Kintsugi Chapter 9:
Author Note: Congrats on all the voting, the voice for Hephaestus is officially Henry Cavill (Geralt)! However, the voice of Peter Collens will rear its majesty sometime in the future, so stay tuned!
Chapter 9:
Styx, the Nymph of the river upon which the lands of the living and the dead were divided. Born from Oceanus, the primordial of oceans, she and her siblings were one of many, sired in droves. Thousands of nymphs were born in her time…but they were not born equal.
No, they were not born equal to them. Of the thousands birthed, only four could claim to be equal to Styx. The power they shared was so great, thateven their father Oceanus feared what they could accomplish.
In the beginning, she was free, but it was such a short-lived experience that she had genuinely forgotten what it was like. The five had been chained first by their father in the Underworld, a then desolate place. It was supposed to be a prison, one far away from the source of their power. To their father's horror, they merely filled the place, bringing the realm of the dead to maturation in a way that old fool never saw coming.
Her entire existence was one rallied in chains, but she made the most of it. Pallas had been the first and only one to save her from that isolation, trapped as she was. Her siblings shared in her solitude, their grief and rage, but Pallas was the first man she had ever seen outside of her father. She knew nothing of desire until he had come into her life. He was her everything, and she washis. It was good…and she was content.
But just as a bird can become accustomed to its cage, she too had simply become comfortable with that status quo. Her beloved children, her family…it was everything she had ever wanted.
Until Kronos took it away. Ripped her to the very bottom of her river, barring Pallas from her. She had thought being chained to the underworld was the worst of it. That was until she had been chained further still when that asshat of a father gave Kronos the chains to her leash. Yet even that hell was not the worst of it.
Chained and far away from her beloved was a special sort of torture. Enduring to become the focus for oaths and broken words was a weight she didn't want. But what truly speared her in the heart– was what it did to Pallas. She had become his chains, a method to enforce her beloved to fight for that…that TYRANT! The very thought simmered her caustic river, bringing it to a bubble.
Styx blinked, watching as the godling before her backed away, his face marred into a twisted expression of concern. It was cute, she would admit. Her hand resting on her face, Styx wondered how it was that a God so young could free her the way he did.
Why would they endure the pain of their very flesh searing from their skin, rejecting her blessings to clean the waters that had become mired with forgotten souls and broken dreams? A river filled with regrets and sorrow. She hated how ugly it made her waters, the once pristine state one of the few things she had control of in her chained state.
"Shit."
She snickered, finding his emotions amusing. Styx placed her hand back into her waters, mindlessly running her fingers through her river, or rather the representation of her blessing that had taken root in this world.
"Hello again," she whispered, her voice reaching far into this strange half-formed world. Then again, to call it half-formed was inaccurate. Questions for the Godling then, though he seemed far from talkative.
"How," he demanded.
She smiled as he reigned in his emotions, taking on a more respectful tone.
"How are you here?"
It was a question, but it was said like a demand.
"How do you think?"
She smiled as she said this, tilting her head to the side to rest it on her dainty hand. Perhaps it was the smirk, but the memory of her digging her hand into his back to inject her divinity into him struck near dumb. He felt his jaw drop slightly. While he wasn't knowledgeable enough to say he knew everything regarding divine energy, he knew for a fact that it would just sit mindlessly in a body or area.
"…what?"
She smiled.
"I rejected that!"
She lost her smile. To Hephaestus, it was like she shimmered from one edge of her river to the next, and now floating in the river beneath him, only a meter away.
"I know," she muttered, "a foolish decision…but I can see from this strange core that you were true to what you said. You would return to clear my waters."
She swam…no it was more like she moved seamlessly within her water, her body just effortlessly floating in a tranquil and slow circle. A serene expression took hold of her as if she was talking with just her thoughts.
"A standard blessing from me would bar you from my waters…but there are others I can grant, albeit they take time."
She felt her mouth twitch a bit, the amusement of watching this God try to figure her out was seemingly endless. She almost smirked, watching him grasp his chin with his hand. Honestly, the scraggy beard he had needed to go. It had no place on a face that young.
"So, you…left a mark?" he inquired.
