Notes at bottom of the Chapter

Limping up the steps, his guild sanctioned armor cracked and in tatters only a few broken bits still attached the rest lost to the Dungeon. In its current state it was worthless and in truth hadn't aided him much in the way of protection against what he had just gone through. Blood dripped from all over his body, his clothes damp with the crimson liquid seeping through, numerous injuries covering his body. Everyone that saw him looked on in both disbelief that he was alive and pity at his sorry state. Time and time again hopeful rookie adventures delved into the Dungeon and not many were lucky enough to drag themselves back to the surface like he was.

The stares burned into him, it made him feel worthless as he hobbled up to the surface. Not a single offer of help came. Tears stung at his eyes as he slowly made his way upwards, he made sure not to look at anyone, keeping his head low to hide his oncoming tears, it would just make him feel even more pathetic if they knew how he cried like this. He didn't care that nobody offered him help, he'd be too embarrassed to take it anyway.

He was so stupid to think he could make it on the fifth floor of the Dungeon after only two weeks of being an adventurer. Who was he kidding, he wasn't some grand hero that had the world in his palm. He was just a hopeless naïve kid who didn't have a clue. Right now, he just wanted to go back to Eina so she could scold him. To tell him exactly what he himself knew, he was an idiot for going down further then he should have. What was her favorite saying?

"Adventurers should not go on an Adventure."

Time and time again she had warned him, telling him not to go beyond his skill level. She had tried to warn him of the dungeons threat, done everything she could to help him and he had been stupid to disregard her warnings. He'd never do so again.

He had only been on the fifth floor for a short time and the dungeon showed it's true colors to him, forcing him into a life and death battle against a middle floor monster. Call it a freak accident or some kind of divine wrath, he should never have been down that far. He was lucky he had survived the encounter, he didn't know how but somehow he had lost the monster amidst the fifth floor's winding caverns despite his injuries. But he was worse for wear. Everything hurt. He had never felt this much pain before.

Bell had no idea how he had even made it to the surface, some of it was just a blank, had he come across more monsters? He didn't recall running from them, he'd lost his guild sanctioned knife in running from the Minotaur so he wouldn't have been able to fight them. No, he didn't think he had come across any, not like it mattered if he had or not. He was reaching the surface now.

Had someone dealt with the Minotaur? Were others unfortunate like him and incurred the beast's wrath? Was it still down there preying on unknowing adventurers? Chills ran through him recalling his own encounter, he never wanted to face something terrifying like that again. Deep down he knew that if he continued to go into the Dungeon, he would have too. He had come to Orario to become an Adventurer, to have a chance encounter with a girl. How could he do that if he couldn't even survive?

The winding staircase was becoming more and more of an obstacle the closer he got to the surface, he needed several breaks just to make it to the entrance where people around him gave him a wide berth. Wheezing by the time he got to the top he limped along, the guild in sight across the courtyard. Stumbling into the guild, everything was spinning, he barely registered the cries and shouts as he collapsed to the floor. The only thing he was aware of was Eina's horrified expression as she saw him.

Hestia paced back and forth outside the guild's medical room door, Eina the half-elf, Bell's dungeon advisor sat quietly with her head down hiding her features with her glasses in her lap, although her posture was rigid showing her readiness to be on her feet in an instant. The moment Bell had stumbled through the guild's doors and collapsed, she had watched horrified from behind her register before abandoning the adventurer she had been serving and hurried to the boy's side.

How many adventurers had she lost since becoming an employee of the guild? She felt worthless, Bell could have lost his life today, all because she didn't prepare him enough. She had promised herself not again, she wouldn't get close to another adventurer but she had. She had and the moment Bell had stumbled through those doors she felt her world shatter, terrified that he might not make it. She... she couldn't keep doing this. Quietly she let the tears fall from her face into her lap.

When Hestia arrived after a message was sent to her, the Goddess had demanded to see him but with the medical staff doing their job it was best to keep her out of the way, so Eina had opted to wait with her outside of the door. Neither had an idea of what had happened but it was probably the boy's own eagerness that had him overwhelmed. There would undoubtedly be a thorough explanation depending on Bell's re-telling of events.

Hestia jumped back and Eina was immediately on her feet as the door to the medical room opened. Exiting was Amid Teasanare, the healer that had been called from the Dian Cecht Familia.

