Page 9 of Hephaestus
Finally, I was able to turn over and shut my eyes once more, drifting off into a peaceful slumber. If only this peace were indefinite.
The next time I awoke, I was completely coherent and aware of my surroundings. Nothing was hazy or obscure. I rose out of the bed I was in, but did so too quickly, through which I felt a rush of pain hit my head. I placed my hand towards the root of the ache and rubbed it, hoping that would be enough for it to subside. At least it wasn’t as horrible as it was when I first fell to the ground.
I noticed the heat in my chest had since diminished into a slight trace of warmth that didn’t bother me so much. Still, there was a bit of discomfort that prompted me to rub my hand in circles across my torso, hoping that would somehow soothe it.
As I began to get myself together, I became aware of my new surroundings. I was in some sort of sapphire underwater-looking cave. The ripples of the water reflected off the glistening blue ground and walls that were made of the finest cerulean gems of apatite and larimar by the looks of it.
How in the Underworld did I manage to get here?I thought to myself.
But the answer would soon be apparent when I saw two women with aquamarine skin-tones approach me. They must have been the two that carried me to this grotto from where I had fallen. Their hair was blonde but with the ever-slightest tone of the saltine sea. One looked to be a bit older than the other. Instantly, I knew I was among the sea-nymphs, somewhere in their abode within the ocean.
“Thank the gods you are awake!” the older nymph spoke.
“Where am I?” I asked.
“This is the grotto of Oceanus,” the younger one informed me. “We found you injured by Oceanus’s stream. We are his sea-nymphs. I am Thetis,” she said before then pointing towards the other woman. “And this is Eurynome. Seeing as you could not manage on your own, we brought you here to aid in your recovery.”
“Thetis and Eurynome?” I repeated back to them, not recalling hearing of their names before.
“Yes, and who might you be?” Eurynome eagerly inquired. “Clearly, you are not of this world. No mortal could have endured the injuries you’ve sustained and live to tell the tale. Are you a god?”
I nodded. “Yes. I had fallen from Mount Olympus,” I simply stated, not wanting to give these two sea-nymphs any detail of my relationship to Hera, and all that had happened leading up to this point. Who knows where their allegiance lied? I could not quite entrust them just yet with this information. If I did tell them of my disdain for Hera and they went back to tell her of how I was spreading my hatred for her among the surface of the mortals, the Queen of the Gods could punish me further for my lack of deference.
“So, you are a god, then. Tell me of what powers you possess…” Thetis trailed off, wanting to address me by my name, realizing she hadn’t learned it yet.
“Hephaestus,” I added, to finish her sentence.
“Hephaestus,” she repeated back. “I have heard of you before. The crippled son of Hera, who she banished from Mount Olympus. You are a God of blacksmithing, no? Tales have been told of the miraculous weapons you have created for kings, gods, and the greatest of warriors.”
I was stunned that she knew of all this. I had no idea how well-known I already was in the world. Little did I realize that mortals quickly spread news of the ongoings of the gods to one another, the second they heard a story about us.
“Yes. I am a blacksmith,” I confirmed.
“Well, I would love to see your talents in action,” Eurynome piped up. “It’s not every day that we get to see a god at work. But you are in no condition to do anything of the sort until your wounds heal. I doubt you could even lift a tool.”
She was right. Even I knew my capabilities were limited. My body still ached. My mind was slightly fuzzy from the impact of the fall. I needed much rest before I could even think of using a hammer and iron tongs.
“But being a talented blacksmith cannot be your only power,” Thetis stated, before stepping forward to cup my shoulder with her delicate hand. “When we brought you back here, we could feel the intensity of the heat radiating off of your skin.”
“Flames stir within you,” Eurynome echoed. “You must possess an ability to control fire.”
Something in me swelled as they mentioned this. There was some truth to this. Ever since waking up from the fall, my body has not felt the same. At first, I blamed it on the damage done from crashing down into the ground, but now, I’m beginning to realize it’s quite a different sort of feeling altogether. The burning in my chest had not yet subsided. If anything, I was growing all the more used to it. Did something happen to me during the fall? Was it Hestio, the actual God of fire? Did Hestio somehow grant me the power of fire when trying to help me recover? It was the only logical explanation I could come up with.
“If I do, I have not mastered how to use fire,” I honestly said to the sea-nymphs.
“Ah. Well, we can perhaps assist you in harnessing your powers, God,” Thetis confidently stated. “Although we are one with Oceanus, we can still be of great use to you.”
“Here, hold up your arm,” Eurynome instructed as she came up beside me and used both of her hands to help lift my massive arm up. “Raise out your palm,” to which I did. “Now, close your eyes and concentrate. Think of something soothing, a serene thought that will relax you. Having a cleansed mind is the key for a god to use their powers,” she further elaborated.
I tried multiple times to focus, but to no avail. How could I possibly do so when so much has happened recently? Kidalionas’s death, the rage and contempt Hera had for me and her acting on them. I had so much shame because of my weak leg and what the other gods viewed of my deformity. Questions still lingered about Hestio’s involvement in helping me. Plus, the biggest mystery was what to do now. I’ve been exiled from Mount Olympus. What are my next steps?
My thoughts grew into a confounding bitterness and soon a fury swept through me. I could feel the intensity of the flames in my body begin to grow. They scorched inside me with such ferocity. And suddenly, I opened my eyes to see a deep crimson aura around my hand. A red light emitted from it, as I aimed my palm to face a large boulder within the grotto.
Bright flames released from my body and engulfed the entire boulder. The fire was ablaze, disintegrating the boulder into ash. Once the boulder was no more, the flames died down into traces of ember.
The sea-nymphs’ eyes widened, with great alarm at what they had just bore witness to. Even I was just as shocked as they were by what I had just done.
“You are a quick learner,” Eurynome stated to diffuse the silence that lingered.
