Percy Jackson: The Firstborn

Chapter 128: Chapter 128: I would nevah do such a thing

Serafall took her glass of water and took a small sip, using the gesture to organize her thoughts. The playful smile did not disappear completely, but it was obvious that she was entering Maou mode to deal with the redhead in the best way possible.

”As you already know,” Serafall began, using a more formal tone, ”the recent events in the Greek pantheon have my faction a little concerned.”

”Ok? I don’t see how that concerns the devils,” Damon replied simply, clearly not taking Serafall’s excuse seriously. ”I mean, I don’t know since when devils have anything to do with us.”

Serafall was not shaken by his disagreement. ”Well, it does concern us when we had a group of devils disappear without reason in Greek territory.”

Damon looked at the Maou with completely false sadness. ”Ohhh, yes. Since you told me that in your letter, I had no idea. It is something so unfortunate, I truly send my condolences to those affected,” the redhead said with clear false understanding, receiving a round of laughter from the bijuu inside him.

The Maou narrowed her eyes, not buying any of it and clearly unsatisfied. But the god’s response made it clear that Damon had no interest in giving her anything more than some not-so-sincere apologies. Even so, the devil let it pass for now, believing it was simply the typical denial of gods when they did not want to admit anything. ”One of them was Lucien Agares,” she continued. ”A pure-blooded devil belonging to an important house of the Underworld.”

”And so what?” Damon asked directly.

The Maou’s smile became smaller, but it no longer reached her eyes. Far gone was the amusement she had shown before. ”Well, his family wants answers. The Devil’s Council as well. The disappearance of a pure-blooded devil is cause for alarm for us, especially as a race with low fertility. You will understand why it is not something we can ignore.”

Damon moved his thumbs in circles, his hands interlaced over the table. ”What I see here is a devil who entered foreign territory with unknown motives and ended up disappearing. I understand that he is a pure-blooded devil, but I do not see how this requires my attention. He is only a devil.”

Serafall’s smile tightened slightly. ”Yes, but we need to know how it happened.”

”Ahhh, perfect. I do not know anything either,” Damon replied calmly. ”But if you want, I will let you know if I find something while I investigate. That way we can avoid all of this, you know? You simply had to send it in a letter. There was no reason to set up this whole meeting.”

The redhead said it almost amicably, giving the Maou the opportunity to accept, say that it was fine, and let each of them go their own way.

Serafall shifted uncomfortably in her seat, not expecting this guy to be so perceptive. ”Unfortunately, we cannot do that,” she admitted, with her voice a little firmer than she wanted, making the god raise an eyebrow. ”That changes nothing in the long run. We need something more from you, something that promotes understanding between our factions.”

Damon instantly understood what she meant. Basically, she was telling him, politically, that she needed him to give her something just because that was her position between factions. The redhead had to laugh a little mentally at how shameless the matter was, though he had already expected it, so it was not a surprise either. He leaned a little toward the front of the table. ”Let me see if I understand. You do not know who did this, and I am telling you that I do not know either, but even so, you want the Greek pantheon to give you some form of retribution so you can feel better. Is that not a little too much?”

Serafall tilted her head a little. ”Pardon?” said the violet-eyed woman innocently, trying to act as if those were not her intentions, though mentally she was cursing the redhead.

Damon shook his head, a small smile appearing on his lips without taking his eyes off her. ”This is not about knowing what happened, or even about the life of the devil you are trying so hard to show that you care about. This is about finding something you can take advantage of. Is this what you were calling good hospitality a moment ago?”

Serafall cursed internally again, her eyes not leaving the cold blue eyes of the Greek god. The Maou let out a soft sigh, clearly resigned to the truth. ”Look, the Underworld needs an answer it can present to its nobles. The Agares name is important. If his disappearance is left without any reaction, many things can end very badly,” she said, emphasizing the last part.

”As leaders, that is your problem to solve. Second, none of this would have happened if you had kept your lackeys in line. You should not try to throw the blame onto others,” the redhead replied.

”We did try—” the Maou tried to say before being interrupted.

”Or is it that the Maous cannot keep their devils in line?” Damon asked calmly. ”I do not know, it is just an assumption, seeing how that situation with the Nekoshou ended.”

The redhead delivered the low blow with an almost insulting carelessness, leaving the Maou completely silent at the mention of the topic. Serafall had not expected him to bring that to the table.

”That is why we want to prevent something like that from happening again. I am sure you do not want something like that. No one wants it,” Serafall replied, trying to save face while making it clear between the lines that he also had something to lose.

Damon raised an eyebrow. ”Curious way of saying it. Are you trying to imply that, if I do not accept your terms, the devils could cause another massacre against my people?” the redhead asked with a low and contemptuous tone. ”That is a lot to say.”

Serafall did not take the bait. ”Believe me, we do not want any of that. As Maou, I give you my word. This is the Council’s doing.”

Damon took a moment to think. He almost felt sorry for her. Serafall reminded him of those leaders who had power in name, but in the end were still forced to listen to someone else. In her case, the Council. That was why he decided to give her a little space. ”I suppose I will hear you out. Tell me the Underworld’s position.”