"He's stable." Amid began, Hestia not taking no for an answer hurriedly rushed past her and into the room. Amid quickly stepped to the side so as to not be barged over by the petite Goddess before turning to Eina who quickly wiped at her face hiding the evidence of her tears, trembling hands raised up to her chest. "It may take some time for him to recover, so it's best he gets some much needed rest."

"Thank you." Eina spoke softly, getting a nod from Amid.

"When he's awake, he might need someone to talk too." Amid told Eina, the advisor already knowing what she meant. The Dungeon had mentally scarred so many, if Bell had been traumatized it would be better for him, at such a young age to have counselling. With any luck, it wouldn't be that bad, but there was the possibility it was.

"Eina." The two turned to find another of the guilds workers Misha Flott, approaching with a slight frown on her face.

"Misha, what's wrong?" Eina questioned.

"I think it's about your adventurer, Bell… you see, the Loki Familia just returned and we got a messenger from them." Eina's eyes widened. "An incident occurred down on the seventeenth floor and Minotaur's were scattered among the upper floors, it seems that they were all exterminated but… it took some time." Eina's eyes widened as she realized why Bell was in such a state, he'd gone up against a Minotaur, something a level one didn't have the hope of surviving against, especially so new to the dungeon.

"He's lucky." Amid spoke softly. "Any other casualties?"

"None reported." Misha stated. "It seemed that the last Minotaur was killed on the fifth floor by the Sword Princess, from the report it seemed like there weren't a lot of Adventure's down on that floor today." Misha explained as Eina raised a hand to her forehead, now that they had an explanation… It meant dealing with the fact that Loki Familia was the cause behind such an event, and how it had almost destroyed a lower tier Familia and could have possibly dealt a lot more damage if the circumstances were different.

Generally, not much would be said about it, the Guild would take compensation from the offending Familia and depending on the affected party split the payment between the Guild and the party involved, but considering Goddess Hestia's attachment to the boy and her relationship with Goddess Loki... their relationship wasn't exactly pleasant, the situation could turn worse for the Hestia Familia if Eina let them deal with it themselves.

"Misha, can you draw up a compensation offer for Loki Familia, it's best we handle this without dragging Goddess Hestia into it." Eina explained.

"That's what I thought." Misha nodded in agreement, the bitter rivalry between the two Goddesses was well known and the sheer spite of some deities was something to be wary of. "Is Bell alright?"

"For now he's resting." Amid stated. "I'll take my leave." With a bow to both guild workers, Amid left. Eina glanced at the door that was slightly ajar, both could hear Hestia speaking softly to Bell, despite him being unconscious. The half-elf moved and closed the door to give them some privacy. Sighing softly Misha placed a hand on her shoulder.

"He'll be okay, he's a tough kid." Misha tried to console her.

"Yeah… but that's just it, he's still just a kid." Eina added softly as she felt tears come to her eyes. "I... I can't keep doing this Misha." The pink haired girl frowned as she rested a hand on the elf's shoulder before pulling her into a hug. Eina was usually stoic and calm, keeping Adventure's at arm's length like most of the senior guild staff do. Their job soon led to heartbreak if you became attached, you learnt that early on in the job. However Bell had seemed to easily reach Eina and their relationship had become close.

Hestia sat in a chair by Bell's side as he lay asleep in the bed, his unconscious face brought her pain. He seemed so peaceful despite everything he had gone through. She had been stubborn, refusing to build up their Familia for it to just be him and her. But it meant that Bell faced the Dungeon alone, she couldn't help him there. She had been selfish and this was the result. The Goddess reached out and cupped his hand softly, he hadn't awoken since he had been treated.

"I'm so sorry Bell." She spoke softly, doing her best not to sob, instead she bowed her head down low. "We'll grow our Familia, so you're not alone. I don't want you to be alone when you're in the Dungeon anymore, I can't bear to lose you." Hestia could still remember when Bell had first gone to the dungeon, how he had been so excited after killing a single goblin that he quickly rushed back to the surface just to tell her. At the time, she couldn't say she was thrilled… they were just starting out and he was so happy that he had killed a single goblin. She'd give anything for him to come back as happy as that again.

