#tw.swearing

More steps, more applause. He loves being the center of attention just to feel the adrenaline rush of having different people know that he is the biggest, the best, the most in demand, the strongest — even if in the divine hierarchy of the Olympian gods, maybe he needed more than just killing Python to be more recognized.

Straightening his own bow and arrows close to his back more firmly, Haruchiyo continued to wave to the different creatures he encountered along the way to the heart of the fortress of the Olympian gods.

Out of the corner of his eyes as clear as the oceans ruled by Poseidon, he could see Athens and Artemis watching the fanfare organized for the arrival of the god of sun and waved nonchalantly to the two goddesses and only the latter responded to the greeting.

— Thank you, thank you! — He smiled again at the nymphs and different humanoid creatures transiting by the different staircases of the Mount probably with Zeus' silent permission. — But, if ya'll excuse me, I really need to meet with Zeus!

Haruchiyo didn't need to, it was just a veiled excuse to avoid having to say that he had more important things to do as a god than to be papered and it worked, so much so that a sea of free way was opened up by the remaining steps for him to reach the top of Olympus.

As soon as he reached it and saw Artemis and Athena still following his movements with their eyes, the first thing Apollo did was to open his arms wide to receive his twin sister in his arms under the gaze of the goddess of wisdom and war.

— I can't believe you came back in one piece! How did it go? I sent messengers to... — Haruchiyo raised hands as if telling Senju to calm down.

— Since when have you ever seen me not come out of a fight in one piece? Look at me! — He gestured to his own body. — Python was nothing but a pebble in my shoe, no big deal, no big deal. — A wide smile broke out on his lips, and Athena looked him up and down without saying anything, just turning around and preparing to return to her own pantheon within Olympus. — No hugs this time, Athena? You hurt me this way.

— Hurting you sometimes is my favorite hobby. — She looked over one shoulder at him with a mocking smile and the two of them exchanged accomplice looks; she was too serious and he, too playful.

And then, after a long conversation that Apollo filled with sordid details about his own fight with Python, he said goodbye to his own sister because an idea had been planted in his head as soon as he saw Anteros running around near the gates of the main hall of Olympus.

Where was Eros?

Nothing was better than mocking Eros for killing Python, since they both used bow and arrows, but only one was capable of killing colossal monsters using a combination of the two objects.

Before Anteros really disappeared running past the main hall, Haruchiyo grabbed part of his light blue tunic and pulled him back, almost lifting him off the floor without much difficulty.

— Hey there, youngest, where's your bro? — Anteros snorted, trying to break free of Apollo's grip on his tunic.

— For your info, I’m not the youngest! — Haruchiyo raised one eyebrow. — Mount Parnassus...

— Good boy, you can go back to doing... well, whatever it was you were doing. — Haruchiyo released him and immediately Anteros ran off again, this time more clumsy than before under the other god's shrewd gaze.

Wearing a magic amulet given to him by Hecate long before the fight with Python, the god of sun was in the middle of the main hall of Olympus one second and at the entrance to the sacred mount of Parnassus the next.

It was not necessary for Apollo to ask permission to enter that enclosure, but out of sheer respect for the Oracle of Parnassus, he knelt in front of that open entrance and asked, in a consistent whisper, a short "Your blessing?" to which the wind whispered back: "Come in, you’re welcome".

He cracked a twinkling, bright smile and immediately nodded before he began to make his way up the hill. It didn't take long before his eyes could discern the different stone buildings in the shape of small temples adorned by huge porticos. This is where The Muses resided and they were usually always busy advising poor artists in need of help or inspiration. Strangely enough, most of them today were around Eros, who held something in his hands and giggled a little before going back to reading.

And Haruchiyo watched from afar, taking his own bow and arrow and circling the small statues of the Olympian gods as if waiting for the perfect moment to show his presence.

As he continued walking in small steps, Rindou gave the paper he had been holding until then to Erato, drew his own bow with the materialized arrows and replicated the scene he had been narrating until then.

The hero of the love poem he had tried to write was demonstrating his arrow skills to try to impress his beloved and Rindou had only taken that poem to The Muses because he needed someone to stroke his ego since Anteros wouldn't do it and Aphrodite was too busy.

The sound of an arrow from Apollo whizzed through the air and hit the stone on the ground next to Eros, causing it to rise up and strike one of the young god's knees, who grunted at the sudden sharp pain and dropped to his knees thinking that some mountain animal had bitten him.

— What are you doing with powerful weapons, naughty boy? — Haruchiyo raised one eyebrow and before Rindou could answer, The Muses immediately switched their attention to the god of the sun and went to greet him.

Damn, Apollo always appeared at the worst moments. And to make matters worse, his arrogance was piercing the sky in the same way that Eros' arrows pierced the breasts of lovers.

— Your Highness doesn't seem to be aiming very well these days. — Rindou replied, looking at the fallen arrow next to the stone that hit his knee.