"Of course not. Divinity disperses almost immediately," she smiled, "if it didn't, the energies of the gods would be mutating everything around them, given time."
Ah, fair point. There were exceptions, always, but it made more sense that divinity dispersed quickly when removed from the source. It's was why enchantments and blessings were so important, as they added longevity to effects.
Hephaestus began to pace back and forth, the need to move helped him focus he found. It still didn't make sense to him, even after considering EMIYA's rather extensive experience with…well oddities of all sorts.
She smiled slightly, allowing him to collect himself as she serenely moved in her river.
"Why is that so important to you?" his voice echoed, tinged in confusion.
Her little circle stopped, and another shimmer nearly blinded him. She was now right in front of him, ceasing his movements. Her expression was relaxed…but there was a sharpness to her eyes as she looked up at him, jamming a finger into his chest.
"The use of blessings is an important piece of…culture, you can say. To reject a blessing is considered one of the greatest insults one can give to another."
Her eyes narrowed.
"Especially with me."
He blinked. He knew of their importance, but he thought of that more i9n the sense of their rarity, rather than the act itself. Styx looked; a face filled with wonder as she eyed the earth around her. The vegetation was completely alien to her, even if she logically knew what they were. It was like a blind man seeing color for the first time. They knew of the concept…but that did little to infer the genuine experience.
"This world…it is like a reflection of you. This…this is nothing like the cores I know of."
She preened a bit, running her eyes over his world.
"Imagine my surprise when my divinity revealed this place to me. I was going to curse you before I saw this."
…oh…well that wasn't good.
"So, you were here…when you tried to curse me back at your river," muttered Hephaestus.
"No," she said, a lingering chuckled on her voice, "merely a lingering of my power. I knew this place existed, but nothing of what it was like. It's true nature was hidden from me, the same way your core was hidden from me when I attempted to give you your blessing."
She gestured, twirling slowly to point to everything around her.
"My fledgling blessing floated aimlessly, dispersing piece by piece."
The god of fire growled a bit. The river nymph rolled her eyes and relented.
"Fine, to answer your question, the fragments of my divinity would have dispersed eventually, until you slammed that primordial stone in here."
Hephaestus looked into the waters, noting that it was far more…mystical than it was in the Underworld. While Hephaestus had cleared the river of all the souls that had been lost within it, he did admittedly little with the broken dreams, regrets, and other conceptual 'garbage' that had been littered into her waters. He 'burned' as much as he could, but that was far from the focus he had at the time. Without the human souls there, Styx could handle whatever debris remained in her waters after he was done.
Yet, the waters before him were astronomically beautiful, looking more in line with the night sky than a standard river of water, now that he was looking into it.
However, he sensed something more than that. A familiar energy, the primal stone. The one he had acquired from the ocean. It was meant to be placed into his reality marble like a storage. He knew that it had been absorbed, but he had assumed it was absorbed in the szame way Gaia's power was. Envoloped in his reality marble, like a rock dropping into the ocean. A rock was still a rock, and the water around it was unchanged as well.
He grimaced a bit. He was a bit far off his assumption, obviously.
He had plans for attempting to replicate the material. Oceanus power was never replicable in the first place, but he was interested in recreating the stone's structure itself. The possibilities of storing concepts inside of something like that sent whirlwinds in his imagination. A part of his was immensely dissatisfied with the turn of events…
Wait…
"…the primal stone…it latched onto your divinity?"
"What you call a primal stone," explained Styx, "is merely a crystalline fragment of primordial power. Diluted, and weak, but primordial all the same."
….well shit, apparently he was never going to replicate primal stones in the first place. He thought of the stones as storage, yet they were really the actual energies of primordial deities crystallized. The crystal and the energy within were one and the same.
The sound of snapping fingers flittered in his face. He looked bewildered, as he stared at Styx.
She rose an eyebrow, before she continued speaking.
"Your world can incorporate it, filtering the power the same way the earth does, creating all this. Do you see what it has done?"
and see he did. His entire world was now an open grassland, with many trees and plant life all dispersed about. The swords remained tall and imposing, standing proud in the ground, but with time more and more plant life would join the steel blades in their silent solitude. The river was a different story, Hephaestus placed his hand into the water again at Styx's urging. It burned, but structural analysis played its role once more.
