Chapter 33

"Alright Hestia it's time we had a talk," I said going downstairs after we arrived back at the church, and I saw the diminutive goddess's face pale.

We sat down next to each other on the couch and for a moment we were quiet as I organized my thoughts. "I'm sorry for not telling you..." Hestia whispered refusing to meet my eyes.

I couldn't help but groan as I ran my hands over my face and replied. "Look honestly as much as I love the idea of having a child and I know almost any goddess would leap at the chance. But not even consulting me?" I shook my head. "You really hurt my trust, Hestia."

"But I saw the way you looked at her!" She cried as tears started to fall from her face.

I was stunned for a moment and my immediate answer was to shoot back a jab at her for literally bringing her into our bed, but I could tell something else was wrong. "Hestia, what's actually eating at you?" I asked making her blank for a moment before something resembling shame crossed it and went back to her previous depressed expression.

I watched her for what seemed a couple of minutes just staring at the floor, and more than once it looked like she was going to stomp off, but it seemed even she knew that would do far more harm than good.

"I feel useless..." She muttered making me blank at the completely out of left field reply. Honestly, I expected a more jealousy-related answer, but a role issue made no sense.

"Hestia for one you keep us safe as we sleep, and that's something no deity in the world can do. Not to mention your normal duties, like updating our fauna and such." I said gently pulling her in for a hug.

Hestia blubbered as she clutched onto my shirt and buried her face against me.

When she calmed down a bit, she pulled back and spoke. "I just want to help more than just being some goddess holding down a fort." She sniffled.

'Hmm, is it possible I could make her some kind of automaton or something she could control from the church or something with the Hearth Fire, project I thought up.' I thought trying to find something she could do as she was naturally a lazy person and didnt want to work a menial job but frankly, that was her only skill set.

Right now, I had no solution, to her problems, but I still needed to deal with how she did this whole Freya incident. "Hestia, why did you want Freya pregnant?" I asked as that was by far the most pressing issue at the moment.

Hestia weakly smiled. "Regardless of any contract, she could sign. I knew for a fact no matter what. If she carried your daughter, she would wholeheartedly devote herself to your cause no matter what." I blanked for a moment as I heard her say Daughter and I realized holy shit I am going to have to beat half the gods to death when they try to lay with the demigoddess.

But as I considered her words, I agreed as nothing could bind a couple together more than a kid, but whether the relationship would work out was a whole different matter.

"If you have any other plans that involve me you need to tell me, or this can't work Hestia," I said tiredly as honestly as I certainly couldn't do a damn thing about Freya. If the word abortion is heard while she is pregnant, I wouldn't be surprised if the person who said it doesn't see the next morning. Also, I couldn't be throwing stones as frankly if my woman enjoyed me spending time with other women after I've satisfied her, I should be ready for the consequences of sex.

Seeing Hestia nod I lifted her chin up and kissed her on the lips gently. "Hestia really my only problem was you not telling me." She blinked in surprise as my words caught up with her. "Yeah, I honestly am super excited for this, but you just dropped it on me." I smiled weakly.

Honestly, we had plenty of money coming in to support any normal child not to mention I had no doubts everyone in the Hestia Familia would love the coming child, so I was very excited for it.

My only fear was the public's reaction.

"Let's just take it one step at a time love?"

Hestia smiled and it was now truly earnest.

After cuddling on the couch downstairs and talking about the day we went back upstairs to socialize as Syr had returned and was talking to the other girls, but it seemed Bell was still on his date as he wasn't here yet.

"Hey, girls," I announced as we came out of the basement door. I took Hestia by the hand and after sitting down beside Freya I pulled Hestia into my lap. She was actually conveniently short enough for me to rest my chin on her head and talk to the people around me making me mentally giggle and wrap an arm around her waist and my other warm went around Freya's waist as she leaned against me.

"So, tell us what happened with Ouranos." I asked Syr, and she smiled patiently as this was obviously not the first time, she had answered this, as Freya didnt seem to be paying attention and was already napping against me.

I will have to watch out for her as I bet, she has been stressed out about this and she shouldn't be this tired so early if she has just been sitting around the church all day.' I thought mentally promising to keep a close eye on to the Goddess still in mental disarray from losing all she had even if she had gained something else.

Syr launched into her tale as she told us about meeting Ouranos and his literal freak-out about this incident. "He said that if someone was truly threatening Freya, she would be allowed to use her Arcanum but if she used her power for her own ends. He would send her to Heaven himself no matter what happened to the baby in question." Ah, he meant Freya couldn't just march up to the Twilight Manor and nuke the Loki Familia in revenge." I nodded honestly relieved as I had no interest in trying to avenge Freya for whatever nonsense she started previously.

Well, other than Loki coming with the first shipment of materials in three days and then starting our weapon training we had a few days to hit the dungeon hard to gather as much funds as possible so we could try the Hearth Fire project again.