Hestia...
Astraea's mind immediately conjured up the image of that twin-tailed, busty little goddess who spent all her time at home. She remembered Hestia as an extreme shut-in—someone perfectly content to stay curled up indoors with a book, sprawled out lazily, with zero interest in the outside world.
"Loki, is Hestia's personality even suited for life down here?"
"Knowing her, shouldn't she still be holed up in a heavenly temple somewhere—reading, snacking, and never setting foot outside?"
Astraea knew Hestia fairly well. Their relationship had always been decent, so she had a good grasp of the other goddess's habits.
And honestly? Hestia really wasn't the type suited for the lower world.
While most gods descended out of curiosity and the thrill of the unknown, Hestia was the exact opposite—a pure homebody goddess. As long as she had food, drink, and something to read, she'd happily stay in her room forever.
In mortal terms, Hestia was built to be a couch potato, not the head of a Familia.
"Once she's in the lower world, she can't rely on divine power for anything. She'd have to handle all sorts of annoying mortal problems herself. That doesn't sound like something Hestia would ever do."
"Exactly."
Loki agreed wholeheartedly.
From her point of view, Hestia would be completely lost once she descended. The shut-in goddess, suddenly stripped of her divine conveniences, would definitely struggle to adapt. It wouldn't take long before she tried to recreate her old heavenly lifestyle.
"Knowing that little runt, she'll find a friend to lean on—and then go right back to being a freeloading slug."
"Hestia's friends in the heavens, huh…"
Astraea began running through the list in her head. Hestia actually had plenty of friends up there—many of whom were doing quite well in the lower world now.
If she were looking for someone to mooch off of, it'd have to be a friend who was both close and financially stable.
Astraea quickly landed on a name.
"Hephaestus, right?"
"Hestia and Hephaestus were always pretty close in the heavens. And Hephaestus has the wealth to not care about Hestia crashing at her place."
"If she found out Hestia descended, there's no way she'd let her wander the streets homeless."
Loki nodded in agreement.
"Yeah, those two have always gotten along."
"And during that adjustment period after she descends, Hephaestus would definitely lend her a hand."
"Speaking of which, we'll need to strengthen our strategic relationship with Hephaestus going forward—especially when it comes to weapons."
"So you're planning to rope Hephaestus in too?" Astraea immediately caught onto her intent.
"Hephaestus isn't the kind of goddess who joins sides easily."
"Her Familia's commercial, focused on crafting and trade. She doesn't have the kind of grand ambitions that Hera or Zeus do. Convincing her won't be easy."
Hephaestus was the goddess of craftsmanship, a true master smith.
Her friendship with Hestia made sense—both preferred focusing on their own passions rather than chasing grand divine schemes. Hephaestus was simply a homebody artisan, though far less extreme than Hestia.
Still, no ordinary reason would be enough to make her join Loki's side.
"No problem."
Loki smiled confidently, completely unfazed. She glanced up at the clock.
"Looks like the timing's just about right."
"…"
At that very moment, Hephaestus sat in her office, staring at two mysterious objects laid out on her desk: a piece of crimson cloth and a silver ring adorned with an amber gem, its wings unfurled in delicate detail.
"This isn't normal fabric."
She could tell at a glance that the red cloth was anything but ordinary. When her fingers brushed against it, she felt her own strength get muffled, absorbed.
The entire material wasn't woven from threads—it was seamless, forged as one whole piece.
It radiated a faintly divine aura.
Pulling or cutting it did nothing. No damage, no mark. That alone was enough to make Hephaestus raise an eyebrow.
"This is the first time I've seen anything like this."
"It almost feels… saturated with divine blood."
She frowned. "No, that can't be right. Not even godly blood could create something like this—it's too pure, too potent."
For once, Hephaestus couldn't determine what she was dealing with.
Setting the cloth aside for now, she picked up the ring and examined it carefully.
The craftsmanship was impeccable.
"This material… it's unique. The gemstone itself seems to hold power."
She let a trace of her divinity flow into it.
The ring pulsed in response. The energy resonated with her godly essence, sending faint ripples through the air.
Her single visible eye widened.
"Well, now… that's interesting. It resonates with divine power."
"How strange… what kind of ore is this?"
As the goddess of smithing, Hephaestus prided herself on knowing every material in existence. Yet even within her vast knowledge, she had never seen anything like this stone.
Her gaze drifted back to the red cloth on the desk.
"Almost forgot about you."
She leaned closer, fingers brushing against it again. "You don't belong to this world either, do you?"
"Who could've sent materials like these to my workshop?"
Hephaestus thought through the possibilities.
"Tsubaki? No… if that girl had gotten her hands on something this rare, she would've kept it to study herself. No way she'd just leave it in my room."
She crossed her arms, thinking.
Then, a recent memory surfaced—an incident involving Soma.
That fool had apparently met someone under mysterious circumstances not long ago.
She'd been at the divine gathering where Ishtar and Freya discussed it—along with the part where Freya used Ishtar as a convenient scapegoat.
Hephaestus remembered clearly. The center of that whole discussion… had been Loki.
Speaking of Loki, her Familia had been unusually active lately. Too many strange things surrounding them.
Her finger traced the edge of the crimson fabric again.
"So… is Loki behind this too?"
"Maybe I should go ask her myself."
Her gaze lingered on the two items once more.
That familiar spark of curiosity flared in her chest—the kind only a true craftsman could feel when faced with the unknown.
Decision made, Hephaestus stood up.
"Alright, then. Let's go."