Power Corrupts: Small Compromises (ch.15) (Patreon)

Orario had a bustling nightlife, it seemed as Hestia and I walked through the streets. The magic stone lamps were on, a crescent moon hanging overhead, countless stars twinkling in the sky. As a city boy, born and raised, that was taking some getting used to. I never knew just how many stars were hidden by the light given off from the city that never sleeps. 

There were almost as many stars as there were people milling about through the busy streets as we stepped onto the entertainment district. The streets were lined with bars, restaurants and more. Every single one of them looked like they were packed to the absolute brim with groups of people in varying stages of drunkness wandered about. 

“Are you feeling okay?” I asked, looking down at Hestia as she watched a group of adventurers drunkenly play a game of cards in the middle of the street. No one tried to stop them simply because of their fine armor, marking them as third-rate adventurers at least. And, given that I’m pretty sure this chaos was because of the Loki familia’s return, I’m guessing that no one would have said anything if they were dressed in rags. No one wanted to cross one of the most powerful familias in the city, after all. 

“I’m fine,” Hestia said, holding my hand. “Just a little sore,” she admitted after a moment. I guess that was to be expected -- Hestia was quick to please and quick to exhaust, and it was for that reason we haven’t had much time to experiment. I guess she wasn’t quite ready for doggy style, or any position that wasn’t missionary. 

“Would you like a health potion?” I asked as we made our way through the busy streets. I’m not sure what was in those potions, but it seemed like there was next to nothing they couldn’t fix. Soreness was included in that list, thankfully. 

“I’m fine, don’t worry about me,” Hestia dismissed with a shake of her head. “It just feels funny when I walk, and my legs are still a little weak.” I wiped a smirk off of my face, feeling manly pride swell at that. Instead, I nodded and glanced away, my gaze landing on the Hostess of Fertility. I don’t think it was as packed as it looked in the anime. 

And I really underestimated just how big the Loki familia was. Adventurers hung around the entrance, one of them sleeping as another three drew dicks on his face while they cracked up about it. I couldn’t be sure if they all belonged to the Loki familia, but there had to be at least a hundred adventurers scattered about on the main road. Every single one of them was treating the celebrations as a frat party -- and, if that was the case, I’m willing to bet all the money in the world that there were more Loki familia members in the red light district. 

“Do you think we’ll have to wait?” Hestia asked, eyeing the crowd warily. “Or...come back another time, when it’s not so busy?” She asked, a flush creeping up her neck as she squeezed my hand. We weren’t here for food, but for Syr and I had a tough time imagining that Mama Mia, the owner, would let Syr take a break. If I was here for only Syr, I probably would have agreed with Hestia. 

Before I died, I was a college student. I practically survived off the free food and booze that parties offered before I got claimed by Truck-kun. This party looked liked it was about to become a real swinger -- everyone was getting drunk beyond reasons, no one was trying to organize the chaos, and considering a lot of these people were actually superhuman...well...I feel very, very, very sorry for whoever had to clean up the mess. 

“Let’s just stop by. Even if she can’t take a break, then she might appreciate some friendly faces. Or, maybe I could help out in the kitchen. Before I found myself here, I was a line cook,” I told her as we approached. Hestia blinked in surprise at me, getting a smile out of me. “I started out as a dishwasher there before I worked my way up.”

“I didn’t know that…” Hestia trailed off, frowning lightly. “Do you...miss it?” She asked, trying to pass off a very loaded question as a casual one. I gave her hand a squeeze as I shrugged carelessly. 

“Not really,” I dismissed her concerns easily enough. “Most of my family is dead, and the friends that I had were fairweather.” People that I partied with, but few I would ever confide in. Well, excluding drunken rants. “So, no. I don’t really miss it. At all, really.” It was hard to when I so clearly traded up. 

Hestia looked relieved at my words, relaxing as we pushed through a small crowd of adventurers chugging what looked to be an entire keg of beer. They gave way to me, careless of my presence as I pushed open the door to reveal that the inside was just as packed as the streets. Every table was taken, the bar filled, everyone shouting on top of one another until the tavern became a mess of noise. 

The waitresses ran between the tables and patrons, their green uniforms marking them out as they carried arms full of plates loaded with food and what appeared to be several kegs worth of beer in frothy mugs. However, none looked stressed or frustrated by how packed the place was -- I guess that was to be expected when this place was staffed by first and second-rate adventurers. 

