Vol.6 Ch.11.1 – Melinoe’s Rest(lessness) I
Chapter 11: Melinoe's Rest(lessness)
I did not get to simply bask in the afterglow after ruining both Athena and Yume.
Instead I got to bask in the afterglow while watching Yume untying the rope harness she had put on Athena. The moment the ropes loosened around her chest she took a huge gulping breath, the relief both visible and audible as she could suddenly breathe so much easier than before. And once Yume had the rope fully removed I got to admire the marks left on the goddess' skin.
Immediately after the ropes had come off they were deep, pale indentations on Athena's skin, contrasting the rest of her skin, which was flushed and reddened and sweaty. However, as we slowly lay there and her body relaxed the marks began to change. Her skin slowly lost the flush, going back to her slightly pale but fair skin, while the marks turned reddish with a purple tint.
It wasn't rope burn and it wasn't quite bruising but it was clear what had been done to her, the angry red lines crisscrossing over her skin, the marks looking as if the rope harness were still there, only invisible.
There were a few spots that looked a bit more bruised than the rest and Yume made sure to massage some life back into those while Athena lay between us, curled up and content, slowly drifting off to sleep.
“Are you satisfied?” I asked Yume, keeping my voice low so I wouldn't disturb Athena's sleep.
“It was incredible,” my little fox said. “Was it everything you wanted it to be?”
“And more,” I said. “You can show me that wild side more often, you know?”
She smiled. “If you're fine with it.”
I placed a kiss on her forehead and then watched her curl her tails around Athena and me like a blanket.
**
When I woke up the next morning I found myself staring into a pair of eyes so green they looked like emeralds being held up into the sun.
“Hi,” I said, my voice still sounding raspy.
“Hi,” Alisha replied. I knew her well enough to know that she was trying for annoyed and indignant but she was always so excited to see me that I could only tell because she seemed slightly less ecstatic than usual. “Had fun last night?”
“Lots,” I said. “As I'm sure you did.”
She blushed scarlet.
“Did you want to come cuddle?” I asked.
She bit her lip but then shook her head. “I came to get you three. Breakfast is ready.”
Yume, who I swore had been asleep up until then, immediately sat bolt upright, the faintest bit of drool running out the corner of her mouth. Apparently the little fox had worked up an appetite last night.
Of course, being deprived of her fluffy blanket Athena woke up quickly after and soon enough all three of us were shuffling down the stairs. Alisha went ahead but not so far ahead that I couldn't follow the hypnotic sway of her hips all the way.
Selene, Anna and Melinoe were already waiting at the table when we reached it and I immediately slid into a seat between Melinoe and where I knew Alisha would sit, then waited for the little elf to place a plate of bacon and eggs in front of me.
When everyone had a plate she finally sat down herself and said: “Dig in!”
For the next few minutes we were all busy stuffing our faces. Eggs and bacon, buttered bread and sliced ham, cheese and vegetables... There was even some fruit. And by that I mean Alisha had made two fruit bowls and had graciously decided to only keep one of them to herself.
When we were no longer starving I caught Melinoe's gaze and she gave me a small nod.
“Melinoe asked me if we could head to her village to pick up a few necessities from her place,” I said and immediately everyone's eyes lit up. Well, everyone's but Athena's. The goddess didn't seem upset, precisely, but she seemed more surprised than excited. Before anyone could say anything I added: “Given that we still have to wait a few days for the messenger to arrive I think it'd be best if we do it now. And I'd like to take Alisha along with us.”
Anna gave me a sly little smile, clearly putting together what it meant for me to want to take both Melinoe and Alisha along. But the first one to speak up was Selene:
“I was hoping to spend a few more days training,” she said. “Both my Qi and this new weapon. So if Yume and Anna are willing to help me...” She let it hang in the air.
“I'll make a marksman out of you yet,” Anna said with a smile.
“Of course I will help,” Yume said.
Selene gave them both deep nods. “Then I think we will just stay here while you three take care of your... business.”
“It's mostly for Melinoe's sake, right?” Alisha asked.
“I mean,” I said, “if we're already down in the Underworld I think Meli and I should have a chat with Hades and Persephone.” I was not looking forward to that. I had always held them both in high regards and meeting them had done nothing to worsen that opinion. But I was worried their opinion of me would sour if they found out I was dating their daughter. But, at the same time, I owed them my honesty.
**
It took us a little longer to get everything prepared.
The biggest point of contention was the kitchen. Alisha made them promise to use up all the perishables that would go bad soon and that they would actually cook for themselves rather than just buying sandwiches and eating at taverns every night.
When Alisha was finally done with her preemptive scolding she summoned forth one of her miracles. A circle of glowing warm orange energy snapped into place around her, the edges of it showing the intricate knot designs of the faith of the Tuatha Dé Danann, and then I felt that power snaking around the three of us, sending us to the place Melinoe considered her home.
And a moment later I gasped like a fish.
Physically, barely anything had happened. We had been in one place and suddenly we were in another. However, even though we had barely moved, we had just traveled an unimaginable distance in the blink of an eye. The air in the Underworld felt completely different, far colder and more stale than on the surface.
It hadn't seemed like it back when we'd been here the first time but that had been because we'd gone through that tunnel system for days to get down here. The transition from the surface to the Underworld had been far smoother back then. This time it had been instantaneous and the change had left me reeling.
And that was before I even noticed where we were.
We were in Melinoe's Rest, the town named after Meli and ostensibly ruled by her, but it wasn't a part we'd been to before.
Melinoe's Rest had been built around one of the giant stone pillars dotted around the Underworld, a place where a stalactite and a stalagmite had met, presumably eons ago judging by how thick the pillar was.
The pillar was so thick and huge, in fact, that people had carved residences into it. Not enough of them to risk the pillar's structural integrity but any damage to that pillar was terrifying to a layman like me. It was therefore even more concerning when the place Melinoe considered her home turned out to be a mansion carved into the pillar.
It was quite high up, high enough to overlook the entire village, high enough that it was only reachable through a series of bridges built atop a series of mushrooms. The largest of these mushrooms were taller than the oldest oak trees on the surface and even the smallest one was so tall that the bridge running from the ground to the top of it was more a staircase than an actual bridge.
The mansion itself looked gorgeous, built out of marble floors and columns, and even standing outside we could see a group of maid bustling around inside to keep the place spotlessly clean.
“Welcome to my humble abode,” Melinoe said, waving at the mansion, looking both embarrassed and uncomfortable.