Prytaneum
Fireplace
"Still not dead!" I shouted into the room beneath the Church as I opened the door. "Just in case you've heard otherwise!"
I heard choking noises from the center of the room and walked down the short hallway that led to the main area. I found Hestia and a redheaded woman I was actively trying not to identify sitting on the couch. They'd obviously been talking and the topic had just as obviously been grim; I recognized the look on the redhead's face because I'd worn it plenty of times myself. She was being the bearer of bad news while also trying to be a hopeful, reassuring friend, like I'd try to be with those left behind if there was news of an ambush and we didn't hear from any of the survivors for a few days. I'd always end up asking Nico about it when he stopped by my place, which tended to add even more dread to something that probably wasn't going to be about anything good to begin with.
"Percy…!" Hestia said, standing quickly. "You're okay!"
"Welf said you might have heard," I said with a sigh before smiling at her. "I got into a little trouble, but I didn't want you to worry."
"Worry?" Hestia asked, sounding incredulous. "I heard there were Minotaurs on the eleventh floor. For a minute there, I thought you might have…"
I looked away, feeling a bit embarrassed at her concern and saddened by the fact that I'd been its cause.
"Well…rumors of my death tend to be exaggerated," I told her. "I even showed up to my own funeral, once. But whatever happens, I promised you I'd come back, right?"
"Right," Hestia mumbled in confirmation, shoulders falling. Despite what she said, she still seemed down. "But…what happened, Percy? For there to be Minotaurs there…"
I glanced at the redheaded woman for just a moment, but then decided that she deserved to know, too; Welf had been involved, too, after all.
"It turns out it was an accident," I said. "Apparently, Loki Familia is coming back from an expedition? The ran into some Minotaurs on the seventeenth and they ran."
Hestia's mood, if anything, seemed to sour further.
"So that's why," She almost seemed to snap, grinding her teeth for a moment. "What is Loki's Familia thinking! Being so reckless and endangering others!? I should go—"
The redhead laid a hand on Hestia's shoulder, interrupting her.
"You shouldn't do anything," She said warningly, watching Hestia until she bowed her head. "Although, I understand your feelings; someone from my Familia was put in danger as well. For the Minotaurs to reach as far as the eleventh floor…perhaps I should go speak to Loki."
There was a somewhat tense atmosphere around the two, especially Hestia, and I couldn't help but laugh nervously.
"Ah, well…don't be too harsh?" I tried. "Nothing bad happened in the end, I don't think, and it seems they gave chase the moment something happened. One of her Familia members helped me out of some trouble, in fact."
"Trouble you were only in because of them," Hestia grumbled, seeming exceptionally displeased.
I was silent for a moment before resolving myself and biting the bullet to change the subject.
"I'm Percy Jackson, by the way," I told the redhead. "And you must be Welf's goddess, Lady Hephaestus."
I managed to get the words out quickly enough that I didn't have to think about them too much, but when she nodded and gave me a smile, my brain ground to a halt. I'd known from the moment I saw her, of course, but that didn't make it any easier to comprehend now that the truth had been confirmed. I'd learned about her shortly after arriving in Orario and I'd had no idea what to expect. The Hephaestus I'd known had been a huge man, bulging with muscles, and while he'd been one of the kinder gods I'd known, it was impossible not to notice his disfigurement. His shoulders had been at different height, making it seem like he was always leaning, and his head had been bulging and misshapen. The issue with his legs was well known and even his face was ugly, covered in welts and lumps as if he'd been punched repeated and then stung by giant wasps. None of that justified the stuff that had been done to him in myths and he was way better than most of the gods I knew, but I could also admit that it was hard to look at him at times. I had less trouble than most because he could win a beauty pageant compared to some members of my family, but still.
So when I'd finally managed to process the female Hephaestus idea, I hadn't been certain what to expect. I mean, beyond the obvious 'but with breasts' possibility. Maybe something similar, I guess, touching upon the major points in some new way. But somehow, seeing her as she was…it was even more jarring. Hephaestus was fairly beautiful, frankly, and suddenly the tones I'd occasionally heard in Welf's voice when he talked about her took on new meaning. She was slim, with long red hair, crimson eyes, and a sharp face. The only thing about her that came close to disfigurement was the fact that she had an eyepatch over her right eye, and even then, she could have worn it as a fashion statement or part of a pirate outfit.
"I am," She said, inclining her head deeply. "The circumstances are rather…odd, but I owe you my thanks. It seems you've been taking care of both Hestia and a member of my Familia."
"I-I-I'm not…" Hestia began, flushing and looking away in embarrassment. "I haven't been…"
"It's not like that," I said, glancing towards my goddess. "Hestia has helped me out a great deal. I was new in Orario and having some trouble, but she accepted me as part of her Familia and has been supporting my ever since. I'm grateful to her, really."
"Hm," Hephaestus seemed to muse, contemplating me.
"If anything, I should thank you," I told her. "I've been depending on your Familia a lot lately. Wayland guided me quite a bit while I was lost and Welf has been supporting me lately. But it seems I made him worry a lot today and I got you involved as well…I apologize for any trouble I've caused you and your Familia, Lady Hephaestus."
