A/N: I'm not dead! I am sorry about the two week delay, again. I don't exactly have a good reason this time. Just writer's block and being sucked into a different franchise. I'm really excited for Jedi Survivor so I've been on a Star Wars kick the last couple weeks. Couldn't really focus on this story because Star Wars was all I could think about. Still, I did say at the start that my upload schedule is going to be wildly sporadic and I am excited about getting into the next phase of this story.

The War Game is coming up pretty soon, and I'd like to ask for suggestions. Should I do a siege battle like in canon or should I do open warfare? Or any other kind of war game? I want everybody to be participating, so I want to avoid any kind of one-on-one duel situation. Still, what would you like to see? I'm still in the planning phase, and I want to get a few things out of the way first so there is time to offer suggestions.

As for other things, I am still open to gear suggestions for several characters and enchantment suggestions for them too.

As I promised, this one is back into my normal 5Kish range and it even has a few things I know some of you have been looking forward to/asking about. Not a lot of action in the next few chapters, but lots of dialogue and setup for later story stuff.

I really appreciate all your comments and questions and encourage you to leave more! I love reading and responding to them!

Hearthfire

Chapter 24

Torrhen

"Alright," Hestia said as she walked back into the room, followed by Takemikazuchi and Ouka. "That's everyone."

Torrhen was sitting on one of the couches in the central lounge on the second floor of Hearthfire Hall alongside the other members of the Hestia and Takemikazuchi Familias. They had returned to the surface in the early afternoon the day before but could not yet take it easy since, although the Dungeon was closed, there was a great deal to be done.

While they had been in the Duneon, Take and his other members had taken the liberty of collecting and moving all of Ouka, Chigusa, and Mikoto's stuff to Hearthfire Hall. The rest of the afternoon and evening of their return had been comprised of explaining the details of what had happened to Bell's party and the events of the 18th floor. Needless to say, the two deities were not happy in the least about what had happened.

Considering the urgency of Take's impending departure, and the fact that none of their group had died or been seriously injured, the two gods had decided to go ahead and perform the conversion of Ouka, Mikoto, and Chigusa over to the Hestia Familia as soon as they could, meaning just after lunch the day after their return. The group had already moved their stuff into their new rooms, although they had yet to unpack. Take and the three who would be leaving with him were also staying with them for the next couple days, since the god had already ended the lease on the house he and his Familia had been staying in.

Torrhen himself had been running around the city most of the morning, meeting with Naaza to report on everything that had happened and warn her about potential incoming orders, as well as performing a few other errands. That didn't mean Bell or the others had been idle either. Bell and Lili had spent the morning helping their new members familiarize themselves with the Hall. Welf included since he was still rather new and had spent most of his time in the forge or the training yard.

The group from the Far East were especially excited by the indoor baths, which were a mix of cultures. Inspired by Far Eastern design (Hestia had been talking with Take during the planning phase and he'd mentioned them) but mixed with elements of Nordic design. Specifically, what Torrhen could remember about the hot springs in Eastmarch Hold. While they were being given the tour and Torrhen was running around town, Hestia had been at the Guild, trying to find out as much information as possible on a variety of subjects.

"How are things looking?" Torrhen asked as the goddess sat down, with Ouka and Take following suit.

"Well," Hestia replied. "Ouka, Mikoto, and Chigusa are officially members of the Hestia Familia. But that's not all." She smiled happily. "We have a few level ups to celebrate."

Torrhen grinned. He'd been hoping she'd say that. Before performing the conversions, Hestia had updated the status of Bell, Welf, and Lili but had sworn everyone to silence on their progress until everyone was finished.

"Starting with Bell," Hestia said, "I am happy to say that despite it only being a week or so since he hit Level 2, Bell is more than halfway to Level 3!"

Torrhen grinned again while the others stared at the boy in amazement. Bell just chuckled, looking sheepish.

"Mikoto and Ouka have also made significant jumps," Takemikazuchi added, smiling. "Although not quite as large as young Bell's."

"As for the others," Hestia smiled again. "Welf, Lili, and Chigusa have all hit Level 2!"

