Percy Jackson: The Firstborn

Chapter 139: Chapter 139: Grayfia Lucifuge / Sona Sitri

Grayfia Lucifuge was sitting on her bed, her silver hair falling loose over her shoulders, orderly but not in its usual perfect way. Her arms were bandaged from her wrists to her elbows, and beneath the collar of her medical gown, traces of dark burns could still be seen, injuries that even Phenex Tears had been unable to heal. When the door opened, she looked up, a little surprised by her visitor, though she hid it quickly. ”Lord Damon.”

Damon gave the silver-haired woman a nod, his gaze sweeping quickly across the room. ”I see you’re recovering quickly, Grayfia.” She inclined her head with the same impeccable courtesy as always. ”The Sitri hospital has always been one of the best,” the Lucifuge replied. ”If you have come to ask about Sirzechs-sama, I know nothing about him.”

Damon let out a small laugh. ”I’m not here for that, Grayfia. I’ve already spoken with Sirzechs.”

Grayfia fell silent, tensing slightly. ”Then, have you come for me?” Damon kept his gaze on the silver-haired woman. ”That’s right.” The answer was direct, causing a small spark of uncertainty to appear in the normally perfect expression of the silver-haired woman. ”I understand.”

Damon walked until he stood beside the bed, a little amused by the silver-haired woman’s attitude. It seemed the Underworld was full of people who were not exactly sociable. ”Do you always talk like that?”

Grayfia blinked at the unexpected question. ”What do you mean?” Damon’s smile was barely noticeable. ”I don’t know. You talk as if conversation were a protocol implanted inside your head. If I didn’t know better, I’d say you were a robot,” the god replied, letting out a small chuckle.

Grayfia did not know what to say, and Damon, noticing her silence, continued without taking his eyes off her. ”You don’t have to be so tense. I have nothing against you. I’ve only noticed that you’re the type of person who limits herself to doing her job.” Grayfia kept her back straight. ”I am the wife of Sirzechs Lucifer and the maid of House Gremory. My conduct represents both.”

A drop of sweat slid down Damon’s face at her answer, leaving the room in a slightly awkward silence. Grayfia’s expression grew a little colder. ”I do not know what you wish me to say, Lord Damon.” Damon answered without changing his tone. ”Your real thoughts, not a rehearsed answer.”

Grayfia flexed her fingers slightly, pain running through her knuckles, though she did not show it. ”I was raised to serve and to maintain my composure regardless of the circumstances. If that seems artificial to you, then I suppose my training was effective.”

”Hmmm, I suppose you have a point, but that still doesn’t change the fact that everyone gets tired of doing the same thing in an artificial way.” Grayfia shifted uncomfortably on the bed, unwilling to admit anything. Damon noticed her discomfort and repeated his point firmly. ”I’m right, aren’t I?”

Grayfia had served for years without complaining, being the exemplary wife, maid, and mother while trying to represent House Gremory perfectly. Honestly, Sirzechs had never been cruel to her, and perhaps that was what kept the Lucifuge conflicted. He had good qualities, but his lack of commitment did not help at all.

Grayfia did not like people who, despite being kind, frequently avoided their responsibilities. They treated serious matters without any seriousness, expecting everything to work out somehow. Holding the title of Lucifer was not a casual position, but Sirzechs certainly treated it that way. And now, look at the situation the Underworld found itself in, precisely because of his lack of seriousness.

Even so, as a Lucifuge serving the current Lucifer, Grayfia could not truly say that out loud. ”Whether I am tired or not is irrelevant,” Grayfia said. Damon looked at her with an expression bordering on mockery. ”Then you admit I’m right.” Grayfia’s fingers closed over the sheet. ”Lord Damon, if your intention is to humiliate me, there is no need. You have already done enough.”

Damon let out a laugh at the Lucifuge’s internal embarrassment. ”Calm down, Grayfia. I’m only playing with you. If I truly wanted to humiliate you, it would be a different story.”

The answer calmed the Lucifuge’s emotions while Damon, a little amused, raised one hand and repeated the process he had used on Sirzechs, healing the burns on her neck and removing her fatigue. Grayfia took a breath, clearly a little happy not to be in constant pain anymore.

”There. It’s done,” Damon said. Grayfia kept her face serene. ”Thank you, Lord Damon.” Damon studied her. ”You don’t sound grateful.” Grayfia lifted her gaze. ”I am.”

”Hmm, I don’t think so.”

The room fell silent again. That silence was broken by Grayfia’s voice. ”What do you expect from me?”

”Nothing,” the god answered simply, making Grayfia almost want to strangle him right there. First he told her she did not sound grateful, and now, when she asked what he wanted, he said nothing.

Grayfia narrowed her eyes slightly. ”Then why did you heal me and restore my energy?” Damon scanned the devil woman’s body. ”Because I want you in the meeting. You are vital to my plans.”

