Hestia's POV
I didn't expect that coming back home after work would I find someone shivering in the streets. It broke my heart to see this, and I decided to go and take this person back home. Having recently gotten a "home" from Hephaestus; I had the privilege of taking anyone in. And who knows, this person might be part of my family!
As I approached the person, I noticed that they were wearing a dirty cloak and the hood was covering their face, making it difficult to tell the gender. I could see that I was able to bring a bit of comfort just by presence alone, which relieved me.
I said to him, "Take my hand, I'll take you to a more comfortable and nicer place than this to sleep, okay?" And I was happy that this person obliged and followed me back to the church where I was staying. I could feel their hands and noticed that behind all that dirt, it was soft, almost as soft as mine. Could this person be a girl? Uh-oh, I don't have any clothing of mine that can fit her, there's only the spare clothing that belonged to a boy who worked in the church before.
Well, I'm sure she won't mind! And as I led her to the church, I grabbed clothing and gave it to her, and I told her to go and take a bath first while I made something for her to eat. This would be the first time I cook for someone other than myself, I'm so excited! I really hope she likes my food and maybe just maybe, she'll decide to join my familia!
30 minutes went by and while I was finishing making food, I suddenly heard a shout.
"Huh?!"
I quickly rushed towards the bathroom, and I opened the door expecting the girl to need help, but what I actually found was a boy! A boy who was still nude! My eyes darted to his lower half, and he quickly covered himself. Oh no…! I profusely blushed, closed my eyes, and got out of the bathroom.
"I'm sorry!" I exclaimed as I ran back towards the kitchen. I can't believe I just saw that…my heart was pounding out of my chest, my cheeks were burning and no matter what I did, it just didn't stop. I thought the person was a girl, not a boy! Who knew that behind that hooded cloak was a boy who was…quite beautiful. No no no no, Hestia! You're a goddess, you can't have these thoughts!
Listen to what Hephaestus said, "Be a goddess that mortals can follow and love, only that way will you be able to have a familia." You're right, I need to behave appropriately! As I made my resolve firm, I slapped my cheeks. There's still a chance of recruiting him!
A few moments passed and I was done making food, I placed his plate on the table and sat down waiting for him to come out. And soon, he did. He was wearing a white shirt and black pants, as I looked at his face, I couldn't help but remember about the incident in the bathroom causing me to slightly blush. It was hard to not look at his face, he is by far exceptionally handsome, one might believe he was a god.
However, as I looked at his eyes, it showed a strong determination but below his eyes looked like he was crying. Oh no… did me coming inside the bathroom make him cry?!
However, just as I was going to say something, he looked at me and smiled warmly, which for some reason calmed me down and gained back my spirits. Oh, that smile…. Stop daydreaming Hestia!
"Thank you for allowing me to use your bathroom," he said, his voice was sweet and calm, which only increased my perception of him even more.
"Of course! You don't need to thank me, it's only right I do this, after all, I am a goddess!" I said puffing my chest hoping to charm him by my words. "Come sit here, I've prepared your food," and so he did. He grabbed his spoon and started eating, his face showing relief. I felt very happy seeing him like this, I couldn't believe someone like him was out there alone in the cold. A part of me was mad that his parents left him there, but in any case, I was happy that I could help him.
"My name is Hestia, the goddess of Hearth, would you mind sharing yours?"
He froze and after a couple of seconds he said, "My name is Adam."
Adam's POV:
"I can't thank you enough for bringing me here and providing me with a delicious meal," I said expressing my gratitude. I've seen some of the anime, and I know that out of all the gods and goddesses in this world, Hestia is one of the best ones. She is known to be kind, caring, and loving towards her children to the point where she'd sacrifice herself to help them. Truly one of the goddesses I admire.
"Hehehe! I'm just glad I can help you, Adam. Please, feel free to stay here for as long as you want, and you're more than welcome to live here with me. I can't bear to see you living in the streets," she said, warming my heart. And what she said brought me relief, if I could join her familia, I could go to the dungeon tomorrow and start getting stronger.
"Thank you, goddess Hestia. I'd like to stay here and since you're a goddess, can I be a part of your familia? I know I may look weak now, but I can promise you that I'll grow powerful enough to make your name have glory and fame," I said hoping to convince her.
"Yes!" She exclaimed as she quickly jumped out of her chair and hugged me. "I don't care if my name has glory or fame, as long as you're in my familia, then that's all that matters to me! But are you sure? I'm not rich…and you'll be the first to join my familia. Even knowing this, will you still be a part of my familia?"
I should've known that she was desperate for people to join her. I smiled again seeing her puppy eyes. "It doesn't matter if you're poor or if you don't have any familia members, I'll make sure our familia can grow stronger so that we can live comfortably. So yes, Goddess Hestia, I'll gladly join your familia," and as I said this, she hugged me even tighter, pushing her face towards my chest.
"Yay! I got my first familia member! C'mon, take off your shirt and lay on the bed!"
If she had said that to anyone without any context, they would surely get the wrong idea. But, since I knew her personality and what she was trying to do, I wasn't flustered. Though her breast pushing against my stomach is a bit embarrassing, but I have to say, it does feel nice.
As she finally let go, I let out a sigh. Despite her size, she was quite strong. I took off my shirt, approached the bed, and laid on my stomach. Hestia then climbed behind me and sat below my buttocks. I could feel her stare at my back, her hands running all over me. "Umm, Goddess Hestia?"
"Sorry, sorry! Also, please just call me Hestia, okay?"
"Okay."
I then felt her divine blood as she was inscribing her blessing on my back. It didn't take much long as I noticed that Hestia was hurriedly doing this as if she thought I was going to run away somehow. Just as she finished, I felt my body much lighter and stronger. The previous uneasiness my body was feeling was gone. I felt good, really good. I could feel my muscles from my entire body growing strong.
"Okay, now I'll see your status! Huh?! How is this possible?! This can't be real, right?" Her loud exclaims worried me as I turned my head to look at her. Her jaw dropped, and her eyes were wide as if she was seeing something out of the ordinary. She rubbed her eyes and looked at my status again to make sure she wasn't seeing things, and gulped as her hands shook.
"Did something go wrong?!" I asked, worried that it might not have worked.
"No! Here, just look at it yourself!" She said as she copied what she saw on a paper and handed it to me. I immediately took the paper and looked at the contents of my status.
[Name]: Adam
[Level]: 1
[Basic Abilities]:
Strength: I0
Endurance: I0
Dexterity: I0
Agility: I0
Magic: I0
[Development Ability]: None
[Magic]: None
[Skills]:
- [Divine Body: A growth-type skill that grants the adventurer not only enhanced physical durability but also the unique ability to grow stronger at an accelerated rate by the gain of excelia. This skill enhances physical endurance, healing, adaptability, and personal growth.]
- [Eyes of the Lord]: A defensive-type skill that allows the adventurer to mimic basic physical attacks and reflect a small portion of physical damage back to attackers. The skill becomes more powerful and versatile as the adventurer levels up. Over time, the adventurer can learn to reflect more complex moves and handle greater threats.]