Hestia's Hymn
Under the clear sky, we sang once more. Orpheus’s lessons had ended and he had departed, yet we never neglected our practice. We often ventured out to the agora, lifting our voices in cheerful song.
“You’ve got quite the flair now. Everyone’s heard the orphans, but dressed up like this, they could hold their own anywhere.”
“I suppose I’m not entirely useless after all.”
“Hah, you’ve always known how to make yourself useful. The gods will surely approve.”
Achilles and I had brought the children out into the streets. She had a particular fondness for their outfits—white as the base, each garment embroidered with the symbol of the hearth to honor Hestia’s greatness. To ensure they would never be slighted, she hung a beautiful ornament around every neck, each one engraved with my name, Perseus. Even if they wandered off, we could rest easy.
『A~ ♪ Aaa~ ♪ A~ ♪』
The singing was still a little rough in places, but to my ears it sounded lovely. Orpheus had drilled them thoroughly, so this much was expected; mingled with that was the quiet pride of a parent watching his own children perform so well.
“Prrr~!”
“I know, I know. You’re the best, obviously. The finest child in our temple. Who could possibly doubt your talents? All of Argos already believes in you, so stop sulking.”
“Prrruuuuurrrr!!!”
Of course, Epiphos had joined us on the streets as well. It was essentially a family outing—me, Epiphos, Achilles, and the children. Whenever heavy lifting was needed, my son was always summoned, and I took immense pride in that. To keep him from pouting, I grabbed his head firmly and stroked it; only then did he exhale in satisfaction, his mood restored.
“By the way, I’ve been wondering something.”
“What is it?”
“Do you ever think about leaving your name behind as a saint rather than a hero after you’re gone?”
“Not really. A saint? Does that even suit me?”
“Really? Because your reputation has been soaring lately, you know.”
“Everything I do is driven by selfish, worldly motives. You’d be better off not trusting me. If you start relying on me as some kind of saint, you’ll get a nasty surprise one day.”
“Have you ever actually pulled that kind of stunt?”
“I wouldn’t know.”
“How can you not know? You’re not an idiot.”
The topic felt awkward here, so I dodged it. Achilles stared at me as if I were a fool, then fell silent. She knew I always had my reasons for keeping secrets and chose to respect that, yet her personality wouldn’t let her stop wondering; her lips twitched with the urge to ask more.
“Hmm.”
Since I had no intention of explaining, I kept my mouth shut and waited for the children’s song to finish. The choir I had personally assembled knew how to sing Hestia’s hymn beautifully; they were children destined to be loved by everyone. I had once considered adding the memory-wiped Sisyphe to the group, but it was obvious how others would react, so I abandoned the idea.
“Aah~! The children are wonderful~!”
“Come here, you did so well.”
“I wondered why Lord Perseus took in these little ones…”
“To think such children exist—the world isn’t so dark after all!”
Once the song ended, the children received praise and treats from the adults, basking in affection. The elderly, especially those near death and fervent followers of Hades, begged for a hymn to him next time and doted on the children as if they were their own grandchildren. The joy never left the little ones’ faces. I finally understood why the old man who had left Argos had poured his life into raising them.
“We really do need a second child.”
Achilles wasn’t the only one thinking that. She pouted like a child who had caught Artemis’s illness, her lips jutting out as she twirled a lock of her black hair around her index finger, wearing an embarrassed expression. The sight was so endearing that I unconsciously slipped into an adult tone.
“You’re bringing that up again?”
“But… yes…?”
“Last time I agreed, you ran away. Thanks to that, I ended up doing all sorts of things to Lady Artemis’s body.”
“That’s only because you’re so charming~! After the witch comes the goddess—who knows who you’ll sleep with next?”
“Don’t decide that for me.”
“This time I’ll stay human, so… yes…?”
I still didn’t understand why turning into an animal was the default assumption, but Achilles had begged for a second child more times than I could count. This time she seemed genuinely serious, so I had no choice but to nod.
“Really?! You promised!”
“I’ve done plenty of things I should apologize for, so if you ask like that, I can’t refuse.”
“Things you should apologize for?”
“Medea, Lady Artemis, and… various others…”
“Various others? What else is there? Ah, I already know about Lady Danae…”
“Probably Lady Demeter as well…”
“You’re really something. At this point, instead of being shocked, I should just be impressed. You actually did it with Demeter?”
