A/N: More downtime with Sophia and Oren as they're dealing with the ramifications of their failure… and the effects that failure is having on the world outside.

  -x-X-x-

  Her other refuge was hidden under a hill in the middle of practically nowhere. Or at least, it was practically nowhere when Sophia had first built it because the road from Oakvale hadn't gone that far North at the time. By the point where she and Oren came upon it, it wasn't quite as hidden as she might have wanted it to be. It was still impossible to find with mortal eyes though, which was the original point of it in the first pce.

  This hideaway on the other hand is both more and less hidden than that one. When she'd first found this pce, Sophia knew she had to have it. It might not have seemed like much, but with some divine renovations, she could turn it into something truly spectacur. Especially since it started out as an awesome cave easily hundreds of feet up in the side of a massive cliff overlooking the sea!

  Admittedly with the ocean eroding the rock at the base of the cliff near constantly, the whole thing might have been prone to falling into the water below at any time. It wasn't the kind of pce that just anyone would make their home. But Sophia had taken precautions on that front. She'd made sure to yer the protections and wards on this hideaway in such a fashion that they descended all the way into the bedrock below.

  This meant that even when the cliff all around her cave eroded enough to fall into the sea, her refuge would remain. Indeed, in another few centuries, the hideaway might be a literal isnd pilr in the middle of the ocean because of that, even as the rest of the cliff was carved away more and more until this particur piece had no more connection to the greater ndmass.

  For now though, it was somewhat nondescript and the only way anyone would be able to tell it was there was if they went looking for it. Mortals would struggle to even reach it without having to risk life and limb, while deities would have to go pretty far out of their way to find it.

  Why was this all important? Well, ever since shortly after they arrived here, the mother of all storms has been smming against the cliff constantly. At this point it was powerful enough to be a full-fledged hurricane, and that might have caused faster erosion and sped up the process of her refuge being turned into an isnd… if it wasn't for something Sophia had noticed and currently had a sinking suspicion about.

  "… Seems Oceanus might have found out about Aureo finally."

  Blinking, Sophia is startled from her thoughts as Oren walks up next to her. She'd been standing at the cave entrance, the protective barrier blocking the wind and rain from reaching her as she watched the divine storm rage outside of it.

  Looking over to Oren, the goddess bites her lower lip, almost wanting to tell him he's not fit enough to be out here. But… she knows that would be a lie. Oren is getting healthier and healthier by the day and it's obvious he knows it. He might not be ready to get into a fight or something quite yet, but he can easily do this much.

  … They still haven't discussed the kiss. She'd hoped he would bring it up, demand answers from her, something that would force her cowardly lips to actually talk about it. Instead, it seemed that the Otherworlder was trying to let her come to terms with what happened at her own pace. He wasn't going to talk about it unless she was ready to talk about it, meaning that she was the one who was going to have to bring it up.

  Needless to say, Sophia didn't exactly want to do that. Or maybe she did. Fuck, she didn't know what she wanted truth be told. The situation was… confusing to say the least. With everything else that was going on, she wasn't sure if she should be confronting her feelings for Oren at the moment. Or maybe… maybe she just didn't want to confront the possibility that he might not feel the same way.

  Deciding that she would rather focus on his words instead of her inner turmoil at the moment, Sophia sighs. Might as well share the suspicion gnawing away at her with him. She could stand to get a second opinion.

  "Maybe. Or maybe my uncle told the truth more than we care to admit."

  Oren gives her a confused look at that, prompting Sophia to gesture out at the hurricane brushing up against their hideaway. And yes, 'brushing up' is precisely the word to describe it. Despite the rampant destruction happening just outside of the barrier, it's not as bad as it could be. And it's not getting worse even though it should be.

  "This storm is not directed at us or at the coastline whatsoever. We are in fact on the edge of the hurricane, which hasn't moved in days at this point."

  That causes Oren to blink, the Otherworlder furrowing his brow as he considers the situation. It doesn't take him long to figure out what Sophia is getting at though. His eyes widen before he grimaces.

  "Damn. You think Tyranos was telling the truth when he said the God Hunters couldn't hope to hunt down Ancient Gods like Oceanus?"

  Sophia nods, not surprised that Oren was able to understand so quickly. Unfortunately, the fact that he'd come to the same conclusion as her made it abundantly clear that her sneaking suspicion was right. It was just as her uncle had said all those weeks ago when he'd suggested that they just ride out the God Hunter purge and travel with him to stay safe and secure.

  In hindsight, most of that was obviously a pack of lies designed to manipute Sophia into pushing them towards the God Killer armor and bde. By presenting another option, that of running and hiding, Tyranos had made it all the more important in Sophia's eyes to push them towards gaining the power to take the fight to the Void Gods.

  And in doing so, she'd led their greatest enemy right to his prize.

  Still, something he'd said that day had nevertheless been true. The God Hunters, for all that they were very good at hunting down and killing demigods and lesser deities, were not in any way equipped for handling Ancient Gods.

