It was bright and early and the RV was already bustling with activity. Triple G finished his breakfast, which was his dinner at this point, and headed off to bed to prepare for the long drive awaiting him. George at quickly (as usual) then went to begin his portion of the drive. Ara swiftly begins to clean and pick up things while Chester helps George in the passenger seat.
Hazel looks up from her notebook and took note of everything around her. With everything she saw, she either checked off tasks or wrote new ones. This time, everything was flowing pleasantly. Everything is in order and they are traveling at a reasonable rate.
Hazel walks between George and Chester to fiddle with the GPS. She waves at them and they wave back before she returns to her fiddling.
They would make it to Olympus in about five more days at this current speed. That was satisfactory to Hazel and she was sure Heidi would agree. Hazel smiled to herself with the feeling of pride. She was really doing it! She was leading, fulfilling her promise, and saving the world at the same time! The things that she will tell Kaito when she returns! He will be amazed.
That's when her eyes flicker to the gage. Her eyebrows furrow in concern as she sees the needle near the 'E' mark. "George, prepare to stop for gas as soon as an exit comes up."
George looks to her. Then He looks to the gage and winced. "Alright, then." He says focusing on the road once again.
Hazel gives him a small smile and figured that she will go back into her room for now. She needed to think things over. So, into her room she went.
While inside, she looked over this large map of Auradon she had acquired during one of their stops. "Let's see…" She views the map closely looking for familiar names and landmarks. "We passed here, and we are now here." She marks the two places and smiles at their progress.
Her phone suddenly rang, drawing the girl out of her activity as it continued to ring.
She took a quick glance at it before reaching for the device. While looking at the map, she answers, paying no mind to the phone itself.
"Hello?" She says while marking the areas they should be passing next.
"Hazel?" The voice on the other end asked, sounding incredibly relieved that she had picked up.
At the sound of the voice, all of Hazel's thoughts went out of the many RV windows. "Crap! I knew I should've checked the caller ID before answering, but no! There I go being the screw up twin again!"
Hazel face-palms and after a minute of silence, she says, "Yes, this is she." She taps her fingers on her desk nervously.
The person actually sighed this time, "Thank god...This is Mal." She mumbled out the first part before saying the second part aloud.
Hazel places the phone down and puts it on speaker. "I know. Hi, Mal." She leans on her arm as she stares at the phone in exasperation.
Mal was silent for a moment before she cleared her throat, "Are you and the others alright?" She asked, sounding as if she was holding back several other questions.
"We're okay. Everyone is-fine." She says while thinking of the chaotic changes they all have been going through. Even George is talking more! That's not right! "Yep, fine."
In the back of Hazel's mind, she is hoping that Mal would catch onto how vague she is being. Mal knows her well, so that might be a problem. Hopefully she can make it out of this conversation alive…
Mal hummed at that, "Fine, eh?" She said to herself before raising her voice to a normal level, "Why are you guys heading for the Wall?"
Hazel thinks for a moment before saying, "What? Is it a crime to take a vacation?" Hazel goes back to marking off her map.
"Well, no, but you didn't exactly leave a note or tell anyone. Everyone's worried about you all." Mal told her.
"Oops. I must have forgotten." Hazel says quickly. "Sorry to throw you all into a panic. I assure you that we are all well." She says while nervously tapping on her desk again.
"Ah." Mal paused for a couple seconds before clearing her throat, "So, where are you all heading? Agrabah? Olympus? I know those two are past the Wall." She asked.
Hazel looked at the phone with halved eyes. Mal has never been the subtle type of person. Hazel plainly knew what she was asking. She just had to put it in words that wouldn't get her hunted down to her wildest dreams.
"Well, we are going to be around the Olympus area. I heard that it's dangerous to go there directly." She stops and thinks over her words carefully. "So, we won't be spending much time there."
Mal took a second to respond, when she did she had a neutral tone to her voice. "Gotcha. I remember hearing someone say that to me, something about how it's dangerous to go to Olympus at the moment." She paused in thought, "Well, at least I know they were serious."
Hazel nodded and said, "Yeah. Well, so far that's the plan. We will head back shortly after."
"Alright. I suppose I owe that individual an apology now." She said, referring to the individual who she mentioned earlier. "Gods usually don't lie to you." She said absentmindedly to herself.
Hazel's face turned to one of irritation as she remembered the times that Heidi lied or told her half of the truth. "Yeah, not usually…"
Mal 'hmphed' as she heard that, "Sounds like you've run into one lately."
Hazel's eyes widened and she shrugged, "Well, at least a couple."
Mal chuckled, "Let me guess, Hermes? He apparently likes humans." She said, sounding as if she had dealt with him herself.