Raising from her chair she leaned over and kissed him on the forehead before turning and leaving the room. The petite Goddess looked around the guild, it was late afternoon showing just how long she herself had been here for. There were a few adventurers mulling about passing the afternoon either looking at the request board or exchanging their loot from the dungeon for some Valis.

Walking through the guild, searching for Bell's advisor she soon found the half-elf barely concentrating on her work, no doubt that Miss Advisor was worried for Bell and it was occupying her thoughts. Pushing past her current feeling of jealousy that someone might take Bell away from her, she approached the unsuspecting half-elf. Eina looked up and was surprised to see the petite twin tailed Goddess standing before her.

"Goddess Hestia, is it Bell? Is something wrong?" The worry on the half-elf's face brought warmth within Hestia, at least he had someone looking out for him, but it still wasn't enough, Eina wasn't someone that could help him in the Dungeon, not like he needed.

"He's still asleep." Hestia assured. "I actually wanted to talk to you about something." Hestia told her. Eina looked around seeing that she wasn't particularly needed, Misha more than likely covering her usual duties for the afternoon, she gestured for the Goddess to follow her.

The two walked across the guild to the private rooms where they could talk without anyone hindering their conversation. Eina closed the door after her as Hestia took a seat, the half-elf saw that the Goddess was exhausted after everything that had happened but was keeping herself together despite probably wanting to break down after what had happened to Bell. Taking a seat opposite Hestia, the table between them she waited for Hestia to speak. It took a while, almost as if the Goddess was gathering her resolve to ask her something.

"I want to help Bell anyway that I can." Hestia began. "The first thing I need to do is to increase the members of my Familia, I won't have Bell fight alone anymore." Eina was surprised by the sudden declaration. No doubt she had thought this over, considering Bell was the only member of the Hestia Familia, he was a Solo Adventurer and didn't have the luxury of more experienced members to teach him, something he desperately needed was guidance.

Most low tier Familia also had connections with other Familia and their members could join up from time to time to form parties, but Bell and Hestia didn't have those connections. While Hestia may know other Gods, it wasn't very welcome to try and force adventurers of different Familia to work together, it took time to form such a partnership. So Bell had been going at it alone since he first arrived in Orario, just coming on two weeks now. Eina knew that low ranking Solo adventures never lasted long, it was good that Hestia was making this decision now and not when it was too late, at least she had the chance to do it now.

"Is there anyone that you can recommend to join us?" Hestia questioned, Eina however frowned. She herself had already come to a decision, something she hoped she could wait until Bell was awake before she spoke about it, but it seemed that it was coming up now.

"Hestia, before we begin." Eina began softly bringing Hestia's curiosity to the surface. "After today, I've made a decision." Hestia frowned slightly, already seeing where this was going. There was so much sorrow in the half-elf that even if she wasn't a deity, she'd be able to see it clear as day.

"You won't be Bell's advisor anymore." Hestia stated, having come to the conclusion.

"I'm sorry." Eina hung her head in a bow, tears already streaming down her face. "After today... I can't!" She couldn't hold it back any longer, she bawled. "I've lost so many adventure's before, I've done my best to keep my distance but with Bell, it just happened! I can't bare to think that I can't provide him with everything he needs, I can't lose him too! I'm not suited to be his advisor!" Huddled over in her own lap, Eina's body was wracked with sobs as she let it all loose.

"It's okay." Hestia crossed the room, kneeling down before the young half-elf placing her hands on her shoulders. "I'm just glad that there was someone watching over him." She smiled, Eina raising her head. "Thank You for everything you've done to help Bell, without you he might already be dead. So truly, you have my thanks." Hestia smiled.

"I'm sorry." Eina apologised again, but Hestia shook her head there was no need for it.

"I'll let Bell know." Hestia stated surprising Eina. "It might hurt, but I'll be sure to make it as easy as possible for him."

"Thank you Goddess Hestia." Eina sniffed as she removed her glasses and wiped at her eyes. There was silence between them as Hestia too helped Eina clean her face of the light makeup that she wore which was now ruined. "I'm sorry." She apologised again.

"Would you still be willing to give any recommendations?" Hestia asked getting a nod from Eina.

"I'd be happy too." Eina told her. "I might not be able to help Bell directly, I can at least send some good people your way. I'll even find Bell a better advisor then me so he can still learn about the dungeon."

