Scroll of Theodorus (Fragment from the Cycles of Hephaestus)
It came to pass that in the fifteenth year of the seventh cycle of Hephaestus, sole escapee of the Celestial Chorus' raid on New Olympus and god who continually reincarnated in the body of a crippled teenage boy, Theodorus, faithful servant of the god and leader of the Hellenites who worshiped him, directed his wheelchair into Hell to free his lord. Joining himself with a small group that had taken interest in the boy's fate and sought to investigate a potential miscarriage of justice, Theodorus hoped to rescue Hephaestus so they could continue building their great underwater city of New Delphi.
On the Third Circle, where the white marble darkened to an ominous grey and the red veins pulsed like hungry worms through the stone, he and his allies came to a great, sweltering hall hundreds of feet long. Through the steam, he discerned that along the walls, hundreds of sweating prisoners arduously hammered away on anvils. What they were creating, he could not tell, although Hephaestus would certainly know.
As they neared the end of the hallway, his heart leapt at the sight of four great bronze horses, each ten feet high, beside a massive adamantine chariot. The Horses of the Cabeiri, works of genius that Hephaestus himself had constructed for his sons! Theodorus hastened his wheelchair towards them, but at his approach, three of the horses suddenly charged towards the group. In anger at the Church members among them? In greeting to one who had come to free their master? Theodorus had no time to ponder before they were upon him.
Using Forces, he shot his wheelchair to a side, and he saw that Derrick had levitated himself above the horses' heads while Kira and Judith had also flung themselves to the side. Terri, however, had tripped and fallen right in the horses' path and was about to be trampled! To lose his guide through Hell would be unthinkable. At the last minute, Theodorus propelled her to safety.
As the Cabeirian horses thundered past and vanished into the steam, Theodorus and his companions warily continued to the end of the hall, where the last horse awaited them. With sorrow in his heart, he saw that this one had been severely damaged, its gears and clockwork mechanisms exposed. Painfully, oh, ever so agonizingly, it lurched over to him and sank to its knees before him.
An homage then, to the one who had come to rescue Hephaestus!
With the others watching, he could not acknowledge the horse's greeting, but in his heart he blessed it as they hurried onward.