She watched me for a long minute her single eye, remaining silent—before shaking her head.
"No," She said. "You haven't caused any trouble. Welf has been growing a lot, thanks to you. I was worried, because of the difficulty he'd been having the last couple of years, but he's been doing very well lately, with your help. Not only that, but you prioritized his safety at risk to yourself in an emergency, staying behind even though you are a new adventurer."
"Ah," Hestia squeaked, looking abruptly nervous. Her poker face was poor when it came to her friends, it seems. But for the moment, at least, Hephaestus refrained from commenting about it.
"And also…although it's selfish of me, a part of me is glad something like this happened," She continued. "I was very surprised when Welf rushed into my office so suddenly and even more so when he told me why. That boy has a stunning amount of pride, but he swallowed it in an instant when he knew you were in danger. The two of you must be very good friends…I suppose you already know about his name."
"Ah…yeah, Welf told me," I replied, nodding. "Most of it went over my head, but I got the idea, more or less. It's about the magic sword thing, right?"
Her lips quirked upwards slightly at that and she gave a slight nod.
"Yes," She said. "Welf has always been quite picky about who he worked with; I was a bit surprised when he mentioned making a party with a member of Hestia's Familia…but I think I understand now. You truly don't care?"
"I don't really want a magic sword," I told her. "I already have the only sword I need."
"So I've heard," She mused, tilting her head. "Wayland mentioned a boy with a strange sword to me in passing and Welf has seemed particularly inspired as of late. As a smith, I'm a bit curious myself…may I?"
I hesitated for a moment, glancing at Hestia, before removing Riptide and uncapping it. Hestia and Welf both trusted her, which was good enough for me, I suppose. I held it out to her and she took it gently.
"Ah," She said, looking down at it and blinking her solitary eye. "I understand. I suppose Welf's reaction makes sense."
Somehow, I really did get the feeling that she understood Riptide—probably better than I did, in her own way. But I guess she was the god…goddess of smiths for a reason.
"Be sure to hold onto it," She told me, passing it back. "The one who made it wouldn't want you to lose it."
"I know," I told her. "But Riptide's not the type to get lost in the first place—it returns to my side, no matter what happens."
"How nice," She said with an honest smile before standing. "I should be going then, now that it's clear you're okay. I was glad to hear that Hestia had made a Familia and I'm reassured now that I've met you…although, one might think it a bit suspicious for a Level 1 to survive such an encounter with so many Minotaurs."
She turned her face enough to look at Hestia with her left eye, making her cringe slightly.
"That is…"
"Hestia hasn't done anything," I told her, stepping up for my goddess. "My circumstances are a bit special, is all. If you know what Riptide really is, you probably already know I'm not a normal adventurer."
Hephaestus sighed.
"I was afraid of that," She said, closing her eye. "Hestia, you probably know this as well as anyone, but you should be careful. Word may already get out, if Loki's Familia choosing to look into matters…or if Loki herself hears about your Familia. Depending on what happens, you may even have to face accusations about understating your Level or worse."
"People do that?" I asked, blinking. "Why?"
"For various reasons," She replied, gesturing vaguely. "I suppose you already know about your Familia's rank?"
"Uh…no?"
She closed her eye and sighed again.
"The higher a Familias rating, which is determined by both the number of members and their strength, the more taxes it must pay to the Guild, among other things," She told me, shaking her head at Hestia. "It's sadly not uncommon for Familias to try and evade as much of those taxes as they can by hiding the power of their members or being slow to report them, though such things carry fines, should they be discovered. For you, the greater concern may be the suspicions towards you, Hestia; some might think that you've been using your power to get an unfair advantage."
"What should we do?" Hestia asked her, looking worried.
Hephaestus turned back towards me, tilting her head.
"Do you have anyone at the Guild you trust?" She asked.
"My advisor," I replied, catching on. "Do you think I should tell her? Hestia said…"
"Legally, all they are allowed to share is an adventurer's Level," She told me. "Because an adventurer's status is so important, they are very strict about such things—if word were to get out about my Familias secrets, for instance, I would be quite upset. And even if it weren't my Familia that were revealed in such a way, the implications of an information leak would be quite troubling. The Guild won't allow such a thing to happen, so to avoid problems, it may be wise of you to show your Status to your friend at the Guild and get official confirmation on your Level. Even if there is something you wish to hide."
I looked at Hestia and then nodded after she did.
"Thank you, Lady Hephaestus," I replied. "I'll do so as soon as I can."
Hephaestus nodded.
"Good luck to you both," She said. "And thank you again for looking after Welf. I hope that you two will grow a lot more in the future as well."
And with that, she left.
Slowly, I turned to Hestia and tilted my head.
"Your friend seems nice."
"Percy…" Hestia said, seeing through the attempt at evasion with ease.
I guess I'm still in trouble. Oh well; this was nothing compared to what trying to explain things to Eina will be like.