Page 18 of Hephaestus
I could not follow him, in fear of others witnessing my chase. So, I had no choice but to retreat into the very room we just came from. I shut the doors behind me, enclosing myself in the room to gain privacy from my servants.
As I approached the hearth, I instantly fell to the floor on my knees, feeling fatigued and weak as ever. Tears formed in the corner of my eyes as I could only think of Hephaestus and the torment my repudiation had caused him.
Never did I want things to pan out this way. His departure was meant to be filled with laughter and bliss, not agony and sullenness. Worst of all, I was the root behind this woe. How I wished I had concealed my feelings from him. For if I did, he wouldn’t have found the courage to proceed to kiss me. None of this would have happened if I tamed my emotions.
Yet, I realized that I did try to hide them, but to no avail. Such an affinity and affection towards someone is impossible to keep veiled. And truth be told, I did enjoy the kiss with Hephaestus. Had I not carried the title of God of virginity, I suspected that I would have fully accepted his kiss, his embrace, and so much more.
Chapter 8
WhatafoolIwas to act so brazen!
I was completely embarrassed, running out of Hestio’s palace. The shame ate away at me, from having been rejected by him. How could I let my emotions run amok and control me? I thought I had mastered controlling them, but I was beginning to question those sentiments. However, now was not the time to think and dwell. I could not face Hestio after what I had just done. I needed to get out of here fast. There was no way I could turn to face him and talk this through. It was out of the question.
Fleeing Hestio’s palace wasn’t enough. I needed to escape Mount Olympus altogether, at least for a short while until I could regain my composure. The last thing I wanted was to make my presence known to everyone while being under this state of stress and turmoil. I would not be at my best, and not being my best would mean I wouldn’t leave the first impression that I had desired on the other gods and goddesses.
The only place I could go to conceal myself was back down to the surface and spend time in isolation in my workshop in the volcano where Thetis and Eurynome allowed me to reside. I furtively entered the scorching cave, not wanting to inform Thetis and Eurynome I had returned. They should no longer have to worry about me. By letting them know I was back, they would assume the worst and only be anguished by the very idea of my stalled return to Mount Olympus. Plus, I was only intending on remaining here but for a few days. There was no point in filling them in on this. It would only draw more questions and skepticism on their part. They would likely press on me about why I was upset and not meeting Hera on Mount Olympus. I would be forced to either confess to them I had visited Hestio or lie about the affair altogether. And I could not bring myself to do either of those options. I trusted Thetis and Eurynome more than anyone else in this world, except Hestio, of course. Not being forthcoming with them would prove that I was a disloyal friend and ally to them.
So, I devoted my time to the forge, throwing myself back into blacksmithing to try and alleviate all the pain and guilt I was now experiencing. That’s exactly what the trade did for me. It was cathartic and allowed me to consume my mind with other thoughts than the worry that was the permanent preoccupant at the time.
The sound of metal grinding on metal sent a wave of invigoration to every corner of my body. The heat from the flames comforted me, serving as a cozy garb to keep me complacent. I was in my element and any thought of Hestio and Hera was now put in the past for the time being. I knew I would soon have to process all that had happened, but first I needed to regain my wits about me. Therefore, diving into making weapons was my one sure way to put my mind at ease.
I remained fixated on my blacksmithing tasks for days. But surprisingly, it wasn’t calming me at all. If anything, having the time to dwell on all that has happened made me grow even bitter. No one understood me. Hera didn’t, Zeus didn’t, and now, even Hestio didn’t. I’ve given my trust to so few people, yet most of them threw it right back in my face and hurt me to no end. How could people disregard me in such a way? How could theyhateme so? And how stupid I was to think that Hestio could be any different from the rest?
