1 The Return

He yawned.

"Hey, quit that. If you start, soon I'll be yawning too."

"I can't help it. We've been standing here for hours but only a few people have come through. Aren't we the center of the world and all?"

"Even Orario has slow days. You should be glad. No monsters popping out of the ground. No armies trying to conquer us. Just peace and quiet."

"Yeah, I suppose. But can we get just one more person before our shift ends? Just to break the monotony?"

His fellow guard gave a small laugh before looking out. His eyes narrowed as he saw someone approaching.

"Well, it looks like your prayers were answered. Here comes someone now."

The first guard turned and a smile came to his face.

"Thank you, Ganesha-sama!"

His friend gave off another laugh.

The two waited patiently as the person approached, taking in their details as they approached.

It was a man. A big one at that. He was probably a good 200 celch, and with enough muscle to remind them, a little too much, of the "King" of Orario, Ottar. However, unlike the captain of the Freya familia, this man had a friendly look about him. Rich, earth-colored hair and a friendly, tanned face with a small, but welcoming smile.

His clothes were a little ragged. The red cloak on his back seemed to be the only thing that seemed well taken care of. The rest was in some state of disrepair. His shirt, a size too small, was frilled at the bottom and could do with a bit of cleaning. His pants, were much the same, only they were so caked with dirt and mud that, even though the pants were black, both guards knew they were filthy. In many ways he seemed the perfect picture of a farmer. However, they quickly realized this was not the case.

Three things made them realize this. The first were arm guards he was wearing. They had a little dirt on them, but were clearly well taken care of, and both could tell, well-made. They guessed they were made of adamantine, which made their curiosity for who was approaching them grow. On his legs were grieves, which like the arm guards, had to be made of adamantine and were well cared for, despite the mud. But the thing that really caught their attention was the sword hanging his side.

The weapon, which hung from his side so naturally that it was if it was apart of his body, had to be a Hephaestus weapon, and an expensive one at that. It was a longsword, or maybe even a great sword. The handle, black, shined in the daylight, and looked as if it had been made to match the scaled talons of a dragon. At the very bottom of its hilt was a large sapphire, emitting an aura that demanded anyone who gazed about give it and its wielder their utmost respect.

However, there was one thing, even above the sword, that the two noticed that instantly alarmed them.

The two of them were a level 2 and 3, and thus could sense the power coming off another adventure, and the power coming off of this man was terrifying.

He had to be a level 6, there was no way it was lower than that. The air practically pulsed with his power and both knew, if he wanted to get by them, there was no way they were going to stop him.

This man, whoever he was, was no ordinary traveler or tourist simply coming to see the great city of Orario.

Finally, the man arrived, a smile on his face that showed no signs of ill intent, which did help the two guards calm down, if only a bit.

"Afternoon, gentlemen," he said.

"Afternoon traveler," the second guard greeted. "What brings you to Orario?"

"An old friend of mine asked me to check up on his grandson, who, I'm told, is currently residing here."

"How generous of you. Do you plan on becoming an adventurer?" the guard asked, signaling towards the sword.

"Ahhh, not really. This is just in case someone gives the youngster some trouble. My adventuring days are done," the man replied, tapping the hilt of the sword.

"You used to be an adventurer?" the first guard asked.

"Many years ago, but circumstances forced me to leave Orario and I've been gone ever since."

"How many years has it been?"

"Hm, let me think. About fifteen I think."

The guards shared a look. That number didn't seem like a coincidence. However, if they're suspicions were right, they did not want to voice them. At least not yet.

"Well," the second guard began. "Welcome back. I hope things haven't changed too much since you were last here."

"Thank you. We'll see. That being said. If I was looking for information, where should I begin?"

"The Guild is generally a good place to go, but if you're looking for someone, you might want to try Mama Mia's place, the Hostess of Fertility. Everyone goes there at least once and Mama makes sure to remember faces. It's along the main road so you won't miss it. But be careful, Mia's got a bit of a temper."

"I'll keep that in mind. Thank you both very much. Have a nice day."

"You as well."

The two watched the man walk away, both waiting to make sure he was well out of earshot before they turned to each other.

"Fifteen years," the first said.

"Yeah."

"And that power."

"Uh-huh."

"We need to tell, Ganesha-sama."

"Agreed."

The new arrival to Orario walked through the crowded streets of Orario, a smile on his face, as he went in search of this "Hostess of Fertility".

Eventually his eye caught sight of a sign with such a title and he turned to enter the establishment.

"Hello?" he called.

A few girls in waitress outfits greeted him as he entered. They seemed to be cleaning and preparing for later and he took notice of the fact that there was currently no customers. All the girls seemed startled by his presence and his eye caught a couple of them reaching for something, but they were prevented from going further when a young, gray-haired girl approached him.

