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Esther let out a relieved breath as she sank deeper into the hot spring. What bliss it was—to bathe not in a cold river or with a simple ladle of water, but in warm baths. She hadn’t done this in so long. Probably the last time she had bathed like this was when she had been very little.
Honestly, it was hard to explain how the little star had even managed to reach the crossroads and use these hot springs. To be truthful, she herself didn’t quite understand how she had ended up here. One day, Esther had been talking with her brother as usual when Melinoë and Zagreus suddenly appeared during yet another excursion.
And so, everyone left on fairly calm terms. For some reason, the two of them were curious about an unknown demigoddess they had never heard of before. Esther had desperately tried to hide from them, but first—guiding stars are very hard to hide, especially when they have long glowing hair. And second—it’s foolish to hide from two heroes famous for their stubborn, bull-like persistence.
In the end, the little star agreed to talk to Hades’ children and even help them with those… what were they called… ah yes, surface runs. But help doesn’t come for free. She had heard that there was a hot spring at the crossroads, and she really wanted to soak in it. So a deal was made: Esther would get access to this wonderful place, and Melinoë and Zagreus would get the best possible route for ascending to Olympus.
At that thought, the little star straightened and stared blankly at the water.
So… she had sold herself out for the chance to properly wash?
“Hm, interesting.”
A woman’s voice reached her ears. Because of the sound of the water, Esther couldn’t quite tell whose it was. She sighed heavily and slowly turned toward the unexpected guest—then screamed silently.
Nyx stood by the hot spring, studying it with curiosity. She placed her hands on the straps of her dress and slowly began to remove it.
“May I join your rest?”
the woman asked, looking at the little star.
Esther rapidly shook her head, her face slowly turning red.
“N-n-no, L-Lady Nyx,”
she stammered.
Night merely smiled. Removing her dress and excess jewelry, she calmly descended into the hot spring. Esther watched for a few seconds before flaring red and hurriedly turning away. If she kept looking at the goddess any longer, she would definitely faint.
“Melinoë was right. The hot springs here are much better than the ones in Hades’ house,”
Nyx said, paying no attention to her companion’s embarrassment.
She slowly ran a hand over her shoulder. Esther nodded without fully turning around.
“Y-y-you’re probably r-right, Lady Nyx.”
Nyx acknowledged the reply with a nod.
“Though perhaps the quality of the water has worsened due to the unscheduled repairs.”
She sighed heavily, closing her eyes.
“Oh, after our return from the time trap, there’s so much work. Everything must be rebuilt, the remaining shades returned from Chronos’ prison. So many connections were lost.”
She spoke quietly. Esther listened attentively, nervously staring at her own hands. What was she supposed to say? Offer support? Advice? Sympathy? Why had Night suddenly decided to start such a conversation with her? Had Esther done something wrong—was this a prelude to judgment?
Nyx studied the demigoddess carefully and shifted slightly closer.
“Esther, you are a surprisingly interesting child.”
Esther looked at her in alarm, then shyly turned away again. She still couldn’t look at Nyx for long because of her nakedness. Who would have thought that feminine bodies would attract her so much? Though, considering it was a goddess’s body, perhaps it wasn’t that surprising.
Esther glanced down at her own body and sighed sadly. Compared to Night, her form truly seemed dull.
“You are a guiding star, yet you hide from the gods. You have no temples, and your prayer is passed from mouth to mouth. I have also heard that you accept no offerings from mortals. Reward seems to be of no interest to you.”
Nyx spoke while carefully watching her reaction. Esther shrugged awkwardly.
“I, um… th-thank you, Lady Nyx, f-for the praise?”
she replied quietly, still looking at the water.
Nyx moved a little closer.
“And your skills are quite unusual as well. It seems Zeus produces rather talented children. Hephaestus, Apollo—and now you. You create many interesting things. Toys, paintings, dresses.”
Esther continued to blush, trying to remember when she might have told anyone besides her brother and Arachne about her hobbies. Perhaps she had forgotten—but her mind was so overheated from Nyx sitting beside her that she couldn’t recall anything at all.
Nyx moved even closer.
“And your appearance…”
At that, the little star clenched her fists, staring at the cracks running across her body. Now would come the usual criticism, like she’d heard from some mortals before. Remarks about sickly pallor, about—
“It is unusually beautiful.”
Esther blinked and looked up in surprise at Nyx, who was smiling at her.
“Among gods or Titans, children rarely possess such distinctive traits. For some, they are flaws, like Hephaestus’. For others, they are pleasant—like Zeus’ beard, resembling clouds.”
Unexpectedly, Nyx placed a hand on Esther’s shoulder, where one of the cracks lay, and slowly traced it.
“Skin like porcelain. And these cracks… I have only seen them on the Titan of Time, yet they do not look nearly as beautiful as yours.”
She shifted her gaze to Esther’s hair, glowing brightly from embarrassment. Nyx took one of the shining strands and drew it closer to her face.
“And your hair. I have seen many bright things meant to drive me away, but yours… your light, on the contrary, draws me in.”
Nothing could hide Esther’s embarrassment now—not her unusual skin that blushed poorly, nor her long hair that had previously concealed her face. She felt as though she might faint any second from sheer fluster.
She needed an excuse to leave—immediately. She had to get out of the hot spring and return to her refuge. A moment longer, and she would surely disgrace herself before the goddess, who only narrowed her eyes further, clearly pleased by her reaction.
Suddenly, Esther jumped to her feet, swaying slightly. Her eyes darted around, searching for something to hold onto.
“I—I… I’m s-sorry, Lady Nyx, I-I-I-I just remembered that Heracles a-a-a-asked me to help him t-t-t-today. I have to go!”
She rattled the words off quickly, stepping out of the hot spring. Her head was spinning, and she wanted to get as far away as possible. Throwing on her dress and her not-so-good armor as fast as she could, she took off into the sky, flying off somewhere far away.
Nyx sighed and closed her eyes again, smiling.
“How interesting… how very interesting.”