“Ah! It’s you!” A brown-haired cat girl exclaimed, pointing dramatically at me. Something about it struck me as familiar before I recalled it was the same cat girl that greeted us last time. “You gotta lot of nerve showing your face around here! Do you have any clue who had to wash the sheets when the two of you were done?!” She shouted, her voice thankfully lost in a sea of noise. 

Hestia went bright red while I gave a sheepish smile. “You?” I hazard a guess, only for the cat girl to scoff. 

“No! Ryuu had to do it and since she’s so nice, I’m being offended on her behalf!” She clarified, earning a cocked eyebrow from me when, as if summoned by her name being uttered, the elf materialized behind her. 

“I would have preferred it if you had helped me instead of watching and giggling,” Ryuu deadpanned, making the cat girl go stiff. She turned on Ryuu, a nervous expression on her face as Ryuu simply stared her down. 

“O-oh! It sounds like Mama Mia needs me!” She lied through her teeth as she ran towards the kitchen. Ryuu seemed to let out a sigh as we watched her go before she turned towards us. Her expression was blank, making it impossible to tell what she was thinking, but I did notice how her gaze drifted from me to Hestia for a brief moment. 

“We currently have a rather long seating wait. Unless you wish to see Syr, then I would recommend finding somewhere else to dine tonight. You aren’t likely to eat until well past midnight,” Ryuu spoke, her tone even but it somehow managed to carry through the near-deafening shouting around us. 

Well...now I kinda felt bad. I could recall what those sheets looked like after Hestia awoke from her stupor. We really did leave a mess to be cleaned up. 

“We were hoping to speak to Syr, but, if you’d like, I can try to make up for leaving a mess? I have cooking experience and I can wash dishes?” I tried, getting a slow blink from Ryuu before she shook her head. 

“You shouldn’t concern yourself with what Anya said. There is nothing to make up to me -- cleaning the sheets fell under my duties list, nothing more,” Ryuu denied with a small shake of her head. I couldn’t tell if that was what she really felt, or-

“We can help!” Hestia answered for me before I could accept what Ryuu said at face value. “Jericho can help in the kitchen, and I have a lot of customer service experience!” she exclaimed, her expression unusually serious. Ryuu blinked at the sudden offer of help, especially when Hestia was being so forceful about it. 

Ryuu hesitated, and it was Mama Mia who decided despite the fact that she was standing on the other side of the building, several tables full of screaming patrons between us while she was serving drinks. “If they want to help, then let him. Get Lady Hestia a uniform,” Mama Mia ordered Ryuu -- I had extremely underestimated just how sharp a level 6 adventurers hearing could be. 

Hestia lite up, happily following Ryuu as she nodded and lead Hestia upstairs. Mama Mia gestured to me to come to her, which I did with a little difficulty. “You’re in the kitchen with Syr, big guy. If you try anything while you’re on the clock, then I’ll toss you out on your ass in a heartbeat, understand?”

“I understand,” I agreed with a nod, not wanting to test the smaller woman. I had a foot and a half on her, and even my success with the minotaurs didn’t inflate my ego enough to think I took a chance against Mama Mia. The woman looked like...a mom, which I guess explained her nickname. Brown hair pulled back in a simple ponytail, a round face, brown eyes...yeah, she looked like a mom. 

“Then get in there,” Mama Mia said, jerking her head towards the kitchen. “And don’t hit your head on nothing.” She ordered as I ducked to enter the kitchen to reveal Syr, who frantically washed dishes in an oddly modern-looking sink. She turned to face me, tears gathering in the corners of her eyes. 

“Save me!” She cried overdramatically, splashing soapy water on her already drenched uniform. Before I could ask from what, another waitress dropped off a stack of plates that were nearly as tall as my goddess onto an already considerable stack. Syr was beyond behind, there were so many dirty dishes that I’m shocked that any of the patrons outside were eating on one. “They won’t stop coming! Jericho, take me away from this horrid place!”

“Can’t do that, I’m afraid,” I said, rolling up my sleeves as I threw on my best prince charming smile. “But I am here to rescue you. I’ll wash and you dry?” I said, the tears in her eyes vanishing like smoke in the wind, replaced with a sunny look that was almost blinding. 

“My savior!” Syr cried, stepping to the side as I began the familiar work of washing dishes. It was funny, in a way -- so much of my life had changed, but I still found myself washing dishes in a restaurant. 

