Chapter 108 - 108 The Perfect Decoy

"So I heard that you, elf King have a human friend." Achlys said and thanked the servant who poured her some wine with a smile. "What would you do if we decided to punish him?" she asked him and suddenly the atmosphere became heavy. This was the question Allias was scared of the most.

"Does that mean you are planning to punish him?" Allias asked trying to sound as calm as he could. His fist though was gripping tightly on the armrest of the chair. He had a subtle smile on, hoping that no one could realize how his heart was going insane. 

"We have been considering it. I mean, what would an immortal learn from taking a beating? Even if we hit you, whip you or punish you in other ways in a few hours you would be okay. But if someone who you care about was in pain, for days and even for months the message would be clearer." The woman said. "isn't that right?" she asked looking at the rest of the council members. The troll representative nodded in a very decisive way. Allias never liked them. Their low intelligence made them too easy to manipulate and sometimes when they were completely relaxed they had the tendency to drool. 

"So is this really what you have decided?" Theseus asked them. "We didn't even get to finish our dinner and you immediately begin talking about such morbid matters." He said and Allias as discretely as he could he signaled Mark to get up. He was sitting at the far end of the table, away from them and he wanted to try to tell him to leave. Hide somewhere. Mark looked at him and sled his chair back as quietly as he could. 

"Where are you going little red head?" Achlys asked him and her eyes were even focused on him. Suddenly a thick black veil like goo rose up from the ground blocking the entrance.

"Now Achlys, please relax. This such an uncivilized way we are not kids" Dionysus said and a very bright light burned down her barrier. Dionysus' eyes turned a gold color and his hair began raising like a current of strong air was beneath him. Suijin placed his palm on his shoulder.

"Enough" he told him and the god calmed down and wore a very charming smile. 

"Okay then, I am not really a fool to anger a god but please dear human sit down we are still talking after all" Achlys said and Mark looking like a scared puppy sat back on his chair, wriggling away.

"So, how about you let me talk to my godson and his people. I am sure I will be able to convince them about the Council's Decision." Dionysus suggested and Achlys smiled brightly.

"Is that so? How about you talk to them now? Is there a problem if the rest of us are here? What do you say Rafael?" The woman asked the serious angel who hadn't spoken a word until now.

Allias didn't really know what to do. He knew that Theseus' family had close bonds with the Greek gods. Thus he and his brother had two of them as godparents, in a way. They had blessed them once they were born so Dionysus innervation had some kind of reason behind it but he wasn't sure if he could trust him. He was the god of wine and having a good time but also the god of madness and insanity. His smile was a proof of that and behind his handsome face he could see the godly glow in him. The Greek gods were unpredictable driven by passions and desires. Trusting one of them would be a very tricky decision. 

"I think he should take his time. Let's finish our dinner Achlys. You are the Demon Queen I am sure you have better manners than this. They should at least have some time to talk about it." The Angel said and the woman nodded obviously displeased.

"Okay then. We will give you some time. I am sure we are all in the same team." She said and raised her glass, Dionysus following suit.

"Of course we are. Don't worry, dear" The god said with ease and drank his wine, licking the red liquor from his full lips. "After all, if we weren't you would try to rip our heads off too"

"Oh no, of course not. I would be damned to touch a god. I know the hierarchy. You should not worry" She told him.

The hierarchy. It was a very simple system made by power. The creatures of the Void had many origins. Elves, trolls, gorgons witches and other creatures like fairies and pixies were a result of the magic that existed in this worlds. They were created from the earth and its magic. Angels and demon were the creations of the Christian god. Retaliators and followers and Gods themselves in every religion had been created from people's wills, desires and worships. They were entities beyond their understanding. They did not depend on the earth or the air or the sea, they were parts of it. So naturally they were at the top of the pyramid. It would be stupid to even try and go against them. Certainly they could be defeated but Achlys a mere high ranked demon would be nothing more than a snap of their fingers. But this woman was sleek, it was obvious she chose her words well and didn't want to get her hands dirty. Mark's punishment on the other hand was just a satisfaction to her demonic and sadistic nature. 

"It's good that you know your place. It would only be harmful to you after all if you got the wrong idea but anyways I am not very fond of this foul mood. How about we talk about something more fun during our dinner. I heard my godson has been banned from the demon capital" Dionysus commented once silver trails with steamy food started coming in. It was time for the main course and the smell of the roasted meat seemed to calm Mark's nerves. He was glad he had escaped being the topic of conversation. Now all lies were turned on Aries. 

"Oh yes, you caused quite a ruckus" Achlys commented since they were talking about her domain.

"Well, I wouldn't expect anything less from my brother." Theseus said and made Ares scoff. He hadn't talk for a while but now he seemed very eager to argue.

"Excuse me for not supporting children's sex trafficking. You had been kidnapping human children and used them as sex slaves and once I tried to reveal how you whoring industry worked you fucking burned the whole place down and blamed it on me" Ares said annoyance written all over his face.

"Watch now young elf, those are pretty serious accusations." Achlys said and dipped her knife with a sharp move on the meat at her plate. "You shouldn't talk so recklessly."

"What are you going to do? Slit my throat like you did to the one who held your seat? Better luck next time honey I do not really like people like you or their facade. You hide the fact that you are weak with threats and sweet word while in reality you are annoying" Are insulted her and suddenly the glass in her palm turned into a thousand shards. The red wine got spilled on the white table ware and turned it bloody. 

"Oh, look at you ruining such good wine." Dionysus said 

"I think this dinner must end early." Allias said and stood up. He couldn't bare hearing any more of this. They had more important things to discuss. "You must be tired from your journey so how about my servants show you to your rooms." He told them and a few maids came inside, one of them assigned to each guest. Achlys, Rafael and Hara stood up and followed the servants without saying anything else. Allias' expression was absolute that he didn't want to hear another word from them.

"What was that about the demonic capital you…" Ea began saying but Are looked at him with an upset expression.

"You never listen to me anyways so what's the point? This is not the time for this now though. Dionysus what can we do?" Ares asked him and the man frowned.

"Honestly we can't do anything" he said and Allias' expression turned morbid. 

"What do you mean? So we are just going to let them hurt Mark?" 

"To be honest I wouldn't really want that" Mark said speaking for the first time tonight. 

"There might be a way" Suijin said and Theseus looked at him, waiting to hear his idea. His features were smooth and beautiful and his eyes mimicked perfectly the color of the endless ocean. "How about you, Elf King and the human boy change places?" 

"How can we do that? I was planning on being punished for him but I do not think they will accept it." Allias said. 

"I suppose you want me to all the hard work, don't you honey?" Dionysus asked looking at Suijin. Ares cocked an eyebrow at the word honey but no one else seemed to notice or even if they did they didn't comment. Dionysus was known for his…orgies.

"What exactly will you do?"

"Is a trick I learned from Zeus and I am pretty sure I told you not to tell anyone, didn't I my beloved dragon?"

"This is a critical situation" Suijin said unfazed and the man laughed. His face from the first moment they had arrived up to now had not changed once.

"Will you please let us in on that?" Theseus asked them. 

"Check if we are being watched or heard first and I will tell you Dionysus announced."

...

I do love fiery conversations xD Shots have been fired.