“Lookitall, Orion! That’s one of Hephaestus’s forges! An’ I think that one’s one of Posideon’s things, makes sense, an’ that one’s gotta be one a’those energy-gatherer things.”

            The hunter threw a glance up at the oblong pyramid pointing up to the sky, the crystal capstone at the top glowing a bright blue-white as it drew in energy from the air around it. Intricated mixes of blockish and swirling designs traveled up and down the faces of the pyramid, shining in time with the pulsating glow from the top. Anywhere in the city you could see it, the sight by now so familiar to Orion that he merely looked up for a moment before turning his gaze back ahead, barely breaking his stride. Cel stared at the lightshow for a few minutes before hurrying along after Orion and Sirius, quickly drawing level with the hunter’s shoulder.

            And nearly put himself in the path of a rather large, distracted-looking cyclops, the giant feet thundering on the ground as they came just a little too close to the small toon for comfort. Though Orion knew that Cel could survive many things, being crushed flat a mere gag, he still wasn’t in the mood to have any of that sort of trouble today. An insectile, clawed arm reached out from under the cloak, snagging the monochrome being by his collar and depositing him securely up on the much taller hunter’s shoulder. The hulking, solitarily-eyed being thundered past, barely aware of the near collision, though Cel only had a moment of silence before settling himself in more comfortably on Orion’s shoulder, even going so far as to drape his arm over the hunter’s behorned head. The toon continued to babble on about anything and everything, Orion simply drinking in the background noise as he carried on down the street with Sirius at his side.

            The particular venue they were looking for had an entrance a little ways down a side street, the flow of beings going from place to place having dampened down somewhat with their leave of the main drag. It was a nondescript store front with no windows and a plain wooden door, the simple brass door handle slightly worn with use as Orion gripped it. There was a small hallway leading up to a doorway with curtains covering it, which parted easily when Orion and Sirius walked through, Cel helping to push the heavy fabric aside as they went in.

            The place itself pretty much fit the template of a simple bar, though there were some parts there to harbor the…larger patrons. By far the most notable was the multi-headed snake…or dragon, that fit neatly into a space that seemed large enough to contain a good chunk of a city block. One head was sipping neatly at a saucer of what looked like some kind of clear liquor, the others either peering about or lowering to make conversation with the few other bar-goers. Orion couldn’t say he outright recognized anyone, though their styles of dress ranged from what looked like something from the islands in the Pacific to armor of both European and Japanese make. Their spot was right next to the bar itself, the person who seemed like the bartender or perhaps the owner was behind the slightly-worn if well-polished wooden bar. He looked…aged, but not in anyway diminished by the apparent age, a noticeable beard of white and silver hair and a partially bald head the mere accents on a figure that was tall and broad, huge hands and fingers delicately cleaning a glass with a rag. At the bar sat a few other patrons, though it was the one at the far end of the bar that gave the hunter pause, before the man spoke up and recognition slapped Orion with the weight of a boulder.

            “C’n I get some service here?!”

            What the bartender says is too quiet to pick up, but it clearly was not to the man’s liking as he immediately started with an incensed shout.

            “What d’you mean I’ve had enough?! I’ll tell you when I’ve had enough!”

            “Come now, Ares.” One of the serpent-heads spoke, tone mixing between conciliatory and mildly exasperated. “You have practically burned through a cabinet on your own, and now you are fighting with Potter? Go and sleep off the drink, we will all still be here.”

            “You go sleep off your drink you damned snake!” The war god yelled, a somewhat unsteady hand pointing at the offending reptile. Ares’s turn to the right made Orion realize uncomfortably that he was in the god’s view. And, even if seen while drunk, the hunter was certainly a recognizable enough figure. Orion skirted to the left of the curtained entranceway, a hand quietly coming up to rest on Cel’s knee in a bid to keep the toon quiet. And, despite the fact that people were clearly having none of the fuss Ares was causing, he would not be quiet.

            “All I wan’ is a drink! Why’s it so hard for a god to get somethin’ t’drink?!”

            “Because you are being disruptive and insulting my customers. Poorly, albeit, but you are giving it your best effort.” The bartender spoke up, voice rumbling as he leaned forward, hands pressed to the bar on either side of his body, giving him the desired effect of appearing bigger. Of course, Orion reasoned, that could be due to more than just physical stature…

            “I do not need another fight between you and someone else, or to fix my furniture. You’re cut off. Leave before I make you, Hephaestus or not.”

            The ringing declaration hung heavy in the air for a moment, and though no one had any weapons out, Orion could easily imagine several people moving to stop the Greek god should he chose to make himself more than an auditory nuisance. He himself was never without his war club, though he hardly advertised that it was on his person. Still, though Orion had hardly come to this place expecting a fight, his brain couldn’t help but plan, to map out possible escapes for himself, Cel, and Sirius should the other shoe drop and they find themselves at the center of a cosmically charged melee.

            And at the center of this emotionally tense maelstrom, Ares stood, clearly fuming in a drunken rage with the start of something bloody and ancient starting to trickle into his stance and the edges of his face.

            But the moment passed, the spell broke as the god turned on his heel for the exit. The movement was a little ungraceful but the retreat seemed to provoke a measure of relaxation for all around. Orion could not bring himself to yet, as now that meant his erstwhile uncle was coming right at him and Cel. His hand was still on the toon’s knee, giving it a faint, barely there squeeze that he hoped the monochrome toon would correctly interpret as “Leave him be, just let him pass”. Orion didn’t try to really catch Ares’s eye, though out of the corner of his own view he noticed the war god pause next to them. He only stalled for a mere instant before continuing through the door, though Ares hissed out something that Orion heard clear as day.

