On Mount Olympus, Demeter's freedom was nothing more than a myth. Scampering through the gardens, laughter spilled from her lips for no other reason than to appear happy.
She clung on to this shallow life, clutching to a sip of Ambrosia, to her golden cup while crafting new flower wreaths. Those should have crowned her head, symbols of her power.
But instead, she buried herself into ignorance.
Her days never felt complete without a visit to the one who glorified every tree Demeter grew on the soil to keep the family warm in their home.
Hestia, the Goddess of Hearth.
Hestia was more than a sister. She was the first virgin goddess, a vow of chastity that Zeus himself granted.
The ceremony inducting Hestia into eternal celibacy was a celebration worthy of a wedding. A shower of white daisy petals rained over her as she emerged from her abode. Leading a procession of goddesses all dressed in ivory, only she wore a sheer saffron veil and a crown of chaste tree blossoms on her head. This was how Hestia stepped forward to Zeus' temple and knelt. Before them all, he pronounced those hallowed words:

In front of witnesses, this goddess named Hestia has been given to me,
The only ruler, Father to all the Gods, King of the Sky, as my sister.
She should be placed amid each home.
Glorious should be her portion and her right.
Her honour would be shared in all the temples of the gods.
And among all mortals, she is the chief of the goddesses.
May her body remain untouched by lust.
Only devoted to her sacred duty.

Hestia couldn't help but shed tears at Zeus' fraternal display of love. As she rose, he bowed before her, her hand now resting on his head. The sign that her oath had been accepted.
The ascension of Hestia was Demeter's most treasured memory. It was proof, in her eyes, that a female deity, pure of body and soul, could be trusted as equal to Olympian kings.
From that day on, Demeter regarded Hestia as the pinnacle of divine achievement, and followed her wherever she went.
This new dawn over Mount Olympus was no different.
Demeter stood against a peach-coloured wall of angel trumpets. She knew Hestia was there, just beyond those blossoms, her shadow piercing through the leaves where a soft breeze blew over her long, wavy auburn hair.
It was the perfect moment for her announcement.
She exhaled out one heavy sigh to gather her courage, then turned towards the garden. "I want to be like you."
Hestia, in the middle of feeding her piglets, startled at the sound of Demeter's voice. Her eyes widened, dazed for a moment, then softened into a beam as she approached Demeter.
"You will be more than I could ever dream of!"
Demeter's fingers threw over her parting lips.

What had just escaped from Hestia?
Those words were certainly not hot air.
Could they be a real prediction?

Demeter squealed with delight, bouncing up and down before wrapping her arms around Hestia.
"Then I'll ask Zeus to bless my oath of celibacy."
Hestia's mouth fell agape, this was not what she had meant. Before she could say anything, Demeter was already taken off, sprinting towards Zeus' temple.
Panicked, Hestia chased after Demeter until her legs grew unsteady and she collapsed to her knees.
At last, she called out: "Arion, catch your mother!"
From behind the bushes, a divine horse surged forward, teeth bared. With a quick snap, he bit into Hestia's dress and tossed her onto his back.
"She's about to make a fool of herself!" Hestia muttered, gripping his mane.
Galloping after Demeter, Arion rolled his eyes with exasperation. "Oh, dear mother!"
"Faster, Arion!" Hestia cried.
But it was too late.
Demeter had vanished into the distance. Her footsteps echoed ahead as she barged into Zeus' throne chamber unannounced, interrupting public proceedings without a hint of shame or decency.
Athena, standing beside Zeus, stared in disbelief. All the immortals, without exception, were expected to wait for an audience, sometimes for years. This goddess, Demeter, though, wouldn't abide. Not only had she arrived without notice, she collapsed the moment she entered, breathless. Demeter lay before the entire court, gown disheveled, hem rolled to her thighs.
Athena opened her mouth to speak, but Zeus raised a hand, suppressing her intention.
He then leaned back in his throne, fingers laced. "Demeter, how are you?"
Demeter scrambled to her feet. "Zeus, I have a request for you."
At that, a cackle slipped into his smirk, edged with annoyance, amusement or both. "What is it?" He scoffed. "Not enough flowers in my realm? A shortage of birds to sing sweet melodies into your ears?"
Zeus' onslaught of suggestions, each more ridiculous than the last, made Demeter stare at him blankly.
She didn't back down, though.
Drawing closer, her eyebrows furrowed. "May you please bless my oath of celibacy?"
His expression hardened, then broke into a scowl. His narrowed eyes stared over Demeter from head to toe.
"I refuse."
Demeter flared her nostrils and climbed one more step of his high stairs.
"Why?"
"Because I said so!"
Her face flushed with anger, and she rushed up to his throne. Gripping the armrests on either side of his seat, she leaned in.
"Why?"
Since ascending, no one had ever challenged Zeus like this, and certainly not a goddess.
Yet, here she stood.
Zeus started that blaze—the beads of sweat that ignited on her forehead, the red streaks injecting into her eyes. Demeter was fuming.
He only simpered, voice dripping with disdain. "I can turn my being into a dishevelled cuckoo..." Then he paused, another glance over her. "...but I can't turn a bitten fruit into a whole one again."
This was his final word.
Demeter straightened, her lips twisting with contempt.
She was about to insist again, one final plea, when Zeus cut her off. "And if you ever feel the urge to defy my decision." He clenched his jaw. "You will have to answer to Athena's sword."
Athena, uncomfortable, scratched her neck. She would never raise a weapon against another goddess.
Tension heightened within the chamber until Demeter turned and left, unscathed by the threat. Only once outside Zeus' temple, she folded in on herself and wept.
He was right.
As awful as it sounded, she knew the truth.
No male had ever touched Hestia. But Demeter was born and raised with a soulmate. One Gaia herself had chosen for her. And it was no secret that they had consummated their love.
Demeter dipped her chin to her chest, eyes brimming with pain.
Poseidon.
The one who had also left her behind without a word.
Since he was gone, Demeter had wished to be deaf. Yet, she couldn't silence the endless tales of his love affairs. Nymphs, goddesses, mortals even. Each rumour broke her heart even more.
The god who once promised her the world, doomed her to a timeless chagrin. Worse, he made her damaged in the eyes of every other suitor.
No god wished to wed another already claimed.
An oath of celibacy was her only escape from this vicious cycle. And now, even that was denied to her. Demeter was condemned to live forever alone.
And on that impasse, she threw herself down the marble steps of Zeus' temple to see if she could feel anything other than despair.
Hestia, though, caught Demeter in extremis and wrapped her into an embrace.
"You, stupid girl!" She pricked Demeter's chest with her finger. "Don't you ever dare to do anything like this ever again!"
Demeter's tone, once harsh, now broke. "It was a vain hope, wasn't it?" Her lips curled down. "I have no chance for happiness."
Arion, struck by Demeter's pain, stepped forward and rested his head on her shoulder. "Well, I'm not sure which one of us is the most unfortunate here, mother, because Hestia and I will have to be forever with you."
The three of them laughed.
Hestia rubbed her chin, an idea flickering in her mind. "Walk with me," she said as she stood. "Fate stirs. Let us hear its whispers."