Icy Heart: An Alex Greyson Story

Arriving at my table I was greeted by stories of the Hermes cabin antics over the last several hours. I was incredibly impressed. In the span of a few short hours they managed to infest the Demeter gardens with Round Up resistant dandelions, tape plastic wrap over the door to the Hecate cabin, make the entire Hypnos cabin pee their pants, deliver a crate of participation medals to the Nike cabin, and finally fill the Poseidon cabin with lake water. A pretty good day's work, I think.
The rest of lunch was generally uneventful as I pondered over what to do with the rest of my afternoon. I was finished at the forge but I really didn’t feel like participating in any other cabin activities. I kept mulling over going to see Grace at her cabin but it just seemed a little awkward to me. My rational brain told me to play it cool and wait a few days, visiting her now might make her think that I’m a weirdo. On the other hand, my impulsive brain just wanted to get to know the captivating girl that I had just met. When I sacrificed the bits of my lunch into the pyres, the flames glowed blue with heat, I knew I need to go and see her.
The trip to cabin 21 was nerve-wracking. First I stopped by the Hermes cabin to change out of my camp t shirt. This one had been badly burned and was covered in grease stains. I decided that Travis was about my size so I stole one of his shirts from the trunk under his bed. I figured he wouldn’t mind me “borrowing”it. After I left, I started towards the newer cabins of the minor gods and goddesses. My brain was working overtime on what to say, what not to say, how to stand, how to smile, how to freakin speak. I was so nervous, I nearly flipped out when a Nike kid asked me where I was headed. I got calmed down and told him so he pointed me right towards Hestia's cabin.
Of all the cabins at Camp Half Blood, this one truly looked like a rustic log cabin. The polished wooden porch hung out from the simple, but beautifully crafted wooden structure. I hopped the small stairs on the porch and rapped on the heavy oak door. –Knock- -Knock- -Knock- The door swung inward and there stood Grace, looking basically the same as when I’d seen her several hours ago. I just stared, slack jawed. She smiled at me and said “Hey”
She gestured for me to come inside. “Howdy” I replied.
“What am I a damn cowboy?” I thought to myself.
The interior of the cabin was just as beautiful as the exterior. Several wooden four poster beds decorated the room, but only one appeared to have been slept on recently. In the center of the room, a wide couch with two end tables faced the centerpiece of the whole cabin. The fireplace was breath taking. Two people could’ve easily fit inside, maybe three if they were small. A bright, warm fire crackled in the heart, surrounded by limestone blocks covered in murals, each portraying a different Greek hero of ancient times. The entire room smelled like a toasty fire on Christmas morning. “Here, you can sit on the couch,” She pointed to the plaid sofa.
“Thanks. I just figured I’d stop by to talk. Something just compelled me to be here.”
“Boys” she mumbled and then rolled her eyes. “Anyway, welcome to my humble cabin, can I get you a hot chocolate or anything?”
“Dude, it’s like 85 degrees out.”
“Oh well, your call.”
“Your cabin feels so much like home. It even smells like my house. Certainly puts Hermes to shame.”
“Well my mother is goddess of the hearth and the home. Besides, you have the Hermes guys and girls to make it much better.”
“I don’t mean to be rude or anything but isn’t your mom a maiden goddess?” I asked.
“I get that a lot. People always think that because her Roman form, Vesta, is an eternal virgin. The Romans needed to keep the home pure. The Greeks, not so much. Still it is rare for Hestia to have demigod children. I don’t often do this, but I can tell you how my mom and dad met...”
I got settled in for a long story, relaxing on the couch in the light of the cozy fire.
…
