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Hestia was a goddess of Family. She was not a goddess of Love. If she had been one, things with Bell would have been going so much more smoother. She could be like Ishtar, or Freya, and charm the boy into looking only at her and never at that home-wrecking supporter of his.
But that didn't mean she was completely clueless about romance and love. At some point, love led to family. Love was the building block of a family, and Hestia knew a broken heart when she saw one.
Not that Loki made it very difficult, anyway.
So this was what a human, even if they were a God, would smell like if they hadn't showered for two weeks.
She tried to not crinkle her nose at the odor as she sat down next to where Loki was lying face-down on the bed.
"Loki?" she asked gently. She'd knocked dozens of times, but the lack of any response had led to her coming in uninvited.
The redhead slowly turned her head, cracking open an eye. Hestia pretended to ignore the fresh tear stains on the pillow.
Two whole weeks, Hephaestus and Loki's Familia had told her. Loki had been inconsolable for two whole weeks.
Curiosity was half the reason she had come. The Loki she'd known had been insufferable and hardheaded. If she didn't look so pitiful, Hestia might have felt some kind of smug satisfaction at the sight of her sinking so low.
"Oh," Loki said monotonously. "It's just you, Hestia." And then she dropped her head back into her pillow. "Why are you here?" she asked with a muffled voice.
Hestia frowned. No jibe at her shortness? No mockery at her near non-existent Familia? Not even an envious glare at her chest?
Something was definitely wrong with Loki.
"Hephaestus said she'd cut my debt in half if I could cheer you up," she said truthfully. "But now looking at you, I'd help you anyway."
"I can fix weapons. But not people. You've always been better at that, Hestia," the blacksmith goddess had said. Now Hestia knew why Hephaestus had sounded so concerned.
She empathized with Loki. Like her, the redhead had never experienced love until the mortal realm. She wasn't sure what had happened, and the revelation that the man was none other than Kusanagi Godou had shocked her, but clearly some kind of rejection had taken place.
Hestia wouldn't know how she would react if Bell ever suddenly turned his back on her.
"You can't help me, nobody can."
"I can if you'd let me."
Loki said nothing.
"Everyone's worried, Loki. Your Familia's having their expedition tomorrow, but the only thing on their mind is their wayward Goddess. Don't you want them to be focused during such a dangerous trip?"
"You're right. I should cancel the Expedition all together."
Hestia frowned. "Loki. I know how you feel."
"No, you don't."
She opened her mouth to retort that, but stopped mid-way. Loki was kind of right. It wasn't like Bell had rejected her yet, after all.
"I love Bell."
Loki turned her head slightly. Hestia was glad that she'd gotten a reaction, at least.
"Who the heck is Bell?"
She was here to cheer Loki up, Hestia reminded herself, not to beat her up.
"My adventurer." She forced a smile. "Bell Cranel. I love him."
"Oh," Loki said, sounding not interested in the slightest. "Good for you."
This was going to be much harder than Hestia had initially thought.
"You love Kusanagi Godou, don't you?" she asked, becoming slightly puzzled. Had Riveria been wrong?
"Don't." Loki sat up straight suddenly, startling Hestia. "Don't say his name."
Now Hestia was very confused. Just what exactly had Godou done to Loki? "Why not?" she asked.
She could see the conflict within Loki as the redhead thought.
"Because he's not the person you think he is."
Now Hestia was the one that was conflicted. Obviously, Loki was hiding something. She knew something about Kusanagi Godou that nobody else did, it seemed. Hestia knew exactly what kind of God Loki was. Honesty and virtue were not qualities she was famous for. But right now, as Loki's gaze bore into her
soul, their shared bond as Gods gave her a glimpse into Loki's emotions.
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Want to read more?
The next 10+ chapters are already available on my Patreon!
By joining, you'll get:
📖 Early access to future chapters
🗳️ Polls to shape the story
🎁 Exclusive content for Patrons
🔥 Bonus scenes & content you won't find anywhere else
👀 Don't fall behind—others are already ahead!
👉 patreon.com/FanfictionTakashi
(If link doesn't show, just search on Google: FanfictionTakashi Patreon)