Danmachi: Westward Cloud [Complete]

A few weeks after Hermes left Varga and returned to Orario he went down to the Room of Prayer.

“So what did you want to talk to me about, Ouranos?” said Hermes.

“I have asked you here for the Denatus after Cirrus returns from the desert.”

“You wish for me to have him register in my Familia, right?” said Hermes.

“Yes, I wish for him to make a name for himself.”

“Do you not plan on keeping him around? From what I have gathered, he’s a child that many gods wish to have within their Familia’s.”

“If he wishes to stay here and help, I will accept it, but he is but a child. As he grows, he will change, as will his wants and needs.”

“So you wish to give him options?”

“Yes… he will go on to do great things, but during these times I’m sure he will wish for some time to find himself after this Dark Era… if he manages to make it out of it in one piece.”

“… I hope we all come out of it with a sound mind.”

Three months later after Cirrus helped the Loki Familia.

“Now shall we get this Denatus going!!” shouted Hermes. “I’ll be this one’s chairman! So let’s get this rolling!!”

“YEAAAAAHHH!!!!!!!!!!”

The gods all cheered and began to gossip amongst themselves. Hermes sat idly by, listening to them all talk, as did Loki, Astraea, and Freya soaking in the knowledge.

Eventually, it was time for the best part of the Denatus, the Naming Ceremony.

“Dark Blast Flame!”

“Twilight’s End!”

“Sparkle Sparkle Knight!”

“Blazing Inferno!”

‘There as cold-blooded as usual.’

Hermes could see Astraea, Loki, and Freya looking carefully at the children’s report when finally the child everyone was waiting for came.

“Next Zephyr, my child!!” Hermes said with a proud smile.

“Lucky ass…”

“Closed eyes, son of a…”

“Feathered hat piece of…”

The muttering of the gods was utter music to his ears, as he could taste the envy of their words.

“Tell me, Hermes, how did you find this child?” said Loki. “This paper doesn’t even say his race or even age!?”

“Well, of course! These are trying times but to make things fair I will tell you he is rather young, so I can’t disclose his age and race so as for him to not be targeted, especially now that he has gotten a 50,000,000 Valis bounty on his head.”

“Is that why we can’t see his cute face?” said Freya.

“My apologies, Lady Freya!” Hermes said with an even bigger grin. “But he really would like to have his face concealed.”

“I have been meaning to ask, but why is his bounty so high?” Asked Dionysus.

“Well, he has been rather active. Is it not in the report?” Hermes said, looking at it.

“It is.” Said Hephaestus. “This kid was the one that single-handedly took down the Chernobog Familia after they left Orario and took control of Solingen.”

“I thought that was a mere joke!” said a god.

“Yeah, I thought it was Hermes just playing a joke to make his child more special!” said another.

“I can tell you it’s not.” Hephaestus proclaimed. “I had a forge there that I’m friends with and I had heard nothing from them in a while, so when I received one of their letters telling me what had happened, I went over to see for myself. If you go there now, you can see Zephyr’s masks hung up like ornaments to bring good fortune.”

Astraea then shot her eyes at Hermes, and she looked to speak out but then refrained.

“So Hephaestus, what do you think we should name him?” said a god.

“Well, they called him the White Hide?”

“Hmm… given how he looks, he kind of reminds me of those deer Artemis rose in Heaven, doesn’t he?” said another god.

“So… what? we call him Divine Deer?” said another god.

“Hmmm…. why not call him Deer Hero?” said Astraea. “He did free the city from one of Evilus’s Familia?”

“Pfft! Deer Hero!! Ahahahaha!!!” many of the gods laughed at the name.

“But you know he has magic that lets him change his armor, right?” said Loki. “My children saw him with a Mages's magic circle when he changed into this shaggy-looking boar armor, and he smashed through wave after wave of monsters?”

“Then why not call him Hildisvíni?” Freya said with a slightly impish grin.

“Don’t you already have one?” said Loki, eying her.

“Can we just go with White Hide or something?” said a god, frustrated.

“Then why not call him Deer? I mean, he wears that beautiful deer mask all the time, so why not give him the name Deer?” said Demeter.

All the gods looked at each other and at Hermes.

“Well, it isn’t getting anywhere, so let’s settle on that, or else we're gonna be here all day.”

After the Denatus was finished, several of the gods left.

Whistling a happy tune down the stairs of Babel, Hermes was stopped by Astraea.

“Hermes, could we talk?”

“Hm? what for? Do you need help with some Evilus stuff?”

“No… it’s about your child.”