"Actually, I had the pleasure of talking with Hestia, and I have a feeling this won't be the last time I talk with her." Hazel says while smiling. "Another thing. Ara challenged Hermes to a race. I have no idea what is wrong with that girl, but she wants to do it. Ara wants what Ara wants…" She chuckles.
Mal laughed as soon as she heard that, "She challenged Hermes? He can fly faster than the speed of light!" She said, laughing at the thought of it before calming down, "Also, which one is Hestia?" She asked, unfamiliar with the name.
"Well, Ara said that she knows that she will most likely lose, but she has made a goal to at least keep up with him." Hazel smiled and says, "She told me if she could do that, then she will be the greatest loser ever. Also, Hestia is one of the oldest goddesses. She is known for tending to fires." Hazel smirks before talking. "Someone needs to stop daydreaming in class…"
Mal paused before she chuckled, "I'll keep that in mind the next time I'm in class." She said in amusement. "Anyway, I need to get going. Ben and I have to do a few things." She let out a sigh, "Paperwork."
Hazel chuckles and says, "Sure. I will let you go." She paused before saying, "Miss you, though."
"Same. I've gotta tell the others that you guys are fine, they've missed you guys the most." Mal told her with a soft chuckle, "Alright...bye."
"Bye." Hazel says softly before hanging up. Then her eyes halve and she throws her phone onto her bed that lies behind her.
"The things I do for others…" She mutters to herself. "This is going to get me killed one day." She looks at the phone with a sad look before working again.
.-.-.-.-.-.
Heidi had her headphones on as she chatted with Mal on the mirror. "Yeah, that's right, I had rainbow hair. Check the recording if you don't believe me." She told her as she played with her blonde hair.
Mal snorted, "I think I liked the green the best. You should keep it, it's not like you own anything green. You need some green in your life." She said with a smirk.
Heidi rolled her eyes, "Still trying to get me to love the color green, eh?" She asked with sarcasm before shaking her head at the purplette, "Not gonna happen."
"I'll get you eventually, just you wait." Mal said while rolling her eyes, "So, what's it like over there in "Other Auradon"?"
Heidi shrugged, "Boring. We've still got a while to go before we make it to the drop off. Then I've gotta play Russian Roulette with Zeus and his lightning bolts." She said while shaking her head, "Fun."
Mal raised an eyebrow, "He hates you that much? Huh...I guess gods really do hold ridiculous grudges." She said the last part to herself.
"Zeus's grudge is stupid and unneeded. This Zeus doesn't even hate me yet and he'd try to shoot me down." Heidi stated while looking at her nails.
Mal nodded before she looked up as the sound of someone knocking at the door interrupted her. "I'll be right back." She said before putting her mirror face down onto the bed.
Heidi sighed as she did that, Annnd now I'm bored again. She thought as she wedged the mirror between the cushions.
Just then, Deuce crawled from under the couch holding a toy mouse in his paws. He bit the tail of it and hopped up to where Heidi was on the couch. He spat it out and said, "Heidi! Look at this thing! It's so mesmerizing!" He said staring at the toy.
Heidi peered at the toy with a raised eyebrow. She blinked at it before shrugging and returning to look at her hands.
He went over and dropped it in her lap. "Play with me!"
Heidi raised her finger and levitated the toy with her magic, "Okay." She said, not even looking up from what she was doing as she sent it floating away.
He had the most confused face. Then he shrugged. "Beggars can't be choosers." He began to leap after the toy, and chase after it.
Heidi glanced at him and moved her finger, causing the toy to float up and down a move around erratically. This is the best trick I've ever come up with. She thought in amusement.
She had first come up with it when she realized that Kirby liked to get mouthy when she played with him. Frankly, she didn't want three mouths trying to chomp on her fingers over a toy.
Deuce mewed as he kept trying to pounce on the toy. "I got it! I got it!" He said while chasing after it, but it once again escaped his grasp. "Dammit!" He yells as he hunts it down again.
Heidi picked up the mirror as soon as she saw the other one get picked up, "Sorry, I was being told about an event." Mal said as she looked around her room, "I have to head to Ben's office."
"Talk and walk, I'm bored." Heidi said as she continued moving her finger around.
Mal chuckled and rolled her eyes, "Fine, but if I get intercepted by your girlfriend the blame is on you." She said as she looked away again.
Heidi rolled her eyes as she waited for Mal to get out of her room.
"AGH!" Deuce screamed as he fell from the ceiling. He fell straight into Heidi's lap. He also released a breath of relief. "Uh, hi."
Heidi blinked before waving her fingers at him, the magic disappearing from them while the toy fell to the ground. "Hi."
He looked at the mirror with wide eyes. "Ooh, what's this?" He looked at it closer. "Can I bite it?"
"I wouldn't recommend it." Heidi said with a smirk. "It's a magic mirror." She explained as she saw Mal lift the mirror up again, "And I'm currently have a good old chat with Mal here."
