Page 6 of Hephaestus
I preferred to live my existence in peace and kept to myself as much as I often could. At least once a day, a servant of mine would inform me of gossip and the ramblings of other gods. There was always some form of drama, or two gods or goddesses were constantly at odds over the most ridiculous of things. I couldn’t help but roll my eyes at every situation that was described to me.
I was just relieved that I had no issues with anyone. I was not as beautiful as Aphrodite, nor as strong as Ares. Because I was never a threat to any of the gods, they let me be, for most of the time, keeping an amicable relationship with me.
One would think that me being not as handsome as most of the other gods would mean that I was rarely the object of someone’s affection on Mount Olympus. However, that was not the case at all. Far from it.
But this was attention I wanted nothing to do with. At first, it was Poseidon who came on to me, offering lavish gifts and intimate promises, none of which thrilled me at all. He tempted me with romantic underwater scenes and showed off hidden cities beneath the sea that no one had access to but him and whoever he brought along. There was a time where he even attempted to force himself upon me, but I managed to shove him off and flee, threatening to inform Zeus of his actions if he ever tried anything like that on me again.
Then came Apollo’s advances towards me. His were much more tamed than Poseidon’s, but Apollo was mysterious in his approaches. At first, he tried to befriend me, which I found to be genuinely authentic at first. We would spend hours in the fields with him playing on his lyre. He even taught me how to use a bow and arrow. Things were progressing well in our friendship, that is, until he tried to take our relationship to a different level that I was not comfortable with.
He pressed his lips against mine with which I must admit, I accepted and melted into against my better judgment. As his hands caressed my thigh and moved upward, I regained my better senses and pushed him away. Instantly, my intuition kicked in and I knew this was his plan all along, to try and make me swoon. He only built a foundational friendship in the hopes of bedding me. Apollo was sneaky in that regard. Even after I shunned him, he kept trying to come around to explain why we should make love. But I wasn’t having any of it. Eventually, Apollo finally gave up on the hunt altogether, much to my relief. Although, it left me wondering how often Apollo’s prey were able to escape from his skilled archery. I was left suspecting many fell victim to his charm, but this certain prey would not succumb to his alluring, yet devious temptations.
Apollo’s situation left me worried about others who would resort to even far more abhorrent tactics to get their way. I soon became skeptical of all the gods and wondered what their intents with me were after these past disgraceful occurrences with Poseidon and Apollo. Who was next in trying to have sexual relations with me? And what if they were even more forceful in their resolve than the other two were? I could not risk that ever happening.
Therefore, there was only one option for me to take to ensure that would never occur. There was only one person who was powerful enough to make a decree that everyone would have to abide by and that was the King of the Gods himself, Zeus. I ventured to his palace, demanding his servant boys allow me to have a private audience with him at his earliest convenience. Luckily, I had to wait only a few days before that moment arrived.
I met him in his throne room, privately, when the day came. He sat on his gargantuan throne. The seat beside him was empty, meaning Hera had other matters to attend to, which I had no complaints about.
“I have, what I hope to be, a simple request for you,” I firmly spoke to him.
He rubbed the thick white beard on his chin with interest. “Go on,” he replied.
“I would like an additional title, beyond being known as just a God of fire,” I began to explain.
“Oh? Fire isn’t enough for you?” Zeus arched his brow with skepticism.
“No. It’s nothing like that. I am grateful. But I just feel a stronger connection to something more,” I elaborated.
“And what would that be?”
“Mortal families and the bond they share. There’s something about a family huddling together to keep warm by a fire in the home that speaks to me.”
“So, you want to be a God of families and the hearth?” Zeus said, filling in the missing pieces.
“Precisely. But there is one additional title I seek, as well.”
“Name it. It has been quite some time since you came asking a favor of me. So, I think I owe it to you, based on the number of gifts I have bestowed on other gods and goddesses,” Zeus said, to alleviate any worry I had about him rejecting my proposal.
“Virginity. I want to be a God of virginity. I wish for no other god or goddess to approach me for love, lust or anything of the kind,” I stated.
Zeus shrugged. “I’m not sure why a god would ever desire to remain a virgin for eternity, but it is not for me to think and dwell on. If that is what you want, then you can have it. From now on, Hestio, you will hereby be known as the God of fire, virginity, families, and the hearth.”
“Thank you!” I enthusiastically replied.
And now I could continue to live harmoniously on Mount Olympus, without having to worry about another god or goddess ever bothering me again.
***
My existence proved to be peaceful from then on out, that is, until, one day when Hera and Zeus decided to throw one of their many feasts for the rest of Mount Olympus. I’ve seen my fair share of atrocities among my counterpart gods and goddesses, but never did I think I would see something so cruel as what Hera did on that very day to her own son, Hephaestus.
I was well aware of the strong brute’s presence before he took a tumble to the floor, causing a major disruption to the entire dining hall. There was something endearing about him as he furtively entered the room. You could tell he was not like most of the other male gods. Hephaestus was timid and ambled softly, which was quite the juxtapose to how huge and muscular he was.
Even with his staggering limp, he held a confidence about him that was to be admired. I studied him closely as he made his way towards Hera and Zeus, before he lost his balance, causing everyone else’s attention to avert towards him. I didn’t know what to expect from the sudden commotion and disturbance he made, but never did I imagine his own mother would stride over and get in a verbal argument with him during this grandiose event.
Then she did the unthinkable in grabbing him by the arm as if he were a child being reprimanded. Hera caused quite an uproar as she shouted at him, dragging him out of the palace. Everyone trailed behind them in pursuit, wondering what the aftermath of her wrath would look like. Eventually, she led us all to the edge of the cliff, just outside her palace walls.
Hera spun around to face her newfound crowd, while still firmly gripping her son. “I want this to be a lesson toeveryone! Not just Hephaestus!” she called to us gods and goddesses. “This is what happens when you provoke the Queen of the Gods!”
Then she turned to face her son to address him. “I told you not to return to Mount Olympus until you became more handsome. You are still as hideous as the day I gave birth to you, and I warned you that Mount Olympus is not a place for monsters like you!”
