Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ Gundam Wing on Mount Olympus ❯ Who is that Guy? ( Chapter 10 )

[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]

Dear Readers: Sorry about being so late with this chapter. I would have posted it sooner, but it's Thanksgiving and I'm a mom! I had to cook. And Riyo's home, so we had to sit around watching videos until really late at night. And Riyo has this bartending habit, so then there was all the drinking… Anyway, here it is.
-o-o-o-
Chapter 10: Who is that Guy?
“I'm bored,” Wu-Fei said absently. He balanced his katana carefully on the tip of one finger.
Heero did not pause in the execution of his kata. “We sparred for three hours. Wasn't that long enough?”
“I guess.” Wu-Fei sighed. “It's just that we've been doing the same thing for weeks now. Hasn't Alexa stabilized yet?”
“Seems like it.” Heero swept through a quick series of punches, kicks and flips. When he bounced to a halt, he turned to Wu-Fei. “But the others seem content to keep hanging around.”
Wu-Fei nodded. “Yeah, I know. But I've read all the scrolls in Athena's library. No one else seems to have anything worth studying. And it's so damned peaceful! There are no wars anywhere! I thought these ancient city-states were always at war. It's just not right.”
“I hear you.” Heero patted Wu-Fei on the shoulder. “A nice war would definitely be a pleasant diversion. Maybe we could ask Ares. He is the god of war.”
“I thought you didn't like him.”
“I don't,” Heero shrugged.
Wu-Fei thought about it for a moment and then shook his head. “Nah, knowing Ares, he'd just start a war somewhere, kill a bunch of people and then claim it was our idea.”
“Probably.”
Wu-Fei heaved a sigh. “Maybe I'll go visit Poseidon again. His menagerie of sea creatures was pretty cool. Wanna go?”
“No thanks. I was thinking of watching Hercules do another one of his labors. It's sort of amusing watching him show off for Iolaus.”
“Ok. See you later, then. I'll probably miss dinner.”
“All right. See ya.”
Wu-Fei jogged off to find someone who could give him a lift to the shore. When he arrived there, a beautiful young woman casting a net into the water greeted him.
“Good day to you, handsome sir,” she said in a sultry tone. “May I assist you in some way?”
“I'm on my way to see Poseidon at his underwater palace.”
“Oh.” A slight pout stole across the young woman's face. “I can take you there, but are you sure I cannot provide some meager entertainment before then?”
“Um, well,” Wu-Fei took a step back. “I think I'd just like to go down to the palace.”
“Oh very well!” The young woman rather huffily pulled in her net and led Wu-Fei toward the water. As they neared the water, it parted to reveal a gravel path leading down below the waves. When they were beneath the surface, the water closed over their heads, leaving them in a bubble of air. The bubble stayed with them as they walked far below sea level until they reached a palace made of coral and sea shells. It was delicate and beautiful. Brightly colored fish swam through the delicate structure.
“What have we here?” a deep voice rumbled. A handsome god who bore a strong resemblance to Zeus swam into view. He stepped through the bubble of air surrounding Wu-Fei and the woman with a wide smile. “Master Wu-Fei! I am glad to see you again! Come into my palace.”
They entered the palace, which was filled with air. The woman, looking mightily snubbed over being ignored, stalked back up the gravel path.
“I was hoping I might be able to see your menagerie again,” Wu-Fei said.
“It would be my pleasure,” Poseidon said. “In fact, your timing is excellent. I just acquired a new addition.” He led the way through his palace to a construction of coral cages containing all kinds of fantastical sea creatures. Everything from a giant squid to a kraken occupied cages in Poseidon's menagerie. But he led the way past these monsters to a cage containing another creature. This creature swam to the edge of its cage and blinked at Wu-Fei standing with Poseidon in their bubble of air.
Pale blue iridescent scales covered a long sinuous body. Long slender arms with narrow hands possessing three fingers each reached out to clasp the pink coral bars. Luminous golden eyes regarded Wu-Fei from an almost human shaped head. Flowing green hair floated in a halo around the creature's face. Then it opened its mouth to reveal three sharp rows of shiny white teeth and a forked blue tongue flicked out.
“What is that?”
