Rumi's heart was hammering in her chest. One moment, she and Percy had been speaking in the hallway outside Percy's room in their hotel, and the next, fires had erupted around them and they had somehow been teleported away to some strange-looking apartment.
It was an ambush, it had to be. Percy had told her what his principal had warned him about in regards to the American government. Was it possible that an American hero had some sort of fire-type emitter quirk that allowed them to teleport people from one place to another? She had never really heard of a quirk like that, but she was far from an expert on quirks. She supposed it was entirely possible that a quirk like that existed, but that was far from her priority at that point.
Her eyes darted from one corner of the apartment to the other, scanning for potential threats. She was trying to focus her enhanced hearing to see if she could hear the sound of someone moving around in the shadows, or breathing of some kind, but her senses were overwhelmed by the high-pitched crackling of the small fire in the middle of the apartment.
That was when she heard the voice. An old, frail voice belonging to a woman.
"Hello nephew…you've been gone for some time…welcome home."
Rumi's head snapped to where the voice had come from, but in the glare of the light cast from the flames, she couldn't make out what the speaker looked like.
She was confused by the statement. Nephew? Were there others in the room? She didn't think so, but it was possible. Still, it sounded an awful lot like the woman had been speaking to them.
Speaking to Percy.
She dared a glance out of the corner of her eye, and stiffened where she stood. Percy was staring off into the darkness where the voice had come from. His eyes were wide, not in fear, but in surprise. His face contorted into an expression of utter disbelief.
"Hestia?"
His voice was soft, barely audible over the crackle of the fire.
"Hello Perseus," said the woman, Hestia, as she stepped out of the shadows. She was short, maybe even a few inches shorter than she was. Her hair, white as fresh snow, fell along her shoulder in an intricate braid that seemed beyond the abilities of a woman her age. Despite the age lines along her features, her former beauty was still prevalent.
"Hestia…" said Percy again, wonder on his features. "How…you…"
Rumi had no idea what was happening. Why was this ancient woman talking like she knew who Percy was, and why was Percy acting like he knew this strange woman.
"You've been gone a long time, Perseus," said Hestia, "A lot has changed." She had a broad smile on her face, as though she was not phased by the fact that the two of them were there. What did that mean? Was she the one to bring them there? That-that couldn't be possible. The amount of power necessary to pull both of them away from the hotel…that kind of control over someone's quirk should have been impossible for someone her age. It just wasn't making any sense.
The older woman spread her arms wide, and Percy took the cue and stepped forward, moving to embrace the small woman.
Something inside of Rumi snapped into action, and she moved to intercept Percy. Something about this, about all of this, was just rubbing her the wrong way. Percy, the man who wanted so badly to connect with something, anything, from his past, was all but frothing at the mouth at the opportunity to have something from his past walk into his life. For it to happen a mere couple of hours after he was just at the site of where his mother had been buried, where he was the most vulnerable he most likely had ever been.
It was too convenient.
Rumi had always been a woman to act first, and she did just that. Percy was fast, but in his current state, he wasn't in any mindset to utilize those talents. Putting herself in between Percy and Hestia, Rumi shot one foot out and kicked Percy aside. She didn't use too much force behind the attack, not enough to do any damage but was more than powerful enough to jut him away. She then spun, readjusted her footing, and kicked out at Hestia.
However the blow never connected.
Her foot stopped, midair, a strange orange glow around her foot. It took Rumi a moment for her brain to catch up to what she was looking at. Her eyes rose slowly from where her foot hung in mid-air, to the small woman in front of her. Hestia didn't even have a hand raised. She was simply sitting there. Casually. Comfortably. An almost pitying expression on her face.
"Sweetheart," said Hestia, "You are a few millennia too young to think you can play with me."
Rumi felt herself suddenly hauled up into the air. She dangled several feet in the air, her foot hooked up in the air as though strung up by a string.
"Hestia!" Rumi heard Percy call out, "Drop her!"
The older woman clicked her tongue, "Perseus, you didn't truly think that I would harm this young woman, did you?"
