A very minor vampiric effect, but still quite useful in a place like Orario. That said, I'm curious to see what you all might suggest. The idea I like the most I'll run with, but there's bound to be other keepsakes that'll make an appearance sooner or later. As to whether or not the rest of the Nocturnal Arms make their grand debut, I don't currently know, but I'm open to discussion on that as well folks. At any rate, see ya for now!