Chapter: Celebration of the gods
Made By: Eternal_Jokr
A/N: This fanfic is open to criticism and opinions, tell us what you think in the comments section and leave your support. Thank you
---
Twilight finally gave way to a starry and cool night in Orario.
After much laughter, teasing, and Hestia practically driving Demeter and the other goddesses away to protect her territory, the couple finally said goodbye to the partying deities.
Dante collected the shopping bags from the boutique, with the baby dolls and the new dress kept inside.
He offered his bandaged arm to Hestia, who did not hesitate a second to cling to him, intertwining her fingers with his in a totally devoted manner.
They walked back through the streets illuminated by the magical light-stone lamps. The movement on the Main Street had decreased, giving the city a much more intimate and serene atmosphere.
With every step they took toward home, the small silver bells with blue and white petals in Hestia's hair emitted a low and comforting tinkling, breaking the silence of the night in a melodious way.
"The day today was simply perfect, Dante" Hestia murmured, breaking the silence with a soft and visibly tired voice, but overflowing with happiness.
She rested her head against his broad shoulder as they walked. "Even with Demeter almost crushing you and trying to steal you from me...it was the best date of my life".
Dante looked down, observing the reflection of the city lights in her blue eyes. The black strands of her hair swayed slightly with the night breeze.
"For me it was also a good day, Hestia" he replied with his hoarse and gentle voice. "It had been a long time since I had forgotten the weight of my blade. Thank you for that."
Upon reaching the entrance to the basement that served as the headquarters for the Hestia Familia, Dante pushed the old wooden door, allowing the goddess to enter first. The environment was quiet and welcoming.
Dante placed the bags of clothes on the coffee table and let out a long sigh, relaxing his shoulders.
After putting the purchases away, the homemade aroma took over the basement.
Dante and Hestia sat at the small table to enjoy the dinner they had prepared, enjoying each other's company in a calm and domestic atmosphere.
Between one bite and another, the comfortable silence was broken by the goddess, who wiped her mouth with the napkin and looked at the young man with a slightly guilty, but excited expression.
"Dante, my darling...I almost forgot to tell you something important about the next few days" Hestia began, adjusting one of the blue petals of her new hair accessory while the bells gave a light tinkle.
She stretched her arm to the bag and pulled out an elegantly decorated invitation card, with the emblem of an elephant's head in gold relief, sliding it across the tabletop to the warrior's bandaged hands.
"Ganesha is going to have one of those great celebrations of gods that he loves to organize" she explained, slightly puffing out her cheeks. "It is one of those huge parties where almost all the deities of Orario gather to drink, talk, and well...divine politics. I was invited and I need to attend to maintain the good relations of our Familia".
Dante picked up the card, analyzing the golden details with his cosmic purple eyes.
"I understand" he replied with his hoarse and calm voice. "Will this last all night?"
Hestia let out a dramatically tired sigh, although her eyes gave away that she was also anxious to see some friends again. "I wish it were just one night"
"Look closely at the back of the card... Between the main banquet, the committee meetings, and the public festivals, I will be completely busy for the next 2 or 3 days."
She leaned over the table, holding Dante's hand affectionately, looking at him in a totally loving way.
"I will miss you and our home so much, Dante! Three whole days without my hero will be pure torture" she tweeted in a pouting way.
"But, on the bright side, this means that you will have some free time from the Dungeon to really rest here on the surface, without worrying about taking care of me. Just promise me that you won't crawl into any dangerous holes while I'm away, you hear?"
Dante looked at the invitation and then at the worried and affectionate face of his goddess. The corner of his lips rose in a subtle half-smile.
"I promise I will use this time to rest and take care of my equipment" he guaranteed, squeezing her fingers back. "Have fun at Ganesha's party, Hestia. I will be here waiting when you return".
Before he could pull away, Hestia moved quickly. She stopped right in front of him, the bells in her hair tinkling one last time as she leaned forward and wrapped her arms around Dante's neck.
Rising on her tiptoes, the little goddess sealed her lips to his in a tender, long, and deeply passionate kiss, sealing the end of that unforgettable date.
When she pulled away, with flushed cheeks and a completely melted gaze, she gave affectionate pats on his chest.
"Now, my hero...go rest" she whispered in an extremely pouting and sweet way. "Because when I get back, I insist on debuting one of those sleepwear outfits you bought for me".
Dante let out a low, hoarse laugh, feeling the heat of the moment rise up his face, as he watched his goddess walk bouncily toward the room with her hips swaying more than necessary, leaving behind the soft sound of her promise and the scent of a perfect day.
