Page 24 of Heroines of Olympus

Dionysus will help you find Hera.

Dionysus? He seems like the least trustworthy person to divulge secrets to. This makes little sense. How did Elena know Hestia has been looking for Hera? She has been so discreet. It is worth taking a peek around him and his entourage, she supposes.

Grabbing a cloak, Hestia abandons her tea to go seek out the god of wine.

The halls are empty and she does not have to wander too far before she finds him. All gods with a seat at the Pantheon have extensive chambers in the Olympic Temple. Hestia can hear the music and raucous partying several minutes before she arrives at his chambers.

The doors are wide open as partygoers wander in and out at their leisure. Should she go in?

Hestia stands on the outside, debating, before sucking in a nervous breath and entering the room.

The music from the lute and lyre players is pleasant, and the smell of the food makes Hestia’s mouth water. Even the mead is appealing. The aroma of the blend of fruits and honey is almost enough to make her consider partaking. The party atmosphere is infectious, as if the haze of herbal smoke filling the room makes her lose her inhibitions.

A tap on her elbow has her spinning around, eyes wide.

Dionysus is standing there, an amused expression on his bearded face. The room’s low lighting dances off of his honey skin, the rich amber color so similar to the sweet nectar he uses to make his meads and wines.

“Eat this.” He extends his open hand. There are small red berries in his palm, and Hestia looks up at him with disbelief. He can’t think she will stroll in here and take magic berries? Before she tells him to go shove them up a griffon’s behind, she remembers the Oracle’s words.

You will soon have an unlikely ally in your quest, so the Fates strongly caution you to not be too quick to dismiss anything too hastily. Keep your eyes open, goddess, trouble is brewing.

Hestia cannot believe she is doing this.

The taste of the berries is bitter as Hestia pops one into her mouth. Not at all what she was expecting. Her face twists in distaste and Dionysus laughs. She is about to abandon this entire ordeal when she realizes her senses are getting sharp again, the effects of the haze receding until they are gone entirely.

“What’s going on?” Hestia asks. “What was that? Those berries?”

“People come to me, my temple, my circle, when they want to feel better about themselves. The incense I use is a special herbal blend that immediately fogs the senses and allows people to release their troubles.”

“And the berries?”

“The berries are my own secret stash. I only grown them in the gardens of my temple in Athens. They allow me to see through the fog of the incense and keep my wits. I know why you’re here, and I thought it might be better to talk with clear minds under the cover of the vapor.”

Genius. A brilliant cover. Maybe Hestia will finally have someone to help her find Hera. It is still challenging to jump into trusting him. His reputation precedes him, but how much of that is merely what he wants people to see?

“Why do you want to help me?”

“I… uh, I owe Hera a favor and it doesn’t sit right with me that she’s missing.”

Hestia raises an eyebrow behind the wire frame of her glasses, but throws her trust in with the Oracle and crosses her fingers that she interpreted that message correctly.

“How did Elena know I was looking for Hera?” She asks the lingering question.

“Her husband works on the docks, and told her about the day you were there asking questions about Hera.”

“Oh.” Hestia says, but her brain sticks on Elena having a husband. “A husband? I… hmm, never mind.”

“Ask your questions, Hestia. This is a safe place for them. I won’t judge you and everyone else here is too zonked out of their mind to even remember you were here.”

“Don’t you and maenads have, um, sexual relationships?” Her cheeks flush with heat.

“We do.” Dionysus replies flatly, revealing nothing in his tone.

“But she has a husband. Does he not get jealous? Is this merely a place for people to have illicit affairs without accountability?”

“He is usually here with us. Hestia, I know you have spent your life amongst the books, but do you truly know so little about the many different facets of sexuality and expression?”

She frowns. She has always thought of herself as enlightened, open-minded. But he is right. Her only relationships have been people she would consider friends. Her relentless pursuit of knowledge never had her stopping to consider love, or even lust. At least, not until she met Alec. Maybe one day she will find out what is so special about the physical side of love.

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