Viper POV

I woke up with the first light, the faint sound of people stirring outside catching my attention. The rest of the group was already getting ready to leave, stretching and packing up quietly. I didn't say anything as I slithered out of my resting spot, the cool morning air brushing against my fur. The town was noisy and it wasn't long before I noticed a crowd gathering around something near the center of town. Curiosity got the better of me, as it often does.

I glanced at the other and saw that they wanted to try and hear what was going on as they tried to join in, but it was hard to push past the crowd. Artemis could clearly listen to everything, but I decided to listen in as well by squeezing through everyone, it was also pretty easy as I was small. Slipping through the narrow gaps between the townspeople, I made my way to the front. People were muttering, their faces a mix of confusion and mild concern. At the center of the crowd, a couple of people with familiar uniforms caught my eye. Some of the workers from the prison.

My heart skipped a beat as I heard that they wouldn't be returning for a while, but I stayed calm, listening in as they explained their situation. Apparently, the prison was sorting itself out after the chaos we left behind. Some of the workers had come back early since they wouldn't have a job for the next month. Something about a lockdown and restructuring. At least they got upgrades to their trucks with a lot of cheap products and food that came about during this process.

But the process came about only because of...a recent prison escape.

"Prisoners escaped," one of them said, almost nonchalantly, "They should have security guards combing the area soon enough because a goddess got kidnapped too. It's all a mess."

"Yeah, they should get here in an hour or so," Another added, "Usually it would take days, but having a goddess kidnapped is a big deal."

My gaze darted around, checking if anyone else had the same thought. A few townspeople exchanged glances, some murmuring quietly among themselves, their gazes flickering toward my group in the back...and me, who was at the front. The fact that we were planning to leave today suddenly seemed a bit too convenient. My heart pounded as I considered what to do. We couldn't afford to be discovered. The last thing we needed was to have them slow us down.

But then, one of the older townsfolk raised his hand.

"Ain't no goddess in that group. Seen 'em. Normal folk, travelers. No one's actin' like a hostage." he shouted over everyone's whispers, "Even if they are, they're leaving anyway, just let them leave, it's not our problem."

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I sighed with relief right then and there. Their curiosity eased, and the conversation shifted back to the workers' unemployment situation. With the tension loosening, I slipped back through the crowd, making my way back to the team. By the time, I got there, they pretty much got the full picture as Leon and Artemis already tried to get to a place to create the plane while John thanked everyone and gifted them a few coins before I rushed to join them.

Once we got outside the town and arrived at an open space, we got on that plane again and flew.

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Artemis POV

"...ently Apollo's coming." was what I heard right as I boarded the plane.

I hadn't seen my twin brother in centuries. Not since…well, the last argument we had. I was ignoring everything I heard after everyone decided to rush our leave, but that one stood out to me.

Apollo, ever the empathetic fool. The way he sympathized with mortals like Leon, those who refused the path of a hero, always baffled me. He acted as though he understood them...maybe he did, in a way. He had been punished before, forced to serve mortals like a common slave. That kind of humiliation changes a god, even someone like Apollo....

but I could still remember him after saying those things, still continuing to waste away. However, he eventually acted on it after a bit of thinking. By a bit, it was more like several centuries' worth of it. The last time I saw him, he was stirring up trouble...rebelling against the Olympians. Typical. But this time it felt different. I saw a more serious side of him. I still don't know what caused him to turn against the others so strongly.

He was never one to align himself too deeply with the rest of the gods, but full-on rebellion? That wasn't like him. Not only that, he denounced a lot of gods, Horus for one...wasn't happy.

Still, even though I knew Apollo would come for me, a part of me was surprised that no one had mentioned him complaining. He always complained if he was doing something he didn't want to do. And he definitely wouldn't have enjoyed coming here to help clean up this mess, especially considering the strained relationship between us.

I stared out the window of the plane construct Leon had made, the white sands of the desert stretching out endlessly beneath us. The wind whipped around the plane, but inside, it was quiet. My thoughts kept drifting back to Apollo. What would he say when he got here? Would he even acknowledge me, or would we pretend, as we often did, that nothing had happened?

It didn't matter. I had bigger things to worry about. Apollo could sort himself out. He always did.

"Yo, Diana, can you tell us Apollo's weakness?" Leon asked.

"Hell no."

"Can you tell us how we can kill a god?"

"Maybe we can go around that by me during the process if it ever comes up."

"What will happen to you if you're caught with us?"

"Eh, I'll be fine, don't worry."

"You won't be mad if we used the few tactics we told you yesterday, right?"

"...I'm not your mother, do what you want."

"Alright, Evelyn, you're in charge of Apollo."

"What do I get if I succeed?" Evelyn asked, "Can I get a kiss?"

"This is not a romance novel, so no."

And it wasn't long till I sensed a few flying monsters from our behind.