Page 36 of Hephaestus
The silence that continued to linger between us was broken again by Hephaestus. “Look, Hestio, I’m so sorry for all that I have put you through with my marriage to Aphrodite. I never wanted this to happen. You must know that. If I had it my way, I would be with you. But no one is preventing us from still being together. Yes, it will be unconventional in that I love you while being married to someone else, but other gods and goddesses have committed to such lifestyles. We can be just like them.”
I could not lie to myself. Part of me was relieved to hear that he still admired me and was willing to take the risk and love me while being someone else’s husband. However, I was still questioning the very idea of it. I was once the God of virginity. I had allowed Hephaestus to strip me of that title. Now, I was strictly the God of fire, family values and traditions, and the hearth. Having a love affair with Hephaestus while he was married to someone else would prove to make me hypocritical. It would go against my beliefs in families and their relationships. No husband or wife should go astray from one another. Yet, here Hephaestus was, once again wanting to take away another godly title from me. Could I possibly find the will to be able to live such a lie—such a life with him? I was not so sure of it.
“What if I spoke with Aphrodite?” Hephaestus further added. “What if I was honest with her and told her about the love we have for each other? If she gave me permission to love you while being eloped with her, would your mind then be swayed?”
These were unusual terms Hephaestus was presenting me with. Would he really be able to muster up the courage to tell his wife that he is in love with another god? Not only this, but did he really think that Aphrodite, who was the most self-centered and hard-headed goddess next to Hera, would be so willing as to allow Hephaestus to carry on with a relationship with me? It was rather hard to believe, but if this was the route Hephaestus wanted to take, then so be it. Although, in my mind, there was a small chance that Aphrodite would agree to his conditions. At least it was a possible solution Hephaestus had come up with. I had no answers to help our cause, and so I would allow him to try and salvage what we had together.
“Very well,” I finally responded. “See what Aphrodite has to say about our current predicament. Knowing that we have her approval will be at least somewhat comforting to me.”
Hephaestus’s whole demeanor instantly changed. The downtrodden expression on his face morphed into a bright grin. He lit up now that he had slightly cracked me open. Stepping toward me, he held my hands in his.
As much as I felt the need to pull away from him, I could not do so. His contact sent a jolt that ran through my entire body. It was as if every surface of my skin craved that warmth of his. It longed to feel his touch, and I could not deprive it any longer.
Hephaestus must have felt my willingness and acceptance of him, for he leaned in to passionately kiss me. I welcomed his lips, getting lost in his love, as I often did. And I wanted to continue to get lost in his love for an eternity. So, I just hoped this plan of his to speak with Aphrodite would go smoothly, because I don’t think I could go on without Hephaestus’s love.
Chapter 18
AfterIfollowedHestioout into Dionysus’s gardens, the last thing I expected was to find Priapus forcing himself upon Hestio. My lover screeched out in anger for help from this disgusting, rustic god that was attempting to ravage him. It took every ounce of control I had to not bludgeon him to the Underworld with one of my hammers, clubs, or mallets. Because Hestio was present, I knew better to tame myself. That was what Hestio did. He brought out the best in me. And therefore, all I invoked on Priapus was a simple punch to the face. Needless to say, it was a light strike that sent a feral warning, leaving a slight trail of blood on his already dirty face. Had Hestio not been around, I would have done worse.So much worse.
Priapus did take heed of my threat before sprinting off. Now, I finally had a private audience with Hestio, one I had been trying to get all day. I was aggravated with him, to say the least. Hestio was so pure, and also so concerned with appearances, titles, and what the other gods and goddesses thought of him, which was his greatest detriment. Although it was not a terrible one compared to those of the other gods, it was something I was able to recognize and could help him through. That’s what love was, being able to understand the flaws in your partner, even if they were minor, and having the capability to help them through their journey to better themselves.
Hestio and Icouldbe together. I just wish he were able to see it, too. Marriage was just some folly tradition created by the gods. And from what I have gathered, it was a way for the male gods to further establish power over the female goddesses. It was why Zeus, the King of the Gods, had far more influence than his wife, Hera, who was the Queen of the Gods. In our ranking system of hierarchy on Mount Olympus, the gods made sure they held dominance in every capacity than the goddesses.