Mal waved at that before looking away to exit her room.
He nodded and said, "Gnarly! Other world Mal is on here?" He looked at the mirror and said, "Hi I am a talking cat and I come in peace!" He said while holding up a peace sign.
Mal raised in eyebrow in obvious amusement, "Hey. I'm usually the only one on, but today you might see a rare Audrey." She directed a glare at Heidi, "She's been stalking the hallways for a day now. I think she's trying to jump me."
Heidi looked at her with halved eyes, "Just walk faster and use evasive maneuvers." She said while chuckling and holding a hand over her mouth. "Audrey isn't exactly the fighter type."
"Still, she's kind of freaking me out. I told Ben we needed to lock her in." Mal said while shaking her head.
Deuce laughs and tells Heidi, "So, your girlfriend has cracked up on ya? Audrey has always been the determined and demanding type."
"You don't even know. I handle her daily." Heidi said with a chuckle. "I also thwarted her plans to storm Olympus since she was going to try and threaten the gods into finding me." She told him while shaking her head.
His eyebrows raised in amusement. "Wow, that chick is for real!"
Heidi was about to respond when she heard Mal practically yelp in shock. "Eh? What happened?"
"Audrey just spotted me. She's having the dog chase me!" Mal hissed, looking over her shoulder.
"Oh. Well, evasive maneuvers, Mal!" Heidi laughed, watching as Mal gaped at her.
Deuce laughed and said, "Running from dogs 101. Never look behind you; it slows you down. Never run in a straight line. Climbing on things can help." He scratches his head and says, "Sometimes, you can get away with it if you find some sort of distraction." He shrugs.
Mal looked like she was about to comment on that, but before she could she suddenly went out of frame while the mirror went on its face. Something picked it up and ran away with it before dropping it on the floor.
It was picked up by none other than Audrey.
"Huh...You sent Kirby to tackle Mal to get the mirror so you could talk to me. Good use of the dog." Heidi said while raising her eyebrow at the princess.
"Isn't it? I'm surprised she was able to get away from him as long as she did." Audrey said as she looked at something past the mirror.
"WHAT!?" Deuce exclaimed. "I didn't know you were a dog person! Betrayal!" Deuce says with droopy ears. "I thought we were connecting!"
Heidi looked at him with halved eyes, "I'm not a dog person, I'm a person who has to put up with dogs. It's in the job description."
"I don't know about that." He pouts with saddened cat eyes.
Heidi shook her head as Audrey looked at the cat strangely. "Talking cat?" She asked the blonde in slight confusion.
Heidi simply nodded and Audrey rolled her eyes, "You know what? I'm not even gonna ask. I have to get this mirror back home." She said as she looked away.
"Uhh, run that back? Cuz it sounded like you said you were gonna take the mirror to your place." He asked Audrey.
Audrey nodded with a smirk, "I'm the girlfriend, I deserve to have the mirror after a couple days of not being allowed to look at it." She told him as she began walking.
"Basically she's using her rights as girlfriend to steal the mirror. Not to mention she can threaten anyone with the dog." Heidi said, not appearing bothered by what Audrey was doing.
Deuce shook his head with a confused expression. "So, let me get this straight. She is using her rights to do wrongs?" He asks while glancing at both Heidi and Audrey.
"It's bad, I know, but I'm in no place to stop her." Heidi said while shaking her head.
"Mal can come looking for it later, but I'll be hiding it." Audrey added in with a chuckle.
Heidi rolled her eyes at that, "Mal has magic too, Audrey, she can get past some of the magic barriers that are in the house." She said while looking at her in exasperation.
He whispered to Heidi, "Yeah, this is what happens when people go cray cray…"
Heidi looked at him with amusement, "It's called being overattached. Let's just say this isn't the first time I've disappeared off the face of the world." She muttered back with a smirk.
"On the bright side, you can't say you never been anywhere lame. You really get around." He replies with humor in his voice.
Heidi nodded at that, "I've been almost everywhere in Auradon since I have to travel around with one of the messengers of Olympus." She informed him before looking at the mirror. "Audrey, what have we said about this? We don't steal things just because Mal has them."
Audrey looked at her with exasperation, "She was withholding the mirror for days, days Heidi! That's rude and she's doing it on purpose!" She exclaimed as she frowned.
Heidi eyes halved, "She's not doing it on purpose…"
"Yes she is!"
"Not really. She only did it because you were…" She paused, trying to find the right word. "...Unstable?" She winced as soon as she said that.
"Did you just call me unstable?" Audrey asked with narrowed eyes.
Heidi quickly shook her head, her expression going nervous as she tried forcing a smile. "N-No."
"Good." Audrey said as she immediately brightened up, "I have to put the mirror away, give me ten minutes." She said before the mirror face went dark.
Heidi sighed in relief as she rubbed her forehead.
