Chapter Text
It had been many years since Juno had been to a place of worship. What was the point when you could just ask the gods to their face? As if any of them would even look him in the eyes now. After everything that had happened with Ben it was a miracle they hadn’t tied him up and left him to rot somewhere. Not that he would actually rot. He was immortal after all. Maybe that was a worse fate. Sentenced to eternal boredom by the people he had once called family.
But as it stood, he was free to go where he pleased. More often then not than not he avoided company. He hadn’t been strong enough to visit the mortal realm very often, save for visiting his brother. But even those visits had started to wane in frequency. It hurt to watch his twin brother, a reflection of his own face, grow older while his own remained unchanged. It felt as if he was looking at some twisted reflection of himself.
Benten had joked once that he was now technically the older brother, but he’d stopped poking fun when Juno had burst into tears.
Because what was now an unavoidable fact was that Benten was mortal and his twin wasn’t. Ben would die and Juno would be powerless to stop it.
And what made it worse was that Ben seemed happy about it. Despite the ever looming threat of his own mortality, the smile on his face remained as bright as it ever was. He still laughed and loved and lived a full life. It was with a mixture of terror, jealousy, and sadness that Juno realized this was truly what Ben wanted. Who was he to stand in the way of his brother's happiness, even if he knew that some day he’d have to live with the pain of never seeing him again.
But that wasn’t the reason he was here. At least not today. No right now he was looking for another mortal. One that had been annoying him for years, but today was finally the day he was bored enough, or scared enough he wanted a distraction, to look into it.
Because he didn’t get many worshipers nowadays. Rumor had spread fast of what the ‘goddess of protectors’ had done to his own brother. As if mortals knew anything about what actually happened. But that didn’t stop people from finding new gods to pray to. Ones who weren't accused of sentencing their own kin to death.
His power had diminished exponentially since then. What used to be followers in the thousands had been diminished to just a few individuals who were either so far out of the loop they hadn’t heard, or were too crazy to care.
But he did his best for those who still worshiped him. His magic was far less powerful now, but he granted as much protection as he could offer. Which admittedly wasn’t much. He’d lost a few more followers after he’d failed them time after time. He didn’t blame them.
But there was one mortal who never lost faith in him. Every day for years Juno had felt his prayer and the power that came with it. At first it was to keep him safe. Then it was to protect the little family he had left. Then it was to keep himself safe again.
At the time Juno hadn’t paid him or the change in his prayer much mind. He had just been one of many followers. But now that single man's devotion was noticeable enough to pique his interest. Maybe someone so devoted deserved a visit. Or maybe they deserved to know the truth and to find a god that could actually do something worth their while.
So that’s how he finds himself at a temple he hadn’t visited in years, disguised as a mortal, looking for someone who seemed to know him, and yet was a mystery to Juno himself.
It didn’t look like anyone else had been here in ages either. The marble pillars holding up the roof were covered with a thick layer of ivy that dripped down in thick vines like spiderwebs. His footsteps echoed loudly off the walls as he made his way to the altar tucked into the back of the large central chamber.
This isn't a temple made just for him by any means. Carvings on the walls that resembled people he knew, or at least the idyllic versions they pretended to be. He passes one that is obviously supposed to be his mother, her stone eyes seeming to glare at him as he walks hurriedly past.
Had he not known for a fact someone was in here, he wouldn’t have given it a second glance. The entire place had clearly been abandoned for many years, only touched by the plants and wildlife that now called it home.
Juno makes his way to the small altar that had clearly been set up in a hurry. A small candle sits on the floor, clearly recently blown out as a thin trail of smoke still swirls up from the wick like a river curving upwards against gravity.
“Hello?” He calls out into the seemingly empty room. He’s hardly trying to be loud but his voice carries in the space, bouncing off the walls and echoing down the halls like distant thunder.
Maybe whoever it was had left already. If they didn’t want to be found maybe it wasn’t worth using what remnants of dwindling magic he had left to find him. The goddess turned temporary-human sighs and slides down the wall next to the altar, taking in what had been left there.
The candle has burnt itself out by now, but two small flowers sat beside it. An orchid, a kind he’d never seen before, and a beautiful rose, as red as the fiercest of sunsets. Juno runs a finger of the delicate petals, enjoying the feeling on his skin. It was one of the few things he enjoyed about being on the mortal plane. That you could feel things instead of the neutral detachment from pain his body was used to. He picks up the flower to examine it closer.
“Put those down.” A voice demands from behind a nearby piller. Juno’s startled so bad he jumps and spears his finger on the thorn of the rose. A small pinprick of golden blood, the same color as honey, appears. It’s hue a stark contrast to the rose petals and he quickly wipes it away before turning to look at the owner of the voice.
