Let's go back a bit, to the mont when the eting regarding the war gas ended and Hestia employed her secret technique against Apollo.
The gods who hadn't yet left the hall were stunned by Hestia's actions. No one expected such a display from this gentle little goddess. The male gods remaining in the hall broke into a cold sweat upon seeing Apollo's condition. They swore to themselves never to attempt to pursue Hestia again, fearing they might suffer the sa fate. Hastily, they departed the hall, wary of the consequences.
The once crowded hall now emptied, with only a few gods remaining, aside from Apollo whom his fellow gods escorted out.
"Hestia, you didn't have to do that," Hephaestus said, rubbing his forehead. She still couldn't believe her kind-hearted friend had acted in such a manner. Hephaestus began to doubt whether it was right to let Hestia go off to start her own family. Sighing, she turned her attention to Hestia.
"If he hadn't behaved like a pervert, I wouldn't have even paid him any attention. He brought this upon himself," Hestia replied, grimacing. She didn't think she had done anything wrong. All she had done was punish a pervert who had tried to harass her.
"Alright, let's go eat. It's been a long eting, and I'm hungry," Hestia said, feeling her stomach growl.
"I see you're quite relaxed, Hestia. I take it you already consider this a victory?" a suave voice ca from behind Hestia and Hephaestus.
"What do you need, Freya?" Hestia said, turning her attention to the speaker. The voice belonged to Freya, the most beautiful woman among the goddesses. Her beauty had no equal among gods or mortals alike. She had long silver hair, violet eyes that sparkled like precious gems, and snow-white skin so delicate it seed a touch would leave a mark. She was dressed in an elegant black and red dress that accentuated her beauty. Freya was rightfully considered the most beautiful woman in both the realm of gods and mortals.
"Nothing special, Hestia. I just want to wish you and your child good luck in the upcoming ga," Freya said in a gentle voice, approaching Hestia and Hephaestus.
"My child doesn't need your wishes. He'll manage just fine without your blessings," Hestia replied aggressively, as she never favored Freya even among the realm of gods. After Hestia's words, Freya's eyes briefly glead.
"It's just a wish of good luck, Hestia. I won't distract you any longer," Freya said, leaving the hall without looking back. Only Freya knew what she was thinking at that mont.
"Alright, Hephaestus, now we can go eat before the annoying flies start bothering us," Hestia said, heading towards the door. But another goddess's voice stopped her.
"Hey, shorty, I'll co with you guys. After all, I helped you at the eting, so you can treat to food as a thank you," Loki said, approaching and pretending she had indeed helped.
"What did you say, washboard? You didn't help at all, just nodded your head. That doesn't count as help," Hestia said, grinding her teeth at Loki's audacity.
"Alright, you two, enough arguing," Hephaestus intervened. "Hestia, you said yourself you're hungry. If you keep arguing, you won't be able to eat, and I'm not carrying you to the restaurant," she continued, preventing another fight from starting. Hearing Hephaestus's words, Hestia decided to set aside the argunt for now and head to the restaurant to eat. Loki smiled to herself, satisfied that her plan had worked. And so, the trio of goddesses set off for food.
At Loki's insistence, they arrived at the tavern "Hostess of Fertility," found a free table, and placed their order. While they waited, Hephaestus examined the table.
"Hestia, is this one of Alex's tables? He did a fantastic job. His work looks simply stunning," Hephaestus remarked, admiring the ornant on the table. The table depicted a huge serpent coiled around the world. Proudly puffing her chest, as if she had crafted it herself without realizing it had been made instantly, Hestia heard her friend's words.
"What are you proud of, busty one? Are you glad soone in your family can do sothing, unlike you?" Loki said disdainfully, observing Hestia's pride.
"Unlike you, mbers of my family don't keep their distance from , fearing I'll co onto them," Hestia retorted with equal disdain.
Noticing that the two had started arguing again, Hephaestus sighed and rubbed her forehead, regretting she had decided to co with them. "I should have just gone back to my workshop rather than watch these two argue again," she thought, wishing to leave. But then the savior arrived with the food, and the two perpetually quarreling goddesses fell silent for a mont.