"Just-just please, drop her, gently," he added quickly. From her precarious place in the air, Rumi could see Hestia roll her eyes before the string holding her up abruptly vanished. Rumi felt weightless for a brief moment, before flipping and catching herself on her feet. Percy then put himself in between her and Hestia, who was looking thoroughly amused by the situation.
Rumi simply didn't know what to think. She didn't know what was happening, or how any of this made sense.
"Look…" said Percy, "I-I want to believe this is real…truly I do…but I need proof. Irrefutable proof that this is real…"
Hestia chuckled, and then nodded. "I swear upon the Styx that I am Hestia, Goddess of the Hearth…last of the Olympians."
There was a crack of thunder overhead, and Rumi watched in a strange sense of fascination as Percy's face drained of all color. At once, all weight seemed to leave his body, as though every worst fear had suddenly and abruptly come to fruition.
"It's true then…" He whispered,
"You've been gone a long time, Perseus," said Hestia, "And not even we are immune from the inevitable."
"What the hell is going on?" Yelled Rumi, her confusion and frustration finally boiling over. "Percy, what the fuck is happening!"
"You haven't told her," chuckled Hestia.
"Because she would have believed me?" Said Percy incredulously, and Hestia laughed genially,
"No," she said, "No I don't suppose she would. Why don't we have a seat."
Hestia lazily waved her hand, and Rumi suddenly felt herself sitting down in a comfortable, leather-backed chair.
"What the fuck…" muttered Rumi. Nothing was making sense, absolutely nothing about what was happening was making any sense.
"Now, Perseus, I know you have questions, but perhaps we should explain some of the basics to your young friend." Said Hestia,
"That would be nice," said Rumi sarcastically,
"But…the laws-" Percy started to say, only for Hestia to snort in amusement,
"The rules? Perseus, come now. There's no one left. It's just me. There aren't any rules anymore."
Percy looked as though he wanted to protest, but bit his tongue, and Rumi's confusion only grew.
"Introductions, then." Said Hestia, "My name is Hestia, Greek Goddess of the Hearth."
Rumi stared blankly at the woman. "That's a dumbass hero name."
Hestia let out a sharp, tinkling laugh, "Adorable," she said, "No dear, that's not my hero name."
Rumi stared at her in confusion,
"She means she's a goddess, Rumi," said Percy quietly, "As in, like, divine."
Rumi stared at Percy, and then she laughed. She tilted her head back, and let out a loud cackle.
"I must have hit you in the head, not in the stomach you dumbass," said Rumi, "A god? You gotta be kidding me."
"I'm not," said Percy, looking more serious than she had ever seen him look before. Rumi was startled for a moment, before the worry began to settle in. Percy was going insane…might have already been insane.
"I'm not insane," said Percy, and Rumi looked at him in confusion. She thought that she might have accidentally said it aloud, but her thoughts must have been showing on her face.
"Percy," said Rumi, speaking softly as though she could keep their conversation private, "You can't seriously believe in this crap?"
"Of course I do, Rumi," said Percy, "Because she's right, and she's really my aunt. No-listen to me!" He insisted when he saw that she was about to protest again.
"Think about it Rumi…haven't you ever wondered how strange it is that I have what looks like a bunch of different, seemingly unrelated quirks. Quirks that compliment each other, and are too individually powerful to be real? Haven't you wondered how, on top of that, I'm stronger and faster and more durable than I should be?"
Rumi gaped at him, "You…you cannot-CANNOT-be suggesting that you are a god."
"Half, actually," said Percy, as easily as though he were describing the color of the sky, "Dad was a god, Poseidon, and mom was a mortal. They hooked up, had me."
"And turned the world on its head in the process," said Hestia with a chuckle, "Oh you should have heard the things my brother said when he found out. You've never seen such a temper tantrum before."
Rumi wasn't paying attention to the older woman, she was too busy staring at Percy. He had to have cracked, had to have, because what he was suggesting was insane. Although, maybe she was the insane one, because there was a part of her that was starting to believe these two crazy people.
