Chapter 39: Hephaestus (6)
“It looks familiar… like I’ve seen that pattern before,” Aphrodite murmured.
“What? Where?” Athena asked.
“Hmm… I think I saw it in Poseidon’s palace.”
Athena froze at the mention of Poseidon.
If this was tied to him, it complicated things.
Poseidon wasn’t one for art or culture, and he certainly wouldn’t gift Hera something like this.
He’d be more likely to douse her with a tidal wave and run.
As her thoughts raced, Athena pieced it together: Hera’s unprecedented display of a crafted object, Aphrodite’s recognition of the pattern from Poseidon’s palace, and her comment about Zeus being too busy to chase women lately.
A craftsman of this caliber could only be the Cyclopes—or someone like them.
Then, her mind landed on her missing half-brother.
‘Hephaestus was a skilled blacksmith.’
‘His belongings were found on Naxos, where Ares and his followers caused a ruckus. I remember that clearly.’
‘Naxos belongs to Poseidon. If Hephaestus is alive, it all makes sense.’
As Athena reached this conclusion, her eyes met Hera’s.
— “Stay quiet. Keep what you’ve realized to yourself.”
Hera’s telepathic voice echoed in her mind.
Athena nodded subtly.
Hera’s gaze confirmed she knew everything.
“I don’t know if this is to show she’s found her son again or if there’s another motive…” Athena murmured.
“What?” Aphrodite asked.
“Nothing. Let’s just watch and see what Hera’s planning.”
***
The moment arrived for Hera to sit on the throne.
The gathered gods, buzzing with anticipation, clasped their hands, ready to applaud the sight of Hera on the magnificent seat.
— “This is exciting.”
— “Think I could sit on it after Hera?”
— “Sure, if you want to die.”
— “Don’t go far. Farewell.”
As Hera slowly lowered herself onto the throne, the gods prepared to erupt in cheers.
But then—
Clank!
The throne turned pitch black, and thick chains burst forth.
“““What?!”””
Before anyone could react, the chains bound Hera tightly to the throne, hoisting her into the air like a condemned prisoner on a gallows.
“Gasp!”
“What in the world…?”
“Mother!”
“Eek!”
It was an unimaginable spectacle.
No one had dared to conceive of such an act.
It felt like a spark that could reignite discord in the newly stabilized Olympus.
***
As the gods witnessed the humiliating scene of their queen ensnared, some closed their eyes, unable to watch, while others rushed to free Hera, but the chains wouldn’t budge.
Even Athena, who had suspected Hephaestus’ involvement, hadn’t anticipated an event of this magnitude.
Only Hera and Zeus remained calm amidst the chaos.
The gods swarmed the throne, trying to break the chains, but they were unbreakable.
Unable to identify the craftsman, they could only keep trying in vain.
“RAAAGH!”
“Ares, move aside. Your strength won’t cut it. Let me show you true power,” Apollo barked.
But neither Ares, the god of war, nor Apollo could snap the chains.
With Hera bound, Zeus couldn’t risk using his thunderbolt, and the struggle to free her dragged on for days.
***
“Hera, you knew, didn’t you?”
“Exactly. I told you, Hera, you’re terrible at acting,” Hestia said.
“Demeter, Hestia, is that something to say to someone who’s chained up?” Hera retorted.
“But you’re telling me you can’t even scratch those chains with your power?” Demeter pressed.
Unlike the frantic male gods, Hera’s sisters quickly saw through her.
Having spent a lifetime together in Kronos’ belly, they could spot her theatrics instantly and spoke to her casually.
“Hmph. Impressive, isn’t it? Who else could bind me for this long?” Hera said with a smirk.
“Oh, look at her. She knew who did this and still played coy,” Demeter teased.
“Now that I think about it, Hera, I haven’t seen you this soft since you married Zeus,” Hestia added.
While Hera bantered with her sisters, Zeus pulled Poseidon aside to vent.
Though he and Hera hadn’t treated Hephaestus well…
“Brother, you’ve got it good. Your kids get along well enough,” Zeus grumbled.
“What are you talking about?”
“Look, Triton’s such an upright son for a god like you. Plus, with just three wives, all your kids get along, even the half-siblings.”
“Tch, I can’t rule the seas alone, so they understand. Don’t be ridiculous.”
“Then what about me? I had kids out of necessity too, but they’re a mess. My own sons are trying to kill each other!”
“This is driving me mad.”
“Exactly! That’s how I feel. If your kids don’t understand their parents’ hearts, who will? Look at this mess—some kid strung up his own mother like that!”
