The wind escaped through the trees, holding on to them and pushing forward. The same thing changed throughout the day. At noon, it was cool, and it took plenty of time to pass through the trees. At one point, the same thing became the voices of the animals that had hidden. At two moments, the breeze became hot, leaving the vision blurry and the foreheads sweaty of those watching the forest from afar.
"They must be coming back now." He ran his fingers over his eyelids. "It was quite a struggle, even from here I could feel the heat emanating from the forest and hear the wind whistling."
"It always happens when those two get together." He took off his backpack and placed it on the floor. "Cassandra's definitely destroyed another suit."
"With her brother, she doesn't need to worry about that." She got up from the grass she was sitting on and walked toward Heleno. "Since Margarida's gone, let's change the subject. Are you making out with Amélia?"
"As always, as accurate as a hunter's arrow." She took two bottles of water from her bag. "We're getting to know each other better."
— I see, you're still at that part. — He looked at the ring on his finger. — Do you know how you're going to tell Margarida\Eunuch this?
— he threw the backpack away. — Depending on the child, it can be more dangerous than a war.
Hana, as she is, burst out laughing, reached down and grabbed a bottle, and leaned back against the tree. Heleno's situation helped her forget what had been going on in her mind all afternoon.
— Just a little bit left, Mamoru, hold on tight.
— Did you say something to me, Hana?
— No, it wasn't. Just thinking out loud.
— Okay. Now we just have to wait for the two of them to come back.
In a moment of carelessness, water splashed onto her clothes, causing her to pull out the paper from her pants, the same one Elizabeth had given her. It contained the location of Aix Hermaphrodite. She quickly put it in a dry pocket.
The forest was once again filled, but not by the whistling wind or the searing breeze; it was rain falling. Toads in droves filled the forest with their croaking; snakes, previously hidden by other serpents, reclaimed their place in the damp earth. Insects flapped their wings in search of a tree that sheltered the only point of light in that dark forest, a glowing arc.
"Are you very tired?" Calisto played with his axes, throwing them into the air. "You get stronger the more clothes you lose."
"I train my muscles for this." He pointed to his abdomen. "I fought a giant cockroach."
—Congratulations, you've overcome one of your greatest fears. —He picked up the pot where he kept the Echidna he defeated. —Can you give me the Echidna?
"Of course." He took the Serpent that was wrapped around his arm and gave it to Calisto. "When will this rain stop? The best thing for now is to wait."
Cassandra pressed her hand against his abdomen, allowing the raindrops that had fallen on her body to evaporate. She might be a mythical heroine, but she wasn't Achilles, who became nearly immortal thanks to a bath.
With his usual care, he ran his hands through his hair, using its temperature to style it. In just a few strokes, his hair was dry and in its usual formal cut.
— I want that too. It's really cool to have a friend who's hot-headed in the literal sense of the word. She serves as a straightener.
— Your sentence was worth everything, I won't even charge you, sit down.
Calisto sat below Cassandra's legs, who delicately warmed her hands, and like a comb, began to run them through Calisto's hair.
— I remember, on the day I ran away from the orphanage, your family had visited me, as they always did weekly. I had no memory of who I was, so you nicknamed me Rapunzel.
"Back then, your hair was longer than you were. If I remember my parents saying you ran away in the middle of a fight, what exactly happened?"
"As I recall, a group of Arachnes and Moiras invaded the orphanage to kill me, so I ran away. In the rain, I met Dr. Igor; he knew who I was and took me in. That was the day I met Hana; from then on, you know."
— Because of your escape, I became close to Elizabeth. She had an idea of who ordered your attack.
— Who was it? It won't change anything, but I'm curious.
—it was a member of the Shire family, Elizabeth and Mary's uncle. Because of the incident, Elizabeth killed him. That's why Mary hates her sister.
—but didn't they get closer again?
— Yes. When Mary's son, Eugene, was born, Luís, being a good guy, opened a rift in the underworld and threw a huge party. Because of Luís, Mary decided not to kill her sister.
— A great family affair.
The smell of wet earth reached their noses, the raindrops stopped, and all the sounds of the forest fell silent. The wind filled the space again. Calisto rose from the ground, patting his pants, brushing away the dirt. Cassandra stretched, rising from the tree trunk where she had been sitting, the warmth filling her body. She needed to walk back.
Calisto kept her boots on the damp earth, her hands occupied by her axes, and her waist was tied to the boat with the Echidnas. Cassandra's warmth reminded her of Mamoru, whom she hadn't seen since he switched places with her sister. He indirectly made it all happen, gave up his place, asked Cassandra to keep the wedding ring, and served as support for her at a time when she was unsure of anything other than wanting to protect Mamoru.
Heat coursed through her body, intense, but as for her feelings, war was approaching, she didn't fear it as much, so she began to create her squad: Calisto, a born hunter, Daisy, a child with infinite potential, Hana, a being as tall as the Nemean lion. What was most important to her was distant and close at the same time. Leaning against the Mamoru tree.
— Mamoru!— He hugged his friend tightly. — You look good in women's clothes, you make a good pair with Cassandra.
"Thanks? I guess." He gave Cassandra a thumbs-up. "We need to move quickly. Hana only gave me a minute. She said if she gave me more, Cassandra wouldn't be able to control herself."
"Your sister really is amazing." His jaw tilted slightly to the side, next to his bitten lip. "Hey guys, let's go quickly before I kidnap Mamoru!"
—Of course. — He opened the jar. — bon appétit!
Like stealing a cookie from his jar, Mamoru caught a snake. Just like a crunchy cookie, the Echidna dissolved in Mamoru's mouth. A golden liquid oozed from the cookie. It quickly fed on the two snakes. The body returned to Hana's possession.
— Where is it? — He searched his pockets for the paper. — I found it! — He handed it to Cassandra.
"So this is Hermaphrodite's location? We'll need Dionysus's help then. We'll see about that tomorrow. For now, just head home."