𝙩𝙞𝙢𝙚 - 𝙙𝙧𝙪𝙞𝙜 [COMPLETE]

s i x

CHAPTER SIX:

"truth"

HERA AND IKARIS walked back to the village smiling and talking. Hera was chatting excitedly about all the things Ikaris could learn from the humans, while he occasionally put in his opinion.

"I could teach you some of the dances!" She gasped, eyes widening at the thought of seeing Ikaris dance. He shook his head, nose scrunching up. "I don't dance." She poked him in the arm, a mischievous gleam in her eyes. "But you could."

The pair made their way back towards the Domo, and as they neared it's entrance, Hera spotted Druig leaning against a nearby palm tree. His expression was unreadable as he watched Ikaris and Hera.

"Well, I look forward to seeing more of you, Hera." Ikaris said as they came to a stop a few feet from Druig. She nodded, a smile on her lips. "We can start tomorrow. I'll take you with me to help with some chores."

He nodded and then turned, walking back towards the Domo. Hera watched him go for a second before making her way to Druig. He had his arms crossed over his chest and a sour look on his face. "So you're friends now, are you?"

She rolled her eyes. "He told me he wanted to learn about the humans and get involved with them. It's not a big deal."

"Considering you've hated his guts up until now, I'd say it's a big deal." Druig fired back. "Can't you see what he's doing?"

Hera's eyebrows furrowed, her hands going to her hips. "What, you think he's using me? Why would he use me to learn about the humans?"

"He's using you to get to Sersi," Druig responded. "You're just there to make her jealous."

Hera scoffed, arms folding across her chest. "He said they didn't work out, and I don't think he would lie about that. Besides, I don't really care. He's making an effort, so I'm giving him the benefit of the doubt."

"You're being stupid." Druig said bluntly, pushing himself off of the palm tree. He stepped towards her. "I don't want you to get hurt because of him. He doesn't care about the humans, Hera. He just wants to get close to you."

"Maybe he is using me," she snapped, temper flaring. "But I don't care right now. I'm tired of hating him, Druig. It's too awkward and tense. At least now maybe he'll be empathetic towards them."

"Or maybe he won't, and he'll betray you and break your heart." Druig responded coldly, eyes narrowing.

She fell silent, fuming at his words. Why was he always so pessimistic? Ikaris seemed to truly want to learn– and who was Hera to deny him of that? Maybe he was using her to get to Sersi, but she didn't care. All that mattered was that he and Hera could patch up their relationship, and maybe even become friends.

"Are we still getting dinner or not?" She said sharply after a moment. Druig watched her closely as she inhaled slowly, attempting to calm herself. She didn't want to lash out at him, even though he was being quite annoying at the moment.