Chapter 176 - My CO Stash #76 - Dining with Divinity by SoulReaperCrowe (NarutoXPercyJacksonandTheOlympians) (2/2)
Athena nodded, ”Did you ever get a chance to visit Greece? I happen to be greek myself.”
Μπορώ, και βρήκα τον χρόνο μου στην Ελλάδα πολύ ευχάριστο. (I can, and I found my time very enjoyable.)
Both Athena and Artemis looked surprised at his sudden language change. It wasn't often they met someone in New York who could speak Greek. It wasn't a language most people chose to learn, unlike French, or Spanish. Getting over her surprise, Athena gave him an appraising look, ”I'm impressed. You speak well, and fluently.”
”Thank you. It took a long time, but I finally managed to catch on.” He replied, before cl_i_c_k_i_n_g the top of his pen, ”Are you both ready to order?”
”I think so,” Artemis muttered, giving her sister a pointed look before looking back at the blonde, ”I'll take a hot chocolate, with a slice of the carrot cake. Could I also have a dash of vanilla in my drink, please .”
”Absolutely.” He replied, before adding, ”Would you like whipped cream and chocolate sprinkles on your hot chocolate?”
”I would, yes.”
”I'll take a latte, please. Like my sister, I'll have a dash of vanilla in my drink, and may I ask, what is your special dessert of the day?” Athena asked. Her interest peaked when she saw that little nugget on the menu.
”Of course. The speciality today is a Lemon Curd Italiano Semifreddo.” He told her and failed to hide his smile when he saw her eyes sparkle. She liked the sound of that.
”That sounds wonderful. I'll have that, please.”
Naruto nodded, and wrote down the order, ”Absolutely. You're in luck, we ran out an hour ago, but I've got the next batch almost ready. It will take about ten minutes if you don't mind waiting. It's proved to be very popular today.”
”That would be fine.” Athena nodded and watched him walk away. When he walked back behind the counter, she turned to her sister and noticed her silver eyes gazing straight at her. ”What?”
”I didn't say anything.”
”No, but you look like you want to say something.”
”It's nothing. I'm just noticing how chummy you were with the man.”
Athena rolled her eyes and scoffed, ”I was merely caught off guard by the way he spoke Greek. It's not every day someone in New York can speak fluent Greek. If he can learn a second language, and open up his own business, it means he's got one of these.” Athena poked the side of her head, ”Plus he's the only one not leering in our direction which is nice.”
”I swear, if that man in the corner licks his lips in my direction one more time, I will throw this knife straight into his eye.” She picked up the knife and toyed with it between her fingers. ”You know I would.”
”Oh, I know you would sister.” Athena laughed, plucking the knife out of her sister's hand and putting it back on the table. The last thing she wanted was her sister to make a scene. Artemis huffed and tried to look annoyed at her sister, but started to laugh along with Athena as her sister gently kicked her under the table. ”We should do this more often. It's nice to get away from everyone.”
”I agree. It's not like my Hunters are incapable of looking after themselves once a week.”
”I think once a week would be lovely.”
It wasn't long before they were interrupted by the blonde barista, who placed their drinks on the table in front of them. Both Goddess looked impressed with their orders and recognised the signs of someone taking care and pride in their work. Artemis did her best to keep her face from drooping as the delightful smell of her hot chocolate wafted around her nose. It smelt just like the hot chocolate Hestia would prepare for her. Athena had a similar expression on her face, wrapping her hand around the warm mug. When he placed Artemis's carrot cake in front of her, the goddess licked her lips, her sweet tooth craving for the treat.
While Naruto prepared Athena's order, the two quietly drank their drinks, both relaxing into their seats as the taste touched their lips. Both let out a sigh of delight, impressed by their orders. It was easy to make a bad drink, but it was difficult to make a great one. So far, they would give the barista credit where credit was due. However, when Artemis had the first bite of her carrot cake, Athena couldn't help but giggle as her sister started demolishing the baked good.
”I take it the cake is good?” She asked, but didn't get an answer. Her sister was too engrossed with the cake to reply, her mouth too full to form words. A thumbs up would suffice.
When he returned, he was surprised to find both Artemis's mug empty and her plate void of any cake. ”Wow, I guess you liked it, huh?” He said, before motioning to her nose, ”You have a little something on your nose.” It was whipped cream from her drink.
Artemis's eyes widened and swiped at her nose with her palm. She stared at her sister with irritation, hissing, ”I had whipped cream on my nose! Why didn't you tell me!”
Athena laughed to herself, ”I thought you'd realise eventually.” She teased, before noticing the plate in his hand, ”For me?”
He nodded, ”For you. I hope you enjoy. Let me know If I can get you anything else.” He told them, and started to leave before he saw Artemis looking his way, ”Can I get you another drink?”
”Same again, please. Drink and cake.” She said, making him smile and head back to the counter. She looked at her sister and noticed her looking down at the plate, her fork in hand. Artemis wasn't one to praise a mortal often, especially a male mortal. However, she had to admit the Lemon Curd Italiano Semifreddo he made looked divine. It looked like something you'd find in high-class mortal society. Hell, it was something she imagined Hera serving at her temple. ”Well, aren't you going to try it?”
”I want to, but I feel like it would be a shame to ruin it,” Athena whispered, admiring the delicate work that must have come with making it. She was no incredible chef like Hestia, Hera, or grandmother Rhea, but Athena occasionally liked to dabble in the kitchen the mortal way. She found there was something ther_a_p_eutic about cooking, and she understood why so many mortals took it upon themselves to learn. It must have taken him years of practice to achieve such quality of work.
