Complaining was one thing, but Hephaestus didn't forget what was important.
After quickly applying the ointment, she wiped her hands with a handkerchief and took out an invitation from her bag.
"What's this?" Hestia asked curiously, taking the envelope.
"An invitation to a banquet," Hephaestus replied, adding as an afterthought, "One of Apollo's kids delivered it this morning."
"Ewww~~~~~~" Upon hearing it was Apollo, Hestia's face contorted as if she had stepped in dog poop. "He'd invite me out of the kindness of his heart?"
Back in Tenkai, Hestia had her fair share of suitors due to her cheerful and straightforward personality.
However, she had rejected all of their courtship requests.
Normally, at this point, the vast majority would have given up obediently.
After all, they were all gods who wielded authority; no one was nobler than anyone else. There was no need to offer a warm face to a cold shoulder.
But Apollo...
That guy's personality could be described as incredibly clingy and sleazy.
Even after being rejected to his face, he would still shamelessly come to harass her, acting as if he wouldn't give up unless she agreed.
Hestia was thoroughly disgusted by him back then.
She even stayed in her own temple to avoid him, rarely going out, which over time nurtured her shut-in personality.
Of course, all this happened in the very distant past, when the lower world was still a barren wasteland. Forget humans, even plants and animals had yet to be born.
After humanity appeared, the gazes of the gods, though at different times, almost all shifted away from their own kind.
Led by Ouranos, followed by the other major gods, and finally the lesser gods of lower status.
They descended to the lower world one after another to play the Familia game we see today.
According to her divine status, Hestia could have actually descended to the lower world much earlier.
However, the gods' sense of time is different from that of mortals. A simple nap in Tenkai could last for hundreds or even thousands of years.
By the time she came down to the lower world out of curiosity, it was already a thousand years after Orario was built—which is to say, the present.
The gods are eternal. Although their attention is currently focused on mortals due to their unpredictability...
...it doesn't mean that past grudges have been completely wiped clean.
Hestia undoubtedly despised Apollo.
Moreover, while staying at the Hephaestus Familia's home, she had heard plenty of stories from the children about Apollo's history of tricking and stealing members from other Familias.
The red-haired, one-eyed goddess was also aware of her friend's long-standing grudge with Apollo. Hearing this, she shrugged. "He probably heard about Levi's confession to you and wanted to mess with you."
"That guy... After all these years, his personality is as terrible as ever," Hestia said, pinching the bridge of her nose.
"So, are you planning to go?" Hephaestus asked.
"I'm going!" Hestia didn't hesitate. Seeing the surprised look on her friend's face, she explained further, "You and I both know what kind of person Apollo is. If I accept the invitation to this banquet, it'll be fine. But if I refuse, who knows what kind of trouble that guy will stir up later."
Hephaestus gave a teasing smile upon hearing that. "I guess you could say you've learned from bitter experience."
Hestia pouted. "If I had a choice, I'd wish I had never met Apollo."
...
The Apollo Familia's banquet was scheduled for the evening three days later.
The venue was the Denatus hall in Babel.
The invitation explicitly stated that the invited gods should attend with their beloved Familia members.
But for one, Levi was in the Dungeon searching for the belongings of past members of the Astrea Familia. Not only was he unaware of what was happening on the surface, but even if he did know, he most likely wouldn't be able to make it back in time—or rather, he couldn't be bothered to.
And for another, Hestia had no intention of exposing her priceless treasure to the other gods.
So, on the day of the banquet, she changed into a formal dress and, after meeting Hephaestus at the entrance of her home, accompanied her and Tsubaki, who was acting as an escort, to the venue.
"Hestia, long time no see!"
"Hestia, I heard you found a boyfriend in the lower world?"
"Hestia, if you need any financial assistance, you can come to me for help."
...
The twin-tailed goddess had been quite popular back in Tenkai.
As soon as she entered the hall, she was welcomed by many people.
Among them were old friends she hadn't seen in a long time, those curious about her sole Familia member, and friends who wanted to offer their support.
Of course, there were also those with clashing personalities who came specifically to cause trouble.
"Well, well, who do we have here? If it isn't our little shut-in goddess shorty."
An obnoxious voice rang in Hestia's ears. She didn't even need to turn around to know who was speaking.
"Loki, you're the same as ever, always popping out of nowhere."
The twin-tailed goddess glanced at the goddess Loki, who was walking towards her from a short distance away.
Then, she shifted her gaze slightly to the doll-like, golden-haired girl beside her.
"You must be the 'Sword Princess,' Ais, right? I've heard Levi talk about you. Thanks to your help back then, my child might have gotten hurt otherwise."
"You're too kind, Goddess Hestia. Levi helped us a lot afterward as well."
Ais may seem emotionless, but she is perfectly capable of normal conversation.
Besides, she wasn't lying. After the second team returned from the Goliath subjugation, two of the Lv. 2 members had successfully accumulated enough excelia for a great feat to level up.
As the head of her Familia, Loki naturally knew what had happened.
Moreover, Finn had specifically sought her out afterward to share the intelligence analyzed by the three leaders.
In Finn's words, he actually hoped that Loki would get on good terms with Hestia.
That way, during the Familia's future expeditions, they could leverage the friendship between their goddesses to temporarily borrow Levi for their party.
But Loki...
This red-haired goddess with squinty eyes and a single ponytail loved nothing more in life than to say 'no' to people who thought they were always right.
Get on good terms with Hestia?
That'll happen when the sun rises in the west!
Loki hated Hestia—and it absolutely wasn't because of the two enviable mounds of flesh on her chest o(╥﹏╥)o~
"Speaking of which, how come I don't see your kid?" the squinty-eyed goddess asked in surprise, looking around.
It wasn't just her; the Sword Princess beside her also tilted her head in confusion.
"Levi?" Hestia took a sip of juice, her tone casual. "He's been in the Dungeon these past couple of days earning funds for our Familia's development. He didn't know the Apollo Familia was holding a banquet."
"Can't be helped. We're still a small Familia, and he's the only member we have."
Normally, this would be something quite embarrassing, but when the twin-tailed goddess said it in a self-deprecating tone, it instead came across as a boast.
Combined with the confession incident at the Guild, which half—no, most of—the divine circle had heard about...
How could anyone not understand that the goddess of the hearth before them was flaunting her little boyfriend!
_____
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