Mortal, But At Least I'm Free

Chapter 9

"I feel like we're going the wrong way."

"Harry, how would you even know?"

"Well, I don't. I just kind of feel like we are."

"You're absolutely correct. I wanted to take a small detour."

"LOUIS!"

"Relax! Honestly! You act like your quest has some sort of timetable. It's ridiculous!"

"I want to go home Louis. Hanging out with you isn't exactly fun."

"Ouch. You're not exactly a ray of sunshine either sir."

"Gods. Where are we headed then? What horrifying misadventure are we about to take?" Louis smiled while Harry spoke, which made something in Harry light up. It felt nice to make Louis happy.

"We're just going to one of my little hiding places. It's where I like to go when, well when I have to take care of underworld business that I don't want to take care of. It reminds me why I do it."

Harry felt confused, but Louis didn't seem inclined to explain anything else. So they just walked through green fields and azure skies.

"Here," Louis whispered the gentle declaration as he sat on a cliffside overlooking a small town. Harry wasn't sure exactly what they were watching.

"What is it?"

"It's people. People I've been watching for years. Centuries now."

"Why?"

"There's just something about them, it fills me with warmth. Like I finally saw the sun. The whole town is shades of gold."

To be honest, it looked nothing like that. It was a rundown, tired looking town composed mostly of white and teal.

"I don't know what you're talking about," once again Harry's words elicited a smile from Louis. He didn't answer right away. Instead, he watched silently. Sometimes he'd laugh out loud, or his smile would get so big that his eyes would crinkle up. Then sometimes Louis would sigh heavily and look away to hide the tears he thought Harry hadn't already seen. They sat that way for much longer than Harry thought would have been possible. But sit they did. For hours.

"I come here because I'm reminded of how good mortals are, Harry. They are so quick to help each other. Did you see that gentleman moving crates of something? Several younger men helped him. They didn't know what was in the crates or who the man was. They just helped. And that couple who've been sitting on the dock together for all this time, they lost a baby not that long ago, but they're still showing up everyday.

"And no one can stop kissing and hugging each other. And the smiling! Damnit! They smile so much! They smile like it's the last time they'll ever see those friends like they've never been happier in their lives than they are in this moment. Sometimes their smiles are so sad, that I don't need to know their story to weep with them. But they keep smiling.

"Everyone falls in love. And I mean everyone. I don't know why or even how it's possible, but I have watched generations fall in love. And Harry, it's the most beautiful thing I've ever seen. It's all I've ever wanted."

Louis stopped talking after that outburst and closed his eyes. They matched the sky today, Harry couldn't help but notice. He also had nothing to say. He'd never thought about mortals that way. He'd never really spent any amount of time with them, or even observing them. Even the gods did that. But he'd always assumed it was for their own entertainment. Could they maybe have been watching for something else?

"You come here because you want to be mortal, then?" It was all Harry could think to say, Louis opened his eyes and smiled wistfully across the town.

"Yes. And sometimes I don't remember why I want it so badly. So I come here. To where I can witness the very embodiment of goodness and beauty that can only come from mortals."

Without another word Louis stood up, offered his hand to Harry, and kept walking.