“Will I be getting a kiss from the damsel in distress?” I flirted as I cleaned a plate and handed it to her. Syr giggled, taking it from me. 

“Nope!” She answered cheerfully, and that caught me off guard to the point that I nearly dropped the plate. She giggled again at my surprise that must have been visible on my face as she dried the plate. “Strike while the iron is hot,” she quoted, giving me a coy look. 

“Ah,” I realized why she was rejecting me. “It’s not like I could have, though. Sleeping with another woman after I just took my goddess’s virginity? That’s just bad manners,” I told her, continuing to wash the dishes. The more I did it, the faster the task came back to me. I wonder if I was going to get a skill out of this?

“Hm, I wasn’t blaming you,” Syr returned, smiling sweetly at me as we found a rhythm. “Just pointing out that it’s rather forward of you to come back to me after you left me wanting.” 

I quirked an eyebrow at that, “not as forward as peeking then coming into our room completely naked.” I pointed out and that remark got me an adorable pout and a faint blush. She glared at me playfully as she accepted another dish to dry. 

“I couldn’t help myself,” Syr defended her actions without a hint of shame. “It was so obvious what you were here for, and I just wanted to help…” She trailed off, her smile growing a fraction as she gave me a coy glance. “And the act of making love is so beautiful, how could I not want to witness such a thing?”

To me, it sounded like she was trying to be poetic about being a voyeur, but I wasn’t going to say that to her face.

“But I didn’t expect to see what I did,” Syr continued with a blush. “I’m guessing you’re here because your goddess realized that she can’t handle you all by herself?” I paused as I washed another dish, glancing at her before I let out a small sigh. 

“Something like that,” I confirmed with a nod. “It’s not that she bad in bed, or anything like that. I just…” I trailed off, not sure how to say it without coming off like I was humble-bragging. “Last for too long. And she was a virgin up until last week, so-”

“So, you have the exact opposite problem most men have,” Syr teased, this time as I handed her a dish, her touch lingered on my hand. Right when I started to wonder if it was on accident or not, she tossed a wink my way. Right. I think in terms of seduction skills, She had me beat. Handily. 

"Something like that," I agreed with a nod. 

"Hmmm," Syr hummed as the conversation lapsed. We washed in silence for a long minute and, for the life of me, I couldn't tell if it was an awkward silence or not. Well, it was for me, obviously, but I couldn't tell if it was mutually awkward or not. 

"I suppose…" Syr began right when I was about to speak -- there was no way that wasn't intentional. "I could be...convinced to help you with your rather...large issue." Syr spoke slowly and deliberately, "but only if you do something for me as well." 

Sensing that she didn't mean doing more dishes, I asked, "what would you like me to do?" 

Syr blushed cutely and, at this point, I'm nearly positive she was somehow doing it on purpose. She smiled as she turned her attention to drying dishes. "The act of making love is such a beautiful thing -- two hearts becoming one through a connected body, passion and pleasure intermingling until one cannot be separated from the other. Even simple sex has its own beauty -- the passion, heat, and lust...it is desire made manifest." 

Ah. I knew exactly where this was going. 

"You want to watch," I predicted, a teasing note in my tone. Syr turned to me, her deepening blush striking me as much more genuine as she hip bumped my leg. 

"Muuu!" She pouted at me, "I was setting up a mood, you know." 

"Right. Sorry. Please continue," I said, swallowing a laugh. 

"There's no point now! The mood is already gone," she muttered, hip checking me again. Then she relented with a dramatic sigh, her shoulders slumping as if the will to live had suddenly vanished from her. "But, yes, I would like to watch. Whoever you might bring up in that room." 

Again, I paused as I washed the dishes. Just...how much did she know? First, she gets Hestia to blow off the actual date portion of our first date to skip to the fun ending with a few words, then she guesses why we were here and now she apparently knows that Hestia gave me a Green card to sleep around? That was...a little unnerving, to be honest. I guess she really was raised by Freya. 

“Well then, I guess I could help you with that as well,” I said, tossing her a smile as the rapidly diminishing pile of dishes began to dwindle. Syr returned the smile, opening her mouth to say something, only for a loud shot to cut her off. 

“EHHHHH?! What are you doing here you big titted chibi?!” A voice demanded and it was only then that I noticed that I could hear the shout so clearly because the crowd outside had nearly gone silent. I didn’t recognize the voice, but the manner of speech, there was no doubt in my mind that it was Loki, the god of mischief. 