“It is the sea form of a siren,” Poseidon said gleefully. “On land, her upper body dries out to resemble a human woman and in the open air, her song is the sweetest thing the human ear will ever hear.” Poseidon winked at Wu-Fei. “But if you get too close, she'll drag you into the sea and eat you.”
“Oh my. However did you capture her?”
“I didn't. A good friend of mine brought her as a gift. Here he is now.” Poseidon pointed down the path to where a young man was approaching them surrounded by his own bubble of air.
Wu-Fei blinked uncertainly at the newcomer. “He looks vaguely familiar.”
The young man had wavy dark hair and black eyes. He was of average height, but his body had a compact muscular build. He greeted Poseidon in a low voice that also seemed vaguely familiar.
“What do you think of my lovely blue lady, Lord Poseidon? When I sat down beside her to listen to her song, she tried to drown me for her supper.”
“I have always wanted one of these creatures,” Poseidon replied gleefully, “but they are even more elusive in the water than they are dangerous on land.”
“Excuse me,” said Wu-Fei, “but how did you avoid getting eaten? This creature looks pretty savage.”
“I'm stronger than I look,” the young man replied. He smiled slightly.
Wu-Fei frowned. “Excuse me, but have we met? You look… familiar.”
“I don't think so.”
“I am Chang Wu-Fei. May I ask your name?”
“Hadeya.”
“What?” Wu-Fei's eyes opened wide. “Were you by any chance born in Asgard?”
Hadeya started in surprise. “You have heard of Asgard?”
“Yes, we spent several weeks there once.” Wu-Fei peered closely at Hadeya. “And a friend of mine might have fathered a child there.”
“Oh!” Hadeya's eyes went wide. “My mother told me that my father was a visitor from a far-away place and that I would probably never meet him. But that is why I came to Midgard. I thought perhaps I might find him. But there are so many humans in Midgard.”
Wu-Fei laughed. “Well, the odds should have been against you, but luck found you after all. If you are indeed Freya's son, I know your father.”
Hadeya's face lit up. “Freya is my mother's name!”
“I knew it! You look way too much like Heero to not be his kid.”
Poseidon looked from one to the other curiously. “I take it that you two are acquainted.”
“We haven't met before,” said Wu-Fei, “but it is quite likely that my companion Heero is his father.”
“But how could that be?” said Poseidon. “Although I have not met your companion, I thought you were all quite young and I've known Hadeya for decades.”
“Well…” Wu-Fei scratched his head. “We time-travel.”
“Ah, that would explain it,” Poseidon said with a nod. “Perhaps we should all travel to Olympus to meet Hadeya's father. Knowing the son as I do, I would be interested in meeting the sire myself.”
“Could we?” Hadeya asked eagerly.
“I think we should.”
It was dinner time on Olympus and the Gundam pilots were sitting together as usual enjoying the tasty food. Little Alexa, dressed in a flowing white gown, was dancing with Artemis. The girl and the goddess moved in unison, their bare feet stepping in time as their arms twirled around their bodies and above their heads.
Zechs watched with a dreamy look in his eyes. “She's just so pretty,” he sighed. He turned his gorgeous smile on Treize. “She looks as graceful as you do when you're fencing.”
“I think she is far more graceful than I could ever be,” Treize replied.
“It makes me think it would be nice to have a little girl of our own,” Quatre said, a little wistfully. “Roku has turned out so well, I cannot help but think a little sister would be a nice addition to the family.”
Trowa leaned toward him with a slight leer. “Are you volunteering? You did make a very delightful woman.”
“Lecher!” Quatre growled. “And no, I'm not volunteering.”
Roku sat up straight and stared toward the entrance. “Look! Papa Wu-Fei is back.”
They all turned to see Wu-Fei approaching them from one of the wide entrances into the great hall, accompanied by a handsome young man with dark hair and an older god whose hair gleamed wetly.
“Who is that youth with Wu-Fei?” Treize said. “He looks vaguely familiar.”
“He does, sort of,” Trowa agreed.
“Hello everyone!” Wu-Fei called when he was close enough. “I'm glad we made it in time for dinner.” He indicated the god who was with him. “May I introduce Poseidon, Ruler of the Deep?”
“Hello,” everyone greeted Poseidon politely.
Poseidon favored them with a quick bow. “I am honored to meet you.” His eyes sparkled as they moved over the group to finally fix on Heero. His smile widened.