"Mm, mm, mm." Deucle says. "Now, that is what you call a can 'o crazy!" He chuckles.
Heidi sighed again, this time smiling softly. "That's what happens when princesses are sleep deprived. Mal told me that she looks like a walking zombie some mornings, so I guess she hasn't been sleeping." She explained, shaking her head in thought.
Deuce nodded. "Dudette, it's not hard to see that she hasn't been sleeping right. It looks like she's been shopping with all of those bags!" He says, referring to the sleepy princess.
Heidi nodded with a soft chuckle, "She'll be fine, eventually. I'll just have to put up with Moody Beauty until she gets back to a sleep schedule."
He nods and says, "Good luck, my friend. Good luck. You look like your gonna need it." He says as he curls up on her lap.
Her eyes halve at that, "I'm gonna need all the luck I can get." She muttered to herself, frowning as she gazed at the mirror. Not just for the moody princess problem either.
He rolled over on his back and pawed at her arms. "Love me!" He says wanting her to let him.
She wordlessly began petting him, her attention still directed at her muddled thoughts.
He purred in happiness. He vibrated like a massage chair as he did this. "Ahh, that's better…"
Heidi chuckled at that as she wedged the mirror in the cushions, using both of her hands to massage her head.
He looked at her. "A penny for your thoughts?" He rolled back over and curled up.
Heidi shrugged her shoulders, "Just a lot on my mind. I have to deal with quite a few issues, two sets of angry gods, Audrey, getting home, fixing my ember, the list goes on for a while."
Deuce blinks before looking around. Then he looks back to her and says, "You wanna talk about it? I am a great listener." He rotates his ears and smiles.
Heidi smiled before shaking her head, "Maybe later when I've got my thoughts organized and I don't have a princess interrogating me in a couple minutes." She said with a soft chuckle.
He nods and says, "Well if you get stressed, feel free to pet me. You know, like they do in animal therapy? I can be your stress ball!" He smiles.
Heidi laughed before she began petting him, "I'll take you up on that offer."
888888888
"What?" Hazel says in annoyance. "What do you mean you forgot to give Heidi her breakfast?"
Ara shrugs and replies, "Oops."
Hazel face-palms for the second time today and looks at her sister. "Ara. Can you please remember to feed our guests? You don't want a dead guest, do you?" Hazel asks Ara with halved eyes. "It is common courtesy to make sure someone is properly taken care of."
Ara blinked and said, "But she didn't ask for anything."
Hazel sighs. "It is not her job to ask for anything. However, it is our job to ask her if she wants something. Get my drift?" Hazel says as she places her hands on her hips.
A very half eyed Ara nods. "Okay, fine…" She looks over to the kitchen and says, "I can make sure she eats lunch, though."
Hazel nods at that. She also makes a mental note to ask someone if Heidi has been fed daily. Only to be safe.
"Okay, well, it has been a couple days that my plant has not been watered." Hazel says while looking to her golden watch that blends in with her bangles. "I think I will spend some time with it, then come back and find something else to worry about."
Ara smiles and rolls her eyes. "Okay, sis. We will be here when you get back. Nowhere else to go." Ara mumbled the last part.
Hazel chuckles. "It's okay. There is a break spot coming up for us. It's almost time to put our camping skills to use."
Ara's eyes light up at that. She runs over to George nearly knocking Chester out of the passenger seat. "Hurry up, Geo! Drive faster!"
Hazel begins to walk to her room while saying, "Drive faster without getting a ticket!" She then closes her door.
Once her door closes, she turns the lock and goes to her honeysuckle. "The soil is a bit dry…" she noted. "Nothing that some fresh water can't fix.
She grabs a watering can that has been under her desk just for this purpose. She also moves her plant to the her bathroom sink. She wouldn't want to make a mess in her room, so this was the wisest choice.
The plant dances in excitement when she hovers the can over the plant's soil. The watering can is filled with Ara's rain water she made specifically for the plant, and apparently Sunny loves it.
"There. Sorry for not doing this sooner. I've been pretty busy lately." She says as she waters the plant.
While she waters the happy plant, her mind begins to wander. It wonders on her goals for the next few days. It wanders to her friends. She is pretty bored. She would love to know what they are doing.
Not the gang that is withl her. She wants to know about her other friends like Kaito and Carlos. Maybe Jane and Lonnie. Too bad she is stuck in this interesting turn of events.
She also feels bad for lying to Mal, but it had to be done. For the sake of two worlds she had to withhold the truth from her. Only this once.
"Oh! It would be nice to think up something that would not make me depressed!" She thought angrily to herself. "Think of other things."
Okay, other things. "I wonder what Hestia is up to?" She thinks aloud as her mind wanders to the older goddess. The flower turns it's attention to her.
