15 I'm Gonna be Older Brother!

Hades POV:

After my exploration, I began my quick journey back to my siblings, arriving to find a half-formed body resembling a female form. However, the features were so unrecognizable that only my Godly powers allowed me to identify that it was Hera; Demeter had escaped the pot but seemed to catch up in soaking up the surrounding nature to realize she should probably start creating a physical form. Poseidon, however, was currently still struggling to find him out of the pot, not that I could blame him; with the whole 'The Sea Cannot be Restrained' thing going, all Divine energy resembled the Domains that they were connected to, mine cold and refined opposed to Poseidon' Wild and untamable, he'd get it eventually, but for now I'd enjoy watching him squirm trying to catch up.

It took far more time than I'd care to admit for me to realize Hestia was missing. Considering that she had just escaped the pot when I left, I expected to arrive at her nearly fully forged form, but it wasn't until a bit of kindling of a flame in the corner of the room caught my eye. Eyes widening in the realization, I gazed upon the clothed form of a young child, anywhere from eight to ten years old, wrapped in a dull earth-brown dress, head covered with a fitting scarf poking at a small flame with a fire poker. 

Taking a minute to gather myself, I strode confidently towards the young girl, arriving just a few feet from her. I expected the girl to turn towards me or, at the very least, react immediately. Still, after a few minutes passed by and the only noise was the crackling of embers, I cleared my throat to catch the girl's attention only to face the cold, hard wall of silence once more. After another minute or so where I sat in disbelief at being ignored, I proceeded to close the last few feet of difference separating me and my sibling, attempting to place my hand on the girl's shoulder, only to have the action halted when she quickly spun around to face me.

Their eyes were comprehensive and doe-like, a light with the same flame that she sat tending to, short brown locks gathered on her head, while her features were young and delicate, cheeks with a bit of child fat and lips that seemed made for pouting. Like every immortal, she held an unnatural look to her too-perfect features that would have given an uncomfortable look to her childlike features, especially considering the intelligence and power behind her eyes.

Of course, the aura of comfort that she radiated quickly dispelled any discomfort that my have been given by gazing upon her features, the wonderful smell that I can only describe as burning wood and roasting marshmallows, only hammered home the rightness of being next to such a being. As for her Divinity, well, let's say I could understand why both Poseidon and Apollo fell over each other in an attempt to win her heart; merely standing beside her created a calmness in my being that should have been impossible for a near all-powerful being, the very nature of our powers created restlessness and temper, yet beside her, I felt calm and at home. Hestia's Divinity would be considered attractive to any God, shaped like a bright, warm flame and lit with the power of an Elder God. If not for the fact that I could already feel the connection forming between us, declaring us as siblings, then not even the taboo of my past life would be able to hold me back from falling for her.

After all, the attraction between Deities is formed by how one looks physically. Were shapeshifters, we can examine how we want; if Hestia wanted to, she could look like a busty supermodel, but rather the feeling their Divine essence gives off, and Hestia' was probably as beautiful as you could get.

Further thought is cut off by a timid voice whispering, "Are you okay..." The voice was as soothing as the presence of the one who wielded it and seeped into my very being, further putting me into a state of near sleep, something that should have been impossible, being God and all. As I began to close my eyes to slumber, I was cut off by a high-pitched "EEPP!" before the fog that had started to roll into my eyes quickly began to retreat, restoring me to my state of ultra awareness that comes with being a God. 

Looking up I see a highly embarrassed and sorry looking Hestia, who looked like she came flying out of an anime, the shuffling of her feet portraying her embarrassment and flushed gold cheeks only completed the image. Before throwing herself at me with a speed and force that would have torn even a lesser immortal in half, tying me up in a death lock of a hug, Breaking out into a string of "IMSORRY!IMSORRY!IMSORRY!" I decided to take pity on her by reciprocating her hold.

After a few minutes trapped in the hold, Hestia seemed to finally decide that she had apologized enough and quickly jumped back out of my hold, gazing up at me with eyes full of curiosity, quickly scanning me from head to toe, like she was trying to figure out what my weakest point was to take me down, amusing considering the height difference, me being a colossal over ten feet tall and her barely reaching my knee. Seemingly satisfied with whatever she was looking for, she nodded to herself before pointing one of her small digits on her chin like she was pondering before muttering out seemingly to herself, "So you, my brother?..." Before I could even respond, she once more nodded to herself before her eyes shone with ancient gold power, once more reminding me that despite her youthful and childlike actions, she was still an Elder God, and bright gold lines began to link our Divinities together in an unbreakable bond of family. 

While this action was quite wholesome, considering it only amplified any familial love already being built between us, I was slightly uncomfortable that she could manipulate my emotions so quickly, even if I wasn't prepared to defend against it. However, when I once more looked into her warm, naive eyes, I remembered all the heartache and sadness that followed Hestia throughout the canon. Considering every act her siblings took spat upon her Domains, I couldn't help but feel sorry for her and at least promise in my head to be slightly better than my original counterpart, if only for her sake.

As if she could read my mind, her pouty lips stretched into a goofy, childlike smile that warmed my immortal being, and she once more threw herself at me in a bone-crushing embrace. After what would be conventionally considered an uncomfortable amount of time in my past life, it felt too short in this one as when Hestia finally let me go, the warm and calming presence that had settled my being was released, as the last of her power left my being as her hold was released. Again, she opened me up to the raw immortal power that sang beneath my skin. 

It took me a moment to recover from my Hestia withdrawal symptoms. Still, when I eventually did, I saw Hestia had once more returned to her embers, only to discover it had turned into a roaring flame. Her presence had seemed far more noticeable and tangible than before, as the smell of wood smoke and marshmallows perforated throughout the room, filling my non-existent sinuses like smog. 

With her back turned to me and armed with her mighty fire poker, which left me wondering where the hell she got that form considering summoning and banishing objects capable of holding Divine energy shouldn't be possible, blacksmiths and forgers exist for a reason, I assumed our conversation was over. And while having such a warm and comfortable meeting with one of my siblings should have left me hopeful for meeting the rest, the suspicions that followed me from my past life reminded me that, unlike Hestia, my other siblings were a lot more... 'prickly.'

So, with a lighter heart yet a troubled mind, I sat down next to Hestia and waited for the rest of my siblings...