"This all seems like a really tall tale, you know?"

Jeanne looked down at the cup of tea in her hands meekly, her shoulders hunched at the rejection.

"But… I know that you aren't lying." The Goddess Hestia said, scratching her cheeks. " I hope you understand that what you said makes things incredibly hard for me right?"

"Yes," Jeanne said apologetically. "Unfortunately, we do not have many options remaining. If our Master dies then I along with the other servants will disappear and I am afraid what will happen to humanity in our reality."

"Can't you… you know do that dematerialization thing you told me about?" Jeanne put her cup on the table and disappeared from view, making it seem as if she had never been there in the first place. "Yes, that. Surely if you use it wisely then you can work around the magic costs right?"

"It's prana, Lady Hestia," the blonde said reappearing. "And we have been staying dematerialized. In fact, everyone back at our base is dematerialized at the moment. The problem was that when we arrived we had no clue as to where we were. We weren't sure if we were going to be attacked."

Jeanne looked up at the ceiling. "Neither the geography nor culture is similar to our world. I was so surprised when I saw the other races. Even now we are taking a huge risk by contacting you, Lady Hestia. Truth be told, we are pretty much dealing with things as they come."

Hestia lowered her head, before putting her hands together. "Sorry! That was insensitive of me. I was just a bit overwhelmed by all this."

"It is fine. I should have been more understanding when I came here." Jeanne bowed as well, and suddenly Hestia felt like she had kicked a puppy.

"I thought coming to Earth was supposed to be a vacation. I bet this some sort of punishment for slacking so much," Hestia sighed, taking a sip from her cup. "And here it seemed that Bell was going to be the strangest thing that would happen to me this week."

The Goddess adopted a thinking pose. "Still, if what you said about this… Holy Grail is true, then we are in real trouble. You said that Servants would probably be as strong as Level 6 adventurers?"

"The weaker ones. The strongest would probably surpass Level 7 easily," Jeanne replied. "I alone could probably defeat most, if not all the adventurers in this city. Not that I would of course," she added quickly. "And in my current prana reserves, I would probably be hard-pressed to defeat a Level 3 adventurer."

"If this Holy Grail falls into the wrong hands…" the Goddess shivered. "Especially in the hands of someone like Evilus. I don't even want to think of the consequences."

"Evilus?"

"Ah forget about it," Hestia answered. "You have more things to worry about than them. I have another question for you. Why did you choose me?"

"Ah… " Jeanne smiled awkwardly. "Truth be told, D'Eon and Serenity believed it would be best if we joined a smaller familia since it would give some obscurity as well as freedom. At least in the beginning."

"So, then wouldn't any other famlia do? Surely I am not the only familia that has only a few kids. Miach comes to mind as someone you could have chosen," Hestia huffed angrily. She berated herself for being foolish to expect someone to have a reason to choose her specifically.

"Well," Jeanne gave a shaky smile, "You see Lady Hestia, Chaldea has encountered a few Gods and Goddesses ourselves. With humanity being in danger, a few divine spirits were summoned to Chaldea as well, both by us and against us. Some servants have even met and fought against gods in their life."

Jeanne looked at the ceiling sadly. "So, we know better than anyone else that the Gods are not well… " Jeanne winced as she spoke, "not as benevolent as they are portrayed. It was Enkidu who suggested you. He said that a Goddess associated with a warm and happy home would at the very least provide a good place for us to stay."

"Hmmm," Hestia mused, a small smile forming on her face as she processed the information she was given. So, you wanted me after all. You should have said that first. "This may be a bit personal, but you seemed a bit troubled when talking about my kind. Do you have some sort of bad experience with the gods of your world?"

Jeanne smiled sadly. " A bad experience huh? I never truly met a god when I was alive." She seemed a bit unsure. "I was a devout follower of a particular God you see, and I did many things in his name. I don't regret my actions, but after becoming a Servant and learning that other gods existed as well… I feel a bit uncomfortable talking about them."

"Sorry," Hestia quickly said. "I didn't mean to open any wounds.

Jeanne waved her hand. "I should be the one apologizing for putting you in such a tough situation, especially after you went to the trouble of making tea for me."

"Goddess, I'm back-" A white-haired boy stood on the stairs, red eyes frozen as they stared at Jeanne in disbelief.