------------xXx------------
The main hall of Ganesha's palace shone under the effect of hundreds of magical light stones, which projected golden reflections on the marble columns and long tables covered by fine linen cloths.
The air was saturated with the aroma of charcoal-grilled meats, rare wines brought from Soma, and the expensive perfumes of Orario's wealthiest deities.
Hundreds of gods and goddesses walked from side to side, showing off their flashy robes, laughing loudly, and participating in the upper world's favorite pastime: gossip and the flaunting of their Familias' power.
Hestia walked with firm steps, attracting gazes wherever she passed. The midnight-blue dress, with the well-fitted off-the-shoulder neckline and the daring slit that went up her thigh, completely transformed her usual presence.
Instead of the image of the 'hardworking goddess' in simple clothes, she exuded the imposing elegance of a true Greek deity.
The new hair adornments with blue and white petals held her ponytails perfectly, and the silver bells emitted a clear and rhythmic sound that announced her approach.
"Hestia! My dear, but what is this?" exclaimed Demeter, who was standing near a huge fountain of tropical fruits.
The Goddess of Agriculture, always majestic and owner of a generous silhouette that challenged the fabrics of her olive-green dress, almost dropped the glass of nectar she was holding.
"Did the boutique really work miracles, or does your silver-haired warrior have impeccable taste in fashion?"
Hestia stopped before her, placing her hands on her waist and puffing out her bust with immense pride, making the bells tinkle loudly.
"Don't you dare imply that I needed miracles, Demeter!" Hestia retorted in a comically pompous way, although she was exploding on the inside. "But yes...my Dante insisted on choosing every detail. He said that blue suits me and didn't let me save a single valis".
The goddesses around Demeter approached, forming a semicircle of whispers.
"So it's true?" asked a lesser goddess, fanning herself with enthusiasm. "The rumor that the Hestia Familia now has a solo adventurer with silver hair, cosmic purple eyes, and stunning mystical tattoos? I thought it was an exaggeration from the girls in the square!"
"It is no exaggeration at all" Demeter intervened, letting out a hearty laugh and casting her gaze upon Hestia with amused mischief.
"I myself tested him yesterday at Amor Square. I gave him a welcome hug that would leave any young man in Orario destabilized, and he maintained that stoic and imposing posture of his. A real man, I guarantee".
"WHAT?! You went around spreading that?!" Hestia shouted, her face instantly inflating like a balloon and the hair bells shaking furiously with her agitation. "I already told you to keep your eyes off my dependent, Demeter! He is MINE".
"Oh, calm down, Dwarf. We both know you wouldn't be able to hold onto a man if he really wanted to leave" a sharp, nasal voice loaded with mockery echoed right behind them.
Loki approached with long strides, with her arms crossed behind her head and her typical relaxed and hunched posture.
Her red eyes were narrowed into thin slits, and the sarcastic smile revealed a row of white teeth. She wore a dark red dress that covered her thin and straight silhouette, contrasting totally with the physical exuberance of Hestia and Demeter.
"What do you want here, Loki, you withered ironing board?!" Hestia squeaked, turning to face her long-time rival.
"Me? I just came to see up close the miracle of the multiplication of valis" Loki mocked, leaning forward and poking one of the blue petals of Hestia's accessory with her index finger. "A goddess who until yesterday lived on credit and lived in a falling-apart basement, suddenly appears dressed like a ruffled princess...Where did that money come from, huh? Don't tell me that your boy is doing dark jobs out there to support your whims".
"Wash your mouth before talking about Dante!" Hestia exclaimed, pointing her index finger directly at Loki's nose, bringing their faces together so aggressively that sparks seemed to jump between the two. "Dante faces the dangers of the Dungeon alone and earns every coin with his own blood and talent".
"He gave me this dress and these bells because he respects me and wants his goddess to be the most beautiful at the party! Something that your dependents would never do for you, since they are ashamed to walk with such a loud and clumsy goddess!"
"What did you say, you big-headed dwarf?" Loki bellowed, instantly changing her posture from mockery to infantile rage. She grabbed Hestia's cheeks with both hands and began to pull them to the sides. "The Loki Familia is the strongest and richest in Orario! My children adore me! Repeat that if you have the courage"
"L-Let go of my cheeks, you envious one!" Hestia tried to speak, grabbing Loki's wrists and pulling them back, with the silver bells tinkling in a chaotic and desperate rhythm that drew the attention of half the banquet hall.
A few meters away, away from the childish scandal of the two, a silhouette remained static and observant.