He’s tall. Taller than the form Juno’s taken. All sharp angles and even sharper teeth. He wears expensive looking clothes. A dark suit jacket and pants that look tailored to him specifically. He stuck out sorely among the tattered ruins of the temple. One hand remained in his pocket while the other was wielding a knife that seemed to sparkle in the filtered sunlight that managed to spill through the ivy.
He must have been staring at the stranger too long because he repeats himself, this time a little more forcefully. “Put those down. They aren’t for you.” Junos argumentative side almost wants to point out that they are, in fact, for him, but he thinks better of it. Barely.
But he relents and sets the flowers back down before raising his hands in a gesture of surrender. He’s not afraid, but he’s sure if he was capable of dying he would be intimidated. The way the stranger holds the knife, as if it’s a silver extension of his own hand, is impressive in its own right. Juno has no doubts that if he made a threatening move that knife would end up in his throat with pinpoint accuracy. As it stands he’d rather that didn’t happen.
“Not trying to start trouble.” Juno says calmly. Probably far too calm for a man being threatened at knife point, but it’s been a while since he’d spoken to a mortal. Or anyone for that matter. A small slip up could be forgiven.
“Then why are you here?” The stranger asks him, the knife still glistens in his hand. How to answer that question? ‘I came here looking for you’ probably wasn't the best answer to a man who was clearly hiding from something.
So instead he simply shrugs. “Just wanted to see if anyone was here I guess.”
“Yes well congratulations, you’ve found someone. You can leave now.” Juno frowns at that.
“Why should I? I’ve got just as much of a right to be here as you do.”
“Ah yes, stealing from altars and causing a ruckus is clearly a fundamental human right.” the man sneers at him and Juno fights the urge to tell him off.
“I’m hardly ‘causing a ruckus’. You’re the one who showed up here dressed to the nines like some kind of salesman.” Juno feels a rush of satisfaction as the strangers frown deepens.
“The way I'm dressed is none of your business.” he scowls.
“Maybe not, but the knife you have pointed at me definitely is. I don’t suppose that was part of the offering?”
“It’s for protection. From people like you.”
“People like me .” Juno repeats, sitting up straighter. “What exactly have I done to threaten you?”
The stranger clearly doesn't have an answer for that. He was jumpy and scared of something. If Juno had to take a guess, he’d say it was whatever he was attempting to pray for protection from.
It takes him a moment, but the stranger eventually sighs and lowers his blade, sheathing it and tucking it back into his belt.
“Nothing I suppose. But I’d appreciate it if you’d leave my work alone.” He gestures to the tiny shrine.
“Fair enough.” Juno slides over to give the stranger space as he steps forward and lights another match, holding it to the wick of the candle. It’s a small flame. It would easily be put out by the next gust of wind, but it feels infinitely warm. Maybe it’s the fact that there is magic in it dedicated to him, or maybe it’s the way he can actually feel the heat on his skin, or maybe some combination of the two, but he suddenly feels grateful to the man kneeling beside him for lighting it again.
“Who’s it for?” Juno asks, already knowing the answer. Maybe he just wants someone to say his name without the distaste as if they’d sucked on a lemon from just having to acknowledge him.
“You probably should have asked that before you messed with the offerings.” The man chides, although not entirely unkindly.
“I think I’ll be alright.” Juno shrugs. He’s already earned the ire of most deities and mortals alike, one messed up altar wouldn’t make much of a difference. “But you didn’t answer my question.”
The stranger looks him over, as if deciding to dignify him with a response or not. Eventually he must decide that he’s worth the conversation or at least better than the silence that sits thick in the air.
“The goddess of protectors.” He finally says after a moment as he adjusts the flowers next to the candle.
“Haven’t seen too many of his followers these days.” Juno continues, trying to hide a hint of bitterness in his voice. “Are you in need of protection then?”
“One often is in my line of work.” the man replies curtly.
“And that would be?” He doesn’t get an answer for that, just a sideways glance that is equal parts suspicion and guilt. Juno decides to drop it for now, seeing as the man appears to be one wrong word away from bolting to the nearest exit.
“I’m not really a fan of my job either.” the goddess continues quietly, surprised at the honesty in his words. “It’s got its perks, but it can be a bit lonely.”
That seems to put his lone follower at ease, his shoulders relaxing somewhat from what appeared to be their default state near his ears. He hums what seems like an agreement before standing up and dusting off his pants.
Then he doesn’t something surprising. The stranger turns to him and offers his hand, the knife thankfully forgotten (or at least he hopes) on his belt. Juno takes it, allowing it to pull him up into a standing position. They’re close enough now that Juno can feel the man's warmth on his skin.
“You have a name?” He asks instead of focusing on the urge to lean in closer.
The stranger only chuckles, as if he’d said some joke instead of a pretty standard question. He thinks for a moment before replying.
“Peter Ransom.”