Prytaneum
Enlightenment
After returning home, I dozed for a little while, my mind somewhat more at ease, only to startle awake at the sound of motion. I opened my eyes just as I heard Hestia gasp and sat up on the couch.
"Good morning," I said, cracking my stiff neck. At a guess, I'd slept for less than an hour, which was hardly enough sleep considering how long I'd gone without, but oh well. "Did you sleep well?"
Hestia was silent for a moment before the door to her room creaked open and I saw her standing there, the Undine Ribbon in her hands.
"Percy…" She whispered, staring at it in amazement. "What is this?"
"It's your ribbon," I replied, closing my eyes and scratching my cheek. "I wanted to try and fix it while you were asleep, but I may have gone a bit too far."
"My ribbon…" She repeated, holding the length of the ribbon in her open hands, watching as the fabric seemed to shimmer and flow.
"It was wearing out, right?" I said. "So I repaired it. It was late, but I wanted to do something to fix it and…I guess I activated my Mystery Ability in the process. Do you like it, though?"
"It's beautiful," She said, voice nearly a whisper before she finally tore her eyes away from it and looked at me. "But you didn't have to do this, Percy?"
Opening my eyes, I looked at her for a moment before sighing.
"I'm sorry, Hestia," I said, averting my eyes even as I shook my head slightly. "Things have been busy and I've been distracted and…I guess I'm not very smart, so I didn't notice. But…you've been worried, haven't you? And sad. Because of me."
Her small hands tightened around the ribbon and she quickly shook her head. It was a bit of an odd time for me to notice, but this may have been the first time I'd really seen her with her hair down and it gave her a completely different look.
"No," She denied at once. "I'm not sad at all—I'm happier than I've ever been. Since I met you, I found a family, something I've wanted since I first came to this world and…and I'm not alone anymore. I'm happier then I could put into words, to have met you, to have made a Familia—"
"But you were still worried, weren't you?" I asked, and immediately she began to trail off. "About yourself."
"I…" She tried to begin before trailing off. She ducked her head low, bangs shadowing her eyes even as her hands shook. "I'm…a useless goddess, aren't I?"
She didn't even give me a chance to reply, the words abruptly coming out in a rush.
"I can't do anything to help you," She said. "I'm not like Hephaestus or Miach—I don't have any skills I can help you with, any way to be useful. I don't have any money, either, or a Familia to help support you. Of all the gods in Orario, I have to be the most worthless. Percy, someone like you could have joined any Familia in the city, even the strongest, and still been appreciated. You would have been valued and supported and, and helped, unlike with me. Even now, there's nothing I can do for you to make things easier; I'm just a burden, holding you back and weighing you down."
I listened to her calmly, letting her speak and get the word out, before saying my piece in turn.
"I'm sorry," I said again before falling to one knee before her. Even kneeling before her like that, we were only eyelevel, but that was better for this. "I should have noticed from the beginning and said this to you upfront."
I took a slow, deep breath and smiled at her.
"Hestia, no matter what happens, I want you to know that I'm glad you're my goddess," I told her. "Not because of anything you can give me or the money you can offer or anything like that—none of that means anything to me, not really. Instead, it's because you're kind. Because you care. Because you want to help and try your best, even if you're not always sure how. Because I know you'll be there when I come home and because you're what I come home to. And because…we're friends, right?"
"Percy…" She said, lifting her eyes to mine, tears gleaming on her cheeks before she brushed them away.
"We're still a small Familia," I said. "And there's still a lot of stuff we lack. But that's fine, right? Because we are family and we'll deal with it together. So…isn't it okay like this? Whatever happens, as long as we both do what we can, things will get better. So please…continue watching over me, Lady Hestia."
"Percy!" She repeated, taking several quick steps forward and wrapping her arms around my neck, hugging me tightly.
Feeling a bit awkward, I slowly hugged her back, patting her on the back gently and very carefully not focusing on anything inappropriate for this touching moment.
"Thinking about it, I don't usually get this chance," I said, standing and stretching slightly. "Why don't I walk you to work today?"
Hestia rubbed at her eyes quickly, nodding without looking up at me.
"You're not going to the Dungeon today?" She asked.
"I'm not sure yet," I admitted. "But probably not. There's still some stuff I need to do before I go back."
"Oh, that's right," Hestia said after glancing at me. "We were going to update your Status yesterday, but we got wrapped up in the story."
You fell asleep, I thought but did not say.
"We can do that tonight," I said. "And that's not the only thing, anyway. Welf's going to forge my new set of armor today and we have stuff to do at the Guild. Since I want to be around for that, I figured I'd use this chance to do some stuff I've been putting off…and besides, I wanted to practice with Mystery a bit, now that I have it."