"Oh! Bell. Welcome back," Hestia examined her child. "What's wrong?"

"Oh!" Jeanne clapped her hands in recognition. "You are the one from the dungeon. I didn't know you were a part of Lady Hestia's familia."

"A- ah… aaaaaah!"

Bell turned around and ran away screaming, his face as red as a tomato.

'Wh-what?" Hestia stared at the spot the boy had been dumbly. "What happened? Dungeon?"

"I met -Bell was it?- at the dungeon yesterday. He had been attacked by a minotaur and was cornered by it. It seems that he is still traumatized by the incident."

Hestia pointed at the blonde. "You-you're the one who saved him? I-" The goddess sighed. "Of course you are. I should have realized it with the way he described you."

The Goddess groaned, remembering what she discovered about her child after he returned from the dungeon the night before.

"Great, now I am in your debt…" Hestia rubbed her forehead, wondering if it was wise to return back to heaven where she had lesser headaches to worry about. "Fine, all of you can join my familia but I have a few conditions."

Jeanne smiled with an expression so pure that Hestia felt her heart beat a few times. She's just like Bell. The goddess groaned at the thought. Isn't there a saying like 'Like things repel each other'? Yeah, I'm sure there is something like that.

"First," the goddess declared as she broke herself out of her thoughts. "If your group is going to receive my falna, you will act like my familia members. No doing stupid things on your own. That also means you will help Bell with becoming an adventurer."

The goddess paused. "Not you, but someone else from your group."

Jeanne didn't lose her smile, nodding her head happily.

"Second. You will keep me updated with whatever happens during your missions. Even if this 'Grail' is something that comes from your world, this situation affects the entirety of Orario. No, the entire world. I want to know what's going on."

"We planned on informing you, either way, so you do not have to worry, Lady Hestia."

The goddess's visage turned menacing as she came all the way up to Jeanne's face, leaving her a bit startled. "Third. Bell is mine and mine alone. Do You UNDERSTAND!"

The blonde nodded. "Of course! We wouldn't involve a bystander with the problems of Chaldea!"

Hestia's anger immediately cooled off as she sighed. She wondered if it was a good thing or a bad one that her child's crush was as dense as he was.

"Fine, then let me get Bell and we'll go to meet your Master. I am quite curious as to what kind of human can keep so many spirits in control."

Jeanne gave another angelic smile. "That's wonderful."

Hestia clambered out of the abandoned church as she wondered where her adorable Bell had run off to.

She found him hunched beside the entrance to the church, face red and muttering incomprehensibly.

"Goddess!" The boy nearly jumped to the moon as Hestia approached. "I'm sorry I ran away I-"

"Bell-" Hestia said forcefully, causing the boy to shut up. "Jeanne was the one who saved you from the Minotaur yesterday, right?"

"Ye-yes," he nodded shyly, causing Hestia to want to cuddle her child and strangle him at the same time. Cuddle because the boy was an adorable rabbit that deserved to be protected and taken care of. Strangled because he had gone and gotten a crush after causing her to hopelessly fall in love with him.

She, a virgin goddess, was willing to break her vows and one who held her affections developed a crush on another? How ridiculous.

"So her name is Jeanne, huh?" Bell giggled a bit, completely ignorant of the frustrations of his Goddess. "Wait a second! What was Ms. Jeanne doing in our home Goddess?"

He only realized that now? The Goddess sighed as she wondered what she should tell her child. The matters that Jeanne had brought on her lap were heavy, perhaps too much of a burden for Bell to bear.

Yet, he was Hestia's first child. How could she simply keep him in the dark when a storm was about to hit Orario? It would be the greatest betrayal in his eyes, and she would not be able to bear with Bell looking at her in that manner.

She was already keeping something else secret, but that would probably help him in the long run. This would only lead to him getting killed.

"We are getting new familia members Bell. A lot of them. They are all a part of Jeanne's group." Hestia caught the boy before he could leap in joy. "However, there are circumstances that you need to know of. Whatever you learn cannot be repeated to anyone else. Not your guild advisor nor any friends you make. Got it!"

Bell nodded slowly, confusion riddled over his face. If Hestia were not stressed, she would have cried in happiness as she pulled her little rabbit's cheeks.

Alas, there was work to be done.