The room was filled with cheers and congratulations, with Bell hugging Welf and Lili around the neck while Take's kids swarmed Chigusa. Torrhen smiled widely as he congratulated the three kids. This meant that, for now at least, every member of the Hestia Familia was over Level 1, a big milestone for any Familia. Especially one was new as theirs. The celebration lasted a few more minutes before Hestia spoke up again, serious this time.

"We'll have a proper celebratory banquet tonight," she said, "but for now, we have a few things to discuss."

The occupants of the room all sat back down, watching the goddess intently.

"As you know, I was at the Guild all morning trying to find out what I could. First and foremost, I'll start with this. The Dungeon has been locked down. No one will set foot in it for the next week."

"Are things really that bad?" Bell asked.

Hestia nodded. "Considering what the Loki Familia encountered, which very few are currently privy to, on top of the events of the 18th floor, the Guild feels the Dungeon needs some time to calm down."

"If nothing else," Torrhen spoke up, "it gives us time to rest, train, and get to know each other. Not to mention the fact that we need to get everyone re-armed and armored." This was met with nods and comments of agreement from the group.

"Next up," Hestia said. "I was able to speak with Hermes while I was at the Guild this morning."

"Has his punishment been decided?" Take asked. Hestia nodded.

"His entire Familia has been put on probation. Their Statuses are to be checked for irregularities by the Guild and their movements watched until the probation is lifted. On top of this, members are forbidden from leaving or joining until the probation ends. In addition, Hermes has been fined 75% of his and his Familia's total assets. On top of that, Hermes must pay restitution to the Familias AND the families of the adventurers who died on the 18th floor. He cannot use Familia assets to pay. He has to either work to earn the money himself or make restitution another way. Lastly, although he is being released from custody tomorrow, he will be on house arrest unless accompanied by a Guild employee for no less than one year. Possibly more if he misbehaves."

"Isn't that a little harsh?" Bell asked hesitantly while the others considered Hermes' punishment.

"People died in a safe zone, Bell" Torrhen said strongly. "If I'd known what his presence would bring, I'd have forced him to return to the surface immediately. He went into the Dungeon even though he knew it was forbidden. He also swore to take responsibility for what happened. It may be harsh, but it is a lesson he needs to learn."

"I suppose you're right," Bell muttered, looking conflicted. Torrhen could understand his dilemma, but quite frankly, he felt the punishment was justified. He was honestly just shocked that the god hadn't been exiled.

"Next up," Hestia said. "I spoke with the Guild about the pass-parade situation. Unfortunately, as we already knew, there is nothing the Guild can officially do to punish the Apollo Familia. If we want them punished, we either have to get the word out and let the public decide or find a way to punish them ourselves."

"For that, we need information," Torrhen said. "We know who led the party, but we also need to find out how the rest of the Apollo Familia feel about all this. I'd rather not punish an entire group just because a few of their number are sniveling cowards. If we must go after the Familia as a whole, we need to know their strengths and weaknesses. That's going to take a lot of recon and information gathering."

"But how would we get that info?" Welf asked. "It's not like they'll just tell us."

"Leave that to Lili and me," Torrhen said, grinning at the Pallum who smiled back, manically. "We are the best for covert information gathering. It'll take some time, but we'll find out everything we can to help us decide on a course of action."

"Let me know everything you find," Hestia stated. "We'll make a decision once we know all the facts. The last thing we need to talk about is actually just an update for our new members. Soon, we will begin talks with the Loki Familia about a potential alliance. This will not be an alliance between equals, nor will it be open to public knowledge like our alliance with Miach. We won't be going on expeditions with them, and we won't be making any joint moves on the political scene. Not until our Familia is considerably stronger. Still, we'll be meeting with Loki and her executives in a few days. The invitation has already been sent."

"I delivered it to Finn myself, this morning," Torrhen added.

"Does that mean we will be openly recruiting soon, Goddess?" Bell asked. "I'm thrilled about everyone who's already joined, but if we need to grow to be in a proper alliance, shouldn't we recruit more members?"

"Bell is right," Ouka spoke up. "The Familia must grow if we are to truly ally with one as powerful as the Loki Familia."

"My intention is for us to create a proper system and hierarchy before we begin open recruitment," Hestia said, with Torrhen nodding. They'd idly discussed the idea a few times. The Familia already had a Captain, Vice-Captain, and Mentor but they needed to come up with an extended structure to accommodate further growth.

