Elyus's POV:

After catching Thena and Gilgamesh up to speed with what occurred in London, we comfortably sat ourselves around the table and served ourselves the food Gilgamesh put out for us.

Thank god the pie wasn't the only thing he made.

"This is just what you guys eat every day?" Kingo rambled with a smile as we all didn't spare another second to wait to serve ourselves. "Yeah, this is amazing."

Gilgamesh nodded. "Every day."

"Thank you for this." Ikaris added.

I reach for the spoon for the bowl of vegetables around the same time as Sersi and since she sat across from me, our fingers barely graze enough for me to pull away immediately.

"Uh--"

"Sprite, pass me a slice of pie, would you?" I politely ask the girl beside me before Sersi could utter another word, feeling her eyes on me but I didn't bother to look up.

Sprite simply nodded since she still had food in her mouth and pushed the pie platter close to my plate so I could grab it with ease.

"Oh, you're welcome. Help yourself." Gilgamesh continued before placing the pitcher in front of Karun and Kingo. "This one is a trio of wine, beer, and mead. Made for all the soldiers in the battle of Troy."

"That's so thoughtful." Karun complimented with a laugh which didn't last very long since Thena was staring at him.

Kingo looked up at Gilgamesh. "Should she be drinking?"

"No, hers is non-alcoholic. For kids." He assured before his eyes landed on Sprite. "I gave you the same thing, Sprite."

"For kids." Kingo laughed.

I stifle a laugh as Gilgamesh and Kingo broke out into laughter but Sprite's reaction was the opposite as her expression shifted into a frown.

"I was just kidding." Gilgamesh sighed, wiping the corners of his eye but I watch as Sprite discreetly waved her hand, changing Gilgamesh's outfit into something an infant would wear. My eyes land on the large bib with the words 'GILGA-MESS' and I cover my mouth with my hand to hide my smile. "Yours is a secret brew Odin taught me as a thank-you after we helped defeat Laufey's army in Tønsberg."

Everyone took notice of this and burst into chuckles, Kingo's being the loudest which caused Gilgamesh's brows to furrow into confusion before glancing down at his outfit with a sigh. "What? Oh. I'm a big baby. Very mature. Can you stop? Stop."

Sprite waved her hand once more, stopping the illusion.

My eyes flicker to Sersi and see her stares were already on mine before she quickly looked down at her plate once more.

"Speaking of Odin," Kingo spoke up. "Thor used to follow me around when he was a little kid. Now he's a famous Avenger and won't return my calls."

"So, now that Captain Rogers and Iron Man are both gone, who do you think is gonna lead the Avengers?" Sprite curiously asked.

I rarely caught up with the news about the Avengers. There was a point after the battle of New York where a girl used the bar as a hideout to ramble on and on to her online conspiracy hacktivist group, The Rising Tide. Went by the name, Skye Johnson.

I didn't care for it at first when she first told me about having footage from the Stark Expo attacks but when it came to a point of having some other stuff on the Avengers, I got concerned. Especially since some agency called SHIELD kept covering it up.

She stopped coming around shortly after so I never got to see her again. As much as she annoyed me for scaring away my customers, she made it at least bearable to go to work.

"I could lead them." Ikaris casually shrugged. "I figure I'd be good at that."

Kingo immediately nodded in agreement. "Yeah, you would."

I fight the urge to roll my eyes. "No offense but I'm pretty sure they would prefer someone that has at least some sympathy towards humans." I snort. "Not emotions of an android."

"Elyus, you shouldn't be talking. Your powers are just like Aang from the avatar when he was just starting." Sprite countered with a brow raised. "At least with Ikaris' powers, they would help their team. Not give them a gentle breeze on a hot day."

I playfully scoff. "You have some nerve comparing my powers to a kid's cartoon when your name is literally a soda brand."

"Hey, my name was first!"

"It's not about who is stronger than who, ladies." Ikaris added with a chuckle. "It's about experience....with a little bit of power."

"Oh really? Ajak didn't even choose you to lead us." Gilgamesh snorted.

Kingo gasped. "Whoa!"

"Ouch, Gil. Ouch."

"Harsh." Sprite agreed.

"I'm gonna let that one slide because, you know," Ikaris adjusted his position to glance behind at Gilgamesh. "you've always been bitter that I can fly and you can't."

I look over to Sersi once more, taking note of her expression filled with discomfort as she stared at the plate in front of us deep in thought.

"Oh, so what, you can fly." Gilgamesh dismissively waved his hand. "I'm better-looking, everybody knows that."

"You speak nothing but the truth, Gil." I add and lift my wine glass to Gilgamesh who snapped his finger at me with a wink.

Suddenly Sersi stood up from the table and started to head towards the door.

"Where are you going?" Ikaris questioned.

Sersi paused in her steps, wiping her hands on her green and black flannel with a small smile. "I'm just gonna get some air." She excused herself before exiting the house.

"Mmm. This is really good, Gil." I look away from the door, watching as Kingo took another sip from the beer, mead, and wine beverage. "You know, I could sell this. Put my face on it, move some units."