"Hestia, aren't you afraid to leave Alex alone? Aren't you worried he might decide to carry out his plan?" Hephaestus asked, drawing Hestia's attention. Hestia choked on her food and fell silent, looking at Hephaestus. Loki, who was drinking ale, also paused with her mug near her mouth and glanced at Hestia.
"Hephaestus, keep your voice down," Hestia said, looking around to see if anyone might overhear their conversation. "I don't think he would dare to do that. He promised he wouldn't cause any trouble while I'm away," Hestia said, reassuring herself that her family mber wouldn't deceive her.
Little did Hestia know that while she was here enjoying her al, Alex had already caused quite a commotion in the dungeon.
So ti later...
While the trio of goddesses enjoyed their al, a group of familiar adventurers entered the restaurant and imdiately noticed their goddess. They were mbers of Loki's family who couldn't enter the guild hall because it was filled with victims of Alex's crusade. Upon seeing their goddess, they decided to approach and inform her of what had happened.
"Loki-sama, we didn't expect to see you here so early in the day," said Finn, the captain of Loki's family.
"I didn't expect to see you here either. Weren't you supposed to head out on a raid for a mission?" Loki replied with surprise, setting her mug down on the table.
"Sothing happened in the dungeon, and the entire hall was filled with adventurers, so we couldn't get inside to take the mission," Finn explained, clarifying the reason for their delay.
"From what we heard from the adventurers, so guy started attacking adventurer groups," Finn continued, sitting at the neighboring table with his group.
"(laughter) This strange guy attacks adventurers by asking them silly questions and then hitting them with a stick," Tiona chid in, laughing heartily, unable to believe such craziness existed.
"And what kind of stick was he using to hit them?" Hestia nervously asked, starting to break out in a sweat.
"Hmm. The adventurers we talked to said they were hit with a stick that only brings pain," Tiona replied after a mont's thought. She didn't notice Hestia starting to sweat even more from her answer.
"Alex!!!" thought the trio of goddesses, looking at each other. Hestia began sweating profusely, Hephaestus sighed heavily, realizing the chaos Alex had caused, and Loki started laughing, clutching her stomach.
"(laughter) And what questions did he ask them?" Loki asked, trying to stop laughing.
"Well, he asked different questions to each of them. For example, one was: 'Why is the sky blue?' When the adventurer couldn't answer, he imdiately hit them and said sothing like 'You should know this, it's classic'," Tiona replied after thinking for a while. Hearing her answer, Loki laughed even harder, almost falling to the floor.
"And what did he look like?" Hestia nervously asked, silently praying to the other gods that the adventurers didn't recognize Alex.
"Everyone said he was dressed strangely with a mask and a smiling face," Finn replied, eliciting a sigh of relief from Hestia, followed by a surge of anger.
"Alex, I asked you not to do anything like this!" Hestia thought, grabbing her head and anticipating future troubles. Seeing her state, Hephaestus didn't know how to comfort her friend. Loki, having just stopped laughing, noticed Hestia's distressed state and started laughing again.
"I need to go ho imdiately! Right now!" Hestia said, jumping up and trying to run ho, hoping that Alex was at ho and not the one causing the commotion. But even Hestia doubted her own words. There was still hope that Alex had just been lazing around at ho all day, and they could breathe a sigh of relief, but even she didn't really believe it. As long as she didn't see him, there was still hope.
"Hestia, don't rush, you might fall," Hephaestus said, seeing Hestia about to run ho.
"I don't have ti, Hephaestus, I need to run ho!" Hestia said, pushing herself up from her seat and darting towards her house. Hephaestus shook her head and decided to follow her friend.
"Hey, don't forget about !" Loki shouted, running after Hestia and Hephaestus.
"Darn it, I didn't get a chance to ask Goddess Loki about the training sessions, where Alex will teach us new techniques," Tiona said, disappointed.
"Don't worry, you'll have another chance to ask. Loki will co back ho, and you can ask her then," Rivaria said, trying to cheer up Tiona. Hearing her words, Tiona's mood lifted again.