“My other companion,” Wu-Fei continued, a little dramatically, “is an old friend of Poseidon's. His name is Hadeya.”
At the introduction, Hadeya bowed, but his eyes, too, were fixed on Heero.
“Hadeya?” Quatre said with a frown. He studied the young man's face and his eyes flicked to Heero questioningly.
“Papa Wu-Fei, how come Mr. Hadeya smells like Papa Heero?”
Wu-Fei's grin threatened to split his face. “That might be because Hadeya is Freya's son. Heero is his papa.”
Heero's mouth dropped open.
“Heero's son?!” Duo exclaimed.
“Yup!” Wu-Fei assured them smugly. “Hadeya is from Asgard. He came to Midgard to look for his father and as luck would have it, he ran into me at Poseidon's palace.” He turned to Hadeya. “Hadeya, may I present your father, Heero Yuy, one of the finest men in the entire Earth Sphere.”
“How do you do, Father?” Hadeya said, a little nervously.
“Isn't that sweet?” Zechs murmured. “He's a god hundreds of years old and he's nervous about meeting his mortal father.”
“It shows he was well brought up,” Treize murmured back.
Heero scrambled to his feet to face Hadeya. Looking at the pair of them standing face to face, the genetic resemblance was pretty obvious.
“Well,” said Quatre, “Freya was pretty sure that it was Heero who knocked her up.”
“I didn't knock her up!” Heero exclaimed. His cheeks were flushed. “We… ah…” He met Hadeya's eyes. “Had a moment of… well… united purpose to… ah… provide Freya with a child to raise. We weren't just fooling around.”
“What Heero means to say,” Quatre interrupted graciously, “is that you were a planned child whose arrival in the world was greeted with great joy.”
The uncertainty left Hadeya's face and his smile widened. “I would be most honored to be allowed to spend time in your company, Father, for as little or as long as it pleases you.”
Heero looked around at the others in confusion.
Duo leaped to his feet. “Of course you can, Hadeya. You'll have to forgive Heero. He's just a little caught off guard. Have a seat.” Duo dragged Hadeya to a cushion near where he was sitting. “Have some wine. We want to hear all about Asgard and what you've been doing since you came to Midgard.”
“Sit down, Heero,” Wu-Fei said with a chuckle. “I thought you'd be pleasantly surprised.”
“Surprised?” Heero choked out. “You just plopped a son in my lap without any warning.”
“And we were just talking about having a daughter,” Trowa said with an innocent smile. “Now that the balance has been pushed in favor of boys, a daughter seems even more necessary.”
“A little girl?” Wu-Fei eyes brightened. “That sounds nice.” He glanced at Quatre. “But I don't think we could handle Quatre bearing another child. He nearly killed us all the last time.”
“I did not! And why does it have to be me?”
“Because you look the most like a girl?”
“I do not! Duo has all that hair! He looks way more like a girl than I do.”
“I don't know. It's something about those big blue eyes…”
“What about blue eyes?” Zechs interrupted testily.
“Wu-Fei was just saying that Quatre's big blue eyes make him look like a girl,” Treize said without thinking.
“And Quatre said Duo's long hair made him look like a girl,” Trowa added innocently.
Zechs' big blue eyes narrowed and he flung his long silver hair irritably over one shoulder. “So blue eyes and long hair make one look like a girl?” He glared dangerously from person to person.
Treize held up his hands. “I don't think anyone was saying that…” he began.
“But you did have a baby,” Trowa put in with a straight face.
Treize made desperate shushing motions.
Zechs' face darkened. “I see. So that's what you think of me.”
“You are the handsomest, buffest, hunkiest guy I know!” Treize said hurriedly. “Manly and virile!”
“Maybe you should mention he's well-hung,” Trowa stage-whispered. “He is well-hung, right?”
“Absolutely!” Treize nodded furiously.
Zechs sniffed, unimpressed. He lifted his chin and turned away, shifting over on his cushion so he was no longer touching knees with Treize. Treize glared at Trowa, who blinked at him in wide-eyed innocence.
Treize leaned toward Zechs. “Beloved,” he murmured. “I am undone every day by your incomparable masculine beauty. The sight of your exquisite form leaves me speechless and weak, so that only the incredible strength in your shapely arms holds me upright. Please forgive my unwitting part in this foolish exchange which in no way describes my opinion of you.”