Grayfia understood instantly what he meant. Damon had conditions for the Underworld, and somehow, she was included in them. ”Will my presence be necessary?” Damon nodded. ”Yes.” Grayfia observed him carefully. ”As the wife of Sirzechs Lucifer?”

Damon smiled faintly, and this time the mockery was clearer. ”However you choose to take it. In the end, it won’t change the final result...” Damon turned toward the door, but stopped before opening it. ”But I’ll tell you this. Take it as advice.” Grayfia fixed her gaze on the god’s back.

”If you truly want to escape your loneliness, then when the moment comes, think carefully about the answer you give. If you accept, do it because you decide to, not because it is your duty as a Lucifuge.”

Grayfia stared at him in silence, surprised by his words. ”And if my decision coincides with my duty?” Damon opened the door. ”Then make sure it is still your decision.”

The moment the door closed behind him, a sepulchral silence wrapped around the room. Grayfia remained seated for a moment while Damon’s words reverberated in the deepest part of her mind, repeating several times. Slowly, she pulled the sheet aside and placed her feet on the floor, standing with the same elegance as always.

As she looked at her reflection in the window, for the first time in a long while, Grayfia thought about all the people surrounding her. Sirzechs, her son Millicas, and the entire family around her. And yet, the loneliness inside her never seemed to diminish. Grayfia closed her eyes. Perhaps, if things went the way Lord Damon wanted, she too could leave behind everything she had never truly desired.

As she looked at her reflection in the window, Grayfia thought of Sirzechs, of Millicas, of the family surrounding her, and of all the years she had spent fulfilling her role.

She had a husband, a son, and a position that many in the Underworld would have envied. She was respected and admired. But somewhere along the way, Grayfia had asked herself thousands of times whether she was truly happy, because the truth was..... the loneliness within her had never really faded.

Grayfia slowly closed her eyes. Perhaps, if things went as Lord Damon expected, maybe she could find what she truly desired as a woman and as a devil of the Lucifuge Clan....

XXXXX

The moment he left Grayfia’s room, Damon allowed his thoughts to settle for a second. ”That woman has more layers than an onion. At first glance, it’s obvious she’s frustrated. What the hell is wrong with devils and their partners?” he murmured to himself, shaking his head.

”Onion?” a feminine voice asked from the side.

Damon turned his head and found a young woman with jet-black hair cut into a clean bob, thin-framed glasses resting on a small nose, and violet eyes studying him with a mix of curiosity and caution. She wore the uniform of the Underworld academy, immaculate, every fold in place.

Behind her, two other young women waited. One had light brown hair tied into a ponytail, with a stoic expression and a posture that revealed martial training. The other was younger, with pale pink hair and large eyes that blinked when Damon looked at them.

Damon recognized the first immediately. The younger sister of the Maou Leviathan. Well, I didn’t expect to run into her. ”Sona Sitri,” he said, not bothering to hide that he knew who she was.

Sona inclined her head with measured courtesy. ”Damon-sama. It is an honor.”

”Really?” Damon asked with a crooked smile. ”From your tone, it sounds like you’re evaluating whether I should take you seriously or not.”

Tsubaki took a step forward, but Sona raised a hand, stopping her. ”I am the heiress of House Sitri. This hospital belongs to my family. It would be negligent of me not to introduce myself when a god visits our facilities.”

”And the other two?” Damon asked, nodding toward the young women behind Sona.

”Tsubaki Shinra, my Queen.” Sona pointed to the ponytailed girl, who inclined her head formally. ”And Tomoe Meguri, one of my Bishops.” The pink-haired girl smiled shyly. ”It is a pleasure to meet you, Lord Damon.”

”I suppose it is also an honor to meet you,” Damon said with a smile, somewhat amused, while studying the three women for a moment. ”So the Sitri heiress came to see me. I suppose you wanted to confirm whether I was real.”

Sona adjusted her glasses with a precise movement. ”It would be inaccurate to say that was my only motivation... but it would not be far from the truth.”

Damon let out a short laugh. ”I like you. You’re direct and polite. In the Underworld, that seems to be rarer than it should be.”

”Lord Damon,” Tsubaki said, her voice firm but respectful. ”If I may ask... what are your intentions with the Underworld?”

”Tsubaki,” Sona warned quietly, making it clear they were crossing a line.

”It’s fine,” Damon interrupted. He did not care if the girl wanted to investigate. There was nothing to hide. He looked directly at the Queen. ”I have no intentions toward the Underworld. If it were up to me, I would want the Underworld to go its own way. But obviously your people tried to bite off more than they could chew by getting in my way, so I came to remind them not to play with the wrong person. That’s all.”

”That’s all?” Sona repeated, one eyebrow raised. ”Forgive me, but ’that’s all’ included the partial destruction of important parts of devil territory and the hospitalization of its leaders.”

