Days went by with Hephaestus recovering well, his wounds have healed but there were his hand and his leg all needed to be replaced with something suitable. A gift from the Cyclops was a metal leg made of hinges it doesn't look like a leg at all but function like one. He practices using it by walking up and down the room with Aphrodite by his side to help him balance. His hand was trickier to settle in the meantime he used a hook so that he may be able to pick things up. As he finished his usual walk around the room there was a soft knock on the door, Hermes came in with an overjoyed Eros.

"Mummy!" He shouted as the first person he saw was his mother and then over at the corner of the room sitting in a lazy chair was someone with bandages wrapping half of his face.

"Hephaestus?" The boy question cautiously. Aphrodite carried her son up and slowly walked towards Hephaestus. The small boy touched his bandaged face and look into his stepfather left eye. Falling right into the Hephaestus open arms, he snuggled into his chest.

"I missed you both so much!" He finally said.

"We missed you too," Hephaestus said as he rubbed Eros back. Eros felt something wrong as his stepfather was holding him, there was something missing. he took a step back and saw the hand and foot that was missing.

"Hephaestus what happen?" The little boy asked. Both Aphrodite and Hephaestus have not thought of an answer for him yet.

"It was a little accident, you know how clumsy I can be so I just lost my footing and took a tumble that's all." Hephaestus smiled at the small boy, trying not to reveal about Ares to him.

"You should be more careful next time! Look what has happened! It could have been worse!" Eros lost it and started to scream at Hephaestus.

"Eros! Don't raise your voice at him!" Aphrodite scolded.

"It's alright." He held Aphrodite's hand tightly before looking back at Eros "I know, "I'll promise to be more careful next time alright?" Looking at he sulking boy.

"Alright... Are feeling better now?"

"Yes. Yes, I am." The crippled God smiled. It was time for Hephaestus to return back to his palace along with his family. Immediately Hephaestus was ordered to bed Eros went on to make his stepfather as comfortable as possible. Fluffing up his pillow, making sure the blanket was tucked in while the Goddess of Love went to get some ambrosia. Hera would come every day to see her son and his family and always leaving with relief that everything was alright.

Hephaestus got better as the days went by but then it showed what he will become. Scars so deep and hideous are marked all over his body. He does not possess a leg and an arm anymore but instead is replaced by a hook and metal plate. The only thing that has not been removed by bandage is his face which everyone knew that he was stalling to take off.

Eros was out playing one day as the married couple were just lazing on the couch in the main hall. Aphrodite was laying on top of Hephaestus as he played with her hair. Once in a while they would peck a kiss on each other, these were the days that Hephaestus would never take for granted. Slowly her hands started to crawl up his neck and touching his cheek, facing each other she held his gaze. What he didn't realize that she was trying to take off his bandages. He fidgets and fight but only to make her fight back harder.

"Hephaestus please!" She shouted as he held her hands in a strong grip away from him.

"I can't... I just can't..." He pleaded.

"There is nothing for you to fear. I promise nothing will change."

"NO! you don't understand!" He got up making Aphrodite fall onto the couch. "When I fell I could hear the laughter, the ridicule and the shame. How worthless I am that I was dropped yet again."

"You didn't fall! You didn't trip nor did you jump! You were pushed by people that are wicked and disgusting!" She shouted at him making him cower.

"I can't do it! I can't take it off! Please... it hurts too much... I'm tired. I'm tired of just letting it slide, it took me years to let it go but this seems worse." Pointing at his bandaged face.

"Let me prove to you it's not."

"Dite... Please just not yet love..." He said looking down on the ground.

She got up and walked towards him closing the gap between them. His breathing became heavy trying to break eye contact, he knows that she quite frustrated.

"I don't take no easily." She just said bluntly. Right there and then his lips were attacked she grabbed both sides of his face so that he wouldn't move away. This was one battle he won't be able to win. Slowly melting and losing in the moment, her hands started to work their magic caressing and unwinding the bandages.

She felt Hephaestus moving away from her, she grabbed the cloth bandaged and pulled to reveal a face that came from nightmares and horrors. Hephaestus does not possess an eyebrow and an eyeball for it is now a black hole. His pasty pink skin seemed to sag as there were little to no flesh on his right side. As if half of his head was just a skeletal display. A shriek came from the garden door, Eros covered his face and ran away. Tears in his eye, Hephaestus looked down and swiftly moved to his bedroom leaving a shocked Aphrodite in the living room. "Everything will change" a voice rang in her head.

Eros has ran out of the house, nowhere to go he ended up heading towards Apollo's place. After settling the young god, Apollo summoned Aphrodite to pick up her Son.

"I'm sorry, I ran away. I did not mean to hurt Hephaestus feelings." Eros apologised.

"I know it came a bit of a shock. But we now have to make it up to Hephaestus. He is really really hurt." *after all that he has done for us*

The sun was nearly setting as Aphrodite was getting everything ready for dinner. Eros has changed into a fresh pair of clothes and helped his Mother getting the ambrosia. The candles were lit, the table was set and everything was in order. Eros got ready to greet his step Father in the living room as his Mother went up to fetch him.

She was standing outside of her bedroom when the voice in her head rang *Everything will change* *"I'll make damn sure that will never happen!"*

With a soft knock on the door, she strides into the dark room. As if nothing has happened she called out for him. But there was no answer.

"Darling, it's time for dinner! Eros is waiting for us."

"I'm sorry, I'm not hungry. You guys go ahead I don't feel well." The dark room replied

"More the reason why you should go down and have something to eat. You have been cooped up in the room the whole day. Some air would do you good."

"I'm tired..."

"HEPHAESTUS ENOUGH! Come to me this instance or I'll swear on my child I will destroy this room to find you." The curtain was drawn and the red-orange light from the sun showed the disfigured side his face.

"Good now, Eros is waiting downstairs. So let's put a fresh toga on and go." She took his shaking hand into hers.

"I need a new bandage." He stared at their intertwined hands.

"No, you don't need one."

Hephaestus hollow right eye and left started to glow red, his jaw clenched so tight his neck was flushed red. He pushed her away and started to scream and shout in frustration. As if the horrors of the Stynx had come over him, he collapsed to the floor screaming.

Aphrodite wanted to run yet her body did not move. *"No! You can't leave him. You will not lose him!"* she grabs him and wrestles him on the ground until she straddles his waist. Grabs his hands above his head and tries her best to shush and soothe him as he fights, fidget and squirm until he goes limp. All the energy drained from him, the red glow subsides as he gains back his sanity. Aphrodite carried on soothing his head.

"Mom..?"

"Eros, go and find Apollo quickly now." The young boy ran as fast as he could.

Hephaestus lay still as if they were down in the crater again. Hephaestus did not move as if he had just died. the only consolation was that he was breathing.

"It's alright. Everything is alright. Let's get you to bed, but I need to you help me." She heaved him up and led him to bed