"The power of a primordial…how?"
"They are my father," she sneered, "Without a suitable source, it latched on to the most familiar source of power in this world of yours."
"You."
"Me."
"…but then why did Gaia's power settle?"
It wasn't even crystallized, it was just a pure spark left behind by Wis.
Styx shrugged.
"Without a direct source to attach to, Gaia's power should have dwindled…and yet…"
Yet another mystery on top of everything else. Great.
"Which brings us to the here and now. My river, in your world."
Hephaestus swallowed. This was bad, very bad. The once moat like structure began to shift, slowly creating a new river that began to spread into north away from the volcano. It was very slow, but it showed just how much more she was becoming entrenched within him.
"Oh relax," muttered the Styx, "I won't be whispering this to anyone besides Pallas."
"...why?"
"You don't believe me," the river nymph whispered in a haughty tone of hurt, "truly? Do I not owe you the debt of a lifetime?"
"You stated you were going to curse me," he deadpanned.
"…."
The egregious silence was telling.
The god of fire blinked at her, his patience wearing thin. He needed some way to reject her. The very act of this will caused her form to shudder a bit. Before he could capitalize on this realization, she placed her hands on his chest. He stiffed, and for a moment her form almost flickered out.
"Relax," she whispered, holding her hands up in surrender as her body stabilized, "I don't wish to tell anyone…because this is good for me as well."
Before he could utter his refusal, she held a familiar chain that now appeared around her neck, a series of primordial enchantments woven into the shape of a collar and chain. The chain was broken, yes, but the collar remained, however damaged it may have been. Hephaestus blinked, watching as the chain was slowly forming once more, inching ever closer to the earth beneath her feet.
"…I destroyed that,"
She smiled, but it was one filled with pity. She reached out from the water, her form rising slightly to caress his cheek, an action ignored in favor of him analyzing the chain.
"I know you did. I can feel your hate for this, the idea of being bound…and how you hate to see it in others. But do you truly believe a chain made by my father would so easily be broken?"
Hephaestus, gently, removed her hand from his face, his tone becoming somber.
"I can fix this…just give me time."
The smile he got from her was radiant and heartbreaking.
"Oh…you are exactly like Pallas– so intent on fixing the problems of others rather than your own. I love that about him…but this is not a problem you can simply fix young one. My father placed these chains on me with my own mother's blessings. They are as immutable as the primordials themselves. You can destroy and rewrite them all you like…they will simply reform. Pallas had a means of…lengthening the chain before Kronos' time, though your method is more efficient. But what you did, was an opportunity."
She smiled, letting the chain fall from her…and point beneath her feet.
"In the end, they'll simply tether me to the underworld once more…unless I have another location."
"…me."
"You," she nodded. She gestured to the world around her.
"Look around this place. This…world isfilled with all your strength and knowledge. Here…if I were tethered here, then I would no longer be restricted to just the underworld. To just my river! I may still be caged…but you can make my cage so much bigger. Let me show you."
She gently grasped his head, and against his better judgment…he let her drag him into her river. While it burned, here he could communicate with more than just words. He could see it in his mind's eye, the way she intuitively knew what would happen if she was tethered to his reality marble. Everywhere Hephaestus traveled would technically exist as a place that Styx could travel to. While she was, in theory, bound to him…she was not in practice. If he traveled the entirety of Greece, then Styx could travel the same distance, free from the underworld.
"So…if you're wondering if I will be telling anyone about this…secret of yours, don't. The less they know the better."
Hephaestus blinked, his form shifting out of the river with only a thought. Styx was now sitting back on her river, her feet submerged in the waters and her silver hair covering her back.
"I can finally have freedom without my father getting involved. After all, the cage is not broken. If you had broken these chains, truly broken them, then my father would simply awaken to place them back on me. At least this way, I can walk and roam."
"…you are fine with this?" whispered Hephaestus.
