A nice big chapter for everyone! Lots of positive feedback on the last chapter and lemon. Those will appear time to time but this is mostly for serious and darker stuff so yeah. I see everyone is enjoying it though! Read on!
Disclaimer: Only plot is mine
Hestia slowly walked along the streets of Olympus as she headed in the direction of the throne room. Her face was near blank, her orange eyes lacking the usual fire in them. Over a decade had passed since Percy left and she still missed him as much, if not more. His smile, his mischievous smirk, those deep sea-green eyes and unruly hair … but most importantly his warmth. He had been like a walking beacon of hope and courage, always striving for the better future against all odds. It was that and how he felt just before he left that made her feel so cold and lonely without him.
It seemed that with his disappearance, tragedy after tragedy followed suit and most of them were from the Olympian's actions. The council had fallen apart to the point most looked at each other with open hostility or indifference. Poseidon rarely attended meetings anymore or moved from Atlantis and she hadn't spoken directly to him in all this time. Tensions between Apollo and Athena were at a near constant high ever since he was caught cheating on Annabeth, his wife. She grimaced at the memory of the wedding, knowing it was more of a political play on Zeus' part and power-grab from Annabeth with her mother's backing.
With Annabeth's marriage, the demigods who respected her and didn't know about her betrayal to Percy saw it as a hope for a better tomorrow. One of their own had succeed in reaching Olympus and having a 'happy' ending, gaining loyalty to Olympus and bringing the Apollo and Athena cabins closer together … until the affair that was. The godly politics had spilled into both camps with the respective children at each other's throats during war games and such. At this point Hestia was wondering if Annabeth would ever have a repeat of what she did to Percy and have an affair but then again her pride wouldn't let herself be brought down to a place similar to Aphrodite in that regard so Apollo was safe from that particular rage that he would doubtlessly have if any man dared touch Annabeth that wasn't him.
'Hypocrites the lot of them,' Hestia thought as she recalled Poseidon's words on Sally and how she was no longer his concern just because she'd moved on with her life. Otherwise there was the infiltration of Artemis' Hunt, the kidnapping of Andromeda, and slaughter of Phoebe… She'd seen the state of the body in a memory projection since Artemis had been too distraught to even speak during that emergency meeting so all the Olympians got a prime view of the carnage left behind by this 'Umbra'. Aphrodite had to leave from feeling sick at the sight with Dionysus close behind her. That event hadn't helped the tensions at all and Artemis had the gall to try and come to Hestia for comfort.
Never before had Hestia outright rejected someone in need but she didn't even flinch as she told Artemis to leave her and closed her palace doors in her once favorite niece's face. Things got quiet for a few years then, Hestia simply remaining silent as she watched her family decay by the day as they got angrier with each other and made their heroes angrier as well, which ultimately went back to them. It was a vicious cycle of self-perpetuating hate. Then disaster struck again in a mere three days with the revelation of Piper cheating on Jason (thanks to the meddling of Aphrodite), the defeating of Apollo and then disappearance of Jason but Nico as well, and finally Thalia leaving the Hunt as well.
That had been particularly nasty since Thalia had openly revealed how Artemis got around her oath making several Olympians lose faith in the huntress and soon enough all of Olympus knew. The twins had become laughing stocks after that week, one for being defeated so soundly without any clue as to what happened and Artemis for even further losses to her Hunt as well as the remaining failures of tracking down Percy or Umbra. Aphrodite was a wreck still after losing her relationship to her favored daughter, Ares was even more irritable, Zeus spent the meetings between scolding a silent Artemis and holding back a furious Athena from murdering her half-brother while the rest of the council watched on in silence.
Lastly had been the release of Hercules and that thoroughly terrified the council since there had been an unknown and clearly powerful presence there during the breaking of the seal keeping the god of Strength contained on the island between the Straights of Gibraltar. Major and minor gods alike had panicked for days but the council quelled them soon enough while managing to keep the information from the camps … but now there were whispers of a new enemy coming along with the ominous name 'Umbra' that Thalia had called on her disappearance.
'I wonder what the meeting about now is though. It's been quiet again for a year or two,' she wondered as she glanced around and noted that she was in the market of Olympus, still on her way to the throne room. It was depressingly empty compared to usual, with only a few minor gods milling around and some salesmen still calling their pitches. However, with her attention elsewhere she didn't notice until too late as a child ran into her. She stumbled a bit as the child squeaked in surprise while falling on her bum. Hestia took in her dark brown hair and light green eyes … though something about her face seemed almost familiar.
