The Seeds of Wrath

13

(2 days later)
"Aeteia, hon, are you awake?" A soft knock on the door pulled me from my sleepy stupor. I glared at the door, uncaring that it was Hestia just trying to be nice. I blinked sleepily, wishing I could just sleep some more. I had been having such a beautiful dream. When I didn't immediately answer her, the door cracked open a smidge and Hestia's face poked through cautiously, "You've been asleep for 12 hours, hon. Are you sure you're okay?"
I squinted at her from my spot beneath the covers, making a low noise and turning back over in the bed. There was a reason that I was sleeping so long; I didn't need to be reminded of why. It was just another day knowing what I'd done; Maeve was somewhere that I'd never be able to contact her again. Just the thought of it caused my heart to sink even deeper into the ground, weighing me down. I felt tears well up in my eyes, taking a deep breath to try to stop myself from crying. A hand pressed against my shoulder; I tensed up but forced myself not to react to the unsolicited touch. I didn't look up from my spot on the bed, only pulling in the soft material of the blanket that Hestia had provided me.

"You've been either keeping yourself breathlessly busy or sleeping for long hours. Although I may look young, I do see the signs and symptoms of depression. What's going on? I promise I won't judge anything that you say. You're in a safe place here," Hestia's voice was soothing, almost putting me back to sleep but the feeling of her hand on my shoulder was enough to keep me awake.
I shook my head; if I tried to talk about anything that was in my mind right now, I would break down crying. She let out a soft sigh, her voice pulling me from my thoughts, "Well, today you should be getting your home. The Celestial Magus has arrived and is eager to get your power-source ceremony over with. After that, we can show you your new home and you can do whatever you want."

Turning onto my back and sitting up, I sent her a deadpan look. She looked almost as if she wished she could keep me a little bit longer; her hands fidgeted in front of her when she pulled herself away from my shoulder. Her eyes moved to her hands, her lips pursing together.
"Well, if you'd like to get the ceremony over with so you can go back to sleep, I suggest that you get up and get into the set-out clothes I have planned for your ritual. It really doesn't take very long. It's more just for show, but the only one who can fully understand what your power-source is, well, is the Celestial Magus." I could take a hint; I groaned, sitting up and nodding sleepily at her.

"Alright," I mumbled softly, "I'll be right out. I promise." A soft smile adorned her lips as she heard my words, a nod telling me she understood. She stood up from the bed, the sound of the door closing behind her telling me that she'd left the room. I rubbed at my eyes, my mind moving back and forth on whether I should just go back to sleep.
With a heavy sigh, though, I forced myself to get up. The moment that my feet touched the carpet, I felt an alertness fill my mind. If there had been any hope of going back to sleep earlier, that was all gone now. I gave off a small stretch, slipping out of my nightgown and moving to the pre-chosen dress that Hestia had set out for me.

Not caring to look in the mirror, I ran my fingers through my hair quickly and exited the room. In the living room, I saw Hestia sitting around the coffee table with Artemis and another woman who looked almost as if she was getting a headache from focusing so hard.
She had long, dark brown hair that flowed wildly around her head, as if she was in the same mood I was, putting the bare minimum effort into styling her hair. She wore a silver dress that looked like it belonged in a children's show that was lined with golden along the edges. She was hunched over the coffee table, a steaming cup of something in front of her, with her hands rubbing at her temples. She looked up very quickly when she heard me come out of the room.

Her eyes were silver; my mind felt as if it was beginning to hurt just looking at her. She sent me a guilty smile for a moment, standing up to greet me. I stepped fully into the living room, letting out a long yawn. "Wh-what's the deal? What's going on? Other than a power-seeking ceremony or whatever..."
The woman winced for a moment, correcting me quickly, "Power-source ceremony, godling, and nothing really else is planned today. I'm just here to give you the details of how this happens, since you're the first newbie into our pantheon...ever, really." Her voice sounded more tense than any of the other goddesses that I'd met thus far, including Hera, who had basically disappeared as soon as she'd appeared.