"I made it from corn." Gilgamesh casually explained. "I chew each kernel myself and ferment it in my spit."

Kingo immediately spits the liquid back into the cup, scrunching his nose in disgust.

"Aaand there goes my appetite." I say, pushing my plate away from me before I stood up as well.

"Where are you going off to?" Sprite curiously asked, watching as I headed towards the door.

"I'd rather not risk the chance of seeing Kingo puke his guts out." I say with a wince, watching as Karun rubbed circles around Kingo's back before I exited the house.

Once I closed the doors behind me and turn, my eyes widen in surprise at Sersi looking through the stack of drawings that Thena had been working on.

It seemed like she practically zoned out her surroundings because she didn't even bother to turn as soon as I closed the doors.

I had two options. I could either walk back inside and continue to avoid Sersi or ask her about what happened inside because she didn't seem like her usual observant and quiet self.

But then again, I would rather not see Kingo throw up.

"You feeling okay?"

My simple question causes the eternal to jump at my voice as she briefly glances away from the table to meet my eyes before looking down once more. "Yeah...why wouldn't I be?"

"Because as soon as they brought up leadership, you left the room." I point out, walking closer to the table so I could stand in front of her. "Did you seriously think not at least one person would notice you leave the room because of that?"

A small smile appears on her lips and she looks up at me once more. "I was always terrible about hiding how I felt. You were always the only person out of everyone to figure me out."

My eyes soften in remembrance but I quickly shake my head, ignoring the small ache. "So what exactly are you doing?"

"Right! Uh..." She looks down at the drawings before clearing her throat. "I wanted to see if this is the Centuri-Six Thena was talking about."

I slowly nod, examining the red and black streaks of what is shaped to be an ominous figure. "From what Gil explained, it's a planet. Thena used to live there until it was destroyed. Something about massive quakes ripping it apart? I don't exactly remember but everyone died, including herself."

"Just like the unprecedented global earthquake three days ago." Sersi whispered under her breath before nervously fiddling with the ends of her flannel.

"You know, you still never answered why you left the room." I reminded her, causing her posture to stiffen. "You think Ajak made a mistake?"

Sersi finally looks up from her fingers with a saddened look. "Ajak chose me to lead us, but...I can't even figure out how to speak to Arishem. I've tried so many times."

I slowly nod. "I see."

"I bet Ikaris would most likely figure it out by now since he's perfect for the--"

"Stop it, stop talking about him." I cut in, stepping around the table to place my hands on her shoulders. "This isn't about Ikaris. You are not Ikaris. You are Sersi, the intelligent woman that Ajak entrusted to have the privilege to talk to Arishem. She believed in what you are capable of and it's time for you to do the same."

"And how exactly do I do that?" She scoffed. "I tried every possible thing!"

"Then maybe that's the problem. You're thinking too much with this," I emphasize, pointing to her temples. "And not enough with this." I point to her heart. "One of the things you're best at. Sometimes, you just have to listen."

Her eyes soften at my words. "How do I do that?"

My eyes land on the tree Thena previously sat in front of and I quickly grab Sersi's wrist, dragging her over to the spot.

It had a decent view of the sun beginning to set and I pat down the spot next to me so she could sit. "Come on, sit."

She hesitantly takes a seat beside me and I make her hands lay flat in the pebbles. "I don't know Elyus--"

"You need to get used to your surroundings. Make it your safe place or at least imagine somewhere that makes it feel like home. Comfort." I instruct before I stand up as well. "I'll head back inside."

I move to stand up from my spot but her hand latches onto my wrist, making me stop in place. "Wait."

I furrow my brows in confusion. "What?"

"You think you can stay with me? I'd feel a bit safer and focused if I'm with you." My eyes widen in surprise. "You know, to make sure none of the Deviants sneak behind me or something?"

I hesitantly glance between her eyes and her hand, feeling my heart sink in discomfort as I pull away. "I have to check in with one of my employees at my bar. Maybe even give Dane a call." I awkwardly mutter out as I start to back away from her. "Sorry."

Her small smile falters at my words before she reluctantly nods and turns to face forward.

As much as I missed Sersi, I couldn't pretend that everything is okay between us. I didn't want to relive the pain.

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Once Sersi finished her explanation about her discussion with Arishem, all I could do was stare at my mug while the others stayed silent.

This whole time, we believed we were sent for the greater good of the planet when in reality, we were sent to protect a seed that was planted inside the Earth from Deviants just so the intelligent population would grow and for a new Celestial to be born.

The worst part? The planet would be destroyed and each of the eternal's minds would be erased to continue doing the same thing to the next planet.

"So, you're saying we're basically fancy robots?" Kingo questioned from beside me. "And our past memories are stored somewhere...in space?"

"And Arishem made the Deviants." Sersi added.

Did that mean that all the feelings that I felt...were never real, to begin with? Was that why it made things hard for me to trust people or was it just me?

Did that mean Sersi and Ikaris were always meant to--dammit Elyus, get over yourself. You're over it. You've been over it for years. There had to be a line drawn where I was making the choice and not it being from Arishem's programming...right? Oh god.

