When Hades and Persephone resolved the mysterious issue, they announced they wanted to go back to the Underworld immediately, presumably to rekindle their passion after that argument.
'That means this will be the last time I see Crista for a while...' Alex complained internally.
He figured Link wouldn't perhaps work since they would be in different realms of existence.
At that moment, Alex had an insight.
He took out a piece of parchment from his ample stock and blessed both with Link. Hopefully, they would be able to contact each other by text.
Crista had woken up by then and came down, only to see the crowd around the plaza.
They hugged and she asked, "Did something happen?"
Alex informed her of the fight between the two and the aftermath.
"That means I need to go...?" Crista wasn't fully awake yet and rubbed her eyes.
Alex reluctantly nodded.
She then whispered, "I didn't forget our promise."
"When you come back from here, I'll have hopefully graduated from the tutelage of the two, and then, let's elope from here for a while...." She giggled.
Alex nodded and whispered back, "What a good idea!"
"Wait."
Crista turned around.
"Keep this." Alex gave her the picture he took earlier.
He couldn't figure out how to perform the post-processing, but the picture on the film should be able to last a year or so before it would start fading away.
Crista gently took it off of his hand and hugged it.
"I'll treasure it carefully."
After that, she packed up her belongings, the picture, and the parchment blessed by Link and joined the couple, that was having very public displays of affection.
Before they left, Crista came by his side and stated, "We're planning something big, but I'll leave it a surprise for when you come back!"
"Now I can't wait..." Alex said as they embraced each other one last time.
As usual, the group of three disappeared into thin air as Charon paddles them into the Underworld.
It always felt so brief, and this goodbye left the biggest impact on Alex.
Athena joined him and said, "I heard you're leaving with Hermes."
Alex nodded, "We're departing in 3 weeks, and it is presumed to be a long trip."
"You'll be leaving Hellenia entirely. You should be careful, the creatures and gods outside of our realm have vastly different attributes and powers."
"I will. Thank you, Athena." Alex smiled.
_____________________________________________________________________
The three infamous weeks had already gone by.
During this time, Alex solved any problems facing the church with the help of Theoserfos and donated a large sum of money to make sure any future operations would go well.
"Is there anything I should know before I leave?" Alex asked Theoserfos.
The man brought out a thick stash of parchment from the church's backroom and listed out recent reports.
"Lord, the literacy program has been extremely successful, and the kids are also teaching their parents. In the northeast and south of the city, where the lower-income residents inhabit, your influence has risen."
"The city of Dmotsos has built an acropolis in honor of Lord, and is currently the largest center of worship for the Alexian Church."
He continued, "We have considered making expansions towards constructing an official presence in the city."
"What is your verdict on the matter, Lord?" He asked.
Alex replied in approval, "I think that's a great idea, and there should be enough funds to allow for such an operation. As for the representatives, I trust your judgment, Theoserfos."
Theoserfos kowtowed, "That is the greatest honor, Lord"
"Oh, we have also received news of a small epicenter of your worship in Makyrgialos, a city in Macedonia, following the events that pit us against Lady Hera."
'That means she held her promise..' Alex was satisfied to have at least gained something from his risky confrontation with Hera.
"Thank you for your hard work, Theoserfos." Alex blessed the man and left for Olympus.
He flew to Athena's tower and found her sightseeing on the highest balcony of the tower.
"Good weather today."
"Yes, sunlight hasn't been lacking despite the changing of seasons," Athena stated.
She continued, "You're departing in a bit?"
He nodded.
She entered the tower and a short moment later, came back.
In her hands, she was wielding a golden long spear. It was the spear Alex used when they trained together.
She didn't say anything and held the spear in front of him.
Alex understood what she hinted at and refused, "Athena, you know I can-
"Alex, I was born with this spear in my hand, I choose what to do with it. And, I'm lending it to you." She spoke sternly.
"Thank you for doing the things that you do for me, Athena," Alex spoke sincerely with a grateful expression.
"Alex, I'm your mother, this is the least I can do for you." She smiled.
'Athena does really feel like a mother and a mentor...'
Alex ended up accepting it and after a short hug, he flew away.
When he reached the mansion, he found Hermes already waiting for him.
"Well, Alexei-boy, are you ready?" He asked with a flair of excitement.
Alex nodded, as he had packed all of his required belongings earlier. He took a glance at Hermes's own belongings and gasped in astonishment.
His bag was full of a comically large amount of dried chamomile, that he used to brew the tea he was so addicted to.
"What?" Hermes seriously asked.
Alex sighed and gave up.
"So, are we traveling on foot?" He asked.
Hermes laughed and denied, "Of course not, you're too slow."
Alex frowned and Hermes waved his hand in apology.
He then showed him an object he had in his hand. It was a miniature model of an orange chariot.
He threw the model into the floor and out of a sudden, it grew in size until it could comfortably seat two people.
Alex looked on in astonishment at the large, unmanned chariot, and the information the system gave him was even more surprising.
______________________________________________________________
(Replica of the Sun Chariot by Hephaestus)
Quality: Divine
State: Great
Additional Information: A replica of the chariot used by Helios, crafted by the divine craftsman Hephaestus.
______________________________________________________________
"What are you waiting for? get in." Hermes already boarded the chariot.
Alex obliged and sat on the comfortable seats.
"Well, here goes nothing!"