"I'm sorry sir, but we're not open yet," she said with a smile.

"My apologies," he said. "I didn't mean to be rude. I only came here because I was told this might be a good place to get some information."

Before the gray haired girl could respond an irritated voice called out.

"What're all you girls doing standing about?"

The man turned and his eyes widened.

"Mia?"

The woman turned and her eyes widened as well as she saw who was standing in her bar.

"Achilles?"

His smile widened as he began making his way towards her.

"As I live and breath, Mia Grand. How are you, you absolute goddess?"

He wrapped his arms around her and gave her a hug, which, despite her shock, and the shock of all the girls in the bar, she quickly returned.

"Achilles," she said after they broke from their hug. "What are you doing here?"

"Straight to the point I see. You never were one for unnecessary chit-chat. Well, to put it simply, I was asked to check in on a young man, and I came here in hope that you might be able to help me find him."

"Has he done something wrong?" she asked, a bit nervously.

"Oh no, nothing like that. His grandfather just wanted me to check in on him. Make sure he didn't get in too much trouble," Achilles replied, emphasizing the 'too'.

"Alright, I suppose I can help, but only if you buy something," Mia replied.

Achilles laughed.

"Very well. I am thirsty after all."

Mia quickly had the girls go fetch some drinks and something to snack on while the two waited patiently. Once food and drink was before them the two continued.

"So who's this kid you're looking for?"

"You don't have to worry. Apparently he's a good kid. As for a description of him. Apparently he's at least 160 celch, though he's probably grown some. I'm told he's got white hair and red eyes and goes by the name Bell Cranel."

The bar suddenly went silent and Achilles looked about the bar and noticed all the girls looking at him. He turned back to Mia and noticed she had fallen silent as well and was now looking at him with serious eyes.

"It appears you know him."

"What's your interest in Bell?" the gray-haired girl, Syr, if he heard correctly, asked.

"No particular interest. As I said, I'm just here because his grandfather asked me to check up on him."

"His grandfather's dead," she quickly said.

"And who told you that?"

"Bell did."

Achilles seemed surprised by this and thought for a moment, before realization dawned on him and he gave off a laugh.

"That's why he said don't mention him."

Mia and the others gave him a confused look so he continued.

"The old lecher told me not to mention him or say he'd been the one who'd sent me. At first I thought it was something else, but, knowing the old man, he's probably got one of his weird little plans in his head," he explained, given off another laugh.

He soon realized that the room was still silent. He looked around and noticed that the girls all looked ready to pounce, the blonde elf, Lyuu, especially. He turned back to Mia, who, while not quite as tense, was certainly not relaxed.

"Mia," he said, his voice devoid of his previous playfulness. "You wouldn't have the mind to start something would you?" The tension grew. "Because, while I'm out of practice, I suspect you are too, and a few level fours are not going to make things easier," he said as his hand moved towards his sword.

Lyuu reacted instantly, but just as she was about to pull something out of her apron, a pressure fell over the room that stopped her in her tracks.

The man, Achilles, was strong. Every one of them had felt it when he came in. The pressure that rolled off of him in waves. But now, that pressure had suddenly increased exponentially, suffocating all but Mia in silent threat.

Mia and Achilles stared at each other across the counter, neither moving and barely breathing. They stared for a long time, both tried to gauge the other and force the other to back down. It was hard to say how long this went on for. It could have been hours or mere seconds, but it ended the moment a drip of sweat slid down Mia's forehead.

The pressure suddenly disappeared and all the girls suddenly gasped and fell to their knees.

"Well, it's been nice talking to you again, Mia. We'll have to do some proper catching up sometime soon," Achilles said, getting up from his seat. "Unfortunately, it doesn't appear I'll be learning anything here, so I'll go check at the Guild to see if they can't help me out," he finished.

With that, he walked out, passing by the girls who were still picking themselves off the ground, unable to do anything but look at the stranger who was now leaving their bar.

"Oh, and one more thing," he said, turning back around to face Mia. "Feel free to tell Freya I'm here. She'll learn soon enough, if not from you, then from that little spy there," he said gesturing towards Syr. He punctuated this statement by returning the pressure from earlier, sending the girls back to their knees for a brief moment, before he finally stopped.

"See you later, Mia," he finished, his smile having resumed its spot on his face as he finally left the bar.

Achilles now gone, Syr turned to Mia.

"Who was that?"

Mia sighed as she felt the eyes of the other girls all turn to her, hoping for the answer. She wiped the sweat from her brow.