"Oh I'm sorry, here, let me help you," she said kindly as she offered a hand which the little girl took eagerly.
"Thank you miss," the little girl, which Hestia assumed was a godling considering she felt different from any demigod.
"No problem sweetie, just be careful now," she replied while ruffling the girl's head making her pout cutely as Hestia giggled.
"Okay, bye miss!" the girl chirped before she turned and ran down the market before taking an alley and disappearing from sight.
"Hmm … kids," Hestia said with a faint smile before she frowned as she looked at her own hand, noticing for the first time that there was a note in it. "When did … the girl!" she muttered in surprise before looking around but spotted nothing out of the ordinary.
She then looked back at the folded note and slowly opened it before reading the sentence as her eyes widened. Them, the note suddenly caught fire and turned to ash before she could stop it.
"W-what …?" she stuttered as she watched the ash blow away, the words written playing over in her head again and again.
'Remember my promise … and play along.'
There was only one person who'd made her a promise she cared about nowadays … and that was Percy. 'Percy … is he back!? Did he return … for me?' she asked herself as a spark of hope ignited within her eyes. Percy, the boy who grew into a man, the man that turned into a hero, the hero that claimed her heart. He was coming back and had told only her about it! She suddenly felt giddy as she quickened her pace to the throne room. The note said to play along so she assumed it meant go about the day as usual. So she did just that as she arrived at her throne soon enough and waited patiently as the others either walked in or flashed in. Once everyone was assembled Zeus called the meeting to order by sending a bolt into the sky. It had gotten so old no one bothered to even roll their eyes.
"This meeting is now in order," he boomed as he looked around the throne room. "Now then, Artemis, anything to report?" he asked testily while rubbing the corner of his lips where Hestia could make out the slightest trace of lipstick … and judging by Hera's fuming expression another child of Zeus was on the way.
"Nothing father," Artemis replied coldly, her eyes never leaving the floor before her.
Zeus scoffed before continuing, "And Lupa? At least her pack should be able to get some results."
Artemis didn't react to the jab, just merely shook her head in the negative as Zeus grumbled before looking to Poseidon. "And you brother, any news from the seas? There was that odd earthquake a year or so back that you claim wasn't your doing."
"Damn near leveled part of the Bay Area in California," Athena added with a snicker at her petty rival.
"It wasn't my doing," Poseidon bit back at the wisdom goddess before looking away.
Silence reigned for a few moments before Zeus cleared his throat to get the attention before continuing. "Very well. Does any other god have anything else to say or report before we move on to the reviews of our domains and any disturbances?"
After a few seconds Aphrodite slowly raised her hand while wiping away at a tear or two.
"Yes Aphrodite?" Zeus asked with a raised eyebrow since Aphrodite never takes an active part of the meetings.
"There is something wrong my lord," Aphrodite answered weakly much to the growing curiosity of the council. "It seems that … I can no longer have children."
She was met with many blank or outright confused faces before Artemis spoke up for the first time, "And? Who cares about your spawns? All they cause is havoc anyways."
Aphrodite got some fire in her eyes as she glared at the huntress. "It matters because it means someone powerful cursed me and I can feel the control of my domain reducing by the day."
"But who could?" Hera asked this time as she leaned forward in interest. "There are no other gods that share your domain aside from some of your children and most of them revolve around lust and sex aside from Cupid but he's your lapdog so he wouldn't try to take control from you."
"I know that," Aphrodite retorted before looking at her own belly sadly. "But then who? And more importantly, why?"
"Maybe it's just a dry spell," Apollo offered as he looked at her before gaining a mischievous smirk. "You could stop by for a checkup and see if everything is working as it should," he finished suggestively only to get Aphrodite to blow up at him.
"I want nothing to do with you bastard," Aphrodite hissed venomously making several gods start in surprise. "I've already lost my daughter because of you."
"Me!?" Apollo asked incredulously before adopting a fake hurt expression. "I'm sorry, did I doll her up and take her to a club? Was I the one crying wolf about 'poor me and my marriage' before convincing her daughter to cheat?"
