On the shore of a serene island, an old woman is staring into the horizon.
Kari Zel still has trouble recognizing her: the voice and those bright green eyes are definitely Vesta’s, but she looks like she’s eighty years old.
<Come on, Vesta, let’s go.>
<I’m not going anywhere.>
<We’ll find a way to fix you. I know we don’t have our powers right now, but…>
<Holy crap, is that who I think it is!?> Quantum exclaims, getting closer to the shore together with the rest of the people he helped rescue from various parts of Heaven.
Leiko Tanaka and Reaper don’t react to Vesta’s new appearance, while Torn limits himself to raising an eyebrow. Noriko Null is the first one to connect the dots.
<It makes perfect sense. Let me guess: you don’t have your powers either, right?> she asks.
<No, I don’t. I’m as human as the rest of you.> Vesta admits.
<How exactly does this make sense?> Kari asks pointing at her own hair, now blonde instead of its natural purple.
<Must be a sort of cruel punishment, trapping us in such inferior forms.> Reaper complains; he may look younger than Vesta, but the elder Demon is still an old human now.
<Not exactly. You kept saying that gods can’t get into Heaven, right? It’s not like they can’t physically reach it: they cease to be gods once they get there.> Noriko deduces.
<Ah, you must be the clever one.>
The comment comes from another old human; the wrinkles on his face show all the signs of living his entire life laboring under the sun, and he has to walk with a cane.
<Well dear, aren’t you going to introduce me to your friends?>
Vesta stands up, and even with all her wrinkles her face is positively beaming with happiness.
<These are the most extraordinary people you’ll ever meet, beloved. Everyone, this is the first man I ever loved, my first husband Theodoros.>
In a modest house
The old man slowly walks around the table, pouring wine into the cups of his guests. The building is so small that his visitors are quite close to each other, and not all of them can fit at the same table.
Although Torn and Reaper don’t seem to mind being the only ones standing, leaning against different walls at the opposite sides of the room.
<Sorry for the accommodation, we don’t get many visitors.> Theodoros says with a warm smile.
<I can imagine.> Noriko comments, taking her cup and staring into it for just a couple of seconds before Quantum snatches it away from her.
<I was gonna drink that!> she complains.
<That’s the problem, you know what happens when you get drunk.> he reminds her.
<Shouldn’t be a problem, this is the most watered-down wine I’ve ever tasted.> Kari says, making a face to make her disgust clear.
<We’re stranded in the stone age and none of you have powers, I’m not getting through this completely sober.> Leiko adds, emptying her own cup as fast as she can.
<Oh this isn’t the stone age at all, it’s the 7th century B.C.> Theodoros explains.
His guests exchange confused looks, until Noriko voices the question in everyone’s mind:
<How do you even know what B.C. means?>
<Oh my wife told me everything. Communication is important in a good marriage. I know you’re the mortal empress of the gods, that these are your friends and that she’s a soulless harpy from the depths of Tartarus.> Theodoros explains, gesturing towards Leiko for the last point.
<Still too sober for this.> Leiko mumbles, pouring herself another cup of wine.
<So you know that you’re… uhm…> Kari hesitates to say.
<Not real? Yes, of course I know.>
<Vesta seems to have told enough about us. We’ve never heard anything about you, not even once.> Noriko points out, turning towards the former goddess.
Vesta has been keeping quiet, staring at the table to avoid looking at her friends.
<You’ll have to excuse her, she’s always been so shy. We haven’t had anyone to talk about her past since our children left.> Theodoros says, stopping behind Vesta and lovingly placing his hands on her shoulders.
<Wait, your kids? But I thought you couldn’t…> Kari says, interrupted by Vesta.
<Conceive? No, I couldn’t. Theodoros already had kids on his own when we met.> she finally breaks her silence.
<Yes, my dear Kassandra died giving birth to my youngest. I though Aphrodite would never bless my heart with love again, until I met the most beautiful young maiden this island had ever seen, working at the tavern down the street.>
<I was only supposed to stay on Samos for four or five years. That’s typically how long it took before someone noticed I wouldn’t grow old, or started to have too many questions on why I wouldn’t take a husband.> Vesta explains.
<That was a warmth in her manners that the men lusting for her beauty couldn’t see. I pursued her relentlessly… eventually she told me she was a goddess fallen from the sky, condemned to wander the earth in loneliness, forever unloved.>
<It was about a century after my exile; he was the first mortal I ever told the truth about myself. I ended up making Samos my home for over fifty years.>
<Aww, that is so romantic.> Kari swoons.
<I took her as a wife. She grew Timothea and Timon as if they were her own children, and she made me the luckiest man in Greece.> Theodoros adds, kissing Vesta’s head.
<It was the first time in my million years life that I felt true happiness. The politics of Olympus, the schemes of my family, the duties of godhood… it was all meaningless pageantry. I found my place in the universe as the wife of a humble fisherman.> Vesta says, taking his hand and holding it against her cheek, as a single tear drops on it.
