[DanMachi/Percy Jackson] Prytaneum

Chapter 27: Fireplace Part 2

A few minutes later, I was lying on the couch with Hestia on my back, updating my Status even as she spoke to me. I'm pretty sure she was doing it just so I couldn't get away, which was more than a bit concerning.

"Why do you go so far, Percy?" She asked, voice quiet and sad. "I know you're strong, but you keep getting into so much danger and yet you insist on fighting. What seems like every day, you try and push forward, even at risk to yourself. It really worries me, you know."

I might have been too quick to judge. Frankly, Hestia's sadness might have cut me deeper than Eina's anger.

"...Sorry," I mumbled lamely against the couch cushion, glad I didn't have to look her in the eye as I spoke.

"Is..." Hestia began before trailing off slightly, word hesitant. "Is it that important?"

"Hm?" I asked, startled by the question.

"...I can tell," She whispered. "That there's something you're after. It's hard not to notice hour focused you are, how much you care. At first I thought you were just trying to prove yourself or support us, but that's not right. The Dungeon isn't just a job for you—and I don't think you care about money or fame or power. But there's something, right? Something that you value more than any of that or even your own safety."

I was silent for a long minute, unsure of how to respond, but slowly I nodded.

"Yeah," I said. "There is."

"I know there's...I know that there's nothing I can do to help you while you fight in the Dungeon," She said slowly. "But at the very least, I want to support you however you can. So what...what are you looking for, Percy? And is there nothing I can do to help? Even if I have to swallow my pride, I can speak to other gods and try to assist you."

I took a long, slow breath and exhaled, letting myself fall further into the couch.

"I never told you, did I?" I asked her. "About the time I died?"

Her hands stopped in place, fingertips lightly touching the skin of my back.

"Percy...?"

"It's a weird story," I told her. "It was a weird fight, really. Do you remember...do you know someone named Kronos?"

"Kronos...?" She repeated. After a moment, I felt the touch of her hair along my back but then she probably realized I couldn't see her shaking her head. "No, I don't think so."

"Ah," I mused. "I don't remember much about it either...but it was a fatal wound. He and a guy named Luke were the ones to kill me. I was mostly invincible at the time because I'd bathed in the River Styx—long story—but they figured out my weak point, somehow. Kronos could manipulate time, so he probably used his powers to figure out my weakness somehow. I'm not sure what happened, really, but...I died, I'm pretty sure. And when I woke up...I was born from the walls of the Dungeon."

"From...the Dungeon?" Hestia asked, sounding surprised. "W-when? Where?"

"Not long ago," I said. "It was the same day I met you, actually. And I don't know where; it doesn't match the description of any floor I know about and neither do the monsters that appeared there. I only survived because Mrs. O'Leary could move through shadows, which had problems of its own, but..."

"Mrs. O'Leary?" She wondered, sounding confused.

"I still haven't introduced you, have I?" I asked with a sigh. "I keep meaning to, but I'm always working or doing something; sometimes it seems like I only come up here to sleep. She's my friend—my giant pet Hellhound."

"You have a pet Hellhound!?" Hestia exclaimed.

"The 'giant' part is really kind of important in this case..." I answered. "But yeah. She was my friend even before I died and I called for her help before I knew anything was wrong. In hindsight, it's kind of amazing, that she answered. That she was still there to answer. But...Hestia. Do you know what the Dungeon is?"

"...No," She said. "Even I don't know. My friends...the other gods always just say that the Dungeon is the Dungeon, but even for us, it seems almost inexplicable. I don't think anyone alive knows for sure what it is—it's that source of mystery that drew us here in the first place. I told you, didn't I? That the Dungeon existed long before we gods came down to this world. But could it be that...you know?"

"No," I said. "I don't know anything for sure. But it does remind me of something—a place called Tartarus. Do you know of it?"

"No."

"It was in the Underworld," I told her. "The deepest, darkest pit in the realms of the dead, a place even the gods avoided. It wasn't a place for human souls, not even the worst of them—but it was a place for monsters. Whenever a monster was slain, its essence, its soul, would return to Tarterus to be reborn. And Tartarus...it wasn't just a place, it was a thing. I don't know what or how, but it was a living being onto itself. And it was where things like the Titans and the other enemies of the gods were locked away."

"You speak as though you've seen it," She noted.

"Only from the outside," I answered. "Though I got closer than I liked at one point. But I've been all around. I've been to the Underworld and the home of the gods. I met Hades and Zeus and my father. Artemis and Apollo and Ares and Athena and many more besides. I've even met you before, Lady Hestia."

"You have?" She asked, sounding surprised again before falling silent. "I don't remember..."

"I was afraid of that," I said, smiling sadly into the couch. "And I was afraid to ask this. Have you ever heard of a place called Manhattan? Or America? Or Greece? Or even Mount Olympus?"

"No..." She murmured, sounding concerned. "I've never heard of any of those places before."

"It might have been a long time ago," I said. "Because...I'd never heard of Orario until the day I met you. I don't recognize any of the countries or anything—and what little seems familiar is always distorted. The common language...I can speak it, but I can't read it. It's the same language I know, even if there are a lot of new and strange sounding words, but it's not written the same. How...Hestia, how far back do you remember?"

"...I stopped keeping count," She said. "Thousands of years at least. But this world was always a distant thing to me. I saw people's souls when they rose, but..."

"I see."

"Could it really have been that long ago, though?" She asked. "After you...died?"

"Maybe," I said. "A lot happened there at the end."

"What?" She asked. "You said we met before, didn't you?"

"Yeah. But you were different then," I said. "I think everyone was. Kronos had risen to power and he killed just about everyone. In the end, you...you protected me with your power. Until there was nothing left of you at all. You just...disappeared."