"Ah!" Hestia released a squeak of surprise. "I forgot to say congratulations, Percy!"
"Thank you," I answered humbly, smiling at her again. "But I've really only figured out the barebones. I was sewing and I ended up turning your ribbon into Undine Silk. My shirt, too."
"Undine Silk," Hestia repeated, toying with the ribbon in her hands again. "I think I've heard of it before…for you to have made some, though…"
"Welf said it was impressive," I agreed. "And expensive. But I got the feeling he wanted me to keep it a secret for now. What do you think, Hestia?"
"…He's right," She said, looking down at the ribbon in her hands. "If someone connected it back to you, it could cause some problems. I should probably…"
Seeing how disappointed she looked, I put my hands over hers before she could finish.
"If it's just a ribbon, it should be fine, right?" I asked, looking at her quietly. "I mean, if it's just something this size, it should still be within our price range, more or less? It's no more attention drawing than all the armor I bought and no one's seemed to notice that—and the Guild can't release details on our Familia, right? So why not just say it was a gift from a friend? It's just a ribbon, after all."
"What about…?" She glanced at the shirt I was wearing, eyes questioning.
"I intend to wear it under my armor," I said, pinching the fabric and tugging it gently. "It's not like I get hot even while wearing stuff over it, so it should be fine. Welf will probably do the same."
"Then…" Hestia replied, hesitating slightly before smiling beautifully at me. "I'll wear it?"
"Yeah," I said. "Then shall we go?"
"Go…ah! Yes, just give me a moment to get ready!" She said, taking the ribbon and hurrying back towards her room, or maybe the shower.
Shrugging slightly, I sat back down on the arm of the couch and closed my eyes as I waited.
"All done!" Hestia exclaimed however much later and I shook off my continued drowsiness to smile. "Let's go!"
"It's on North Main, right?" I asked.
"Mm," She confirmed, bobbing her head quickly. "But since it's still early, why don't we get something to eat together? You haven't eaten yet, have you?"
I shook my head, grabbing my breastplate as I rose and using it to all but cover my now magical shirt.
"To West Main, then!" She proclaimed, pointing a finger.
I chuckled quietly, glad that she was in a good mood, and followed after her quickly. She seemed to hurry, but with my longer legs, I kept up just by walking a bit faster. Whatever else happened, I thought this would be a good day—
And just as quickly had second thoughts as we walked onto West Main and I felt the weight of someone's gaze fall upon me. It was familiar, almost strikingly so, to the point that I immediately remembered the last time I'd felt it. It had been here that time, too, but after all this time, I'd nearly forgotten about it. So much had happened—finding Hestia, becoming an adventurer, making friends, entering the Dungeon, and more—that it had just fallen by the wayside.
How could I let that happen? Ignore a feeling that had sent shivers up and down my spine, that had mad my heart start pounding? I hadn't heard about anything happening since then, but I knew better than to take anything for granted or let them be. If it was a monster, I…
And here I was, with Hestia by my side—and in danger.
Taking a deep, slow breath, I reached out to tap my goddess on the shoulder, drawing her attention.
"Actually…" I said thoughtfully, hiding my unease. "Hestia, you know this area better then I do—why don't you go find a place that looks nice?"
Hestia's cheerful gaze immediately turned penetrating even as she stilled.
"Something wrong?" She asked, but her tone made it clear that it wasn't a real question.
I lifted a finger to my lips and gave her a wink, as though I were telling her a joke.
"Let me take a look around, okay?" I asked and she slowly nodded.
"Do you—"
"I'm armed," I assured her, patting my pocket. "Don't worry about me, okay? I'll meet up with you down there, after I make sure nothing's wrong."
Hestia's shoulders seemed to tense, but she swallowed and nodded quickly.
"Okay," She murmured, eyes growing worried again—a few minutes and back to square one. "Be careful though, okay?"
"Sure thing," I said before watching her turn and quickly make her way away. As soon as I thought she was far enough, I exhaled and closed my eyes, standing still in the street as I tried to trace the feeling. It wasn't all that hard, frankly; not with the feeling so intense. It was like I was being stared down by a dragon again and it was making me about as nervous. But…
–There.
I opened my eyes, focusing on one of the many shops that lined the street. Was it the same one as before? For some reason, I thought it might have been. Like most of the buildings on this street, it was two stories tall, but it still stood out because of how deep it was—it must have been one of the larger buildings on the street, frankly, though I wasn't entirely certain what it was. A café? A bar? A store? I couldn't be sure. There was someone setting tables out on the terrace and a bunch of people milling about in front of the street, but my eyes rose of their own accord to the windows on the second level. Because of the way the sunlight struck them, they seemed like nothing more than sheets of light, but for some reason I felt certain that there was someone behind them, looking back at me.
