27 He Can Fly

"L-Let me go!" The cat-like man hisses with some effort, beating on the arm that holds him as he kicks violently. His blue eyes widen as he realizes that the arm never budges despite his efforts.

"That's Allen Fromel! The Freya Familias vice-captain!"

"Isn't he level 6!? What is he doing here?"

"Never mind that! How is that man holding back a level 6 like it's nothing!?"

Whispers reach Kratos' ears as a small crowd forms around the altercation. Though the overwhelming pressure flowing from the tattooed man keeps them at a distance. Kratos' brown eyes dart to his surroundings before they return to his captive, "...I will not ask again... Who are you?" his calloused fingers tighten their grip.

The man's eyes are still widened, and his breaths are shaky, "A-Allen Fromel...," he responds.

"You are from the Freya familia?" Kratos asks with rough words.

Allen nods with quivering lips, "Yes... T-This has nothing to do with you though! I was only meant to take the boy!" he says.

Kratos grimaces, bringing the cat man closer, "And you believed I would let you?" he whispers, the words like sledgehammers to Allen.

Allen's lips continue to quiver as Kratos finishes his words, but after a breath, he gathers his conscience, "Just let me go if you're not gonna kill me..." he says.

Kratos scoffs, glancing to the distance. That tower enters his vision, and Hephaestus' words flow through his mind, 'Every one of us has a floor to ourselves,'. His brown eyes set on Allen again, cold and hard, "...Your goddess stays in that tower, no?" he says.

Allen furrows his brows as he stares down at the god, "...Yes?" he responds.

The Ghost of Sparta hums as his eyes drift to the tower again. He turns toward that beacon with the sun peeking out from behind like a shy child. Kratos tightens his grip on the cat man's throat as the muscles in his body contract, small fibers holding an unknown amount of power.

"W-what are you doing?" Allen hisses through his teeth, his black brows raised as he watches the man who holds him prepare for something with a deep breath.

Kratos grits his teeth, catapulting the man into the atmosphere as his foot digs into the stone. Allen becomes a black dot in the distance, slowly approaching the Tower of Babel as the father and son duo witness his involuntary journey. The Greek God sighs, turning to step past his son, "To me Atreus," he says.

With parted lips, the boy turns to stare at his father. He jogs to catch up with the man, staring up at him and glancing back at the clear sky every few seconds, "...You threw him?" Atreus asks.

Kratos shrugs his shoulders, glancing down at the bewildered expression of his son, "...He is gone, is he not?" he asks.

Atreus lets loose a nervous chuckle, "Yeah, but... You don't think he'll come back?" he raises a brow.

"Do not think of what could be. Focus on the task at hand..." Kratos says, "...And if he does, I will handle it."

Suddenly, another chuckle flows through the air, "If you have a problem, just throw it across the city, huh?... Well, at least the entire city didn't witness that," Mimir says with sarcasm leaking from his voice.

Atreus raises a brow, his eyes darting to the civilians and pedestrians surrounding them. Every living being takes the liberty of distancing themselves from the trio, and the boy's eyes roam over fearful eyes and whispering lips, "...Good. It's about time people knew not to mess with us," he says.

Mimir chuckles again, "If you two keep going on like this... I believe the entire city will know that soon enough," he responds.

Kratos hums, his eyes roaming the strangely stacked homes as he walks, "The head is right... It is inevitable with the path we have chosen," he says.

Atreus nods, and even with the clear disgust beaming from his father at the subject, the boy's fingers begin to shake slightly, and his lips curl slightly as he stares down at the stone, "...I'll be famous..." he mutters.

"Hmm?" Kratos hums with a raised brow as he glances at Atreus.

Atreus hums, his eyes meeting the brown pupils that have been there since he came into existence, "...Is... Is it bad that I want people to know who I am? To know how strong I am?" he asks.

Kratos hums, pausing as his eyes continue to scour the dirty streets and jumbled buildings, "...Not necessarily... To be known throughout the land can be a great thing, but all the same, it can be a curse. People will whisper your name through the land, some supporting to you, some cursing you, and some watching closely for a chance to take your place..." The God responds.

