“Then, if it hadn’t been for that witch, I might have met you sooner.”

“If that were true, we might never have crossed paths. And you’re probably interested in me because I came to the underworld alive, right? If I had arrived here dead, I’d just be another ordinary soul.”

“Would that be so? No, I would have recognized you anyway.”

The man spoke with conviction. It was unclear why he felt so certain, but in a situation where every second mattered, it didn’t really concern her.

“Anyway, I need to find my sibling’s soul right now. There’s no time.”

Feeling increasingly anxious, Livia urged Zagreus. He glanced at the hourglass in Livia’s hand, thought for a moment, and then asked.

“Is there no way to break the contract with the witch?”

Livia shook her head with a somber expression.

“It’s impossible. As long as my sibling’s soul is held by her… Of course, I intend to fulfill my contract with her. She saved my life and promised to give me the perfect power to take revenge on the villagers. But… I can’t stand my sibling being held like that until then.”

Looking back, the contract that allowed a witch to help humans slaughter each other when they challenged the gods didn’t seem fair.

But at the time, Echidna was the best option for Livia, and the only power that offered to help her. So she intended to do her best until the end. That was until she learned Lete was captured.

‘…But what if I fail to split Triton’s heart?’

What would happen to Lete’s soul then?

Would the witch willingly return Lete’s soul to its rightful place? No, from the moment the soul strayed off its path, wasn’t Lete already deteriorating?

Thinking about it was unbearable. So the most important thing was to rescue Lete immediately. Whatever tricks the witch might play afterward, saving Lete was the top priority.

“Alright. I’ll help you. Let’s start by searching places where a soul might be hidden.”

Zagreus gently lifted Livia’s trembling hand and kissed the back of it softly. Smiling at her, he took a step back.

At that moment, when something felt strange, Zagreus’s body began to change. Before long, a large black panther stood in front of Livia.

Livia’s eyes widened in surprise. The panther, with its sleek black fur and golden eyes, was more beautiful than frightening. It leaned its graceful back towards her, looking up at Livia.

“Come on, climb on.”

Honestly, Livia preferred animals over people, so she liked Zagreus in his animal form much more than in his human form. It made her feel less guarded.

“You can transform…?”

“When necessary.”

Just as she thought she had never seen such a large animal before, she remembered the sharks that always swam together like twins.

Well, sharks were animals too, even if they were fish….

By that logic, she had also encountered a huge man with a fish tail. Though he wasn’t an animal….

Come to think of it, that man seemed capable of transforming as well. Could he change into other forms? Perhaps into a small fish? If so, maybe that chillingly beautiful form could become a bit more human.

Livia tried to imagine a small fish with Triton’s blue eyes. But she couldn’t picture it at all. That man could never be a small fish. Maybe a young shark, at most.

Shaking off thoughts about the sea creatures, Livia approached Zagreus with a face flushed with anticipation. The panther’s eyes paused on her rosy cheeks, and it licked its lips. Its long, sleek tail swayed gently.

With careful movements, Livia climbed onto Zagreus’s back. As her perspective suddenly rose, the wind brushed against her cheeks. To avoid falling, Livia had to cling tightly to Zagreus’s neck. A low purr of contentment reached her ears.

“Where, where are we going?”

“I’m going to check the caves I know of first. Hold on tighter, Livia. I’m going to run faster.”

As he said this, the beast picked up speed. Livia had to cling tightly to its neck and close her eyes to avoid being overwhelmed.

Soon, they arrived at a secluded cave. Sharp black stalactites hung from above, and stalagmites rose from the ground, resembling the mouth of a monster. The strong smell of sulfur wafting from deep within made Livia wrinkle her nose.

“It’s dangerous, so stay here. I’ll go in and take a look.”

Zagreus set her down and dashed into the cave like the wind. He returned shortly after, but he was alone. Without delay, he lifted her onto his back and headed to another location.

Livia was impressed by his swift movements, yet she felt a sense of despair thinking about how she would have searched this vast underworld without him. What was even more disheartening was that they hadn’t found Lete by the time the sand in the hourglass was nearly gone.

“I’m sorry.”

When only a few grains of sand remained, Zagreus, drenched in sweat, apologized.

Livia was frustrated but knew it wasn’t Zagreus’s fault. In fact, she was grateful that he had taken it upon himself to help her so earnestly, despite everything he had done to her before. She could almost forgive him for pushing her to the brink of death and mocking her body.

“No, it’s not your fault.”

Livia watched anxiously as the grains of sand fell. Zagreus, having returned to his original form, stood in front of her. He placed his hand over hers, which held the hourglass, and spoke.

“I will find your sibling for you.”

“……”

“But in return, Livia.”

He gently lifted her chin, making her look at him. In his dark eyes, she saw a fierce lightning strike. It was always fascinating to see the eyes of gods, but she knew if she got lost in them, she’d be completely entranced.

“When I find your sibling, give me a kiss.”

“…What?”

Startled, she widened her eyes, and he lowered his voice, softening his gaze.

“That’s all I want.”

Livia was bewildered. When she first met Zagreus, he had the eyes of a predator. Those cold eyes seemed to be deciding whether to kill her now or later. But then, his gaze changed, and he seemed to want to lick and suck her in.

When they met again, he was entirely different. Though his eyes still held a predatory hunger, he now pretended to be a prey, softening his gaze.

But no matter how much a predator pretended to be prey, a predator was still a predator. Just like a wolf pretending to be a lamb was still a wolf. What puzzled Livia was why this wolf was wagging its tail at her.

“Well, it’s because I’m interested in you.”

…Really, just for that?

It was surprising to think that even this god of death had such a tender, human-like heart. On the other hand, she felt fortunate to have someone willing to search the entire underworld for her because of that heart.

Once she left the underworld this time, she didn’t know when she would be able to return. Perhaps next time, she would be completely shattered by Triton’s trial. If that happened, she would come to the underworld, but the deal with the witch would be broken, and Echidna might destroy her sibling’s soul. So she had to find her sibling before that.

For that, she was willing to kiss death.

“…Alright. But make sure you save my sibling.”

At her response, he smiled broadly.

“I promise. Absolutely.”

At that moment, Livia’s soul was forcefully pulled somewhere.

***

Livia regained consciousness in the darkness.

The deep sea is a place where darkness is more prevalent than light. So when Livia first opened her eyes, she thought she was still in the underworld. She was conscious, but her body felt incredibly heavy. On top of that, she was so exhausted that she couldn’t fully regain her senses.

‘Where am I this time? What could be waiting for me…’

Just thinking about it made her feel even more fatigued. It was strange, though. She didn’t feel tired. She felt like she was still okay…

Yet her body seemed to disagree, sinking endlessly downward. Livia forced her heavy eyelids open to look around. It felt like ages since she had regained consciousness, yet her mind was still foggy. Her dim vision slowly brightened, and she noticed small jellyfish floating around the bed before she realized where she was.

The ocean.

Only then did she feel the moisture filling her nostrils. She knew she needed to get up now that she was awake, but her eyes kept closing.

The bed, gently swaying, seemed to absorb her, and the lukewarm temperature felt like it was melting her away. Her entire body felt like it was lazily flowing away.

Familiar sights from the room briefly came into view. Livia blinked her eyes, trying to clear her vision, and frowned.

Could it be Triton’s chamber…?

—
T/N: Why do I find Zagreus kind of cute? Man’s just hungry for some affection. u_u