"I know," Hestia said, smiling gently at the little boy – not that he noticed, his focus still on his food. "She is feeling rather embarrassed about what happened. Not that she will ever admit that out loud. My family can be rather proud, and admitting mistakes does not come easily to them." When they were sat at the table, eating, Harry looked up from his food. "Is there anything else I should know about the Hunters?" he asked Hestia.
The goddess shook her head. "Just remember to remain polite. Some of them really do hate all men, so you may hear some nasty things. Just remain polite. Zoë herself will be cool and standoffish, like Artie, but she will remain polite as long as you do the same. It would be a command from Artie, after all, and Zoë Nightshade will always do what she can to fulfill Artie's requests."
Harry just nodded. "Okay, Hestia."
The Goddess of the Hearth smiled. "I'm glad to hear you're being adult about things, Harry. I'll inform Artie you're interested in the arrangement."
Hestia's smile widened. "Really," she confirmed. "Be careful, though – Artie's Hunters like boys even less than she does. Zoë is better than most, but she still won't be the most supportive of teachers. I suspect that, rather like Artie herself, you'll need to win her trust."
Harry nodded. He didn't think Artie was that bad. She hadn't yelled at him – much – and didn't say nasty things to him. Not often, anyway. Not after learning that she could take the silliest things as a challenge and get angry over them. He liked her as a teacher; she was awesome.
"What's she like?" Harry asked.
"Zoë?" Hestia asked, getting a confirming nod from Harry. "She's utterly loyal to Artie. She is also very experienced – she was one of the first of Artie's Hunters, and is still with her. She is extremely good at what she does, she's strong, and she's steadfast. A bit stubborn, but then again, to be the best at what you do, you need a bit of stubbornness."
The Goddess of the Hearth stopped flipping through the book at a certain page. " She also has a bit of a sweet tooth, so making some of these would help," she finished, pointing to the page. Harry walked over and looked at the recipe Hestia had selected. It was for simple chocolate-chip cookies. Hestia-style, of course, with a few added ingredients to reinforce certain flavors.
There was a reason her desserts were highly prized on Olympus.
"I can make those," Harry said, grinning.
Hestia just smiled, when the timer dinged. Harry grabbed the oven mitts and started taking the hot pan out of the oven. Not even thinking about asking for help, the young boy served his guest and himself. "Thanks, Hestia," Harry said, smiling. He was looking forward to meeting Artie's Hunters from what she had said, they were awesome.
They finished their meal, and Harry moved to put everything in the sink. Hestia waved her hand instead, cleaning up all the used implements and utensils.
"Whoa," Harry breathed, impressed.
Hestia laughed softly. " You cooked, so it is only right that I do the dishes," she teased. "I should go; I have a duty to maintain the fire at Camp Half-Blood."
The next morning, Harry collected the empty plate from the altar, shot the statue a grateful smile as Helios obviously liked the food, and went back to the kitchen to make cookies.
But first, breakfast.
After breaking his fast, Harry took out the recipe Hestia had recommended, studied it, and then started his preparations.
After completing his batter, he tasted it.
Harry nodded. "Okay. Have fun, Hestia," he said. He watched her walk to the living area, then hurried after her. "Would they really keep me locked up?" he asked before she could disappear into the fire.
She smiled gently at him. "It wouldn't really be imprisonment, but yes, for the safety of the campers, the rules state that one can't leave without clear permission. Demigods get attacked by monsters, you see. It's for their own protection. However, do to your life; you would struggle with the lack of freedom. At least, until I can help you heal a bit more."
Harry nodded gratefully. Knowing that the camp she loved wasn't a prison but more like a boarding school, helped. Not that he wanted to stay there, mind you. He wanted to be able to walk away when things didn't work out. He mistrusted people in charge. Even here, at Olympus, he could simply pack a bag and walk out. He didn't want that safety net taken away from him.
He returned to the kitchen, scooped up a portion of lasagna, and walked to the statue of Helios. "I hope you like lasagna, Mister Helios," the young boy said, putting the plate on the altar.
00000 CH 28
He was still humming and whistling random notes when he was scrubbing out the batter bowl, becoming aware that he was no longer alone in the kitchen.
He looked over his shoulder, and saw Artie stride up. He gave his second-favorite goddess a big smile. "Hi Artie!" he greeted, pulling his hands out of the soapy water, and drying them off.
"Harry," Artie said back. Was it Harry's imagination or did she sound apprehensive?
Harry studied it for a few moments. He then went to his cupboard, took out a chunk of raw ambrosia, and cut off a small piece. Grinding it into a fine powder, he folded it into the batter.
He tasted it again. "Good, good," he muttered to himself. Taking out a baking tray, he measured dollops of the batter onto the plate, before sprinkling chocolate chips on top and sliding it into the oven.
After the cookies finished baking, and letting them cool, he tasted one. It was gooey and chocolate-y, and he contemplated having a second.
Knowing himself, Harry stopped himself. If he didn't, he'd eat all of them.
Whistling randomly to himself, Harry dolloped the remaining batter onto a new tray, sprinkled the last of the chocolate chips on top, and set them to bake. He'd seriously misjudged the amount of batter he made, and so he'd turned out a lot more cookies than he had expected.
After his second batch cooled, he tried one of them. They were slightly more set, his timing must have been a bit off. They were more firm, but just as chocolate-y as the first batch. The minuscule amount of Ambrosia powder really brought out the flavors of the cookie.
He'd have to talk with Hestia about this, he wondered why her recipe didn't include the ambrosia to really kick up the flavor. There must be a reason for it.
Harry put the cooled cookies into a Tupperware container to keep them fresh, and set out to clean the utensils he had used making the cookies.