As a divine being, Iris knew that oath.
It was an oath that neither status, power, nor immortality could save you from breaking. The moment you failed to uphold it, you ceased to exist. Literally. Not even memories would remain.
"W-Why?" she asked, unable to believe Damon's words.
"So we can reach the deal."
"No…" Iris answered, unable to stop herself from stammering. "That's not it. Why make that oath with only me as a witness? Why prevent the other Olympians from hearing it and getting Zeus off your back?" Iris said, killing any kind of formality by naming Zeus directly.
If the king of Olympus were present, she knew she would be severely punished for something that simple.
"The oath by Styx would have been enough," she finally murmured, though damon still heard her.
"I have my reasons," Damon answered with a smile on his face, momentarily captivating Iris. I will say she does have a point, though, I don't think that would convince Zeus anyway....
With that said, although he admitted he wanted to keep something hidden from Olympus, Iris was one hundred percent certain it would not "harm" Olympus.
The thought did not even cross her mind. If it did, that would be a way of disrespecting Chaos.
That said, what if he had found a way to avoid the oath because he was Chaos's champion? She could not help but think, only to mentally apologize to Lady Chaos right after.
Even thinking that was disrespectful, since it was like saying Chaos favored Damon above everyone else.
Though little did she know, she was not far from reality. Although it was not exactly that she favored him…
"But even if I agree not to show you to Olympus, I can't say the same about Zeus," Iris said, showing her doubts.
"Relax. Just show me," Damon answered quickly, confusing Iris.
"What?" asked the blonde. "Is this some kind of joke?" she asked again, receiving a playful smile from Damon, making her last question feel even more alive.
Not even a second passed before a small explosion of smoke burst beside the blond, leaving Iris even more confused.
At that moment, she was ninety-nine percent sure this was some kind of joke from Damon. The remaining one percent existed because her mind was unable to accept that someone would swear by Chaos just for a joke.
But then she was surprised again.
An identical clone of Damon appeared beside him, leaving Iris in shock.
"You can show this clone in the meantime," Damon said. "I'll remain in Camp Half-Blood most of the time, so you won't always have to do it. But when I'm alone outside, I want you to leave me out of it and show one of them instead."
Them?
She had already lost count of how many times the blond had surprised her in such a short time.
That meant he could create more than one.
If she knew he could actually create thousands, she might have a heart attack. And if she knew the clones' true capabilities… she did not know whether she would die on the spot or offer her own body so Damon would teach her the technique.
"So?"
The blond's voice pulled her out of her thoughts, and she noticed Damon was patiently waiting for her answer.
"What do you offer me in exchange?" she answered with another question.
After all, a deal was an agreement where both sides benefited.
Damon seriously thought about what to offer Iris in exchange for, quite literally, betraying Zeus. Whether she liked it or not, he had given the order to keep him under watch, even reaching the point of lowering himself enough to watch him personally.
"I was given an order. If you don't offer me something worth the risk I'm taking…" she said, leaving the threat hanging in the air.
Not that she would go through with it if what he offered failed to meet her expectations. After all, if there was one thing an immortal had plenty of, it was time. And the worst part was that boredom was the most dominant feeling a god experienced through most of their life.
Right now, she was having fun because of the surprise box that was the champion of chaos.
"Don't waste my time," the rainbow goddess said, making one point clear, even though she did not know Damon had already counted on it.
Why, if Zeus is the god of the sky, does he need my portal to keep watch over him? Iris wondered.
She did not know why she had not thought about it since the day she was forced to keep the blond under constant surveillance. The more she thought about it, the less sense it made to her.
The sky was superior to the rainbow. With his domain over the sky, he could see even more than she could…
Lazy enough to force others to do his work while he sat back and watched. Or was it a form of dominance, making her do something she knew perfectly well he could do himself, and even better?
Meh…
Although it did bother her, she did not give it any more importance and focused on what the blond was willing to offer her in return.