"That, was Achilles Caesar. Former captain of the Zeus familia, and the only person to have ever survived a fight with the One-Eyed Black Dragon," she stated bluntly.

The girls' eyes widened and they stared at the entrance, not knowing how to respond, but knowing that someone very powerful, and not to be trifled with, had come to Orario.

Mia, for her part, looked down at her hand. It was shaking. It hadn't done that for years. She too, turned to the entrance.

"Bastard hasn't gotten an ounce weaker."

Achilles made his way towards the Guild, intent on finding Bell. He could feel eyes on him from some of the adventurers. They, like the others, could sense his level and, given that he was a new face, they were unsure of what to make of him. That was fine for him. As long as they didn't cause trouble he didn't mind the stares.

"We brought in another good haul, didn't we Bell-sama?"

His enhanced hearing picked up the name he was searching for and he quickly turned his head. His eyes quickly found the boy, just as described, coming out of the dungeon with what Achilles assumed was his familia.

"Yep. Maybe we can celebrate tonight," Bell said with a smile.

"Hm, Lily thinks that it would be better if we saved money. You never know when we'll need it for a raining day," a little pallum girl with a large backpack said.

"Come on Lil' Lily, ya can't always be thinking about finances," a taller, red headed man said.

"Someone has to!"

Achilles chuckled at hearing the banter, even stopping for a moment to listen in.

"T-Then how about something small. A nice dinner and maybe some games back home," a renard in eastern style clothing suddenly said, clapping her hands.

The others took a moment to think on the suggestion before nodding.

"That sounds acceptable," Lily said.

"Yosh! Then let's get this all squared away and head back home."

"You guys can go ahead, I'll turn in the magic stones," Bell offered.

"Are you sure Bell-sama?"

"Yeah. You guys go get things ready and I'll meet you guys at home."

"Well, if you're sure," Lily said.

With a quick bid farewell, they parted ways, with Bell heading towards the Guild.

Seeing his goal moving away, Achilles followed after. As he did so, Bell's party passed by him and, taking notice of the alarmed looks he was getting from the red-haired young man and the black-haired girl, he gave them a reassuring nod and a smile before continuing on his way.

"Did you feel that?" Welf asked Mikoto.

"Yes," she answered nervously. "I'm not sure I've ever felt someone that powerful."

"What are you talking about?" Lily asked.

"Nothing," Welf replied, not wanting to alarm the party. "I just think it's best if we avoid that guy."

Lily and Haruhime looked behind that at the figure currently walking away from them. Neither of them saw any reason to disagree so they simply nodded and continued on.

"Eina-san," Bell called.

"Ah, Bell-kun. How are you?"

"I'm alright," he said with a small smile.

"That's good. Did you just come back from the dungeon?"

"Yep. We had a pretty good day so we're going to have a small party at home."

"That sounds nice. I'm glad things are going so well."

"Yeah, things seem to finally be getting back to-," he stopped.

"Bell-kun?" Eina asked before she realized that the entire guild had gone quiet. She looked around and noticed that many of the adventurers were now staring at the entrance. She turned her head and saw a man standing there. He was big, and was definitely an adventurer, but other than that she didn't know why he was garnering so much focus. She turned her head back to Bell and noticed he was staring at the man too. "Bell-kun? What's wrong."

"He's...He's stronger than Aiz-san."

Her eyes widened before flying back to the man. It was then that she noticed he was looking in her direction. More accurately, he was looking right at Bell.

The man walked towards them, both growing increasingly nervous with each step before he finally stopped in front of Bell.

"Bell Cranel?"

The boy took a moment before he was able to nod.

"Y-Yes?"

The man held out his hand with a broad smile.

"Nice to meet you. My name is Achilles Caesar."

Bell looked at the hand before timidly reaching out and shaking it.

"N-Nice to meet you."

Eina watched the exchange not knowing what to make of it when she heard whispers behind her.

"Achilles Caesar? Isn't that the name of-?"

"Yeah. But that can't be right."

Eina looked at them and tried to recall where she had heard the name before.

"My apologies for interrupting your conversation," Achilles suddenly said to Eina, snapping her attention away from her thoughts.

"N-Not at all. Bell and I were just sharing some small talk. I was actually trying to figure out where I've heard your name before. I'm sure I've heard it at some point."

Achilles laughed.

"I would certainly hope so. Not to sound vain, but if I was forgotten about after only fifteen years I would be offended."

"Fifteen years?" the pieces started to fall in place for all those present and eyes began to widen. Finally, she figured it out. "You're Achilles Caesar, captain of the Zeus familia!" she suddenly cried.