"Oh, Hestia is a goddess. She is one of Heidi's family members." She explains. "I just wonder. It would be nice to carry on a conversation. She seems like she would be a pleasure to talk to." She thought before she shook her head. "But, I think that's a god thing as Ara would say. I don't see her actually wanting to talk to me."
The plant tilts in a way that shows that she is confused.
"Why would she not want to talk to me?" Hazel stops watering to plant's displeasure."I think in comparison to Heidi I'm pretty...lame." She says with halved eyes.
The plant nods in agreement.
"What do you mean you agree?" Hazel asks in irritation. "You are supposed to disagree and make me feel better about myself!"
Sunny shrugs.
Hazel lazily goes back to watering the annoying vegetation. "Yep, I knew I should've gotten a puppy…"
A sound filled the room, sounding like the crackling of a fire before a woman chuckled softly.
Hazel shrieked in surprise while her plant went back into its soil. "Hestia! Uh, what are you doing here?" She asked, impressed that water didn't go flying into the air.
Hestia looked at her in amusement, "My apologies, I didn't mean to startle you. I merely overheard you mentioning how you wished to speak with me." The goddess said with a small smile.
Hazel blinked a couple times before it registered in her mind. "Oh, yes I did. I just thought you had better things to do?" She says while looking to the side.
"Heidi is preoccupied with something and I felt like she needed privacy. She is currently going through a round of questioning by her...girlfriend." She thought about the word for a moment before looking back up at her.
Hazel nods still blinking every second. "Okay, well, this is unexpected. I am still a tad startled." She looks to where her plant used to be, to find that she borrowed herself from the fire. She laughs and turns to Hestia. "I think you scared my plant."
Hestia blinked at that before smiling, "I forget that plants are disturbed by my presence. I suppose I forgot what Demeter told me all those years ago." She said to herself before chuckling at what she had said.
Hazel giggled and said, "Well, you are walking fire, so I can see why plants get nervous around you." Hazel says as she taps the plant pot, trying to encourage Sunny to come out.
Hestia smiled and pulled out her notepad as she skimmed over her notes. "So I have been told. Although, I admit that I do not try to avoid scaring them as they only come alive when a special individual is around them." She covered her mouth with her free hand as her eyes closed. "That is one of the few reasons my sister and I do not get along, when it comes to her plants at least."
Hazel nods as she takes in the information. "Hmm, I can see the reason for you two's of agreement when it comes to that." She says as she finally coaxed the plant to poke a few of its petals from the soil.
It slightly tremble s as it comes back out. Hazel says, "It's okay. Hestia is not going to burn you. Actually, this is the goddess I was talking about. Hestia, this is Sunny."
Hestia gave the plant a gentle wave before she went back to her notes.
Now comfortable, the plant fully comes out and waves back with a single leaf.
Hazel chuckles as it shakes the soil off of it's petals. Hazel looks to Hestia and says, "What are you looking at? Sorry for sounding nosy."
"Just some notes on Heidi's condition overall." Hestia replied, sounding unbothered at the question as she continued to smile.
Hazel returns her smile. "Hmm, I am curious. Is it okay if I ask you a question?" She looks at her cautiously.
"Ask away." Hestia replied as she flipped through her notes.
"Well, apparently you observe fires, tend to fires, and in Heidi's case talk to fires." She said with a chuckle. "Do you-or can you make fires?"
"Of course. It falls under the title "Goddess of the Hearth." In other words, I tend to and create fires with the goal of bringing people together." Hestia answered as she finally looked up from her notes.
Hazel looked at her in confusion. "Bringing people together-with fires? But don't fires usually...burn things down?"
Hestia chuckled, "Only if they are used to burn. My brother Hades uses his to burn, I use mine a different way. It depends on how you use the fire." She told her with a smile.
"Really? Wow. Personally, I suck at fire. I don't even know why I have the power. I try to open a bag of chips-it burns. I walk through school and I leave a trail of scorch marks. I try to write and my pencil catches fire!" Hazel explains in shame. "They literally have an alarm at school called a "Hazel alarm" for when I accidentally cause fires."
Hestia glanced down at her notes and skimmed through them before looking back up at her. "That merely means that you have a great amount of power when it comes to the fire element. Heidi is much like you in that aspect and she struggled greatly in her childhood. The only difference is that she was raised in the Underworld, you were not. Great power takes time, and it took her almost fifty years to master hers. You will learn much faster." Hestia offered her a gentle smile.
She smiles and says, "You really think so?"
Hestia nodded, "I know so."
Hazel's smile widened before she got an idea. "Okay, don't judge, okay?" She said. "Can I ask you another question?"
"Of course." Hestia said while setting her notepad down.
Hazel went down on her knees and said, "Can you please do a demonstration? Please, please, please! Not here, though. Maybe when we step outside?" She pleads.