Almost as if she could hear my thoughts, Thena pushed my mug closer to my hand and I didn't hesitate to drink the wine.

"I'm sorry, Thena." Gilgamesh weakly smiled. "You tried to warn us."

"The last time Arishem reset your memories, something must have gone wrong." Sprite realized.

Kingo raised a brow. "What do you mean?"

"Well, that's what Mahd Wy'ry is, isn't it? All this time, Thena was remembering all the other planets we were sent to and everyone dying during the Emergence."

"I thought we were heroes. Turns out we're the bad guys." Gilgamesh muttered.

"We're not the bad guys, okay? We've helped the Celestials expand life across the universe. That's not what bad guys do. That's what good guys do." Kingo defended.

"Every time innocent lives have been sacrificed for the greater good, it turns out to be a mistake." Sersi stated. "We have to stop the Emergence."

"Sersi, we have no right to stop the birth of a Celestial."

"And we have the right to sign people up for a death wish? We killed billions of people, Kingo." I scoff. "If we compare ourselves to Thanos, we're worse! He wiped out half of the universe just so the emergence wouldn't work."

"There has to be a way Tiamut can emerge without destroying the Earth." Sersi tried to reason. "We just have to delay it until we figure out how."

"Could Druig control its mind? Maybe put it to sleep?" Gilgamesh suggested.

"Put it to sleep?" Sprite raised a brow. "Are you serious?"

"Gilgamesh asked Druig to put me to sleep once." Thena said.

I turn to Gilgamesh, seeing him sheepishly smile. "So I could take a vacation to Fiji, you know?"

"We're talking about a Celestial, okay?" Kingo exclaimed.

"We have to try!" Sersi matched his tone and glanced around us. "Come on, we're not gonna let everyone on Earth die, right?"

"Right." Karun agreed with a chuckle until he awkwardly cleared his throat, realizing that everyone's eyes landed on him. "I'm human. I'm a little biased."

"The world is ending." Kingo spoke in Hindu with a sigh to Karun. "You need to go home."

"And do what?" Karun responded in English. "Watch TV? When I could be with the Earth's original superheroes as they try to save the world?"

"Fine." Kingo muttered before reaching for the large mug that Gilgamesh gave to him earlier, "If you want to, stay."

"Thank you very much, sir."

Kingo's eyes slightly widen in realization and he quickly spits out the drink. "Gilgamesh, could you please get rid of the saliva beer?"

"I thought you like it, man." Gilgamesh teased.

I fight the smile from forming on my face and reach to refill my cup with wine but instantly met Sersi's pleading eyes that practically read to side with her.

"We need to go." Ikaris spoke up from behind Karun, causing me to look away from Sersi. "Now. Find the others. Once we're all together, we'll decide what to do about the emergence."

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AMAZON FOREST

"He could've at least chosen a place that isn't so humid." I mutter in annoyance, using the collars of my leather jacket to try to fan myself as we followed behind Sersi deep into the wetlands.

Druig managed to run a small community of people under his mind control for the past couple of years.

"If someone wanted to form a community away from modern civilization," Kingo gestured to the small huts and the civilians dressed in the same blue and white colored clothes. "this would be the place to do it. Live the simple life."

Some were either building fences, feeding the animals behind their cages, welding some of their tools, or simply walking side by side with one another. Some even smiled at us as we walked past them.

"Good afternoon." An elderly woman greeted me in Spanish with a smile as she and her daughter carried baskets filled with vegetables.

"It's very nice here, sir." Karun complimented, aiming his camera at Kingo and I once the woman walked away.

"Don't be fooled. Ignorance is bliss." Kingo chuckled before he nudged my side. "So Elyus, tell the people your journey of self-discovery once the Eternals split. Have you always been at your bar in California or did you venture off elsewhere?"

I shrug. "I stayed with Thena and Gilgamesh for almost a year before I went to California. Wanted to see for myself how other people lived and...ended up staying longer than I planned to."

"Interesting. Were your expectations met?"

I snort. "Not exactly. Let's just say the country still has a ton of more room for improvement. Just when you think they get a step forward, they end up several steps back."

"That's America for you." Sprite added before she approached a man fixing something on his workbench. "Hey. We're looking for Druig. Is he here?" She spoke in Spanish.

"Yes." The man answered with his eyes narrowing in suspicion. "How do you know Druig?"

"We're friends..." Sprite trailed, looking to me for help but I watch as the man briefly looked down at his workbench once more. "...from college."

The man slowly turned around but this time his eyes gleamed a bright gold. "Hello, Sprite." The man greeted in English with a coy smile before his eyes landed on me. "Elyus, hope you've been well."

"Quit the formalities, Druig." I cross my arms over my chest. "We need to talk to you. Face to face."

The man simply nods but he slowly turns to the large building, along with the other nearby villagers who immediately stopped what they were doing.

Druig walked out of the building with his arms tucked behind his body as he slowly approached us with a small smile. "Is this up to your standards, Elyus?" He teasingly asked as the rest of us walked around the pond to stand in front of him. "I missed all of you. Please, make yourselves at home."