Chapter Size: 2716 Words.]Third Person POVOrario, Apollo's Mansion.

  ...

  ...After exging greetings, we began to ehe mansion together at that moment. Hestia had also iakemikazuchi, but since he had already arrived, we didn't o wait. As we ehe festive hall, Lucius was the first to notice the splendor of the decoration that adorned every er of the luxurious space.

  The atmosphere was infused with energy, with gods and goddesses engaged in lively versations and ughter, exging stories and greetings. Members of divine families ied, their smiles aures filling the pce. However, our small group slid almost unnoticed among the illustrious guests.

  Lucius and his fellow adventurers found themselves in a more bustling envirohaed in the inal anime, a profusion of colors and voices filling the air. The presence of two members with each god resulted in an eclectic crowd of adventurers from all ers of Orario. The buzz of the crowd was apanied by the king of gsses and tagious ughter.

  The eborate decoration, filled with luxurious details, provided a dazzling sight. Bright deliers hung from the ceiling, casting a soft light over the attendees, while floral arras adorhe tables with elegahe mix of vibrant colors and the subtle glow of dles created a magical aive atmosphere.

  Entering Apollo's party was not only visually impressive but also immersive, with fragrances of exquisite food dang in the air. The initial impressions were of a grand celebration where every detail tributed to the magnifice of the occasion.

  As we delved into the party hall, a stage revealed itself in front of us. On it, a group of skilled bards produced an enting melody that served as a soothing background. The music, though not overly lively, had a captivating ce, filling the enviro with a charming atmosphere that set the stage for the upiivities.

  The soft light from the stage highlighted the presence of the musis, creating dang shadows on the walls. The absence of dancers, for now, did not diminish the quality of the performance, as the melodious notes filled the hall, enveloping everyone present in an aura of elegance.

  While abs the musical atmosphere, aze was drawn to a peculiar golden-haired god. His enthusiasm was evident, and he quickly stood out from the crowd upon notig roup. His eyes sparkled with reition and joy as he approached, breaking through the party's otion.

  "OHHH! Hestia and Miach. Bell-kun, Lucius-kun, and Naaza- too!" The god's voice, brimming with enthusiasm, echoed through the hall. His expansive gesture and warm smile indicated a genuinely warm wele. The curious looks of uests turowards us, creating a brief pause in the gradually fading music.

  The expressions of roup varied. Bell, with his more reserved nature, dispyed a polite smile. Naaza, oher hand, maintained a posture, but her eyes revealed a touch of pleasant surprise.

  Ah? Sdalous as always, Hermes... I'm surprised Takemikazuchi is with you too... - Hestia grumbled, her expression revealing a mix of displeasure and surprise.

  We're not together because I want to be... - Takemikazuchi muttered beside her, his stern expression indig a certain disfort with the situation.

  Don't be like that, Takemikazuchi! - Hermes hugged him from the side, smiling as he tio speak. We work together to protect Bell and the others, remember?

  Not very enthusiastic about Hermes' gesture, Takemikazuchi grumbled, asking to be let go. Hermes, however, ighe pints, maintaining the hug with a rexed smile.

  Yes, and that resulted in two giant Goliaths! - Hestia couldn't help but mention with regret. Although she didn't show remorse, the memory of the imposing monsters still weighed on her mind. The decision to front them, however, was something she would do again if necessary.

  But everything was resolved, thanks to Bell-kun and Lucius-kun here! - Hermes let go of Takemikazuchi and stepped forward to the mentioned ones. His expression was one of genuine joy and admiration.

  Hmm... You guys aren't bad for heroes! - Hermes said, ughing casually. Bell, embarrassed, lowered his gaze, while Lucius, with his usual ess, observed Hermes without revealing much emotion. He was aware of Hermes' peculiar personality, knowing that anything could be expected from the messenger god, especially when it came to promoting new heroes or elevating their names.

  'I'm afraid of what this guy might try when we're already gaining notoriety...' Lucius whispered to himself, his eyes sing the various guests who were now watg them, especially because Hermes had the habit of speaking loudly.

  "Mikoto and Naaza look beautiful, but look here!" Hermes announced in a theatrical pose, pointing to one side of the hall. "My Alfi is great too, isn't she?" He said, dispying his ander o another family member. A wave of embarrassment took over her in the face of sudden attention.

  "Stop it, Hermes-Sama! Or I'll really hit you!" Alfi protested, stuttering with shyness in the face of the tention she was receiving. Hermes approached her and whispered something in her ear, prompting a well-applied elbow that sent her flying to the other side of the party, elig ughter from some guests.

  'For now, everything as in the anime, noollo should appear...' Lucius thought, and his guess proved correct when a new voice echoed through the party hall.