Too much was making sense. Percy was right, his powers and abilities…he shouldn't have nearly all of the abilities that he did. two quirks? That was rare, but it wasn't unheard of, but Percy would have needed to have three of four quirks at the bare minimum, and it was almost as though he was gaining new abilities too. That shouldn't have been possible. Percy shouldn't have been able to summon storms, fly, have the kind of strength and speed he had.
And then there was that strange transformation of his…
He called it transcendence. Even now, she could almost feel the almost ethereal power emanating from him. The raw strength that rolled off of him. That kind of power…that was almost like a super-powered quirk in and of itself. The power he gained from it had put him on an even footing with that faceless fuck he'd fought. The one that had fought All Might of all people to a standstill.
"If that isn't enough for you…" Percy said, "Then know this, when I got here for the first time, I was interviewed by Detective Tsukauchi about who I was and where I came from. You know his quirk, right?"
Rumi nodded.
"Then you know I had to tell the truth. And I told him exactly what I told you. Same thing to the staff of U.A. They all know, and they all believe me."
"Even the Cats?" Asked Rumi, her voice uncharacteristically soft,
"Not them…" said Percy, "They don't know, not yet anyways. But the rest of the staff do. Eraserhead, Present Mic, Midnight, Nezu, all of them. You can call and ask if you want…"
Not breaking her staring contest with Percy, Rumi reached down into the pocket of her pants and pulled out her phone. She had been given Aizawa's personal phone number when she had taken Percy on as an intern, and she dialed his number. The man was the epitome of straight-laced, he wouldn't lie to her about this.
The man picked up after one ring,
"Miruko," said Aizawa, his voice monotone, "Jackson giving you difficulties?"
"Something like that," said Rumi, still looking at Percy, "He just told me something, and I think I'm going insane because it's actually making sense."
There was a pause on the other end of the line, before Aizawa sighed.
"He told you then," he said, an annoyed huff in his voice, "Idiot."
"So it's true…? He's-I mean that he's not-"
"He's telling the truth," said Aizawa, "As far as we know, anyways. I saw him get interviewed by Detective Tsukauchi myself. Given everything else that we've seen him do…I think it's safe to say that he's telling the truth."
"..Okay…" Said Rumi, and gently shut the phone, still staring at Percy.
"So…" She said slowly, "Half-god, huh?"
"Yeah," said Percy, "And I promise, I'll fill you in more but-"
"But there are more important matters to discuss," said Hestia meaningfully, her attention fully on Percy, "Such as why the Shinto want you out of Japan."
BREAK
"What?" Said Percy. What did the Shinto have to do with anything? He hadn't seen hide nor hair of the Japanese gods since his arrival in Japan.
"I suppose," began Hestia, "That I need to explain some things."
"Yeah, like you are the one who has been contacting me in my dreams, right?" Rumi shot him a confused look, but Percy waved it aside, he would take the time to explain everything after he got some answers.
"I am," said Hestia, "And I believe that we should start at the beginning."
"Is this going to explain where my dad and all of the others went?" Asked Percy,
"Yes," said Hestia, and Percy felt his heart begin to beat a little faster in excitement.
Hestia leaned back further into her chair, and stared off into the burning embers of the hearth.
"It started shortly after your disappearance," began Hestia, "It was about two months, and no one had heard from you. A quest was dispatched to members of the camp to find you, but they found nothing. Your father, for the first time in nearly eighty years, ventured from his domain and into the Pacific, and when he did not sense your presence…his fury was immense."
"Oh no…" murmured Percy, he had a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach. Percy had gotten his own temper from his father…only his father's rage could be a bit more volatile.
"Precisely," said Hestia sadly, "He interrogated Susanoo, and when it became clear that he did not know of your location, your father's temper was uncontrolled."
Percy closed his eyes, he knew what that meant.
"How many?" Asked Percy.
"Nearly a thousand," said Hestia sadly,
Rumi was looking between the two, confused.
"What are you two talking about? A thousand what?"