Squaring my shoulders, I made my way across the street towards the building. My plan…was a work in progress, honestly, but figuring out who was watching me so intently seemed like a decent place to start. Who or what it was would probably decide the way things went, anyway.
Just as I was about to reach the door, however, a voice interrupted me.
"Um, excuse me, sir?" A girl I hadn't paid much mind to in my advance said, drawing my attention. She seemed to be about my age and human—in terms of race, I mean, which was a distinction I was still getting used to. She didn't seem to be a monster though, either; if anything, she seemed to be something between a maid and a waitress, wearing a white blouse, a green skirt, and a fancy looking apron. Her blue-grey hair and eyes would have been fairly noteworthy if I were back in New York, but in Orario, it was far from weird, and she had the former bound back in a bun and ponytail.
"Yes?" I asked, turning towards her tensely, on guard. "Can I help you?"
"Ah, um, yes," She said, blushing slightly. Holding out a hand, she offered me a blueish-purple stone—a magic stone. "You dropped this."
I looked at it carefully for a moment and then traced my eyes back up to hers.
No, I thought. No, I did not.
She was lying to me or at least was mistaken. For one thing, I was certain I'd exchanged all my magic stones the day before—and for another, even if I hadn't, this stone wouldn't have been one of them. I'd hardly consider myself an expert on the subject, but I had encountered what seemed like a few thousand of the things in the last week or so, and from the size, shape, and color, I was pretty sure it had come from a monster no deeper than the fifth floor, a floor I'd bypassed entirely thanks to Mrs. O'Leary.
Outwardly, however, I smiled.
"Ah, thank you," I said, rubbing the back of my neck embarrassedly. "Sorry for the trouble."
"Oh, no, it was nothing," She assured. "I'm glad to be of help."
What was she after…?
"Well, thank you anyway," I said, nodding at her. "Do you work here?"
"Yup," She answered brightly before her expression fell a bit. "I'm afraid we aren't open yet, however."
At that, I glanced back up at the second floor and then looked at the door.
"Ah," I said, not having to fake my awkwardness this time. My plan to force a confrontation was already getting complicated. At the same time, however, I was growing more suspicious of the girl in front of me; was she doing this intentionally in an attempt to stop me, or…?
"Are you hungry then?" She asked, tilting her head at me in concern.
"A little bit," I said, smiling bleakly at her. "I was hoping to get something to eat, but I guess it's still a bit early. Sorry to bother you."
She seemed to consider me for a moment before clapping her hands lightly.
"Wait just a moment," She said before turning away and rushing back into the shop through a side door that I carefully note the location of. A minute later, she comes rushing back outside with a cute little basket clutched in her hands and holds it out to me. "Here. Take this."
She seems to read the confusion on my face because she giggles, smiling brightly at me again.
"Since we're closed, all I can offer you is my breakfast. Is this much okay?"
"I can't take this," I replied immediately, nearly reeling as I was forced to shift gears. Was this a trick? A trap? Or had I misread her? Whatever the case, my answer was the same. "It's yours."
"I can't just leave you hungry like this," She said, looking at me kindly. "I'd be disappointed in myself if I did that, you know? So please take it, for me."
I hesitated, off-balance and unsure how to answer, which seemed to make her giggle again.
"Why don't we just think of it as a trade, then?" She asked, suddenly revealing a mischievous smile.
"A trade?" I wondered.
"Yes," She replied. "In exchange for my breakfast this morning…how about you eat dinner here at the place I work?"
She laughs again as my eyes widen slightly and before realizing it, I'm chuckling as well. Slowly, I relaxed, smiling slightly. Was that it, then? Had she just seen an opportunity to get a new customer? That was a bit tricky of her, but…I didn't necessarily mind that. If anything, it reminded me of the Camp, in a way. If it was just that, then it was fine
And if it wasn't…I needed to come back here anyway.
I looked up at the second story window and noticed that the feeling was gone as if it had never been. Just below it was a sign I couldn't read; the language used in Orario was similar to English in a lot of ways, but it looked completely different, and my dyslexia didn't help. Even so, I did my best to memorize the specific pattern of squiggles I saw and made a mental note of its location on the street.
"Dinner, huh?" I murmured, shaking my head. "Then I guess I'll see you again tonight?"
"I'll see you then!" She said happily. "Be sure to spend a lot of money, Mr. Adventurer!"
"Hah," I replied, chuckling again. "My name's Percy, actually. Percy Jackson."
"I'm Syr Flova," She said in return. "I'll see you tonight, Percy."
"Yeah," I said, looking up at the window one last time. "I'll be there."