"Then Grace should have manned up!" Aphrodite snapped angrily. "It was supposed to be simple but you had to tail us and listen in, and what's worse, you intentionally got her caught!"
"So that's what you're worried about?" Hephaestus asked with a raised eyebrow, speaking up for the first time in years, especially after he looked for Hestia's counsel on his inaction and later guilt in regards to Percy. Hestia gave him a scathing remark on how cowards shouldn't speak and he's mostly remained silent ever since. "Not that she cheated but that she was caught and rightfully took out that anger on you."
Aphrodite looked at him in surprise but answered nonetheless. "Don't try to take the high ground oh dear husband. You can't come to me with words of 'shame' and 'fidelity' considering you have demigods too. And besides, in a perfect world Piper would have seen that she didn't need Jason and found herself someone to satisfy her. But because it was you," she said while turning a glare to the sun god. "…she thinks I set it up for her to get caught and she disowned me!" Aphrodite said while screaming at the end with tears falling down her cheeks.
"Tch … go ahead, blame it on me," Apollo retorted before muttering not too silently. "… Still gave her the best night of her life."
"How dare you!?" Athena hissed as she stood up while radiating a grey aura, having gotten fed up with her half-brother. "Have you no shame you bastard!? Isn't my daughter enough!?"
"But she's always busy working," Apollo whined back before muttering under his breath. "And she's keeping me on the couch anyways."
"Enough!" Zeus boomed before the argument could escalate while lightning cracked along the skies above them.
As the gods settled while grumbling Hestia caught a light chuckle, barely a whisper with a familiar aura, coming from directly behind her head.
"Don't move," a voice that she'd recognize anywhere whispered before she could in fact turn to look. "Trust me Tia … play along."
"What are you going to do?" she mumbled under her breath while glancing around to make sure no one was paying attention to her… the perks of having always been ignored.
"Whisking you away on a black wolf and riding away into the midnight," he whispered into her ear so closely that she could feel his breath making her shudder in a very pleasant way.
Her eyes peaked to the side but they only caught the slightest wisps of shadow making her slightly frown in confusion before she glanced around the room. Only now did she notice that all the dark corners and shadows seemed thicker and the general atmosphere was darker but it seemed most of the Olympians were too caught up in some new argument that Hestia missed the beginning to.
She watched as some accusations about interference in a recent war game for Camp Jupiter as the shadows continued to darken. She glanced to Hades and noted that he was looking at the shadows as well but didn't seem bothered at all. 'Hades … does he know something?' she wondered before a dark and near sinister laugh echoed around the room, silencing the squabbling gods. Then, the shadows seemed to flow like little streams together to the center of the room. They coiled and writhed together until they formed a translucent figure of a faceless man with glowing, icy blue dots for eyes.
The Olympians stared in silence at the shade as it looked back in turn, the laugh still echoing around them. After a while the creepy laugh died down as the shade gave a mock salute to the council before unceremoniously flipping them all the bird. That got the first reactions since its appearance as Zeus started to golden with rage.
"Who are you!? What is your business here!?" Zeus roared while his master bolt crackled in his hands.
"Why hello," the shade replied in a care free tone in the same voice as the laugh that came from the entire throne room rather than one point. "As for why I'm here, well … you'll see soon enough," it replied ominously.
"You dare threaten us!?" Zeus boomed as he stood up with his master bolt itching for a throw.
"But did I state a threat?" the shade asked while tilting its head. "I did no such thing."
"Then what do you want?" Athena asked as she analyzed the shade intently.
"Me?" it asked while pointing at itself, "Nothing … I'm just a reflection of you …"
"What?" Hera asked this time as she narrowed her eyes at the shade.
"Yesss …" it hissed as it looked around. "The demons within your souls … they are so clear. Your doubts, fears, regrets … they sing to the darkness and so I come to them."
The shade drifted in midair as it approached Hera, making the goddess in question to narrow her eyes more while discreetly leaning back and away from the shade.
"Hmm …" the shade hummed while stroking a none-existent beard. "Now I see why everyone calls you a heartless bitch …"
"What!?" Hera gasped in shock while some jaws dropped at the audacity of the shade.
