𝙩𝙞𝙢𝙚 - 𝙙𝙧𝙪𝙞𝙜 [COMPLETE]

t w o

CHAPTER TWO:

"a new mission"

HERA FOLLOWED Druig out of the hut and in the direction of the Domo. She clasped her hands behind her as she walked; her eyes were trained on her fellow Eternal.

"Why did you come get me?" She finally asked as the pair wound their way through the dusty village.

"Ajak said–" He began, but she hastily cut him off.

"No, I know that Ajak said she needed me. I'm wondering: why did you come get me yourself? You could've just used your powers to fetch me."

Druig looked at her, that smirk he always wore on his lips. "Maybe I just wanted an excuse to see your beautiful face, lovely Hera."

She rolled her eyes, lightly shoving his arm. Druig chuckled. "Your charms may work on Makkari, but they don't on me." She smiled.

He nodded. "Ouch, I guess I need practice then." He grinned, and Hera thought it looked good on him. He should smile more, she thought. He was always thinking, always asking questions. Too involved in morality and squabbles with their fellow Eternals.

"Maybe so."

Their conversation fell into pleasant silence as they continued their walk. As they neared the Domo, Hera spotted Sprite performing illusions for some of the village children, while Kingo narrated them. The children were so enamored with Sprite's abilities; they barely listened to Kingo's story.

Hera smiled, her steps slowing as she watched. Druig noticed and slowed to a stop, glancing from the others and back to Hera. "You should join them later. Knowing Kingo, he won't let them leave until he tells them all of his stories."

She laughed, turning back to Druig and resuming her walk towards the ship. "Perhaps I will. The children of this world are something else. They give me hope for the future of this planet; maybe they will put an end to the wars humans can't seem to stay away from."

Druig's lips quirked up in a small, gentle smile. She knew he was a pessimist– that he believed human kind needed to be saved from itself– but she appreciated the fact that he didn't remind her. They finished their walk in a comfortable silence, arms sometimes slightly brushing.

Druig left her at the entrance of the Domo, bidding her good luck with Ajak. She thanked him and continued on, concerned with why Ajak wanted to speak with her. Had she done something wrong? Had Ikaris told her something? Hera scowled.

The hallway of the Domo was empty, but Hera could hear the voices of Ajak and Phastos as they discussed something– probably one of Phastos' invention ideas. As she stepped into Phastos' lab, Ajak turned to face her with a smile.

"Hera, I'm glad Druig found you quickly. This matter is urgent."

Hera's eyebrows raised as she glanced from Ajak to Phastos, who continued to fiddle with his plans, and then back to Ajak. "Is something wrong?"

Ajak inhaled and circled the room, making her way towards Hera. "There have been rumors of Deviants in one of the villages close by." Hera's face became stern, suddenly all business.

"When do we leave?" She asked as Ajak came to a stop in front of her. The other Eternal gave her a gentle smile and placed her hand on her shoulder. "We are not all going."

Hera knew that the "thinkers" of the group normally stayed behind while the "fighters" went and fought off Deviants, so it didn't surprise her that Ajak said not all of them were going.

Hera rephrased: "When are Thena, Gilgamesh, Makkari, Ikaris and I leaving?" Ajak shook her head. "You are not all going, Hera. We need some of you here, to defend this village and any others while two of you are away."

Realization dawned on Hera instantly: she was one of the ones going to fight the Deviants. Why else would Ajak have called her here? She inhaled sharply; she could do this. She was just nervous at the thought of separating from the team– they had always faced Deviants together.

"Who is coming with me?" She asked after a beat, secretly hoping it was Makkari. She and the speedster had become fast friends, and she was always a joy to be around.

"Ikaris will accompany you."