Hearth - Hestia's Epiphany

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"She does have a point, y'know. That was pretty amazing!" The sweet faerie girl from before flew over to Hestia's side and sat. Murmurs of agreement rippled through the crowd of children.

Hestia flashed Fytó a fanged grin, which made him flinch a little bit.

"Fine, fine...but that's what she always does! She makes a mess, and then she somehow fixes it!" He harrumphed.

"Problem-solving. By Agnetha's Crown, Fytó! Just admit that she did get us out of a lot of trouble." The faerie girl retorted, before taking Hestia's and pressing her finger into her scaly palm. A tiny daffodil appeared in the hybrid's palm.

"Fine, Louloú..." The faerie threw his hands up in defeat and plopped down next to them.

Now, there were four kids in total in the clearing. They were all good friends—though two were a little wary of Hestia.

Now, the first was Fytó. He was a strong, handsome faerie male, who was very tall for his age. His brown, incredibly curly hair often fell in his eyes. His forest green wings (also fully grown) flapped at his back. He rarely hid them, for he loved showing them off to the others. Fytó's emerald-coloured eyes often held an intimidating look of pure confidence or frustration.

The second was Louloúdi. She was, unlike Fytó, very petite. Her body structure was very slender and delicate, like a flower. Her hair fell in silky blonde ringlets around her face, and almost perfectly enveloped her heart-shaped face. Her wings, unlike the other fae, seemed to glow a soft silvery colour and flittered calmly at her back. Lou's serene sapphire gaze was often turned upwards to the skies or downwards at a flower of some sort.

The third was Katagída, or Gída. The villagers had an affectionate nickname for the faerie girl, however, which was Kanoní; the loose cannon. And a loose cannon she was- she was incredibly hyperactive, aggressive, and mischevious. She often spent her days letting squirrels loose in the gardens (typically Lou's) and bakeries, or shocking unsuspecting fae who passed in her line of sight. Her hair was an unkempt, wild mess of silver, and her eyes were a light lavender.

The fourth and last was Neró, Gída's twin brother. Now, he was the complete opposite of her sister. He liked volunteering his time to the adults of the faerie village and could be found occupying himself with busywork in various places. He has taken it upon himself to "parent" Gída and make sure she doesn't cause too much trouble, though his efforts are usually wasted.

Neró shuddered. As he did, his purplish wings fluttered shut. "I-I can't believe you guys talked me into going into that barn!" He shot a glare at Gída, who was laughing her head off. His voice had cracked twice in that sentence, which fueled the fae's cackling laughter.

"You should've seen your face!" Gida howled. "'This doesn't look like home restoration, Gída!' 'What's that creaking sound, Gída?' 'Where's the paint, Gída?'" She teased. This earned a chuckle from Hestia and glare from Fytó. Neró smacked his sister lightly on the shoulder and turned away.

"Anyways, we should probably head back." Fytó declared, rising off the ground. Everyone else seemed to agree and started to head back with the brown-winged fae in the lead.

Everyone, except Hestia, of course. She stayed back for a little longer, before deciding to head back on her own. Unfurling her large, scaly wings, she started to head back to the village.

Along the way, she decided to stop and rest on a large boulder just on the outskirts of the village. As she stretched her body out on the cold surface of the rock, she gazed up at the sky. It was slowly darkening as the sun sank lower and lower to the west. The sky turned various shades of pinks, dark blues, oranges, and yellows. Hestia let out a sigh, before rolling off the rock and landing in a bush.

She winced as the tiny branches scratched at cuts and bruises that she had acquired from running away earlier. Whimpering in pain, she clawed her way out of the bushes and looked over her wounds. A tear rolled down her cheek as the all-too-familiar sting of a torn scale pierced her body. But, just for a moment, something caught her eye. Something red was sparkling under a nearby shrub.

Now, Hestia liked shiny things. Perhaps a little too much. But this was a little different. The glowing red object was luring Hestia and beckoning to her. It was like a moth to a lamp. Slowly, Hestia crawled towards the soft glow.

As the hybrid got closer, she could make out what the item was. It seemed to be a pendant- an amulet of some sort. There was a ruby set in stone in the middle of the piece of jewellery. But the thing that drove Hestia to take it wasn't the eerily glowing gemstone; it was the shape of the stone it was set in.

The stone had been expertly carved into the shape of a terrifying creature. It had the head and eyes of a lizard, the horns of a wildebeest, the claws of a lion, and the fangs of a wolf. Hestia couldn't make out any more of its features, but at that point, she did not care. She pocketed the pendant and ran towards the village.