Poseidon sighed, listening to Zeus’ drunken rant.
‘Ugh, I get how he feels, but…’
Even though he’d anticipated this, seeing a parent’s pain up close hit differently.
Having become a father himself, Poseidon couldn’t entirely dismiss Zeus’ feelings.
“Alright, alright. Someday your kids will understand. Here, have a drink.”
“Why are kids always like this…?” Zeus muttered, drowning his sorrows.
***
As the night passed with Zeus and his siblings, he deemed it time to reveal the culprit behind the incident.
Gathering all the gods, he announced the name of the one responsible.
“After thorough investigation, we’ve identified the perpetrator. It is Hephaestus.”
At first, the gods were puzzled, unfamiliar with the name.
But soon, they recalled he was the missing son of Zeus and Hera.
Oh!
Some gods vividly remembered Hephaestus, the prodigy blacksmith who had shown remarkable talent.
— “Could it be…?”
— “Their son did this…?”
— “He’s become such a master craftsman.”
— “He’s alive…?”
Unlike the others, Ares exploded with rage the moment he heard the name.
“Hah! I knew it was him! I’ve always known that scheming wretch would pull something like this, Father!”
Ares and his followers grew emboldened.
They had faced a massive purge for their role in attacking Hephaestus, but this incident seemed to vindicate them.
Zeus gazed coldly at Ares and his unrepentant faction, who boasted of their supposed triumph.
In a calm but firm voice, he issued a command.
“If that’s so, Ares, go persuade Hephaestus to release these chains. No one here can break them, so only their maker can.”
Ares was elated at Zeus’ order.
Finally, he had a chance to definitively eliminate Hephaestus, who had clashed with him and caused his faction’s collapse.
Ares blamed Hephaestus entirely for his misfortunes.
“Haha, don’t worry, Father. I’ll drag that Hephaestus back!”
Before Zeus could finish, Ares turned, rallied his followers, and prepared to head straight for Sicily.
After all, only the Cyclopes’ forge could produce such a creation, and Ares was clever enough to figure that out.
*Heh, while I’m at it, I’ll take care of those annoying Cyclopes too.*
‘If that fool Hephaestus learned blacksmithing, it’s obviously from them.’
‘I could frame them for treason and toss them into Tartarus.’
‘Or it doesn’t even matter—evidence can be fabricated. Heh heh.’
The gods in the assembly hall gave Ares uneasy looks as he stormed off before Zeus’ words were complete.
Zeus, watching his son’s pathetic display, sighed and dismissed the gathering.
— “Is this really okay?”
— “I don’t know. Isn’t he always like that?”
— “True.”
As the gods dispersed, only Zeus and Hera, still suspended in the air, remained in the hall.
Zeus turned to her.
“Do you think Ares will bring Hephaestus back?”
“No way. That boy’s the worst, even if he’s our son.”
“True, he inherited all our worst traits.”
“So? Is it right for me to be humiliated like this?”
“It’s just a parent indulging a child’s tantrum. You don’t get to complain.”
“Hah! I’m their father too!”
Hera’s tone turned icy at Zeus’ mention of fatherhood.
“You don’t deserve to be called a father. You used Hephaestus.”
Zeus shot back, “You stood by and did nothing back then. It was the best we could do. We couldn’t wage war like Poseidon.”
With that, their conversation ended, and a cold silence filled the hall as they averted their gazes.
***
Unlike the gleeful Ares, his followers knew this was their last chance.
Ever since their role in attacking Hephaestus was exposed, Zeus and Hera’s schemes had led to the execution of many lesser gods and the exile of those with more power.
This mission might be a final test to weed out the remnants of their faction.
Thus, Ares’ closest allies and those vying for power prepared meticulously, seeing this as a stepping stone to greater influence.
“Enyo, is everything ready?”
“Yes. Machai, Hysminai, and Phonoi are fully prepared,” Enyo reported.
Ares nodded with a satisfied grin.
The children of Eris, the goddess of strife, were the strongest gods in his army.
No matter what traps Hephaestus had set, they wouldn’t stand a chance.
“Good. We don’t need more to deal with a mere blacksmith. Tell everyone to mount up and be ready. I’m off to get Aphrodite’s blessing for this victory against the traitor.”
“Yes, sir!”
Ares headed to Aphrodite, brimming with confidence.
Though she had barred him from approaching during the Olympian council, he was now a general hunting a traitor, so surely she’d grant him a blessing.
Meanwhile, in Aphrodite’s palace in Olympus, the goddess with radiant golden hair and flawless ivory skin was offering fruit, a gift from Demeter, to her friend.