A few days had passed since the fall of Apollo Familia, and the reality of its end had already taken root. What Cassandra had foreseen in her dream had unfolded exactly as she described—no deviations, no mercy.
Now, not only had its members scattered, but even the once-magnificent manor—a proud symbol of the sun god's power—lay in ruins. Little more than a heap of shattered stone and splintered timber remained. Yet the land itself still held value in the heart of Orario. Preparations to build something new atop the wreckage were already underway.
Servitors moved through the debris in steady, unbroken rhythms, clearing the mess with mechanical precision. Broken stone, twisted metal, and scattered remnants were sorted and hauled away without pause or complaint. Beside them, blacksmiths from Hephaestus Familia lent their expertise where human judgment was required, directing the work and handling delicate or complex tasks.
At first, passersby slowed their steps out of sheer curiosity. After all, it wasn't every day that a god's estate was reduced to rubble. From a distance, the figures labouring among the ruins looked almost human—strange in their silence, perhaps, but nothing alarming.
That illusion shattered the closer one drew. Their movements were too flawless, too measured. No voices rang out, no hesitation broke their stride—only silent, relentless efficiency as they dismantled the remnants of Apollo's legacy.
A few bold onlookers stepped nearer for a better view. Then they froze. What they had mistaken for people were something else entirely: fusions of metal and flesh, crafted in human shape yet utterly devoid of humanity. Their faces bore no expression; their eyes were vacant voids, as if nothing living gazed back from within.
Some turned away at once, hurrying off to report the unsettling sight to their own families. Others lingered but kept a safer distance. They were not the only ones disturbed by the rapid changes sweeping through Orario.
Inside Guild headquarters, the matter was already under heated discussion. Ganesha stood at the centre of the room, a detailed report clutched in his hand. His usual exuberant composure showed visible strain. Around him, key figures had gathered. Hermes paced nearby, irritation plain on his face, while Loki lounged against a nearby pillar with her usual air of detached amusement.
The report delivered earlier by Hermes covered every major event of the past week in exhaustive detail. Loki didn't bother skimming it herself. Instead, she waved a lazy hand toward her captain. Finn Deimne stepped forward without a word, accepting the document. His sharp eyes scanned the pages, his expression tightening as he reached the final lines.
He lowered the report. "Apollo Familia has been utterly destroyed," he stated evenly. "Apollo himself has vanished—likely sent back to the heavens or in hiding."
A brief, heavy silence followed.
"Ishtar Familia has also collapsed," Finn continued. "Ishtar has been returned to the divine realm."
Another pause.
"In the span of a single week," he added, his voice calm yet weighted, "two gods have fallen from Orario."
Hermes exhaled sharply, unable to contain himself any longer. "And that's not even the worst of it," he snapped, irritation sharpening his tone. "The Pleasure District is being shut down. Completely. That bastard Luthar plans to 'restructure' the entire area into a training facility."
His voice rose. "Do you have any idea what that means? Those women are about to lose their only source of income. Their entire livelihoods—gone, just like that."
Loki offered no immediate response, simply tilting her head with mild interest. Ganesha stayed quiet for a moment, absorbing the implications. Troublesome indeed. The Pleasure District had long been a flawed but integral part of the city's underbelly. Removing it wouldn't erase the desires that fed it—only displace them, with unpredictable consequences.
"I think it's fine," a clear voice spoke up from beside him. Ganesha turned slightly. His own captain met his gaze steadily. "If they can find honest work elsewhere, then it's for the best," she said simply. "No one should have to remain trapped in a place like that."
Ganesha did not reply right away. From her perspective, the logic was sound. No decent person would defend such a life. But reality was rarely so simple. That district had existed for a reason, supplying what the city's adventurers and citizens craved in the shadows.
After a moment, he exhaled. "Well said," he conceded. "But we're not here to debate the fate of the Pleasure District."
His gaze swept across the room, growing more intense. "Our real concern is Luthar," Ganesha declared, his voice firm and carrying the weight of his divine presence. "I want to know why those two goddesses—Hephaestus and Freya—are drawing so close to him."
Loki gave a small huff, clearly unbothered. "Isn't it obvious?" she drawled, a mischievous glint in her eye. "Hephaestus is probably drooling over his creations. The stuff that guy makes is pretty damn interesting, after all."
She leaned back a little further, her expression turning thoughtful. "As for Freya… that one's trickier to read. Could be his talent. Could be the way he controls the situation. Or maybe he's just ridiculously handsome under that mask of his."
A hint of amusement colored her words. "Hard to say for sure. I haven't seen his face. But Freya's the type to follow her whims. With her, anything's possible."
Ganesha's expression darkened. His hand came down sharply on the table, the impact echoing through the room like a thunderclap. "Enough," he said, his voice cutting and serious. "Can you be serious for once? Do you understand how dangerous this situation is?"
His eyes locked onto hers. "Or do you simply not care because you've already decided to side with him?"
Loki straightened slightly, her gaze meeting his without hesitation. "Don't act like this meeting is going to change anything," she said. "Getting close to them was your idea, not mine."
Her tone remained dry. "If you want to take action, find someone else. I'm not becoming the next Apollo or Ishtar."
Loki didn't wait for a response. With a dismissive glance, she turned and walked out, Finn following close behind.
Ganesha watched her leave, his expression tightening slightly. For a moment, it seemed like he might call her back. Then he stopped himself. The room fell quiet.
He turned instead toward Hermes. "What do you think we should do?" he asked. There was a hint of expectation in his voice.
Hermes didn't answer immediately. Instead, a faint smile appeared on his face. "Well," he said lightly, "we could always open a new pleasure district. I'm sure that would solve at least one problem."
No one reacted. They simply waited for him to continue. Hermes' smile lingered for a second longer before he let out a small breath, the humour fading just enough.
"Realistically?" he continued. "Send word to the families. Let them know what's happening so they don't pick a fight with someone they can't handle."
Ganesha frowned slightly. "I'm not talking about that," he said. "I mean what we should do with Luthar."
Hermes tilted his head. "Isn't that obvious?" he replied. "You haven't done anything, so continue doing nothing."
A brief pause. "Unless you're planning to gather everyone and go after him."
His smile returned, sharper this time. "If so, I'd suggest finding a few level eights… maybe a nine."
After a pause, he relaxed his shoulders. "The problem is, people with those levels don't exist."
An uncomfortable silence settled over the room again.
Author note next world is DC after that it's go back to the Marvel so I really need to know what do you want after that basically the direction of the story