Outsider Chronicles: Is It Wrong to Pick up Goddesses?
Getting reborn into a world where Gods and monsters are still very much a thing is a right pain in the arse. Then again, I am just a Clear Sighted Mortal, so at least I won't be dragged into the War with Kronos. Well, that was the plan anyway. But now with my new friend venting at me about her family, I have a horrible feeling my peace and quiet won't last.
OK, so could someone tell me why there are no PJ and Is It Wrong crossovers? Seriously, it could very well be a match made in heaven. Then again, considering that Hephaestus is a girl, maybe they are a tad incompatible...On the other hand, Aphrodite and IIW Hephaestus being together is one image I have no problem with! But thats irrelevant. The main world will be PJ, with elements of IIW plus one more thrown in for good measure. Enjoy!
Chapter 1
My death involved a man in speedos, a beach, seagulls and about a truckload of various species from the far east. Draw your own conclusions. Now take any mental image of my 'death' out of your mind and focus only on the fact that I died. I'm doing you a favor, trust me. Anyway, getting of the subject of my rather scaring death, I'm sure your all wondering how I can be telling you this if I'm a doornail, right? Well, the answers relatively simple. I got reincarnated. Yep, I was reborn as a baby and let me tell you, there is a bloody good reason that you don't remember that!
I have to say though, when it comes to getting reincarnated, I can't decide if I'm incredibly lucky or if I'm being punished. What makes me say that? Well, while my family was relatively normal, I was less so. Why? Well, despite being 100% Human (I think), I had the ability to see through the Mist and all the Monsters and nasties that hid behind it. Yep, apparently I had been reborn into the world of Percy Jackson. Fuck my life.
Or maybe not. Despite being able to see through the Mist, I actually had a pretty normal life. Went to school, hung out with friends, watched Anime and even managed to write a book that did pretty well before I turned 15. Not bad, not bad at all.
Anyway, while I was content to just go through life ignoring the nasties that infested the world, I really should have known better. Then again, theres no way I could have seen it coming in a million years. It all started when I was just 13, at Comicon if you can believe it. I was wondering around the stalls, doing my best to ignore the morons dressed as Deadpool making trouble, when I spotted a girl sitting against a wall near the back of the hall, watching the crowds with a faint smile on her face. She was rather short, but that actually worked very well with her outfit. She was Cosplaying Hestia from Is it Wrong to Pick up Girls in a Dungeon and doing an excellent job of it. See if you can guess where this is going.
Like a complete idiot, I decided to approach her since she was looking rather lonely and no one seemed to be talking to her. In hindsight, that should have been a big tip off seeing as she was an attractive girl in a rather revealing outfit surrounded by blokes whos only interaction with women was likely either their mothers or the girls in dating sims. She should have been drawing at least a few looks.
"Yo," I said as I walked up to her.
The girl jumped and turned to me with a rather startled look on her face, as if she hadn't been expecting anyone to approach her.
"Um, hello," she said, quickly getting her expression back under control, "Do you need something?"
I shrugged.
"Nah, you just looked lonely and I need a rest," I said as I dropped down beside her, "Plus, well, we make quite the pair."
I was currently sporting dyed white hair, red contacts, cardboard armour and a plastic knife. Yep, I was cosplaying Bell, which was actually a rather large part of why I'd approached the girl. Part of the fun of cosplaying was getting cool photos, right?
The girl looked me up and down and smiled.
"I guess you have a point," she said.
"I'm Westley by the way," I said.
"I'm Hestia," said the girl with a smile.
I blinked.
"Is that why you chose to come as Hestia?" I asked.
"Um, yeah, lets go with that," said Hestia with a warm smile.
"So Hestia, why are you sitting all the way back here on your own?" I asked.
"Well, I guess you could say I'm not very keen on crowds," said Hestia.
I blinked, before snorting.
"Thats a horrible reason," I said, "Normally, I prefer to avoid big events as well, but I make an exception for things like this. Since you made such an effort, you should go out and show off. Hell, you should just be enjoying the atmosphere. Otherwise, whats the point?"
Hestia blinked and looked thoughtful.
"I guess you have a point…" she started.
"Great, then lets go!" I said, taking her hand and pulling her to her feet.
"Wha...HEY!" yelped the girl as I dragged her out onto the main floor.
The rest of the day was spent moving from stall to stall, chatting about our favorite Anime, Comics, books, movies and all manner of other nerd stuff, having plenty of photo opportunities thanks to our compatible outfits and even winning the costume competition at the end of the day.
"See, now wasn't that fun?" I asked once the day came to an end and everyone started heading home.
Hestia and I were heading back towards the train station, with the girl sporting a large smile and hugging a rather large stuffed rabbit that, for some odd reason, had been the prize for the costume contest. I had nowhere to put it and no man worth his salt would be seen walking down the street with something like that, so I gave it to her. Besides, we both also got vouchers for a local restaurant I liked anyway, so I certainly wasn't short changed.