The Abandoned Church...
Upon arriving ho, Hestia rushed straight to the basent where their room was located.
"Alex, are you ho? Don't stay silent, answer!" she shouted, rushing into the basent. She started running through different rooms, trying to find Alex, but he wasn't there. Unable to find Alex, Hestia sadly sat down on the couch, tears welling up in her eyes, realizing that the troublemaker causing problems was indeed Alex. Understanding the extent of the problems he caused, Hestia began to feel angry.
"Hestia, I finally caught up with you. Could you not run so fast?" said Hephaestus, entering the room and surveying it, understanding the kind of life her friend lived.
"So you live in such a shabby place, 'Shorty'?" remarked Loki, who entered last.
"Leave, Loki, I'm not in the mood for you right now," Hestia said angrily.
"Don't get upset, no one saw Alex's face, so maybe you can avoid so trouble," Loki said with a smile, looking around the room.
"Hestia, calm down, let's talk and wait for Alex to co so he can explain everything," Hephaestus said, sitting down next to Hestia on the couch. Her words helped Hestia start to calm down.
"And is this your hospitality, Hestia? I expected more from the goddess of the hearth. You haven't even offered tea to your guests," said Loki, already seated at the table, provoking new anger from Hestia with her audacity.
"Leave, Loki. I didn't invite you into my ho," Hestia replied through gritted teeth.
"Nah, I'm not leaving. I'm curious too about what Alex has done," Loki said, still relaxed in her chair. Seeing that Loki wasn't going to leave, Hestia beca even angrier and was about to explode, when Hephaestus intervened to distract her.
"Hestia, if I rember correctly, they're starting renovations on your house this week. How about living with again for a while?" Hephaestus suggested, catching Hestia's attention.
"True, 'Shorty'. You can stay with Hephaestus for now, and Alex can stay with ," Loki interjected, provoking Hestia's anger again. Seeing that she had managed to annoy Hestia once more, Loki chuckled.
"Back off, Loki. Alex won't be living with a pervert like you, or he might catch your perversions. I won't allow my child to turn out like you," Hestia snapped.
"First of all, I'm not a pervert, and secondly, he won't catch anything from . By nature, all n are perverts, so more, so less," Loki said, shrugging.
"I said no, so it's no! He won't be living with a pervert like you," Hestia retorted to Loki, who smiled, enjoying her anger.
"Alright, enough from both of you. Let's just wait for Alex and ask him what he's done," Hephaestus said, trying to calm the two goddesses down. She sighed again, wondering why she ca here in the first place.
Evening ti...
As the trio of goddesses waited for Alex, evening fell. They heard soone enter the church and descend downstairs. When the doors opened, Hestia noticed Alex, who was opening them with a smile on his face, which triggered another wave of anger from her.
"I see you've decided to co back after everything you've done. Do you have anything to say to ?" Hestia said, looking at Alex, who froze in the doorway. Alex's face displayed a mix of accepting his fate and calmness. He stepped inside, and the trio of goddesses hadn't noticed yet that a little assistant was hiding behind him.
"I don't understand what you're talking about, Hestia," Alex said, feigning innocence.
"Then I'll ask again. DO YOU HAVE ANYTHING TO TELL ?" Hestia repeated, this ti with a louder tone.
"Wanna hug?" Alex asked, avoiding the question and spreading his arms for a hug.
"Don't you dare dodge my question, Alex-kun," Hestia said, and her braids started to float as if one more wrong answer would turn her into a Super Saiyan.
"I don't understand what you're talking about, Hestia," Alex replied, continuing to follow the sixth rule: "If you've caused trouble and been caught, under no circumstances admit it." He continued to pretend he was innocent.
"Then what have you been doing all day?" Hestia persisted.
"I lounged on the couch for half the day, then went out for a walk and t an assistant, whom I decided to hire," Alex replied, pointing to Lily, who was hiding behind him. Lily didn't understand the situation she was in, as from Alex's words, his goddess seed kind. So why was she so angry? Seeing the three goddesses in one room, Lily started to get even more nervous.