"How does it feel?" the shade asked nonchalantly. "Knowing that your bastard of a husband constantly picks mere mortals over you. That his every promise of fidelity is a lie and that you are the laughing stock of every married woman that even knows a remote bit of your past for even believing him. That he forced you to marry only to fill this farce of a council with his bastards." Hera looked like she was in total shock as she looked at the shade, her normally alabaster skin looking as pale and thin as dried-out paper. "What a pitiful goddess," the shade sighed as it floated away without a second glance at the frozen goddess.
It floated uninterrupted until it stopped right in front of Dionysus, the pudgy god having stirred from his usual slumber to glare at the shadowy construct with scorn.
"Ahh, the hypocrite," the shade said while opening its arms in a grand gesture. "Hates demigods, calls them arrogant and prideful, that they lie and only harm others. Who was once a demigod again?" it asked with a tilted head. "Got godhood for some sorry reason and not even a good one. Tch, wine? More like god of whining and all the while takes his little princess, the sweet Diaphone, whispers sweet nothings and gets her hand in marriage … only to be as unfaithful as his father and now is stuck with the brats he hates." The shade leaned closer, completely ignoring the golden tone of the god's skin as rage grew within the purple eyes behind the shades. "You hate them because they are a reminder of your own failure, your own pathetic existence."
By now Dionysus was literally shaking with rage but still made no move to attack making Hestia wonder what exactly was he waiting for? By all means the shade had said enough to warrant violence from the volatile gods … maybe they each were too curious to see what the shade did or were waiting for a signal to attack. All the while the shade moved on, stopping at Ares and looking him up and down. The god in question puffed out his chest while leveling an aura of hostility but the shade remained impassive.
Then, with a dismissive sniff it moved on much to the shock and rage of the war god that watched on, too stunned to try to attack. The shade then stopped before Athena. The goddess looked back with a poker face, starring at the shade before it seemed to chuckle but sounded more like a raspy breath than anything.
"Unimpressive," it drawled while looking at her and Hestia saw the first bits of Athena normal poker face crack. "I prefer you as Minerva. It's a much more accurate representation."
Athena's eyes started to get stormy at the statement. Even with the Parthenos returned, she still had a deep seated hate for the Romans even if she hid it for the sake of civility whenever having to interact with them in the recent years.
"I wonder," the shade said as it floated around while turning upside down and still within Athena's line of sight. "Are you as easy as your daughter?"
That got a very visible reaction as Athena shot up to her feet with an angry aura around her but the shade gave no pause.
"Are you sure she wasn't really the slut's daughter instead? I mean, she got tied up with the manwhore and I bet yah she's ridding some minor god or even demigod right now while hubby is here," it continued as Apollo also shot to his feet with a golden aura forming around him while flashing in warning but Hestia could tell by his glazed eyes that he was also using his senses as a god to find Annabeth.
"Don't you dare speak about my daughter," Athena said through grit teeth.
"I wonder if you'll ever break your vow only to become unfaithful too. I mean, it probably runs in the family at this point and you're the only one left given the little moon's unmasking … technically," it continued before ducking down as Athena's fist swung at it but missed.
Seemingly finished with Athena the shade moved on until it stopped before Artemis and looked at the goddess with what Hestia could only call hate, even with the expressions limited to the icy blue eyes and shifting of the eyebrows.
"Ah yes … the hunter," it spat venomously.
The shade suddenly shifted around until it looked like the hunter Artemis lost, Phoebe, making the goddess' breath hitch as she looked at it with trembling eyes. It was a near perfect replica, only composed of shadow and the icy blue eyes.
"Why Artemis," it said in her voice. "You abandoned me …"
"No!" Artemis shouted as she shot up while looking like she was getting ready to cry.
"I called and prayed …" the shade of Phoebe continued on in an empty voice. "… But you never came … it hurts," it said as suddenly a chunk of the shade's leg disappeared as if bitten away. "… You left me …" The shade continued to fall apart as if assaulted, bits and pieces ripping off into the darkness until only the head remained unscratched while it stared at Artemis. "I guess I was wrong to love you …"
Artemis' knees started to shake with tears welling up in her eyes before another shade appeared, this time looking like the murdered Paul Blofis. It looked at Artemis as well before a dagger of shadows formed in its hand. The shade raised it above the head of shade Phoebe while it said, "Heartless murderer …" The knife descended as Artemis screamed while simultaneously summoning her bow and launching an arrow at the shade but it passed harmlessly through it.