“EHHHHHH?!” Hestia shot back, sounding just as annoyed by Loki’s presence as Loki was with hers, “what are you doing here you flat-chested beanpole?!” Despite myself, I let out a snort of laughter as I made to peek out of the kitchen, only for Syr to give me a small push, nearly making me bump my head as I stepped through. She gave a mischievous giggle but closed the door behind me. 

Wondering what that was about, I turned my attention to the two goddesses having a staring contest. Loki looked nearly exactly as her anime counterpart. A redhead pulled into a simple ponytail, while her black and blue clothing was...weird, to say the least. She wore the sleeves and shoulders of a hoodie, but the hoodie ended there. A blue tube top clung to her...admittedly meager chest, leaving her flat stomach bare all the way down to a pair of black shorts that clung to her waist, covering about as much as a pair of panties would. There was a small gap before the black and blue stockings, which covered the rest of her legs. 

Her hands were on her hips, leaning over to glare at Hestia, who stood on her tippy toes to glare up at Loki. She wore a green uniform with a white apron -- she looked good in it, just not as good as she did in her red uniform. 

“I’m here to celebrate my familia’s triumphant return from the Dungeon,” Loki snapped at my goddess, her tone full of mockery. She planted her hands on her hips, a wide grin that seemed to consume her face. “They nearly broke the record that the Zeus familia set!” She said, throwing back her head and letting out a boastful laugh. 

“Oh? Almost? All I heard was a bunch of your familia members chased a bunch of minotaurs to the upper floors!” Hestia shot back, earning a wince from Loki. Yeah, I’m unsure about the anime, but I’m guessing that there were some repercussions for that in this timeline. “You almost got my child killed!”

“Ehhh?” Loki sneered so hard I’m absolutely certain that she pulled a muscle in her face as she poked Hestia in the forehead, “that’s right! You finally stopped mooching off of Heph-y and got yourself a familia.”

“I stopped mooching off Hephaestus-” Hestia started to argue, only to pause midway when she realized that defense wasn’t going to do her any favors. She stamped her foot out of frustration when Loki looked so smug that it was honestly kind of impressive. “Don’t change the subject! Your reckless familia caused a lot of trouble!”

Behind Loki, I saw the heavy hitters of the familia. Finn simply smiled, nodding in agreement while Ais flinched like the words had been directed at her personally. 

“And we had to pay a bunch of money for that so it’s all good! We’re here to party now, and you’re ruining my buzz!” Loki snapped right back at Hestia, leaning in so close that their foreheads were touching. “So you should buzz off!”

“I was here first,” Hestia argued, gesturing to the uniform. “You should leave!”

“Huuuuuuuuh?” Loki said, tilting her head- leaning back so she could look down at Hestia. “Did you have to get another part-time job to make ends meet? Maybe you should leave the city since you clearly can’t hack it!” 

Hestia leaned back as well, trying to look down at Loki despite being nearly a foot shorter than her. “I can too hack it! My child has been making tons of money in the Dungeon,” Hestia boasted, making me go very still. My gaze swept over the crowd, most of them looking amused by the shouting contest, a few of them taking bets, but-

My gaze landed on Canoe. Of all people that could be here, in the absolutely packed tavern, it had to be him, didn’t it? He sat in the corner, nursing a mug of beer as he watched the argument with an amused expression. Then, as if he could feel my gaze, his gaze drifted over to me. My heart stopped in my chest as he smiled at me, raising his glass in a mocking fashion. 

I swallowed down whatever panic I felt with no small amount of difficulty. I know I said that I would kill him the next time I see him, but doing so in front of so many witnesses kinda seemed like a bad idea. Instead, I forced myself to nod in his direction, pretending that I wasn't planning to murder him just like he was pretending that he wasn't planning to rob me blind. 

Tearing my gaze from him, I stiffly started to walk towards the scene, bringing Loki's attention to me. "Whoa, you're huge!" She observed, making Hestia look back at me. 

"Ah! It's Blanket Guy!" Tiona exclaimed, brushing past Loki so fast she nearly knocked the goddess over. Tiona grabbed onto my arm, smiling brightly up at me and I nearly bust out laughing -- not because of Tiona, but because of the utterly stunned look, Hestia pinned onto her. If I had to summarize her expression it would be 'whos this bitch?' "You're okay!" 