            “Filthy Chaos-Abyss spawn.” Unlike most times when Orion had heard it directed towards someone, like Cel or even himself, there was usually a layer of exasperation or fury underlining the words usually said after something had happened, though Ares spoke the familiar slur with nothing but loathing dripping from his tongue. The hunter could feel Cel tense, leaning back a little into Orion’s head, and for a moment a clawed hand clenched over the familiar wooden handle of the ancient warclub tucked away at his side.

            But the moment passed a nary an instant later, Ares stumbling out into the street and leaving the pair standing next to the entranceway he’d just gone through. Orion let the tension quietly, mostly, seep from his frame, taking the scant few moments he had to steady himself before he had to do the thing he’d come for. Then, he stepped forward, heading towards the bar with Sirius at his side and Cel at his shoulder.

            The bartender looked up at the pair from a semi-clean glass, Orion feeling more than seeing Cel wave from his spot. However, nothing was said so the hunter figured that he might as well get the ball rolling. The faster they found his cousin the quicker they could be out of here.

            “I’m looking for Iris?” This got a brief pause, the man putting the glass down and leaning forward a little, eyes peering into the shadowed visage under Orion’s hood. There was no bleeding of anything otherworldly, no sign of who or what the great man might be, but still the hunter had no desire to find out anything regarding that, or provoke anything that might raise a possible deity’s ire.

            “I’m her cousin. I was told to make sure she was settling in alright.” That…was probably not the most artful way to phrase exactly what he was doing, but at the very least the bartender leaned away with a faint nod.

            “Wait here a moment.” And with that he slipped away somewhere to the back, leaving Orion, Cel, and Sirius standing at the bar. Orion didn’t turn to look, but he could figure from the manner in which Cel kept looking about that the other patrons of the bar might have been trying to catch a glimpse of the stranger who had just made the bartender step out.

            “Hey, howzit goin’?” The monochrome toon called out to someone, a faint rumble of ‘fine’ being the only answer. The conversation dried up rather quickly after that, though it wasn’t long before the great man came back to the bar.

            “She’ll be out in a minute. Do you want anything?” Perhaps it would ease things a little if he had something, but Orion knew he hadn’t come with anything to pay or barter with. He also wasn’t sure if anyone would be so tolerant of Cel’s usual methods of procuring money, all of which leading to Orion giving the offer as polite a refusal as possible. Not that the bartender really seemed to hold any ill will, instead going back to cleaning his glass.

            They weren’t waiting long before a small clatter from the backroom heralded a newcomer behind the bar, a willowy slip of a girl that peered through curtains of hair that were as brown as the richest earth. Doe-eyes considered the trio as she came properly round the bar, Orion turning to face her as she came to a halt in front of them, long dress skirts swishing a little at her feet.

            “A-Ah, hello. Orion?”

            “Iris.” The hunter acknowledged from under his hood, Cel presumably giving a much cheerier greeting wave from his spot on Orion’s shoulder.

            “Hey! The name’s Cel, miss! Nice t’meetcha!”

            “It’s nice to meet you too.” The warmer tones seemed to put Iris more at ease, a slight smile starting to show through the wavy curtains of hair. It still didn’t quite reach her eyes, the faintly-glowing emerald green still having a layer of weary exhaustion. Perhaps the move was harder on her than Orion had initially considered. If anything, that might be why Hades had wanted this to begin with.

            Still, polite first appearances aside, the hunter wasn’t about to disregard the possibility that this could still end badly. Iris too seemed eager to get things going, as she quickly moved them all to a table off to the side. Once they were all seated, it really only took a few moments for Cel to get a conversation going.

            “So, how’re you settlin’ in here? Looks lively.”

            “It’s really something. I’ve…honestly never seen this many gods and goddesses in one place, at least not from so many different cultures. So far I’ve seen everything from Greek to Japanese, to African…It’s a little mind-boggling,” Iris replied, shaking her hair out of her eyes as a somewhat wondering smile lit her face. Her eyes briefly drifted to her hands, quietly folded on the table, before snapping back up to look at Orion and rejoin the conversation.

            “So…where have you been?” If the hunter hadn’t been watching her face, noticing the small flickers of nervous unease that seemed to spur the question, he might have been a bit less likely to answer. Still, with Cel there, and Sirius quietly lying next to his chair, Orion felt things center themselves just enough that he didn’t feel too bothered about responding with a mostly-honest answer.

            “I haven’t…really been doing very much. Keeping busy, mostly.” The last was more tacked on after the hunter realized how flat the first sentence had sounded to his ears. He may not have been the most communicative person…before, but part of him couldn’t help but try to put on some sort of front. He hardly needed pity. Besides, Cel jumped into the conversation again nary a moment later, his tone leagues lighter than what Orion had been able to offer.

            “Trust me, he has! Sirius down there keeps him on his toes!”

            A faint smile and a chuckle was the only response the monochrome toon got, but for all intents and purposes, he reacted the same as if it were an applause. A beaming smile was directed at Iris, the young goddess blushing a little as she smiled back, a curtain of hair dropping over an eye again.

            “So…how are your parents doing?” Orion couldn’t help but ask, as Cel threw him a look at the lull in the conversation. The question, however, seemed to be the wrong one to ask, as a brief shuttering went through Iris’s face, chasing the small bit of joy from before away as she seemed to flounder with her answer. However, she managed to chase away the indecision enough to give the pair a reply.

            “They’re both fine. They’ve been busy with my sister, she’s…she’s been starting to develop her abilities more lately.”

            “Your sister?” Cel blurted out before he could stop himself, though Orion noticed that Iris’s face seemed to brighten at this new change of topic. Ah, so her sister was something safe to talk about then.

            “Yes, she’s a little older than me, her name is Libitina.”