And Haruchiyo gestured with circular movements of his index finger for the nine muses to evacuate and go back to doing whatever they had been doing before the arrival of Aphrodite's son.

— How arrogant of you to say that to me, Rinrin. — Eros closed his face at that annoying nickname the other god had given him many years before. — Didn't it reach your ears through gossip that these same arrows killed the Python’s plague?

And then Rindou became much more irritated and drew his own bow again, before rummaging through the linen bag with platinum details that he always carried with him in search of the golden arrow with a shiny, sharp point made of gold and placing it ready to be shot.

A look of confusion mixed with distrust and derision was drawn on Sanzu's shining face, and immediately his arms opened, leaving his chest free to be arrowed. Rindou didn't have the courage to hurt the patron god of all the arts, he was a coward.

Apollo's frivolous mistake was to think that Eros wanted to hurt him physically and not think about what hurts less than unrequited love and a broken heart: an arrow in the center of the chest or a stone in the knee?

Seconds later, Haruchiyo was receiving a golden arrow aimed at his heart and it, before beginning to intoxicate his metaphysical senses, disappeared before the eyes of the two gods. Nothing had changed, yet.

Apollo gave an unnerved smile of arrogance, Eros gave one of malice knowing that half of his idea was complete and then took off materializing his own wings.

— Is that the best you can do, Rinrin? You've been less stupid before as far as I can remember. — And Sanzu started to run after him while Rindou flew away, his eyes still fixed on the mocking god running through the trees.

Eros didn't respond at all in retaliation. It was not necessary. He just restrained himself from turning his back on the god still chasing him on dry land and searching with his eyes for another being to connect to Haruchiyo among the trees and buildings of the abode of small deities and entities less powerful than the gods of Olympus.

Until...

— No, thanks! — You opened a smile more cordial than genuine before trying to close the door again in front of the house built next to the river ruled by your father.

— Please, Y/N! At least accept the flowers. — The man flattened his hand in the middle of the door again and held it open while using his other to lift the bouquet of nearly dead, not well cared for flowers and almost shove it in your face. — We’re... — You interrupted him.

— I'm not interested in weddings, sir, but I think other girls on Olympus might be. Go after ‘em! — Your voice came out more angry than you intended, but that was the least of your worries at the moment.

Forcing the door open a little more and kicking it just below the supporting knee of the man getting on your nerves since the morning, you managed to close the door with a thud and fall sitting on the floor from the sudden shove.

"Damn", you whispered to yourself trying to catch the breath before you got up off the floor, straightened your bathing clothes that consisted only of a small half-transparent dress covering your breasts and part of your thighs and went to find your father around the house to let him know you were leaving.

— Dad? — You called out to him searching the rooms and finding him, ironically, coming in through the back door of the house because there was an idiot still banging on the front one. — Can I...? — The question referred to leaving the house to go bathing in the river.

— Yes, but first I wanna talk to you about... — You crossed arms, the topic was already well known. — Don't make that face, you know how much I want grandchildren, Y/N! You're practically one of the last nymphs in Parnassus who still doesn't have children.

— And I'm not going to. — You complained before sighing deeply, your father was a hardhead. — I follow Artemis, Dad, and I love you so, so much, but I swore an oath that I’d give my life and chastity to Artemis if she would give me enough health to continue being a free-hunting nymph and helping you with the rivers, springs and wells. — You clenched the hands nervously before turning your back on your father to walk to the back door of the house after hearing the male shouts from outside cease. — Y’know how important it is to me to be devoted to Artemis, don't you?

Your father sighed without moving from his place. Unfortunately you had inherited his very stubbornness.

— I'll be right back. — You announced before opening the door and closing it with a soft, deafening thud.

It was supposed to be just another normal day in your quiet life as a nymph. And normal was not in Rindou's vocabulary.

Just before you walked to the part of the river with the clearest water and which was usually also a little more cold and refreshing than the one which was closer to the house more used by you than by your father, a rustling in the trees denounced a lack of normality.

A rustle followed by the sound of muffled voices. Male, in this case.

In a blink of eyes, the scene unfolded before you of an almost legendary shining god that you knew only from stories told by your father running after another just as legendary who carried with him a bow and arrow extremely famous throughout Greece and even more so throughout Olympus and the Parnassus.

It was strange enough to see gods or goddesses, any kind of deity greater than The Muses or nymphs, around that part of the mountain, but to see Eros? It was even more irregular. And to see him flying away from Apollo? Even more so.

And then, when the river waters were already covering up to your knees, Rindou's eyes locked on yours. He was flying dangerously close to you and your brain swore to see a small smile drawn on his lips before you assimilated that his body was settling into an arrow-shooting position.

He wanted to kill you?! Why? You hadn't done anything wrong, had you? No!

In a moment of desperation, you started to run further away, being carried away by the river current.

But Eros' aim is never wrong. And if it is, surely there was a purpose for it.

You didn't even feel pain or anything like that when the blind arrow with lead under the shaft hit your back and began to magically travel through your veins and nervous system until it reached your heart.

