Page 17 of Hephaestus

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After a few back-and-forth comments about the need for the grandiose gesture, we eventually sat down to eat. Once we had enough and our appetites were satisfied, we retired to the same room where I first met Hephaestus in my palace weeks ago. A few silver goblets were sitting on the lower portion of the hearth, with cannisters of wine beside them. The fireplace was aglow and magnificent as ever.

The two of us sat on the ground just in front of it. At first, Hephaestus wobbled as he tried to gain his balance to sit on the floor. I was tempted to help him, but he held his hand towards me in resistance, refusing my assistance. He managed to get into a comfortable position on his own, and once he did, I poured the crimson contents into a goblet and handed it off to him, before pouring one for myself.

I clicked my goblet against his. “Welcome back to Mount Olympus, Hephaestus!” I exclaimed before taking a sip of the smooth-tasting wine.

“Thank you. Although I must say, I’m not quite sure how many others will welcome my company. However, even with that being said, you have done everything to make me feel very welcomed, my friend, despite those lurking thoughts of the possibility of others viewing my residency here as objectionable.”

“Nonsense! You need to expel such unpleasant thinking. The other gods most certainly will be glad to hear of your return. The only one that would even possibly pose a problem would be Hera. But even you, yourself, admitted that you are led to believe that she wishes for you to live here once again.”

“I suppose you are right,” Hephaestus replied, acquiescing to my opinion. His gaze then shifted over to the fireplace as he drank from his goblet. I was unsure what he was thinking, as he was fixated on it. Based on the look on his face, he seemed lost, which saddened me to no end.

“Promise me something, Hestio,” he then spoke up, breaking the tense silence.

“Promise you what?”

“Promise me that no matter how my initial interaction with Hera goes that I will always be able to find a friend in you. I’ve accumulated such few friends in my existence that I can count them on a single hand. I can’t bear the thought of losing any of them. My feelings have been crushed my entire life. I don’t want to continue to have to endure disappointment at every waking moment. After all, even things that are broken can still be broken into smaller pieces. So please, I beg of you, I hope I will always have your loyalty and maintain an ally of you.”

This was a simple promise, likely the easiest one I ever would have to keep. I gave my word to him without even the slightest hint of hesitation.

“I promise you, Hephaestus. You don’t even have to ask me such a thing. I would do so no matter what. Honestly, being with you these past couple of weeks has brought out a side of me that I never knew existed.”

I was unsure if revealing my feelings to him was such a good idea and if it would really benefit anyone. But now that it was Hephaestus’s last night staying here in my palace, and with the wine beginning to manipulate my mind, I found myself willing to divulge all my sentiments, no matter how unbefitting it was.

“You are unlike any other god I have come across,” I continued. “I will admit, I had my guard up the moment you arrived, but you have allowed me the chance to lower my walls as I got to know you more. I’ve never been so open with anyone as I am with you. You truly have bewitched me in the best possible way.”

I had to pause my speech to gain composure. My emotions were running high, and I needed a moment of brevity to catch my breath.

Hephaestus and I just stared at each other, almost longingly. But before I could proceed with my uncensored revelation, he leaned in towards me.

One of his colossal hands reached to cradle the back of my neck to pull my face into his. Our lips pressed together. At first, my eyes bulged, shocked by Hephaestus’s actions. But then I began to relax, closing my eyes, allowing myself to get lost in the nearly tangible passion that existed between us.

I returned his kiss. The intensity of the heat within us rose. My fire within me burned at an extravagant rate, likely parallel to his very own. I could sense that the flames were scorching and wild, matching our current feelings for one another.

Everything about this moment felt so right. It justified every warm thought I held about Hephaestus. But then, I began to get the better of myself. What would come of our relationship? I was a celibate god. I swore to Zeus I would remain a virgin, which is why I inherited the very title he bestowed to me. I promised I would never fall in love with another man or god, yet here I was digressing from that very notion.

I had to gain some sense of control. It was impossible for me to proceed in an intimate relationship with Hephaestus. The exposure of the two of us together would only cause problems. The King and Queen of the Gods would likely find our connection abominable. It could harm Hephaestus in the worst possible way, and the last thing I wanted was for him to ever have to experience anymore grief. He had endured so much already. I could not bear the thought of me being the reason behind why he should have to go through more torment.

It was just as he told me minutes ago: Even things that are broken can still be broken into smaller pieces.Hephaestus was already so fragile. I could not proceed in forming a romantic union with him. It would likely result in a further, crushing blow to him in the end, when our relationship would inevitably have to be fractured. Although me rejecting him now would also cause harm, it was far less of a weight for him to bear now than what it could potentially be later down the line.

I pulled away from our embrace. “Hephaestus, I’m sorry, but I can’t…” I uttered.

“What? But…” he began to say, before I interjected further.

“You are truly an amazing god, but we cannot do this together.” I then rose to my feet, completely ruining the romantic scene we were so caught up in. “As you may be aware, I vowed I would enter into no such relationship with anyone, even you.”

I could see the bewilderment expressed on his face, which pained me to no end. “Look,” I stated, while softly cupping his shoulder with my palm. “I do care about you. I am sorry, Hephaestus, but we cannot…”

“No,” Hephaestus then interrupted me, struggling to rise to his feet. His weak leg was giving out on him, but I reached under his arms to help stabilize him, until he could fully return to balancing on his own. “You’ve done nothing to apologize for. This was my own doing. I never should have been so bold enough as to intrude in such a way. Please forgive me.”

Before I could even express that no harm was done on his or my accounts, Hephaestus hobbled out of the room.

“Wait, Hephaestus!” I called, chasing him down the halls of my palace.

But he refused to listen to anything I had to say. The embarrassment and shame were likely eating at him, and I had no clue as to how to diffuse the situation and make him come to his senses.

“Please, if you’ll just hear what I have to say,” I implored.

Despite my supplications, Hephaestus continued to ignore me until he was out of my palace, beyond my gates, and completely out of sight.