"I'll build a cabin for you in Camp Half-Blood," Damon answered simply, earning yet another surprised reaction from Iris, which made him let out a small laugh.
Iris did not even know what to say.
This was far more than she had expected.
"The gods can't build their own cabins in the camp, but no one said anything about the campers," Damon commented, earning Iris's full attention once again. "The problem is that no one had the courage to do it out of fear of disrespecting the Olympians or something like that."
In truth, it was stupid.
The camp's land was large enough to hold all the cabins of the gods who usually had children.
"But—" Iris tried to say, only to be interrupted by Damon.
"Olympus is all of them, not just twelve," Damon said, his voice serious. "It makes no sense that, in a camp whose main purpose is to keep demigods safe and train them so they can defend themselves, there are only twelve cabins."
Damon still noticed the uncertainty on Iris's face.
"I don't know about the others, but if there is someone who deserves something, it's you, Iris. You joined the gods in the war against the Titans, playing an extremely important part and helping in every way you could. This is the bare minimum you deserve, really."
Iris could feel moisture gathering in her eyes.
Having a cabin at camp was a form of recognition. A privilege that, until now, only the twelve Olympian gods had possessed. This was the first time someone outside her circle of trust had offered her recognition.
She had come to think that no matter what she did, they would treat it as her obligation and nothing more. Even a simple thank-you would have been enough most of the time.
But all she had received were cold looks and a gold coin, as if she were some cheap whore. From gods and mortals alike.
Very few were the exception to that treatment.....
"Thank you," she managed to say, her voice trembling.
That drew a small smile from Damon.
"But in exchange, I want you to claim any child you have with a human the moment they set foot in camp," Damon added, receiving a nod from Iris, who did not trust her own voice enough to answer verbally and tried to avoid eye contact with him out of embarrassment.
"Good. I won't be able to build the cabin soon, since that could get not only me watched, but you too," Damon said, earning another nod from Iris. "After all, that's not something you see every day."
Damon noticed the sun falling toward the horizon, letting him know he had spent more time than planned talking with Iris.
"It's been a pleasure doing business with you," he said jokingly, looking at the portal and catching Iris's attention as she simply looked at him.
For the first time since they had started talking, she showed a real smile.
From the first time he had seen her, now he could truly see the Iris he remembered. A girl in his eyes, one who exuded happiness with her contagious smile. Even in the worst moments, she was capable of making you smile.
The daughter of Electra who joined the gods, offering to use her speed to become their messenger.
Messages that laid the foundations for victories in several battles.
If that was not reason enough to build a simple cabin at camp in her name, he did not know what was. It was the least she deserved.
That camp existed in the first place thanks to her.
Iris noticed that she was being called.
"You don't have to worry. I'll only show you," she said quickly, so as not to keep Olympus waiting, since Zeus himself was the one calling her.
There was something that bothered her.
From the moment she realized she could not freely control her own domain, she wanted to get rid of that feeling before leaving.
"What are you?"
The question did not surprise Damon in the slightest. In truth, the only thing that surprised him was that she asked it at the end of their conversation.
"The question isn't what I am," Damon answered with a smile on his face. "It's who I am."
Before Iris could answer or rephrase the question, Damon closed the portal, leaving her with that doubt.
>>>>>>
Lol, sorry for posting this chapter this late, boys. Originally, I was gonna post earlier with chapter 83, and while I was getting ready, I had an emergency come up, and I was able to post only chapter 83. I couldn't even say anything at the end of the chapter... Fck, I just got home, maybe I need to do automated updates, can that be done here idk.....
Anyway, I read some of your comments about the promise, lol don't worry damon will have his way and will still let Olympus know what's up without really breaking that promise. As for those waiting for the reveal, don't worry: the build-up begins soon. Next up is Tartarus and Kronos, then a Percy chapter, and then we start with everything. So this is the week.
Drop some stones would appreciate it.
https://discord.gg/4pWzzQkZa
P@treon: Brotato up to chapter 95 so far.