"Our reputation is pretty much non-existent right now, but it should get better once the news of the level ups and your actions on the 18th floor spread. I already heard some rumors about how we provided the potions that saved so many lives while I was at the Guild. Not to mention people talking about Bell taking charge. I'd like for us all to devise a system that works for our Familia, as well as deal with the Apollo mess, before we begin open recruitment. It might be a few more weeks, but we will be recruiting soon."

"That sounds wise, Goddess" Mikoto smiled. "Even if it is not an equal partnership, I find it thrilling to consider being in an alliance with a Familia that is so powerful."

"It's an exciting prospect," Torrhen cut in, "but we cannot be complacent just because of our allies. If our Familia is to match Loki's in power, then all of you need to grow. You need to be our equivalent of their Executives. Setting an example of leadership and power for what members join us next. To that end, once everyone has gotten a few days of rest, you will all begin intense training. Both to solidify your teamwork, and to begin enhancing your skills. It's not going to be easy, but it will be worth it."

With that, the meeting began to break up. Welf excitedly headed to his forge to start planning his upcoming projects, while Bell and Lili started speaking animatedly with Hestia about ideas for recruitment. Take and his kids moved off to help Mikoto, Ouka, and Chigusa unpack, hoping to spend as much time together as they could before they were forced to separate. Before they actually left the room, however, Mikoto walked up to Torrhen.

"May I speak with you, Master Torrhen?" She asked, timidly.

"Of course," he said, curious.

"I know you will be investigating the Apollo Familia, but I was hoping that, if you have time, you could help with an investigation of my own."

That certainly peaked Torrhen's curiosity. "What is it you're looking into?"

"Several years ago," she began, "before we left the Far East, one of our friends disappeared. A blonde Renard named Haruhime. She was the daughter of a local lord, but when she vanished, none of us could find out why. At least… not until a few weeks ago. During the chaos from the Monsterphilia attacks, Ouka and I were chased into the red-light district. Ouka didn't see anything, but I'm certain that I saw Haruhime being shoved into a building by an Amazon during the chaos. I've been trying to find out more, but it's difficult. If that really was my friend, I honestly don't want to think about why she would be in the red-light district. I just want to help her."

Torrhen smiled at the girl. It was clear she was worried about this friend of hers, and he certainly did not begrudge her this request. "Tonight, after we celebrate," he said, "tell me everything you can about this friend of yours. I'll see what I can find out."

"Thank you, Master Torrhen," she smiled.

Finn

"Alright everybody!" Loki shouted, standing on the table at the head of the banquet hall. "I've got a few announcements to make before we celebrate!"

Finn was sat in one of four chairs behind the head table that sat on a raised dais in Twilight Manor's banquet hall. With him were Riveria and Gareth while stretching out before them were the members of the Loki Familia, seated at the large banquet tables. It was the night after their return to the surface and they had finally finished taking a full tally of their profits, losses, and drop items still for sale that were collected during their expedition. Loki had spent most of the last two days updating Statuses and had quite the announcement to make.

"Firstly, it's time to celebrate your return from the expedition!" Her declaration was met with a resounding cheer from the crowd. "Before we get into that, I need to let you know how successful the expedition was! You need to know just how hard you should party!" Cheers once again, with several members banging on the tables in excitement.

"Let's start with profits! You all know that our last expedition was nothing short of a disaster." Nods of agreement and lots of grumbling followed her statement. "We lost nearly all of our equipment and barely had anything to show for it. Paying for the next expedition pretty much bankrupted us!" More grumbling. "This expedition, on the other hand, was our most profitable ever!" The crowd was totally silent, hanging off the goddesses' words. "Not only did we make back every single Valis we spent to fund this expedition, but you managed to bring back an additional 897 million Valis! And that's not even counting the drop items we haven't sold yet!" A roar of approval filled the air as the members of the Loki Familia cheered.

Finn smiled down at the assembled crowd. He was beyond proud of each and every single member of the Familia. Loki's voice caught his attention again.