Atreus furrows his brows, "Why would they want to take my place? They can be famous too, so why?" he asks.

Kratos stares at his son for a moment, sighing, "...Tell me, what did you think when that Elven woman mentioned there only being one level seven?" he responds with his own question.

Atreus cocks his head back, a moment passing as the cogs in his brain show him that image, "I... I was wishing that was me," he says.

Kratos nods, "Exactly... You may not understand now, Atreus, but you will one day. Just remember this; No matter how kind or generous someone may seem, they will always have their own wants and needs, and to obtain them, the only path they see may be to destroy you," he says.

Atreus nods, "Yes, Father," his eyes are glued to the stone path as his mind roams to another place.

The trio continues through Daedelus Street, and as they travel, Kratos finds what he had been searching for all this time. The man stands with his arms crossed, narrow walls surrounding him as he stares at a wooden door sunk into the brick wall. The alley is quiet and dark, and the low wind rustles a parchment attached to the door. The God reads '400,000' on the parchment, and a grunt leaves his lips as he steps up to the door.

Kratos points to words unknown to his own mind, "Atreus, read," he commands.

Atreus nods, stepping onto his tippy-toes and holding onto his father's arm as he mouths the words, "Meet with Dimitri to discuss purchase," Atreus reads the words fluidly.

"Ah, Laddy! You didn't even stutter!" Mimir says with pride welling up in his non-existent chest.

Atreus chuckles, stepping back to meet Mimir's glowing eyes, "It's all thanks to you, Mimir! I've been making way more progress since you started helping me," he responds with an ear to ear smile.

Mimir cackles, "Oh, Laddy..." the joyful laughter turns to a chuckle, "...To be useful to you is all I wish for."

Atreus nods with that same smile as he stares at Mimir, and suddenly, his eyes meet the leather waistband of his father, "...We will need to find this Dimitri person," Kratos says.

The Greek God steps past his son, his eyes roaming over several wooden doors similar to the one he chose. Atreus steps up beside his father, glancing at the same doors as he walks, "Do you think he lives nearby?" the boy asks as his eyes settle on an Iron door with a name engraved into it, "Oh, there he is."

"This says Dimitri?" Kratos asks, staring at the engraved name with squinted eyes.

"Yep," Atreus responds.

Kratos hums, his hand gripping the cold metal knob of the door. Metal screeches against stone, and the door swings open, revealing a narrow staircase with another door at the top. The duo arrives in front of the door quickly, and Atreus' small knuckles bang on the door in a rhythm.

A moment passes, and another, but only silence meets the duo. Atreus furrows his brows, "Maybe he's out?" he asks, but his question is answered as a loud bang is muffled behind the door. Another moment passes, and the door swings open.

A tall man clears his throat, a black suit hanging from his slender body, "Dimitri here. What can I do for you fine gentlemen?" the man says with a deep voice. Messy blonde hair drapes over the black rim of his glasses, and two pointy ears poke out from those blonde locks.

Atreus wrinkles his nose, peeking behind the man to see a strange piece of fabric on the wooden floor, two mounds with straps extending from either side. His eyes meet the hazel eyes of Dimitri as his brows furrow, "What is that smell?" he asks.

Dimitri raises his brows, "Smell?" though the man suddenly scoffs, "The smell of the red light district does follows the girls everywhere," he chuckles.

Atreus' furrowed brows deepen as he cocks his head back, "The red light dis-"

"Enough..." Kratos interrupts the slippery conversation before it can slip more. His eyes settle on Dimitri, "We mean to purchase a home. The one in the alley listed as 400,000 Valis," he says.

Dimitri raises his brows, "Ah, of course!" he steps back and opens the door more, "Come in, come in."

Kratos steps through the threshold with Atreus following close behind. The stench his son had mentioned wafts in his nose and the God is reminded of his beastly time in Greece. Kratos' eyes roam over a featureless room with wooden walls. A black couch is positioned in the corner, a white blanket covering a girl settled into the cushions with a blush on her smiling face. The girl waves and her smile widens as she meets Kratos' eyes, but the man only sighs as he steps towards a desk in the middle of the room.

