When All Become One

Nothing much happened after that day.

There was not even any tender aftercare following the fierce sex.

I roughly cleaned up, left the unconscious Phylotera lying on the bed just as she was, and walked out of the room.

She, too, had little to say to me from that day on.

No—the frequency of her speaking to me simply dropped.

The habit of finding fault with whatever I did also lessened.

Clack! Clack!

"Uwaaak!"

My sparring sessions with Alcyone grew more frequent, yet she would only glance over at the sight now and then. She did nothing beyond that.

Was it because of the sex?

That couldn't be it.

It had to be because of the words I had used to persuade her.

We did not even meet each other's eyes.

Occasionally—very rarely—when our gazes did lock, Phylotera was the first to look away.

As expected......

She clearly could not forget the intense hours of that day.

I, for my part, acted as if nothing had happened.

Anyway, she's the one who can't forget. She'll come looking for me on her own.

I was certain of it.

Someday, when she could no longer restrain her desires, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠she would seek me out.

I intended to wait for that moment with pleasure.

Ah, just thinking about it got me excited.

"An opening!"

Alcyone charged at me while I was momentarily staring blankly up at Phylotera. I snapped my head around at once and drove the wooden sword into his chest.

"Ugyaaaak!"

With an unsightly scream, Alcyone toppled straight over. He groaned as he pushed himself up.

"Damn it, Hyung! How strong are you, exactly?"

"You try living as a slave for ten years too."

"Tsk. I don't want to go that far."

Alcyone.

This kid was particularly special compared to the other orphans.

No matter how I look at it, he has divine blood.

He was different from me, who had been strengthened by the Status Window and by mixing bodies with goddesses.

From birth, our starting points were different.

Even at only nine years old, he already possessed physical abilities on par with mine.

More than anything, he vaguely remembered his mother, yet knew nothing of his father.

Then it must be the paternal line.

In ancient Greece, when the father's bloodline was divine, exceptionally outstanding heroes often appeared.

Mutants like Achilles aside, of course.

"You're amazing, Alcyone."

I did not hesitate to praise him.

"You've gotten pretty good at fighting now, haven't you?"

Every time he sparred with me, his combat power rose exponentially.

This was not mere learning.

It was the realm of pure talent.

"Soon even I'll have a hard time beating you."

"Tsk. Are you being sarcastic?"

"No, I'm serious."

"I've never won even once. What are you talking about?"

Alcyone grumbled, yet his face lit up at the praise. I stroked his head once, then locked him in a headlock.

"Ugh! Hyung, what are you doing!"

"Should I ask Mother for a favor?"

"W-what?"

I looked up toward the temple—toward Phylotera, who had been watching our spar until she slipped inside at some point.

"To send you to a swordsmanship master so you can train even harder."

Alcyone's eyes sparkled.

Then his expression turned gloomy.

"But Hyung... then the other kids here......"

"I have to leave soon myself."

"Wh-what?"

At my sudden words, Alcyone's face filled with shock.

"Before that, I want to give you one gift."

"Why so suddenly?"

"It's not sudden. I've been thinking about it for a long time."

I could not remain at Hestia's orphanage forever.

The odds of getting fucked by Zeus remained exactly the same.

More than anything, by now he would have long since realized I had escaped.

Furious, he would be scouring every corner for me.

He would have somewhat figured out that I had slipped into Hestia's orphanage as well.

In fact, mysterious humans occasionally appeared searching the orphanage.

I had managed to hide each time; otherwise they would have reported straight to Zeus.

"I have to leave. That's why I want to raise you properly."

I looked down at Alcyone.

His face was full of ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠confusion.

I roughly ruffled his hair again.

"Ah, Hyung!"

"I'll talk to Mother myself. So that you can grow as much as possible."

I waved him off and walked straight toward the temple.

"So clean up after me."

"You were just trying to dump it on me?"

"You only just figured that out?"

Alcyone fumed behind me.

Anyway, what a cute kid.

I stepped into the temple, passed the other priestesses, and headed straight for Mother's room.

It was a privilege granted only ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠to the orphans—and among them, to me, the most beloved.

"Mother, I'm coming in for a moment."

Without waiting for her reply, I entered the room.

Centered around the crackling hearth, her chamber always held a soft, secretive glow no matter when I stepped inside.