  "People, thank you for ing!" Apollo appeared at the highest part of the hall, apanied by three other members who stood in the background. However, Lucius, with his ability to detect life, sehe presence of a few more hidden in strategic points of the hall.'There are three he's showing now, but there are also nine hidden, or was this security already present in the inal, or did something make him increase his security at this moment?' Lucius couldn't help but mogly question.

  "Is this the God Apollo?" Bell asked, his gaze fixed on the god.

  "Yes, it seems so," Mikoto replied.

  "Today, I decided to have a ba a little different from the usual!" Apollo announced, his voice eg through the hall.

  "Are you enjoying it? Dressing up your beloved children and bringing them to a ba like this isn't a big ge, is it?" Apollo asked calmly.

  "YES, APOLLO!!" The gods and members of the families present responded with enthusiasm.

  "Brilliant!"

  "I'M LOVING IT."

  The gods and guests expressed approval with cheers and nods.

  "I'm gd to see many Tenkai fellows with their children. Today will be a night of maings and es..." Apollo decred, turning his head in roup's dire.

  "...I feel it." He had bright eyes as he fixed his gaze on Bell and Lucius. Apollo's peing gaze made it clear that something deeper was happening, creating a palpable tension in the air."Great, this guy is a pervert and looking at me strangely. I unch a fireball at him if he bothers me?" Lucius murmured to his family members, and Miad Naaza, hearing this, were stunned on the side."Alright, the night is long, I wish everyone a good ba!" He cluded the speech, looking at everyoer that, Apollo desded from his ptform to mih his guests.While Hermes was talking about hoollo could be vengeful, Bell and the other members were talking to Takemikazuchi and Miach, aia was dev the ba quite extravagantly.Meanwhile, a new otion broke out in a er of the hall, drawing everyone's attention. Freya entered with Ottar ah.Ottar was a character Lucius already knew, but he didn't know who the red-haired girl oher side of Freya was.Everyo the party had stopped to withe glory of the stro family in Orario."The Freya family!" Many shouted, looking mainly at Freya with desire.Suddenly, Freya turned her way as in the inal a straight to where Bell and the others were."Hestia, Takemikazuchi, Miach, and Hermes, good to see you again..." She said with a seductive tone, making the three men blush as they were scolded by their daughters at the same time.

  Freya looked at Bell and approached him, enting that she would have sweet dreams with him, which made Hestia jump on him. Lucius was in a er, uninvolved, while sipping whiskey on the rocks. He wasn't ied in joining them now, just enjoying the show.

  However, Freya suddenly turo him, making his hair stand on end, w why this sudden attention. He knew Freya had g him a few days ago, but this wasn't something he was expeg.

  "Hm?!... If it isn't Hestia's new son..." She said, approag while putting a hand under her as she did with Bell.

  But something ued happened before Hestia could jump on Lucius too, to prevent him from being ented by the goddess of love. This was exactly what Freya was doing at that moment, as Lucius was not a character who feared the Gods. This was noticed by the goddess in front of him, making her eyes sparkle with a dangerous tone.

  But suddenly, a hand grabbed the hand under her , making Ottar stiffen behind Freya, and that red-haired girl stared with intense eyes as if ready to kill the owner of that bold hand at any moment. For her, toug her goddess was an unfivable act.

  The hand, of course, beloo Lucius himself, who politely removed the fingers from the goddess on his and looked directly into the eyes that were trying to ent him.

  "I'm not ied..." He simply said, turning and walking away, pletely ign Freya, who stood still, Lucius.

  A silened seds ter, and no one uood what was happening. Eveia, who was ready to jump and cover Lucius's eyes, fell stuo the ground.

  "Hey hey, did he really reject Freya?" A god ented in the crowd.

  "Yes, he really did, I've never seen someone do that before!" Said another.

  "How he resist Freya-Sama, I'm having a hard time not thinking about her now!" A child from some family said.

  "How someone be so rude and dismiss the most beautiful goddess!" Said another.

  " he resist her charm? That's quite iing..." Hermes couldn't help but ent with a calg look.

  "Freya-Sama?" Ottar asked a little ed inside, but his voice came out ral.

  "Hehe. He's much more iing than I imagined..." She ented as she began to walk again without looking at Lucius anymore.

  "e on, I don't thiia would like me here, close to her children." Freya said with a calm smile.

  "Freya-Sama, I 't let this humiliation pass!" Heith growled beside her, not liking at all how things had happened now. She already hated that human who dared to refuse Freya in public.

  "Don't do anything; this actually made me even happier and more ied." Freya said with a calm smile.

  As they walked away, Lucius rejoined his acquaintances.

  "That was quite brave, iing, and bold..." Hermes ented beside him.

