[POV: Hestia]
— Okay, Hestia… breathe… breathe… now smile! — I told myself in front of the mirror, nervously adjusting my apron. — Today is the first day of the new Hestia! Model employee of the Hostess of Fertility! The goddess of hard work! The queen of waitresses!
I struck a pose. Warrior pose. Victorious pose. Pose of someone who could carry three trays full without dropping a single one.
Which, of course, was a lie.
I walked down the tavern stairs with the confidence of someone carrying the sky on their back. Literally. Or rather… used to carry. Because now, I was just an ordinary goddess with an ordinary salary.
And honestly? I was excited.
The moment I stepped into the main hall, a roar came from the kitchen:
— TEN MINUTES LATE, YOU DAMN SHORTY!
Mia Grand. Owner. Boss. The scariest woman in all of Orario. She appeared at the kitchen door, eyes narrowed, a dishcloth over her shoulder.
— Gods don't work, but if they're gonna work, at least show up on time! — she shouted, pointing a finger at me like she was about to exorcise me.
— I-I was just… practicing my smile in the mirror!
— Then practice while wiping tables! And if you spill a drop, you'll spend the night scrubbing the floor with your tongue!
— Eeeeh?!
...
The morning was chaos. I tried taking an order from a table of dwarves who wouldn't stop laughing and shouting while arguing over whose beard was longer. I messed up the order three times. One of them called me a "toy waitress," and I nearly threw the tray at him.
Then I went to serve a pair of prums. The woman called me "cute." The man winked at me. Their food almost slipped from my tray. Almost! Goddess' balance, people!
That's when I made my first real mistake: an expensive wine bottle slipped right off my tray and onto my own apron.
— Ughhh, damn it!
— And that's the legendary technique of the booze goddess! — Anya appeared out of nowhere beside me, like she was witing for it, grinning with sharp fangs and eyes full of mischief. — Very effective, but not recommended for lunch shifts!
— D-don't joke, help me!!
— Relax, relax, it's just wine! And only on your apron… what a shame. If it were on a customer, you'd already be fired. — She patted my shoulder. — First day, huh? Welcome to hell.
— I-it's fine, Hestia… just pretend it's perfume!
Before I could run to the kitchen or start crying, Mia's deep voice rumbled from behind the counter:
— Forget it.
I turned my head, startled.
— It's coming out of your pay. Now grab another bottle before the customer notices you're taking too long.
— Eh?! You're not gonna make me scrub the floor with my tongue?!
— Not until your second mistake — she said, raising an eyebrow. — Now move. And this time, try not to baptize your own apron again, Goddess of Wine.
— Yes, ma'am! — I answered, almost tripping over my own feet, but with a tiny smile tugging at my lips.
She was scary, sure.
But… maybe not so bad.
...
The shift finally ended.
I collapsed onto the counter like my legs had evaporated. My apron was wrinkled, my hair stuck to my forehead, and I was pretty sure my soul had floated above the tavern to quit on my behalf.
— Ugggh… my feet… — I groaned, face pressed against the cold wood. — I'm a goddess… a goddess! Why did mortals invent this hell called "first day of work"?
Anya passed by me with a plate in hand and laughed.
— Still alive, divine princess?
— Surviving by a miracle…
— Welcome to the club — she said with a wink. — Now sit there and pray Mia doesn't stick you on the second shift too.
— If she does, I'll evaporate. Literally. Only my ribbon will be left on the floor…
Anya walked off cackling, back to work with the same energy I had… before the shift started. Or maybe it was just the veteran waitress' soul possessing her body.
I stayed there, half-slumped, listening to the sound of customers, clinking glasses, the door opening and closing. The Hostess of Fertility pulsed with life around me, but inside me, silence was louder.
I caught myself staring at nothing, mind drifting.
'Luki… I wonder how he's doing.'
Not like he'd come back now. It was still too early. Way too early.
Even so… I thought of him.
I remembered the other times. How he always went off alone, disappeared for hours, into some dark, dangerous place where monsters crawl from the ground and no one, absolutely no one, could be trusted. And in the end… he always came back.
He came back filthy, clothes torn, bag stuffed with valis, and that same plain smile. The smile of someone who only wanted a bath, a hot meal, and the chance to have his status updated.
Even after all those times, even knowing he'd be fine… I just couldn't help it.
'I guess this is what mortals call "maternal instinct"…? A mother always worries about her child… but that's just my delusion. I'm sure he'll be fine.'
BAM!
The door slammed open with such force it smacked against the wall, making half the customers turn and making me jump at the counter.
A panting man rushed in, chest heaving. Sweaty, with a Guild badge hanging from his neck, his eyes scanned the hall like he was searching for treasure.
— Goddess Hestia? Is Goddess Hestia here?!
Before I could answer, a thunderous voice boomed from the back:
— IF YOU'RE GONNA BREAK MY DOOR DOWN, YOU CAN START BY PAYING FOR A NEW ONE!
Mia, of course. Always so welcoming.
The messenger jumped, tripped over his own feet, and bowed in a frantic apology.
— M-my deepest apologies! But it's an emergency! Official business from the Adventurers' Guild!