"Are you familiar with the Tsunami of 2013?" Asked Hestia, and Rumi shook her head that did not,
"I suppose that is not unexpected," said Hestia, "It is my understanding that much of the history of the time before quirks has been lost." She sighed sadly and closed her eyes, "A Tsunami struck the coast of Japan, and nearly one thousand people were killed. Tokyo was nearly washed away by the flooding, and it is still uncertain how many perished as a result of the aftershocks. The incident…it nearly led to war. Had it not been for the timely revelation of what had occurred, it was all but certain that we would have been at war with the Shinto. While outright war was avoided, the animosity remained."
A pit formed in Percy's stomach, "They aren't happy I'm in Japan, are they?"
"No, no they are not." Said Hestia, "I've been having a visitor who is…shall we say…none-too-pleased that you are in Japan."
"The woman," said Percy immediately, then clarified when he saw the looks the others were giving him, "I saw this woman…during the battle with All for One. I thought it was just fatigue, or-or my mind playing tricks on me, but after All Might took over the fighting, I thought I saw a woman looking at me…They've been watching me."
"Amaterasu," sighed Hestia, rubbing at her forehead, "She is not the most subtle. Yes, she has been keeping an eye on you,"
"She's the reason you've been telling me to come to New York," said Percy, "She wants me gone."
"Yes, yes she does."
"Bitch!" Hissed Rumi, and Percy almost jumped at the venom in her voice, "What?" Snapped Rumi when she saw him looking at her, "You go out and save lives, and this bitch gets all pissy because your dad threw a temper tantrum? She can go fuck herself."
Hestia threw her head back and laughed, "Oh, I like this one Perseus." She took a moment to compose herself, before she turned back to Percy,
"She will try and kill you if you go back."
"She can try," said Percy hotly.
"I told her as much, as I told her it would be an exercise in futility to get you to stay." Said Hestia.
"Did she threaten you?" Asked Percy, he looked riled up.
"So much like your father," said Hestia nostalgically, "You're sweet Perseus, but no, she did not threaten me. Not in so many words, at any rate I am not her worry at the moment."
"What? Does she think I plan to finish what my father started? That I'm going to wage a one-man war against the pantheon."
"That is precisely what she is worried about," said Hestia, "You must understand what it was like dear. Tensions between our pantheons had not been so fraught since the second world war. We were preparing the camps for all out war."
"Gods," Percy muttered, leaning back in the chair and running a hand through his hair, "This is a fucking mess."
Hestia chuckled, "Succinctly put."
"So she's going to come after me when I go back," said Percy, more to himself, "Think she's going to throw down with civilians in the way? Or is she going to be considered with the collateral damage?"
"It is difficult to say," said Hestia, "My experiences with the Shinto are…limited."
"If you had to guess?" Pressed Rumi.
"If I had to guess, then she will be like others of our kind. She will not care for…collateral damage."
"Was worried you'd say that," muttered Percy in agitation, scratching behind his ear.
"What do you think?" He asked Rumi, who bit her lip.
"You'd potentially be putting the school and students at risk," she admitted, "But there's also no guarantee that they'll do anything at all. They haven't attacked you yet, and they've seen what you can do. They probably won't be too excited to challenge you near the kids."
"Still, do we want to risk that?" Asked Percy.
"You're not seriously thinking about staying here?" Asked Rumi, incredulous. She looked as though she were a few seconds away from decking him.
"Not really," said Percy, meaning it. "I have no plans on bending over for a goddess, regardless of who they are. Whether they like it or not, Japan is my home now. It's where my life is, where my friends are, where the people I care about are." He looked meaningfully at Rumi as he said it, and she colored slightly, but didn't break off her gaze.
They stared silently for a moment, before they looked away. Percy knew what his decision would be before Rumi had even spoken up, but there was no way he'd be backing down now. Hestia seemed to know what Percy was thinking, as she smiled serenely at him. The conversation fell into a lull, before Percy asked a question that had been pressing at the back of his mind for some time.
"So…what happened then?" Asked Percy, "To the others, I mean?"
Hestia sighed, and closed her eyes. She rocked back in her chair slowly, and the orange glow from the hearth illuminated her aging features, bathing her in a strangely ethereal light.
