Chapter 202 - 2.79 Fortunes!
Diana was bored. She had Hope, which was nice, but it's not like the two could be chatty. She caught herself Universe gazing and noticed Sora, Brie, Pride and the little ones still in Nexus, moving in super slow motion.
'I know it's only been a week… but I do wish he'd hurry. I'm not going to try to sneak out, but I wonder what could possibly be taking someone as powerful as him so long?' she thought as she sighed.
Athena wasn't even visiting, nor were any other gods and goddesses. She didn't have any responsibilities, just unlimited time on her hands and she practiced her magic, abilities and tried to work on her foresight. She realized she had unlimited power and her full potential, but the visions were so much more abundant and clear. There wasn't just one or two paths now, she saw several futures ahead. Some of them made her happy, some of them didn't both her, some of them scared her and she had no one to talk to about it to make her feel better.
"Lockheart Slash!" Xander screamed, slicing another illusion away.
"I can't believe how lifelike all of these things are. I made the mistake of letting one hit me and it hurt! Nana Fena sure has some powerful magic," he muttered to himself while focusing on the several other god-level powered figures.
He was heading south after east and north led him further away. He could somewhat sense his phoenix, but because Diana and Hope were in their own realm, it made it much more difficult and he couldn't talk to her.
"Lockheart Blade of Fury!"
Xander sliced through four more enemies neatly and finally sheathed his sword, breathing a little bit more heavily than he normally would.
'I knew this was going to be tough but this has been a week of clearing monsters, getting lost and trying to find my way back.'
******
"How is he doing?" Aphrodite asked Athena casually.
"Well. I thought it would take him at least a month to get to the point he's at so he's ahead of schedule."
"And Diana?"
"I am very proud of her. She is focusing her energy on the proper things and obeying my command to not go out looking for him."
"Were you really going to make it more miserable for her each time she tried to go out?" Aphrodite laughed.
"I kind of know my sister well enough to call her bluff."
Athena smiled. "The first time or two would be unpleasant, but nothing over the top. It reminds me of how quickly Cyrus finished the trials and how Brie did so amazingly. It seems this family keeps giving me pleasant surprises all the time."
"Xander's finally headed in the right direction, but you didn't make that road easy. Was that your clue? The more difficult it gets, the closer he is to 'home?"
"There are several difficult routes to catch him off guard. I am just glad he is not abusing his time magic. I fear Hades' entire plan with the eye transplants is to negate that magic."
"Yes, those things are creepy! Can you imagine having your eyes pried out and new ones put in? Our poor Eris…" Aphrodite cringed at the thought.
"Eris has been doing very well. I am so proud of her. She sat in prison all those years just because she trusted me and wanted to do what was best for the people in the Nova universe. I will have to reward her if we are able to win this war."
"What of Sora and Brie? Are you going to let them relax a little bit or put them right to work as god and goddess?"
Athena took a deep breath. "That all depends on how things unfold. I believe Chronos deserves a break and I think it would be fitting for those two to take over his role for some time."
"Ha, you're punny today sister. Two gods of time… interesting. Well, I support whatever decision you make!"
"Thank you. There are so many paths ahead, I don't envy Chronos' job. Seeing every possible outcome and path to that outcome and not knowing which one it would be, while it consistently changes… must be difficult, to say the least."
"I'd go insane." Aphrodite laughed.
"Well, if Sora and Brie are together, I don't doubt there is anything they couldn't accomplish. As for these abominations, that's why I have Xander and Diana training in patience. They are too young and cannot just rely on her visions and Xander's time ability to rewind and reset. I don't think that's how this war will play out."
Athena and Aphrodite smiled while watching Xander slay his way through more illusions.
'Be well Xander, Diana misses you dearly. One day you will receive my blessing to be officially a couple, but I'm glad you two worked through that and didn't want it just yet. Maybe before you leave Paradise…'
*****
"Mama! Dada! This place is so cool!" Emma said as they landed their ship in the docking bay.
"Yes, it is very unique. I have not been here before. This will be awkward." Pride said nervously.
"Is someone nervous? Aw, Pride is coming out of his shell. I like it!" Brie said with a playful nudge.
"Uncle Pride is awesome!" Emery said while jumping on his back.
"What is this?" Pride asked.
"He wants to ride on your shoulders, like Emma does on mine, like this." Sora said while placing Emma on his broad shoulders.
Pride helped Emery get on top of his shoulders and smiled.
"Onward!" Emery yelled.
Brie and Sora laughed as Pride looked nervous. They grabbed hands and walked slowly through the city streets until they eventually found a very familiar building.
"Alright Mr. Moneybags, what do you want to do with that inheritance?"
Pride thought for a moment. "I think I would like to divide equally between the party but set up an account for Iris, Scarlet, Mindy, Emery and Emma as well."
"Appreciate the sentiment but set them up for Iris, Mindy and Scarlet. We have more than enough invested for ours," Brie said politely.
"Will you two please sit with me when I talk to this Michelle person? I've never gone through financial things before."
"Of course, that's what party members do for each other!" Emma said politely.
Emery laughed. "Yeah! We're the brains of this operation anyway, right mama?"
"Whatever you say sweetheart," Brie said while shaking her head and laughing.