Page 37 of Hephaestus
Aphrodite then returned to the foot of the bed, sitting down on the edge of it. “When Hera told me I was to be married to you, I assumed the worst, that you were dim-witted, ugly, and deformed, the very words she has used to describe you all these years. But after learning more about you yesterday and now understanding more about you today, I’m starting to realize that maybe she did me a favor by forcing me to marry you.”
“Really?” I asked with astonishment. “You truly believe that?”
She nodded. “I’m the Goddess of love, Hephaestus, not the Goddess ofmarriage. Such a godly title does not exist, because it would be a failure to whoever earned it. Marriage does not imply love. There are many mortals and gods who are married, but who are notin love. Therefore, it is my belief that being married should not strictly confine you to being exclusively in love with your spouse. Look at us, for instance.”
This was not the conversation I was expecting to have with Aphrodite, not by any means. She was the one being so forthcoming about how she recognized our marriage to be a hoax and that she seemed to respect the idea of me loving someone else.
“You are in love with someone else too, then, I assume?” I questioned her.
She shrugged. “Love is so complicated, even for me, Hephaestus. I am the Goddess of love, but still, I find myself struggling with the very nature of it altogether. Love is the most complicated feeling in the world. It’s malleable, more so than the metals and weapons that you craft every day. You ask if I’m in love? That I am unsure of. However, I must admit that I do have a strong affinity for Ares. Do I love him? I’m not entirely sure…”
Aphrodite was so vulnerable right now, so raw, more than I could have ever imagined her being. “I can, without a doubt, tell you that Iamin love with Hestio,” I affirmed.
“And I will not hold you back from such feelings. You should act on them,” she said, giving me the permission I needed, but never really asked her for, just yet. “So long as you will allow me to act on mine?” she asked.
I gave her a warm smirk. “I would never want to hold you back from expressing your love, Aphrodite.”
“Then, I think you and I understand each other,” she stated, returning a smile my way. “I suppose the joke is on Hera then. She thought she was trying to make our existence miserable by having us wed to one another. But, really, this is honestly the best marriage I could have possibly ever asked for.”
Chapter 19
Iwasexpectingtohear from Hephaestus at some point this morning. But it was now late into the evening, which had me more worried about the outcome of Hephaestus’s meeting with Aphrodite, with him revealing to her that the two of us were in love. Not hearing from Hephaestus made me believe that the discussion did not go over well. I guessed he would now either ignore and keep his continued distance from me, or not be in a rush to share the ominous news.
It was getting rather late. So, I had one of my servants draw up a bath before I would head to bed. Just as I was about to strip off my tunic and submerge myself in the tub, a knock at my door disrupted me.
“My God,” Zephyria called out to me from the other side of the door. “You have a visitor wishing to come in unannounced. It is Hephaestus, again, persistent as ever. Should I tell him to go and that you are not expecting guests this late at night?”
“No!” I yelled back to her, so that I was loud and clear. “Please allow him to come in. Have him wait in one of the recreational rooms. Just give me a moment to get myself together and I will meet him there.”
“Very well, sir,” Zephyria replied, before I heard her footsteps trailing off. I quickly grabbed my tunic and put it back on, tying the drawstring, so that I was presentable. Being so eager to hear what Hephaestus had to say, I did not bother to straighten out my hair or anything else, not that my hair was completely disheveled or anything. But typically, I would pay additional attention to getting myself together when I had a visitor.
I rushed out of the room, but once I emerged into the hall, I maintained my composure and walked at a leisurely pace, so that my servants were not suspicious of my unusual behavior. Although, to be honest, I had a hunch all my servants were well aware of my relationship with Hephaestus. If Zephyria knew of the situation, then that meanteveryonein my palace knew about it. Ever the gossip spreader she was. Speaking of her, I saw Zephyria at the far end of the hall, standing across from what I assumed was the room Hephaestus was waiting in.
As I moved closer to her, she nodded at the door in front of her. “He’s in there,” Zephyria informed me.
“And were you able to pick up on what kind of mood he was in?” I asked, eager to know his attitude so that it would better help me determine the likely outcome of his and Aphrodite’s deep conversation.
But much to my dismay, Zephyria gave a carefree shrug. “He seemed rather normal. Nothing out of the ordinary,” she shared.
I rolled my eyes.Some help she was. “Thank you, Zephyria,” I kindly responded. “I’ll take it from here.” And so, Zephyria took off to attend to her other duties in the palace.
Now that I stood before the very doors that would lead me to Hephaestus, I let out a deep sigh before opening them, entering the sitting room. I scanned the area, but it didn’t take me long to spot Hephaestus at the far end of the room, in front of the fireplace with his back toward me, staring at the blazing, crackling flames.
I could tell he was deep in concentration. Not wanting to cause a major disruption to him, I discreetly moved to the chaise near the fireplace, before sprawling myself out to lounge on it. A few seconds passed before Hephaestus glanced back up and turned around to spot me in the room.
“Oh? I had no idea you were even here. When did you sneak in?” he asked with a smirk on his face.
A smile. This had to have been a good sign, was it not? Otherwise, there would be no reason for Hephaestus to smirk to begin with if things went so poorly between Aphrodite and him.
“Just moments ago. I didn’t want to disturb you. You seemed very deep in thought.”
He chuckled at my response. “Why thank you for the generosity.”
“But of course. If you don’t mind me asking, what was it you were so focused on?” I inquired.
“Just my conversation with Aphrodite from earlier,” Hephaestus began to explain. “And all that she said to me.”
“Which was?” Now I sat up on the edge of my seat, listening in on his every word with ardor.