"Yes, it really was," said Hestia, smiling at me, "Thanks for this Wes."
I grinned and waved off the thanks.
"Aww, don't worry about it," I said, "Frankly, its always more fun attending those things with friends anyway. I always get bored when I'm on my own with no one to talk to. Plus, I get a new friend out of the deal!"
Hestia stopped and looked up at me, surprise evident in her eyes.
"Friend?" she asked.
"Sure, why not?" I said.
Hestia stared at me a moment longer, before a soft smile crossed her face and she nodded.
"Alright, friends," she said.
For the next two years, Hestia and I grew closer as friends, often spending weekends and holidays hanging out and we went to yet more conventions together. My parents...well, lets just say that they were distant and leave it at that. Both of them were more interested in their careers than me, but my adult mindset meant that that wasn't really a problem. In fact, it made my life easier since I didn't have anyone breathing down my neck. During those two years, I often ended up being a willing ear to listen to Hestia venting her agitation at her family (although, it wasn't entirely one sided, I just had far less baggage to unload). Looking back, I'm actually quite surprised at just how much bottled up agitation she had towards the rest of the Gods, although I shouldn't be totally shocked. Even the nicest person on the planet (and Hestia definitely qualifies) will eventually reach their limits with people far less trying than the Olympians. Between all the philandering, arguments, threats of war and general dickishness of her family, I'm honestly quite surprised she didn't explode at someone a long time before I came along. It certainly didn't help that she didn't really have any friends. Oh, she had Servants and virtually everyone liked her, but no one was ever willing to get close to her, likely due to the fact that the Big Three, and even Demitria and Hera, would flatten anyone who even thought of looking at their eldest sister. Of course, she didn't tell me any of that directly, but I was able to infer it by reading between the lines as it were and the hints I got later on after I got dragged into the Mythical world.
Speaking of which, it actually took me an embarrassingly long time to figure out that she was actually a Goddess, although in my defence, Denil can be a very powerful thing. Like I said, I was fifteen when I figured it out and it was mostly because by that point it was so frickin obvious even Bell would have been able to twig. The weather had been particularly bad over the summer, with a large number of storms hitting the coast, almost like the sea and sky were fighting. It didn't really help that, over the summer, a manhunt for a 12 year old boy who supposedly blew up a tour bus hit the news, followed by Hestia showing up in a towering rage and ranting at me for a full hour over the sheer stupidity of her brothers fighting over what amounted to hurt pride and paranoia. By this point, I had actually figured it out, but I really didn't want to change our relationship, so I didn't say anything. What? Goddess or not, Hestia was a great friend. NO, I DID NOT HAVE A CRUSH ON HER!
Ahem, back on track.
"I just wish they'd stop trying to kill each other," said Hestia as she dropped down next to me with a huff.
"Well, since they've been at it for the past few thousand years, I doubt they're gonna stop now," I said without thinking.
Hestia did an epic spit take with the mouthful of coffee she'd just taken, before whipping around to stare at me, wide eyed with coffee still dripping down her chin.
"WHAT?!" she spluttered.
I burst out laughing at the look on her face and handed her a napkin. That had just slipped out, but her reaction was utterly priceless! Besides, to be completely honest, I was getting rather tired of dancing around the issue.
"I know who you really are," I said as Hestia wiped her face, "Hell, its kinda obvious if you know what to look for and know anything about Mythology."
"Alright, then who am I?" asked Hestia.
I smiled and held up a finger.
"Your Hestia, the Greek Goddess of the Hearth and Home," I said, "Eldest daughter of the Titan King Kronos and his Queen Rhea and the eldest of the Elder Gods."
I smirked at her.
"Need I go on?"
Hestia's eye twitched.
"How long…"
"Since the Winter Solstice when you were shouting about how annoying your youngest brothers were acting fighting over a stolen item," I deadpanned, "That was also when the weather started acting up and you slipped up mentioning the Big Guys Bolt."
Hestia blinked.
"That long?" she asked, "Why didn't you say something?"
I shrugged.
"Frankly, I didn't see how it mattered," I said, "You obviously weren't telling me for a reason and its not really like it was causing me trouble."
Hestia stared at me.
"You are a very unusually Human Westley Evans," she said, "Most people would try and do something to earn favour if they found out their friend was a God."
I shrugged again.
"Why bother?" I asked, "Frankly, I'm happy just being friends."
Hestia smiled and shook her head.
"Yes, very odd indeed," she said, "Although I have to ask, why in the world did you come to the conclusion I was a God? That seems like the very last thing anyone would think."
I snorted.
"Oh, I already knew the Supernatural exists," I said, "I can see through whatever it is you lot use to hide from Mortals."
I indicated to a passing man in a trenchcoat.
"Hes a Cyclops," I said, before indicating to a middle aged man in the batting cages, "That guys a Satyr and I think that the oversized mutt digging through the rubbish over there is a Hellhound."
Hestia stared at me for a moment, before snorting.
"Of course, you're a Clear Sighted Mortal," she said, "I should have known...thats how you were able to see me when we first met."
