Chapter 60.2: Refresh cont.

Prytaneum

Refresh​

A man—or rather, a god—turned our way, blinking at what I assumed was the sound of his name. He was wearing what appeared to me like a kimono, which meant it could have been any one of about a dozen Japanese garments that I didn't know the names of or the differences between. The pretty looking woman by his side was also wearing a 'kimono,' which I was observant enough to realize looked very different and ignorant enough about fashion to still not care. Neither garment looked particularly expensive or new, but they seemed old and worn in the loving sort of way that people who couldn't afford much else treated things with value. I got a lot of experience on that front, back before my mom turned Gabe into an art piece.

Beyond that, the man stood out to me mainly because of his hairstyle—it was bound in hoops at the sides of his jaw with string. The woman, in comparison, just had a ponytail, and both of them had black hair and dark eyes, though his were brown and hers a dark purple-blue.

"Hestia!" The man said with a wide smile as he approached, at which point I realized he was almost of a height with me, though he was wearing some kind of weird, platform sandal things that probably added three or four inches. "It's good to see you! I was worried, since we seemed to keep missing each other."

"Things have been a bit hectic," Hestia said, seeming intent on brushing right by why without focusing on it. Somehow, she still seemed to acknowledge that I existed, so I didn't know how that was supposed to work. "How have you been?"

"Not good," Take said with a long sigh. "Our business has been going down while yours has been going up."

"Of course," Hestia bragged. "I'm there, after all."

"To think having a mascot would make such difference…"

"Huh? H-hey, Take, what are you talking about? I'm a goddess, not a mascot!"

"Mm…" The god seemed somehow unconvinced and it was only then that I realized what they were talking about. Hestia still worked up on North Main, selling these sort of potato snack things. I guess this Take guy worked at a competitor's place, which was a bit jarring for me. That made at least two gods working at street vendors, now. It didn't really fit my view of gods, I guess.

On the other hand, it also meant at least two gods that were willing to work themselves hard to help support their Familias, so I suppose it evens out. I guess my usual view of gods was just 'assholes' and I was surprised whenever I found an exception.

"And this must me your child," Take said a moment later, tilting his head at me and then furrowing his eyebrows. "You're…Percy the Hound, right? I apologize, but there have been so many rumors about you of late that I'm not even sure of your name anymore."

"It's Percy, yeah," I said, reaching out to shake his hand. "And you're Take…?"

"Takemikazuchi," He introduced himself. "And this is a member of my Familia, Mikoto."

"Hello," The girl said, about a foot shorter than me and most of a foot taller than Hestia. After inclining her head slightly my way, she bowed it more deeply towards Hestia. "It's a pleasure to meet you again, Lady Hestia."

"You seem to be doing well, Mikoto," Hestia observed cheerfully. "I'm a bit surprised the two of you are here, though. Together. Congratulations, Take."

"…?" The much taller god seemed baffled and confused for a long moment before seeming to understand. "Thank you, Hestia, but the credit is all Mikoto's—she Leveled Up this fast on her own merits. I just thought she deserved a reward so I invited her to come with me to this party, even if I have a hard time getting along with some of the people here."

Take's face darkened and he cast a glower down the street, glare aimed at…someone. I don't know who, because the street was full of gods and people and I was still playing catch up. 'Takemikazuchi' and 'Mikoto' certainly sounded Japanese. Unless I was completely wrong about the not-kimonos and they were Chinese or something, which was possible. What? Sometimes, my ability to speak English was in question; I didn't know anything about any Asian language.

This current train of conversation, however, was thankfully as easy to read as the faces of everyone involved. Hestia's face shifted into a look of unsurprised disappointment, while Mikoto looked away, seemingly embarrassed.

"Ah," Hestia said after a moment, shaking her head. "I see. But Take, don't you think that Mikoto looks—"

"Lord Takemikazuchi!" Mikoto said, clearing her throat and then sagging her shoulders as if disappointed in herself. Maybe this was just something she wanted to handle herself? Either way, Hestia fell silent and Mikoto was left floundering for a moment, searching for a change in conversation. "That is, I appreciate your kind words, but…I have no right to speak proudly of Leveling up in two years in front of someone who did so in a single month."

…Oh, right, that's me.

"I was very impressed to hear of your accomplishment, Hound of the Goddess," She continued, bringing up my new nickname. I still kind of wanted to protest it, but in my experience, protesting a nickname simply guarantees a nickname, so I didn't. "If you don't mind me asking, how did you Level Up so quickly?"

"I just got wrapped up in a colossal series of messes and somehow didn't die," I said, answering the question I fully expected to have to answer another hundred times before this night was done. "There was this crazy guy and this monster and then a Floor Boss appeared—it was a whole thing."

"You talk about it so easily," Take said with a laugh, clapping a hand on his shoulder and giving me a thumbs up with the other. His smile was so bright, I imagined his teeth sparking with a little ping noise. "I only caught the tail end of your battle, but you fought very well! You should be proud! And you as well, Hestia!"

"I am," Hestia said with a smile, wiggling her fingers in mine. "And I'm sure you are too, right?"

"Of course," He said, smiling brightly at Mikoto, who had to lean away from the luminosity. "Mikoto's worked very hard, too, and she's fought nobly. I'm proud of my entire Familia."

"Then why do you look so down?" Hestia asked.

…This was him looking down?

"Hermes is back," Take said, sighing through his teeth and looking irritated.

"Already?" Hestia asked, sounding surprised. "He left only about a week ago…was he looking forward to the party that much?"

"Mm, you're too easy going about this, Hestia," Take scolded. "That guy's always been suspicious. I don't know how you get along with him."

"Well, we were neighbors in Heaven," She replied. "We've been good friends for a long, long time. But certainly, he seems to cause you a lot of trouble, Take. What did he do this time?"

Take didn't answer, but he seemed to grow even more annoyed, which seemed to cause Hestia to understand.

"I should have known," Hestia said with a sigh. "Those meetings are hard on all of us."

"What?" I asked.

"Don't worry about it, Percy," Hestia said, seeming tired. "We were just talking about the Meeting of the Gods. It's…certainly something."

I hadn't been able to think of any real way to make having a bunch of gods in a room fun, but Hestia somehow made it sound worse than I'd imagined, which was kind of impressive.

"I…see," I said, trying to reimagine it before shaking my head clear. "Anyway, shall we go inside? The party's probably about to start. Miach and Naaza might already be waiting for us inside."

"Yes," Mikoto said, intertwining her arm with her god's. "Lord Takemikazuchi, we should hurry as well."

"Okay," Take said with a nod before hesitating. He and Hestia exchanged a glance before they looked at us. "It probably goes without saying, but—"

"Percy, you already know, but—"

"Don't expect too much of the gods inside, okay?"

I scratched a cheek while Mikoto tilted her head, and while I wasn't sure if she really understood, I knew I did. I'd say my expectations were as low as they could be when it came to most of the gods, but somehow, they always seemed to find a way to lower them even further. Judging by their tones, however, at least Take didn't seem to think it was anything truly dangerous, or else he probably wouldn't be so relaxed. I didn't buy that for a second, but I did my best to look relaxed too, though I wasn't sure quite how well I managed.

Still, the four of us turned towards the gently sloping stairs that led up into the castle-like manor that it seemed would be the site of the party, and began to approach the sounds of clamor.