Styx looked westward, towards the volcano. Perhaps the godling didn't notice, but while he was getting better at hiding his emotions physically, they were still displayed in this inner world of his, just hidden within the details of the landscape. The volcano was beginning to churn smoke at his anger, of his disbelief, of his indignation at her circumstances. She thought it both adorable and foolish of him, how he lamented her situation, almost completely ignoring how ready he was to toss her out.
"You've already saved me young one. Perhaps not in the way that you wished…but you have saved me. Besides, I can bring benefits as well."
For a moment, she regretted her words. Others would take a more…physical approach to what she said. But thankfully that wasn't the case, Hephaestus' eyes taking a more confused expression.
"My river, do your metals not need water to cool them?"
It struck him asthe inspiration of a lifetime. He looked deeper, finally taking full stock of his inner world and while the moment of ingenuity was bliss– it also brought another realization. Atlas.
That entire fight had gone well enough– but he had been fighting his body to move as he wished the whole time. Moments of hesitation, instincts that had roamed within him in the heat of battle. He had meant to fight as EMIYA did…and yet he suplexed the Titan.
EMIYA fought simply in the most efficient way possible. Sure, one could argue the terms of the fight overall…but that didn't remove the almost miniscule hesitance Hephaestus had in his movements.
Hephaestus was taller, broader, and simply stronger than EMIYA could ever be. Just those three facts meant that moving like EMIYA was simply not possible from raw instinct alone. He could mimic the movements, but they would not be exactly the same. As he stared at the river, a thought came to him.
"The spark from Gaia– I understand that it melded into my reality marble…but why would Atlas want such a thing? Is it not useless to Gods?"
Styx gave him a droll stare, her expression diluting to a sarcastic annoyance.
"You speak as if you are not a God yourself. Though, you are correct. It wasn't for himself that Atlas wanted the spark, at least not directly."
She tilted her head, beginning to float in front of him leisurely. His acceptance had already cemented her further than she thought, the chain now connecting to the soil beneath her.
"If not for himself then what?"
Styx blinked, tilting her head. A small smile, one stark in a predatory gleam, stretched across her face.
"You haven't figured it out yet?"
She expected the same divine pride, one that even her beloved had. To rile him up further. Instead, all she got was a wall of steel, an almost insatiable thirst for knowledge. It killed the mood honestly, at least for her. Hephaestus blinked, wondering where this deflated feeling came from. Styx floated back to the earth, a slight disappointment drooping on her face.
"It was for his army."
"Wait, he could actually empower monsters with it?"
How!? The divinity of a golden apple caused minor monsters to explode, his thoughts sizzled out as he stared at Styx's flat expression. Then it hit him.
"…it was control?"
Suddenly, it all began to click. Why he needed the spark so damn bad…and why he had his children with him. He knew that Gods, in theory, could enforce their will on others. Mindless monsters were perfect targets, lacking the free will of humans, Gods using their divinity to force their movements and obey their will, however temporarily. It was an extremely difficult process far as he could tell, incredibly draining even for a God.
"Atlas used most of his power to build his army over the years," muttered Styx, "his daughters were to be his focal point, and the spark the means to free up his divinity for the final push."
"Even so, a monstrous army is–"
She scoffed.
"Victory was not something he envisioned for himself…he wanted a true final battle. A proper send off if you will."
"…people died…for something like that?"
He should have done worse. Styx smiled…but it was not kind.
"Bask in your victory young one…but you should realize just how lucky you truly were. Most of his divinity was enshrouded in his army, bound by oaths and promises. If not for that weakening him to such a degree…I doubt your victory would have been possible."
That…was a sobering thought– but it brought a sense of calm to Hephaestus. He had always felt that Atlas was strangely off. That there was something incomplete with him. To learn that the Titan was effectively hamstrung when fighting him made the whole ordeal make more sense. But what calmed him in truth was that it removed one theory that plagued him in this battle with Atlas.
He had always assumed the monster that attacked Calliope, and the others was directed by a God. While the crystal he housed within never glowed within Atlas' presence, his monstrous army always gave him a sliver of doubt. It was possible his daughters were the source of divine energy, that it was somehow Atlas all along. It was a convoluted thought process, one that thankfully wasn't true.