Jeanne was waiting patiently where Hestia had left her, and despite her annoyance at the slight hitch the Bell had in his step as he saw the girl, she told the saint to lead them to her home.

In the evenings, Orario weather seemed to cool down, bringing with it the frosty winds of the North. Hestia shivered a bit, regretting not changing her clothes before this trip.

She stared at the beauty of the setting sun, admiring the natural sights of the lower world. She felt envious of mortals at times like these, if only because they could marvel at the sight for their entire lives.

Her ears twitched as she eavesdropped on the conversation between her child and his crush.

"Still, I am glad you are alright. I'm sorry if I scared you. I have been told that I can be terrifying in battle."

"No, no Ms. Jeanne. I should be the one apologizing. It was rude to simply run off after you saved me. I am very sorry."

"Okay, that's enough!" Hestia barged between the two, her jealousy roaring from the sickly sweet conversation. "Bell, you have spent the last fifteen minutes apologizing to Jeanne." She then turned to the blonde. "And you- Remember the third condition I gave you?"

"Of course I do. Why would I forget?" Jeanne's response was so dense that it caused Hestia to nearly trip and fall.

The goddess rubbed her forehead, wondering if the saint was doing it on purpose or not.

"Say, Jeanne," Hestia asked. "Where is your home?"

"Oh," she exclaimed. "I didn't tell you? It's outside the city."

Hestia sighed for the hundredth time, wondering why she was the one who had to work during her vacation to Earth.

"Well, I suppose that gives me enough time to catch Bell up to speed."

As the party reached the city gates, Bell was nearly about to scream in excitement, holding himself together only with the help of Hestia's terrifying glare.

"This is a lot to take in Goddess," he finally said, swallowing.

"Tell me about it," she replied. "And it happens only two weeks after I begin my famila!"

Jeanne gave the pair an apologetic smile. "For all it's worth, I truly am sorry. I hate bringing people who are uninvolved into Chaldea's matters."

"Well, Ms. Jeanne. If this Grail is within the dungeon then it affects us, adventurers, as well," Bell promptly replied, trying to hide his red face. "Shouldn't we be reporting this to the Guild then? They could probably help us."

"That would be a bad idea Bell," said Hestia immediately. "We have plenty of idiots in this city who would search for the Grail to get their wish fulfilled. And if it is corrupted then…"

Jeanne nodded. "Yes. That is our greatest worry. A corrupted Grail in the dungeon could perhaps spell the end of all life on this planet."

"Are you saying that the monsters will be able to leave the dungeon with the help of the Grail?"

"That is a possible result." Jeanne grimaced. "They might get strong enough to do that."

"Hold on a second. Aren't the two of you making too many assumptions? What if the Grail is not in the dungeon?" Bell looked about ready to faint.

"That would be a blessing from the Lord indeed," the saint said with a giggle before pausing. "Never mind, come on, we're almost there."

Hestia and Bell paused as they saw the hut, wondering if Jeanne had gotten lost somehow. She was new to the city after all.

The blonde only opened the door and entered, dematerializing her boots as she walked in. "I'm back," she called out.

There were sounds of rumbling before a figure appeared and hugged the blonde. "Jeanne you're back! Were you successful? Did your saintly charms work?"

"Astolfo!"

"I'm joking," said Astolfo with a smile. "No need to get angry."

On the other hand, Bell and Hestia kept staring inside the hut, and then outside, and then back inside. Their minds began to malfunction as they tried to comprehend the impossible dimensions of the house.

"Wha- what is this?"

Astolfo looked at the pair, bringing his face right in front of Hestia. "So this is a goddess huh! She's completely different from Ishtar, isn't she."

His words seemed to bring Hestia out of her confused state. "Ishtar? You know Ishtar?"

"Astolfo is talking about the Ishtar of our world. She is a servant at Chaldea as well," Jeanne informed the goddess.

"Ms. Jeanne," Bell asked quietly. "I thought you said that servants were spirits of dead heroes?" His eyes seemed to shine as he spoke. "Does that mean the gods of your world are heroes?"

"No." It was Astolfo who replied. "Truth be told, heroic spirits and heroes are not the same."

"Huh!"

"Well," Astolfo said, struggling to put his thoughts into words. "It's like most heroes are heroic spirits, but all heroic spirits are not heroes." He scratched his neck. "Heroic spirits are those who have become legends. Some horrible villains become heroic spirits as well."