The knife was plunged into the skull of the shade Phoebe, making it dissolve into shadow before the shade Paul shifted again, this time facing Poseidon completely dismissing the hyperventilating goddess holding a shaky bow. The shade then appeared as Sally as Poseidon paled while staring at it.
"I loved you," it said in her voice. "I protected our son when you left us," it accused as Poseidon shook his head without looking away. "I raised him with love and devotion … and you used him. Now he's gone because you failed him."
"No …" Poseidon murmured as he started to sweat while looking at the shade.
"I found a better man and love," shade Sally continued as Poseidon paled even more. \
"Sally please …" Poseidon started to beg but remained unheard.
"Faithful, considerate, loving," the shade continued as it slowly stepped towards the trembling sea god. "He was a better man, a better husband, a better lover … and a better father than you ever were."
Poseidon started to have tears trail down his cheeks as he looked at the shade but then another knife of shadows appeared and stabbed shade Sally in the back as a harrowing scream echoed around the throne room before whispering, "And you were jealous of a mere mortal … now the guilt and shame will stay until the end of your days."
By now Poseidon sat as a broken man, his eyes empty as he stared at the shade. With the sea god finished it moved to stand before Zeus and hissing, "And the filth to lead them all." It quickly shifted between all sorts of people from across the ages as the voice boomed around them, "Rapist, murderer, liar, cheater, dictator …" The shade then split into three people; Thalia, Jason, and Hercules. All three spoke in the same voice. "Child of Kronos, destined to be betrayed by his own children like his father before him. In the end he shall stand alone, abandoned and lost. You were never the man we called father."
Zeus practically glowed with his rage as he roared while shooting a massive bolt at the shade. There was a blinding light and deafening explosion as the throne room shook. Hestia coughed for a moment before she waved her hand to clear the smoke to see a crater where the shade once stood making her start to worry for Percy. However the laugh returned as the Olympians looked around wildly.
"Fool of a king, you can't destroy your own demons with force alone," the voice said as the shade formed again beside the crater. Then, in a deeper and more sinister voice it spoke as power flooded the room, "Only through blood and sacrifice can one find redemption … but you are beyond even that. The void beckons Olympians … and the first must fall."
Before anyone could say anything Hestia felt the shadows around her condense into tendrils before grabbing onto her. She started in alarm before she remembered Percy's words and calmed down … but not too calm. He said to play along so she did, and the key was selling it. She started to thrash without using any godly power to try and destroy the bonds as they dragged her off her throne to the center of the room.
"Hestia!" several of the Olympians shouted in alarm but didn't move as a dagger of darkness suddenly appeared below her throat.
"It is only fair," the voice said as the shadows lifted her into a sitting up position as they condensed above her. She glanced up to see an enormous shade wolf form, towering above the Olympians even in their godly heights. "The purest is sacrificed for the sins of the wretches … so says the demon, so says Umbra!"
At the name several Olympians shot up, Artemis in particular flashing dangerously as she prepared to go into her godly form.
"It won't matter goddess," the wolf said as it looked directly at her. "You have and will continue … to fail."
Before anyone else could say anything the shade wolf released a massive roar laced with power … the same power that released Hercules with a blast of cold wind, sending most of the gods stumbling back onto their thrones. In their daze the wolf looked down at her before she felt a presence brush aside her mental defenses and heard Percy saying, 'Get ready!'
With that the wolf lounged and her and 'bit' into her shoulder as it dragged her into the shadows of the floor. Well damn if she wasn't the sibling of the ultimate drama queen for nothing.
"No!" she screamed as fake tears welled up in her eyes. She locked eyes with her two younger brothers before crying at them, "Save me please!"
They shouted her name in reply and dived at her but fell short as the shadows consumed her …
Hestia felt her entire world shift around wildly for all of three seconds before it settled as two strong arms held onto her. She blushed at the contact as she opened her eyes and looked over her shoulder to see that it was in fact Percy … and he looked different. She stared into his flaming black eyes, feeling as if she was being drawn into them until Percy spoke.
"Ah … hey?" he said sheepishly as he grinned at her.