Hestia pondered the request for a moment before nodding. "I will gladly." She told her as she folded her hands on top of each other.
Hazel looked at her surprised she had agreed. "Wow, I didn't expect you to agree, but yeah! Don't change your mind!" Hazel says playfully.
Hestia chuckled, "I offered another a demonstration once, it helped them, so perhaps it will help you." She said while closing her eyes.
Hazel blinked before saying, "Thanks, Hestia. I don't know what to say…"
"Do not worry about it." The goddess said, looking at her knowingly as her smile widened.
Hazel thought for a minute before saying, "Hmm, I wonder if we are in our camping spot yet." She turned her attention back to the goddess and said, "I arranged camping nights so we won't be living in this RV for five more days." She smiles and continues, "That would be the perfect time to find a clearing, so you could show me."
Hestia nodded at that as she picked up her notepad, "I look forward to that. If you'll excuse me, she is just about done with the questioning." Hestia smiled one last time before disappearing in a column of fire.
Sunny shivered at the sight and started to complain to Hazel.
"She is not scary! She didn't try to hurt you." Hazel shook her head at the overreacting plant.
The plant complained anyway as she placed it back where it usually stood. She absolutely could not wait for Hestia's demonstration. It has been a while since she has been that excited. Finally, something else to ponder on.
8888888888
"HEEEEIIDIIIIII!" Ara yells while running up the stairs sparking in excitement.
Heidi must have opened the door using her magic as it flung open. "What?" She asked as she read her book.
Ara ran into the room. She had electricity crawling all over her as she spoke. "It's camping night! We are at our stop! Come on!" She said as she glitches while bouncing around.
Heidi didn't even blink at the electricity shooting off of the girl, it was one of those things she had to deal with weekly on a much grander scale.
The goddess practically rolled off the sofa and set her book down as she flew into a shadow, "If we must." She grumbled before flying out of the room.
Ara clapped and literally flew out of the room. She passed by Triple G and George on the way down. Triple G is awake because it is now officially night time. He's just glad that he has the night off.
Ara says, "You guys got stuff for the smores?"
Triple G nods and says, "Yep. You fill up the ice chest?"
Ara lands and nods proudly. "That I've chest has been cursed with an eternal winter!" Ara chuckles. "Don't forget about the stuff we are going to grill."
Triple G and George gave her a thumbs up as she blasted outside to set up the tents and chairs.
Heidi reappeared with a frown, I can't help but feel like I'm painting a giant target on my back by agreeing to this. Oh the things Zeus could do to someone just sitting outside. She thought as she tied her hair up into a ponytail.
"Whoa! You got a JET SKI!?" Ara exclaims at Triple G and George. "What!?
Triple G smirks at the vehicle wading in the large lake nearby. "Might as well. We plan on having a party out here!"
George agrees. "Yup. I'm making skewers and steaks and ribs too. Anyone want burgers? I can make burgers and sausages if you all want some of those." He says walking over to his set up grill.
Triple G says, "Yas, bro! Grill 'em up! What about you, Heidi?" He looks to her. "You want a burger or something else?"
Heidi glanced at him before shrugging, "A burger." She said simply before turning her attention elsewhere.
Triple G nodded and said to George. "Make that two!"
Ara walks over to the pond and smiles. She backs up and runs on top of the water just for fun. Until her eyes land on the jet ski. She smirks as she looks at the vehicle.
"Are you okay, dudette?" Says Deuce as he walks up to her.
Heidi glanced down at him before shaking her head, "I'm just trying to lie low. I'm out in the open and I have reason to believe someone is looking for me." She responded neutrally as she summoned the book that she had put down to her hands. "It's a god thing."
Deuce looked down before answering. "Well, you don't have to be out here. We just thought that it would be better than staying in that tight space the whole time."
"It is, it's just-" She sighed, looking up at the sky, "I can't shake this feeling, it's like somebody other than her is watching me." Heidi shook her head before focusing back on her book.
He frowned before giving her a light smile. "Well, if you ever feel uncomfortable, I am pretty sure no one will give ya a tough time." He said adjusting his flea collar.
Heidi was about to respond when she saw something move between the trees in the distance. Her eyes narrowed, That could be either Artemis or her hunters. She thought as she closed the book.
"This thing is itchier than the fleas!" He says as he keeps adjusting his annoying collar. That's when he takes note of Heidi's stiffness. "What's up, dudette?"
Heidi was silent for a few more seconds before she took a deep breath, "It's nothing, I thought I saw something moving. I'll go check it out before I forget." She told him as she sent the book away.
He looked at her with a raised eyebrow. "Uh, okay. Well, Imma go check and see what Chester is up to." He said while walking to meet the other cat.
Heidi quickly disappeared into a nearby shadow before traveling to where she had seen the disturbance. The blonde fell out of the shadow and looked around. They're either hiding or they've disappeared. She thought as she looked at the ground.