"The same that happens to us all eventually," said Hestia softly, "Time finally caught up with us. I wish I could say that my kin faded proudly, but I would be lying." For the first time in the time that he had known the Goddess, she looked genuinely heartbroken,
"When the first quirks began to appear, it was not just the mortals who were concerned. There were those of us on Olympus who had expressed concerns on what would occur. But my brother, stubborn and arrogant fool that he was, refused to hear a word of it. He was convinced that we were not going to be threatened by 'mere mortals with fire shooting out of their asses' or some such nonsense." She let out a soft sigh and opened her eyes, staring into the depths of the fire,
"Damned fool couldn't see what was about to happen."
"The wars," said Rumi in an undertone. Percy looked over at her, confused, as Hestia nodded.
"Indeed," said Hestia,
"Wars?" Asked Percy, "What wars?"
"You know better than most, dear nephew, what people will do to one another," said Hestia softly, "What happened was not dissimilar to what you were forced to endure. What all of my kin burdened their young with." She turned away from the fire.
"The mortals saw the potential that these quirk users had, what they could provide for them. It was not long before they were used as weapons of war. Nation after nation clambered to utilize the power of these unfortunate mortals, and were even willing to go to war with one another over it. I'm afraid to say that many of our children were swept up into the mess."
"What do you mean?" Asked Percy, "Were they being swept up by the government or something? Did they think we had quirks? And what about the camps, what about the mist? What about-"
"Peace, Perseus," said Hestia, "I am trying to explain. No, the mortal government was not abducting our children, not that I am aware of at any rate. But my brother, foolish as he was, did not see the mounting threat, and what was bound to occur. Where the Northman, and the Egyptians were able to protect their children from being swept into the chaos, our children were left virtually helpless." She sighed, "Scores of them were swept up into the mortal militaries across the world. Forced to fight and die, it was like the dark times all over again."
"So…so the ones who weren't at the camps…the ones that weren't protected…they got caught up in all of this." Said Percy slowly,
Hestia nodded, and she rubbed anxiously at her hands. As though she were cold and trying to warm herself, in spite of the intense heat of the fire.
"I do not know how many of our kin died in the wars, but I know it was by the score. The toll these battles had on the people of the world was…was terrible. But it was especially bad for our kind. We derive our power from belief, and the war had dealt a blow in those who were left to believe. What was not explained to you, Perseus, was the other reason my kin was so…prolific in their effort to spawn children."
Hestia looked immensely uncomfortable by the direction of the conversation, but Percy did not break away from looking at her,
"As I said, the nature of existence derives from belief in our existence. It is an almost ironic twist of fate, and so eons ago, my family came to the realization that they could sustain their presence through…relations with mortals. The more mortals they were intimate with, and the more children they sired, the more mortals that believed in our existence. And after the wars…when so many of our kind had been lost…it weakened us."
She looked lost in thought for a moment, and Percy waited patiently, he was invested in understanding what had happened to the Gods.
"Then came the age of the hero." Hestia smiled bitterly, "It is almost painful, the irony of the situation. My family for millennia, relied on heroes to do their bidding, only to be undone by mortal heroes." She smiled at Percy, "With the rise of heroes, fewer and fewer were willing to believe in my family. Fewer had children with them, fewer children were being born. And in our already vulnerable state…we began to collapse."
A tear rolled down from the corner of her eye and trickled down the side of her cheek, "We didn't notice at first…the…weaker of our kind disappeared and it shames me to admit that we hardly noticed their disappearance. It was not until Hecate faded, that the true reality of our hubris began to settle in." She chuckled sadly, dabbing at the corner of her eyes.
"Before we knew it…there were only a handful of us left."
"Why didn't you die?" Asked Rumi bluntly, and though Percy illustrated his annoyance with the question with a glare at the woman, he was also curious how the goddess had managed not to fade.
Hestia chuckled morosely, "Unlike my brethren, my survival was not linked to the mortals' belief in my existence. My life is linked to my family. So long as my family continues to live, so do I, and so too does Olympus," She stared meaningfully at Percy, and he blinked.
"You knew?" He asked.
"I had my suspicions," chuckled Hestia, "And then when I heard tell of some young upstart summoning hurricanes and earthquakes well…I supposed there could only truly be one person doing that."