It was with the feeling of his breath passing over her face that she realized she'd been leaning closer to him. She almost gasped as her face went golden while she took a step back and glanced around. They were in a large room made of black marble with a ceiling mirroring the night sky. She then heard some chuckling behind her and turned around to a surprising sight. There seated before her were a the lost heroes, several titans, minor gods, and even some primordial gods all looking at a floating sphere currently showing the throne room on Olympus going insane.
"Ah Percy, you're back!" Nyx said cheerily as she got up from and walked towards them while Hestia gapped like a fish at the primordial. "Hello Hestia, welcome to my humble home," she greeted with a warm smile while the others noticed their arrivals as well.
"L-Lady Nyx," Hestia stuttered as she gave a hasty curtsy but Nyx waved it off.
"Now, now, you are a guest so no need for formalities," she said before glancing at Percy. "Wonderful performance by the way. Manipulating shadows into a fake body to taunt them, very creative. How did you get your voice to change though?"
"Hecate taught me a few tricks," Percy replied with a proud smile before it turned into a frown. "I would have done worse but I really didn't want to stick around longer than necessary and risk actually attacking them yet."
"Understandable," Nyx agreed before she turned to face Hestia. "And how are you Hestia? I hope the trip wasn't too bumpy."
"No, it was very quick," she said with some nervousness, not wanting to possibly offend the primordial.
It seemed that Nyx noticed as she raised an eyebrow before speaking, "Relax little one, I'm not going to eat you or anything. You are precious to many here and are more than welcome to make yourself comfortable … well, as comfortable as you can get in Tartarus."
"I take offence to that," an enormous man hidden in a black cloak said as he joined them with his glowing red eyes looking down at them, his sheer power and presence alone tipping her off to who he is.
"T-Tartarus," Hestia squeaked as her knees started to shake but then she felt a comforting hand being placed on her shoulder.
"It's okay Hestia," Percy said in a soft tone making Hestia relax instantly. He then pointed to their side and she followed his finger to gasp in surprise.
There stood her mother, Rhea, after millennia of being separated. Her mother looked slightly different as well but at the moment Hestia didn't care as tears built up in her eyes.
"Mom …" she said softly as her mother nodded before opening her arms in an invitation.
Hestia sniffed a bit before she ran forward and embraced her mother, feeling her arms wrap around her for the second time in all her life. The only other time had been when she'd been born just before her father had swallowed her. After the war Rhea had been banished with the other titans before Hestia could try to form any sort of mother-daughter relationship with her. Only Hestia's prayers had been able to get to where her mother had been hidden and imprisoned by Zeus … but now maybe she had a chance of creating that relationship. She certainly needed it and the guidance since she had no idea how to go about telling Percy about her feelings.
Their hug lasted for several minutes and in that time Hestia felt several presences approach around her. Once she released her hold on her mother she looked around to many smiling faces that made her smile in return.
"Hello Lady Hestia, it's been a while," Thalia greeted first followed by her brother.
"It's a pleasure to finally have you here with us," he said with a polite bow.
"Yeah, Percy and Rhea wouldn't shut it about wanting to bring you to us already," Nico added with a snicker only for a young woman with odd purple and blue eyes to smack the back of his head.
"Don't tease them Nico," she said before she looked at Hestia kindly, "And hi Hestia, I'm Andromeda Jackson."
Hestia gasped in surprise as the group chuckled at her before Andromeda continued, "I know, I'm used to that reaction. Long story short, Percy and Rhea are the ones who rescued me and brought me here. Time passes five times faster as well so I aged sooner."
"And all your eyes?" she asked as she glanced around the group consisting of Percy, Rhea, Jason, Thalia, Andy, Nico while the others in the room watched on from a respectful distance.
They looked at each other with her question before they focused on Percy making him chuckled before he answered. "We'll, we're all going to become protogenoi."
"What!?" she shouted in shock much to their amusement.
"Yeah, don't worry we'll explain more later at dinner," Rhea said offhandedly before taking her hand, "For now you and me have some catching up to do."
With that Hestia was dragged away from the conference room as she dubbed it, while shooting one last glance at Percy. He saw it and gave her a faint smile with a nod before he returned to speaking with Nyx and Tartarus. After that Hestia followed her mother until they arrived in a beautiful courtyard with grass made of shadows and ice, decorated with all manner of statutes, and a huge white oak in the center. Once there Rhea led her to a bench where the pair sat down before Rhea faced her with a beaming smile.
