Chereads / Diary of An Immortal / Chapter 3 - Not so Unpleasant Surprise

Chapter 3 - Not so Unpleasant Surprise

"You're a real life-saver, man!" Hera- the name this man introduced himself with as he joyfully hopped inside Jayus's little home, gleefully dried his hair as he sat on the floor of Jayus' Tower. Pants soggy and wet as he discarded his top shirt on a corner away from the god's valuables, along with his bags and other possessions. Jayus stood dumb-founded behind him. This crazed man had suddenly came waltzing in his home and dried himself with his own towel! Worst of all, he didn't even seem to know the extent of what his presence meant here inside the tower!

Red eyes stared at Hera's stark and pale back, then at the open door revealing the rainy desert. If Jayus so as stepped foot out through that door, he'd electrified as a punishment for attempting to leave the tower, so not once has the thought of trying and stepping foot out there ever crossed his mind. But...if this man somehow managed to pass through the magic barrier and find this discarded tower then maybe the magic vanished. Jayus didn't realized himself inching closer and closer towards the doorway before he felt a shock burn his arm. The open doorway looked nothing less than normal as it did every other day for the past hundred years but the magic was just as strong as it was first casted. So much for that tiny hope, The chance of a mere mortal finding him here was more than the chance of him being able to escape this prison.

"Hey, you should come inside or else you'll catch a cold!" Hera called out. In the moment Jayus went to inspect the magic barrier, this blue eyed man had managed to change his entire clothes from head to toe and dressed himself in the most comfortable clothing he could salvage in that soaking, dripping bag of his. The towel he took from Jayus's hanger draped carelessly across his shoulders. How shameless!

Begrudgingly, Jayus threw the door close as Hera happily made himself comfortable on the carpet by a fire place, whistling a tiny song as he sat a smaller bag on his lap and emptied it's contents.

"You..." Jayus watched him do all this, annoyed that this man had invaded his home like it was his own. This place may be a prison but this was his prison! He stomped his feet as he made his made towards Hera. Oh, he was going to throw him back out there- Jayus was going to let him have it!

"You can't just come in here and do as you please!" Frustrated, Jayus clenched his fists.

"It's just until the rain drifts away, please?" Here turned to where Jayus stood. There, on the ground, looking small like a pup that had been kicked, he pleaded towards Jayus.

But instead of doing as he promised, he stood behind Hera, unsure of how he was going to let him have it. Hera stretched an arm out to Jayus from where he sat in the floor, his palm wide open for Jayus to take as that grin never left his lips. Jayus stared momentarily puzzled at his hand, was he asking him for something? When Jayus didn't take his hand, Hera took hold of his arm and nudged him gently as he coaxed him to sit beside him. There, bathed in the warmth of the fireplace, sheltered away from the harsh rain, the two men sat side by side as Hera pulled out a few things from beside him. These two had only met for a few minutes but Hera acted as if they had known each other for a long century. We're humans this bold? Did they do thoughtless things like this because they knew they didn't have the time to get to know each other first? So many thoughts ran in Jayus head as he watched Hera blabber on and on about himself. Watched those lips move as ruby eyes stared in complete confusion.

"I'm seriously grateful you let me in! I owe you one, buddy. You have no idea- I really thought I was a goner when that storm hit out of nowhere like- you'd expect the desert wouldn't rain like this but oh man!" Hera laughed, a voice that echoed through out the entire tower. The tower had never been this noisy before. Usually the source of such noise would be Jayus' insistent complaints that no one heard but now it was replaced with a thunderous joyful laugh of another man other than him. When Jayus remained quiet, Hera turned to him in innocent confusion, "You not much of a talker? That's fine, I respect that. I'll just talk enough for both of us! We're buddies now after all-" Jayus froze. Hm??? Buddies?? Them? When did he sign up for that?

"Here, this is for you. A token of my gratitude, per se!" You can't just casually say 'per se'! Within the palm of Jayus hand, Hera placed a tiny trinket. It reflected light from the tiny fire. Jayus inspected it, it felt like normal metal on his hand in the form of a dragonfly. It edges outlined with gold and had holes for eyes. Jayus turned it over and over on his palm.

"There's nothing special to this, though?" The god blurted out as he lightly tossed it in the air, "How mean!" Hera, hurt and disappointed, clutched tightly at his shattered heart with tears brimming his blue eyes. Hearing the dark skinned gods response, Hera delicately took back the trinket in from Jayus, the boring and cheap looking thing seeming as if it could break down immediately at the slightest force.

"I'll have you know this is one of Judevah's finest treasures! It took me so much to finally get my hands on it too...and you're just going to shit on it like that!" Hera cried. So that garbage was a Judevah treasure? It took Jayus by surprise considering Judevah is a land known for its advanced economic system and rich fields. To own one of it's treasures, one must have done a great deed to obtain it. Jayus didn't care much for other lands treasures, only when Hera pointed out the origins of this trinket did he know of it's value. Treasures, wealth and power- none of them mattered when you were stuck here. Busying himself with brushing the metal dragonfly's wings, Jayus eyed another thing that poked out of the mortal's bag. Interest bubbled quietly inside him, a glimmer of curiosity shone within those red rubies that were not left unnoticed by Hera at all. When Jayus thought Hera was busy tending to the Judevah Treasure, he carelessly rummaged through the sack. One hand supporting his weight as he acted like it didn't intrigue him at all whatever it would be he'll pull out of the bag. This little stunt garnered a hint of amusement from the mortal beside him but still continued to tend to the dragonfly, as if he hadn't noticed Jayus' actions at all. Supple, sepia skin brushed against a wooden craft and when Jayus pulled the craft out, a number of other curious looking craftsmanship came flooding on to the floor. Genius inventions alike scattered all across the room, ranging from a hair brush to a funky looking device. Everything you could imagine were displayed right there. Jayus had never seen these types of things before. Wooden figurines, metal hoops, magnetic puzzles, books and alike. That glimmer of interest was soon blazingnin awe as he stared at all the sorts.

"If you want it, you can have it all. Consider it as a thank you gift for giving me shelter from the rain." The towel draped over Hera's shoulders caught every drop of water that dripped down from his hair as he smiled. For once in the last few minutes, the smile brimmed with a whole new sincerity. In the face of this new experience, Jayus didn't know what to say but nodded in silent affirmation. Back in heaven, people didn't say things like thank you, no. Instead, everyone was used to be on the receiving end of those gratitudes. Jayus was never a god like those worshipped by people with shrines to pray for harvest, and protection, so he never received offerings either. This is all too new to him.

That night, Hera fell asleep in front of the fireplace under a bundle of sheets that miraculously survived the rain in his backpack. Jayus on the other hand, despite multiple attempts to lay down and draw his eyes shut, found himself lying on his side as he thumbed over the wooden orb, feeling the carvings under his finger. The figurine he had pulled out from Hera's bag earlier.

It's not such an unpleasant surprise.