Freya, the Goddess of Beauty, held a crystal glass with dark wine. Her long silver hair fell in perfect waves over a light-gray silk dress that molded her body flawlessly.
Her deep, purple eyes, capable of seeing the very soul of mortals, completely ignored the fight between Loki and Hestia. Instead, she stared at the blue and white petals in the goddess's hair.
Freya took a slow sip of her wine, the corner of her lips rising in an enigmatic and predatory smile.
She could feel, even from afar, the echo of the imposing and mysterious aura that such "Dante" had left impregnated on those clothes and accessories.
"A warrior with cosmic eyes and stoic determination..." Freya murmured to herself about the rumors of the young man's appearance, her voice soft as velvet. "It seems that little Hestia has really found a fascinating soul in the darkness. I can't wait.."
While Freya planned silently and Loki and Hestia continued to pull each other's cheeks in the middle of Ganesha's hall, the divine celebration proved that, for Hestia, the next few days would be a true marathon of pride, confusion and fierce defense of her beloved hero.
The commotion between Hestia and Loki in the center of the banquet hall was already about to attract the attention of the host himself, Ganesha, when a tall, imposing silhouette with crossed arms made his way through the crowd.
Hephaestus, the goddess of the forge, approached with firm steps that echoed authority.
She wore an elegant, practical-cut outfit that contrasted with the exaggerated dresses of the other goddesses.
Her long hair, red as the fire of the furnace, was tied to the side, and the iconic black eyepatch covered the right side of her face, leaving only her left eye, a sharp and severe red, focused on the confusion.
With a heavy sigh of pure exhaustion, Hephaestus extended her arms and grabbed the collars of Hestia's and Loki's dresses, separating the two with the ease of someone who molds raw iron.
"That's enough, you two!" Hephaestus's voice echoed firmly, cutting through the noise of the silver bells that were tinkling like crazy. "We are at an official celebration. Behave like the deities you are supposed to be, or I myself will kick you both out of the palace".
Loki let out a grunt, adjusting her rumpled tunic and sticking her tongue out at Hestia before walking away, grumbling about how the party had become boring.
"Hephaestus!" Hestia squeaked, adjusting the off-the-shoulder neckline of her midnight-blue dress and puffing out her cheeks. "Did you see what she said? She was insulting Dante".
Hephaestus let go of Hestia's collar and looked her up and down.
The visible eye of the redhead goddess softened subtly upon noticing the details of the dress and especially, the pair of accessories with blue and white petals that held the friend's ponytails.
As a divine artisan, Hephaestus recognized quality manual work from a distance.
"So... this is the look that your new dependent bought for you?" Hephaestus asked, crossing her arms again and showing a rare half-smile.
"I have to admit, Hestia. The fabric has a great fit and these bell-shaped ornaments are very well forged. He has good taste".
Hestia instantly forgot the anger at Loki. Her eyes shone in a totally lovey-dovey way and she gave a little hop, making the bells emit a clear sound.
"Aren't they beautiful, Hephaestus?" she exclaimed in an extremely pouting way, holding the hands of her blacksmith friend. "Dante bought them at the boutique after we went to test some clothes. He said it suited me and that I shouldn't wear those old ribbons anymore! He is so attentive... the best hero of the lower world."
Hephaestus let out a low laugh, shaking her head at the habitual passionate exaggeration of her long-time tenant. However, behind the severe posture, there was a genuine relief in the goddess of the forge.
"I am happy for you, Hestia. Really" Hephaestus said with sincerity, placing a hand on the smaller goddess's shoulder. "After so long worrying about your future, it is good to see that you have found someone strong, loyal, and who really cares about taking care of you. Just make sure he doesn't break in the Dungeon."
"He won't. Dante is unbreakable!" Hestia guaranteed with legitimate pride, hugging Hephaestus's arm and pulling her toward the dessert table to continue the conversation, happy that her best friend finally approved of the man who had stolen her divine heart.
Hestia, still clinging to Hephaestus's arm as they moved away from the area where the confusion with Loki had occurred, felt a sudden pang of seriousness.
She looked to the sides, making sure no other curious god was nearby, and lowered her tone of voice, losing that bouncy glow for a brief moment.
"Hephaestus...actually, taking advantage of the fact that Loki has moved away and that Ganesha is busy with the banquet, I really need to talk to you about something important" Hestia said, her expression changing to something more genuine and contained.
Hephaestus noticed the change in her friend's tone immediately.