Usually, Occam's Razor was a great way to fiddle with converging theories for the same phenomenon. Unfortunately for Hephaestus, the memories and experiences of Archer basically flipped the biggest bird to ever bird to such a basic principle. It was a relief that the theory was put to rest with this.
Funny what things brought him relief nowadays.
The truth that Atlas could have been immensely stronger was one that Hephaestus felt little concern for, after all, EMIYA had experience fighting those who were always stronger than himself. What it did mean was that he had to train. He needed to ensure that he knew exactly what he was getting into and exactly what he was capable of…neither of which he had mastered as of yet. For now though…he was done.
"…are you sure?" he asked.
Styx blinked, but she knew what he was asking about.
"I am sure…if you will have me."
Hephaestus hated the way she worded that. Like he had a choice. She knew as well as he did that every fiber of his soul was against the idea of willingly putting her back into that god-awful prison. Honestly, he was done with it. Who cared anymore? He just wanted to take a few minutes to himself and just enjoy a moment of silence.
He had more symbols of power to create, along with whatever the hell was going to happen with Olympus. Now…now was really the only time he had to himself. He'd deal with Styx later. He smirked, watching her face widen in surprise, scowling as he receded from his world without a word. Her voice echoed only for a moment, till that silenced to without a thought. He made sure his intent was clear. He wanted space, not restraint. He would never chain another…
Not even in circumstances like this…not ever.
Such dark thoughts had no place here. Receded from his inner world, Hephaestus basked in the comfort of the world. All he could hear was nature. The abundance of it. He could feel the rays of the sun, the heat bathing on his skin and the wind slightly blowing on his face. Every breath brought him further and further away from the world at large, from his problems both inward and outward. Minutes, hours, time mattered little to him in this state. Eventually he could feel the minute differences in heat as the sun began its descent into twilight.
As he slowly opened his eyes, he was face to face with a…small child? He blinked, andthe green-skinned child blinked back at him. She tilted her head…just as he did. She was seated in front of him the same way he was. Her blank expression gave way to a rather peculiar visage. The way her mouth twisted…as if she wanted to ask him something.
"…Hello?"
She jolted upwards, her face marred with anxiety, rushing as quickly as her dainty feet could move her as she dashed away. Body of a child or not, the small girl moved with inhuman grace, leaping through his property and back into the woods. Hephaestus stared straight ahead for a solid minute, before deciding it was a waste of brain power to contemplate it. Nature spirits were weird. Just leave it at that. He rose from his meditative position, stretching his back for the day. The sun had only just begun to fall, barely into the twilight. He scowled a bit…but relented to knowing that whatever concerns he had for his reality marble could wait, at least until after whatever meeting Zeus was concocting for tomorrow.
"Hermes," he said.
His voice barely echoed…and the scion of Zeus was before him.
"Hey," he smirked, "finally giving the lord of the dead a call?"
Figured that Hermes would suss out his intentions. While there was a meeting tomorrow, Hephaestus doubted Hades would be amicable to remain in the upper realms for more time than was necessary. Besides, his goal was to get these done as fast as possible. The moment he was done…he could concentrate his full effort towards his personal pursuits. For Hermes, Hephaestus gave nothing but a nod.
"Very well, twenty-"
The coins appeared in Hermes hand, making the lord of thieves' blink. The lord of fire rose an eyebrow, almost daring Hermes to speak. He was curious if fabricated drachmae would be acceptable for their future transactions. Either way, it would be created by him regardless.
"Hm…eh, money is money."
They both knew that the financial aspect of the transaction was meaningless for them. Money, at least at this age, did not carry any significance for creatures capable of simply willing whatever pleasures they wished into existence. No, there was more to this, something that he was missing. Drachmae, it held some sort of significance…yet he couldn't for the life of him wonder what.
Well, that was a problem that really didn't need solving. There was also the added benefit that he didn't need to be concerned for the economics of Greece in this current age. Not as if the economy was interconnected enough to include divine transactions…
…
"By chaos I swear," thought Hephaestus with a grumbling expression.