It took a moment, but slowly Athena dug her fork into the Lemon Curd. The texture was light and fluffy, and she watched it jiggle around as she brought it up to her mouth. Taking a bite, Artemis watched as Athena fell back against her chair, her rhythmic breathing making her sister lean forward in anticipation. Judging by the expression on her sisters face, the dessert had gone over well. Her composed elder sister rarely let her cool visage slip, always retaining a mask of dignity that kept her true feelings behind closed doors.
Athena wasn't the kind of goddess that wore her feelings on her sleeve, but Artemis was one of the few that could see behind that visage. It was always a pleasant experience for the Goddess of the Moon to see her composed sister drop all pretences and enjoy something for what it was.
Then, out of nowhere, Athena let out a loud m_o_a_n of delight that caught everyone's attention.
Okay. That might have taken it a step too far.
The whole room fell quiet, and every mortal within the establishment, male and female gaped and blushed in Athena's direction. Artemis couldn't stop the flush of gold from lacing her cheeks. She gawked at her sister, looking between her and the plate. Even she wasn't that bad. It sounded so s_e_x_u_a_l!
”A-Athena! W-What in the name of H-Hades was that!”
Coming to her senses, Athena couldn't stop her eyes from widening, ”I-It's not what you think!”
That was a lie and she knew it. The moment she realised what she had just done, Athena brought up her free hand up to her mouth in shock horror. She didn't dare look around the room at the gaping mortals, but the blonde owner was in her viewpoint, and she could see his surprise and disbelief. 'I can't believe I just did that!' She thought. Never in her more than four thousand years of existence, had she ever publically done something so candid. What made it worse was doing it in public.
'What the hell is wrong with me!'
She hid her face, the embarrassment worse then the time she tried to play the flute in front of the other gods.
When he walked back over, Athena didn't dare look him in the eye. After he provided Artemis with her second round of orders, he stopped and whispered to Athena, ”I'm glad you enjoyed it.” He smiled politely, and before she could reply, he walked away. Oh god, what must he have been thinking?
”Hey, blondie,” He stopped and turned around, and everyone looked towards an older woman who was sat a few tables over. She pointed at Athena, ”I'll have what she's having.”
Athena g_r_o_a_n_e_d and hid her face in her hands. She wished the earth would swallow her up for eternity.
'What a day.'
When the last customer left the Fox's Den, Naruto breathed a sigh of relief as swapped the open sign to close. Seaking the comfort of the nearest chair, he finally had a moment to put his feet up and let the day wash over him. Whoever thought running a business would be stressful? Not him, that's for sure. Other people made it look so easy. Not to mention, the movies made it look like a piece of cake. He could with all confidence say that it was not easy. Catching Tora the cat on a D Rank mission was easier.
However, as stressful as the job was, this was the path he chose to acclimate into modern-day life. As it turned out, he was very good at it. Cooking and baking had always been a hobby of his, and something he found ther_a_p_eutic. Feeding fulfiled a survival need for all living creatures, and the feeling of fulfilment came not only from the good of the act of giving but also the fact that we have 'helped' in some form. Cooking for others helps bond human beings to loved ones and fellow humans. At least, that's how he saw it.
There was also the fact that people loved cake and coffee. Both played huge parts in humanities daily life that it seemed like a given. Rubbing his forehead with his forearm, he clapped his hands together.
”Alright guys, you know what to do.”
The door that led to the kitchen and the backroom swung open, and three of his shadow clones marched out in a single file, giving the original Naruto a salute as they started the evenings cleanup. The evening had been a busy one with the post-Christmas rush. A lot of families had stopped by and spent the majority of the evening, as well as couples of all ages enjoying the post-Christmas bliss and exploring the post-Christmas deals throughout the city. Perhaps he should have opened up in the New Year like he originally intended. At least, that way, he could ease into modern life a little easier, without having to deal with the Christmas holidays, and all it brought with it. Humanity sure had changed.
Though, he did notice the festive and seasonal beverages went over a treat with his customers, and he was already thinking about what to do once January arrived. Humanity sure had a sweet tooth.
'Well, at least no one has complained as of yet. Everything seems to have gone over well.'
With that thought, his mind turned to a memory from earlier that day. The image of the two beautiful sisters that entered his establishment crossed his mind. Both women were equally as pleased with their orders, though one was certainly more vocal than the other. Naruto had almost dropped the other woman's order when the m_o_a_n of pure delight reached his ears. He was no blushing v_i_r_g_i_n, but the fact remained it caught him by surprise.
He was aware food could be an aphrodisiac, but he didn't think it was to that high of a degree.
The sisters had stayed for an hour after that, with the one with grey eyes remaining silent for the remainder of their stay, too embarrassed to say another word, while the other demolished another two servings of hot chocolate and carrot cake. Where the auburn-haired sister put it all, he didn't know, but it was impressive to watch. Anything he put in put in front of her vanished within minutes. Not since Elagabalus of Rome had he seen someone devour his culinary wonders with such gusto. Heck, even Elvis in his later years had some form of restraint.
What a peculiar pair of women they were. He hoped they came back again soon.
Watching his clones wipe down the tables, and take the empty plates and cups to the back, he stood up and stretched his back, humming in wonder as he felt those necessary pops in his back. Taking the broom out of the closet, he got to work in doing his part before heading home for the night and doing it all over again tomorrow.