Something caught her eye and she tilted her head before kneeling down to pick it up. A brown feather? She closed her eyes as tried to find any left over magic in it. Her eyes snapped open as soon as she found it.
That's Artemis alright. She's probably still in the area, I'm surprised I don't have an arrow in my head by now. Heidi thought as she set the feather back down and stood up. Must be one of those "Observe only" hunts that happens on occasion. The blonde shook her head before jumping into a shadow and traveling back to the others.
By the time she returned, everything was fully set up. The tents were pitched and a pile of sticks were surrounded by stones. Triple G figured that one of the "fire people" would light it.
Right now, he was paragliding on the back of the jet ski that Ara was driving. George was grilling along with Deuce while Chester was spraying raid on every crawling creature in sight. "Ugh, I hate bugs." He says while spraying more.
Heidi looked around as she felt Hestia appear next to her, "Perfect timing." She muttered to the other goddess.
"What did you find?" Hestia asked, her notepad already out as she looked at the blonde.
"A feather from one of Artemis's bird forms. Had a magical trace on it." Heidi glanced at where she had found it and Hestia quickly nodded.
The older goddess jotted the information down before looking at her again, "They sent her to observe, and to only observe." Hestia informed her.
Heidi sighed while shaking her head, "Of course they did." She mumbled while closing her eyes.
That's when Hazel walked out with some of the sides for dinner in large bowls. "George, you wanted these? Here. I put tops on them so we would get any extra protein in the food." Hazel says with a wince.
George cringed and nods, "Thanks. Bring out the rest, would you?"
Hazel nods and says, "I am also going to change clothes." She says looking at her usually attire. "White is not an outdoor friendly color. I will be back shortly." She says as she runs off.
George smiles and goes back to his grilling spree.
Hestia gazed at the girl before looking back at her notes. "I agreed to a demonstration." She stated with a small smile.
Heidi raised an eyebrow, "Really? Well, don't make too large of a smoke signal. I don't want old man Zeus descending on my location." She told her with a large grin. "You'd have to help me out."
Hestia chuckled and shook her head, "The smoke will not be an issue." She said while closing her notepad.
"As I said, just don't signal Zeus. I don't care what you do." Heidi said in amusement as she put a hand on her hip.
"AAAAAGGHGH!" Triple G says when he (somehow) had been released from the paraglider. He fell into the cold waters below with a hard slap.
Pow!
Chester cringed at the sight. "Oooh. That had to sting…"
Ara, on the other hand, bursts into hysterics. Triple G, when he came to the surface, glared at her as she laughed. Hard.
Unfortunately, she forgot she was still supposed to be driving the jet ski. Next, she ran into a large log. The impact caused her to get bucked of the jet ski and flipping into the water herself.
She came back up with halved eyes because she already knew Triple G was laughing. Eventually, She broke into a smile and they all began to laugh, even George and Chester.
Heidi shook her head at the scene while Hestia chuckled at the sight. The older goddess saw that the firepit had yet to be lit so she flicked a small vibrant red ember at it. As soon as it made contact, the fire started and burned a bright red.
Heidi rolled her eyes, "Well, I suppose that's better than mine. Blue fire doesn't make good bonfires." She said as she folded her arms.
Hazel returned to the outdoors with the rest of the sides in her new outfit. Nothing much. Just a comfortable green floral patterned tunic with black tights and brown boots.
"Okay, George, I got the rest of the-" She pauses when she sees the odd scene in the lake. "Did I miss something?" She asks him.
"Oh, you missed nothing but shame and embarrassment." He says casually.
Hazel nods. "Oh, so the usual, then?"
"Yep." He says. "The skewers are almost done." He flips a steak over and says, "We will have to wait a bit for these, though."
Hazel nods and turns her attention to the wet people. "You two better dry off before coming. I don't want watered down cheese burgers and soggy buns!"
Ara scoffs, "I got it! I got it!" She says when she makes it to shore.
Heidi hummed in thought as she tilted her head, "Any idea on which god is gonna chase me the most after the wall?" She asked the goddess next to her.
Hestia tapped her arm with a thoughtful look, "Besides Hermes? I am unaware of any." Hestia told her, the thoughtful look still on her face.
"Ah, so it's a surprise then." Heidi muttered, her eyes halving at the idea of a random god or goddess jumping her. "Gotta love that."
Ara removed the water from her clothing and sends it back into the lake. She does the same to Triple G and he sighs in relief.
"Much better. I thought I was going to end up with a cold." He says to Ara.
Hazel steps up to him and says, "Even if you did come up with a cold, I would use my natural magic to heal you. It's no big deal." She says calmly.
Triple G scratches his head, "What would I do without you two?"
"Be a hermit." Ara replies earning a glare from him.