Zechs dipped his head and looked at Treize through his bangs. “I will forgive you if you promise to prove to me later how deeply you love me.”
Treize drew in a deep breath. “I promise!”
Hadeya watched all this with an extremely confused expression on his face.
Duo patted Hadeya on the knee. “Get used to it, Nephew. You'll find we're all a little bent.”
“Bent?” Hadeya questioned. He still looked confused.
“He means they like to be naughty with each other,” Roku volunteered.
Hadeya turned to the young tiger. “You mean they enjoy playing pranks on one another?”
Roku chuckled. “No. I mean they like having sex with each other.”
Hadeya's cheeks turned red and he quickly looked down.
“That's enough of such talk from you, young man,” Quatre said sternly.
“Yes, mama.”
“Pray, do not scold him,” Hadeya said quickly. “My ignorance led to his bold statement.” His cheeks colored a little more. “I confess my eagerness to avoid the excesses of my elders has left me somewhat innocent in regard to our current topic of conversation.”
“Innocent!” Duo exclaimed. “But aren't you, like, hundreds of years old by now?”
“I am not exactly certain of my age by Midgard's reckoning,” Hadeya said uncomfortably. “But as for my, ah, innocence… It just worked out that way.”
Duo shook his head. “That's just a waste of good genes, if you ask me.”
“Quit teasing Hadeya,” Roku said firmly.
Hadeya threw Roku a grateful look. “Are you the young sorcerer who restored the heavens after Ragnarok?” he asked, clearly ready to change the subject.
Roku nodded. “Uh-huh. I felt bad because it was kind of our fault everything got all broken apart.”
“That is not how the story was told to me,” Hadeya said. He scratched his head with a gesture that reminded everyone of Heero. “Mother said Odin started Ragnarok because he was angry with the ice giants.”
“That's the short version of the story,” Duo said with a grin. “The long version goes like this.” And he proceeded to tell Hadeya about the group's adventures in Asgard, culminating with the destruction of everything. “And then Roku put it all back together, so everything worked out all right in the end.”
Hadeya had listened to Duo's story with eyes that got wider and wider. When Duo finished he emptied the wine from his goblet in one swift gulp. “How easily it all could have come to naught!” he exclaimed. “Had you not been there…”
“Ragnarok might not have happened at all,” Wu-Fei concluded dryly.
“But then Hadeya wouldn't exist either,” Roku said. He put a friendly paw on Hadeya's knee. “We have the same papa, so that makes us brothers.”
“Heero is your father, too?”
“One of them. I have four papas and one mama.” He pointed a paw at Quatre. “He's my mama. Heero, Duo, Wu-Fei and Trowa are my papas.”
“How…?” Hadeya stared in confusion. “How can you have four fathers? Even the gods have only one father and one mother. And how can your mother be a man?” He rested his forehead in his palm, looking distressed.
“Try not to think about it too hard,” Duo said. “It's magic. Just let it go at that.” Duo snagged a pitcher from a passing servant and refilled Hadeya's goblet. “Here, have more wine. It's a lot easier to understand when you're drunk.”
Hadeya seemed to find this sage advice, because he promptly drained his goblet and let Duo refill it again.
Heero glared. “You better not be planning to take advantage of my son, Duo,” he growled.
“Hey, he's kin!” Duo exclaimed. “That would be too kinky.”
“That's sort of a mind-boggling concept,” Trowa remarked absently. “Duo finding something too kinky.”
“I'm not a total pervert!” Duo declared.
Everyone stared at him.
“I'm not!”
No one said a thing.
“I don't have to take this abuse!” Duo growled. “I'm going to find Hermes and do some gambling!” He stalked off in a huff.
“Did I say something I should not have?” Hadeya asked uncertainly.
“No, you're fine.” Wu-Fei moved next to Hadeya. “But it probably wouldn't hurt for you to know more about us, so let me fill you in.” Wu-Fei proceeded to tell Hadeya about the future, the Earth Sphere, various wars, and where they had all come from and why they were now together. Hadeya kept downing goblets of wine throughout all this, so that he was starting to get bleary-eyed by the time Wu-Fei was ready to start explaining about their excursions through time.
“That's enough,” Heero interrupted. “He's not going to remember half of that by morning.”
“But I was just getting to the really relevant stuff!” Wu-Fei protested.
