Next chapter, next chapter! I've decided that it's about time I just...let things run their course and embrace the chaos. I mean, I've never really had a plan for this story, especially if you consider the fact that I abandoned it about two or three years back, so let's make it up as we go along and just enjoy the ride.

If a month ago, or even a week ago, you asked Artemis if a mortal could fight the gods, she would laugh in your face and tell you that whatever poor soul that decided to do such a thing would be struck down on the spot and enjoy a nice afterlife in the Fields of Punishment for daring to oppose higher beings. And yet, that was exactly what Kaneki Ken was doing. Of course, he couldn't exactly be considered a mortal when you took into account his extra limbs, insane regenerative ability and the passive immortality Zoe had mentioned he possessed. Still, that would only elevate him to the position of minor deity, or monster. She was leaning towards monster. No mere man could hide so much emotion behind a single expression, one that wavered and twitched but never dropped until his rage boiled over. Perhaps he could even be considered a berserker, yet even when he was tearing apart her father or turning Ares into a sniveling mess, his eyes remained clear and aware of the world around him. And that was what made Kaneki Ken so dangerous, for he was an individual whose anger did not control him and set him on fire. Rather, it festered in his heart and manifested in the form of cold steel and a smile that came straight from Tartarus. There was nothing more deadly than an angry person with a calm head and clear mind. And despite how insignificant he seemed to be in the grand scheme of things, the monster had managed to topple her worldview within twenty four hours of their meeting, pulling trick after trick from his sleeve and constantly levelling the playing ground so that he would emerge victorious. It was, to Artemis, no surprise that her fellow Olympians were silent after his less than subtle threat. She herself was keeping quiet, but mostly because she had information to sort through and a puzzle to crack. Kaneki was exchanging words quietly with both Zoe and Hestia while a few gods attempted to escape their bindings(which only served to make them tighter). Despite the fact that he appeared to be focusing entirely on the conversation he was having, Artemis could see how his stance never uncoiled and occasionally, a finger would twitch in the direction of the god or goddess struggling the most at that point of time and the bonds on said divine being would tighten. This was...a bad situation, at the very least.

Kaneki Ken had said that he had rejected the offer Kronus had made when it was first extended to him, but what stopped the monster from turning its back on the Olympians and allying himself with the very Titan that threatened to upset the fragile balance of the world? Her first answer to the question was that he had already promised to serve Olympus in exchange for the protection of his friends and Athena's teaching, apparently. Then again, Ares had quickly botched the cease-fire rule by attempting to kill him. So what did that make his deal? Was it still in motion, or had the insufferable male pig broken the truce with his careless actions? If Kronus could see the sheer potential of their resident god-killer(if Hades was to be believed), the Titan of Time would do anything short of giving up his own life in order to have such a powerful ally on his side. The gods and Titans may be able to stand on equal fitting, but if you threw a wild card into the mix, things would change drastically. Numbly, she realized that there was nothing tying the inhuman to Olympus and the children of the gods. He had two known acquaintances, now three with the addition of Hestia of all people, one was a mortal and the other the daughter of a Titan. If Kronus were to make any exceptions for Kaneki's loyalty, he could do so without batting an eye. Hestia had always been a pacifist, so her father might even decide to spare his daughter just because the oldest goddess was unlikely to rise up against him. As the conversation between the unlikely trio began to increase in volume(Kaneki was retelling them the story of what he had done) as Hestia ran a hand straight down her face and Zoe looked like she was about to slap the man again. It was funny(in an ironic, bitter way) that her cold and regal Lieutenant and the goddess who had been shoved into the background after Dionysus had replaced her on the Council were the two that were apparently close to the individual who had flown under their radar for years, decades even. A maiden who had sworn off love after being betrayed and erased from history. A goddess who had also taken the same vow of chastity that Artemis had, disappearing into the background and being replaced by the God of Wine, of all possible people. A monster pretending to be a human, with a sword that hungered for as much blood as its master. The trio were from vastly different walks of life, and yet somehow they were here, talking like old friends in front of gods and goddesses that were being hog-tied to their thrones. Briefly, Artemis wondered if somehow someone had spiked her drink or food in order to generate this hallucination-worthy scenario. Growling to herself at the obvious affection the two women were showering on their male companion and how he wasn't batting an eye despite it looking like he had both of them wrapped around his fingers, Artemis wondered if it was too late to smite the mortal. Probably.

Parley apparently over, Kaneki turned to the Goddess of the Hunt and made a twisting gesture with his left hand. Surprisingly, the threads unravelled from her chest, legs and arms, freeing her from her bindings. Rubbing the marks on her wrists and calculating how long it would take for her to draw and fire her bow after summoning it, Artemis levelled the sharpest glare she could produce on the insolent being standing before her. His head was tilted at an angle, and the grin on his face was a lazy one that seemed to taunt her inability to do anything to stop him or free her brethren. Looking around, the feeling of powerlessness bubbling in her chest was reflected on the faces of the other gods and goddesses(minus Athena, she could see the gears turning in her head and Hephaestus, who didn't seem to care at all) and she clenched a fist in barely restrained anger while taking several deep breaths. It wouldn't help her at all if she lashed out now. Most likely, it would give a reason for Kaneki Ken to raze Olympus to the ground. While the Great Prophecy dictated that "a child of the eldest gods" would be the one to make that choice, she wouldn't count on Fate to subdue the enigma with more secrets than anyone she had ever known. Something told her that any well made plan turned to dust as soon as it met contact with the monster. It wouldn't even surprise her if that was one of their abilities. It would be another thing to put into the "life is weird but what else isn't" box. Slowly, the bindings of the other Olympians also unravelled and returned to their master. Almost certainly mocking them, the strings twirled and defied gravity by hanging suspended in the air around him, almost like a three dimensional web. A few even curled around the fingers and wrists of his two companions, almost like he was protecting them as well. Although, she thought with no small amount of irritation as Zoe giggled softly at a single strand that was brushing her face, it was more likely that he was flaunting the fact that they trusted him. Hestia still had fire enveloping her hand, and that fire was a calm and soothing blue that did not reflect the current situation. Or maybe it just reflected the owner's mental state. Kaneki didn't seem bothered by it, but that was probably because he was crazy and had no aversion to anything that could cause him harm.