Hestia frowned and fixed me with a strange look.
"What?" I asked.
"I wonder…" she muttered.
"Wonder what?" I asked, "What are you thinking?"
"I was just thinking that you might be able to help me," she said.
I blinked.
"Er, you do remember that I'm a normal Human, right?" I asked.
"That may be true, but if your Clear Sighted, you are anything but powerless," said Hestia.
"I fail to see how seeing through whatever it is that hides the supernatural from normal people is useful," I deadpanned.
"Oh, its not," said Hestia, "However, the source of your Clear Sight might be useful."
"Eh?"
"In order to be able to see through the Mist, a Human must have something about them that connects them to the Supernatural," said Hestia, "Normally, that'd be non-Human blood somewhere in their family tree, but you are completely Human. With that in mind, theres only one other option."
"And what would that be?" I asked as I took a sip of tea.
"You possess something called a Sacred Gear.
PFFFFT!
Now it was my turn to do an epic spit take and whip around to face the Goddess in utter shock.
"A what?!" I gasped.
She didn't say that, she DID NOT JUST SAY THAT!
"A Sacred Gear," said Hestia, "A weapon created by the God of the Bible to perform Miracles on Earth."
She said it. This was...how am I supposed to react to this?! I mean, Percy Jackson is one thing and I can even take a Hestia who looks and acts like the one from Is It Wrong To Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon, but this?!
"For a while now, I've noticed something different about you," said Hestia, apparently not noticing my minor panic attack, "Not all Sacred Gear can affect the Mystical World, but there are some that are so powerful they can even kill Gods. I somehow doubt you have one of those, but if you do possess a powerful enough Sacred Gear, you can help me stop my family from screwing over the whole planet."
She looked down and clenched her fists.
"I won't force you, but its getting to the point where I can't afford not to step in. However, I can do little without a Champion."
I stared at the Goddess for a moment. Well, that was rather unexpected. The question now is, what should I do? I could easily tell her no and go on living my 'normal' life, but the very thought of that left a bad taste in my mouth. Hestia was my friend and I really didn't want to let her down. Besides, my last life was boring, so the idea of helping to save the world was a rather attractive one. It could be fun.
"Alright, I'll do it," I said.
Hestia's head snapped up, surprise in her eyes.
"You will?" she asked.
"Sure, why not?" I said, "It could be fun."
"You know it'll be dangerous, right?" she asked, "You could get hurt or even die."
"I could get hurt or die walking down the street," I said with a soft smile, "Besides, what kind of friend would I be if I left you in a bind like that?"
Hestia's cheeks pinked slightly, but she smiled and nodded.
"Alright, lets do it," she said, "But first, we should go somewhere we won't attract attention."
She snapped her fingers and the world seemed to turn inside out. The next thing I knew, I was standing in a homely looking sitting room decorated in warm browns and reds with a large fire burning in the grate and the smell of hot chocolate in the air.
"Where are we?" I asked.
"My Temple on Olympus," said Hestia, "Now, lets get started. First of all, I want you to try and activate your Sacred Gear."
"And how do I do that?" I asked.
"Think of the part of you that is the strongest," said Hestia, "Then use your feelings to release all your power at the same time."
"Thats helpful," I grumbled.
"Sorry, but thats all I know," said Hestia, "Demigods with Sacred Gears are rare and I don't tend to interact that much with other Pantheons."
I sighed and closed my eyes. I took a deep breath as I shifted my stance so I was straight backed with my hand to my chest. Not sure why, but it just felt right.
"I call upon the Lion of Light," I murmured, "Come forth King of Beasts, I summon thee!"
My eyes snapped open and I flung my arm out to the side. There was a brilliant flash of golden light and I found myself holding a frankly massive double headed axe longer than I was tall, that gleamed golden in the firelight with a large, green gem embedded in the middle of the two blades and tan leather wrapped around the handle that ended in what looked like a lion tail tassel. Despite its massive size, it felt like it weighed practically nothing.
At the sight of the axe, Hestia's eyes went wide in complete and utter disbelief.
"Wha...how in the world….?!" she spluttered.
"So I take it you know what this thing is?" I asked.
"T-thats one of the 13 Longinus!" gasped Hestia, "Its the Battle Axe of the Lion King, Regulus Nemea!"
And done. Well, isnt that a turnout for the books. Oh, and yes, by this worlds rules, Rachel Elizabeth Dare and Sally Jackson both have Sacred Gears as well. Whether or not that'll play into the story later I don't know.
So, Wes has a Sacred Gear that ties in nicely with the PJO world. Yes, that does mean that Sairaorg is down a Pawn, but considering that the Sacred Gears are the limit to DXD I have planned, thats not a problem. I may have Odin show up at some point though.
Paring...not sure, but Hestia is very likely indeed, although I am tempted to try for Artemis…
Just to be clear, Wes is Human...well, as Human as the wielder of a Longinus can really be.
And done. Don't forget to leave a review on the way out!