PHILTATOS // Foolish X Reader

27

"What do you mean?" You asked, searching Foolishs' face. Around you, the festival was like a fever dream - the panic induced adrenaline made the chanting of the crowd sound like roaring waves, the words washing over you with no meaning attached. It seemed almost manic now, as the altar fire grew.

"There's nothing we can do about the city." Foolish said, rising from where he had been sitting next to you and using your conjoined hands to tug you upwards as well. "It's awful, but everyone here is destined to go down with it."

You stayed seated on the stone ledge, Foolish still gripping your hand. "Wh-"

"That doesn't mean that I can't do something to save you." Foolish said, almost pleading now. "I can't let you die with the rest of the city, not after you were the only one who still bothered to pray for me and bring me offerings and talk to me." He paused, working around a lump in his throat. "I can't let my only friend die."

You let him pull you up off the stone ledge now, rising to your feet. A flux of emotions rushed through you all at once - affection and pity blended with the pre-existing fear already coiled in your gut. Combined with the flickering light and the chanting, it was all overwhelming, making you unsteady on your feet.

You let Foolish tug you forward, starting across the mosaic floor and towards the other end of the agora, away from the altar. "Where are we going?"

"My temple." He said, leading you through a gap between two storefronts. "If this is going to work, we need to be somwhere where I can work-"

"I can't." You said, trying to pull your hand out of his. "I can't go back - Anello kicked me out of the worship. I'm not allowed on holy grounds anymore."

Foolish stopped, turning around as you pulled your hand free. "What? Why?"

"He found out that I had been meeting with you and keeping it to myself." You said. "Which, is not something you're supposed to do at all within the worship. Especially since it was something as big as a god."

Foolish blinked down at you. "So you can't come back to the temple?"

"If they find me back on the hill they'll just throw me back into the streets." You said. "Do we have to go to your temple? And what were you planning on doing anyway?" He had said he wanted to save you, but how? The end of the world wasn't exactly optional.

Foolish ignored your question, pursing his lips. "I can't imagine it would be hard to sneak in, what with everyone busy at the festival. If they've locked the gates though, that could be a problem... I could always make a key though..."

"Foolish?"

He blinked, reaching back down to take your hand again. "We have to get to my temple."

With that, you were off again, struggling to keep up with Foolishs' long strides as he hurried along the city streets, heading towards the base of the acropolis. Nothing made sense - you felt like an bowl overflowing with water. There was too much going on externally for you to make any sense of it internally; the world was moving as such a pace that you couldn't keep up.

Why was it crucial that Foolish got to his temple? What was he planning to do there, exactly? What had he meant, when he'd said he was going to save you? He had already said that there was nothing to do about the end of the world - how was he planning on saving you, exactly? What would happen to the rest of the worship? The security the temples had offered was surely gone now. Not even the caesar would be safe from this - no doubt that once the real end of the world started Vesapasian would be one of the first to go.

You hurried forward, striding side by side with Foolish now, almost jogging to keep up with his powerful walk. "Foolish, what are we doing?"

"Going to my temple." He replied easily. "Did you leave an offering this morning? I didn't check."

"Of course I did." You said. You did every day - you had left your last offering there this morning, before Anello had cornered you on the bench. "What does that have to do with the end of the world?"

"Great." Foolish said. "Wonderful - snacks when we get there."

"I can't eat that, it'll kill me." You said, getting a little breathless. It was hard to keep up with him - Foolish was a man on a mission.

"Exactly." Foolish said, squeezing your hand.

You weren't even surprised. At this point, after all the news that had been dropped on your today, it was actually kind of funny. Your best friend in the whole world, the god, was going to kill you. And he was going to do it in his own temple. The thought made you giggle, shaking your head. "Really? That's your way of saving me? Killing me before the end of the world does? I thought better of you Foolish."

"It's not like that." Foolish said, glancing over at you, eyes wide and honest. "I would never kill you kill you, you know that."

It was then that the words actually struck you, and you stopped in your tracks, jerking Foolish back with you. "What?"

"You'll understand more when we get there." He said, tugging you forward by the hand again.

You stumbled forward half a step before stopping again, digging your heels in. "Foolish."

"It's not like that Y/N, please." Foolish said, pleading with you now. "You know I would never hurt you, especially not without good reason, and if you don't come with me now and let me do this you're going to suffer a much worse fate at the hands of my brother, and I won't let him have you, I won't do it." He paused. "Please, Y/N, I need you to trust me."

And even though you were walking to your death, you still took his hand again.