Bell's eyes widened. He had heard so much about the Zeus familia. They were the stuff of legends. Entire books were filled with tales of the quests and exploits, including their attempt complete the Great Quests only to be defeated on the final piece, the One-Eyed Black Dragon. And this was the captain of that familia. The best of the best. He was standing next to a real-life hero.

"That's me. Though I must apologize as I would like to borrow Bell from you as there's a few things that we need to talk about. If that's okay with both of you?" he inquired looking between Eina and Bell.

"You're not going to hurt him are you?" Eina asked, her alarm at knowing who he was and how strong he was overshadowing any attempt at subtlety.

Achilles chuckled, clearly not offended by the question and understanding where it came from.

"No, no. I was actually sent here to look after the boy, so it would be quite the failure on my part if I harmed him. I give you my word, Bell here won't be harmed by anyone, least of all me."

Even though she didn't completely trust the man, he was a stranger after all, and a powerful one at that, the clear sincerity in his word did calm her and she let out a sigh of relief.

"Very well. I'm sure Bell and I can talk more later."

"O-Okay. Sure. Yeah, that sounds good. I-I guess I'll talk to you later, Eina-san."

"Alright, Bell-kun. Get home safely."

"Oh that won't be a problem Eina-san," Achilles said, giving her a smile. "Well, Bell-san, lead the way."

"R-Right," Bell said, clearly still nervous.

The two left, leaving Eina to her thoughts.

"Zeus familia. What's going to happen to Orario now that they're back? And what's going to happen to Bell?" Eina whispered to herself.

The two walked through the city quietly, Bell being far too nervous to speak, which Achilles quickly caught on to.

"No need to be nervous, Bell-san. I gave my word that no harm would come to you and I meant it. A man is only as good as his word after all."

"I-I'm sorry, it's just that, well, I've heard so much about the Zeus familia, so to be standing next to a member of that familia, and not just any member, it's captain! Well, I guess I'm a little nervous."

"Understandable. You don't know me, but you're strong enough to recognize I'm not some pushover. That's good actually. You're not some ignorant kid or arrogant fool. Says a lot about your character."

Bell blushed.

"T-Thank you," he said.

"Just giving credit where credit is due."

Finally they arrived at a decent sized mansion and Achilles gave off a whistle.

"Wow. Quite the place you have here."

"I'm sure it's not much compared to what you saw as part of the Zeus familia," Bell responded.

"Don't sell yourself short. This is a nice place you've got here. This is Apollo's place right? My memory is a bit fuzzy."

"It was. We won it off him in a War Game," Bell answered bashfully.

"You beat Apollo in a War Game?"

Bell nodded.

"Well, well. You really are something aren't you?"

Bell blushed again.

"But that does leave the question of which familia are you. No one was kind enough to inform me," Achilles stated.

"Oh, I'm apart of Hestia familia."

"Hestia? Is she a new arrival? I don't remember her being around when I was."

"She's quite new. Less than a year actually. I'm her first member and captain of the familia."

"A familia less than a year old beat Apollo familia?"

Bell shyly nodded.

"Oh Bell, you and I are going to get along just fine," Achilles said with a laugh.

The two entered the mansion and Bell called out.

"I'm back!"

The sound of movement reached their ears and soon Hestia appeared, big smile on her face.

"Bell-kun!" she cried, before stopping at seeing the man next to him. "Bell-kun, who's this?"

"Ah, this is Achilles-san. I just met him at the Guild. He said he was sent to look after me."

"Really?" Hestia said, her eyes narrowing at Achilles who only smiled and bowed.

"A pleasure to meet you, Hestia-sama. I do apologize for the intrusion, and I'll be happy to answer any questions you have."

"Hmm, alright. I'll allow you for now. But don't get any ideas. A goddess's fury is not something to be trifled with."

"Oh believe me, I know. I've seen my fair share of terrifying goddesses."

Hestia seemed pleased with this admission and nodded.

"Did I hear Bell-sama?" a voice called. A moment later Haruhime appeared. "Oh," she said, seeing Achilles. "You brought a guest, Bell-sama?"

"Yes, uh, perhaps we should gather everyone else so that we don't have to do the introductions more than once."

"A wise decision," Achilles said, the two ladies agreeing soon afterwards.

As they began to make their way through the mansion, Achilles turned to Bell.

"Well, it appears luck is on your side, Bell. To have such a lovely lady as your goddess. Must be very nice. Not to mention the other lovely young ladies I saw you with."

Bell blushed alongside Haruhime, while Hestia, pleased with the compliment, grew a smile.

"Don't think you can butter me up to out of your interrogation, Achilles-san."

"I wouldn't dream of it. Besides, being interrogated by a beautiful woman hardly seems like the worse thing in the world."

