Two days later, they arrived in Ibiza, a small village of white houses arranged almost symmetrically along the shore. The roofs were red, and there were plenty of trees around the city. Small seafood and fruit markets stood near the port where the ship docked. Rodrigo, Ana, and Tania disembarked along with a small group of people who were more merchants than local residents.
The local merchants, upon seeing Tania, began greeting her. They spoke in a strange language that Rodrigo couldn't identify. The red-haired girl returned the greeting with a genuine smile, one that Rodrigo noticed wasn't fake like the ones she put on elsewhere.
Tania indicated that she didn't live in the village but on the outskirts, so they had to walk from the port to the town's exit, where a group of mountains formed some curious caves. She claimed that, as gods don't age, she couldn't afford to stay in a city or town for long and preferred to live on the outskirts.
After walking for about thirty minutes, they arrived at the cave, which was Tania's home. It was well-equipped with tables, chairs, an improvised kitchen, a bathroom with a natural pool, and the upper part had a huge opening where she could see the town of Ibiza from there.
The cave was adorned with numerous lit candles to provide illumination. Outside, the cave had a large mahogany door with a small bell. Some children were standing near the door.
The children spoke in that strange language, so Rodrigo didn't understand what they were saying, but Tania leaned down and caressed the head of one while responding to them in that same strange language, which sounded similar to Arabic.
With Tania's words, the children happily returned to the village. Tania then stood up again and opened the door to her cave.
—Well then, welcome to my home— Tania said, raising her arms.—Make yourselves comfortable—
—May I take a bath?— Rodrigo asked sheepishly.
—Oh yes, let me show you where it is the bathtube— Tania replied and gave him directions.
Rodrigo, upon entering the bathroom and seeing the large pool, quickly undressed and took a dip. It was so relaxing, as the water was cool while it was quite hot in Ibiza during the summer. The young man hadn't been able to take a proper shower since the incident in Coimbra, so he felt like he smelled awful, covered in sweat and blood.
To his surprise, Ana also entered the bathroom completely naked and dove into the pool. Rodrigo blushed and had an involuntary erection as he tried to keep as far away from the girl as possible. It was the first time he had seen a naked woman.
—What the hell are you doing here?— Rodrigo asked embarrassedly.
—Taking a bath?— Ana responded intrigued.
—But you're a girl, you can't be in here when I am— Rodrigo continued saying as he tried to leave the pool while covering his private parts.
—You're not human, stop following their stupid rules— Ana replied, annoyed.
At that moment, Tania entered the bathroom and grabbed Ana by the ear, pulling her out of the pool.
—Stop being immature, Crowface— the furious red-haired goddess yelled at her.
—But I want to bathe too, and there's enough space for everyone here!— Ana replied angrily as she was dragged out of the bathroom by Tania.
—Keep bathing, Rodrigo, ignore this exhibitionist— Tania said as she left the room, trying not to look at the young man.
Intrigued, Rodrigo returned to the pool and continued washing himself.
Hours later, after Rodrigo and Ana had bathed, they both traveled to the village to get some groceries like potatoes, fish, and spices. Tania cooked them, and they ate the meal with a glass of wine, which Tania also prepared inside the cave.
—Well, I think it's time we talk about who we are, okay?— Tania said.
The young man nodded.
Tania took a deep breath and remained silent for a while, then looked at Ana.
—And it's clear that she will be the one to explain everything to you— she said.
—I knew it!— Ana said, annoyed. —I'm the one who will end up looking bad in front of Rui, right?—
Tania made a sarcastic face, and Ana huffed.
—Alright, Rui, listen carefully. In this world, the humans who live here have always worshipped deities since the beginning of their existence. They have represented these beings in cave paintings or erected huge monuments in their honor. Those gods... are us— Ana said as she stood up in front of Rodrigo.
The young man made a face of disbelief.