"Yeah, I'm all good," I returned, resisting the urge to glance over at Canoe. Originally, I came over here to keep Hestia from blurting out where we kept our savings, but this was perfect. Maybe, now that he's seeing me be all friendly with the Loki familia, even if our goddesses...didn't get along, Canoe would decide that the Hestia familia was more trouble than we were worth. "I just heard some shouting and-" 

"Oi!" Loki interrupted, her eyes narrowed slits, giving her the appearance of a cat that just caught the canary. "You're Hestia's child?"

I thought that was a little obvious so I simply nodded, "I am?" I confirmed, not liking at all how her smile grew to dangerous proportions. Apparently, I'm not the only one who noticed. 

"Loki! Don't bully him, we caused a lot of trouble for Blanket Guy already," Tiona exclaimed while Riveria nodded her head in the background. 

Loki held her hands up in surrender, but her smile just got sharper. "I ain't going to cause trouble for him," she lied through her teeth. I didn't need a built-in lie detector to know that. "I'm just really curious how a level 1 adventurer that's only been one for about two weeks managed to kill a minotaur with his bare hands on the tenth floor all alone." 

Well then. So much for keeping that a secret. 

"Loki," Ais spoke up from behind the red-headed goddess, her soft voice carrying over the whispers that erupted over that tidbit of I formation. "Bad." 

Loki flinched like she had been struck by a bolt of lightning, utterly caught off guard. "I-" Loki started to argue, pointing at me accusingly, but before she could continue, Riveria nodded again. 

"Bad," she echoed, her solemn tone unable to hide a note of amusement. 

"Yeah! Bad Loki! Blanket Guy wanted to keep that a secret!" Tiona shouted, clutching my arm protectively. I still had absolutely no idea what I did to deserve this kind of attachment, but it was completely worth it to see Loki's betrayed expression. 

"Oi! Don’t make me the bad guy in this!” She protested, sputtering at the reaction she was getting. “I was just pointin’ out that he could be lyin’ about his level or-” Loki cut herself off when Tiona humphed, turning her head sharply to the side as if she couldn’t bear to look at her goddess anymore. Loki’s jaw dropped while the rest behind her started laughing, teasing her rather than mocking. 

“We apologize for our goddess,” Riveria stated, nodding at me while ignoring Loki sputtering at her while Bete, a silver-haired werewolf, laughed at her far more mockingly at the goddess’s heartbroken expression. 

“Don’t go apologizin’-” Loki started to argue but fell silent when Ais shook her head. 

“Loki,” she said sternly, “bad.” She repeated as if she were disciplining a dog rather than a goddess. Though, when Loki looked at me, I guess it worked. 

“Eh...sorry about blurting out that you’re a level 1 that can kill a level 2 monster with your bare hands in the middle of this crowded tavern,” she said loudly, making me suspect that she wasn’t exactly repentant. But that was okay. Maybe...maybe this was okay. It made my plan of staying under the radar until it was too late for the Soma familia die a dog's death, but maybe this would convince them to back off just as much as me being friendly with the Loki familia?

Though it did bring up its own sort of problems, but so long as it didn’t end with anyone dying then I could handle them easily enough. Meddlesome gods, I could handle. Probably. 

“You better be-” Hestia started to yell, only to fall silent when I clasped a hand over her mouth to stop her from escalating the situation. 

“It’s fine,” I told her, not knowing if I was telling the truth in that regard. “But, what happened probably isn't as impressive as you’re thinking. I got lucky,” I said, telling the truth. From a certain perspective. 

That seemed to mollify, Loki somewhat, but there was still that shameless smile on her face. I’m guessing this was anything but over. Especially considering that the night was still young.

As if she could read my thoughts, Tiona looked up at me, her eyes practically sparkling, “hey, Blanket Guy, sit with us!” She requested, pressing her chest against my arm, her tone eager. I really, really, really needed to figure out exactly why she took such a shine to me because she was acting a lot as her sister did in the anime. Towards Finn. Who was her love interest. As far as I was aware, we had like two conversations. 

“Actually, I’m not sure if we can, we agreed to help the-” I started, only for Tiona interrupt. 

“Then I’ll help too-”

“No,” Mama Mia spoke up from behind the bar, pinning a judging glare onto all of us. Every pair of eyes went onto her as she idly cleaned a mug, “just enjoy yourselves. You two as well,” she informed, jerking her chin at us. Tiona just beamed as she dragged me, and Hestia by extension, who if the muffled shouting was anything to go by, wasn’t exactly happy about spending any time near Loki. 

