Is a Gamble Worth a Gander?

Finale: To Defy God

Finale

To Defy God

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The party was bustling, not even a good hour into the festivities. The guild had done quite the amazing job getting the word around, drawing hundreds to the hastily put together festival. So thoroughly were the guests engrossed, imbibing the various assortments of liquors and fine foods, none seemed to even remotely recall the rumors flitting about the city.

The courtyard in front of Babel Tower was, at this point, a veritable smorgasbord of adventurers and Deities. Groups were gathered here and there around the actual smorgasbord of food, chatting and chewing the fat in the flickering light of the braziers dotting the surroundings. Despite the cold of Freeze gripping the land, the festival was warm with chatting bodies who seemed not to have a care in the world as they mingled with one another.

Yet, one Goddess in particular did in fact care about the rumors swirling around these last few days. One Goddess knew they were not mere rumors, but in fact a great calamity right beneath everyone's feet. Yes, one Goddess, whose sapphire eyes burned with determination, was in uninvited attendance among this crowd. Unnoticed, she slipped expertly through the thronging masses as she made her way for a proper vantage point.

This little Goddess, whose heart burned with a mixture of fury and worry, was about to bring the festivities crashing down. She had absolutely no intention of letting this slide, of letting a blatant cover-up go unchallenged, while her own children were likely in unfathomable danger. No, she would set this straight and blow the lid off the entire debacle, no matter what consequences it might bring her. There was not even room in her mind to spare a thought for the trouble a certain half-elf might face from her actions.

Hestia weaved her way through the crowd, gently nudging the occasional person or Deity out of her way, until she came to stand before the great fountain at the courtyard's center. It was a mighty fixture, standing easily four times the little Goddess' own height. Carved of snow-white marble, it glistened delicately in the combination of moonlight and the firelight cast by the raging braziers placed around it.

She looked up at it for a moment, the wall around its basin standing as high as her ample bosom. Those sapphire eyes, practically glowing with the reflected moon, were on the verge of tearing up. She had indeed come this far, and not without a large degree of anxiety, but here her heart wavered somewhat. She knew her plan was risky, foolhardy even. Yet, she had to do it, for Bell's sake chiefly though she did not forget Lincoln or the others.

With a few quick, deep breaths, little Hestia bade her heart to calm. It was now or never, so she closed her eyes and steeled herself for the coming storm. When she was done, her heart calm and her mind cleared, the Goddess careful climbed over the fountain's basin-wall. Taking care not to slip on the still wet marble, mostly dried since it had been turned off for the festival, she climbed to the top of the mighty fixture.

Taking a moment to steady herself, she looked around the bustling crowd. From here, she could see everything. Every rowdy adventurer telling tales of their exploits, every Deity chittering on about their Familia. Every single person and Divinity that seemed as though they couldn't care less about the obvious placation going on. The nearly blatant bait and switch made Hestia's stomach turn as she watched the crowd.

At last, the little Deity could stand no more. She tightly clutched the old leather book in her tiny hands, taking one more deep breath.

"Hey!" she screamed at the top of her lungs, startling almost everyone with her unrealistic volume.