Haruchiyo stopped running after Rindou and, almost in an instinctive movement, looked at the spot where you were standing with your dress sticking to the body because of the water.

His heart beat fast with love, yours: with revulsion. And you weren't even sure why, the only thing you could think about was how he was probably the most disgusting man you had the displeasure of seeing while Sanzu thought about how you were the most beautiful woman he had the pleasure of admiring.

Eros' work was complete. I mean, the old one was.

Seeing the hopelessly smitten look and the silly smile appearing on Haruchiyo's bright face, Rindou began to make other plans while the patron god of archery now walked between the river waters to catch up with you and you tried to get away by going in the opposite direction.

— Wait, pretty lady! I am... — You interrupted him with a disgusted cry and he thought he heard the most beautiful symphony in the world.

— I know who you are! I'm not interested!

You stared at him over one shoulder as Rindou continued to fly over and wait for the scene to unfold. Damn, it looked like you weren't even leaving the place, Haruchiyo looked even closer than before as his heavy war clothes tinkled and shimmered against the crystal clear water of the river.

— Why are you running away?! I don't wanna do you any harm! — He said it loud enough for you to hear.

— And no good either. — Eros answered from above and Apollo glared at him angrily before picking up speed to catch up to you, wrapping one hand around the edge of your dress floating a few inches behind your body and pulling you back to wrap his arms around your waist.

— Stop! Lemme go! — You squirmed against his grip and elbowed him in the ribs that barely seemed to tickle Sanzu. — Don't touch me!

Haruchiyo turned you to face him and Rindou frowned as he saw a happy, enthusiastic smile decorating the other god's lips. His face so close to yours that you could see his breath making the tiny droplets of river water on your face quiver and tremble, his deep blue eyes staring into yours as if reading your soul and your heart trembling with something you blamed on a mixture of grief and lack of affection.

— You are the most beautiful constellation I have ever seen in my entire life, where have you been all these years? — Sanzu wasn't normally the most affectionate or clingy creature in the world, but at that moment he felt the need to be just because he had managed to win that imaginary race between the two of you and you tried to arch your back enough to make him loosen the grip of his arms around your waist, but he didn't even move more than two millicentimeters.

You didn't want to answer at all. That disgusting god didn't deserve an answer. The only thing you wanted was to walk away and never see him again.

Rindou knew this because it was a side effect of the arrow he had given you and so, seeing you struggling more and more against Haruchiyo's arms, he landed a few meters behind him and walked slowly towards the two of you before. As he got close enough, he gave a sharp kick to the hamstring of the man holding you and before you could fall helplessly into the running waters of the river and hurt yourself, the arms around your body pulling you away from Sanzu were his.

— Poor thing, you scared her away, Apollo! — Rindou shouted, guiding you to the riverbank slowly while the other god stood up grunting in pain and trying to follow you both. — You don't know how to treat girls, look at how delicate she’s and how you were holding her like a savage. — He got out of the river and carried you along, leaving you standing carefully on dry land.

— What have you done to me? — Your voice came out as a whispera and you wrapped arms around yourself and started to feel cold for leaving the river as suddenly as you came in.

— Me? Absolutely nothing, darling, don't worry. — Eros stroked your hair before tucking a strand behind your ear and you cringed at his invasive action, but didn't pull away. — Tell me where you live and I'll take you there so this guy can leave you alone.

— Just... — You looked over one shoulder at the path up the riverbank. — Up. — Your head swiveled in the right direction.

He agreed before facing Haruchiyo, still busy massaging his sore hamstring, and immediately started walking in the direction you indicated, taking you with him. Your feet almost tripping over themselves to keep up with Rindou's fast pace.

— What were you two doing in the Parnassus? — You asked suspiciously and he looked at you a bit confused by the question. — It's not normal to see gods like you both around here.

— Oh. — He thought of an excuse to make. — Actually, my mom asked me to pick up some poems with The Muses, y’know, love poems! — Your face softened and brightned.

— Oh, Aphrodite! — You'd always wanted to meet her, but Artemis was too strict and would probably never give you the chance to do that. — What's she like?

— Difficult. — Rindou answered curtly, and seeing you lose some of the sparkle in your smile at his lack of enthusiasm, he tried to make amends. — B-But unlike some stories they tell, she’s quite generous. — A nervous laugh escaped his lips.

And before you could think about what you were saying:

— Someday I wish I could see her.

And even more without thinking, Eros answered:

— If you went to Olympus, you could do that.

Seconds later the two of you were standing in front of the back of your house. Rindou staring at you and you taking his eye contact as if it were a competition to see who would look away first.

Again your heart fluttered and you nervously squeezed the soaked edge of your dress as his lilac eyes slid down your body to reach your eager fingers.

— Wanna go there? — Rindou asked, leaning over and making you lean back in the other direction. — My mother is generous and I got it from her, I can take you to Olympus who knows... in a couple of days? — A small smile vibrating with cordial energy was opened by him. — Maybe if you tell me your name I can take you there..?