"So, how have you been?" Rhea asked eagerly to which Hestia smiled before having a mother-daughter talk for the first time.
So they spoke for several hours, Hestia telling her everything that had happened in the decade of silence and how she'd been handling it. Rhea looked particularly livid with her account of the council meeting leading to Sally and Paul Blofis' murders and Andy's kidnapping. Apparently she'd already had all the details but hearing it from Hestia herself and how'd she felt during it had just had more oil to the flame. Rhea than informed her of how she'd stopped considering Hera, Zeus, and Poseidon her children long ago while being on the fence about Demeter. Another surprise had been that Hades had been in cahoots with them for a few months now and they'd been looking for the best opportunity to take her from Olympus.
They didn't want her to suddenly disappear since it would (correctly) lead the Olympians to thinking they were being betrayed. It was better that they thought a new enemy had appeared and was slowly kidnapping all their assets and important gods rather than having them try to 'clean house' as it were. Hestia understood the reasoning even though she felt a little disappointed that they couldn't have told her sooner. Olympus had stopped housing her family for some time now and it was only after Poseidon had struck her that she'd truly come to realize it. The hearth had all but died in that decade of loneliness in the throne room and now Hestia could feel that for the first time since the very day of their triumph over the Titans, the Hearth of Olympus had been extinguished.
After they talked on that the conversation settled down into a comfortable silence as the pair looked on at the courtyard around them. It was then that Hestia thought about bringing up the topic of Percy so she fidgeted for a moment before poking her mom lightly to get her attention.
Once she had it she spoke shyly, "Mother … I need advice on something …"
"Yes?" Rhea asked with a tilt of the head.
"H-how … would you go about telling someone you like them?" she asked nervously as Rhea's eyes widened before she glanced away.
"Well, it all depends on the person I guess," she answered after a few seconds. "Some people are best to approach directly while others require a more … subtle touch."
"Oh," Hestia murmured as she thought about Percy.
'Definitely the kind of man that needs direct and blunt … and possibly a sign considering how dense he could be at times,' Hestia thought as a faint smile formed on her lips even as she blushed. She wanted to tell him but was extremely nervous about it. What if he thought she was joking? She is a virgin goddess after all so maybe he wouldn't even think it was possible to be with her. She was already sure of herself being willing to break that oath if it was him … but she wasn't sure if he felt the same about her. It had been a decade on the mortal world and apparently five times longer down here … so what if?
"So who's the lucky man?" Rhea asked breaking Hestia out of her thoughts,
"Huh?" she replied in surprise as she looked at her mother again.
"Who have you fallen for?" Rhea asked again making Hestia blush shyly.
"… P-Percy …" she whispered but her mother didn't look surprised at all.
In fact she just nodded in understanding but something in her eyes worried Hestia. It was brief but she caught it. A glint of guilt but it disappeared quickly and Rhea stood up before Hestia could ask about it.
"Come on, it's time for dinner," Rhea said with a cheery tone that Hestia found suspicious while she was offered a hand.
However, Hestia shook it off for now as she accepted the hand and was lead back into the House of Night …
"So, how are you liking it so far?" Percy asked her as they walked around in the courtyard again.
Hestia sighed contently as a reply while the pair simply walked closely to each other. Dinner had been a rather pleasant and entertaining affair in the House of Night. At first Hestia had been a little uneasy with how everyone, and she meant everyone, got together in an absurdly long table to sit and eat together. It had been such a foreign feeling to her, having everyone together like that as they ate, joked, teased, and generally had a wonderful time together … like a real family.
She hadn't even really been that surprised when she met more protogenoi and was formally introduced with some she'd known about but never encountered such as Damasen, Medusa, and Lamia (those two really surprised her). Hades and Persephone had shown up as well much to her delight and then the dinner had progressed as it usually went with the addition of filling Hestia in on the details of what exactly had been going on in the past decade.
Learning that all those great heroes had effectively become immortals beyond anything the Olympians or Titans before them could ever hope to match had been humbling to say the least. That and with Percy's new look she found it even harder to not look at him, especially his eyes which were so similar to her own made her feel warm inside. However she'd been a little disappointed when her mother and Nyx took the two seats at his sides but she didn't let it bother her much.