"I wasn't all that subtle, huh?" Said Percy uncomfortably.
"Much like your father in that regard, nephew," teased Hestia.
"So what happens now?" Asked Percy, "What happens to you?"
"Me?" Said Hestia, "Well, I'll be staying right here."
"Why?" Asked Percy, "Why stay here, why not come with me? You can start anew in Japan. You don't have to be alone anymore."
"You always were such a sweet boy," smiled Hestia, "But I can't leave Olympus. Not only would it be veritable suicide for me to even set foot on Shinto lands, but I can't get too far from the mountain."
"The mountain?" Mouthed Rumi,
"Olympus," explained Percy, "It's at the top of the Empire State Building," He didn't see the look of incredulity on Rumi's face.
"I thought the mountain could move?" Asked Percy.
"Olympus moves with the heart of the west, not where we choose to go," explained Hestia, "Should I stray too far, then the last tethers keeping the pantheon tied to this realm would be lost forever."
"So?" Asked Rumi, "If the rest are gone, who cares if some stupid mountain disappears."
Hestia sighed, and shot Percy a commiserating look. He grinned sheepishly at the goddess, but he wasn't going to apologize for Rumi being Rumi.
"I don't expect you to understand," said Hestia, though not unkindly, "But I have a duty to the rest of my kin. So long as Perseus and I continue to live, then so too does Olympus. I shall not allow the last remnants of our ties to this realm fall any sooner than they must."
"That's dumb," grumbled Rumi, petulantly crossing her arms.
"Sticks and stones, child," smiled Hestia, "Sticks and stones." She turned back to Percy, "All of this talk aside nephew, I am happy for you. For not the first time, you have been asked to deal with the impossible. I know that this has not been easy for you. That you are hurting, I can see it in your heart. Yet you continue to persevere. Know that I am incredibly proud of you. You make your father, and your mother, incredibly proud."
"Thank you," smiled Percy, feeling uncharacteristically shy at the praise. Hestia had always been his favorite goddess, and to have her praise him so brazenly…it left him feeling warm.
"I'll come back," he promised, "I'll visit you. Just because you can't come to Japan, doesn't mean that I can't come to you."
"Kind boy," said Hestia with a smile, "I would appreciate that. The next time we meet, I dearly hope that we have fonder topics of discussion. But, alas, I fear that I have burdened you enough for one evening." His expression dropped.
"I apologize," said Hestia, "I did not wish to intrude on your mourning of your mother, but I knew that you would be leaving soon, and I did not want you returning to the island unprepared."
"It's okay," said Percy softly, "For what it's worth…it's nice to know what happened. To finally have some answers."
"Safe travels, nephew," said Hestia as the now familiar warm, tingling sensation built up around his chest, "Stay safe, and fight well." She looked over to Rumi, "Take care of my nephew, Rumi Usagiyama, he is all the family I have left. Should I discover that you failed him in any way…you shall find that even in my weakened state, my displeasure can and will be known."
Rumi didn't get a chance to respond, as there was a tugging sensation around their navels, and Percy and Rumi disappeared in a plume of flames, reappearing inside of Percy's hotel room.
Percy shot a look over to Rumi, she was staring intently at him.
Well, there went his night.
"Guess we should talk, huh?"
AN: So, this one was a tricky little bastard to figure out. I'd been trying for months to come up with as plausible an explanation as possible for the fading of the gods, and I think I did a decent job, but you're free to disagree. Things start really rolling from here on out though, and I think you can guess what's about to happen, so get excited. If you have any questions or want some clarifications on my thought process, go ahead chat me up on Discord. As always shoutout to Double0Sxvxn for being an awesome Beta and dealing with my bullshit and as always if you enjoyed this but haven't checked out my other work, give them a try you never know you might find something else you like. I'm also on discord now, where I and a bunch of other writers hang out, chat and brainstorm ideas, you just have to copy the link that's in my profile bio if you want to come and hang out with us. Stay safe, stay healthy and have an awesome week.
All My Love, and I'll see you soon,
LilDB