Epiphany

The problem with putting others first is putting yourself in second.

For someone that's feared by most of the elder 'gods' (as the humans refer them, though if asked, he liked the sound of 'guardians' more), he never thought that Time would live in a place so... not creepy or frightening. He asked around, and majority of the gods said that he's dangerous and likely manipulative. As he stood in front of the god's place, the overwhelming house didn't surprise him, it was something he expected, but not for it to be overwhelming in a good way; that never crossed his mind.

Sweet yet nostalgic scent welcomed Alfred, as he watches blue rose petals flew around and gets scattered on the otherwise perfectly maintained lawn. The house - mansion, really - reeks of Gothic architecture with its arch windows and brick walls. It's one of those houses that looks homey enough by day, but something haunted by night. But with the wide lawn and bright lights, it just reminds him of one's grandparents rest house.

Curiosity and sense of adventure took hold of him as he decided to take a look around instead. The place is beautiful and home-y, really. It not something he'd thought would be a highly regarded god's headquarters would be. After all, he lives in some kind of school dormitory along with other new young gods and demigods, and he and his brother don't own any property until they were deemed independent enough to assist their devotees on their own without panicking once they accidentally turned some mortal into some form of beast due to immature rage.

A soft green glow startled him from his thoughts, dancing and swaying playfully towards his face. Alfred hesitantly cupped his hand towards the glow ball, afraid to scare the thing away or that it might suddenly turn against him, as it seems to ask for his attention. He remembered then that this is likely one of those 'spright' thingy-ma-bob; something about collection, remains, or essence that he remembered hearing from Roma's class. The glow ball excitedly - if one could even describe the giddy-ish act of a glow ball, that - towards what it seems to be an entrance of a garden, where more glow balls appears as if to lead him towards somewhere. Curiosity taking the better of him, he followed the sprights, one disappearing as he approaches closer and one appearing by the end of the last one in the line ahead. This kinda reminds him of some princess movie that human kids love to watch, "and these glow balls better not get sued for copyright", he thought as he approached on some kind of clearing with a good view of the mansion's tall clear windows.

The ceiling high windows seems to be the ballroom's divider from the softscape of its parallel garden. As he took a step closer, still in awe and totally forgotten about the green glow balls, he noticed a formally dressed man on the other side of the glass; blond, a few inches smaller than him, alabaster skin, with a pair of huge eyebrows. The said man was gliding swiftly on the floor in tune with some orchestral music that echoes softly through the glass window, a skeleton in a dress as his partner. His eyes were closed, and his expression lacks of any kind of stress as if manhandling a dress-up skeleton is nothing out of ordinary.

Well, if that isn't bothersome...

And oddly... beautiful.

He cursed the Fates for leading him here. He should have known those three don't mean well, especially when they smiled knowingly at him before he left. He let himself in the ballroom when he found the open arch door, quietly watching the man, as he felt this unknown pull towards the eccentricity.

"You can leave. I'm not taking any apprentice, intern, or whatever you wish to call yourself." A relaxed-soft yet authoritative English accent cut him from his daze, soothing yet dismissive at the same time.

"Nice to meet you too. As for names, it's either Alfred or Hero, but I prefer the latter." The blue-eyed god swiftly answered as he tried to ignore the creep's dismissal.

The man stopped his ministrations, his annoyance towards Alfred's answer visible in the tenseness of his once relaxed shoulders. He turned around, the skeleton's head leaning against his chest as he kept his eyes closed, yet those humongous eyebrows scrunched up as if they would become one. The man glided his hand towards the skeleton's hand and slowly brought it to his lips, kissed the back of it, and a faint green glow appeared. Then creepily, the skeleton stood up on its own feet, gracefully bowing towards Mr. Caterpillar - he'll refrain from calling him by his title just because - and made her way out with a grace of a refined lady reminiscent from some old era.