Merlin’s Beard Jimmy was likely taller than her now, she realized as she stepped aside. The boy had always been so full of energy that to see him quite the opposite opened a pit in Hestia’s stomach. Whatever he had come to her for, it was bad. Taking a deep breath, she took his elbow and nudged him further into the room before closing the door. At the same time she was trying to calculate in her head if the situation was dire enough for her to pour him at least a small gulp of something strong.

When he finally revealed the news, she heard herself swear. Definitely something strong. “Jimmy…I’m so sorry.” She went to her vanity and pulled out the chair before moving back over to him and placing her hands on his shoulders to direct him to sit down. “I - shit.” She bit her bottom lip, conjuring up a chair next to him. She’d expected to at least have to patch him up, but he seemed relatively unscathed. Still, she asked: “Are you hurt? What happened?”