“For Lady Hestia!”

Europa, Delos.

Apollo emerged from the rustling shadows of the lush shadows, his gaze fixed on the wooden house lit by the warm hearth.

"Apollo." Hestia smiled as she turned. "Come on. The food is ready."

Apollo nodded and walked towards his hearth, which was surrounded on the right by his mother and Demeter and on the left by Hestia and his sister.

He didn't take a seat right away, instead walking towards his mother, who was blatantly ignoring him. Seeing him, Demeter elbowed her.

While his mother sat on the wooden log, Apollo stood nearby.

He called. "Mother."

Leto finally looked up at him, expressionless.

Apollo continued, squatting in front of her. "I will not make you worry anymore."

He promised, causing her to snort, though her eyes, already softened.

"Here." Leto handed him another cup of his favourite drink while removing the empty cup from his grasp.

Apollo smiled and hugged his mother, who returned the hug, her worries fading.

"Never give up hope, son." She whispered, only for them to hear, with a slight quiver in her voice. "No matter what."

"I will not, mother." Apollo promised, "No matter what."

Leto lightly patted his back before letting him go and turning to Hestia and the others, who were staring at them silently.

She broke the silence by saying. "I've always wanted to try Lady Hestia's cooking."

Hestia smiled and nodded. She opened her hand and flames roared. Out of streaking flames came wooden plates of food, descending into the hands of everyone.

The aroma of wood wafted through the air as a warmth, a warmth unique to home, enveloped them.

The sight of the food made Apollo's stomach rumble, and he felt hungry for the first time since being reborn as a god.

He took the floating plate and sat in front of the hearth, giving in to his hunger. Then, his sister interrupted him just as he was about to dig in.

"Apollo." Artemis held her hand out, throwing a scrap of her meal into the hearth, while Demeter and his mother followed her.

'Sacrifice, shit, I forget?..' Apollo face palmed himself inwardly, while hearing an amused chuckle from Demeter.

This was a custom in honour of the Goddess of the Hearth. His mother was always kept lecturing him on Olympus' traditions, but he never bothered to serious pay attention to this.

Apollo took a piece of his meal, throwing it into the red fire of the hearth, following his sister.

Then he took his ambrosia and raised it toward the goddess of the hearth.

"For Lady Hestia!"

Artemis, Leto, and Demeter quickly followed, raising their ambrosia to her.

""For Lady Hestia!""

"For my favourite sibling!"

The hearth burned brighter, and streaks of red fire cracked in the air, illuminating Hestia, the Lady of Honour, who waved her hands at the herath, smiling.

(Image here)

"Thank you, everyone. Now, dig in." Her gaze turned towards him. "I can already hear your stomach from here."

Apollo didn't waste any more time wolfing down the food. It instantly made his heart warm, flooding it with emotions.

It was like a home-cooked meal in the hands of their own mother. People always yearn to have such food everyday but they never do in the end.

The Hearth. The Food. The Warmth. It all made him reminiscent of the past. His guard, which he hadn't let down since the arrival of 'guests' lowered and a sense of the trust towards Hestia subconsciously rose in his heart.

Feeling this, Apollo looked up to Hestia. In his eyes, she was no longer a gentle and harmless woman, but a terrifying and powerful god.

Hestia seemed to notice his gaze and gently nodded at him, indicating to continue with the food.

'This should just be a subconscious effect of Hestia's divinity.' Looking down at his food, Apollo analysed. 'However, it was still able to affect me in this way. If she actually used her divinity…'

Relationship. Family. Home. It is an essential part of one's life, mortal or divine.

Manipulation of such aspects of life is a truly terrifying power.

'It's no surprise that it was said she disliked entering the battlefield. She never really needed to in the first place. With her power, she may be able to collapse pantheons on themselves through discord and strife. I should really find a counter for this...'

Despite his racing thoughts, his demeanour on the surface was calm as he ate the home-cooked food.

Just then, Hestia raised her hand, and the flames roared once more, releasing two plates. It flew behind him, causing him to turn around.

Asteria and Hecate approached them, holding hands. The Titaness looked at his mother, clearly nervous. As his mother turned and looked at her, her grip on Hecate's hand tightened.

"Sit." Leto pointed beside her stoically.

Her simple word seemed to lift some of the weight from her shoulders, and her lips rose to form a smile that spoke volumes about relief and pain.

Asteria took the floating plate in front of her and ran towards his mother, sitting beside her. She didn't say anything to his mother, as if afraid that she would change her mind, while beginning to eat.

Meanwhile, Hecate approached him and sat down beside him, holding the plate and eating the food.

Artemis cast him a sidelong glance, a slight smile on her lips.

Apollo simply shrugged and ignored her. And before he knew it, his plate was already empty. Artemis and Demeter scarfed theirs down just as fast.