“Tough.” Heero pulled Hadeya to his feet, where it became readily apparent that the young god was too plastered to walk. Heero calmly hoisted him over one shoulder. “He's my kid. I'll take care of him.” He trotted out of the room with Hadeya starting to turn a little green.
Poseidon spoke up for the first time. “That was a fascinating tale, my friend!” He clapped Wu-Fei on the shoulder. “But now that I can see Zeus glaring at me for dining in his hall without greeting him, I had better go pay my respects. Good day to you all.” Poseidon rose and strode purposefully toward Zeus.
“You seem awfully pleased with yourself, Wu-Fei,” Quatre said.
“I am,” Wu-Fei chuckled. “It's not often one gets to catch Heero completely by surprise.”
“I think you caught us all by surprise,” said Trowa.
“But what are we going to do with Hadeya?” Quatre asked thoughtfully. “He's part of the family, but I'm really not sure how we're going to explain a centuries old Norse god descendent of Heero to Sally and Noin.”
“It might be easier to just say he's a distant cousin,” Treize said.
“That might work,” Quatre agreed.
“So we get to keep him?” Roku asked hopefully.
“I think so.”
“Goody! I'm going to tell Alexa!” Roku bounded over to where Alexa was sitting with Artemis and the other maidens.
“Of course,” Zechs spoke up, “we will need to explain the necessity of restraining any godlike powers he might possess to Hadeya, once we return to Mars.”
“Maybe we'll luck out and the only power he possesses is immortality,” Trowa suggested.
“We'll have to teach him to speak something other than ancient Norse and ancient Greek,” Treize said.
Wu-Fei's eyes lit up. “Teach?”
“He's a god,” Quatre said. “I doubt it will take him very long to learn.”
“But if Heero instructs him,” Wu-Fei said primly, “he'll end up learning mostly Japanese swear words. I will take responsibility for instructing Hadeya in our languages and ways.”
“He's been looking for someone to instruct since we sent Roku to public school,” Trowa remarked.
“True,” Quatre agreed.
Wu-Fei did not seem to notice he was being teased as he mumbled to himself about courses and curricula.
Trowa put an arm around Quatre's shoulders. “If we could return to a previous topic of conversation; I would very much like to show you how much I like the fact that you are a boy.”
Quatre blushed a delicate shade of pink. “You are very bold, Sir!”
“And you are very cute.”
“You don't think I look like a girl?”
“I think you look like you need to be kissed.”
Quatre drew in a soft breath.
“In fact,” Trowa added in a low voice, “I think you need to be kissed in more places than just your lips.” He touched Quatre's lips with his fingertip. “What do you think?”
“I think we need to get the hell out of here,” Quatre rasped. He grabbed Trowa's hand and scrambled to his feet. “Watch the kids,” he said quickly to Wu-Fei and dragged Trowa toward the exit.
Treize brushed his fingers against the back of Zechs' hand. “I think Trowa made a marvelous suggestion.”
“Oh? Which suggestion was that?”
“The part where he talked about kissing all the places that seemed to need kissing.”
Zechs tried to remain aloof, but his hands were trembling. “I see. That might be pleasant.”
“I think,” Treize said, and he stroked a delicate finger along Zechs' collarbone, “that I would like to start here. But should I work my way up or down?”
Zechs drew in a slightly ragged breath. “Um, if I get to choose, might I suggest down?”
“As you wish.” Treize gently clasped Zechs' hand. “Shall we go get started?”
“By all means.” Zechs allowed Treize to draw him to his feet. “Wu-Fei, do you mind watching the children?”
“What? Oh, sure,” Wu-Fei said absently.
Treize and Zechs drifted from the room with their arms around each other's waists.
Roku and Alexa skipped over to Wu-Fei. “Papa Wu-Fei, it's time for bed. Will you give us our baths?”
Wu-Fei looked around, suddenly discovering that he was alone. “Wait just a minute…” He paled. Alexa was relatively clean, but Roku, as usual, looked like he'd been dipped in food. “Umm…”
Roku bounced up and down. “And can we play mobile suit attack?”
“Yeah! Can we?” Alexa shouted and tossed her little fists in the air.
“Of course,” Wu-Fei sighed in resignation. “Why not?” He trailed after the two youngsters as they dashed away. “I'm going to get so soggy.”