PHILTATOS // Foolish X Reader

14

You didn't end up staying for the rest of the fight.

While the crowd was busy cheering as blood spilled over the sand, you grabbed Foolish by the hand and started to guide him out of the crowds on the terraces. It was slow going for a moment, as you were working against the tide of people, but soon enough Foolish was shouldering his way alongside you, heading up the steps and out of the arena.

The streets were unordinarily quiet as you stepped out of the archways surrounding the colosseum - though you supposed that was to be expected when most of the city was watching the fights you had just left. You were grateful for it though - the quiet was a welcome difference to the ringing shouts of the audience in your ears.

As soon as you were in the clear, Foolish slowed to a stop, dropping your hand and coming to sit on one of the stone ledges that lined the small square just outside the colosseum. On the other side of the stone clearing, the edge of a fountain jutted up against the border. The sound of water burbling from the carved stone was overshadowed by a roar from the colosseum behind you.

You sat down next to Foolish, the edge of the stone ledge you were sitting on biting into the back of your legs through the thin material of your robes. A silence passed over you as the crowd burst into cheers again - the sound was less grating from outside the building, but it still made the stone underneath you hum with the vibration of it.

The fun of exploring the city was completely gone now - the incident at the mosaic had dampened it, but now, after leaving the colosseum, all you felt was that disgust that curled deep in your gut whenever you had the misfortune of attending one of the public executions held there. You couldn't help but feel like you had failed Foolish too though - he had been so excited to see the city , and now he sat in silence beside you, lips pursed.

"I'm sorry." You said, breaking the silence. "I should have said something about the fights before we went in."

For a moment, your words just hung in the air.

"No." Foolish said, sounding far too serious to be the god that you knew. "I see what you meant now in your prayers, when you'd said things we're falling apart. Just walking around and seeing how full the streets were - there were people living in tents in the road, Y/N."

You nodded. Some people weren't even as lucky at that - you'd seen plenty of families sleeping in puddles.

"And now the colosseum... it was supposed to be about justice." Foolish said, looking back up to the arches of the arena. "What would Nkri say?"

You looked over to him. "Do the other gods not know as well?"

Foolish paused. "I don't know." He said. "They have more eyes than I do - they have to know. But it doesn't make sense that they wouldn't do anything about it... this is our golden city. These are our people. How could they let this fall into ruin?"

"Perhaps it's some kind of test." You suggested.

Foolish seemed affronted by your suggestion though. "Why would we make you suffer like this?" He asked. "Why would we test your faith with hardship?"

You wavered at that, saying nothing.

"We are supposed to watch over you." Foolish said. "The gods are supposed to protect and guide - we're supposed to be benevolent and good. This... this is not how we're supposed to treat those who are devoted to us."

Hearing Foolish say it, you stomach sunk even more. The other members of the worship were holding onto faith desperately, and that one of the members of the pantheon even agreed that this - whatever it was - was too far, did not reassure you.

"They must not know." Foolish said, eyes dropping to the stone beneath your feet. "They must not be actually listening to their prayers... or they're not looking through the eyes of the population... they wouldn't let this happen."

Your own gaze turned up to the sky. Sure, you could understand how Foolish hadn't known - the only prayers he received were from you. But the other gods? They each received thousands or prayers a day - there was no way they couldn't know about the state of things. They couldn't not know. While you would have liked to believe Foolish when he'd said the gods were benevolent and good, but you weren't sure that you could, after the city had fallen like it did.

Believing that Foolish was benevolent and good was one thing. Believing that the others were good and benevolent was another thing.

"I have to talk to them." Foolish said.

You glanced over to him. "Wouldn't they know that you've shown yourself then?"

Foolish pursed his lips again. "What do I do then?" He asked, turning to you.

You paused. Without revealing that he had shown himself and been out and about in the city, there wasn't anything he could do. With how little influence he had over the other gods - even if it wouldn't matter that he had revealed himself - you weren't sure that the other members of the pantheon would even care.

Reaching out, you took Foolishs' hand again, thumbing over the ring that he had created just under his knuckle. "I don't think there's anything you can do."

Foolish looked down, watching as you traced over the tips of his fingers. "There has to be something." He said. "I'm a god... there has to be something that can be done..."

You said nothing, turning your gaze back up into the sky. You had known, sort of in the back of your head, that the gods were testing your faith. But now, as Foolish sat confused and upset next to you, you were beginning to think that this was more than just a test.