"Now let's get into Levels!" She shouted. "As you all know, I've spent the last day and a half updating everybody's Statuses and it's time to announce our level ups!" As she started listing off the lower-level rank-ups, Finn continued to watch the crowd. Each time a name was mentioned, they would cheer and those nearest to the one named would hug them, slap them on the back, or otherwise congratulate them. Finn, Riveria, and Gareth would each offer them a smile and a nod when they looked up. In total, just under half of their entire force had leveled up during this expedition, and Finn could not be prouder of each and every one of them.

"Lastly, we have Lil Lefiya!" Loki shouted, "Our Thousand Elf is now officially Level 4!" Cheers rose from the crowd again as Finn spied Riveria watching her protégé with pride. "Now it's time for the really big ones!" Total silence. Loki had already gone through everyone in the Second String. If there was more, it meant that an Executive had leveled up. Finn kept his knowing smile to himself.

"First! The Vanargand! Bete Logia is Level 6!"

"Hell yeah!" Bete shouted over the deafening cheers that rose up, pumping his fists into the air.

"Next! The Amazon! Tiona Hiryute is Level 6!"

"Woohoo!" Tiona cheered, accompanied by the rest of the Familia. They were really excited now.

"And Jormungand! Tione Hiryute is Level 6!"

"Captain!" Tione waved at him as the cheers rose again. Finn offered her a smile.

"Now, children," Loki's voice got low, forcing the crowd to go completely silent. "Before the celebration begins, I have one final announcement." She smiled out at all of them. Their reaction would be priceless. "Nine-Hells, Riveria Ljos Alf. Elgarm, Gareth Landrock. Braver, Finn Deimne. These three. Your leaders…" She paused, silent.

"ARE LEVEL 7!"

For a brief moment, the crowd sat in dumbfounded silence before a thunderous roar shook the ceiling. The Loki Familia, as one, surged to their feet, cheering, clapping, whooping, and hollering. Finn and his compatriots stood, waving at their fellow adventurers, massive smiles breaking out on their faces. They'd done it! They were Level 7! Not only had Finn done it, but Riveria and Gareth too! They were the only Familia in Orario with three Level 7 adventurers! It was almost too good to be true. All their hard work and dedication had paid off! It seemed like the cheering went on for hours, but eventually it got a little quieter.

"Now, my children!" Loki shouted once the noise had died down enough to be heard. "Members of the Loki Familia! Eat, drink, and make merry! Party harder than you ever have before to celebrate the most successful expedition in Loki Familia history!" Cheers once again rolled out over the banquet hall as the members dug into the truly fantastic feast that was laid out before them.

"Success," Loki said as she climbed off the table and sat in her chair, "feels good."

"That it does," Finn agreed. "I couldn't be prouder of how our people performed during the expedition. Or more excited when I think about how much stronger we've become."

"I know! Four Level 6's and three 7's! Haha! Take that Freya! Nobody's gonna question who the strongest Familia in Orario is now!"

"You do know that Freya is going to push her members to level up as quickly as possible, right?" Riveria cut in. "We've only just hit Level 7, while Ottar has been gunning for 8 for years now. It probably won't be long until he or one of their 6's levels up."

"That just means we need to go for 8 too!" Gareth said, happily. The dwarf was never giddier than immediately after a level up.

"That will take years," Riveria reminded him.

"Not necessarily," Finn smiled. "Not with our new friends around."

"You mean Torrhen?"

Finn nodded. Pulling an envelope out of his pocket, he handed it to Loki. "We know for a fact that he is stronger than Ottar. That means he's still stronger than us, and it looks like we'll be finding out just how strong he is soon enough."

"Finally!" Loki crowed as she read the invitation. Torrhen had come by that morning and handed it directly to Finn, mentioning that a similar one had already been delivered to Hephaestus. An invitation for Loki, Finn, Riveria, Gareth, the Executives, and Lefiya to meet with the Hestia Familia at Hearthfire Hall. "A month and a half! I've never been that patient before! And now I finally get answers! Oooh I can barely wait!"

"It looks like our hopes for an alliance with the Hestia Familia will become a reality very quickly." Riveria smiled. "I must admit, I am looking forward to this. And to getting my new gear. I suppose Torrhen and I can arrange a time for that at the meeting."