Hermes thankfully couldn't care less and dispersed, message in tow. To him, Hermes blurred for a moment, solidifying again with a peculiar expression. He rubbed the back of his head, looking to Hephaestus with trepidation.
"He says…uh…well…"
Hermes cringed a bit, before just saying it.
"He…says he does not have time for such…uh…plebian concerns?"
Hephaestus blinked…and shrugged.
Hermes breathed a sigh of relief, and looked around, getting everything he could committed to memory.
Hephaestus looked towards the forest, frowning at the damage he saw. Hermes was also annoying, but that was mainly because of his irksome habit. He could feel the way the lord of thieves was already scoping his home. The relief he felt from Hermes did bring a smile to his face though. Whatever test this was from Hades…it was a waste of time. He cared little for the lord of the dead's pompous actions and thus didn't react the way Hermes was thinking.
From what he knew of Hades, the man was just as arrogant and full of himself as Zeus and Poseidon were. But that was not all of his personality. In fact, Hephaestus wouldn't be surprised if the rumors of his arrogance were just a mask Hades wore, a means to put his enemies, both literal and political, off their feet.
There was a variety of conflicting information. Some sources stated the lord of the dead was…well actually quite kind. Others, a belligerent and cruel God. If he was honest, far as he could tell there was really no in-between. Best way to deal with it…was just to ignore it. Whatever truth lied at Hades' heart was ultimately none of his concern. He frankly had better things to do.
"Very well," he intoned, "let Hades know that my offer is open whenever he has need of it…and that I will move on to another."
The insult was so blatantly out there that Hephaestus found he couldn't even try to be mad about it. No matter the source, Hades was well known for his cunning. Whatever segue this was meant to lead in some political argument, it was best avoided. Hephaestus was satisfied with this result, he could just move on. Hermes…eh, not so much.
"Oh…uh…sure?"
Hermes cringed internally. The saying doesn't shoot the messenger sadly didn't apply to him. With a pop, he disappeared, and Hephaestus got to work on the more pressing matters.
He began to solemnly walk towards the woods, allowing his thoughts to roam as he inspected the island. He inferred both his physical and mystical senses to the task, allowing his mind to churn and twist new ideas for two gods, Demeter and Dionysus. They were the hardest to address. Hermes was simple enough. Got the gist that the god was all about speed. Athena, Ares, and Hera were also relatively simple. Pure power, distilled into tools that maximized their strengths. It was Demeter and Dionysus that irked him somewhat. Countless plans formed and altered in moments, but his eyes never left the island. More than a few times he had to stop by a wounded nymph tree, offering aid in the same way he had done for Wis' tree. Not all Nymph's spoke, as this one he knelt next to could attest.
Her voice was like the slow creaking of wood against the wind, her mouth unmoving. She tried to push him away, though he didn't really understand why at first. She cringed at the sight of his flames escaping his hand, only to blink as relief and warmth spread in her body. His divinity was transferred to them, their own body making use of it to repair the damage done to them in Atlas wake.
"Are you well?" he asked.
A slow, almost hesitant nod, was all that he needed.
"Good. If there are others, lead me to them. This battle has ravaged many homes both near and far. Best to repair them as quickly as possible before I am absent."
While she didn't speak a spoken language, that didn't mean there was no communication. Hephaestus allowed her to accompany him for a time. As a god of fire, it shouldn't have been possible for his divinity to be anything helpful for them. If anything, it should have been an athema to them, poison even. Yet…it was a balm. For hours he lost himself in the task of simply lending aid to others. It was a job filled with nothing but gratitude from the nymphs and inspiration for Hephaestus. Every tree he healed in this way brought him further to connecting the dots for what he'd do for Demeter and Dionysus. But even such serenity must have its end.
"HM!"
He blinked, staring down the face of the strange child for a third time. He narrowed his eyes, kneeling down to the child.
"…Who are you?"
She was there before he fought Atlas, there when he awoken from his meditation, and now she was there as he was healing some from the damage from his confrontation. She reached out, almost desperately. He frowned. This could easily be a trap…but the way such innocent eyes bore into him…damn. Yet, nothing came of it…for the girl dispersed. Literally. She blew away as if she was just the wind itself. Was it possible that child was no tree nymph?
