"And safe!" the Loli Goddess, Lily, said as she passed through the portal that led her directly to the Temple of the Gods. "I thought I was a goner."
"Me too!" the little boy, Cupid, said as he gave Lily a high-five.
""Yay!""
The two exchanged another high five to celebrate their successful mission. However, after that brief moment of triumph, the Loli Goddess remembered how wrathful Thanatos could be.
"Let's celebrate later! Come! Let's go hide in my Palace!" Lily said as she grabbed hold of the little boy's hand. "I'm sure that he's going to come and find us soon. It will be bad if he catches us!"
As if waiting for that cue, an angry roar was heard behind them, making the little girl, and the little boy run, and fly, as if their pants were on fire.
Issei and David watched as the two troublemakers ran away in fear of their lives. But, deep inside, the two Gods were giving Lily and Cupid, two thumbs up in their hearts.
A few seconds later, Thanatos entered the Temple of the Gods with blood-shot eyes.
He only had one goal in mind and that was to catch the two mischievous Gods that were responsible for Erinys' departure from his Domain, and lock them up in the Underworld for a decade or two.
"Looks like it's our turn," David said as he stood up and patted the back of his robes.
"Yeah," Issei said while drawing his dagger from his sheathe. "It's up to us to clean up Lily's and Cupid's mess."
"Such troublesome kids."
"You can say that again."
However, before the two Gods could even intercept the God of Death and prevent him from going after Lily and Cupid, two Gods blocked Thanatos' way with their arms crossed over their chests.
"I will not allow you to hurt Lily," the Lolicon God said.
"You will have to get past us first," the Pedobear God stated.
Thanatos had no time to waste on the two New Generation Gods and immediately slapped both of them away, sending them flying hundreds of meters away.
But, just as Thanatos was about to continue his pursuit of the two troublemakers, two hands grabbed hold of his legs, preventing him from moving.
"You're not going anywhere, scum!" the Lolicon God who had unsealed his powers firmly gripped Thanatos' left leg. "You're staying here!"
"Damn right, Bastard!" the Pedobear God said before biting Thanatos' right leg, holding it in place. "Yoh nat gedding awae!"
Thanatos didn't hold back and started to smack the heads of the two Gods, but they held firm, and didn't budge.
The other Gods, who didn't know what was happening, watched this scene with amusement, and even cheered for the two New Generation Gods, encouraging them to make things difficult for the God of Death, Thanatos.
A half an hour later, a frustrated Thanatos dragged two unconscious Gods back to the Underworld.
Lily and Cupid had already escaped and had shut themselves in the Loli Goddess' palace. Even with all of his power, Thanatos would not be able to break it, because it was the sacred residence of a God.
The Temple of the Gods had its rules, and even he, the powerful God of Death, couldn't break those rules, leaving him no choice but to return to the Underworld.
However, he wasn't going to go back empty handed.
Holding the Lolicon God, and the Pedobear God in his hands, he dragged them back to the Underworld, and threw them to Tartarus.
He had decided to lock the two Gods up for a century for getting in his way, and asked the guards to beat them up as punishment for allowing the two Gods that were responsible for the upheaval in the Underworld to escape his grasp.
—-----
World of Hestia…
As soon as William stepped out of the Underworld, he found himself in the Sacred Grove where the World Tree of the Elves was located.
Erinys' who was still in his arms, looked around her with wonder.
Everything was so colorful, and full of life, which was a stark contrast to the world where she was born.
"This place is called the Sacred Grove," William said. "It is located in the Silvermoon Continent, and under jurisdiction of my mother, the Saintess of the World Tree."
Erinys opened her mouth to ask William a question. Even though no sounds were coming out of her lips, the black-haired teenager could read her lips and understand what she was saying.
"I get along well with my Mother. She is a good person," William answered. "There are just times when she can be eccentric, but overall, she is harmless. I'd like it if you got to know her as well."
Erinys nodded.
"Don't worry. I will do something about your voice," William said softly. "Just trust me, okay?"