Hestia gave off a laugh at this, suddenly glad that Bell had brought home such a polite human.

They entered a living room, Bell offering Achilles a seat before turning to Haruhime.

"Haruhime, could you go get the others and tell them we have a guest?" he asked.

"Certainly Bell-sama," she said with a bow before departing.

Bell, Hestia, and Achilles all waited patiently for the others to arrive, and within a few minutes Haruhime had returned with the others in tow.

"Hey Bell, heard we had a guest-," Welf stopped when he saw Achilles. Mikoto responded much the same when spotting the man.

"Now, now, no need to be so alarmed. I haven't come to do you any harm," Achilles said, seeing their reactions.

"You'll have to forgive us if we're not completely willing to accept that," Mikoto said as Welf's fist clenched in nervousness.

"What's the matter with you two? He's our guest," Hestia said, clearly annoyed by her familia's cold reception.

"Forgive us, Hestia-sama, you can't sense it like we can, but it's just this man is, well, easily the strongest person in the room. In fact, if I'm not mistaken, all of us combined aren't as strong as him."

This information instantly alarmed Hestia who turned to her guest with wide eyes.

"That's why I want to answer your questions as quickly as possible so that I prove my good intentions to you all."

"Answering a few questions won't be enough to prove that," Lily said.

"You're quite right, Lily, was it?" Seeing the looks of alarm on their faces he quickly added. "I overheard all of you when you exited the Dungeon today," he explained, tapping his ear.

"You were watching us?" she asked.

"I was trying to find Bell," he answered.

"Why were you looking for Bell-kun," Hestia cut in, though Achilles could clearly see that the rest of the familia were just as eager for an answer as she was, and prepared to take action if they didn't like what they heard.

"Why don't we begin with introductions," he offered.

"You first," Lily said.

"Of course. My name is Achilles Caesar. You may know me as the former captain of the Zeus familia."

Everyone's eyes, but Bell's, instantly widened and they were stunned still for a moment.

"Z-Zeus familia? As in-," Mikoto began.

"As in the former strongest familia in Orario?" Lily cut in.

"That's the one," Achilles replied.

"Then why…" Lily tried to get out.

"Why am I here?"

Everyone nodded.

"I'm here because someone asked me to check in on Bell here."

"Who?" Bell finally asked.

"Your grandfather."

Bell's eyes widened and each of his fellow familia looked at him in concern.

"Bell-kun, didn't you say your grandfather died?" Hestia asked.

"That's right," he answered.

Sensing the room was about to turn on him, ruining his chances for an explanation, Achilles quickly continued.

"That's what I heard, but you see, that's not true. In fact it's quite impossible, at least in the standard sense of the word."

Everyone looked at him in confusion, none more than Bell.

"Why?" the young man asked.

"Bell, you're grandfather...he was a big man, correct? Taller than most, a strong build, gray hair and beard. And he liked to talk a lot about heroes and talked way too much about girls and how to win their affections, am I right?"

"Y-Yeah. That's a good description of him," Bell said, a little embarrassed by the last part.

"Hestia-sama," Achilles turned to the goddess. "Does that sound a bit familiar to you?"

Hestia, her eyes closed, arms folded underneath her breasts, gave off a sigh and nodded.

"Boy does it. It sounds just like Zeu-."

Hestia's eyes shot open and Achilles smiled.

"It seems she's figured it out," he said, gaining the confusion of those present. He focused back on Bell. "Bell, you're grandfather wasn't just some random farmer in the middle of nowhere. Your grandfather was none other than the leader of my familia, the king of Olympus himself. Zeus."

The room fell silent. Achilles waited patiently for a response, receiving it in the form of the wide-eyed, slack-jawed look of Bell.

"M-M-My g-grandfather w-was…"

"Zeus. Yep. Which is why him dying is kind of impossible, returning to heaven notwithstanding. I suspect that he was just being his usual self, having some weird plan in his head or maybe the old lecher just did something stupid and wasn't able to correct the consequences. Whatever the case, he asked me to come check in on you and, being curious, I agreed. So here am I."

"Are we really supposed to believe that," Lily said, though it was clear the news had an effect on her.

"He's not lying," Hestia said. "Not only can a goddess always tell, but also that description matches Zeus to the letter," she turned to Bell. "Bell-kun, did you really not know?"

Bell shook his head.

"N-No. He always just told me to call him Grandpa. I suppose it's weird I never asked him, but he adopted me when I was very young so I guess I never thought about it."

"Knowing Zeus he probably preferred it that way. After our familia was banished from Orario I doubt he wanted to attract any attention. I've personally had to deal with my fair share of people looking to get revenge on my familia. Of course, it didn't end like they planned," Achilles explained.