Since the moment felt right, I explained that I had been taken advantage of while asleep, that Artemis had been furious and ascended to the heavens, and that she still hadn’t returned. Achilles’s mouth hung open, unable to close. During our time in the sacred forest she had stayed in a separate hut, so she had only looked at Demeter and me with suspicion; she clearly had never imagined this was the truth.
“You’ll never run out of bloodline worries, will you?”
“In this area, I can’t even look you in the eye.”
Achilles would bear a black horse… Medea would bear a human, though the child would likely become a witch… and Demeter’s would be a full demigod… The last one especially made me wonder what kind of child would be born.
“Other heroes sleep around all the time, so they wouldn’t say anything. Your relative Heracles is already rumored to have a hundred children.”
“Is that guy even human?”
“Probably not. You saw him rip up a tree and throw it at the Harpies last time, right?”
Truly the ultimate weapon of ancient Greece.
Someone who ended the ten-year Trojan War in just a few days—fitting for the one who inherited that monster’s name.
“Anyway, since making a baby is confirmed, I won’t nag you anymore~! I’ll ask Mother about the date and we’ll do it properly then, so be gentle with me~!”
“Of course. You’re my wife—who else would cherish you?”
“Hah, you talk so well~!”
With that, she took Epiphos and headed toward the children. Her voice carried back to me—“Epiphos~! You’re getting a little sibling~!”—accompanied by squeals of laughter. I walked a little slower, thinking about the growing number of my descendants.
Even if I worry, nothing will change…
I drew a deep breath of the crisp ancient air and exhaled, clearing my head. Since fretting wouldn’t help, I resolved to focus on what I could do and looked around at the children. Amid the laughing crowd, an unfamiliar face caught my eye.
Why is a woman wandering around in broad daylight like this?
Achilles was so famous that no one paid her any mind, but this woman was completely covered from head to toe and was staring suspiciously at the children. Worried it might be dangerous, I kept watching her. She noticed my gaze, quickly turned, and slipped away through the crowd at a brisk pace. I started after her.
“Where are you suddenly going? Our kids are right here.”
“I spotted someone suspicious. Just in case, take the children and head back first.”
“Suspicious person?”
“A woman who looked like Iolaus.”
“The one who used to follow Heracles around? Ugh, just imagining it feels shady.”
To Achilles, Iolaus was that kind of woman—highly intelligent, yet undeniably suspicious.
Could Iolaus have been in Argos too?
If so, there would have been no reason to run, which made me curious. If she really was suspicious, there was a chance of sudden attack, so I tensed my body and transformed my arms and legs into beast forms.
“Whoa, Lord Perseus?!”
“W-what’s going on?!”
“Don’t be alarmed. Something urgent came up, so I had to change like this. Has a suspicious woman passed this way recently?”
“A suspicious woman…? Ah—! She just went that way!”
“Thank you.”
I had used part of Pasiphaë’s hide for my arms, giving them massive forearms, and Epiphos’s mane for my lower body, turning my legs into those of a black horse. The passersby were startled, but since I had never done anything to earn their hatred, their surprise lasted only a moment. Speed and strength were both excellent—this was one of the transformations I had secretly practiced, though I never expected to use it in such a tiring chase.
I ran in the direction they pointed, but her figure remained elusive. I changed my face into that of a wolf and followed her scent instead. Most of the morning smells were male, yet among them lingered an intensely sweet feminine fragrance that tickled my nose. The refreshing quality was so similar to Artemis descending to earth that I became certain it was truly a goddess who had come down.
Why would a goddess descend?
Wondering if it might be Artemis, I quickened my pace, following the scent. But the closer I drew to the unknown figure, the more I realized the smell was very much like Artemis’s yet subtly different.
“Ah.”
At last the woman who had fled from me met my eyes once more. With a wolf’s head, Pasiphaë’s body, and a black horse’s legs, I looked like a monster to anyone, yet she showed no sign of surprise. Her extraordinary courage confirmed exactly who she was.
“Lady Hestia?”
“Oh my… How did you…?”
At my confident question, a faint blush crept across her face.
As expected, it was the scent of a virgin goddess.