In less than a day, the weather changed so many times. With the arrival of the cart, the heavy rain stopped. The sun bathed the city as the black-haired young man began his little sign of the cross. The cold no longer blew in the child's ears after his journey.
— Daughter, explain again. Mommy is confused.
— OK, I'll ask! What, Mom? Let me do something before I explain, the little voice in my head won't stop bothering me. Aunt Mary, I want a kiss from you so much!
— Of course, dear, come here.
Margarida walked toward her beloved aunt, who had kept her that way because she had visited her when she was younger—not so much younger, but even smaller. With her size that could have been larger than many men, Mary, with feminine kindness, embraced her beloved niece, lowering her chin and kissing her forehead.
"Human, I felt your lips. Could you bring them a little closer to mine? I want to see up close the bow Eros created with them. It wasn't hit by the arrow he could fire, but I still feel like I've been hit by a hailstorm." The giant's numbness is gone.
"I get it!" Mary gives Margarida another kiss. "Amélia exclaimed, laughing.
Again Mary lowered her chin and pressed her lips to her beloved niece's forehead. Suddenly, the sarcastic smile Daisy had been holding faded. Her eyebrows lowered, her eyes widened.
— Did it turn into a kissing booth? Just one is fine, auntie.
— Explain to me what's happening, Amélia...
"I'll try to confuse you as much as possible. Margarida loves you so much, and the giant within her saw you and remembered your sealed and extinct race, with a mixture of love and sadness. So let's say it became a cord, a feeling so strong it pulls at consciousness and hides consciousness. I know it's strange, but that's the explanation."
"Good to know." Mary turned back when she heard her horses' hooves pound. "He's back. Got a freezer on your arm?"
Even the horses were stunned. Marengo carried a freezer in his right arm, brushing his blond curls against it. Mamoru walked ahead, his serpentine eyes focused on the small child clinging to a woman who was certainly no ordinary woman. Shizuko walked a little further back, drying her dress with a cloth and waving to the women in front of her, keeping her eyes on the woman who arranged the meeting. The man was hooked on the beer at the bar, due to his long-term alcoholism.
— Hello Amélia, long time no see. How are you, little princess?
— Uncle, wasn't your hair blonde? I'm fine. Did you know that there's a giant hitting on your wife?
"Love doesn't get hot, it's just a giant Eunuch, no need to worry. Who are these young people?" Marengo approached Mary and told her everything. "Hello children, my name is Mary Shire. You were the giant Eunuch's accomplices, I'm very happy to meet you. People who irritate Elizabeth deserve a free round. What would you like to drink?"
With a sentence containing as much scattered information as Zeus's lovers, the sentence should be carefully analyzed, or they would be eaten by the Sphinx.
"Where do I begin? Let's see. You're the sister of the Apollo doctor. You're clearly an Arachne, and your husband is a Moira. Why have you come to this city now? Since you don't like your sister, are you trying to get revenge by joining us?" Shizuko was as curious as she was beautiful.
"Simple, business. I can create new beverages, and perhaps arrive at one that compares to the ambrosia of the gods; that's my ultimate goal. Speaking of gods, Amélia, did you like that wine?"
"I can't even tell you, friend. Because of that wine, even Gaia became my friend. Speaking of which, I've always been curious. Your drinks are alcohol-free. What do you use instead?"
"I'll show you, just wait. So, love, why don't you take the young lady, Shizuko? Give her hair a makeover. In the meantime, I'll tell you the secrets the young man with the snake eyes wants so much to know."
"Mamoru, go with her. I'm sure this Mary Shire knows things I don't. That way, the questions that consume you will stop poisoning you." Shizuko walked toward Marengo, who was showing the way to the room that served as the living room.
After a long time, the two separated. Shizuko always served as a guide and a reason for Mamoru to keep going, so as not to lose her personality in his mind and his memories to mix with those of Tiresias and his sister. Now the same could be done with the sky he held on his back like an atlas. He could travel in the present, not get lost in his memories.
Before anything else, Mamoru had a monologue with his partner in this race against the tide that had become his life. Tiresias said there would be no danger, since she was friends with Amelia, a mysterious woman who could become an open book because of her daughter, so he had a guarantee in hand. Mamoru looked into the woman's amber eyes, stared at her long braids that resembled snakes, and her gaze, so petrifying because of her beauty, met this, shook his head, and followed her.
"Where do you want to start? Who am I? What are the Echidnas really? What's my connection to Apollo? Like a good waitress, I'll bring you your order quickly, but first, let me pack the goods." Mary was moving heavy boxes; from the sound of them, there was a vial of liquid and something else.
"What would the merchandise be? This can't just be a regular bar and a beauty salon. Thinking about it, the combination is strange enough." It was Tiresias who spoke.
— Wow, that's rude, Aix. You need to cool off a bit. Come here.
Mary's arms reached for Mamoru's face. He paid no attention; she was focused on the box her hands were holding, which fell to the ground. Before she fell, Mamoru felt Mary's hands turn cold against his face. The whole room seemed to have become winter itself, while the blizzard's eyes turned from amber to blue. The box then fell to the ground, revealing its contents: snakes amidst a huge amount of blood.
—Whose blood is this? What is it?
"It's my blood. Those snakes are echidnas. Since I answered two questions, you have an obligation to give me a tip."