"T-This is a bit much to take in," Lily said.

"Yeah," Welf agreed.

"Indeed. However," Mikoto began. "You are here to protect, Bell-san, correct?"

"I swear on my former familia. Zeus doesn't ask for personal favors like this often, so when he does, it has to be important. Besides," Achilles grew a smile. "From what Bell's told me already I think we're going to get along just fine."

The man's smile was enough to ease most, but not all, of the tension in the room. No one sensed a hint of a lie or any malevolence from him so, for now, they would put a little faith in him.

"Alright, with that out of the way, why don't we complete the introductions? Of course I'll start so we can get the momentum going, " he cleared his throat. "I am Achilles Caesar, the last captain of the Zeus familia, known as the Olympian. I left Orario fifteen years ago after the effective destruction of my familia at the hands, or should I say, claws, of the One-Eyed Black Dragon. Before you ask, no, I don't know of a way to beat that thing. I survived on pure luck, or perhaps I was cursed. Hard to tell sometimes," Hestia familia all noticed how his eyes saddened at this. "But, whatever the case, the result was that I became the first level seven in Orario's history. Unfortunatelythat wasn't enough to stop the banishment of my familia. Since then I've simply been wandering around. Taking the odd job. Keeping my head down. I always suspected I would return to Orario one day, just didn't know when or how. But here I am," he finished, allowing his smile to return, though at nowhere near its former strength.

Everyone was silent for a moment as the processed the information and tried to get over the oppressive air that now covered them. Finally, Hestia, eager to end everyone's suffering, broke the silence.

"Pleased to meet you, Achilles-san. I am Hestia. Goddess of the Hearth," she said happily. "You've already met my Bell-kun." Said boy blushed at this. "He's the first member of my familia and its captain. Over here is Liliruca Arde. She our main supporter as well as a sort of worldly expert, making sure to keep everyone out of as much trouble as possible. She also looks over our finances." Achilles bowed towards Lily who returned the gesture. "This is Welf Crozzo," she said, signally to the red-headed young man. "He's our blacksmith and the favorite of my friend Hephaestus," Hestia said with a sly smile, earning a blush from the smith.

"Crozzo? As in the magic weapon makers?"

Welf nodded solemnly.

"Former magic weapon makers. It's a bit complicated and I don't much like making them," he admitted.

"Fair enough. I'm sure you have your reasons. Besides, I rather like my sword," Achilles said, pulling out just enough of his sword to reveal its gleaming blue blade.

Welf's eyes widened in admiration.

"It's beautiful."

Achilles nodded.

"Yes it is. Hephaestus herself made it for me. Cost a fortune, but it was well worth it. Nearly two decades old and this beauty has seen me through some nasty times."

Hestia smiled at the exchange before moving on to Mikoto.

"This is Yamato Mikoto. She's former member of my friend Takemikazuchi's familia and knows all sorts of cool ninja tricks."

The dark-haired girl blushed.

"They're actually quite dirty."

"I'm sure that's not true. That statement alone proves that you aren't the kind of person to use dirty tricks," Achilles countered, surprising the Eastern girl, but also gaining him a small smile.

"And this is Haruhime. She's our other supporter. She used to be part of Ishtar familia, but Bell was able to save her from that life," Hestia finished.

"Ishtar familia? That must have been rough."

Haruhime nodded.

"It was, but I'm actually quite grateful. I did make friends there, and if I hadn't been a part of Ishtar familia and would have never met Bell and the rest of Hestia familia," she said with a smile.

"That's an excellent way of viewing it," Achilles said cheerfully before turning back to Hestia. "And are the others not here?"

Hestia familia gave him an odd look.

"This is everyone," Hestia said.

Now it was Achilles's time to be confused.

"Really? Bell told me you defeated Apollo familia which, even in my time was at least a few dozen strong. How did you manage that?"

"Well, there was some outside help, but it was really just a group effort," Hestia explained.

"Truly?" Hestia nodded. "Then you all must be very strong. What level are all of you? My senses my be very rusty because I could have sworn that you all were level 2 or below."

"No, that's correct. Welf-san and I are Level 2. Lily and Haruhime are both level 1. Bell-san is the strongest of us," Mikoto explained.

"Alright, maybe my senses aren't so dull," Achilles said, though he still looked confused. He turned to Bell. "What level are you, because I swear it feels like you're at least a level four, maybe even a five, but that can't be right."

Bell nodded.

"It is. I just recently became a level 4."

Achilles stared at him for a moment.

"Didn't you say you've been adventuring for less than a year?"

"Y-Yes. Only a few months actually."

