Page 14 of Hephaestus
As we made our way further into the palace, I spun around to admire the décor of the place. I was expecting the walls to be adorned with gaudy jewels and decorations just like the homes of most of the other gods and goddesses. But Hestio’s palace was far different. There was greenery at every which turn. Waterfalls spurt a calming flow into a moat that traveled along the perimeter of the halls. There were plenty of spaces and holes in the walls that allowed for Apollo’s sunlight to grace its presence in the rooms of the palace. The place felt serene and tranquil. I was mesmerized by all of it.
“This is splendid!” I exclaimed. “Everything is so beautiful.”
“Yes.” The frail woman finally revealed the slightest hint of a smile to me for the first time. “Hestio prefers the palace in this way. You feel a natural sort of invigoration, no matter what room you walk into.”
“I do feel that,” I confirmed.
“Good. Now come. His Godship is patiently waiting for you.”
I continued to follow behind her. She led us down a winding path of halls before finally coming to a stop at a double set of sage-colored doors. They opened as we approached them.
“Go on,” she instructed, guiding me in before closing the door behind me.
Ahead, I walked down the corridor to the end of the room. A few tall chairs surrounded an extremely massive fireplace. It was the largest hearth I’d ever seen or even heard of. I wondered if Zeus or Hera possessed one just as considerable but couldn’t recall them having anything like it.
Hestio must have heard the loud clanking noise of my heavy feet striking the floor as I faltered forward, for he stood up from his sedentary position in one of the chairs facing the fireplace. He abruptly spun around to face me, with a look of great alarm written on his face.
“Hephaestus? W-Why? Why have you come here?”
Not that I was expecting a warm greeting or anything of the sort, but I was at least expecting some sort ofhelloorwelcome.
“I apologize for my unplanned appearance, but I had to come see you first upon my arrival at Mount Olympus, before anyone else.”
“Please tell me no one knows of your intent on coming to my home,” Hestio stated with worry.
“No. No one knows of my wish to come here.”
“And hopefully no one bore witness to you traveling here to my palace?” he further asked.
“No,” I repeated once more, hoping to give him reassurance. “I am certain no one saw me. I was furtive in my movements.”
“Oh good. Thank the Gods,” Hestio remarked. “For if anyone were to see you headed towards my palace, I am certain they would run and tell Hera.”
“I thought the very exact thing, which is why I was extremely careful.”
“Well, I thank you for your inconspicuousness. Please, have a seat,” Hestio offered.
I did as he recommended, taking a spot in the chair directly across from the one he was sitting in. He, too, sat back down, continuing to stare at me with wonder.
I couldn’t help but scrutinize Hestio. He had a resplendent complexion. I was unsure if it was natural or if the flames within him were the root cause of it. But his other features were beyond handsome as well. His hair was brilliantly auburn, like cooling magma. But what drew me into him the most were those gleaming crimson eyes of his. Although most would think that red irises made one menacing looking, this was not the case at all with Hestio. The color of his eyes presented more of a mysterious and alluring quality that added to his captivating persona.
As entranced as I was with him, I needed answers. Time was of the essence and I needed to be swift with my visit here and get to the bottom line with Hestio.
“You have to know the reason behind why I am here,” I stated.
Hestio simply shrugged. “I can’t say that I do.”
“I know what you did, Hestio. You cannot deny it. I saw you with my very own eyes. It was you that was on your knees beside me, trying to revive me after my fall.”
Hestio had a startled expression on his face as I mentioned this. He stood up and began pacing about the room, nervously. “Are you certain it was me?” he challenged. “You are sure your eyes were not deceiving you? Such a fall could easily make someone delirious and trick the mind into seeing and believing things that were not there.”
“That may be so, but how do you explain the flames that I still feel burning within me, even to this day?”
“The flames?” he repeated back to me, seeming stunned by what I had just shared.
“Yes. Ever since you fled the scene when I came to, I could feel the permanent blaze inside me. It won’t go away. And I even tested out my powers years ago. I was able to elicit fire and burn a stone to pure ash with my bare hands.”
“I see…” Hestio then commented. “Are the flames hurting you?”