"Thankyou." Hestia smiled.

Groggily, red eyes opened. Bell took a few moments to try and figure things out as his memory cleared and everything came back to him. Raising a hand to his face, closing his eyes. He was still sore from what had happened but in no way was he in agony like he had been when he had climbed the steps of the dungeon. His body trembled slightly as he came to the realization that he was alive and he was happy that he was. Everything had happened so fast, being on the fifth floor fighting monsters until the Minotaur appeared. He didn't stand a chance against it. How had he survived?

"Bell." Whipping his head to the side, he saw the smiling face of his Goddess. "I'm so glad you're okay." Tears were already forming in her eyes, despite her attempts to try and wipe them away, overflowing with happiness the tears just kept on coming.

"Goddess… I'm sorry, I'm…" Bell himself began to tear up, burying his face into his arm, not wanting to cry like some child. The two cried together for a short time, Hestia never letting his free hand go. It took a little while for Hestia to explain to Bell that he was in the guild infirmary, that he had been healed and his standing orders from his advisor were to rest for a few days before even thinking of going back down into the Dungeon.

Once everything was cleared up, Hestia led him from the infirmary, Bell felt as if everyone was staring at him as if they all knew what had happened, he had just followed after Hestia, the Goddess leading him by the hand. The next time Bell actually raised his head, they were already in the back streets of Orario, far from the guild and on the last stretch to their home beneath the abandoned church.

"You're to do nothing but rest, Bell." Hestia told him, now walking beside him not having let go of his hand for an instant since leaving the guild. "We've got a lot to talk about, but before that you should have a bath and get comfortable."

"Right." Bell nodded softly as Hestia led them into the church and down the stairs that led to the hidden room underneath. It was nothing grand, too small even for the both of them but they had made due in the time since becoming a Familia, it was going to get more crowded too if they were going to grow and didn't find a new place soon. Hestia sat cross legged on the green tattered couch as Bell gathered some spare clothes before he headed for the shared bathroom.

Before Bell had awoken, Hestia had been given the full rundown on what had happened by Eina, how the Loki Familia had made a mistake and had unleashed a horde of Minotaur's onto the upper floors, undoubtedly the cause of this whole mess. At first, Hestia had demanded she be able to see Loki and demand compensation for what had happened, however Eina had calmed her down before explaining that if Loki knew that the Hestia Familia was the only one affected then she'd likely not give them a dime in compensation, considering the animosity between the two Goddesses.

While Hestia hated the thought of taking anything from Loki, if they were going to get back on their feet then they would need the money, even if it was enough for Bell to get new gear. So she had let the Guild handle it and opted to believe in Bell's former advisor. If they were going to be serious about building up their Familia, then they would need money.

In Bell's current state she doubted that a large income would be coming from the Dungeon until he was at a hundred percent, not that going solo had brought much more than her own part time job anyway. She shouldn't have been so selfish and increased her Familia earlier. Today would be the day that the foundation of the Hestia Familia rose up.

"We'll rise to the top of Orario." Hestia smiled as she looked over to the bathroom door, it would be an ambition for the two of them. "We'll stand at the top together." She declared mentally. Waiting for Bell to finish, it wasn't long before he exited the bathroom towel draped around his neck wearing his general black long sleeved shirt and pants. No doubt the clothes he had worn to the dungeon would need to be thrown out with how tattered and matted with blood they were. He looked a bit more vibrant but it was clear that what had happened down in the Dungeon was still weighing on him.

Patting the cushion next to her with a smile on her face directed to the boy, Bell slowly made his approach before sitting down beside her.

"It's okay Bell, you're allowed to be frightened." Hestia soothed as she lay her head on his shoulder, while they had a lot to talk about, they had time. "The dungeon's a scary place."

"It's my fault Goddess, I should never have gone down to the fifth floor." Bell spoke softly as he lowered his head. "I stuffed up." He muttered, raising a hand to his eyes as his shoulders began to tremble.