The Maou smiled in relief, thinking that the redhead had taken that moment to reconsider. ”First, a formal apology for the death or disappearance of the devils involved.”

The silence that followed was sepulchral. Damon blinked once, waiting for the Maou to reconsider her words. Unfortunately for her, she did not. Serafall kept her back straight, with the diplomatic mask firmly in place.

”Hmm. So you want me to apologize,” Damon said slowly, ”for something I did not do and for devils who entered Greek territory without my permission.”

Serafall bit her lip. ”We only want an apology that allows us to close the matter without affecting the relationship between our factions too much.”

”That is not what I said,” the redhead replied, narrowing his eyes.

”I know,” Serafall accepted. ”But it is what we need for a better future,” the Maou added, almost as if she were begging him to understand the situation.

”Continue,” Damon said, neither accepting nor denying anything, already tired of all this nonsense.

Serafall accepted that as a kind of resignation and continued. ”Second, the Underworld considers it necessary to establish a stable diplomatic point in Greek territory or in American territory under Greek influence. A controlled space to facilitate direct communication and avoid future misunderstandings.”

Damon leaned back in his seat. ”Basically, you want a Kuoh under Greek control.”

”No. It is a place for diplomacy and—” the she-devil tried to correct before being interrupted.

”Stop talking as if you are not trying to take advantage of the situation,” Damon said, looking at her with annoyance. ”Your pretty words do not work on me, Serafall.”

Serafall’s smile faded a little, her fingers drumming in her lap with some unease. ”Damon-sama, this is about stability for peace.”

Damon snorted internally. Yes, sure. You are the only one who believes that. The redhead was not Amaterasu. There was no way he would let the devils establish themselves in Greek territory. Maybe they had shown themselves more docile with the Shinto because of who they were, or because of the weight Amaterasu held over them, but with him they were showing their true face. They believed he could not do anything against them. That they could push him, take space, and call it diplomacy.

For a moment, silence fell over the restaurant. Serafall took a deep breath. ”I see those first two conditions are not to your liking.”

”Really? You don’t say,” the redhead replied sarcastically. The Maou shifted uncomfortably in her seat. She had not agreed with any of this, but it was something she had to do as Maou Leviathan. ”There is something else,” she said, with a voice a little more nervous than she would have liked. Damon only raised an eyebrow in response.

For her part, Serafall knew the next part would not please the redhead at all. They had already tried something similar with the yokai and received a firm refusal. Even so, the Underworld needed it, and Damon had no way to refuse. He was not Yasaka, protected by a greater power. He was the leader of a pantheon that had just reorganized itself and that, as far as she knew, still did not have a solid position before the supernatural world. The violet-eyed woman took a breath internally, making sure to keep calm. ”We want access to a demigod,” Serafall finally said.

Damon did not even react to what was said. That made Serafall continue quickly, moving her hands in front of her face with some urgency. ”Nothing like a prisoner. Just a voluntary exchange agreement. Someone with Greek divine blood who can serve as a bridge between our factions.”

Damon lowered his gaze. His red hair fell over his eyes while his shoulders began to move. At first, Serafall thought he was holding back a response, until she heard the first laugh. It was low, almost choked. Then came another. And another. The sound began to grow until it could be heard throughout the restaurant.

Serafall went completely rigid before the redhead’s maniacal laughter. Her diplomatic smile froze on her face while she watched him without fully understanding what she had just provoked. Had he lost his mind?

”HAHAHAHAHA... the devils truly turned out to be so entertaining,” Damon mocked, slowly rising from his seat. The laugh was still on his lips, but his eyes were completely serious. ”You present yourself before me without any proof of anything, without authority over me, and without even knowing what happened to your own devils. And even so, you have the nerve to ask me for an apology and a piece of territory. Do you think I am your servant, Serafall Leviathan?”

Serafall quickly rose from her seat, altered, pushing the chair back with force. ”Damon-sama, you are not understanding. This is for the greater good.”

”Do not say stupid things,” Damon replied, standing upright. ”I am the king of the Olympian gods. I will never lower my head before anyone. If you call that diplomacy for the greater good, spare me and tell that to someone else.”

Serafall looked at him seriously. ”You are not in a position to reject this, Damon.”

Damon narrowed his eyes, returning her gaze with the same seriousness. ”Serafall, if you truly believe that I am going to hand you an apology, territory, and a child of Olympus so your nobles can feel better, then the devils have something very big coming.”

Instantly, an intense tension could be felt throughout the restaurant. Serafall felt her throat close, but she forced herself to remain firm. If she backed down now, she would not only have failed as a diplomat, but also as a Maou.

”I am afraid that will not be possible, Lord Damon.”

The voice came from the entrance of the restaurant. Damon barely turned his head toward it, where a crimson magic circle was slowly fading from the floor. A man with a lolicon expression appeared with an irritatingly kind smile, the kind Damon already hated before hearing a single word. He was dressed in something that seemed to be a combination between a dress and armor.

Serafall opened her eyes wide. ”Sirzechs...”

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