Chapter Text
“I don’t see why I have to be here.” Mumbo glanced up from the tulips he had been appreciating to lightheartedly glare at his friend, Grian. He was perched on a branch of one of the many trees in the field the two of them were in and judging by his tone, he was bored out of his mind.
“I never said you had to be here,” Mumbo replied, going back to the flowers in front of him. “You’re free to leave whenever you want.” Despite not looking back up at Grian, Mumbo knew that his friend hadn’t moved from the branch. Even with all his complaining, Grian would always go with Mumbo whenever he wanted to go into the Overworld (“for your protection” he would claim, though Mumbo knew it was because he didn’t want to be by himself).
“You nature gods are so obsessed with this. What’s so interesting about some leaves sticking out the ground?” Mumbo brushed his hand gently across a wilting tulip, watching as it became healthier with the help of his magic. Tulips were one of his favourite flowers, especially the purple ones. It hurt him to see the flowers dying, but he knew it was necessary sometimes. Still, if he saw a flower wilting, he would try and help it, no matter how many times Grian would tease him for it.
“It’s not about them being interesting, Grian. Can’t you just appreciate them for once? Or is that too much for you to handle?” Mumbo couldn’t really blame Grian for being impatient, considering he was the god of reckless impulse, amongst other things. He wasn’t exactly known for being able to wait, but it would be nice for him to actually care about the things Mumbo talked about sometimes.
Mumbo carefully picked some of the tulips and placed them in his bag so he could put them in his room later (“Couldn’t you literally just make them in your room though?” “Shut up, Grian. It’s about the principle”). Deciding he had had enough of Grian’s complaining, he grabbed his bag and headed back towards Olympus, Grian following behind him.
~~~~~~~~~~
The next time Mumbo went out, Grian stayed in Olympus, claiming he had stuff to do (although knowing Grian, Mumbo would come back to about seven pranks in his house). Mumbo took a different path than usual, using some magic to make sure the Mortals didn’t question him aimlessly walking. He ended up in a different field, this one with hyacinths and daffodils. He found an area of the field with a few cherry blossoms and decided it was a good place to sit for a moment (not that he was tired; Gods had significantly more stamina than Mortals. He just thought the view was pretty). He cleared an area in front of a tree, placing his bag down before sitting on the ground. Closing his eyes, he relaxed against the tree, just appreciating the sun on his face.
Mumbo took a deep breath, opening his eyes and looking at the scene around him. The beautiful flowers, gorgeous cherry blossoms, and the strange person in the distance.
…wait, what?
Mumbo sat up fully, eyes focused on the person (at least, he thought it was a person). He couldn’t see clearly, too far away to make out anything. He debated with himself on whether to approach the figure or not; on one hand, maybe it was one of his friends or at least someone he knew. On the other hand, it could be a Mortal, or worse. Mumbo decided the risk was worth it and got up, grabbing his bag and walking quickly over to where he saw the person.
As he got closer, he heard the person speaking, voice getting clearer as Mumbo got closer. The person had their back to Mumbo, but he noticed there was no one else there. So they’re talking to themself. That’s not concerning in the slightest. His fears were slowly decreasing however, as he knew (somehow) that the person was also a God. Which God, he didn’t know. He did have to admit, the God had good fashion taste. They seemed to be wearing some sort of hooded cape, although from the angle Mumbo was at, it was hard to tell exactly what else. The upper-half was a beautifully deep purple, the lining of the hood an emerald green. The trousers were plain black, but once again with the green lining around the cuffs, which in Mumbo’s opinion, added a nice vibe to the whole outfit (okay, so maybe he had been hanging out with Pearl a bit too much).
Mumbo hid once again, using a bit of magic for assistance, just in case the person turned around. He couldn’t make out what the other was saying, but judging by the way they were waving their arms around, they seemed to be having an argument with themselves. He decided to leave the other to their… argument. Making sure he wasn’t seen, he turned around and headed back to Olympus, the strange God filling his thoughts the entire journey back.
~~~~~
“You did what !?” Mumbo backed up from Grian, who was holding his head in his hands.
“Okay, I went to a different field, what’s the big deal?” Mumbo asked, very confused by Grian’s anger. He had told the other god about his adventure and about the strange god he had seen, but didn’t recognise. He was hoping that Grian maybe knew who they were, but all it had gotten him was a lecture.
“Mumbo, don’t you know who it was you saw?”
“No, Grian, I don’t. That’s the whole reason we’re having this conversation in the first place!”
Grian sighed. “That was Scar. You know, God of the Underworld, the dead, covered in scars. Ringing any bells?” Mumbo stared in confusion and shook his head slightly. Grian placed his head back in his hands. “Void, Mumbo. Don’t you keep up with any of the gossip that happens in Olympus?”
“No? I mean, you end up telling me everything anyway, either you or Impulse. He always tells people before it happens though, which makes it better. He also gets all perspectives, or he gets Pearl to-”
“Mumbo!” He looked back at Grian, frustration clear on his face. “You’re rambling again. Anyway, you need to stay away from Scar.”
Mumbo looked at Grian in confusion. “Why? He didn’t even notice me.”
“Trust me, no one wants to be seen ‘hanging around’, as the mortals say, with the literal God of the Underworld! Especially not you. Imagine what the others would say.” He took a sharp breath in. “Look, Mumbo. Just… promise you won’t go back there, alright?”
“I won’t, I promise.”
~~~~~~
Mumbo normally kept his promises. But as he stared down at the staircase that had emerged from the ground, he was wondering whether this was the best time to break a promise. Then again, it was a little late for second-guessing himself. About a week after Grian had yelled at him for going to the field, he was back… at the exact same field Grian had told him explicitly not to go to .
Yeah, he wasn’t the best at following instructions. Honestly, Grian should’ve known that by now.
He stood in front of the staircase for a while, pros and cons going through his head at a million miles an hour. He could imagine Grian yelling at him, every way this could go badly, he should probably turn around-
With all that in his mind, he walked down the staircase, the earth closing back up behind him.