Love and Fire - (1)
Recently, Gaia has been quiet.
Perhaps it’s because the aspiring heroes who gathered in Thebes have completed their training and returned to the living world, hunting down monsters as they go?
There’s also the matter of the items I gave them, each imbued with Dionysus’s power, to help them resist Gaia’s madness. Chiron also seemed aware of this and put quite a bit of effort into mental training.
"Hades, Demeter and Persephone have arrived at the entrance to the Underworld." "Has the time come for Persephone to return? Let them in."
A messenger approached, informing me that it was time for Persephone to return to the Underworld.
After a brief wait, the door to the audience chamber opened, and two goddesses entered. Demeter, with her cold expression, and running toward me, golden-haired...
"Uncle Hades! I missed you!"
Poof.
I hesitated for a moment, unsure whether to dodge or not... but when I met Demeter’s gaze, I simply embraced her. Seeing me hold her daughter, Demeter’s expression softened.
Wasn’t she the one who used to make such a fuss before...
"Oh? You’re accepting me so easily now? Hehe..." "It’s been a while, Persephone. Now, step aside for a moment."
Setting her down beside me, I turned to face Demeter. The Earth Goddess, arms crossed, met my gaze and finally spoke.
"Hades. You’ve probably already heard the news from Olympus." "If you’re referring to the document about sending Hephaestus to the Underworld after he caused trouble, then yes."
Swish.
I pulled out the letter from Zeus, written in a hurried and furious hand. Anyone could tell just from the handwriting that Zeus was livid.
"Hades, brother, you said things were quite busy in the Underworld? Well, Hephaestus has made a mess, and for a while, he’ll need to stay in the Underworld..."
I wasn’t sure what had happened, but having another hand in the Underworld would be helpful, so I gladly sent my approval back to Olympus...
"So, what exactly brings you, the Earth Goddess, to the Underworld?" "It’s about that incident! Hephaestus didn’t just make a mess; he failed to assault Athena and impregnated Gaia!" "What kind of nonsense is this, Demeter?!"
What on earth is happening now...
The story Demeter told was as follows.
Athena had gone to Hephaestus’s forge in Olympus to request high-quality weapons from the blacksmith god. She had been furious lately after her temple was attacked by a Chimera.
But then...
"Hephaestus, could you craft me a new shield and spear..." "Athena... Huff...!"
After being rejected by Aphrodite and left in isolation, Hephaestus, entranced by Athena’s beauty, attempted to assault her. However, Athena, the Goddess of Wisdom and also the Goddess of War...
"Hah!" "W-what?! Argh!"
Thud!
She flipped Hephaestus over and threw him to the ground.
Unfortunately, in the commotion, some of Hephaestus’s... essence... landed on Athena’s thigh. Disgusted, Athena wiped it off and discarded it onto the earth.
"So, Gaia, the Mother Earth Goddess, gave birth to Hephaestus’s child, and now Athena is temporarily raising the child?" "That’s right! And the child is already showing signs of being like his father—trying to assault a virgin goddess!"
Zeus didn’t send Hephaestus to the Underworld just because of the attempted assault on Athena. We’re currently in conflict with Gaia, the Mother Earth Goddess.
Who knows what Gaia, now bearing the child of her great-grandson, might do. This incident could be seen as a provocation or an insult—a violation, even—toward a powerful enemy.
She’s not entirely our enemy, being the grandmother of both Demeter and me. But now, with my nephew Hephaestus involved and a child born from that union...
"Hmph! So now you see why I’m here. When Hephaestus comes to the Underworld..." "Yes, yes... I’ll make sure he doesn’t come near Persephone."
Thankfully, Demeter’s voice broke through my spiraling thoughts. So, she’s here to send off Persephone and to ensure that Hephaestus doesn’t approach her daughter.
Wait... If Gaia became pregnant from Hephaestus’s essence landing on the earth... don’t we also have an Earth Goddess here? Like Demeter, standing right in front of me?
I glanced at Demeter’s stomach, but she didn’t seem pregnant. Still, it’s best to hear it directly from her.
"But you’re an Earth Goddess too, aren’t you? Are you—" "Ugh! Do I really need to say out loud that I don’t fully control the earth, which is why I’m safe?!" "...My apologies."
Flushing red and fuming, Demeter stormed out of the Underworld. Meanwhile, Persephone, now aware of what happened with her "cousin" Hephaestus, approached me.
Hop.
She climbed onto my lap, sitting softly and flashing a tempting smile. Hmm. She’s much less convincing than Aphrodite...
"Hehe! Lord Hades! If Gaia can bear Uncle Hephaestus’s child, surely it’s fine for us too, right?" "...If only Demeter could see you now..."