  Someone like Oceanus could drown an entire army of God Hunters and without them ever even ying eyes on him to boot! A volcano deity would just throw va at them until they went away. A sky god could just fly higher in the sky than they could reach, all while raining lightning down on their heads from above. It would be impossible for the God Hunters to reach such a deity.

  In the end, the God Hunters were just up jumped mortals with delusions of grandeur. And mortals, as her uncle had proven with Oren, didn't stand a chance against a truly powerful and ancient deity.

  So then what was to be Tyranos' solution to that conundrum? How was the God of Tyranny and Conquest going to get the upper hand and y low his fellow Ancient Gods, especially those with physical domains who had spent the st several millennia building their power?

  Hell, if even someone like Aureo could create something like the aquifer beneath Goldriver, just imagine what sort of trump cards those much older than him could call upon.

  Well, the answer was staring them right in the face, wasn't it? If Tyranos wanted to assure his victory, he would need something to tip the scales firmly in his favor. Something… like a set of God Killing armor and a God Killing bde, perhaps.

  "Well… look on the bright side. If that is Oceanus and Tyranos fighting out there… then at least Tyranos hasn't won yet."

  Sophia pauses and then huffs out an unamused ugh at Oren's observation.

  "I suppose you're right. So long as the storm rages on, there must be some Ocean, Sea, or Sky God still out there fighting back against his tyranny."

  It's a cold comfort though. Because Tyranos doesn't just have the God Hunters to call upon. He has the rest of the Void Gods as well. Combined with the armor and bde of the God Killer, it seems unlikely that the Ancient Gods of the Mortal Pnes will st forever.

  "… What do we do next?"

  Blinking, Sophia looks over to see Oren looking at her quietly. Expectantly, even. He's really trying to follow her lead even after everything. Letting out another ugh entirely cking in amusement, Sophia shakes her head.

  "There's nothing we can do, is there? I handed the world to Tyranos on a silver ptter."

  "We handed it to him on a silver ptter."

  Sophia can't help but weakly gre at Oren for that correction. But he just offers a half-shrug in response, refusing to back down.

  "If you're going to continue to insist on taking the bme, so am I. I'm the only one who knew where I hid the armor and sword."

  "Yes but I'm the one who convinced you to lead us to them!"

  "But I'm the one who fell for Tyranos' lies and allowed him to fool me so easily."

  "We BOTH fell for that! I didn't realize it was a trap until it was too te either!"

  Oren just smiles and nods decisively.

  "You're right. We both fell for it, so I suppose the only reasonable course of action is for us to share the bme."

  Sophia's mouth opens and closes a few times wordlessly as she realizes how easily he'd backed her into a corner.

  "You… you…"

  Oren's smile dims somewhat and he grows more serious as he looks her in the eye.

  "I don't think you're ready to give up, Sophia. Even now, even if you think your whole life was a lie, I don't think you're the type of goddess who just stops trying. No matter how bad things seem. No matter how tough things get. You'll find a way. I have faith in you."

  He… he can't just go around saying things like that! Sophia's cheeks burn as she looks away, averting her gaze. After a few moments of silence between the two of them, she mutters out her response.

  "You have too MUCH faith in me, Oren…"

  There's a pause after she says that and staring out into the storm Sophia can't be sure Oren is even there anymore. She doesn't dare risk further embarrassment by checking. That's why she's ill-prepared when his fingertips suddenly alight upon her chin and turn her to face him.

  Sophia's eyes widen as Oren presses a kiss into her mouth. His lips against hers, his fingers gliding along her jawline. She shudders and her eyes start to drift shut even as she finds herself instinctively kissing him back for a long moment.

  And then, just as suddenly as it started, it's over. Oren pulls away, ending the kiss before it can deepen any further and leaving Sophia to stare at him gobsmacked.

  "You… y-you kissed me!"

  Oren blinks and then looks a little offended and more than a little confused.

  "I mean… you kissed me first."

  That was true. Sophia blushes but doesn't back down.

  "Y-Yes well… you were supposed to confront me about that! Not just… kiss me back like t-that!"

  The handsome Otherworlder that Sophia may have increasingly certain feelings for stares at her for a long time. Long enough that Sophia begins to squirm. Until finally, she can't take it anymore.

  "Well? S-Say something!"

  The corner of Oren's mouth quirks up and he chuckles.

  "I suppose a goddess must have cursed me with a mild case of folly."

  Sophia gawks at him for a moment before smacking him in the chest with her palm.

  "That's! Not! Funny!"

  And yet, despite it definitely NOT being funny or humorous in any way, Sophia's lips curl upwards of their own accord as Oren snickers. Before she knows it, she's giggling too. And then, they're both ughing helplessly as they have to hold onto one another for support.

  Eventually, they move away from the cave entrance, deeper into the refuge. And they kiss some more too, until stomachs begin to gurgle and they break for mealtime. And then they kiss more after that and Sophia… for a brief moment, Sophia is able to forget everything happening outside right then. She's able to forget the absolute state of things in the world and just focus on the here and now.

  As fucked up as everything is, it all feels a little less fucked up when she's with Oren…

  -x-X-x-

  A/N: Next time will be explicit, just a heads up!

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