Hestia

"I am here because when all else fails, when all the other mighty gods have gone off to war, I am all that's left. Home. Hearth. I am the last Olympian."

- Hestia

In Greek mythology, Hestia (Ancient Greek: Ἑστία meaning "hearth" or "fireside") is the eldest child of Kronos and Rhea. She is the virgin goddess of the hearth, home, the right ordering of domesticity, architecture, and the family. She received the first offering at every sacrifice in the household.

History
Hestia was the first born child of the Titans Kronos and Rhea. She was the goddess of the hearth and home, and every household in Greece had a sacrificial flame in her honor. Like Hades, Poseidon, and the rest of their siblings, she was swallowed by Kronos, and spent her childhood inside his stomach, until her brother, Zeus, came and rescued her and her siblings. Because she was the first to be born and swallowed and the last to be to be thrown up by Kronos, she is called both the oldest and the youngest of Kronos' and Rhea's children.

The Lightning Thief
Hestia is first mentioned by Chiron to Percy while discussing the arguments between Zeus and Poseidon, and how she, along with their sisters, Demeter and Hera, could possibly calm them down.

In the final book of the series, it is revealed that the little girl tending the hearth when Percy first arrived at Camp Half-Blood was, in fact, the goddess Hestia. This makes her the first of the Olympian gods that Percy actually encountered but the last to have her identity revealed.

The Last Olympian
Hestia makes her second appearance in The Last Olympian. She first appears as an eight-year-old girl in Westport, Connecticut after Percy and Nico meet Ms. Castellan. She tells Percy that in order to understand Luke, his enemy, he must first understand Luke's family. She gives Percy constant visions of Luke's upbringing as a way to gain insight as to what he has gone through and why he made the choices that he did. Hestia tells Percy that sometimes the hardest power to master is the power of yielding. She reminded Percy that when Dionysus was made a god she gave up her throne for him to avoid civil war among the gods. At Olympus, she helps Rachel realize her destiny as the Oracle of Delphi. In the end, Hestia reminds Percy that when all the other gods are away in the fight, hearth and home are what will always remain.

It is this that makes Luke regain control when Annabeth reminds him of his promise to protect her, and his statement that they were a family. Percy also entrusts her with Pandora's Pithos, which Prometheus had given him in order to tempt him into surrender. He claims that she should be its guardian because hope survives best at the hearth, and the Pithos does not continue to follow Percy relentlessly. She also has a minor part in the ultimate battle with Kronos, where she super heats the scythe when it falls in the hearth; assuring it cannot be handled, making her the only shown God to participate in a fight with Kronos. Percy then sees her image in the flames looking disapprovingly at her father. At the end of the series, she is seen again as a little girl tending the hearth at Camp and winking at Percy, implying that she is content not being noticed, as long as some people do notice her once in a while.

Personality
Hestia appears to be of a calm and humble disposition. She is a very wise goddess as it was she who told Percy of the strength that comes from relinquishing power. Having vowed to be a virgin forever, Hestia has no children and places value in chastity.

Appearance
Hestia is initially described as an eight year old girl with mousy-brown hair and "warm and cozy" eyes of fire. She wears a simple brown dress or robes with a scarf wrapped around her head. Hestia is often seen with an iron staff that she uses to tend the hearth.

Sacred Animal
Hestia's sacred animal is the donkey ever since after a party in Olympus. Hestia was sleeping (we don't know if during the party or afterwards) and Priapus wanted to take advantage of it. While he was coming to her bed a donkey brayed outloud. Hestia woke up screaming and ran away from Priapus. After that unpleasent situation she declared to be grateful and defined the donkey as her sacred animal.

Vesta
Hestia can change her into her Roman counterpart of Vesta. As Vesta, she becomes more disciplined, militaristic, and warlike. In ancient times, the Vestal Virgins were maiden priestesses who maintained the sacred fire that was spread to every Roman household. As such, it is possible that the Virgins are the Roman counterpart of the Hunters. Hestia was envisioned by the Greeks as the gentle goddess of domesticity whereas Vesta was considered to be the stern guardian of the Roman state.

Abilities

 * Control over fire as she is the personification of the hearth.
 * Can allow others to witness events from the past, present, and future that deal with the family.
 * As the goddess of home and family, all things related to homes and family relationships are under her power.
 * Can summon delicious food, a power also exhibited by Hera. Percy says that her food tastes like the home-cooked meals everyone should have had growing up with.
 * Possesses the standard abilities of a goddess.

Trivia

 * When asked to describe Hestia's cabin at camp, Riordan said that she has no cabin because it just wasn't her style.
 * Hestia would be the last Olympian if the thrones of the gods are destroyed, her place is at the hearth and the home so she does not have a throne.
 * The fact that she is the first Olympian encountered by Percy but the last to have her identity revealed may be a reference to her being the first of Kronos' children born but the last regurgitated by him.
 * She is one of the Three Virgin Goddesses, Athena (whose children are born through a meeting of minds, not bodies) and Artemis are the other two.
 * Vesta, the second largest object in the asteroid belt, is named after Hestia's Roman counterpart.
 * In The Lost Hero, Hera states "I am the goddess of family. My family has been divided for too long," which can be confusing as Hestia is considered the goddess of the family, center, and well-being.
 * Percy describes her to look like 8 or 9 years old when he first meets her, but she appears older during his first visit to Olympus in The Last Olympian.
 * The priestesses of her Roman counterpart Vesta were known as Vestal Virgins. Rhea Silvia, mother of Romulus and Remus was to become a Vestal Virgin, but wasn't able to due to her siring of Romulus and Remus by Ares (Mars).
 * 4 Vesta, is an asteroid named after her roman counterpart, Vesta.
 * Vesta family, a group of asteroids, is named after her Roman counterpart.
 * 46 Hestia, a large, dark main-belt asteroid, is named after her.
 * She seems to really like Percy Jackson, usually helping him if he asks for it.
 * The fact that Hestia was the first Olympian god/goddess to meet Percy, but the last to be identified could be a reference to her old nickname Hestia first and last. This name was given to Hestia because she was the first of the Titans Kronos and Rhea's children so she was the first to be swallowed, but was the last one to be regurgitated.