'At least now we're alone,' she thought happily as she glanced at him as he walked beside her. He looked so handsome with those eyes and darker hair that made him feel mysterious and dangerous … and she'd be lying if she said that didn't like what she saw. However, now wasn't the time for those thoughts so she shook them away making Percy glance at her curiously.
"So Percy …" she said softly as she stopped walking and turned to fully face him. "Can I telling you something?"
"Of course," he said as he looked down at her. 'Why did he have to get so tall?' she mused before continuing.
"You know … I missed you after you left."
"I missed you too," he replied as he stepped a little closer. "Every day I thought about you. I've been waiting decades just to bring you here, to keep my promise just to you."
Hestia's heart jumped with his every word as smile grew on her face.
"It was the same for me and in that time I realized something …" she trailed off as she raised a hand to gently cup his cheek. "And that is that … I love you."
At her words Percy's eyes widened before they suddenly dimmed with guilt making Hestia start to worry. A cold dread gripped her heart. It got even colder when Percy brought a hand up to hers and gently pulled it down as he looked into her eyes.
"Hestia … I love you too," he said but before she could smile he continued. "But … I love another as well."
At his words she felt as if her heart was breaking as tears started to well up in her eyes. A shaky breath wracked her body as she took an uneasy step back and spotted a figure just past Percy's frame. There she saw Rhea standing beside the oak with the same guilt in her eyes as she watched on sadly.
"I see …" she mumbled as she looked back at Percy with growing sadness. "… I was too late … wasn't I?"
"No! That's not it!" Percy said in sudden panic as he took a step towards her but she took a step back.
"Then what!?" she shouted as her sadness turned to anger. She'd been alone, hoping he'd come back, and when it finally happened all it was to keep one promise even though he'd obviously moved on, and with her mother of all people! "Am I just the seconds you wanted in case it didn't work out!? You're already obviously happy with her!"
"Hestia …" Percy said softly as he looked at her sadly, the glow of his icy blue eyes dimming.
"No!" she shouted as more tears spilled down her cheeks. "I won't let anyone lead me on or use me!"
"But I do love you!" he shouted in reply but she didn't want to hear him.
She was about to turn around and flash away but then a pair of arms suddenly wrapped around her. She knew it was him and tried to thrash out of his grip but he was too strong so she resorted to something else. In a sudden spark her entire body was shrouded in raging flames, the ground beneath them hissing and steaming even as she continued her struggles. It seemed in vain though as she felt her own body mutiny against her, relaxing in his embrace even as she tried to keep her rage rather than feel heartbreak as her entire body was shrouded in orange flames and slowly turning into Greek fire.
"Just leave me alone!" she cried but he brought his lips to her ears and whispered, "I'm never leaving you alone again Hestia." He then turned her in his arms as her struggles got weaker as she looked at him, seeing that he was crying as well. "Never again," he said before he brought his lips to hers.
She wanted to fight it, to push him away and curse him but another part of her softened in his arms. His kiss carried passion and unmistakable love even as the embrace itself was tender. Her struggles soon became non-existent as his arms moved to pulling her in by her waist while her hands rested against his chest. The flames that had been once raging around her died out leaving both of them steaming. Slowly Percy pulled away before looking down at her while wiping away the last of her tears with his thumb.
"I love you both Hestia and I would never hide that from you or try to play with your heart. I just wanted you to know the truth," he said gently. "I've already come to terms with it along with Rhea. Now it's up to you but know this … I will love you and accept your decision regardless of what it is." He then kissed her one more time before he released her from his arms and stepped back to give her space as she looked at him.
She saw Rhea still observing them sadly but she didn't focus on that right now as she looked back at Percy. Right now she wasn't sure what to do and her emotions were too raw to make any decisions so she took a breath to steady herself before looking Percy dead in the eyes.
"I would like some time to myself," she said and he nodded immediately in understanding.
"Okay and if you need anything, just call and I'll be right there," he replied as he turned and walked towards Rhea.
The pair gave her one last look before they dissolved into shadows leaving her alone in the courtyard. She stood silent for a few minutes before she walked towards the oak. Once there she rested her back against it before sinking to the floor and pulling her knees to her chest. Her eyes were still blurry with a few tears as she thought about what just happened … and what she was going to do about it …
... Didn't think it would be that easy did you? I know, I'm a troll but I just had to do it! Look forward to the next chapter and I hope everyone enjoyed! A pleasure, Jbubu