Achilles stared at him for a moment.

"That's impossible."

Bell looked flustered and began gesturing about to try and prove he wasn't lying.

"I swear, i-it's the truth!"

"It really is. Bell-sama is truly gifted," Haruhime stated.

"It took me nearly two years to get to level 2 and that was a record at the time," Achilles said. "To get to level 4 in a matter of months is unheard of. Show me."

Instantly the entirety of Hestia familia, minus Bell, grew alarmed. They knew the reason behind Bell's growth but they wanted to keep that a secret, especially from Bell himself.

"Now, now, we swear it's the truth," Hestia said.

"Yeah. You said yourself that you felt his level," Lily stated.

"No, I'm not going to believe this until I see it for myself. I'm sorry Bell, but I must ask you to turn around and lift your shirt."

Bell was instantly uncomfortable, not only from the request, but from the desperate looks he was receiving from his fellow familia. However, he didn't have the heart to deny the captain of the Zeus familia and he didn't want to risk any sort of confrontation with a level 7, and so complied with the request, much to the increased alarm of the rest of his familia.

Slowly Bell turned around and, after taking a moment to remove his armor, lifted his shirt to allow his back to be revealed. The back was plain, Hestia having finally learned how to hide her familia's status. Everyone let out a sigh of relief as, without Hestia herself unlocking it, they didn't think that Achilles would be able to see Bell's status.

Their pleasure turned to shock as Achilles bit his finger and began picking the lock on Bell's status, breaking through in a matter of seconds, revealing Bell's status for the world to see.

"Alright, let's see," he said, his eyes beginning to scan. To his immediate surprise, he found the statement earlier to be true. Bell really was a level 4. "But how is this possible?"

"Bell-kun's just really talented is all!" Hestia tried to explain.

"Yes, Bell-sama is very dedicated to becoming stronger!" Lily added.

"Yeah, he's a great guy that's always looking out for everyone! He always jumps in to rescue people, no matter the situation so of course he's grown so quickly!" Welf tried.

Achilles ignored them all as he focused on Bell's skills.

"Hey Bell, what's this skill here," he asked.

Everyone froze.

"You mean Argonaut? It allows me to charge up a sort of special attack over time. The more time I allow it to charge, the more powerful it is."

"That's certainly interesting, but I'm not talking about that one. I'm talking about your first one."

"That is my first one," Bell responded, clearly confused.

"No it's not. Your first one is this Liaris Freese."

Bell turned around to face him, and he could tell that the boy had no idea what he was talking about.

"Hestia-sama," Achilles began, turning to the goddess. It was then that he noticed the looks of fear in the eyes of the other familia members. "Why do I have a feeling that only Bell and I don't know what this is?"

Bell turned towards his goddess.

"Hestia-sama?"

She didn't want to answer for so many reasons. Part of her contemplated outright refusing, but the look on Bell's face was to much for her and she knew she had no choice. She sighed.

"Liaris Freese. Rapid Growth. Effect lasts as long as feelings remain. The stronger the feelings, the more rapid the growth," her eyes finally turned back to Achilles and Bell. "It's the skill Bell-kun received after being saved by Ais Wallenwhatsit."

Achilles eyed her in interest while Bell stared at her in outright shock.

"Hestia-sama. Why...why didn't you tell me?" he asked, his voice very clearly revealing the hurt he felt at being kept in the dark about his own power. That hurt that only deepened when he looked at the others and realized that they knew as well. They knew something about him, that he himself didn't know.

"Because I afraid you would tell someone!" Hestia quickly tried to defend herself, desperate to regain at least some of the trust she had very clearly lost, the pain of seeing his clearly hurt face absolutely tearing her heart to pieces. "You get so excited and I was so afraid that you would let it slip, if only by accident, and that someone would try to take you from me!"

"Then why does everyone else know?" Bell said, not quite yelling, but very clearly upset.

"We forced her," Welf cut in, taking up his role of the big brother to try and calm the situation. "We couldn't understand how you were growing so fast and pressured her to give us the truth. After that we agreed that it would be better if you didn't know in case of the situation Hestia-sama described."

The others nodded, though this did little to appease Bell. Meanwhile, Achilles, who was watching the entire scene unfold quietly, knowing it wasn't his place to interject, decided that he needed to pull the young captain back before his pain and anger overrode his senses.