It was a strangely intimate space where it would not have felt odd to share passion right then and there.

"What is it?"

Phylotera was combing out her hair. Her long reddish-brown locks matched the color of Hestia I had always imagined.

Anyway, as expected of an avatar of Hestia.

"I want to assign a swordsmanship master to Alcyone."

"Here at this temple? Then the other children might......"

"No."

Only then did she turn her head to look at me. She stared straight into my eyes.

"Chiron."

At the mention of that name, Phylotera's entire body stiffened.

"The one who ascended as the constellation Sagittarius. He still descends to this land from time to time, doesn't he?"

In the myths he was said to have died because of Heracles' blunder.

Zeus himself had stripped away his immortality and made him Sagittarius—or so the story went. Well.

Seeing that Achilles, far in the future, would become his disciple, the timeline was ambiguous.

"Looking at how various heroes still appear and occasionally achieve absurd feats, I figured Chiron must still be alive."

At my words, Phylotera set down the comb.

Since I had already realized she was an avatar of Hestia, there was no longer any reason for her to hide it either.

"Homeron. Your thought is correct."

As expected.

"He occasionally takes interest when an outstanding seed appears. Then he descends to the earth, teaches, and returns to the heavens."

I nodded.

"So I want to send Alcyone to him."

"If that happens, you will be in danger."

What Phylotera had worried about from the very beginning was nothing else.

She had been fretting over me, the one being hunted by Zeus.

When the other children became heroes and earned the love of the gods, she feared Zeus would notice my existence.

That was why she had even forbidden swordplay and training.

All for the sake of one person—me.

"There's no need for that."

I rejected her goodwill.

Unfortunately, that was not a good method.

"But......"

"Mother."

I approached her and took her hand.

"Hnn......"

Phylotera flinched.

At my intense gaze she quietly averted her eyes.

Even beyond the secretive glow of the crackling hearth, a flush was visible on her face.

"I have to leave this place anyway."

"Where will you go if you leave?"

Phylotera asked back.

"Zeus will find you someday."

"Don't you have other temples, Mother?"

I countered.

"Aren't there other temples of the hearth besides this one?"

"They exist all over the world."

Phylotera answered.

"I am one and all. I divided myself and established my avatars at each temple."

At her words, I understood.

Hestia was one and all.

She descended upon this land as separate personalities, separate avatars.

Just as every household takes a different form and a different face.

She herself was the very image of the hearth and the home.

"Mother."

I let the hand holding hers slowly climb up her arm.

Then I gripped her shoulder.

"Ho, Homeron......"

"Don't worry. As long as Mother worries for me, I will always be safe."

I smiled softly and gazed into her trembling eyes.

"Because I am Mother's son."

"B-but......"

Phylotera swallowed dryly. Then she spoke.

"I have become impure."

She had offered her virginity to someone who was like a son to her.

I could understand her saying so.

"The other personalities still do not know. But when the Day of Great Union comes soon, they will learn of it."

The Day of Great Union?

I asked what that was.

She answered.

"It is the day when all of Hestia's personalities become one, sharing emotions, memories, and sensations within the main body. So......"

Suddenly her body jerked.

"Hnn―!"

Squish!

Because I had seized her ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠breasts. With her voluptuous tits gripped in my hands, she could do nothing.

"Ho, Homeron! Didn't you say it would end with once!"

But I had no leisure for that.

"When that day comes, Hestia will grow furious and try to kill me."

She had lost the duty of a virgin goddess.

Even if it was only a single avatar, she would never simply overlook being violated by a man.

Having received her blessing, I would need to make frequent use of the hearth temples from now on.

But if I incurred Hestia's wrath, even that would become impossible.

"So, Mother."

I closed the distance even further.

With the hair she always kept braided now hanging long and free, she looked more beautiful than before.

Yet the pale face that flinched and retreated only stimulated my sadism further.

"Before that, I must make you completely mine."

Phylotera shook her head hard.

"N-no! Once is enough! S-so......"

Chuuup!

"......!"

I roughly seized the resisting woman and poured kisses onto her.

"I will never let go."

I declared it in a strong tone.

"Not you, and not your main body either."

The Day of Great Union.

When every avatar and the main body become one.

I was going to fuck Hestia.