"Who is this child you've brought?" Hestia asked, shifting her gaze to Lily, who started to get even more nervous.
"This is Liliruka Arde, and she's not a child, she's just a hobbit. Lily is my assistant whom I hired to help with raids," Alex replied, slipping up at the end. Hearing his answer, Lily just facepald for how easily he slipped up. The trio of goddesses heard his answer and rolled their eyes at Alex.
"So she's your assistant in those matters you've handled today all day?" Hestia asked, hearing his slip-up.
"I said assistant, not accomplice. I just slipped up a bit," Alex continued, following his rule.
"So you still don't want to admit what you've done?" Hestia said, starting to get angry, approaching Alex and shaking him like a tree.
"Hestia, I'll explain everything to you later when we're alone. The situation with Lily is a bit sensitive," Alex said quietly so only Hestia could hear.
"And what situation with your assistant is it that others shouldn't hear?" Hestia said loudly enough for everyone to hear. Everyone imdiately turned their attention to Lily. Seeing this, Alex facepald for his goddess's carelessness.
"She's just a mber of the Soma Family. And maybe, or maybe not, I may have kidnapped her," Alex said, shrugging. Upon hearing this, Hestia started shaking him again and shouting about why he did this.
"Hestia, calm down, I'll explain everything to you later. But for now, let's calm down," Alex said, holding Hestia's hands to stop her from shaking him.
Seeing that Hestia had cald down, Alex suggested that everyone sit down at the table to talk. Once they were settled, he decided to tell Lily's story. Quietly asking for Lily's permission, she nodded, indicating he could continue. Alex began recounting her origins, how her parents had treated her, and her life with the Soma Family. He didn't forget to ntion how she escaped and was taken in by an elderly couple. Finally, he added how they had t, leaving out details of their subsequent activities.
"Poor child, let hug you. You've been through so much," Hestia said, reaching to embrace Lily. She couldn't bear the thought of a child suffering so much. Hephaestus silently furrowed her brows, pondering how a god could allow such things in their family. Even Loki, always smiling, couldn't hide her displeasure. She knew there were gods who neglected their families, but to what extent?
"Don't be afraid, co here, I just want to hug you. And what are you going to do now, Alex? She's a mber of the Soma Family, you can't just take a family mber of another god when they still belong to her," Hestia said, embracing Lily who was already crying. Hestia gently stroked her head, trying to comfort her.
"For now, let's set aside this question. First, we need to find a place to live because repairs are starting soon, and we won't be able to stay here," Alex replied, indicating to Hestia that now wasn't the ti to discuss this.
"I've already found a place where we can stay during the repairs. Hephaestus offered us to stay with her during the renovations," Hestia said, still holding Lily in her embrace, to which Hephaestus nodded in agreent.
"'This little one can stay with Hephaestus, and you can stay with ,' Loki intervened, running up to Alex and shaking his hand.
'No, I don't mind staying with Hephaestus. I also need to help Lily beco stronger,' Alex replied, patting Loki on the forehead with his free hand.
'Stop hitting , I'm a goddess,' Loki said, covering her reddened forehead.
'And Loki, before I forget, if you don't mind, I can also help your children beco stronger,' Alex said, looking at Loki.
'If you want to teach them that move you used to defeat Goliath, I'm all for it,' Loki said, rubbing her red forehead.
'Alright, it's getting late, ti to prepare for bed. Lily must be tired after such a stressful day; she needs rest,' Alex said, signaling to the guests that it was ti to part ways.
'Why are you sending us away? Do you have sothing to hide?' Loki began to protest.
'Okay, Loki, enough. We need to attend to our own matters,' Hephaestus intervened, who had been silent until then. Seeing Alex nod gratefully at her, she smiled warmly at him.
'Alright, as you wish! I'll send my children to you once you've moved in with Hephaestus,' Loki said, getting up and heading towards the exit. Hephaestus also bid farewell and followed Loki.
'Then safe travels and good night,' Alex called after them. Hearing their response, he sat back and sighed, rembering he had another problem to solve.
To be continued..."
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