Why does she call Hephaestus "uncle"? He’s your half-brother... no, your cousin... Ugh, my head hurts. I need to stop thinking about this.
"Hehe... Didn’t you miss me?! I thought about you every single day, Lord Hades!"
Why did she drop the "uncle" all of a sudden, dear niece? And please... stop rubbing against my arm.
After sending Persephone off to her chambers, some time passed before two gods arrived in the Underworld.
"Uncle Hades, it’s been a while." "Greetings..."
One was a muscular god, shoulders slumped in defeat, wrists bound—Hephaestus. The other, following behind as if to ensure he didn’t escape, was Artemis, Goddess of the Moon.
Artemis kept casting sharp, disdainful glances at Hephaestus. It seemed the incident had spread throughout Olympus.
Most of the gods must know the full story by now.
"I know what happened. Artemis, you may return now." "Ah... and one more thing..." "Did Zeus have a message for me?"
Artemis’s sharp voice echoed in the audience chamber as she spoke, bowing her head. Given that she, like Athena, had sworn her chastity to the River Styx, this incident must have hit close to home for her.
"Yes, my father asked me to tell you, 'You can make Hephaestus do whatever you wish, as much as you wish.'"
Hephaestus’s face darkened even more. But really, this was his own doing, wasn’t it?
"Tell Zeus I understand. You may leave now." "Understood, Uncle."
Before leaving, Artemis shot one last glare at the miserable blacksmith god. He, for his part, simply avoided her gaze, knowing he was in no position to respond.
"...Hmph!"
Thud. Thud.
As Artemis returned to the living world, I turned my attention to Hephaestus. At the sound of my voice, his well-trained muscles twitched as though I had prodded a rotten piece of meat.
"Hephaestus." "Yes, Uncle." "Why did you do it? Athena is a virgin goddess, having sworn her chastity to the River Styx. And you tried to force yourself on her, without even a formal marriage." "That’s... I was wronged, Uncle!"
What on earth could he possibly claim to be wronged about? You tried to assault her and failed...
Looking at him in disbelief, Hephaestus burst out in frustration.
"Uncle Poseidon told me the reason Athena was coming to my forge was because she had feelings for me!" "...Ah."
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I understood immediately. The two of them never got along.
I remembered hearing that during Poseidon’s rebellion, he had invited Athena to join him, but she refused. And when Poseidon had an affair with Medusa, Athena turned her into a monster.
They even fought bitterly over the possession of a city in the mortal realm. In the end, the people of the city chose Athena and her gift of an olive tree over Poseidon’s horses.
That city is now called Athens. It is where the most devout worshippers of the Goddess of Wisdom reside.
"So Poseidon tricked you into believing that Athena liked you to get back at her... Tch." "I believe that’s what happened. But no one believes me." "Of course not! Who would believe the man who tried to assault a goddess in her own forge?!" "Th-that’s..."
Sigh... Hold it together, Hades. Calm down. This isn’t his fault alone—it’s a matter of education. He likely learned this behavior from Zeus, with his history of womanizing. And besides, Hephaestus has never even shared a bed with his wife, Aphrodite, so it’s no wonder...
The future of Olympus seems as bright as ever.
"Bring in Eros, the one who’s been in charge of torturing criminals." "Yes!"
After waiting briefly with Hephaestus in the audience chamber, the young god Eros appeared, his fingers dripping with ichor. The moment he entered, he immediately prostrated himself.
"Lord Hades, I’ve reflected on my actions, and I—" "Eros. Show Hephaestus what you’ve been doing, then you may return to Olympus."
Eros’s face lit up with joy, his eyes widening. The exhaustion he had shown moments before vanished in an instant.
"Thank you! Lord Hades! I swear, even if my mother orders me again, I’ll never do it!"
"And... Uncle?" "What is it?" "Do I really have to torture the criminals? Couldn’t you give me something to do as a blacksmith instead?" "If you keep spouting nonsense, I’ll tell Zeus to officially assign you to the Underworld."
...
The root of Hephaestus’s attempted assault on Athena was his loneliness. Despite being married to the Goddess of Love, Aphrodite, he had been unable to fulfill his desires.
"I’ll be going now..." "Follow me, Hephaestus!"
As I watched Hephaestus and Eros leave the audience chamber, I rubbed my temples.
Wait... if Hephaestus was driven to attempt assault on a virgin goddess like Athena, how will he react if Gaia, now carrying his child, shows up beautifully adorned?
And with a child already born between them... Hmm...
Perhaps we really should consider dissolving his marriage with Aphrodite and finding him a new goddess? "...Hephaestus." "Yes?"
I’m going to have to deal with this marriage mess.