Bell looked like a child who had his candy stolen by his parents' killers. "Bu- but… Ms. Jeanne is a hero right?"

Astolfo blinked once, before giving the saint a foxy grin Tamamo would be proud of. "Oh, Jeanne is a true hero. I would say that she is one of the most heroic people out there. You can believe that much at the very least."

The paladin tried to not laugh at the reddening blonde.

Bell was completely awestruck, much to the displeasure of Hestia."Anyway, we came here for a different purpose didn't we?"

Jeanne cleared her throat, failing to rid herself of her blush. "Yes. Let me lead you to Master's room."

The pair were guided by Astolfo and Jeanne. Hestia began to sweat profusely as she tried to ignore the stares of the expectant servants who materialized in the room. Bell on the other hand had sparkles in his eyes, admiring all the people within the room.

They were brought to a room with a rather depressing atmosphere. The servants had smiles on their faces, but there was something tense behind it. Their expression was too robotic, too unnatural.

Hestia frowned as she saw a speck of red lying on the bed. The girl was in bad shape. Skin pale enough to show her veins, fiery red hair that looked like a rotting rose, tiny wrinkles forming on her face. A bit of her hair had turned white.

The goddess turned to the girl with pink hair standing next to the bed. "Turn her around," she ordered. "I'll have to put the falna on her back."

"R-right," she stuttered, gently lifting the redhead like it was nothing. Jeanne helped as well, moving her Master around carefully, making sure that she wouldn't fall.

"You'll have to remove her shirt," Hestia said to Jeanne.

The saint shook her head. "I am afraid that shirt is the only thing that has kept Master alive until now. We cannot simply remove it."

Hestia sighed, sweat now beginning to pile at her brow. "Fine, then pull her shirt up. I need to be in contact with her skin." The pink-haired girl complied.

Hestia clambered onto the bed and onto the Master's back. "What's her name?"

Jeanne gave a sad smile, her eyes turning a bit glassy, old memories resurfacing. "Gudako," she said softly. "Fujimaru Gudako."

"Well then Gudako, don't worry. This won't take long," Hestia said, pulling a needle out of her clothes. She drew blood from the tip of her finger with a soft prick, letting it drop onto the girl's back.

Immediately, dark lines began to form on Gudako's skin. Hestia put her finger on them, tracing them to form the falna, her attention focussed at the task and hand. Everyone in the room looked on with a mix of interest and worry, yet keeping even their breaths silent.

The tension was palpable enough to make Hestia break into a sweat. She had done this once but at the moment, she felt like she was inside a den of wolves. She bit her lip as she pushed back all stray thoughts.

Bell stood outside the room, trying to cover his red face. His eyes were closed, embarrassed at seeing the girl in an indecent state. Still, he didn't leave Hestia's presence, offering silent support to his goddess.

Hestia unrolled the parchment she had brought with her and put it on the girl's back, allowing the dark likes to turn into ink.

Name: Fujimaru Gudako

Level: 1

Status:

Strength: I-0

Endurance: I-0

Agility: I-0

Dexterity: I-0

Magic: H-220

Magic:

Thaumaturgy

Skills:

-None-

Hestia gave the parchment to Jeanne, before drawing blood from her finger again and updating the falna. She repeated the process several times until Gudako's status stopped fluctuating.

Name: Fujimaru Gudako

Level: 1

Status:

Strength: I-0

Endurance: I-0

Agility: I-0

Dexterity: I-0

Magic: C-710

Magic:

Thaumaturgy

Skills:

-None-

Hestia looked down at the girl below her who had fallen unconscious. "This seems like Mind Down," Hestia said to Jeanne.

"I can feel more prana coming from Master. She is stable," the saint whispered before breaking into a smile. "Thank you so much, Goddess Hestia. I- no we all are incredibly grateful.

"Yahoo," Astolfo yelled as he came into the room hopping. "It worked Jeanne. It worked!"

"My beloved! Tamamo was so worried." Hestia blinked as an orange-haired renard jumped into the room and right onto the bed, hugging the sleeping redhead. She then turned towards the goddess.

"Ah, so you must be Hestia? Thank you very much for saving my husband. I shall grant you a Tamamo-favour for this, 'kay."