'I trust you.'
Erinys mouthed the words slowly, so that William would be able to understand her.
Seeing her in this state, the Half-Elf could only rely on Optimus for help. Currently, the System was busy buying some items from the God Shop in order to give Erinys' a temporary voice that was close to her original voice.
If William wanted, the Half-ling in his arms could readily acquire a voice. But it would be similar to those text-to-voice translations that sounded robotic. He didn't want Erinys to have that kind of voice, so he asked Optimus to fine-tune it to be as close to Erinys' original voice as possible, which he liked listening to.
"You're finally back, and it seems you have brought back a souvenir from the Underworld."
A teasing voice reached William's ears, making him turn around to see his mother, Arwen, walking in his direction with a smile.
"It's been a while since I saw a Half-ling," Arwen said as she crouched down a bit to look at the little girl in William's arms. "As expected of my son. Even in the Underworld, he is still able to charm the ladies. My genes are really amazing. My name is Arwen Von Ainsworth. What's your name, little one?"
'Erinys,' Erinys mouthed.
"Erin's knees?" Arwen blinked. "Oh wait! You are Eri's niece… I remember that girl asked me for money a decade ago. She still hadn't paid me until now. Hey, can you collect her debt for me?"
Black lines appeared on Erinys' forehead because not only did the Elf in front of get her name wrong, Arwen even asked her to collect debts for her as well.
The Half-ling looked up at the Half-Elf carrying her and gave him the "Are you sure she is your mother?" gaze, making William chuckle.
"Mother, her name is Erinys," William stated. "She is the one that helped me meet my wives in the Underworld. However, because of me, she lost her voice. She will be staying with me for a while."
"Erinys, what a good name," Arwen said as he lightly patted Erinys head. "Nice to meet you, Erinys. I hope that we get along. After all, you will be part of our family sooner or later."
The Half-ling's face immediately became beet red after hearing Arwen's words. She had only been in the Surface World for a few minutes, and she was already being added to William's family register, making her wonder if everyone in Hestia were as fast-paced as Arwen.
As if sensing her discomfort, William changed the topic, and asked his mother if everything in the Silvermoon Continent was in order.
"Everything is fine here," Arwen replied. "But, I can't say the same for the Central Continent. You should return there as soon as you can."
William nodded in understanding. Originally, he would have already teleported to the Floor of Asgard in order to get news from his subordinates.
But, he wanted to visit his wives first and ensure that their bodies were in perfect health. Also, he wanted to know if the Silvermoon Continent was spared from his fight against the Holy Order of Light.
"The Holy Order of Light hasn't stepped into our lands since the start of the war," Arwen explained. "They have no reason to attack us, and the Pope knows that doing so will only create trouble for herself.
"You might have been able to subjugate us by force, but that was because your Father, the World Tree, was on your side. If the Holy Order really did try to invade these lands, they would find themselves kicking a steel plate."
William arched an eyebrow after hearing his mother's smug explanation. He didn't know where Arwen's confidence was coming from, but judging by how unfazed his mother was for a possible invasion from the Holy Order, it seemed that there were still some secrets in the Silvermoon Continent that he was not aware of.
"Mother, I can't stay here for long," William said. "After I visit my wives and Acedia, I will be returning to the Floor of Asgard to handle personal matters."
"I know," Arwen replied. Although she was reluctant, she understood that William carried great responsibilities on his shoulders. "Just, don't push yourself too hard, okay? I'm sure that things weren't that easy in the Underworld."
William didn't reply and simply smiled. Right now, he didn't want to think about what was happening in the Underworld.
Erinys, who was still being carried like a princess in William's arms, sighed in her heart as she relieved the painful experience she recently had.
Although she loved the Underworld, she also wanted to see the Surface World. She didn't know what the future held, but she was hopeful.
Hopeful that the day would come when she would finally be able to sing, and dance, under the sun, without worrying about her father trying to bring her back to the Underworld, to the place where he said she belonged.
—----