"…No," he muttered, "there are other concerns."
Indeed, there were. Many nymphs approached him, desperate for a means to repair their homes/lives. They were, after all, directly connected to the trees they inhabited. Sure, the wood was far stronger than any ordinary tree, but that meant little in the face of Atlas' might. The damage was quite severe for a few, but thankfully nothing overwhelming. If the damage was further, then he would have needed Kassandra to help things along.
The poor centaur was already hard at work for the various other damages that had been incurred, even going as far as to help resettle the humans that chose to stay. A kindness that Hephaestus hoped didn't bite him in the ass. After all, they knew of his home. Might be a good idea to set up illusions than, just in case the enchantments fell.
Still, for all the ease of his work, night eventually came. The stars had long since shone through the skies as he repaired the last of the trees. Ifrit was minding their own business, pruning their feathers from their work. Ifrit's might was beyond the plebians of Atlas' army, thought the stronger and smarter monsters had all escaped.
But for all of Ifrit's seemingly laxness, the eyes of the phoenix were far from dull. It tilted its head for a moment, only to return to pruning another feather.
Hephaestus stared at his companion turned divine animal, wondering why it even bothered. The feathers existed, yes, but was smothered in azure flames. Whatever pruning it was doing…it had to be useless…right? The surge of annoyance echoed through, sharing the sentiment loud and clear.
Buzz off.
He chuckled. The last tree was only slightly damaged, the rest of the nature spirits having gone to solidify their homes defenses or simply rest. All that was left was this lone spirit, a surprisingly quiet one. She stayed seated bisde him as he rested his hand on their tree, allowing his energy to filter and settle. It didn't take much. Actually it took nothing, he stared at the tree, wondering why his energy just coalesced and sputtered out. The nymph seemed fine, so he ceased. He stood, raising and helping the nature spirit beside him to their feet.
"You are the last, correct?"
"I am lord," she whispered, standing before him. She was his equal in height, with a strange confidence to her.
"Ah, you speak as humans do," he smiled, making his way back to the cabin. The sun began to peak beyond the skyline.
She nodded, following him still.
Speaking in human tongues was a rarer skill than most assumed. Nymphs were intelligent beyond measure, but not many learned speak as people did, referring to maintaining their species natural means of communication.
"Good. Are there any others?" he asked.
From what I gathered from…where did she go?"
"None on this island require such services my lord," she drawled easily.
"I…do not need such a title," he assured her, placating her gently, "I live here as you do. It is only right that I…um…"
The dead stare she sent his way was strangely nerve wracking, the once serene walk filled now with an awkwardness. It was like disappointment itself wrapped around her face. It wasn't even from sadness or desire. It was if he had lowered himself beneath her expectations…and she hated it.
"…did I?"
"Lord."
She stressed the word, narrowing her eyes.
"….Uh…"
Her brow raised and he felt his mouth shut. The smile she had wasn't beautiful…no…it was sinister and dark. As if she was relishing some strange victory.
"Yes," she purred, "I am the last lord Hephaestus. Now I believe you have an appointment for Olympus today?"
He stared at her, looking around the woods. He then narrowed his eyes.
"…who are you?"
The sinister smile melted away, revealing a demure expression. What once looked like a nature spirit had instead begun a quick transition. Hair that was brown began to lighten into a cream color with natural curls. Her skin darkened a bit, a more tanned hue that darkened even further. Her eyes turned an electric blue, one of her eyes obscured by her now cloud-like hair.
"I am Ida."
He couldn't help it. Perhaps it was this strange youthful vigor he had, but the worlds blurted out before he could quell them.
"Zeus' guardian!?"
The sky rumbled at the sound of his name, but the lightning died quickly enough. Ida smirked, the constellation of Ursa Major shining brightly above her. Her bitch black skin began to glow with stars and galaxies, revealing a completely inhuman beauty. Perhaps to Gods this might have been attractive, but Hephaestus felt no such thing.