"I hope Tsubaki hurries up with my new armor!" Gareth grinned. "I can't wait for Torrhen to enchant it! Then I want to spar with him! Ha!"

"I'm rather excited myself." Finn's smile joined theirs. "It seemed like things have stagnated for the Familia these past few years, but it feels like this expedition was a turning point for us. With our new levels and new allies, I feel like things are only going to get better for us all."

"I'll drink to that!" Loki shouted, raising her glass.

Daphne

"Holy… what the hell is this?!" Daphne muttered to herself, disbelievingly, as she stared at the notice board. The newest Level Up announcements were posted and it looked like the power balance of Orario had done a complete 180. Staring out at the gathered, gob-smacked adventurers were the faces of nearly half the Loki Familia! Including their leaders who were all now Level 7! Looking further, she could see it wasn't just the Loki Familia who had reported Rank-ups. It looked like Tsubaki, the Captain of the Hephaestus Familia had hit Level 6, while several other members had leveled up as well.

"Hey, don't these new Level 2's belong to the Rabbit Foot's Familia?" She heard a voice ask from nearby.

"What does it say? Hestia? Yeah, that's the Rabbit Foot's Familia." Another voice answered the first. The two were gathered with a small group of adventurers looking at the images of three new Level 2 adventurers who had been posted on the board.

"Did you hear about what he did during the fight on 18?" A third voice asked.

"Didn't he take charge? Something about leading the assault against an irregular Goliath and then jumping in to help the Loki Familia fight off an irregular Udaeus once it was dead?"

"Wait, seriously? That's insane! He's only just hit 2!"

"That's not all! I heard his Familia is responsible for bringing all the healing potions we've been hearing about down there!"

"The ones from the Miach Familia? I heard some people from the Loki Familia mention them while I was out shopping earlier."

"Yeah, them! Hestia and Miach are allied, so Rabbit Foot and his party had a ton on them when they made it down to 18. I heard they gave them all up to the healers once the fighting started."

"There's no way all of that's true! Rabbit Foot only just hit Level 2 like a week ago! How could he have possibly made it all the way to 18 in just a week?"

"Actually, I've been hearing a rumor about that," The first voice was speaking again. Daphne had to strain her ears to pick out his low whisper. "I heard that he didn't mean to be there at all. His party got pass-paraded and knocked down a shaft. Going to 18 was their only chance at survival. Once their goddess realized something was wrong, she sent the rest of the Familia down after them. That group are the ones who brought the potions down, just in case Cranel's party was injured."

"Woah, seriously? I haven't heard any rumors about someone getting pass-paraded in months. Any idea who did it?"

"If the rumors I'm hearing are right, it was a party from the Apollo Familia, led by Luan." Daphne tensed up. This was not good.

"Seriously? Isn't the Apollo Familia supposed to be pretty strong? Why would their members do that?"

"It's Luan," one member of the group, a Pallum supporter said. "He's got a pretty bad reputation. Doesn't surprise me at all."

"Nor me. Plus, a lot of those Apollo guys are really weird. You ever met their Captain? Dude is super creepy."

This was not good. Not good at all. Daphne was relieved that the group Luan had pass-paraded survived, but the fact that rumors were already spreading was very bad. Not only that, but the party he had used as bait was the Rabbit Foot's! Oriario's new super rookie! Who, apparently, right after being pass paraded managed to take charge and lead an assault force against one of the worst Dungeon aberrations anybody could remember! His reputation was on the rise and learning that it was members of the Apollo Familia that nearly got him killed was going to have serious consequences.

All in all, Daphne did not care if Apollo, Luan, and Hyakinthos' reputations took a hit. She hated all three of them, and she wouldn't really care about the Familia's reputation if it didn't also affect her, Cassandra, and the few members she knew didn't actually want to be there. Like her. She needed to find a way to mitigate the damage. Squashing the rumor wouldn't work. Orario's rumor mill was just too fast for that. No, she needed to make a play to minimize the potential clash with the Hestia Familia.

If the members of the Hestia Familia forgave them, then the damage to their reputation wouldn't be nearly as bad. The only problem was the fastest way to start earning that forgiveness was to apologize. Something she was sure Luan would never do and Hyakinthos would never sanction. Not to mention, once the rumors reached his or Apollo's ears, they could potentially make things even worse!

