𝙩𝙞𝙢𝙚 - 𝙙𝙧𝙪𝙞𝙜 [COMPLETE]

f o u r t e e n

CHAPTER FOURTEEN:

"tears"

THE ETERNALS HAD given Gilgamesh a proper ceremony before they left the Amazon. They had burned his body next to a beautiful lake; the setting sun causing the blue water to sparkle. Hera had tears in her eyes as she watched the pyre burn. Druig stood next to her, their shoulders brushing.

When the fire had subsided, the ashes were collected and put into a beautiful urn Druig had recovered from the commune. Thena held that urn now, her eyes watery as she stepped into the lake. Her white gown flowed around her in the water, her hands shaking as she slowly tipped the urn. The ashes spilled into the water. Hera heard Thena sob.

"You alright?" Druig's voice startled Hera, who had been watching Thena on the water's bank. She nodded, glancing at him. "Yeah, I'm okay."

He fell silent. She could feel his eyes on her. She swallowed thickly, struggling to stop her tears from falling. She hadn't been as close to Gilgamesh as Thena had, but she had still loved him like a brother. They had spent numerous hours together, cooking and laughing. Hera inhaled shakily.

"Sersi says we're getting Phastos next. I told her we'd sit this one out, yeah? We can stay on the plane." Druig's voice was soft. He gently put an arm around Hera's shoulders, and she immediately leaned into him. The modern age had done wonders for his style– the scent of the black leather jacket he wore overwhelmed Hera's senses as she rested her head on his shoulder.

"Thank you, Druig." Her voice sounded foreign to her ears. She saw him nod out of the corner of her eyes.

"Anytime." He responded, and he meant it completely.

—

As Druig had promised, when the plane landed, they stayed put. The only ones going to fetch Phastos were Sersi and Ikaris. Everyone else had decided to stay on the plane, and Hera couldn't blame them. The air was heavy with their recent loss.

Before they left, Sersi gave Hera a tight hug. "We'll be back soon." She told her, to which Hera nodded. Ikaris stood behind the pair, his eyes trained on Hera. He looked as if he wanted to say something to her, but one glare from Druig was enough to send him on his way without a word.

Hera settled back into her seat with Druig beside her. She inhaled deeply, eyes closing in exhaustion. She hadn't had much time to rest since beginning this journey. Physically and mentally, she was exhausted.

"Hera?" Druig murmured, causing Hera's eyes to open. "Mhm?" She hummed, turning her head to look at him.

"If I hadn't said those things at Tenochtitlan, would you have come and visited?"

She nodded without hesitation. "Of course. Even if Ikaris... drove us apart, I would've still tried to patch things up with you."

He nodded at that, seemingly content with her response. The plane fell silent once more. Kingo and Sprite were sleeping a few rows down, and Thena was staring out of one of the windows, her eyes glassy and her expression blank.