A table vacated when Tiona neared, and I don't think she even noticed. She practically shoved me into a chair that I barely fit in that groaned loudly underneath my weight, Hestia sitting to my right with a humph, while Tiona- Tione threw herself into the chair before Tiona could. Looking over, wondering if I had somehow, accidentally, NTR'd Finn, only to see that Tiona was giving me a too-sweet smile. 

Ah. Big sister does not approve. Got it. 

"Tione!" Tiona whined, pouting before panicking when she realized the rest of her familia was taking a seat at the table. To my annoyance, Loki sat in front of me, Ais to her left while Tiona managed to snag a seat to her right. Ais simply looked between me and Loki, her gaze narrowing in suspicion as Bete sat next to her and the others took their seats. 

Loki made a show of leaning forward, her elbows on the table as her fingers served as a bridge to support her chin. 

"So, Jericho, was it?" Loki asked, her tone loaded with not so hidden contempt. Given the more exasperated expressions her familia wore, I'm guessing it wasn't true contempt. "What makes a guy like you join the chibi's familia? Did she get on her hands and knees to beg-" 

"I asked her to join," I interrupted, the easy smile on my face becoming a little strained. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Hestia shoot Loki a smug look while Loki's smile only grew. 

"And why not ask to join another, more established familia? I can't imagine anyone refusing you if you showed up on their doorstep-" 

"Loki," Bete spoke up, crossing his arms as he leaned back in his chair. "You're being a pain in the ass right now," he informed, making Loki puff out her cheeks in a pout much like Hestia. Loki turned to the werewolf while I did the same, a surprised look on my face. I didn't expect that. From what I knew of Bete, he was an asshole with a chip on his shoulder the size of a mountain. Why- ah. 

Because I wasn't a rookie that ran away scared from Ais. I was a rookie that killed a minotaur with my bare hands. 

"Boo! Stop bullying me!" Loki cried out as She came out, delivering drinks. She smiled when our eyes met, giggling at what I'm pretty sure was my expense. Loki grabbed a mug and started to down it, prompting Hestia to grab her own mug to down it. Something that didn't go unnoticed by the red-headed goddess. She grabbed the mug from Ais, yanking it out of her hands while Hestia did the same to me. 

“Ah~ indirect kiss with Ais,” Loki announced before she downed the second mug of beer, making Ais flush. Hestia’s mug paused on her way to her lips before she turned to me. 

I have a feeling tonight wasn’t going to end well, I figured as I read her mind and took the mug back to take a sip of it. I couldn’t stand the taste of beer -- when I did drink, I preferred bourbon or vodka, but as far as beer went, I guess it wasn’t completely god awful. Handing the mug back to her, Hestia downed the pint of beer like a champion before slamming it back down on the table. She wiped her mouth with the back of her sleeve, sending a stunned Loki a smug look. 

“W-what was that?!” Loki cried out in unison with Tiona, though I’m guessing their motivations for saying it was very different. 

“Tee-he,” Hestia giggled, a look of pure superiority on her face. I’ve never seen her act like this before, but she was looking at Loki like she was something Hestia had scraped off her shoes. In a friendly way, if that made any sense. Like two friends saying awful, horrible things to each other but it was in the name of good fun, so it was all good.

“Tee-he?” Loki echoed, her eyes widening as her jaw dropped. “Tee-he?!” She shouted again, slamming a fist into the table hard enough that Finn’s beer sloshed out its mug. The rest of her familia simply watched in amusement, having long since gotten used to their goddess’s antics. Well, except for Ais. She was staring uncertainty at Loki and Hestia, likely trying to figure out if they liked each other or not. 

From what I recall from the anime, they didn’t like each other very much, but it was a ‘no one can mess with my younger sibling but me’ kind of deal. A friendly rivalry.

“No! It’s not possible!” Loki denied with a shake of her head, likely realizing what Hestia meant by that giggle. I heard Tiona gasp next to me as it clicked into place for her while Bete just cackled. Ais looked around her, sharing a lost look with Leafiya. “You’re one of the big three! I watched the things you did to Apollo when he tried to lay a finger on you!”

“Ha-ha-ha,” Hestia laughed in delight, making a great big show of attaching herself to my side, snuggling up close. Tiona’s jaw dropped while Loki numbly fell into her chair, looking on in abject horror and bewilderment. “That was with Apollo, Jericho is a million billion trillion times better than him! And, unlike some goddesses, I don’t have to sexually harass my familia for affection!” She announced triumphantly, though I could barely hear her over the sound of Bete laughing his ass off. 

