'My goodness, thank the heavens my Bell wasn't affected.'
Hestia once again felt grateful that her child's uniqueness surpassed even Freya's expectations. Otherwise, with how unhinged Freya could be, she might have thrown all of Genkai into chaos.
A chill crept down Hestia's back.
If Bell had met the conditions for Freya to activate her Authority, wouldn't that mean her child might have been taken away by Freya?
Just imagining such a scene was unbearable for her.
Thankfully, even if Freya really had done something, it wouldn't have changed the current situation.
Only then did Hestia's pounding heart finally start to calm.
'Thank goodness, thank goodness.'
She lightly patted her chest—the very one Loki envied to the point of crying blood. With that, Hestia could finally breathe easy. As long as Freya's tactics didn't work on Bell, there was no real problem.
Freya had only glanced briefly at Hestia. She never said she was out of options.
Did this idiot still not get it? Loki stared at Hestia as if she were a complete fool.
Loki could clearly read between the lines of that love-crazed woman's words.
Naturally, Hephaestus had understood them too.
"Hestia, Freya was only referring to using force. She never said she'd give up."
If she were going to back off, she wouldn't have come over and said all that in the first place. Hephaestus sighed inwardly at the woman's obsession, while also marveling at Hestia's interpretation skills.
"Hephaestus, hasn't anyone ever told you that meddling in someone else's love life is immoral?"
"Freya, are you seriously calling this love? Isn't this just plain theft?"
"Huh?"
Hephaestus's blunt, uncompromising tone caught Freya off guard.
In her experience, Hephaestus was never one to meddle in other people's affairs, even if they crossed the line a bit. At most, she would have given Hestia a warning not to act rashly. Confront her directly? That wasn't like her at all.
Could it be...? A strange feeling stirred in Freya's chest.
She realized Hephaestus felt... strangely similar to her at that moment.
The realization left her dazed for a second, then she suddenly burst out laughing.
"So that's how it is. I see now."
She finally understood why Hephaestus had stepped up and butted heads with her on this issue.
"So you're one of us too. No wonder you're acting so differently—coming right at me like this."
Ganesha was still clueless, but seasoned veterans Loki and Hermes had already caught on. The two exchanged weird looks as they watched Hephaestus jump in on her own.
And Hephaestus made no effort to hide it anymore.
"Once a goddess falls in love, there's no stopping her. You should know that yourself."
'No way.' Hermes stared at Hephaestus in disbelief. He never expected that, besides Hestia, even Hephaestus had fallen in love.
'I should have seen this coming. Hephaestus moved into Hestia's home—there's no way they were just roommates.'
Only now did Hermes realize it was something he should've noticed long ago.
'Loki... Hmm, probably not her.'
The moment he thought of Hestia and Hephaestus both falling for that kid, Loki was the next name that popped into his head. But a single glance at that flat-as-a-board chest—firmer than a cliff—snapped Hermes back to reality. There was no way it was Loki.
Holding Loki would be like hugging a little boy.
Of course, that was the kind of thought he couldn't let slip.
Hermes was certain that if such an idea ever showed on his face, Loki would kick him halfway across the city.
Just then, Loki was finally recovering from the shock of 'Hephaestus likes that kid too.' Staring at Hephaestus, she blurted out,
"No wonder you and Hestia are always sticking together, and even moved into that guy's house. So you two are in that kind of relationship!"
Suddenly, Loki remembered she also lived there and quickly tried to shift the blame.
"Hey hey hey, you two might be into that kid, but I've got zero interest in him!"
"..."
The three goddesses all turned to look at Loki, their faces twitching. Freya was the first to react.
"Loki, of course I know you wouldn't."
'That child's taste isn't so poor that he'd choose you.' Freya pressed her face, trying hard not to burst out laughing.
"Exactly, Loki, you'd never betray us."
Hephaestus also almost laughed out loud.
Hestia was holding back with visible effort. She really couldn't believe Loki would say something like that. 'Where does she get that kind of confidence?'
"Ahem, anyway..."
Freya had no interest in letting the topic linger on Loki any longer. Naturally, she didn't believe that child would go for a goddess so lacking in femininity. Her attention shifted straight to Hephaestus.
"So what you're saying is, Hephaestus is fine, but I'm not?"
"Ugh..."
That made Hestia puff out her cheeks. In truth, even Hephaestus shouldn't have been acceptable—but Hephaestus had shamelessly made her move first. If she hadn't, would Hestia have agreed so easily?
Seeing Hestia's puffed-up face, Freya finally caught on, then looked to Hephaestus in mild surprise.
"So, Hephaestus used some kind of trick?"
She hadn't expected that. Hephaestus usually had the closest relationship with Hestia—who would've thought she'd pull something sneaky over that child?
"It was just a method to help Hestia understand."
"Is that so... So in the end, Hephaestus gets a pass, but I don't?"
Freya's pointed words struck right at the core of the issue.
Hestia and Hephaestus both looked away, clearly feeling guilty.
But Freya understood their reactions.
"So, Hephaestus made the first move on that child?"
That sharpened Freya's gaze instantly.
So Hestia only accepted things because of that?
In the end, it wasn't even Hestia who acted first—Hephaestus had beaten her to it?
Just thinking about that made Freya feel like a heavy stone was pressing down on her chest.