Maybe she should go and apologize for them, herself? It wasn't great, but it might work. It was better than doing nothing, at the very least. If nothing else, she could tell them that not all of the Apollo Familia members condoned what Luan had done. Maybe she should drag Laon along? He was the only member of that party who seemed genuinely remorseful over what he'd done. No… if Hyakinthos asked him what was going on, the poor kid would cave. He didn't really have a spine. Better to go herself for now. She turned to Cassandra who, as always, was standing right behind her.

"Did you hear all that?" She asked.

"Yes," Cassandra nodded. "This isn't good, Daphne! I told you doom was coming. What are we going to do?"

"We need to find out where the Hestia Familia lives." Daphen said, determinedly. "We need to let them know that not all our members condone Luan's actions. His party members just followed orders. It's still not great, but the fault is mostly on Luan. Maybe after that, we can try and find a way to make it up to them. Hopefully we could get a few of the party to apologize, although I doubt Luan ever would."

"Are you sure about this, Daphne? Maybe we should speak with Apollo or the Captain first?"

"Are you crazy? As soon as they hear about this, they're going to make things worse! Neither of them can accept any kind of black mark on our reputation or acknowledge when we're at fault! That's just going to make it harder on the conscripts like us who don't want to be members. We need to handle this ourselves, before the rumor reaches them."

"What do we do, then? How do we find them?"

"Let's head to the Guild Hall," Daphne said, thoughtfully. "The Familia Registry should have their current address listed. Once we know where they are, we can figure out what to say to them."

Freya

Freya was a goddess of love and beauty. Many mortals needed only to look upon her to fall under her spell. She didn't even need to use her powers to exercise control over the truly weak minded. Still, if any had been in the room with her at that moment, they would never have believed her to be a goddess of beauty. The reason being her ethereal, angelic face was contorted into an expression of apoplectic rage.

"How did this happen?!" She thought, wildly as she stared at the reports. Over half the Loki Familia had leveled up! Loki now had three Level 7 adventurers while Freya only had one! Already, people were beginning to say that Loki had taken the top spot as most powerful Familia in the city!

"This cannot stand! Loki has always been in second and I will not allow that to change!" The only question was, how? Open war simply wasn't possible. It would create chaos. The equivalent of a civil war within Orario's walls. Neither goddess wanted to divide the city like that, and the Guild wouldn't stand for it. It would result in them both being banished. Loki was her political equal, so she could not use that power to push back either.

Freya's only options were to quietly remove obstacles to her political power and improve the strength of her children. Her precious Ottar was so close to Level 8. Once he'd hit that level, the balance of power would shift back towards her…not enough though. Even if Ottar hit 8, the balance would not fully tip back in her favor. Before, she'd had several children on the level of Loki's best with Ottar standing at the top. If Ottar hit 8 but her other children did not improve, the balance would change, but not enough. She needed her Level 5's to hit 6 and her 6's to hit 7.

"An expedition…" She thought. That was the best way. But not a normal one, no. Her children would need to hit every single boss they could find to improve their levels. As for Ottar… he had come so close to defeating Balor, the Monster Rex of the 49th floor alone. Perhaps it was time for him to try again? Yes… that could work. They'd need to procure those potions the Loki Familia used, but it wasn't like the puny little Miach Familia would dare refuse to sell to her.

She also needed to reconsolidate some of her political power. Certain gods under her sway were beginning to become thorns in her side. Liabilities instead of assets. There was also Ishtar… No. Ishtar was more like an annoying fly that needed swatting before she could focus on other things. She already had a plan in place for that, she simply needed to give the order. Perhaps it was time? No… she'd give the order to a charmed spy after her Familia left on their expedition. That would be best.

Perhaps she could use Apollo's reaction to the rumors as a distraction? She was certain that the foolish god would overreact once word reached his ears about people claiming his adventurers had pass-paraded young Bell's party. Looking at her current roster, Freya was certain that if it came to it, Hestia's active members could defeat Apollo in a War Game. Not that he would see it that way. But was it worth risking Torrhen's exposure? If he participated and his status as a Level 10 was revealed, it would shift the power again, creating a third power block in terms of martial strength, if not monetary or political power.