"Hey, hey, hey…" She placed a hand on his back rubbing circles over his shirt, calming him down. While Bell shouldn't have been down that far to begin with, it wasn't his fault that the minotaur, something that started spawning from the fifteenth floor, was roaming the fifth floor. Jumping up from the couch she stood before him with her hands on her hips, the boy raising his head, his blood crimson eyes meeting her sea blue ones. "We're going to build our Familia from now on Bell, I won't have you go to the Dungeon alone anymore."

"Goddess?" Bell questioned wide eyed, surprised at the sudden declaration, of course he had brought the subject up with her in their time together but she had just waved it off as an inconvenience, both knowing it was no simple thing to recruit to an unknown Familia.

"I've already talked with the guild about it." Hestia nodded surprising Bell once more. "So Bell." Hestia smiled down at him. "Will you like to build our family?" Bell nodded as tears ran down his face, she knew family meant a lot to Bell, before coming to Orario all he had was his Grandfather, no doubt he wanted to build a large Familia to have a large family. She had denied him of that, but no longer. Finally, the Hestia Familiar would rise and make a name for itself in Orario.

"I'll become stronger Goddess, I'll make sure our Familia is strong. I promise." Bell's words brought a smile to her face as she held him close.

"There." Hestia smiled as she dusted off her hands. Her and Bell had used the past few days to tidy up the abandoned church after Bell had rested for a bit more. Hestia had made a mental note to be sure to update Bell's status before he ventured back down into the Dungeon when he was ready. She wanted him to be at his best for the next time he delved down into the labyrinth below their feet, with any luck he wouldn't be alone this time.

The reason for the clean up was if they were to welcome new members then they wanted somewhere that they could meet instead of using the hidden room underneath considering it's small size it might be a little cramped, even for just adding another person. This would also give Hestia adequate room to hold the interviews, she didn't know how many people Eina would send to be interviewed, but the room was there if needed.

In truth, it was clear enough that this was only a temporary home for now, until a time could come that they might get a different place of residence where the Familia could live as one, like other larger Familia's. As long as the person was trustworthy and kind, Hestia had no reason to turn them away.

After Bell had rested some, Hestia had given Bell the news about Eina's choice to stop being his advisor. It hadn't been easy to explain to him why, but she had managed to portray that it was clear she had come to care for him and as apart of her job it made it hard on her. Bell came to understand and while hurt, he didn't fault Eina's decision on the matter. He would go to the guild when he was ready and be given another advisor, Eina would have a replacement ready for him when he returned.

A slight creak caught Hestia's attention as she turned to the church doors before a loud knock could be heard on the other side. Blinking, the Goddess hurried over to the door, did they already have a candidate? Halting before the door she made sure her dress was straight and clean before tidying her hair a bit before taking a deep breath. There was a knock once more and she opened the door wide with just as wide a smile on her face ready to greet whoever had come to join the Hestia Familia.

"Ah, Goddess Hestia I have a delivery for..." The woman looked at the invoice she had been given. "One Bell Cranel." She nodded as she looked back up to the Goddess, Hestia knew her to be apart of Hermes Familia. Asfi Al Andromeda, the Captain of the Hermes Familia.

"A delivery?" Hestia questioned, who would be sending Bell anything and why through the Hermes Familia? It's not like the Hermes Familia did the regular post for Orario, they only delivered packages from far outside of the city of Adventures, who would know Bell outside of Orario? Asfi brought forth a large bundle wrapped tightly. She offered it to Hestia before hesitating.

"It's heavy, Goddess." Asfi told her, Hestia nodded and held both arms out for it and her eyes widened as she almost fell over from the weight within, ASfi was a high level adventurer and it was clear the weight of the package was no issue for her.

"I... I got it..." Hestia huffed forcing all her strength to carry the weighty delivery. Asfi took a step back and after seeing Hestia managing and nodded.

"I'll be on my way, Goddess." With that the woman was gone, Hestia took a step back before reaching out with her foot and kicking the door shut. Groaning she hurried to carry the delivery over to the stage, almost losing her balance a couple of times but managed to lay the delivery down with a heavy sigh. She leaned over the delivery with curious eyes before shaking her head, it was a delivery for Bell, not her.

"Goddess? Did I hear someone at the door?" Bell's voice came from the door to the stage, she looked up to find him standing there with a cup of water and a brush that he used for brushing his teeth.