”Well,” Damon shrugged, ”life is not rainbows or painless. It’s full of suffering and consequences, so you always have to be careful.”

Tomoe let out a nervous giggle and disguised it with a cough. Damon looked at Sona with interest. ”Tell me, Sona Sitri. What do you think of all this?”

Sona remained silent for a moment. ”I think the Underworld needed this. We had been comfortable for too long, trapped in old customs.” Sona knew this very well. After all, she could not fulfill her dreams in the Underworld because of those same old customs. ”But I also think the price was high.”

”This was nothing... It could have been much worse if things had gone wrong,” the god said bluntly.

”Excuse me?” Sona asked, a little perplexed.

Damon gave the Sitri a humorless smile. ”I could have erased the Underworld from the map if I had wanted to. I simply chose not to because there are people here who do not deserve to pay for the mistakes of their leaders. But that does not mean I would not do it if I truly had to,” the god said simply, making it clear that if the Underworld forced his hand again, he would simply erase them from the map.

The silence that followed was sepulchral. Tsubaki and Tomoe clenched their jaws, a little uneasy because of how easily the god spoke about destroying an entire faction. Sona looked Damon in the eyes with something resembling respect, her violet gaze meeting his.

”Then,” Sona said slowly, ”can we expect your presence here to be... constructive?”

”That depends on you.” Damon placed his hands in his pockets, adopting an imposing posture. ”If the Underworld decides to cooperate, we can do great things.”

”Such as?” the Sitri asked, tilting her head slightly, genuinely interested.

”I don’t know, trade agreements or anything that benefits both sides,” the god said bluntly. Tsubaki and Tomoe exchanged glances, and for a moment, the Queen seemed about to say something, but held herself back.

”That sounds... incredibly rational for someone like you,” Sona replied, adjusting her glasses with a thoughtful movement.

”What can I say? I’m a god of contradictions. And benevolent when necessary.” Damon formed a wide smile, his arms still in his pockets, lifting his chin with clearly exaggerated dignity.

The silence lasted exactly two seconds.

”HA.” Shukaku’s dry, mocking laugh thundered inside Damon’s mind. ”Benevolent? You?”

”Shut up, Shukaku,” Damon thought, keeping his smile frozen, a small twitch appearing in his brow.

”Benevolent and contradictions?” the tanuki continued, imitating his voice in a dramatic tone. ”Look at me, I’m Damon, the benevolent god who crushes heads under his boot and says, ’oops, what an accident.’”

”I’m going to seal you in a ball of sand for a century.”

”Hmph. As if you could.” Shukaku cleared his throat theatrically inside his mind. ”Ladies and gentlemen, witness the Great and Powerful God of Contradictions, who swears on his honor that he won’t destroy your faction... unless he feels like it. Applause!”

Damon felt a vein pulse in his temple. ”Are you all right, Lord Damon?” the Sitri asked, tilting her head. ”Perfectly,” the god answered quickly. ”It’s just... gods have deep thoughts too, you know.”

”Sure, sure,” Shukaku said, now laughing openly.

Before Sona could respond, or before Damon decided to mentally strangle Shukaku, movement at the garden entrance drew everyone’s attention. Koneko appeared, walking slowly toward them with Matatabi curled up in her arms, her two white tails swaying behind her. The small Nekoshou looked up when she saw Damon, and her steps quickened slightly.

”Were you talking to the girl with glasses?” Koneko asked bluntly. Sona blinked, clearly not used to being referred to as ”the girl with glasses.”

”I was getting to know the Sitri heiress,” Damon replied, placing a hand on Koneko’s head. ”How are you?”

”Better,” Koneko said, leaning slightly against his side. ”Matatabi said you finished playing doctor.”

”Playing doc...” Damon sighed. ”Do you always have to put it like that?”

”Obviously, nya,” Matatabi replied from Koneko’s arms, licking one paw with satisfaction.

Sona watched the interaction with interest. ”The Nekoshou? I thought she was part of Rias’s peerage.”

”She was. That is no longer the case,” Damon answered without elaborating..... Sona slowly nodded, processing the information. She had heard rumors, but seeing Koneko so comfortable beside the Greek god confirmed more than any rumor ever could. ”Well,” Sona said, adjusting her glasses, ”I believe we have taken enough of your time, Damon-sama.”

”It has been a pleasure, Sona Sitri.”

”The pleasure was mine.” Sona hesitated a little before continuing. ”If you ever visit House Sitri, I would be delighted to receive you properly.” Damon let out a pleased laugh. ”I’ll keep that in mind.”

Sona turned and went on her way, followed by Tsubaki and Tomoe. Once they were far enough away, Tsubaki leaned toward her King. ”What do you think, Sona-sama?”

Sona looked over her shoulder at the red-haired figure who was now speaking quietly with Koneko, the small Nekoshou nodding while Matatabi purred. ”He is interesting,” she said finally. ”More practical and capable than I anticipated.”

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