Atreus stares at that girl, her cleavage revealed above the blanket. That primal heat gathers in the boy's pants, a feeling that has confused him many times before. Atreus settles in a chair beside his father, and the boy seems to be unable to control his own eyes.

"So, another customer!" Dimitri says with a smile as he sits in a large leather cushioned chair behind the desk. His bony fingers wrap around a glass bottle with dark liquid swirling inside, and he looks to the duo before him as the liquid pours into a drinking glass, "If you don't mind me asking... What are your names? I don't need to know... Privacy and all that.. But it would be nice to put a name to a face," he says.

Kratos nods with a grunt, glancing at that glass as it meets thin lips, "I am Kratos, and this is Atreus..." he says, "...You would drink in front of your customers?"

Dimitri chuckles, setting the glass down on the table gently, "If it bothers you, then the door is behind you..." he points past the duo with a lazy finger, "...What's the point in being alive if you don't enjoy it?"

"Aye... I would drink to that if I could," Mimir says suddenly from Kratos' hip.

The Elven man furrows his brows, "Forgive me... I'm a little drunk, but... I could have sworn you spoke without moving your lips," Dimitri says as he stares at Kratos.

Kratos hums, leaning forward as he reaches behind his back. Mimir plops on the table, leaning against another bottle closer to the god behind him, "Hello there, Mr. Dimitri. How do you do?" Mimir says with a smile.

Dimitri stares at Mimir with furrowed brows, leaning over the table. Suddenly, the Elf wheezes, and the air seems to escapes his lungs as he's thrown into a fit of laughter. He leans back into the chair holding his stomach as his eyes set on Mimir again, "I apologize... It's just- Don't you itch sometimes? Especially with that beard," he says.

Mimir sighs, a nerve seeming to be struck by the Elf's words, "...Every day, brother. Sometimes I have to count my breaths until it goes away," he says.

Dimitri laughs lightly again, "Well, seeing you has made my day considerably better. It's nice to meet you...?" he says, drawing out the last word to a question

"Mimir... The smartest man alive," The head responds.

Dimitri nods, raising his glass again. That dark liquid drains into the Elf's gullet, and he sets the glass down as a hand wipes his lips, "Any man free from drink and women is the smartest man alive..." he says with distracted eyes, and he suddenly hums as he looks to Kratos, "...Anyways, do you have the 400,000 Valis with you?" he asks.

The Greek God shakes his head, and Dimitri sighs, "Well, You can either pay in premiums each month or pay cash up front. I'm a very simple man, you give me money, and I give you a place to lay your head at night," he says.

Atreus perks up, his face straight as he stares at the Elven man, "We can pay cash. The money just isn't with us right now," he says.

Dimitri nods, grabbing that bottle again and pouring another glass. He raises the glass before his face, shrugging, "I won't do anything until I see some Valis. Bring the money tommorow and then we can talk," he responds.

Atreus sags his shoulders, "We can't stay there for tonight?... I don't feel like walking all the way back to the pub," he says.

The Elf sips the glass, and Kratos notices that each gulp seems to be bigger than the last. The glass clangs against the desk, and Dimitri puts a hand to his chin as he hums. He glances at that girl on the couch, humming as his eyes return to the duo, "...Tell you what; You take this fine lady back to where she belongs and grab me another bottle while you're out... And you have yourself a deal," he responds as he stares at Kratos.

Kratos furrows his brows, "No," he says with quick words. Suddenly, he feels a tug at the shoulder of his black armor, and the God glances down at his son. Atreus stares at his father with begging eyes, and after a moment of intense battle between the father and son, Kratos sighs. He looks to Dimitri with cold eyes, "Fine," he hisses.

----

A summary of why I haven't posted:

Me: *decides to move into my own house despite the fact im broke*

Rent, utilities, and all of the bills I was already paying: Howdy Partner

Me: Oh, what's up, *starts working 10 hour shifts everyday*

That basically sums it up. I'm so sorry to everyone that's been waiting on a chapter, I will try my absolute hardest to never do that again. I just needed to get settled into my job, and even though I try my damnedest to try and enjoy writing, it does stress me out sometimes, so bare with me please. I will not let the quality slip for quantity, and I can promise you that.

Love you!