"What do you want?" it was Hera that first spoke, and as high-and-mighty as she tried to appear, there was a minuscule flinch when Kaneki tilted to look at her with eyes gleaming with mirth. He shrugged, before raising a hand and ticking the fingers on it.

"Oh, that's a tough one. I want a peaceful life, maybe a million dollars, the secrets of the universe, but that's beside the point. Right now, all I want is for you all to leave us alone. I'll get back Zeus' Master Bolt, not that I want to, but I need a nap before that. So what I'm trying to say is," his eye abruptly turned black like ink was being injected into it, "anyone who tries the same thing good ol' king of the skies will get a worse fate than his. Capiche?" Hera nodded frantically, desperately trying to become one with his throne as the air seemed to grow heavy and a few gods and goddesses even began to start struggling to breathe with the sheer presence he was giving off. And in the blink of an eye, Kaneki Ken had reverted back to his normal state, flashing two thumbs up signs before tipping an imaginary hat.

"Good, good. Now we're going to leave. See you in the foreseeable future." Zoe grabbed on to one arm as Kaneki melted into the floor. Hestia watched them go with a small wave, and once they were gone, she offered an apologetic smile to the Olympians.

"Sorry about Kaneki's behaviour. He's been on edge lately. Don't blame him for it." the fire started to spread from her hand to the rest of her body as she spoke, and it was clear that Hestia intended to leave as well. Before she could, Athena blurted out a question.

"Why do you know him?" the fire stopped its ascent to the top of her head, and the goddess in child form tapped her chin at the question, not at all bothered by the fact that she was on fire.

"It's complicated. The long story would probably take a few days to explain, but I think the short version will suffice. And he'll probably be fine with it. Who knows? He's not exactly the boss of me." she took a deep breath before the fire receded from her body. Lost in some memory, her eyes glazed over for a brief moment before the clarity returned to them, sharper than ever.

"My domain is hope. In the modern world, hope is hard to come by. You have people with determination, passion and other driving factors. But very rarely do you see hope. Indeed, people do hope for a better life. For a chance to turn their lives around. And I always try to turn that hope into reality for the people who need it the most," her eyes dimmed and a sad smile stretched across her face, "but rarely does that work out. I also tend to the hearth, and it is rare to find one still lit. Most are just brief and meant to bring a little warmth and comfort before being extinguished. So imagine my surprise when I find a hearth that had been fed for months, never dying or running out of fuel despite the sheer amount of fuel it would take. And imagine my surprise when I find out that it was just one person tending to it." her smile took on a hint of nostalgia.

"He was an interesting person from the start. I could tell that he had held so much hope in his heart at one point of time. I can sense that in people. It pains me every time someone's hope is extinguished, and the echoes of his fire getting extinguished ran so deep that I could feel them. Even though it had probably been years, or even decades since the last bit of hope had been stamped out from his heart. Normally, that would just signify a broken individual. One that had given up on the world," Hestia paused and recomposed herself, an edge of anger and what sounded like admiration creeping into her voice, "and yet he was perfectly fine. Almost used to it, if you could call it that. There was no hope in him. He was so cold, despite the fire he had stoked blazing bright. So, well, I guess you could say that I took it upon myself to fix him. Introduce a little bit of hope back into his life, so that his smiles stopped looking like they didn't fit on his face. Originally, I was going to discreetly prod his life back to the right direction." another pause, and Hestia fiddled with a small bracelet with two symbols on it. A lit torch and what appeared to be a teardrop.

"The first time I stopped surveying him from a distance and started tending to his fire for him, Kaneki asked me a question when I thought he was asleep. He asked me why I had been watching him. And when I answered, he laughed. He said that it had been a long time since someone had tried to fix his life. And then I made a deal with him. I would stop observing him from the shadows, and he would listen to whatever I had to say. It was an odd deal, but one I enjoyed in the next few months. It's been a long time since someone noticed me at the hearth, and an even longer one since someone had tried to befriend me. So I guess the easiest way to say it would be that I was trying to fix him." she smiled almost bitterly at a joke that only she could hear as the flames began to envelope her once again. And just before she vanished, Hestia laid down some parting words to end her story.

"But in the end, it's hard to tell whether I was the one helping him or he was the one helping me."

A shorter chapter than usual in order for me to sort out my thoughts. A quick heads up, by the way. Since I still need to figure out which way this story is going, I might be taking a brief break and removing this one from my daily update schedule in order to provide content that isn't crack. Anyway, I'll see you next time.