"You got a delivery Bell." Hestia smiled showing the large bundle she had set down. Bell's eyes widened both in surprise and confusion, even he was unsure of who had sent him something. "Well are you going to open it?" She asked teasingly. Bell nodded and hurried over, sliding off the stage to stand beside her as they both looked down at the delivery.

Reaching out Bell began to untie the knots that held the parcel tight, each one loosening the slack of the packaging that surrounded it. He slowly pulled the packaging away to find something wrapped in a red cloth with a Grecian pattern. As he maneuvered the cloth they both heard the rattling of chains and as Bell uncovered the items inside, their eyes widened at what was within.

The blades that were uncovered were a pair of very large dagger like weapons. The intricate golden pommels of each of the weapons were equipped with heavy long chains of considerable length.

"Woah." Bell breathed out as he reached out, running a hand over the rough cracked surface of one of the blades, just touching it brought embers alight in the air causing him to pull his hand back in surprise at the sudden flow of magic in the blades, never having witnessed anything like it before.

"These blades." Hestia breathed out awe struck at the weapons. "They're powerful." She could feel the incredible power from them brimming with magic power, it was clear no mortal had made these blades. Just who had sent them to Bell? There didn't seem to be a note at all with them or any signs of who had sent them. Bell grabbed the handle of both blades and lifted them up, his Falna alone giving him the strength to do so, the blades brimming with magic ignited in his grip before going dormant once more.

"I've never seen anything like them Goddess." Bell breathed as he admired them, they might not look like anything special but they definitely were. It was almost like Hephaestus had made them herself, and not those which she had made here in the lower world but something she had created with the full extent of her powers. "Are they really mine?" Bell questioned looking to Hestia.

"They were delivered to you Bell, I don't think there was any mix up." She stated as Bell lowered the weapons before looking for any kind of note, but came up empty handed. "When I see Hermes next, I'll see if I can't track down who sent them to you, okay." Hestia herself was intrigued by who might send weapons to Bell, not only that but as to why the Captain of the Hermes Familia had personally delivered them, it was just odd in her mind.

"Okay, thank you Goddess." Bell smiled as he admired the blades once more before throwing the red fabric over them again, he was about to pick them up to take them downstairs before a voice spoke up.

"Um... excuse me." Both Bell and Hestia whipped around in surprise to find a girl with short pink hair with forward twin tails poking her head through with a look of curiosity on her face. "I'm looking for the Hestia Familia."

To be continued...

Hello and welcome to my first fic.

I'm going to be blunt right now. I'm no great writer and you should 100% never expect greatness from me, you'll be severely disappointed if you do. I'm giving this a try to see how I go. I apologise for any grammar mistakes or the like that you will most likely pick up on. I'm not the most literate person, I know my basics but sometimes even that falls short due to my incompetence.

If you can tolerate that, I look forward to taking this journey with the readers out there. I have a slew of ideas but I'll try to keep them in check so I don't overload myself. I will be posting general outlines of my ideas on my profile page when I have the time.

Any queries or suggestions, I would love to read them. Anything goes.

- Now onto the story -

- After reading Chapter 1, you're aware that this is clearly a different base for how the story from here will unfold for our young hero. Ais will no longer be the drive for Bell to grow, instead it will be strengthening himself and his Familia.

This effects his Liaris Freese skill, so instead of Ais being Bell's desire, his desire will simply be to get stronger, to get his Familia stronger. I'll reveal some more when I give out Bell's status.

- As some of you can probably tell, the blades present are known as the Blades of Chaos from the God of War series, I'm a big fan of all the games and while this is not a crossover I might add some of the other weapons further down the line, but no characters of the God of War series will be present. I got this idea to use the blades after reading A Tricksters Secret Rabbit by Alpine992, however they used the Leviathan Axe in their fic.

- Expect Characters from Orario Rhapsodia and Memoria Freese to be present in this fic. While I was never able to play Rhapsodia, I intend to use the characters present to make up the Hestia Familia.

I'll also be changing up some events that happened in the past, so some characters may be present that were to have passed away prior to the canon storyline.

- Side note -

I'm willing to pay for Fanart of Bell with the Blades of Chaos, so if anyone is a talented artist and wants to do a commission let me know and we can get into the details.

That's all that I can think of for now, I hope you enjoy and leave a comment if you're up to it. I'd love to hear your take.