He could have any god or mortal he so well desired. In what world could I possibly believe that he would desire me over anyone else who was his for the taking? Why would he even bother wasting his time on a deformed, hideous looking god like me? If only I realized this sooner and saw the error in my ways. But I was so caught up in the moment at the time, that I couldn’t think straight. My heart felt as if it had a mind of its own. It was being tugged at, pulling my body and my lips closer and closer to Hestio until they met his.
At first, I was thrilled to see Hestio accept my advance towards him, but of course, I should have known he would have come to his senses and pull away just as he did. Anyone could have foretold that that was bound to happen.
Bitterness and resentment were now swelling within me the more I thought about not only my many mistakes but also of the cruelty others had bestowed upon me. The flames within me now burned higher than those within my forge.
I was a god, and not just any god, but anOlympian God. How could I have this much power and at the same time, feel so weak? No. This shouldn’t be the way I was feeling, I was coming to understand. I needed to be strong.
No more!
I needed to be done with always feeling like a victim. It was long time that I stepped up and fought for myself. I was tired of being the one always wounded by the actions of others. Perhaps that was why Hera and everyone else could treat me so cruelly without remorse. It was because they viewed me as someone who they could easily walk over without any repercussions.
The idea itself had plenty of merit.
And I was beginning to concoct a plan that would shake all of them up on Mount Olympus. It would be a lesson I wanted to teach Hera for how she behaved towards me. It was my turn to make the pre-emptive strike before she could once again harm me in return. Maybe invoking a punishment on her would be the perfect revenge that was needed, that would make her and all of the other Olympian Gods fear me and know what I am capable of, that I am not some god to cross.
And so, I found myself more determined than ever to create something amazing and yet so sinister at the same time. Obsession became my companion as I spent what seemed like countless days in my cove within the volcano. The ringing of metal screeching against other pieces of metal was the only noise to be heard from my cave for days.
I became lost in my craft until the final product was finished. I barely gave myself time to rest and eat, for any time spent away from my tools and forge felt a waste. The pressure to build thisgiftI had in mind for Hera now consumed me. And as soon as I finished this gift, I would be returning to Mount Olympus right away to hand it over to her.
But this wasn’t justanygift I was creating. It would be an offering that would shock her, something that would make her think twice before ever trying to provoke me again.
Chapter 9
Itwasfinallycomplete!
The very moment I had finished my creation, I brought it with me to Mount Olympus. There was no reason for me to be sidetracked and go anywhere else. So, I headed directly for Hera and Zeus’s palace, with my gift lugged on my back, concealed by a heavy tarp.
As the servants led me through the halls, I glanced around, remembering every limestone and pearl feature. Everything was just as it had been many years ago. One would think that the King and Queen of the Gods would have desired a change of scenery. After all, they had the entire world and every material at their disposal. I wasn’t sure whether they were just wholly satisfied with all that they had, or if they were just lacking creativity these days. Or perhaps they were far too busy to even pay attention to small details, which included the decorations around their palace. Knowing that Zeus and Hera wereneversatisfied, I had suspected the latter to be true.
Zeus’ two servant boys who were escorting me along the way suddenly came to an abrupt stop as they stood before the gargantuan limestone doors. Both sets of the doors opened all on their own. The two boys simply nodded ahead, directing me to enter the room, to which I did.
The trek down the room was a long one, but I eventually reached the very end of it, where there were two towering thrones ahead. Seated to the one on the right was the woman whose existence I had grown to loathe, but she was the only one present. The seat to her right was left empty, which likely meant that Zeus had other more important matters to attend to and could not bother with welcoming my return to Mount Olympus. It only went to show me just how much he truly cared about me as a new Olympian God, which wasnot at all.
I was actually hoping the King of the Gods would be present, for if Hera acted out of line and over-stepped her boundaries, which she often did, at least he would be here to control her. He was the tamer to her lion-like nature, and this lion was a ferocious beast that needed all the guidance it could attain in order to be calmed. She was an unpredictable heathen and being alone with her as I once was as a child now left me with a very unsettling feeling in the pit of my stomach.