The goddess of the forge, always observant and practical, guided Hestia to a more private corner of the palace, near a marble pillar decorated with gold vines, where the sound of music and laughter was muffled enough for a frank conversation.
"What happened, Hestia? Any problem with your contract or with the Familia?" Hephaestus asked, with her crimson gaze turned fixedly toward the little goddess, feeling that the subject was serious.
Hestia sighed, nervously playing with one of the bells in her hair, making them tinkle almost imperceptibly.
"Hephaestus, I need you to do me a very special favor. I want you to meet my new dependent, Dante" she confessed, looking at her own hands. "I know you are busy and that you live in your forge, but I feel that...well, that I need your opinion"
"There is something in him, an aura, a mystery in the marks on his face and the way he behaves, that even my Falna cannot decipher totally".
She paused, looking into her friend's eyes with a rare seriousness.
"You are the wisest and most skillful of all of us, Hephaestus. You are the greatest expert on items, energy, and essences that I know. If there is someone who can help me understand his 'essence', the origin of that strength, and why he seems so... ancient, even being an adventurer, that someone is you. I don't want to ask anyone else, only you."
Hephaestus remained silent for an instant, her red eye fixed on the void while she processed Hestia's words. She was not one to ask for advice about her dependents unless she was genuinely intrigued or worried.
"You really want to introduce him to me, don't you?" Hephaestus asked, with a low and cautious voice.
Hestia widened her eyes and gave a start, hitting her own forehead with a nervous smile.
"Yes, I want you to meet him".
Hephaestus let out a contained laugh, shaking her head.
"You really are fascinated, aren't you? It's the first time I've seen you so committed to introducing me to someone. Usually, you only want to ask me for loans".
"But Dante is not common, Hephaestus! Everything about him is intense. I want to invite you when things are calmer, after this party ends. Please, accept. Just looking at him, seeing how he carries himself... I feel that you will understand what I mean."
Hephaestus looked at her friend, observing the sincerity in those blue eyes. As much as Hestia was impulsive, she knew the intuition of the hearth goddess.
If Hestia was asking for an assessment of something that seemed 'out of the ordinary', it was because the young man, at the very least, possessed a presence that was worth the curiosity of the forge goddess.
"Three days, then" Hephaestus replied, yielding with a nod. "When all this Ganesha mess ends and the city returns to normal, I will meet your dependent. I will want to see this 'hero' with my own eyes and judge if all this fuss of yours has foundation".
"You are the best, Hephaestus" Hestia celebrated, giving her friend a quick hug and making her bells tinkle happily. "You'll see! After you meet him, you'll understand why I wouldn't trade him for all the treasures in the world."
Hestia felt her heart race, but this time it wasn't out of jealousy or excitement.
She lowered her voice even more, making the tone almost a confidential whisper, while holding Hephaestus's forearms with a determination she rarely showed.
"Hephaestus... there is something more" Hestia began, her blue eyes shining with deep seriousness. "I don't just want you to meet him. I want you to forge something for him".
Hephaestus frowned, the eyepatch motionless as her eye analyzed the hearth goddess with caution. "You know my weapons are not for just anyone, Hestia. They require an adventurer who is worthy of the metal and the technique I employ. I don't waste my work on amateurs".
Hestia puffed out her chest, the bells in her hair tinkling softly, as if they were echoing the confidence she placed in her dependent.
"He is not an amateur" she stated, with a firm and proud voice. "He is the most resilient adventurer I have ever seen. He fights as if the Dungeon were his own backyard, and he needs something that can withstand the weight of his style. I want you to prepare a weapon, something that matches his essence...something that is not just functional, but that can resist the aura he carries."
Hephaestus crossed her arms, the posture still severe, but the interest in her crimson eye was undeniable. The scene seemed to have come straight from the corridors of her legendary forge, where skill met faith.
"You are asking me to create something custom-made without even having let me assess the user yet" Hephaestus noted, letting out a sigh that sounded more like a surrender. She looked at the little goddess, observing her unwavering passion. "You really trust this young man blindly, don't you?"
"I don't trust blindly" Hestia corrected, with a soft and sincere smile that she rarely showed to other gods. "I trust because I saw what he is capable of overcoming. Please, Hephaestus... you are the only one I would trust with this task. It is for my hero".
Hephaestus remained silent for a long moment, the noise of the party around them seeming to disappear.
She stared at nothing, as if she were visualizing the drawing of a still-nonexistent weapon, the weight of the steel and the purity of the design.