"Don't make me put you back in that lake!" He says challengingly.
Ara looked at him in amusement. "Oh, you wanna go?" She says while holding up Her fists.
"Bring it!" He says as he holds up his.
They just end up slapping each other's hands like chickens.
Hazel looks at them with halved eyes while George, Chester, and Deuce pays them no mind.
Hazel holds up the smores supplies and blandly says, "Ooh, look. Smores."
"Yay! Smores!" Ara exclaims completely forgetting their skirmish.
"Ooh, I want some!" He says while grabbing the supplies and running to the fire. He and Ara were bickering on their way there.
Hazel took time to shake her head before her eyes landed on Hestia. She goes over to her and says, "Uh, hi. Are you ready?"
Hestia looked at her with a smile, "Of course." She gazed at Heidi who was looking at her nails in boredom. "Will you remain out?" She asked while tilting her head.
Heidi shook her head, "I'd rather not, I've seen enough things in the woods for now." She said before she waved her fingers and flew into a shadow.
Hazel exhaled in stress before turning back to Hestia. She asks her, "So, where do you want to go? Maybe there is a spacious area around here..?"
Hestia looked in the direction of where the Goddess of the Hunt had been. She pointed a little past it with a smile, "There is a clearing past those trees." She informed her while folding her hands.
"Um, okay. Well, I guess I will follow you." She says shyly.
Hestia chuckled softly as she began walking. She stole a glance at the trees, watching for the other goddess to reappear and disappear within mere seconds. She saw a brief flash of white before it disappeared and traveled to another portion of the forest. Her eyes narrowed, but she managed to keep the pleasant smile on her face.
Hazel played with her fingers as she cell in step behind the goddess. She managed to look up every once in a while to count the trees, but she mostly found herself looking down on all her shyness. There, she kept herself busy by naming the genus of all of the mushrooms she'd pass by.
Hestia looked away from the trees as they entered the clearing. I am surprised she has not detected Artemis yet. The goddess thought, looking up at the sky in thought.
"Hestia?" Hazel calls the goddess. "Is this the clearing you were referring to?" She asks while looking around.
Hestia nodded and took a few more steps before stopping and turning around to face her. "Yes, it is."
Hazel nodded and sat on the ground without hesitation. "I will be here. Well...I guess you can do what you usually do." She says as she shrugged.
Hestia smiled before summoning the ruby colored fire to her hands. She lifted both hands up and a fire suddenly appeared behind her, burning the same red color that the ones on her hands were burning. She quickly brought her hands down and the fire extinguished immediately while the fire on her hands disappeared.
From her spot on the ground, Hazel grinned largely. She clapped her hands. "That was amazing, Hestia!"
Hestia lifted her hand to her mouth and chuckled, "Thank you. I hope that helped, I know it did the last person who asked." She told her as her eyes closed.
Hazel tilted her head. "Really? Who was that?" She looked at her in confusion as she asked.
Hestia's eyes opened and she looked at the girl before pausing. "It was a long time ago." She shook her head before smiling, "Before Hades became...what he is now, he asked for help in controlling his fire. He still has no control, but he can at least summon it now." The goddess told her, her smile turning sad at the thought of her currently locked up brother.
Hazel winced. "Oh, sorry I asked."
"It's alright. I believe that he will reform, he just needs a good smack to the head, as someone once told me. It takes him a bit to see the error in his ways." Hestia said, the sadness now gone as she closed her eyes, "Gods have a lot of time to think about such things."
Hazel laughed and said, "I am sure you all do. I wish I was a goddess. Maybe I wouldn't be burning all of my chips." Hazel scratches her head in thought.
"Being a god or goddess does not lead to control. Hades and his daughter are perfect examples of this. They both rely on their emotions and this leads to a loss of control. Hades burns and Heidi explodes. Control comes from years of practice and while we have a few more than you, that doesn't mean we can control our powers." Hestia said as her eyes opened and focused on the girl.
"Hm, I guess I never thought of it that way…" She says in thought. "Well, I will try my best."
"Then that is all you need. As long as you try you can always move forward." The goddess said with a smile.
Hazel smiled before she felt herself getting emotional and she frowned. She looked behind her and said, "Well, I hate to part, but I think it's time for you to go back. I will be out here for a while."
Hestia gave her a small nod as she gazed at the trees, silently telling Artemis to leave the girl alone. She smiled before she disappeared in her column of fire.
Hazel watches the goddess disappear, and she is once again left with her thoughts. Hestia's words echoed through her mind as she remains seated in the grass. She looks up to the starry sky in deep thought.
Hey guys! I have decided that I will throw up these chapters by twos...everyday...of the week.
What? I need to catch up with Mera so we can release that new story on time. So I apologize for drowning you all with stories in advance.
Anyway, this chapter starts the count down to Olympus! Stay tuned! ⭐