  ..." Lucius just looked at him, receiving a smile from the same god.

  Deep down, Lucius breathed a sigh of relief. He had his doubts about whether he could handle Freya's charm as he did with Ishtar. In the end, the result was quite positive for him.

  "You mao resist her charm, but be careful!" Hestia warned seriously, not liking how Freya approached her children.

  "It's alright." Lucius calmly spoke.

  "There you are, chibi." A new voice reached the group's ears before anyone else could say anything.

  The group turo find Loki with Aiz on one side in her inal dress and Riveria oher side in a dress.

  Their green eyes met his for a brief moment, sending a spark nition and perhaps something more. The green dress seemed tailor-made, gracefully highlighting every curve, and Riveria's refined features shone amid the party lights. Riveria's elegance did not go unnoticed, and Lucius couldn't help but think how stunning she looked at that moment.

  Bell looked surprised at Aiz while Hestia took a step forward.

  "When did you get here?!" She shouted and tinued, "You're so bnd I didn't even see you ing!" Hestia mocked.

  "Shut up, idiot! If you want to know the problem, it's with that Freya bitch, stealing all the spotlight wheered, from me, my precious Aiz, and Mom!" Loki shouted again.

  As the two goddesses began their usual argument, Aiz nudged her goddess, askio introduce Bell. Meanwhile, Lucius approached Riviera when almost no oiced because everyone's attention was on the heated discussioweeia and Loki. This dispute seemed to be great eai even for the gods present. Lucius took advantage of the moment of distra to initiate a more private versation with Riviera, who now seemed more approachable than ever.

  "Hello, Miss Riviera, I must say you look stunning," Lucius said without a touch of shame in his voice.

  "T-Thank you, you don't look bad either." Of course, Riviera wasn't used to this kind of attention, and knowing Lucius, she already expected something like this. So, he made her stutter in her first words, and her blush became even stronger.

  "Anyway, how are your studies?" Suddenly, his voice became serious without any hint of shame.

  'So, she ged the subject quickly and turned into strid ruthless teacher mode...' Lucius mented, already realizing that he had lost his ces with some flirts now.

  "I'm reading, I've already read 8 of them," Lucius said with a certain pride, which left Riviera with a surprised look.

  "You've read more than half? That's good, but let me test your knowledge. Did you read them in the order I assigned?" She said with a stern voiot sounding like we were still at a ba.

  "Yes, you ask your questions, teacher..." Lucius said with a smile.

  "Introdu to a elven magid its fuals, volume I, who wrote it?" She asked.

  "Cirulius Karpthon, an Elf who lived secluded in the Royal Forest of Alf his entire life. He wrote his theory over 600 years ago," Lucius said.

  "Give me a summary of his theory," she said.

  While Lucius ented on what he had read, Loki was staring at Bell at that moment.

  "He's one of your toys I saw the other day, chibi. He's so bnd; the other one is more iing, but he's dangerous. I 't let him near Mom! By the way, wasn't he here? Huh, not even Riviera is reprimanding me now, which should be normal in my mischief... where is she?"

  "..."

  "..."

  "..."

  Loki realizing that Lucius was not present with Riviera, all her internal fears erupted.

  "MOM!!" She quickly shouted, looking for the emerald-haired elf.

  "He was a half-elf who studied magic with the phallic potential of the gods..." While Riviera listeo Lucius talk admirably about his sed reended book, they both stopped when they heard Loki's scream.

  "Don't get close to Mom!!!" Loki shouted when she saw the two and advanced as much as her legs allowed.

  She quickly reached them and made them move away from each other.

  "Don't get close to him, Mom, he will corrupt you!!!" Loki cried with a tearful face.

  "No one will corrupt me, Loki-Sama. Please, you're making a se here, tain yourself!" Riviera scolded her severely.

  "Give me a hug, Mom, yoddess is vulnerable!" She shouted as she jumped at Riviera, but the elf just dodged the hug, making Loki fall to the ground with her face cushioning the fall.

  "BOO-HOO! My daughter doesn't love me anymore; she traded me and was corrupted by a magi from the Chibi family!" Loki began to cry, making everyone feel sedhand embarrassment, especially Riviera, who was red at that moment.

  "Do you need some time to deal with her?" Lucius asked a embarrassed Riviera o him.

  "I believe so... Sorry." Riviera mumbled.

  "It's okay; I uand." Lucius spoke calmly in the midst of this mess.

  While Riviera began t Loki on the ground even as she moved away, Aiz followed without expression.

  I looked at my acquaintances while they were quite stunned by all that.

  "Wait! Are you and that Loki-damned magi having an affair or something?" Hestia asked suspiciously.

  "Why does everyohink that? Of course not, I mean, not yet..." Lucius grumbled.

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