"Very well" Hephaestus finally replied, with a nod. "If your Dante is half of what you describe, I will forge this weapon myself. But, if when I arrive and I find out that he is just another common adventurer who does not honor my work, you will owe me a favor very, very expensive, Hestia. Is that clear?"
Hestia let out a muffled shout of joy, jumping and grabbing Hephaestus's neck in a tight hug, making the bells in her hair tinkle in a frenzy of happiness.
"Agreed. You are the best friend in the world!"
Hephaestus gave a little laugh, freeing herself from her friend with a light push, but the smile on her face was genuine. "Go have fun now, Hestia. And try not to pull Loki's cheeks for the rest of the night. I have a forge to prepare and now, apparently, a weapon project to start architecting in my head."
Hestia moved away, bouncy and radiant, returning to the center of the party as if she were floating.
She had succeeded; not only would her most trusted friend meet her beloved Dante, but he would also have the chance to wield a work of art forged by the hands of the goddess of the forge herself.
The date had been a success, and the future of the Hestia Familia seemed to shine more than ever.
Hestia could barely contain the energy that ran through her veins, she felt as if she could jump onto the banquet tables and touch the ceiling of Ganesha's hall.
However, her euphoria was interrupted when, turning to return to the crowd, her eyes met a purple and magnetic glow coming from the other side of the hall.
Freya, the Goddess of Beauty, was standing there, holding her glass with supernatural elegance.
She didn't need to move, her simple presence seemed to suck the attention of everyone around. With a subtle nod of her head, she signaled for Hestia to approach.
Hestia hesitated. The tinkling of the bells in her hair sounded lower, almost cautious. She knew Freya was a constant danger, a predator who observed everything with eyes that pierced reality.
But, after the success with Hephaestus, Hestia felt a new courage. She straightened her shoulders and walked up to the silver goddess.
"Well, well" Freya began, her voice soft as silk, but with a layer of coldness that made Hestia swallow hard. "So many whispers about a new hero, and now I see Hestia herself negotiating with the Divine Blacksmith for a custom weapon. You seem very confident, little Hestia."
Hestia, although feeling the weight of Freya's gaze, did not back down. She puffed out her chest, meeting the gaze of the most influential goddess in Orario.
"Dante is not just a hero, Freya. He is my hero" Hestia replied, her voice firm despite the slight tremor she felt. "And if I need to ensure that he has the best equipment possible, it is because he has a destiny that you, with all your adventurers, may never be able to understand."
Freya smiled, an enigmatic gesture that seemed to disarm the tension, although her eyes continued to pierce Hestia's soul. She took a step forward, closing the distance between them.
"A destiny...or perhaps just an illusion you are weaving around a mortal?" Freya tilted her head, observing the adornments in Hestia's hair. "Be careful, Hestia. The pieces forged by Hephaestus are too heavy for those who do not possess the flame necessary to sustain them. It would be a shame to see a young man so... interesting... being crushed by the weight of his own goddess's expectations".
Freya's comment hit Hestia like an electric shock. The hearth goddess felt her blood boil, but before she could retort with one of her usual shouts, a third presence emerged, interrupting the tense atmosphere.
Ganesha, the host, jumped between them with his characteristic mask and his arms open, exuding a contagious optimism that dissipated the dense atmosphere.
"Ah, the most beautiful goddesses of the hall, united in such a deep conversation!!" he exclaimed, his lively voice echoing through the hall. "We cannot let the celebration be dominated by serious matters! The banquet is reaching its peak, and the music is about to change. Hestia, you're not going to miss the dance, are you?"
Hestia looked from Ganesha to Freya, who just took one last sip of her wine, her smile still hiding secrets that she clearly did not intend to share.
"Enjoy your dance, Hestia" Freya whispered before turning and disappearing into the crowd with an ethereal fluidity. "I will be observing the development of your... experiment."
Hestia stood there, the bells in her hair tinkling weakly as she watched Freya's figure disappear.
The beauty goddess's warning weighed as much as Hephaestus's promise, but Hestia knew there was no turning back.
The challenge of proving Dante's worth was not only against the doubt of others; now, it was a race against the dangerous interest of Freya herself.
She sighed, forcing a radiant smile as she turned to Ganesha.
"Of course I will dance, Ganesha. But let it be a song that makes everyone remember whose goddess is shining today"
As the music began to rise in tone, Hestia closed her eyes for a second, visualizing Dante waiting for her in the basement.
She didn't know exactly how, but she would return home with Hephaestus's weapon in hand and, if necessary, she would face even the Goddess of Beauty to ensure that her hero remained safe by her side.
---END---
To be continued....