They made the rules. They made the laws. Why else would the male gods be able to fornicate and do anything and everything they pleased, even while somehow establishing a moral code for some of the female goddesses to believe that virginity and chastity were pure based on their gender? I wish Athena and Artemis were able to see beyond these men that were really controlling them, unbeknownst to their wits. And Hestio was also a victim of their rules. He did believe that marriage was a sacred vow and that no one within said marriage could sexually explore other options beyond their spouses, and that they had no capacity to love others. I wanted him to see the error in his ways, that this matrimony between Aphrodite and me was a sham, a ruse concocted by Hera. However, it should not be able to define who and what Aphrodite and I chose to love. Marriage was symbolic for some, but not for others.
This was the one true time that I admired Aphrodite. She did go against their grain and followed her own set of parameters. And hopefully, this was what I would be able to tap into when I confronted her about my love for Hestio. I knew undoubtedly that Aphrodite was not in love with me. She clearly had other gods and men she loved and was sexually interested in. I knew for a fact she would not choose to have sex with me. Being the free and fearsome creature that she was, she could not devote her body to just me for an eternity. She was the one who had sexual conquests among the masses. That I was able to recognize about her right away.
The day after our wedding, she and I woke up in bed, side by side, in my palace. Not once did we touch each other or even bid each othergoodnight,for that matter.
After saving Hestio from the clutches of Priapus in Dionysus’s gardens the prior night, I returned to the feast in the dining hall in order to not make anyone suspicious. I imbibed on the wine, as did Aphrodite, probably far more than we both should have consumed.
After the feast, we returned to my newly constructed and furnished palace. Everyone likely expected us to make love, as most couples did on the night of their wedding, but not us. She and I fell into my bed on opposite sides, and passed out into a deep slumber, barely touching each other throughout the night.
As I came to in the morning, I wrapped the sheets around my body as I rose out of bed. Aphrodite did the same, likely unsure of what to make of her and me sleeping together for the first time but not making love to each other.
“Oh. I’m so sorry about last night, Hephaestus. I don’t believe I performed my wifely duties. I can always…” she began to say before I shook my head, which was enough to interrupt her.
“No. You do not need to do anything of the sort. It’s not what I want, and I believe it is not what you want either,” I began to explain. “Let’s not pretend that we are both in love and sexually invested in one another, Aphrodite. Even I know that you are far too smart to not realize the reason for us being together is the result of Hera’s revenge.”
Aphrodite swayed her golden hair back, while letting out a deep sigh of exasperation. “Well, this is quite a surprise. I was expecting you to want to make love to me all night long, and this morning, for that matter, just as any other god would want. Yet, here you are, having not done so at all. Something is amiss here. And yes, I am aware of Hera’s ploy to wed me to a god she very well knows I am not attracted to. But surprisingly, you are not attracted to me?” Aphrodite arched her brow, seeming surprised that she was even asking that question.
Although I knew it would heavily inflict her already massive ego, I decided to be truthful with her. “That is true. I am not attracted to you, Aphrodite. I am in love with someone else,” I revealed.
“Oh? And who is the woman that you could possibly think is more beautiful and beguiling than me?” she questioned, taking deep offense at my comment.
“It’s not a woman,” I confessed. “I am in love with Hestio and he is in love with me.”
Aphrodite’s eyes widened with shock at what I had just admitted.
“I see…” she replied. “So, are you solely in love with Hestio? You have no other interest in any other god or goddess?” I shook my head. “I only have eyes for him, and no one else. I love him dearly, more than anything else in this world.”
Aphrodite then paced about my private bed chambers with her hands stroking her delicate chin, as if deep in thought. “Well, it seems you and I are now in quite the conundrum, are we not?”
“Yes. I’m sorry that I don’t love you in that sort of way,” I divulged.
But Aphrodite raised her hand out to me, protesting anything that I further had to say. “No. You should not apologize for being honest with me, Hephaestus. It is truly a rarity for a god to be as trusting as you are now. I am so used to their mind games and trickery. Why do you think I am the way I am? Why do you suppose I am forever on my toes and quick-witted to always try to be ahead of their games? That is what they have done to us goddesses for a while now. The other goddesses are too simple and consumed with their own principles and sets of beliefs to even realize it—but not me. I am far too smart to allow myself to have my judgment clouded by their own egos.”
“I’m sorry,” I repeated, but for an entirely different reason now. “I had no idea the inner turmoil you, yourself, were going through.”