That line froze me inside.
I pushed myself up from behind the counter, fatigue forgotten, and hurried forward.
— I am Goddess Hestia. Is something wrong?
The man straightened, wiping sweat from his brow before standing tall again.
— Lady Hestia, you are being summoned by the Guild… under direct order of Lord Ouranos.
My heart skipped. My hands clenched over my apron, but I kept my face steady. Or tried to.
— Why? What happened?
The man hesitated, then shook his head.
— I'm sorry, milady. I don't know. Only that it concerns an adventurer from your Familia.
A single name shot into my mind. A name I knew better than any other.
Luki.
My eyes went wide. The world went silent for a moment. Without a second thought, I tossed my apron onto the counter and bolted.
— HESTIA! — Mia shouted, storming out of the back with a rag still in her hands. — Where the hell do you think you're going, runt?!
— Sorry, Mia! Divine emergency! I'll explain later!
And I vanished into the street, wind tugging at loose strands of my hair, my heart pounding like a war drum.
My feet slammed against the cobblestones as I raced through Orario's streets. The city was alive as always, full of voices, carts, vendors… but it all felt distant. Blurred. Irrelevant.
My heart was already ahead of my body. Racing. Burning.
Luki…
'Please, let him be safe…'
...
At the Guild's reception, silence reigned. Gone was the usual movement, adventurers coming and going, employees rushing about. It was as if the place itself knew this wasn't the time.
At the center of that void, two figures faced one another.
— I regret what happened to you down there. It was a great oversight on my part not to post a warning… or better yet, lock the gates — said the towering man before the wounded adventurer.
Tall as a pillar, standing like an unshakable monolith, the man's long white hair fell like a curtain over his shoulders. His thick beard was meticulously kept. His eyes — deep and sharp, as if they could pierce straight to the soul. His clothes, simple yet marked with dark tones and golden details. On his chest rested the emblem of the Adventurers' Guild.
This was Ouranos, god of the vast heavens, the first to descend into the mortal world and founder of the Falna system. The silent pillar holding Orario aloft… and one who rarely appeared in public.
— All fine… i was wRong… — Luki replied, strained.
Yet his expression was calmer, healthier than before.
He no longer wore the armor he had cherished, the one he'd bought with such high hopes, now discarded mercilessly with much regret at the waste. He wore simple clothes, the only surviving piece of his gear being his sturdy trousers, an ironic survivor, thanks to the illogical logic of two-dimensional worlds.
The makeshift splint was gone, replaced by proper plaster wrapped around his arm, held by a sling over his shoulder. His wounds were treated, but exhaustion still weighed on him.
— Regarding the spoils of your mission — Ouranos continued solemnly — the Guild will reward you properly after everything else is resolved. A new set of equipment will be provided, suited to your current level and the challenges ahead.
Luki shook his head softly.
— No, no, thank you but…
Ouranos frowned faintly, though his voice remained calm.
— "Not necessary," you say? I disagree. The information you provided is crucial. Lives will be saved because of it. Many adventurers would have gone down into that abyss unprepared and died. — His voice carried genuine weight. — Even with the reward, I feel ashamed I cannot do more.
Luki gave a crooked, embarrassed smile.
But before silence could settle again, a thunderous crash shook the hall.
BBBOOOOOOOOMMM!!!!!!
The reception doors didn't open.They exploded.
The impact was so strong that the massive wooden doors flew past Ouranos and Luki like paper, tearing through the hall, smashing a wall, and knocking down two shelves of Guild records.
Both ducked instinctively, eyes widening as they turned toward the rising dust cloud at the entrance.
A rush of footsteps echoed, along with a sharp, desperate, fiery voice:
— LUKIIIIIIIIII-KUUUNNN!!!
Before anyone, especially Luki, could react, a ballistic missile of dark hair and blazing eyes shot through the entrance at supersonic speed.
Hestia.
The goddess' collision with the boy was worthy of a wrestling finishing move. The two rolled across the reception floor like ragdolls possessed by divine fury and overwhelming emotion.
When they finally stopped, Luki was sprawled on the ground, his eye spinning in a spiral, his soul floating out of his mouth as a little puff of white smoke. Meanwhile, Hestia sat on top of him, teary-eyed but talking at an impossible speed.
— You're okay?! You're alive!!! Thank goodness you're alive!! I WAS SO WORRIED!!— How did this happen?! Your arm's broken?! WHAT HAPPENED TO YOUR ARM?!!! Where's your armor?! You lost everything?!— Something terrible happened down there, didn't it?! I KNEW IT! I ALWAYS KNEW!!! I'M NEVER LETTING YOU GO IN THERE AGAIN!!— But thank goodness you're okay… but WHAT DID YOU DO TO GET HURT LIKE THIS?!— OH, LUKI!!!
Meanwhile, Ouranos watched with his usual expression, a mask of complete neutrality… as if nothing unusual had happened.
His gaze wandered over the shattered floor, the torn banners, the crater where a door once stood, and finally, the pile of Guild records now smoldering with faint magical flames.
He sighed. Long and deep.
— …You know what? I was planning on renovating anyway.