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Esther smiled contentedly as she sat in her secret sanctuary dedicated to the worship of Nyx. In her hands she held a small plush toy that almost perfectly resembled Night herself. The size hadn’t turned out exactly as she’d planned—she had wasted a lot of fabric on failed attempts—but the important thing was that it worked in the end.
The little star had spent a long time creating this unusual embodiment of Night. The main difficulty was translating the entirety of Nyx’s image into a soft toy. Her garments—and Nyx herself—had many sharp angles. Because of that, much to Esther’s regret, some elements of Nyx’s appearance had to be omitted.
But that wasn’t the biggest problem.
The greatest challenge was recreating her unimaginably beautiful hair. From the unusual hairstyle and wing-like strands, to the intricate headpiece, and finally the stars woven into her hair.
Oh, those stars.
Esther nearly went mad trying to figure out how to depict them on a plush toy. At first, she thought embroidery with thread might work—but it looked… terrible. Completely unsuitable for Night. Then she tried using her own powers. After all, she was a guiding star; surely she could create stars for the toy as well. Instead, she burned it.
After searching for a long time, she finally found glitter that—according to the description—was perfect for her idea. Obtaining it, however, was incredibly difficult, especially since the world was still recovering from war. She must have flown across half the world before finding a tiny jar. Applying it took ages, and afterward she spent just as long scrubbing glitter off her hands—and the rest of her body. Some of it still seemed to be clinging to her.
Esther lifted the finished toy, smiling proudly. The most important thing was that she had created an almost perfect plush version of Nyx—one she desperately wanted to hug close and… do absolutely nothing improper with. She needed to remain at least somewhat reasonable and not sink into fanatical madness.
She pressed the toy to her face—and frowned.
Something was wrong.
There was no feeling of “mmm, this is Nyx.” The image had been transferred almost perfectly, aside from minor details, but something essential was missing.
Esther inhaled the scent of the plush and widened her eyes.
Of course—the smell.
Mistress Nyx would never smell like fabric and stuffing. She would smell like forest streets after rain… but certainly not like aluminum glitter. The toy needed the right scent.
Quickly glancing around, Esther grabbed her pouch—the one she used to carry materials—and very carefully placed the plush Night inside.
A few walks, she thought, and the scent would be just right for Nyx.
***
Heracles let out a tired sigh as he sat on a rock. More and more, he wanted to abandon everything and become a hermit. Why, in Hades’ name, did he still have to fulfill the whims of his “beloved” father now that everything was over? He swore to himself that if he was sent one more time to deal with the pitiful remnants of Chronos’s army, he’d start a revolution. Or just go to the Underworld and beg Hades for asylum from this circus.
Suddenly, something appeared right in front of his face.
…A plush version of Nyx.
“Has something happened, child of Zeus?”
Esther’s voice followed, attempting to imitate Night’s tone.
The demigod slowly lifted his head and stared at his sister as though hoping she wasn’t related to him.
“Seriously? A toy? Did you suddenly decide to relive your childhood by making something so ridiculous?”
He raised an eyebrow.
Esther lowered the toy, offended.
“Do you have any idea how hard it is to make? And anyway, many mortals play with toys even in old age—so why can’t I?”
Heracles clicked his tongue and looked away.
“Yes, of course. That changes everything.”
Esther muttered something under her breath and raised the toy toward his face again.
“How dare you speak that way to the very embodiment of darkness?!”
She once again attempted Nyx’s voice. Heracles merely snorted and turned back toward the strange plush Night.
“Oh great Night, please be so kind as to fix my sister’s mind so she’ll stop losing it. I’d rather not be remembered as ‘the guy with the deranged relative’ instead of for my feats.”
Esther lowered the toy again with a heavy sigh.
“Oh please—as if my interest in such an incredible goddess could overshadow all your achievements. You either underestimate yourself or overestimate me. Both are foolish.”
Heracles shrugged and stood up.
“You have no idea how easily bad rumors can erase years of good deeds.”
He crossed his arms and tilted his head.
“And why did you bring the toy with you? Don’t you keep everything related to Nyx hidden in your sanctuary?”
Esther nodded and carefully placed the plush Nyx back into her pouch.
“It’s temporary. I need to imbue it with a scent similar to Nyx’s.”
She looked at her brother and saw even more disappointment in his eyes.
“…Did you sniff her?”
he asked, utterly exhausted.
Esther blinked and waved her hands frantically.
“Me?! N–no!!! I’m not that insane yet!!!”
Then she muttered quietly,
“And besides, for that I’d have to get close to her—and you know I can’t do that…”
Heracles sighed heavily and pinched the bridge of his nose. He was about to reply when smoke suddenly appeared in the distance.
Esther shot into the air.
“Oh. Looks like we’re needed again,”
she said, pointing toward where monsters were clearly causing trouble.
Heracles grabbed his weapons and headed off. Esther flew ahead to scout and clear a path—completely unaware that the cord of her pouch had snapped, sending it tumbling down into the forest below.
***
Esther flew frantically through the forest, inspecting every blade of grass. Tears welled in her eyes. She had looked away from the pouch for only a moment—and it was gone. She hadn’t even noticed. Her brother told her after finishing with the monsters and realizing the pouch was missing.
She had no idea where she could’ve lost it.
She tried lighting her way with her glowing hair, but that only caused more problems. More shadows appeared, forcing her to inspect every corner even more carefully. She probably should’ve covered her head, but she didn’t have time to find anything to hide the light.
She had to find the toy before wild animals did.
She desperately hoped the pouch was intact—and that the toy inside hadn’t been damaged. Hoped, because she was no longer certain any of the higher gods would hear or answer her prayers. And she really didn’t want to bother the Olympians.
What if someone else found it?
Esther froze, then flew even faster. What if someone realized who made it? The truth would come out, and she would never live down the humiliation. Or worse—what if someone used the toy for twisted purposes? Surely she wasn’t the only one who adored Darkness itself.
She had to find it.
Sniffling, she noticed something strange atop an old tree stump. Turning toward it and blinking a few times, she squeaked in joy and flew closer.
There it was.
Her plush toy—sitting neatly in the center of the stump. Completely unharmed. The pouch was gone, but that didn’t matter. Everything important was intact.
If only she had paper and a pencil—she would’ve captured the moment. Even the plush version of Nyx sat there with astonishing elegance.
Carefully lifting the soft Night and holding it close, Esther inhaled its scent.
She blinked in surprise—and sniffed again.
Amazingly, it didn’t smell like wood or forest.
It smelled like fragrant tobacco… and night violets.
Esther couldn’t recall any violets growing anywhere near that stump. And why had the toy ended up in such a perfect place?
She inhaled the pleasant scent again and closed her eyes.
Whatever. She didn’t have the strength to unravel this mystery right now. And honestly—it was even better this way. The scent suited Nyx perfectly.
How the toy acquired it was a problem for another day.
What mattered was that her plush Nyx was safe—and that she was here with Esther now.