<I had everything I wanted. I prayed so hard to all the gods of the universe to let me keep it.>
<But your new family was aging. And you were not.> Noriko realizes.
<Timothea died in childbirth. Her son died of typhus two months later; her husband left to find fortune in Athens, and we never heard from him again. Timon left for Chios with his wife and four children. All dead when their boat sank during a storm.>
<Vesta stood by my side as everyone else I had loved died. She even took care of me when I grew too old for fishing.>
<I couldn’t leave the house during the day, people would not have accepted how I still looked young. I had to catch fish in the middle of the night and fly to other cities to buy food. But I couldn’t bear the thought of being away from Theodoros… such a noble soul didn’t deserve to die alone and forgotten.> she narrates, pausing only to wipe away her tears.
<I held him in my arms when he died. I buried him in a peaceful cave on the Moon, under the light of an eternal flame that will burn for as long as my heart beats.>
<So that’s why you are old here.> Noriko deduces, pretending she’s not holding back some tears.
<My greatest wish was for me to grow old and die next to my husband. It looks like it’s finally been granted.>
<There was no need to drag us down with your pathetic dream of a mediocre death. Why are we all humans here?> Reaper asks.
< The only times when I’ve been happy have been when I was among mortals… even if I was never one of them. Heroes, demons and monsters are always pushing me to act like a goddess. And I’m tired, so tired of it now. I want to live and die a mortal.>
<Vesta, I know you’ve been through more than any of us can truly understand, but you can’t live in the past. Help us get back to the real world, you still have so much to live for.> Noriko encourages her, but Vesta raises her voice to ask:
<How many of your children have YOU buried? How many grandchildren? How many cities you called home have crumbled to dust!? Don’t talk to ME about living in the past, I’m the one cursed to remember all that she’s lost!!!>
There’s an awkward silence following her unusual outburst; nobody is really sure what to say.
Until the ground shakes.
<What the… was that an earthquake?> Quantum ask.
Then the ground shakes once again, exactly the same way.
<Sounds like something rhythmic. Definitely not from this period.> Noriko says, being the first one to stand from the table.
As her allies leave the house to see for themselves, Noriko lingers to look at Vesta: she’s not moving from her position, both figuratively and literally.
<Get a last goodbye. You know what’s the right thing to do.>
<It’s not up to you anymore.> Vesta replies.
<Wasn’t talking to you.> Noriko adds, finally being the last to leave the house.
Vesta turns towards her husband, who has a warm smile despite the sadness in his eyes.
<We need to talk, my love.>
Island of Samos, Heaven
It’s not exactly hard to figure out what caused the house to tremble. There’s a metallic figure lumbering in the distance, a hundred feet tall metallic humanoid.
<F##k yeah, a giant robot!!!> Quantum exclaims.
He receives disapproving looks from both Kari and Leiko.
<I mean… “oh no, a giant robot”.> he unconvincingly corrects himself.
<I know little about Earth history, but I doubt this follows Vesta’s wishes.> Torn says.
<Must be coming from one of the other parts of Heaven.> Noriko reasons, when her attempts to assess the situation are interrupted by the sound of a machine gun firing into the air.
<All of you! On the ground! NOW!>
The woman barking orders and walking towards them is the one holding the gun; she’s dressed in a completely black military uniform, complete with a mask that covers her entire face.
The only note of color is the silver Ꙩ symbol on her chest, and in the blink of an eye a dozen exact duplicates of her body appear by her side.
<I would so kick your ass if I had my powers.> Kari points out, only to be surrounded by three more duplicates. She attempts to fight back, but each of the duplicate seems to be a martial arts expert as much as she is: it’s one of the shortest fights of her life.
<Anyone else has bright ideas?> the woman asks, waving her gun around.
<Always. What do you hope to accomplish here, exactly?> Noriko asks.
<I’m not talking to you, she told me you’d be the most dangerous one. General Zel to Reibots, I have located the targets. Ready for extraction.> the woman says through an earpiece.
<Acknowledged.> is the response from two similarly dark robots: virtually indistinguishable Nullbots, except for the Ø symbol being replaced by a Ꙩ one; they just teleported themselves right next to the woman in uniform.
<“General Zel”? Who are you?> Noriko asks.
In response, one of the duplicates places a pair of glowing handcuffs on her; the rest of them are similarly restrained.
<Gods, Abyss wasn’t this annoying to capture. General Zel to base, the Actualization Locks seem to be working just fine, waiting for extraction. The Godbuster unit was totally unnecessary, by the way. This was a cakewalk.>
<Excuse me.> a voice calls for her. The General turns, seeing an old woman approaching.
The giant robot also turns towards her, and its booming artificial voice adds:
<Warning. Class-2 level threat detected. Calling reinforcements.>
<By all means, go ahead. I really need to work through some anger.> Vesta says, her eyes ablaze.