"Weak... Weak..." Damien's fist drove into Alcy's gut, and she crumpled to her knees. She tried to rise, her massive sword scraping against the ground, but her body refused to obey. Chloe darted in from behind...he sidestepped, caught her wrist, and sent her flying into Lunoire, both of them collapsing in a heap. He ducked under Anya's spear, pivoted, and drove his foot into her stomach, sending her skidding across the grass.
"Come on..." Damien spread his arms wide, his grin sharp and taunting. "I am not even armed. You have got to do better than that."
"AHHHHH!" Alcy surged to her feet, her massive sword swinging in wild arcs. Left. Right. Left again. Damien weaved through the strikes like smoke, his movements effortless.
"You are angry," he observed, dodging another swing. "Bad."
He smacked her sword aside with his palm, closed the distance in a heartbeat, and slammed her onto the ground. The impact knocked the breath from her lungs.
"Master..." Vritra's voice came from the sidelines, calm and measured. "Please go easy on them."
Damien grinned, stepping back as the girls struggled to their feet. "If I did that, they would hate me. Is that not right, girls?"
Chloe dusted herself off, a fierce grin spreading across her face. "We would not have it any other way."
....
Hours later, the girls lay sprawled across the grass, their bodies slick with sweat, their chests heaving with exhaustion. The sky above was painted in shades of orange and pink, the sun beginning its slow descent toward the horizon. Damien walked among them, handing each a canteen of water.
"You did wonderful," he said, his voice warm. "Do not feel down."
Alcy took a long drink, her eyes still fixed on the clouds above. "We could not even land a single hit."
Damien sat down beside her, stretching his legs out. "I am a god. It would have been stranger if you did land a hit. I am not training you with the expectation that you will beat me."
"Then why?" Chloe propped herself up on her elbows, her green eyes sharp and curious. "You have told the Loki, Kali, and Freya Familias to double their training in the dungeon. You have prepared for us to train harder. Why is that?"
Alcy nodded, her expression mirroring Chloe's curiosity. "What are you expecting?"
Damien sighed, his gaze drifting to the horizon. "Well... nothing much. We just had a war. I am thinking you all need training in case something like that happens again."
"Oh, Damien." Hestia approached from behind, her voice gentle. "You can tell them. These are my children now. I want them to know."
"It is not like I am hiding it." He shrugged. "I just thought I would do it after you had gotten used to it."
"Oh, relax." Hestia waved a dismissive hand. "I am a goddess with thousands of years of experience. It is not like I do not know what to expect."
She turned to the girls, a smile spreading across her face. "I am pregnant."
The reaction was instantaneous. Alcy shot upright, her exhaustion forgotten. Chloe's jaw dropped. Anya gasped. Lunoire's hands flew to her mouth. Even Ryuu's composed expression cracked with surprise.
"Congratulations!" they all began to speak at once, their voices overlapping in a chorus of excitement. "Wow!"
"You are a goddess..." Ryuu said, her voice filled with wonder.
"Yeah..." Hestia laughed softly. "It is shocking, I know. But there is a first time for everything."
Aisha crossed her arms, a knowing smirk on her face. "I knew it!"
Damien raised an eyebrow. "Oh? How would you know?"
Aisha's smirk widened. "Oh, please. Hestia used to look at any girl in your vicinity like they were an enemy. She allowed it, but she always gave them the look, you know....the 'I am first' type of look." She gestured dramatically. "But she stopped recently. And a woman only stops being jealous when she is guaranteed her number one spot." She pointed at Hestia's stomach. "With a pregnancy."
She turned to Hestia, her grin genuine. "Congrats, Hestia. Now the fight for second place begins!" She grabbed Damien's arm, her eyes gleaming. "Damien, let us fuck!"
Everyone burst into laughter. The tension broke, replaced by warmth and joy.
Damien held up his hands. "Woah, woah, wait a minute now. Come on... I love you all equally. No fighting!"
Alcy's expression sobered, her eyes searching his face. "So you are training us hard because you want to protect her?"
Damien nodded slowly. "Part of it. Hestia is the first goddess in history to be pregnant. I expect jealousy from other goddesses, other gods. Soon, I plan to venture deep into the dungeon. If I go in there, I want to know that Hestia and the city are well protected."
He paused, his gaze growing distant.
"We also do not know where the dragons are, or what they plan. Sure, Vritra has explained that after being killed in that form, they will not be able to call an avatar for a while. But I still have an eerie feeling about that. There is also the other one....Antares, their supposed Monarch. The Monarch of our world." He met their eyes, one by one. "I do not know when he will come. But if he does, we need to be ready."
Alcy sat up straighter, her exhaustion replaced by determination. "Fair enough. Besides, I want to grow stronger....much stronger than I am. The dragon... he defeated me easily. Yet you and that girl kept up with him and defeated him."
Damien smiled. "Yeah. Ais is a special one. If you wish, join her."
"Join her?" Alcy tilted her head.
"Yeah. Join her in training. You will learn a lot from her....not about combat, but about conviction. And the desire for power."
Alcy nodded slowly, a fire kindling in her eyes. She stood, her massive sword finding its place on her back.
"I will do just that."
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