It all started with my grandma, on my dad’s side, June Parsons. June was only 19 then and working as a soda jerk in a malt shop in Bushton, the middle of Kansas. It was a small town of only about 100 people and not much went on. That’s why June was totally enraptured when a curious young piano salesman named Henry came to town. She fell for his mystery and excitement. He fell for her simple beauty and kindness. For three magical weeks they were both happy, but one day, Henry simply disappeared. June looked everywhere but to no avail. Though her sorrow was great, she went back to her ordinary life, but only a few weeks after Henry left, June discovered she was pregnant. She never knew that Henry, the piano salesman, was secretly Hermes, messenger of the gods. Back in that time, being a pregnant unmarried teenager was very difficult, but June’s family supported her through her pregnancy and months later her son, my father, Arthur Parsons was born. Art, well my dad... It’s a little weird for me to call him by his first name. Anyway, my dad had as normal of a childhood as any. Being the son of a single mother was hard but he never learned of his godly heritage. He never developed any special powers or gifts. He doesn’t even have ADD, and for this reason, he was never discovered by the monsters that plagued many other demigods. Well and the fact that he grew up in the middle of nowhere helped. My dad got good grades in high school and was all set to leave for Kansas State when he finished. However, the summer before he would leave, his mom, my grandmother, June was diagnosed with cancer. It was a hard decision for my dad, but he chose family over his future. He stayed at home to take care of his sick mother, and that really caught the attention of my mom, Hestia. She admired him from afar for three long years, watching him come home from work each day, caring for my grandma, falling asleep on the couch, and doing it all over again the next day. Finally, June lost her battle with cancer and passed away peacefully in her sleep. Nevertheless, my dad was heartbroken and depressed. Hestia couldn’t bear to see him that way. She appeared to him, first in dreams and then finally in a human form. She comforted and consoled him. She made him smile for a while, and brought him her fresh baked cookies. Most importantly, she explained to him the world of gods and men and told him about his father and the divine blood in his veins. She became my dad’s angel and he wanted to be with her forever. Hestia had to explain to him, that she could only appear in a human form, but her true self could never leave Mt. Olympus. She is goddess of home and hearth after all. My father insisted that he go to her on Mt. Olympus itself. He left Kansas for the first time when he was 21 on a plane to New York. Hestia knew she could not talk him out of coming, so the only thing she could do was help him sneak in. She showed Lady Aphrodite the true love in his heart and the goddess of love agreed to help him. Aphrodite smuggled him into the Empire State building and onto the elevator. Once he was on Mt. Olympus, the other gods effectively ignored him, believing him to be a minor god himself. My dad was free to live with my mom in her home there. Much like my grandmother’s romance, my father’s would only last a short but beautiful time. When Zeus found out that Lady Hestia was carrying a baby, he went ballistic. He had assumed she would remain pure here on Mt. Olympus. She had not borne a child in at least a century and Zeus wanted to keep it that way. Zeus brought my father before the council of the gods. The lord of lightning wanted to destroy my dad himself but several other gods intervened. My mother pleaded for his mercy. Aphrodite defended his love that was real and true. Hermes stepped up to defend his blood from Zeus’s wrath as well. Finally Dionysus, you’ve met Mr. D, wanted his father to spare mine. Dionysus had always had a soft spot for my mother since he took her spot on the Olympian council and he wanted to see her happy. Zeus agreed to spare my dad’s life if he left Mt. Olympus, never to return and if he took the baby, me, with him. Furthermore, he forbade Hestia from interfering with mortal affairs except in the direst of emergencies. Tearfully, my dad said goodbye, taking me down the elevator. We lived in New York until the Battle of Mt. Olympus a few years ago. My dad didn’t think I was safe so he sent me here right as all the minor gods and goddesses were being recognized at camp. I never met my mother, but my dad has told the stories about her at least 100 times. I swear that sometimes I can feel her with me, when I’m in the warm glow of the hearth.
…
“... So to answer your question Alex, no my mother is not technically a maiden goddess although Zeus has gone to great lengths to make everyone believe otherwise.”
I could only think of one thing to say. “Wow”

Notes

I know that Rick has said that Hestia doesn't have a cabin at camp but she never had any children either. It's my story and I can feature canonically incorrect information if I want to.