NOVEL NEXT Chapter 6: CH 6
Hestia just laughed softly. "I doubt that we had 'let's starve Harry' in mind when we started that policy," she said.
He crossed his arms and leaned far back into the couch. "Maybe. You never know, though."
She gave him that gentle smile of hers that warmed his insides. "Perhaps," she said, obviously humoring him.
"Anyway, I was hungry, and I didn't have a place to spend the night. I first thought about the gardens, but they're really open. And then I found this area, and the streets were empty and the houses were covered in dust. So I picked a house at random and went in." "They're called 'temples', Harry, not houses," Hestia corrected. "They are where the gods live, as well as the attendants of the god that owns the temple."
Harry nodded, only halfway listening. "So I pushed the doors open and it feels like Aunt Petunia's house, like I'm not wanted. It's nothing new, so I have a look around and see that there's this huge statue in the front hall. Strangely enough, it feels like it's the statue that doesn't want me in his house-" "Temple."
"Temple," Harry corrected. "So I offer Mister Statue to clean his house-" "Temple, Harry," Hestia said, a bit sternly.
"I know it's a temple now, but I didn't know back then, and I said 'house' to Mister Statue," Harry defended himself.
Hestia just nodded, and the boy went on, "So I offered to clean the temple, if he'll let me stay. And suddenly, it feels really warm and it's like it's my temple, you know?" Hestia's smile had widened. " You felt welcome," she told him.
"I've never felt it before," Harry said. "It felt really weird, but also really good, you know?" "I know," Hestia said, kindly. "It's what people feel when they are invited into another person's home. You said 'Mister Statue' let you stay – do you know his name?" Harry shook his head. "There's something written at the foot of Mister Statue, but it's written in strange characters, like the guy was drunk or something." Hestia laughed softly. "I think that, had he minded, you would not have been welcomed, Harry."
The boy nodded, then realized something and turned to the statue. "Mister Helios, did you take half my loaf because you're 'faded'?" There was no response from the statue, but Hestia looked strangely at Harry. "He took half your loaf?" Harry nodded. "Uh-huh. I just came back with it, and put it down on this table while working on getting a torch started in the fire outside to start the fireplace, and when I came back, half the bread was gone."
Hestia looked as if she were restraining a laugh, and stood up. Extending a hand to him, she asked, "Can you show me?" He smiled widely as he jumped out of the couch. "Sure!" he said, grabbing her hand and pulling her through the hou- temple, to the courtyard that held Mister Statue.
Thanks to the open floor plan, the light of the hearth was enough to allow Harry to see shapes and locations, but not enough to see details; by the time he and Hestia were standing in front of Mister Statue, he could only see the outlines of it.
"Ehm…" Harry said. "I didn't think this through."
Hestia laughed softly, and waved one hand. A ring of fire sprung up and lit up the area. "Oh my," she said, one hand to her mouth.
"What? What is it?" Harry asked her. Almost immediately, he turned to the statue. "Hi Mister Statue! This is Hestia – she came through the fireplace, isn't that cool?" Hestia laughed softly. "Harry, now I know why this temple hasn't been used in a long time. This is the temple of Helios, the first God of the Sun. He faded a long time ago."
"Faded?" Harry asked.
"It is when people stop believing in a god. Without enough people believing in a god, he will just… fade away," Hestia explained. "There must still be part of him that lingers in this temple, for you to be able to experience the feelings you've described."
"Oh," Harry said, turning to the statue. "Hi Mister Helios. I hope you don't mind that I called you Mister Statue." "How long has it been since you've eaten, Harry?" Hestia asked, gently. "From what you said, it sounds like you haven't eaten in a while."
Harry shrugged, suddenly feeling embarrassed. "A few days or so," he muttered, hoping Hestia didn't hear him.
Unfortunately for him, she was a goddess, so she heard him perfectly fine. Holding out her hands, the young-looking goddess suddenly was holding a bowl of soup, complete with spoon. "Here you go, Harry."
Giving her a tremulous smile, he accepted the bowl. "Thanks, Hestia." He tasted the soup. "Best soup ever," he declared, eating in earnest.
Hestia laughed again. " This table, Harry, is called an 'altar'. It's where people used to place offerings for the god."
Harry smiled up at the statue. " Thanks again for leaving me half the bread, Mister Helios." The fire Hestia had thrown slowly died out. "Come, Harry. Let's get you some food," she said in the murky twilight.
Harry smiled widely at her, grabbed her hand, and pulled her back towards the seating area. Surprised, she let herself be pulled, and laughed softly.
As they walked, Harry asked her, "Do you know why there's no bathroom here? And why the temple's so dark?" Hestia had to smile at the question. " There's no bathroom for the same reason there are no dumpsters – gods don't need them. I'll conjure one for you. As to the temple being dark, Helios was the original titan-god of the sun. After sundown, it's supposed to be completely dark. I will conjure you a few fixtures, too."
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