𝙩𝙞𝙢𝙚 - 𝙙𝙧𝙪𝙞𝙜 [COMPLETE]

n i n e

CHAPTER NINE:

"goodbye"

CENTURIES HAD PASSED since Ikaris and Hera's marriage, and everything remained the same. The Eternals were still together– still fighting Deviants. Ajak was still the mother hen. Druig and Hera still hadn't mended their relationship. Kingo and Sprite were still troublemakers. Sersi and Hera were still the heart of the Eternals. Ikaris was still the poster boy.

Hera was content with this life– where everything was simple. Fight Deviants, protect humans, spend time with her family and her husband. It was a routine she was glad for. It kept her occupied, and she never found herself getting bored.

And if she did, her fellow Eternals were always up to something. Hera and Sprite had tried to engage in a prank war against Kingo and Makkari. For their first prank, Sprite used her abilities to make a crocodile appear as a sweet little bunny. It lured Kingo close before said bunny attempted to rip his arm off. Ajak quickly put an end to that.

Gilgamesh had taken to cooking and had invited Hera to join him. They would spend hours with the humans, learning from them and also cooking for them. Thena would always be close by, her eyes watching Gilgamesh with the faintest trace of a smile on her lips.

Sometimes Hera would catch Druig lingering nearby out of the corner of her eye. She still missed him, even after centuries. He still hadn't tried to reach out to her, and she hadn't tried either. She figured he was still angry– still holding a grudge, and she didn't want to upset him further.

So she buried herself with activities and avoided him as much as she could. Luckily, it wasn't too hard, considering he was trying to do the same thing.

But then came Tenochtitlan, and everything changed.

The city burned, but the Deviants had been defeated at last. The Eternals had rendezvoused in a clearing outside of the city. The sounds of battle could still be heard; the fire of torches illuminating silhouettes of the humans.

Thena had attacked them then, Mad Wy'ry overtaking her. She had been subdued by Gilgamesh, but not before wounding Sersi and Kingo, and nearly killing Makkari.

The Eternals took Thena to the main temple of Tenochtitlan as the battle raged below. They placed her unconscious form on top of a raised stone slab. Ajak's hands hovered over her body as the older woman tried, but failed, to heal her.

Meanwhile, Druig was standing near the entrance of the temple. He was looking down at the humans, and although Hera could not see his face, she could imagine he was wearing a look of pain.