"H-husband?" Hestia fell off Gudako's back in shock, only saved from falling onto the ground by the pink-haired girl's reflexes.

As she put the goddess down, she bowed. "Once again, thank you for saving senpai, Lady Hestia. Chaldea is incredibly grateful."

"Aah, um…" Hestia stammered a bit, flustered by the sheer number of people talking to her. "It's fine. Besides, it is my job as a goddess to take care of you mortals… "

"Hohoho, I find you better than Ishtar already," Tamamo said snidely. "That stupid pseudo-servant thinks she is so much better than me… "

To think all these people are actually heroes… I don't even know how to react here. Not to mention, they seem to have a history with the gods. Hestia took a deep breath. Aah! I'm supposed to be a goddess and I am feeling so small here. I have to take control of the conversation somehow.

"I am Hestia, Goddesses of the Hearth. Pleased to meet you," she declared loudly.

There was silence in the room, and for a second Hestia panicked. She had somehow messed up her introduction, or so she thought until a green-haired man who had walked in earlier, began to lightly giggle.

"My name is Enkidu, Goddess Hestia. It is a pleasure to meet you as well. If you need something done, please do not hesitate to ask me."

The pink-haired girl from earlier straightened, her face showing embarrassment. "I should have introduced myself earlier. My name is Mash Kyrielight."

"I am Hassan of the Serenity. Please call me Serenity. Also do not touch me directly as I am poisonous." Hestia nearly jumped in shock as a voice came from a dark-skinned girl wearing a cloak leaning against the wall. She hadn't even noticed her.

"Serenity, you shouldn't scare the goddess like that," said Jeanne, her face falling into a frown.

"I was making sure she wouldn't do anything… unwanted to the Contractor," Serenity replied placidly.

Hestia shivered a bit at the unspoken threat.

"I'm Astolfo," said Astolfo. He then pointed at three others. "That's Nobunaga, D'Eon and Archer."

"Oi, you stole my introduction Astolfo," screamed the girl called Nobunaga in the strange outfit. " And to think I had polished my lines after last time. You'll pay for this, you stupid trap!"

"I'm not a trap! Stop putting your weird labels on me. I just like cute things!"

D'Eon only gave a polite small, a bit amused at the happenings. Hestia on the other hand wondered if she should feel threatened that there were so many girls about to join her familia.

Archer stepped past the two, speaking directly to Hestia. "Apologies for those two Lady Hestia. They are the more… enthusiastic individuals in our group. You must be tired after all that. Would you like to have dinner with us?"

"Ye-yeah," said Hestia, still trying to get her head around the strange names.

"Aah!" Bell's exclamation drew everyone's attention towards him, causing him to blush. "Sorry Goddess but I promised someone I would eat at the Hostess of Fertility today. I have to go!"

And with those words, the boy ran out of the hut, leaving his goddess with a bunch of strangers.

"Is it strange that both times we meet that kid, he always ends up running from us?" Archer's raised eyebrow and amused smile caused Hestia to blush.

"I'm sorry. He is still a bit young and has a tendency to run away when he is flustered," Hestia apologized. She then looked up at the Archer. "Still, I won't refuse a free meal. It'll help me get to know you all better as well. Especially since you are going to be joining my familia. I hope you cook well?"

Archer smirked. "Why don't you try it and tell me yourself?"

AN: Thank you for all the reviews. It pleases me that people want to see how this story develops, alas I a mere human mind and only have two hands. I would love to finish the entire story I have planned out in one day but I afraid that is impossible. Still, I'll try my level best to make sure I continue this story as long as I can.

As for the readers that asked about particular aspects within the story, just want to let you all know that I am making sure I address them in the story. There was a particular question about the story focussing on the Hestia famila and all I can say is that I think that I wouldn't be able to characterize an entire new famila. Having to work on the characterization of all the servants is quite a lot of work itself. Especially Serenity, Nobunaga, Tamamo, and Chevalier D'Eon. They aren't prominent in any anime adaptation, so a lot of their personality has to be created by me.

Originally I was thinking of using one of the FGO goddesses to create Danmachi versions of the servants. Like having a Jaguarman familia and then having a human version of a servant join said familia. However, I scrapped that because then I would have to develop these in-universe counterparts only to reach the character development of the already existing Nasu counterpart.