"Why have you called us here, Hestia?"

Two flashes of light, one grey and one silver, were almost indistinguishable in the darkness. Two female figures simultaneously emerged from the light. One wore a flowing silver gown with a matching silver tiara which glinted in the moonlight, providing illumination, giving clue to her natural beauty. The other had a contrasting black-and-white gown, which complemented her striking grey eyes. The former was a fifteen-year-old teen, looking out of place in her formal wear, while the latter was a forty-year-old lady.

They were down the lane from the Olympian Palaces, near the bottom of the slanting slope where each of the palaces were situated. Zeus' and Hera's Palaces ruled at the top of the slope, nearest to the Olympian throne room. While the gods' living spaces were on Zeus' side of the lane, the goddesses' were on Hera's side, the only exception being Dionysus, who had taken over Hestia's palace after Hestia had given up her throne. One could still see flashes of fire through the grapevine barrier Dionysus had put up around the fire-containing glass pillars. Hestia, after the replacement, had moved down to where they were standing, igniting a warm, comforting hearth.

Artemis and Athena both looked towards the hearth, which lit the darkness, illuminating every Olympian palace in sight.

A small girl, looking barely five years old, emerged from the flame. She donned an oaken brown dress, live flames dancing around at the frills. However, Artemis and Athena dipped their heads respectfully, knowing that this was Hestia, goddess of the hearth.

Hestia smiled warmly, gesturing for them to raise their heads. "I have called you for advice. I want something I cannot have." Hestia took a deep breath. "It is a desire I think you, Artemis, share. I wish for a child."

Artemis nodded gravely. "I fear I cannot subdue my domain of childbirth any longer, though I do not wish to break my oath of maidenhood or virginity."

A beat of silence.

Athena fidgeted. "I am afraid I feel out of place in this conversation, Aunt. Why have you called me? I have children."

"And you are the only one of us who does, my dear. I come to you for guidance. Is there a way I can have children without renouncing my oath?"

Athena hesitated.

"It may help if you have this."

Flames leaped into Hestia's palm, flickering, and transformed into a book. Its pages were yellowed, and it was bound by leather. Athena gasped.

"A lost Sibylline Book?"

Hestia grinned. "They were destroyed in a fire, my dear. More specifically, a hearth."

She flipped to a page that had been dog-eared at the corner and read out a prophecy.

"Drawn together by common desire

For a scion, offspring, one of their own,

A trio, of forest, of feuds, of fire.

For centuries, one of the three has known,

A method, not one, but all three shall wield,

The earth, thine fledgling, though divine, shall roam."

All was quiet for a bit, and the words Hestia had just spoken rang out, sinking in, cutting through the silence of night. An owl hooted in the distance.

Athena had a sharp intake of breath. "Terza rima rhyme scheme. Haven't seen that since Apollo's time on earth."

More silence.

"Plus, no rhyming couplet at the end. It's incomplete," Athena finished awkwardly.

Artemis took in the prophecy slowly. "So one of the three of us knows a method to get a child?"

"Without breaking our oaths and one all of us can use, yes."

Artemis' eyes lit up with apparent surprise, hope glinting in her silver irises. Then her eyes fell.

"Well, I don't," Artemis said.

Hestia rejoined the conversation. "I suspected that much. And neither do I."

Both deities looked at Athena expectantly.

"Fine, I do know one. I created it myself, though I thought I would never have to use it."

"What is it?" Artemis asked, intrigued.

"I once did research on our power scales. Even though we pretend to be omni-powerful, we still have limits. However, the powers of three major deities are sufficient to create life. Not immortal life, but life nevertheless."

"So, our child will be a demigod?"

Athena nodded.

Hestia looked deep in thought. "The earth, thine fledgling, though divine, shall roam. That means we shall have to bring our child to earth."

Athena nodded again.

Hestia fell silent once again, tilting her head up as if thinking hard, or looking to the glistening stars above.

"So? Let us begin!" Artemis exclaimed.

Ten minutes later, the hearth was crackling with a silver fire, shapes of owls and wolves flickering in the flames. Orange embers sparked from the fire, along with silver ash which glinted in the moonlight.

All of a sudden, the flames died out, and left instead was an infant, wrapped in a blanket decorated with grey elephants. The baby slept peacefully, its eyes closed.

Hestia picked the infant up, cooing softly.

All three goddesses watched in amazement, then Artemis broke the silence with a groan.

"It is a boy. A male."

This sank in.

Athena looked doubtful. "Are you sure?"

Artemis raised her eyebrows. "Trust the deity of childbirth, or do it the traditional way and check his crotch."

Athena winced. "No, thanks."

A beat of awkward silence.

"What shall we name him?" Artemis asked.

Athena responded first. "I always liked the name Theseus."

"Can you imagine a mortal named Theseus?" Artemis' doubtfulness could be heard in her voice.

"Hmm… Ignatius?" Hestia cradled the baby, who had just woken up, and planted a kiss on his forehead. He had a patch of raven black hair on his otherwise bare head, and he had yet to gain any chubbiness. His complexion was slightly tanned, his eyes rather large. His irises were Athena's striking grey ones, with a tinge of amber on the outlines. His sharp features took after Artemis, and he wriggled playfully in Hestia's arms.

"Still weird. What about Ernest?"

The baby perked up at Athena's last suggestion, and giggled.

Hestia looked lovingly at him. "Ernest it is."

Ernest looked at Hestia curiously, then snuggled deeper into his blanket and fell asleep.

"Gosh, I know he's a male, but he's just so lovable," Artemis commented.

Athena raised one eyebrow at her. "Really?"

"What? You know I'm part of the most extreme man-hating group," Artemis muttered darkly.

Hestia sighed. "We'll have to bring him to earth eventually. I suppose it works like all demigods."

"Nah, not really. Since there isn't a mortal parent, we'll have to bring him to an orphanage," Athena replied.

"Hey, Athena, I was wondering, is he a demigod or just a normal human?"

Hestia was thoughtful. "I had a demigod in mind when I was creating him. Does that make a difference?"

Athena tilted her head. "I guess it does. I had a demigod in mind too. Artemis?"

"Yeah."

The trio stared at each other for a moment.

"I guess it's time to bring this little guy to an orphanage. Coming?" Athena asked.

Hestia and Artemis nodded, turning into middle-aged women working for UNICEF. Athena followed suit.

And as if on cue, all three deities turned on the spot and flashed away in three blasts of light.