He really was enjoying this far too much. 

It seemed to click with Ais what she was talking about, her golden eyes darting up to meet my gaze. She flushed, quickly looking back down. Which was fair. I could feel every pair of eyes in the tavern on me, and that was more than a little embarrassing. I really didn’t expect Hestia to announce that we were having sex to a crowd of people. Much less doing it so proudly. 

“Hey, maybe you’ve had enough-” I started when Syr brought another round of beer already that no one had ordered. I gave her a pleading look when Hestia shut me up with a hand over my mouth, much like I did to her earlier, only for her to giggle as she set the round on the table. Putting two mugs in front of Loki and Hestia. That little instigator…

“I do not sexually harass…” Loki started to argue but quickly falling silent when every female member of her familia turned on her. 

“Loki’s a dirty old man,” Tiona commented while Ais nodded in agreement. Loki looked to her left and right, tears gathering up in her eyes and for a moment, I thought we might have gone too far with the teasing. Right up until she grabbed both tankards of beer and started dumping them in her mouth, drowning her sorrows with what looked like well-practiced ease. 

Not to be outdone by the red-headed goddess, Hestia grabbed her tankards and started chugging. There was a pretty big height difference between them, but I doubt either goddess weighed more than a hundred pounds soaking wet. I watched, impressed, but not surprised when both of them sported flushed faces as the four pints of beer began to reach their livers. In perfect unison, they slammed their tankards onto the table and shouted out a demand for more. 

While they started an impromptu drinking contest, I took a sip of mine and tried to fight off a grimace, thinking that while it took a very...very, very different from than I thought it would, this was more or less what I wanted.

“I’m sorry,” Tiona spoke up, giving me a sheepish look, “I didn’t think Loki would cause your trouble like that when I pulled you over…” she trailed off while Ais nodded again, take a sip of her beer and openly grimace as she swallowed. Seemed that I wasn’t the only one that had a tough time with the taste. 

“Eh, don’t worry about it. No harm done,” I dismissed the issue easily enough, hoping that I was telling the truth. However, Ais shook her head firmly. 

“You wanted to keep it a secret and Loki ruined that. She’s…” Ais trailed off, struggling to find the words but ended up falling silent instead. Still, I understood what she was trying to say. 

“A pain in the butt, but she’s your pain in the butt?” I hazard a guess, watching the two goddesses knock back another tankard like they were drinking water. Hestia was going to be sick tonight. That was going to be barrels of fun. 

Ais seemed to think that over while Tiona nodded. “We were hoping to make it up to you -- not Loki blurting out the secret, but for almost…” getting me killed. But, I wasn’t even mad about that anymore. Because that was perfect. 

“Well,” I started, wanting to be sly about it, “if that’s the case then-” I started, only for Tiona to lean forward, shoving Loki to the side hard enough that she fell backward in her chair. Hestia laughed so hard at that she tipped backward as well, laughing the entire way down. 

“Yeah?” Tiona asked far too eagerly, but I was fine with that. 

“If none of you would mind helping train me? I’m the only member of my familia, so there’s no one else that I can ask. And I learned from a reliable source that I actually suck at fighting,” I requested, trying to keep an eye on everyone’s reactions at once but there were just too many people sitting at the table for that. 

Tiona nodded so quickly I’m pretty sure she was going to give herself whiplash, Ais seemed to be thinking about it, while the others remained impassive. The big three, Finn, Riviera, and Gareth looked interested in the request itself, while Bete looked like he couldn’t care less. Leafiya, on the other hand, looked concerned. 

“Um, should we really train another familia-” She started, bringing up either a rule or something but Tiona overruled her. 

“I’ll train you,” Tiona decided, beaming happiness and joy out of every pore, practically throwing herself over the table to get closer to me. She might have crawled over it entirely if it weren’t for Tione to pushing her back with a hand, a deeply disturbed expression on her face. “Tione!?’ 

“Is this what I’m like?” Tione muttered to herself, ignoring her twin sister’s attempts to push away her hand. 

I leaned back in my chair, feeling it shift underneath my weight as I watched the interactions. I took another sip of my beer, mulling over what happened tonight. I entered into an agreement with Syr that appealed to her voyuer tendencies, might have scared off the Soma familia, and Tiona was going to train me with, or without her familia’s approval. 

Tonight was a good night.