Still… was that such a bad thing? If she could show that she was a friend, that the earlier incidents were just tests that got out of hand… perhaps that could work. Although the members of the Hestia and Loki Familias seemed to be friends, Freya knew the two goddesses hated each other. They couldn't be in the same room without fighting, so she doubted they would be very accepting of an alliance. She could be Hestia's ally instead, help her replace Loki and then slowly cripple her in the guise of help.

She was getting ahead of herself. Risk to the power balance or not, Apollo would do something drastic and she wouldn't be able to control him. He was so obsessed with himself that her charms were only half as effective as they would normally be. She'd need to charm him into oblivion to get him to act exactly as she wished, but then he'd be acting so out of character it would raise suspicions. She couldn't control whether or not Apollo's actions revealed Torrhen's existence, but she could make plans and contingencies for herself in the fallout. First though, she needed to prepare her children for an expedition.

"So much to do," Freya thought, "and so little time."

A/N: There we go! Again, I'm sorry about the delay. I hope you all liked this chapter, but please leave a comment, question, or review to let me know what you think!

What do you think of Daphne's plan? Good or bad?

What did you think of Hermes' punishment? Was it not enough? Too much? Just right? I felt like it was appropriate, given what happened in canon vs what I changed.

Speaking of changes, Level Ups! Lots of them! You like? After everything I put the characters through, it felt wrong to not level up a ton of them. Loki especially got a big power boost.

Speaking of level ups, any suggestions on possible aliases for Welf, Chigusa, and Lili? I'd love any feedback and suggestions you'd care to give.

Level Ups This Chapter

Welf: 1 – 2

Lili: 1 – 2

Chigusa: 1 – 2

Finn: 6 – 7

Gareth 6 – 7

Riveria 6 – 7

Tiona 5 – 6

Tione 5 – 6

Bete 5 – 6

Lefiya 3 - 4

Tsubaki 5 - 6

Answers to Questions

On FFN

Maskedkepper: To answer your question, Ryuu and Torrhen are both (mostly) mortal. Age gap matters. Hephaestus is a goddess and they fall in love with mortals all the time. It's definitely weird, but they're gods. What can you do? Also Welf being obsessed with Hephaestus is like half of his personality, so I didn't feel comfortable changing it.

Quathis: Naaza will never have to water down potions again! We'll get to her soon.

Xelachim: We'll see some unusual ones, beyond the canon but I don't want to say too much and just let it happen.

Ltbutterfly287: Mainly his dislike comes from Hermes asking about Bell out of the blue and then inviting himself along, despite the danger, and not giving a satisfactory reason. Torrhen doesn't necessarily dislike Hermes, but he is definitely suspicious of him.

Christalm: I kind of came up with a different solution to what happened with Paarthurnax that going with the game options. I certainly doubt that it will come up any time soon, so I'm happy to tell you if you'd like, but I figured I'd give you the option to decide or wait and see if it comes up in story. As for the 4th season, we are very quickly approaching the end of the canon events I want to keep consistent. I'm not against adding in from sword oratoria though. I can say that the Hestia Familia will go on expeditions, and I might include the Xenos, but it won't be as close to canon as it has been. I'm a big fan of the ripple effect, so the changes start small and then get bigger as the story goes on.

Wstiglet: I actually almost wrote the chastity belt thing into the story because of your suggestion, but it felt like it was just too cruel on top of everything else.

Toladeari: Alduin is a bit of a mix. He's not a mindless destroyer, but he does love sewing destructive chaos. To him, mortals are to be ruled over and fed upon, not cared for.
As for his purpose, I don't think he really wants to eat the world until he has no other option. Why would he destroy everything when could rule over it instead and just blow things up when he's bored? Also, Torrhen has not met any of the Jills.

VirtusZyX: They call them small because they don't have many powerful active members and Hestia has literally zero political power at the moment. Even with Torrhen being revealed, it will take time to build a stable political power base. Basically, at the moment Hestia has no influence with anybody. That'll change quickly though.

On Ao3

SprintingTaco: I think he did favors for most of them, save for Molag Bal. Usually doing the 'good' versions of their missions if they have one. Like not killing Barbas during Clavicus Vile's quest.