"Bell." The white-haired boy turned to him. "Take a deep breath." Bell looked ready to argue, but Achilles quickly held up his hand. "Just a breath. Please." Bell stared at him for a moment before sighing and doing as requested. "Now, please sit." Again, after a moment of resistance, the young man did as requested. When he did so, Achilles put a hand on his shoulder. "What you're familia did was wrong. They kept a secret from you. Worse, a secret about yourself which you had every right to know. They didn't trust you." The others looked like they wanted to argue, but a quick glare from Achilles silenced all protest. "But they did it for a reason. Now, I'm not going to claim it was a good reason. Maybe it was, maybe it wasn't. That's for you to decide, not me. What I want from you is to take a day. One day. And think about why they did it. If, in that time, after you've calmed down, and thought about it with a clearer mind, you're still mad at them, and hurt by what they did, then I give you full permission to have at them with all the vigor you can muster. Get the poison out of your veins and give them hell," he turned his gaze back to the familia. "And I expect you all to take it," he wasn't asking. "Can you do that for me, Bell?" he finished, looking back at the young man.

Bell was silent for a few moments, his mind thinking over the suggestion. Finally, he looked up at the elder captain and nodded, a tiny smile coming to his features.

"Yeah. I can do that."

Achilles smiled back down at him and nodded.

"Good. That's very mature of you Bell and you've once again impressed me." Bell's eyes regained some of their former spark at the praise. "Now," Achilles continued. "I have another question for you."

Bell looked at him curiously.

"This Ais Wallen...whatisit?"

Bell blushed.

"Wallenstein," he corrected.

"Wallenstein. Thank you. This Ais Wallenstein...you wouldn't happen to be...oh how to put this gently. Hm...smitten, for her, would you?"

Bell's face exploded into a flash of red so bright that Achilles could feel the heat radiating off him. A fact that made his smile grow exponentially.

"Well, well. My curiosity is peaked."

Bell's embarrassment grew to absolute ludicrous levels as he tried to find a way to dissuade Achilles from the path he very clearly was about to set upon.

"W-Well that's...I mean...She's…" he utterly failed to get the words out.

"She must be quite the girl to make you react like this," Achilles said with a chuckle.

That being said, he did notice that almost all the ladies in the room had gained a gloomy air about them, clearly disheartened by Bell's reaction.

"Hmm. A little heart-breaker is he? Zeus would be proud."

A part of him considered letting things end there so as to end both Bell's embarrassment and the pain the ladies were feeling, but he was far too curious, and decided to justify himself by saying that this could be considered punishment for their keeping a secret from Bell.

"So tell me about her," he said. "She's evidently an adventuring if she saved you. What familia is she apart of?"

Bell was able to stop sputtering enough to answer.

"Loki familia."

An unintentional growl came from Achilles.

"Achilles's-san?" Bell asked, though his entire familia were as startled as he was by the response.

"Sorry, sorry. It's just that the Loki familia was one of the familias that drove what remained of mine out of Orario. They're good people in general, or at least they were, but they're still ambitious and were happy to force us out, good relations be damned."

Hestia nodded, understanding the games her fellow gods' played.

"Aiz isn't like that!" Bell quickly stated.

"Maybe not. But her goddess is," Achilles countered, earning him a sad look from Bell. "But enough of that," Achilles quickly stated. "Tell me more about her."

"W-Well," Bell restarted, regrowing his earlier blush. "She's very beautiful. And strong. She's actually a level six and is one of the strongest people in Orario."

"Quite the girl you chose, Bell," Achilles said with a smile. "I'm guessing that has something to do with that skill of his as well,"he thought, but did not voice. "So what kind of adventurer is she? Mage? Rogue?"

"Oh, she uses a sword. In fact, she's called the Sword Princess."

"Ah, I've heard that name. Heard she was the best sword fighter since the Sword Hero. Hm, I'll have to test her metal then," Achilles said, his hand falling to his sword.

"Y-You're not going to hurt her, are you?" Bell asked nervously.

"Oh no, just a friendly challenge. Haven't had a decent duel in years and this girl sounds like quite something."

Bell's nervousness evaporated and he grew a wide smile.

"She really is."

Achilles's own smile grew.

"Then it's settled," he proclaimed, startlingly everyone in the room. "Tomorrow I will go to the Loki familia, see how my old friends are doing, and meet this Aiz Wallenstein to see if she's worthy of our dear Bell."

Bell's face lit up in an explosion of red as he tried, desperately and with very little effect, to say how it was he that needed to be worthy. But Achilles would have none of it, stating only that Bell had already proved himself in his eyes and thus, as his new guardian, he would ensure only the best for the young man.

Off to the side this was causing a mixed reaction from the other members of the familia, namely: Hestia, Lili, and Haruhime were all worried about what Achilles might do at the Loki familia, especially as he was now connected directly to them. Yet, at the same time, they all hoped, with a little guilt on Haruhime's part, that Achilles would find something lacking in the mighty Sword Princess.