The legend of the sunken city, some say Atlantis is cursed.
Neo was beginning to agree with that. He had looked through Hera's and Esme's futures to understand why they would destroy Atlantis because of him.
But he couldn't.
Even in the novel, the author hadn't mentioned that detail, since Neo was nothing but a side cast, a meaningless character.
If he could understand what Atlantis did to him, or what he did, then all he had to do was avoid it.
But if that didn't work out, he would go back to plotting how to be replaced by his brother, Loki.
Neo sighed as he looked outside the window.
Then he felt a cold arm wrap around his body, Esme.
"Is something wrong?" she asked.
Even now, Neo had no idea how Esme's affection rate had suddenly increased, and he was certain 75% wouldn't cause an obsession.
After all, Hera's affection was boundless.
Earlier, when the nurses came in and explained Esme's condition to Neo, Esme sat up. "Move a step away from him," she said.
When the nurse hesitated, the temperature of the room changed, and Esme's blue-white hair gradually mixed with white.
Neo was shocked, and the nurse had to step back.
'The origin catalyst is stronger than I remembered,' the guard thought. He had been stationed here by Hera to observe them.
'I should wait a little before informing Madam Hera,' he thought.
Neo walked Esme to the bed and sat beside her. He checked her temperature. She seemed fine.
"I'm fine, Neo," Esme said, smiling jovially.
With a poker-faced expression, his eyes scrutinized her. Physically, she was indeed fine, but mentally unstable as she was right now.
"Do I... look like someone you know?" Neo asked. She could be mistaking him for her ex, who knew?
"Of course not, my Neo's pretty face is epically rare," she giggled.
"Your Neo?" he muttered. He really felt worried for her.
The guard, on the other hand, who knew everything, couldn't help but bury his laughter. The frustrated look on Neo's face was amusing.
"I might be stupid, but not stupid enough not to know you've suddenly changed. Did you come across any love pollen in the origin?" he asked.
"Nopiee, I was looking for you," she giggled again.
"I like the other Esme better. At least she's focused."
Before he could breathe out a sigh, Esme's hair color shifted again, and she turned pale. "Who? That nurse?" she asked.
Neo blinked. "Hold on..." He paused. "What would happen if that guy hit me?" he asked, pointing at the guard.
Esme turned to look at the guard, like a panther staring at a zebra.
"I will tear him apart..." she smiled. "Slowly."
Her words alone sent shivers down the guard's spine. He loosened his tie and made sure to look away.
Neo laughed. He patted her on the head and smiled. "This Esme is actually better."
Then, when Hera walked in, the atmosphere of the room changed.
She saw Neo close to Esme but calmed herself before she burned down the building.
"Esme, I have paid for your mother's hospital bill, everything, so there's no need to be my son's bodyguard anymore," Hera said, handing over a file.
When Esme read through the file, it was indeed true. The 10 million dollar bill had been settled, and her mom would be undergoing surgery the next day.
She felt so happy that she ended up hugging Hera.
"Good, I'm glad you're happy. Neo and I will be leaving now. It was nice knowing you."
"No, no, I don't want to stop protecting Neo."
It felt like a nuclear bomb had been dropped inside Hera's chest. She breathed out steam while massaging her forehead. "What?"
She tapped her foot against the ground to lessen her uneasiness.
From where he sat, Neo saw the girl he once knew return, the dead, cold expression of Esme.
"Or were you trying to separate Neo from me?"
Neo blinked. His head shifted between whoever held the focus in the room, a mother with boundless love and a girl obsessed with him for reasons he didn't know.
Hera sighed. "Esme, darling, you're not yourself. The connection between you and my son created an oxytocin that was catalyzed by the origin. Whatever you feel for him is just an excess overflow of affection."
"What?" Neo asked.
"Madam, it seems Esme is the only one affected. I presume young master Neo is alright."
The guard finally informed Hera.
However, Esme smiled. "Don't you think I know that?" she said. "I know how I saw him before, but now I can stop this if I want, but I don't. I like things this way," she added.
Hera had had enough of this girl's attitude. She stepped forward and chuckled. "You realize I can kill you?"
The Chronos bloodline against the Ymir. From any other characters, Neo would have hyped the fight.
But these two were his first protectors, so he had to stop them.
"Enough. I can decide for myself," Neo said as he stood between them. "You have to learn how to share my body."
When he said that, all eyes in the room shifted and fell on him. Maybe the wording felt awkward. "I don't mean sexually."
Neo massaged the bridge of his nose. "Esme, I need my mom, and Mom, I need Esme around me too. You forgot I'm weak? I can't even kill a single fly," he said weakly.
"The princess of Atlantis is strong, an SSS awakened. You don't need Esme anymore," Hera said. She placed a palm on his shoulder and added, "You're getting engaged to her."
Neo paused.
Shouldn't Atlantis be introduced in the later chapters?
Or had he done something that triggered his death to come forward this quickly?
No, that wasn't it, or the whole plot would be ruined.
"And Princess Ivy Gold is known for jealousy. Esme can't be around you anymore."
Neo brushed Hera's hand off his shoulder. Maybe being a mommy's boy was easy, but if he wanted to keep Esme around, he had to man up.
"Enough," he said in a cold voice.
Marrying Ivy Gold wasn't a bad idea at all. Hell, when he thought about her, Neo felt goosebumps.
Wielder of the Neptune Trident.
Hera, Esme, Ivy Gold, these were SSS characters. Who would dare touch him?
So he didn't reject the idea of having another SSS character around him. After a moment of silence, Neo said only one thing.
"They'll learn how to share."