Hestia fell silent at that and for a moment, so did the room. But—

"What happens when gods die," I asked suddenly. "Do you know?"

"They don't, generally," She replied, sounding unsure now. "Or not truly. Sometimes, gods would fight to the death up in Heaven, just to pass the time, but even if we die, our Arcanum will revive us. It was nothing but a violent, pointless game and it didn't change anything."

"But what if something happened that could kill a god?" I asked. "Or...disperse them? That's what happened to Kronos, the first time. My father, Zeus, and Hades cut him into a million pieces and scattered him far and wide; it took him thousands of years and a lot of help to come back together and he seemed intent on doing the same to everyone else."

"Such a thing...might be possible," Hestia admitted, though doing so seemed to worry her. "But what would happen to those involved, I don't know."

"I met Hephaestus before," I said. "He wasn't anything like she is now."

"...He?"

"Yeah," I said, sighing. "It surprised me, too."

Lifting my head enough to rest on my chin, I closed my eyes.

"I don't know what's happened, Hestia," I said. "I don't understand anything. Has the world changed? Have I? And what's happened while I was away? I just don't know."

"I'm sorry," She said quietly.

"It's entirely possible that I'm only here because of you," I told her. "And you sacrificed so much to help me. Before that, I walked past you who knows how many times without even knowing your name, but in the end, you were the only one left and you still helped me. I already owe you more than my life and you're my important friend. But there's something I have to know. Even if it's unlikely, since I was reborn from the Dungeon, isn't it possible that some of the others were as well?"

"The others?" She asked. "There others like you?

"There were once," I said. "However long ago it is now, there were lots of demigods when I was alive. Up until the end, at least. The gods had a lot of children and...they didn't always treat them well. Luke and those who followed him fought to overthrow the gods and my friends and I fought to defend them. I don't know why the gods can't have children any more, though."

"I...see," She replied, sounding curious. "By any chance, did I...?"

"Not that I know of," I replied. "You were a virgin goddess, long with Artemis and Athena. Well, but Artemis had her Hunters and Athena would just imagine babies into existence when she wanted to, I guess. But you didn't have any children that I know of; you and Hera were the only ones without anyone connected to them, I think."

"Why didn't Hera have any children?" She asked.

"Because of Zeus, I guess," I said with a shrug. "He slept around, but she never did. She was sorta, kinda, extremely crazy sometimes, though."

"That...does sound like Zeus and Hera," Hestia said with a sigh. "But to think, there was a time where people like you were normal."

I shook my head again.

"I was never normal," I said. "I was a child that wasn't supposed to be born, even among other demigods. Zeus, Hades, and Poseidon swore an oath not to have children with mortals anymore, but Zeus and my father broke it. That...was sort of what started everything, I guess."

"I...see," She said again, off-put. "But you think there might be others in the Dungeon somewhere?"

"...It's...probably unlikely," I whispered, as much to myself as to her. "My presence could have been because of so many things—your protection, Elpis, where and how I died, or even who killed me. It would be strange to assume the same thing would be true of anyone else and even if it was, without Mrs. O'Leary, just about anyone would die before they could escape. In fact, when I first woke up, I thought Kronos had made the Dungeon as a punishment for me in death, that I was to be reborn and torn apart again and again. Either way though, the odds of them being reborn, especially in a time and place where I'd be able to reach them, are extremely low. I know that. I know that, but...!"

Abruptly, there where arms around me and I realized Hestia was lying against my back.

"Shh," She said soothingly. "It's okay. I understand."

"I was...I was their leader," I told her. "Their friend. They died because of me, for me. I have to look. Even if it's crazy, even if it's impossible, I have to at least say I looked for them."

"I don't remember any of the things you told me, Percy," She whispered, voice soft and reassuring. "But I can tell that you're speaking the truth. And more than that, I believe in you and I want to help you. So I won't tell you to stop looking. No matter how long it take, I'll help you. But...you know it too, right? That they wouldn't want you to die. That they wouldn't be sad or angry that you somehow survived. So you have to stay alive, okay? For their sake...and mine. If you don't, who else would look for them or remember their stories? I told you before, didn't I? That the Status isn't just a blessing of power—it's a person's story, seen and written by the gods. But if even the gods can't remember you and your friends, then...you need to continue that story, so it's not forgotten."

I nodded stiffly against the couch cushion, blinking quickly. As I did, I felt her pat my head.

"I'm done," She said, shifting off of me and allowing me to get up. "Here's your new Status, Percy. You've advanced a lot again."

I took the paper from her and nodded slightly, remaining silent.

"I might have to leave for a few days," She said. "I can't be sure when I'll need to go or when I'll be back, but...will you be okay?"

"For a few days? Sure," I said. "Is something wrong?"

"No, I just need to do something," Hestia said and I noticed that she seemed...resolved. The sadness and doubt that sometimes seemed to cling to her was completely gone and she seemed certain now. "Since she was just here...she should understand, right?"

"Huh?" I asked.

"Nothing," She said. "You need to do some stuff now too, right?"

"...Yeah," I said, nodding slowly. "I'll be off then, Hestia."

XxXXxX​​

Perseus Jackson
Lv. 1
Strength: E 407
Endurance: E 432
Dexterity: F 362
Agility: F 347
Magic: D 511
Hero: I
Mystery: I

Magic:

Blood of Poseidon: Instant Magic.

Flesh of Poseidon: Auto-Magic.

Spirit of Poseidon: Auto-Magic.

Skills:

Despair: Greatly increases the encounter rate of monsters. Effect increases as condition declines.

Hope: Provides benefits in dangerous situations. Effect increases with danger.