“Why you!” Hera seethed, still wildly shaking to try and come undone.
But there was no use. She could fight it and waste her energy all she wanted. There was no possibility of her escaping. I had carefully constructed invisible cords attached to the throne. Whoever sat in it would be bound and tied without a hope in the world of being able to get out of it.
Only I had the power to release Hera. Even Zeus himself was incapable of setting her free.
“What do you want from me? An apology?” Her tone finally calmed down, now that she realized she was completely helpless and reliant on me.
“Absolutely nothing,” I confessed. “I don’t even want an apology because I know it won’t mean anything coming from you.”
“Then what is your plan here, Hephaestus? You cannot just keep me locked up in this chair. Surely, once the King of the Gods finds out about this treachery of yours, you will be punished.”
I could not help but chuckle at her threats. “He will do no such thing, for if he punishes me, it will only result in your remaining confined here for an even longer amount of time. No one has the ability to lift this spell but me. Therefore, you are in debt to me if you ever want to have your freedom again.”
“This is outrageous! And to think I was willing to budge and accept you with open arms upon your return to Mount Olympus. Well, you can forget that now. You’ll never be a God. You’re no son of mine!”
“I was never your son to begin with!” I retorted with a vehement fury stirring within me from her remarks. “I’ve never considered you a mother for my entire life. No mother ever acts the way you do. Your actions towards me are unforgiveable and now you will regret the very days that you gave me away and then threw me off the cliff.”
“I will do no such thing! I regret nothing. All my actions have been justified. Look at what it has done. Do you not see yourself now? This vengefulness, this anger. All of it that you now possess was because of me. It was I who was responsible for making you strong. You were so weak, and you still have such a long way to go before you can ever be considered as an Olympian god.”
“If you regret nothing, then you will remain here, still. I hope you change your view on the matter. After all, you now have all the time in the world to sit here and reflect on all the pain and anguish you have caused me.”
And with that, I turned around and began walking off with my back toward her.
“You’ll be back soon, Hephaestus. Whether it’s by guilt or by force, you will release me in the very near future. Mark my words.”
But I continued onward, throwing the throne room doors open, heading out of the palace. I did not care about the repercussions I could potentially face by committing such a betrayal to the Queen of the Gods. What’s a few more consequences to the suffering and grief I’ve had to endure throughout my entire existence?
Chapter 10
Iwasneverthesame since the day Hephaestus stormed off out of my palace. I had rationalized that refusing him and his advance towards me was what was best for the both of us. After all, I was the God of virginity. Being physically and emotionally involved with Hephaestus would be hypocritical of me. What would the other gods and goddesses think? Surely, Zeus would strip me of my title and godship completely.
But would it be a sacrifice I was willing to make? I wasn’t quite sure. For the past several weeks, I found myself second-guessing my choice to pull away from that kiss between the two of us. Truth be told, I found myself constantly picturing that moment of intimacy between us. His touch still felt as though it lingered on me. I couldn’t help but now close my eyes and simper, reminiscing over it. The stark contrast between his tough and thick skin against my smooth and silky body sent a rush of thrill through my body that I never even knew existed.
Why was I experiencing these feelings? Never in the presence of any god before have I had such carnal sorts of thoughts. Whether it was with Apollo, Poseidon or whomever. None of them caused this swelling within me that Hephaestus did. And there was something to be said about that.
Part of me felt ashamed for having such desires. What kind of pure and genuine god was I to have these ideas swirling around in my head? What would those who prayed and were loyal to my deity think if they knew their god was thinking things that went against everything they and I believed in?
But shunning these deep-seated feelings I was beginning to have for Hephaestus was proving to be more painful than I cared to admit. For every day that passed, they just continued to eat away and torment me, festering and growing even larger than Sisyphus’s boulder. As much as I tried to overcome what I could only describe ascravings, I was only avoiding the inevitable. And now, I found myself desperately needing to find Hephaestus. Perhaps talking through my inner thoughts and turmoil with him would prove to be helpful. Even if discussing them would result in a situation that would not end well, at least I would be able to see him again.
That was another thing. I had grown so used to Hephaestus’s stay with me that no longer having him as a permanent guest made my palace feel desolate. As I roamed up and down my halls every day, I could feel the emptiness instantly. Although I was a God of fire, it was Hephaestus who truly was the one who brought a warmth and light to my home.
I had to see him soon. I could no longer go on like this without telling him how I really felt, which was completely the opposite of how I let things end between us during our last encounter.
But I would have to hold out a little while longer before I would make my trek to seek him out. For now, I had arrangements to meet Hera for dinner. The Queen of the Gods requested my company just a few days ago. And when the Queen of the Gods summons one of us Olympians, we have no choice but to abide by her request for us to meet her, even if on a whim.
As I was getting myself together in my private bedchamber, soon ready to head to Hera’s palace, a sudden and unexpected knock came from the other side of my door. I abruptly turned to face it.
“Yes? Who is it?” I shouted out to them.
“It’s me, sir,” a frail voice responded.
I instantly recognized the source of the fragile noise. It belonged to one of my eldest servants, Zephyria.
“Come in,” I called back.
The double doors opened and in she ambled, her back slightly hunched as she slowly made her way closer towards where I was seated in my chaise.
“I am so sorry to be intrusive. Please forgive me,” she stated.