I was a young man when I had met Hestia, she came to me way back in 1768 in London. I was working for a local shop at the time owned by my father, I spent my time making candles and perfume. My brother had worked with me until the year prior before he went to the colonies, lived in a relatively new town called Lexington. The unrest in the colonies had already began, the discourse had been ongoing for three years already.
At the time I viewed the colonists as ungrateful, The Crown had fought for their protection time and time again. The 7 Years war had just ended, I had grown up to hear about the war and to see the victory parade as a boy. The Regulars were heroes saving our men across the pond, they had fought for freedom of the colonies against the French. There is always a hefty cost with war though, one of those being financial and that was one even a civilian was impacted by. The Crown sought to tax the colonists into poverty to regain their financial status, especially with tensions with The French so high. Our enemy, a mere 32 kilometers away, would take a stumble as a chance to strike. We were in a stalemate, neither could make a move without losing our king.
The colonists were being evicted from homes and farms, losing their crops and jobs as The Regulars went about unchecked. That was the least of their problems, war was on the horizon. A war that would change the world, one that would make or break this growing nation, one between gods whose names were only whispers on the wind. The Revolutionary War was not a war between America and England, it was between Olympus and Asgard. This would be the second war between the godly powers, and the world was watching. The stage is now set, Morai be with us.
"Smith?" I heard a voice call out.
"In the back!" I yelled out, mixing a fresh batch of perfume.
"There you are!" A mailman smiled at me, "Your dad in?"
"No, he's up at his favorite bar." I sighed, setting ingredients down.
"Drinks like a fish, huh?" The man searched through his bag.
"Ever since my mom passed. What do you have? Hopefully he was sober enough to order ingredients at one point, I'm running out of improvisation skills," I pointed to the near empty shelves.
"Not that I know of, I just have a letter for you. An odd one too, I don't remember anyone dropping off anything that looked like this," he handed me the letter and walked out before I could say another word.
I opened the orange colored paper, the letter inside didn't feel like paper it felt more like cotton. The weave so intricate and neatly woven, it mirrored paper in everything but touch. The black ink stained this paper copy in a perfect manner, my eyes traced every word carefully to see who could have written this.
Dear, Daniel Smith.
If you're reading this please take me to the fire, or light this letter using a candle. Whatever feels right for you.
Sincerely, Matér.
Mother? No, my mother was long dead, and she never called me Daniel. I didn't know what this letter was, but I was indeed going to burn this sick joke. I walked it to the back and lit a nearby candle and began to burn the letter, the candle's flame lit the paper up in an instant. The paper didn't turn to ash though, the intricate cotton weave became a silk like cloth with a new message.
Virgin Goddess,
As wild as fire.
Oldest of the Olympians,
First of the gods.
Oh fallen Olympian,
Forgotten unlike your brothers and sisters.
You have fallen far from your throne,
But have fallen closer to the home.
Oldest Daughter of Kronos,
Devoured by time.
Oldest Daughter of Rhea,
Born of The Earth.
Lady Hestia,
Goddess of The Hearth.
Within moments, the cloth burst into bright orange flames as a woman stood there. She had golden hair and dull orange eyes, they wore a red dress with orange splashes and flecks of gold that made it look like a wildfire. She carried a soft smile, and kept her hands neatly folded in front of her.
"Hello Daniel," she spoke softly, in a motherly tone. A tone I pushed to the deepest pit of my memory.
"Hestia?..." I asked, cautiously. Oh god, I was going mad.
"Indeed," Her smile widened ever so slightly. "It's been a long while since I've seen you," she stepped forward.
"What do you mean? I never met you!" I shouted, stepping back.
Hestia kept her smile, as it faltered slightly. "Right, you were so young. Please, sit," she snapped her fingers as two chairs appeared behind each of us.
I sat down as she requested, watching her sit down across from me. She fixed her dress slightly, she seemed uncomfortable in the foreign fabric. I had seen statues of her traveling around Britain and the dress she wore now looked like it came from down the street rather than Ancient Greece.
"You can't be Hestia, the gods of old aren't real!" I said, staring her in the eyes.
She looked at the pile of ash, then back to me. "You surely aren't blessed by Athena," she tilted her head.
"Ok, fine you appeared from fire! But why now, why not come sooner for someone else!" I shouted, my voice raising.
"Because you were, in a sense, given to me. Your mom understood the truth of us in her last days, the alter she made was beautiful," Hestia stated looking past me. "Your mom wanted you to be with us, believed you would do great things if given the time. I wish I had introduced myself sooner, but your dad asked me to stay away till I knew you were ready and you are. Olympus needs you, I need you Daniel."
"Whatever it is you need, no." I said, my thoughts final.
Hestia looked stunned, "Daniel—"
"I said no, I don't care what you need. I'm fine on my own, I don't need some mythical council to watch over me!" I shouted over her.
"Daniel," she repeated. "The Fates have decided, you will go to the colonies, you will fight for their freedom under The Son of Athena, and you will see a new stable foothold for us. One not ruled by us and Asgard, we need you to do this." She handed me a bronze bayonet and held my hand. "We will meet again, now go to the colonies and wait for us, I understand it's a lot but preparation is key."
And with that she vanished in a pillar of fire, I stuck the bayonet in the wall and opened up for the day. I refused to go to the colonies for her or Olympus, but I would still end up there under the Son of Athena fighting for American Independence. The road to a free Olympian State, one out from under the rule of Asgard. It was only a matter of time and fate.