Artemis pouted at him before turning to face Hestia. She didn't even look at Hecate from beginning to end.

"Aunt." She asked as she passed the empty plate to the goddess of the hearth. "Will you tell us a story?"

"Story?" Hestia asked back, as if surprised by her sudden request.

Leto spoke for Artemis. "Story. Every night, they ask for one right after gathering around the hearth. It all started with Apollo. It's almost become a tradition now."

"A fine tradition." Demeter smirked as she drank ambrosia. Then she urged on. "So, sister, do tell us a story."

"A story?" Hestia ruminated.

"Elder Gods." Between sips, Apollo immediately suggested.

"Yes, Aunt." Artemis chimed in. "Tell us about the elder gods."

Seeing their enthusiasm, Demeter whispered to Leto, "Why didn't you tell them already?"

Leto whispered back, "You should know, it's too dangerous. They pestered me a lot, though."

"Oh, Leto." Demeter sighed. "Nothing in the world of gods is not dangerous. It's better to be aware of this earlier itself."

"Still.." Leto's brows furrowed in worry. "They are elder gods…"

Demeter reassured her. "They have already left the universe, Leto."

Leto finally nodded. Her expression, though, still remained heavy.

Meanwhile, Hestia exchanged glances with Demeter before finally starting.

She swept her gaze over expectant Apollo and Artemis, silent Asteria and Hecate, worried Leto, and her always smiling sister.

"In the beginning, the earth was nothing but chaos. The Demiurge, the life-force of our world, was born of it. His presence brought order to our world, calming the chaos. A cosmic balance was thus achieved." Her voice was deep and low, capturing their full attention.

"Feeling lonely, Demiurge eventually seeded earth with shards of its own life essence, giving birth to Elder Gods: Earth Mother Gaia, Mother Magic Oshutur, the Dark God Chthon, the Second Fallen Set, and a slew of others..."

A depressing aura filled the entire island of Delos the moment the names of the elder gods were uttered.

'Names have power.' Apollo realised as he felt the depression in the air that had just appeared with the utterance of the names of the Elder Gods. 'The second fallen? Set was the second fallen?'

The hearth cracked with bright red flames as Hestia gently waved her hand, sending light and warmth across the Delos. The depression vanished instantly, and she continued in a gentle tone, as if nothing had just happened.

"Initially, the elder gods coexisted peacefully. They each took their own paths, creating unimaginable wonders and miracles. They were very powerful. Reality was merely a toy in their hands, bent to their will and imagination. They brought forth life, chaos, magic, and destruction. Despite their differences, everything was in balance, until…." She paused, as if to create tension, and she succeeded remarkably, as Hecate and Artemis' hands quivered with nervousness and excitement.

"The Second Fallen discovered that by devouring his fellow elder gods, he could increase his own power. Thus, he became earth's second murderer. And he fell, transforming into a demon. Then there was a war for greed and power, which nearly destroyed reality itself."

'Again?' Apollo thought, 'Second?!'

"The Earth Mother, horrified by everything, sought help from Demiurge. He gave her a son, Atum…"

"Wait!" Artemis asked loudly, interrupting Hestia. "Wasn't he her father?!"

"Poor Artemis…" Apollo muttered under his breath.

Hestia continued, as if she didn't hear that question. "Then, Atum waged war against all fallen elder gods." She sighed. "Unfortunately, even he got tempted by the energy of the Elder Gods and began eating them. Thus, gaining the infamous title, "the God-Eater". This worsened the war even further….."

She continued her story beneath the ethereal veil of sunlight, the hearth lighting a glow in all of them as they listened solemnly.

The story continued. The god eater killed and ate most of the elder gods, while Set was defeated, fleeing to the dimension he created: the sea of serpents.

Finally, Oshutur returned from her cosmic journey, devastated by what had occurred. Then, Oshutur and Gaea created their own realms: Astral Plane and Avalon, respectively. Despite their deep animosity, the last elder gods chose to find a middle ground, and thus the Crossroads was created. Then, at long last, there was peace. However, Hestia didn't mention Chthon again in the entire story.

'Set and Chthon…' Apollo's mind was filled with doubts about Set's and Chthon's situation, but he didn't express them right away. His mother remained calm throughout the story; she should know something.

He finally focused on Hestia and Demeter as they rose from the ground and looked at him and his sister. They are finally going to reveal the true reason for their visit at the request of his mother, who asked it after the story ended.

"Apollo and Artemis, your father said it was time for you both to return to your home, Olympus," Demeter said.

His mother's expression was solemn, but she didn't appear surprised. She should have expected this for a long time. Meanwhile, his sister flinched at 'father' and went into a trance. Oh my poor Artemis.

He finally looked up, solemn. "We will return with you. But, before that..." He paused, capturing their undivided attention. "I shall slay the mighty python..."