What he did feel was a sense of awe, as if looking at the painting of a master. Much like Styx, this nymph to held power greater than one of her type should. After all…this…this was a star nymph. The divine half of his memories made it clear they were far from natural. So utterly rare that even as a lonely and isolated child, Hephaestus heard tales of them. They were not natural, needing to be placed or inserted by outer forces. It took time to for them to retake physical form after the process, give or take a century, but once it was done they could take new forms with strange powers. Potent ones.
"Well," smiled the attendant, "I was once upon a time. But my Lord sees fit to use me in more…subdued manners."
"…he wanted to have me watched?"
"No. Just making sure that you were actually busy. Many try to get out of the family gatherings. He hates it when they twist the truth with him. A small peeve of his."
"I wonder why," thought Hephaestus, "wasn't as if Zeus wasn't the god of truth or something."
A bit redundant, with the whole cannot lie gimmick the Gods naturally had. Then again, twisting the truth was something Zeus might hate as well.
"So…why are you here than? Why reveal yourself?"
"Oh, to bring you to the meeting of course."
He looked up, the night sky potent and true, while dawn had begun to break…he should have a few hours still.
"Zeus declared your presence. Circumstances have altered the timing by a few short moments."
Yes, because a whopping twelve hours…wait…
"…I never did ask what he meant by tomorrow morning," grumbled Hephaestus.
"No, you did not."
"Great," he thought, "this will go well."
"Very well," muttered Hephaestus, "take me up."
For a moment a pattern of galaxies filled his vision, before he was placed within the council itself. Every God towered over him, and Ida left with that same sinister smirk. He rolled with it, wanting this to be over with as soon as possible.
"I have come to your summons lord Zeus."
The lord of the skies gave a brief nod, gesturing to the throne seated between Apollo and Hermes. Hermes gave him a slick smile, and a quick wink. Apollo…the poor god looked heavily distraught. As if being near him was near sickening.
"…so," muttered Hermes, "going to come up?"
Hephaestus shrugged helplessly. But it was not his voice that echoed through the chamber.
"He is incapable of adjusting as we do," stated Athena.
He blinked, turning to her. She was right of course, but he was a bit weird that she knew that right away. Then again, she was a God. Who knows what abilities she did have access to.
"…seriously?" muttered Hermes.
Hera scowled ever so slightly. It was truly small, almost imperceptible. Deciding enough was enough, Hephaestus simply leapt to the large and frankly useless throne. He stood on the chair, crossing his arms. A few of the attendants snickered, but were quick to sputtered out as the full weight of the Olympian council filtered through.
"We have gathered here today to discuss the punishment of Atlas, for the crimes of moving against Olympus."
Atlas appeared in a shower of gold, a heavy scowl present as he was chained. Zeus smirked.
"I have to say nephew, these chains of yours are mightily convenient."
He merely bowed. Atlas turned to stare at him. Even from this distance, subdued as he was, Hephaestus could feel it. The greater presence, the slight increase to his bulk, and the intensity of his stare. This was Atlas in full. Was it strange that he was relieved of it? That the idea of him somehow being strong enough to just outright be more powerful than even other Gods was…nerve wracking?
"First order of business," drawled Zeus, "the crimes of Atlas and his progeny."
Hephaestus felt a weight collapse on his chest, watching the daughters of Atlas taking physical form. They had been astral, surrounding their father…looking for a strength that couldn't be brought to bare.
All twelve of the Olympian gods stood motionless, even Hestia at her hearth held a sense of solemness.
"For the crimes of acting against Olympus," stated Zeus, "I will be entrapping Atlas beneath the sky for all eternity. Bear the weight of your sins Atlas, both figuratively and literally."
Hephaestus had to admit, the punishment was certainly ingenious. Zeus was killing two birds with one stone. Passing off the burden of the sky to Atlas, and forcing the Titan to remain in one solitary location, never to act against Olympus again. The idea of being trapped in such a place, to be so restricted…he thought he'd be more against the idea. But the memories of the people and spirts Atlas had so ruthlessly trampled on…it stalled any sense of forgiveness. This was the consequence of Atlas' actions. Even the might of the Titan of endurance was not enough as he struggled in his chains, his eyes taking a manic look.
"COWARD! YOU SIT ON A STOLEN THRONE!"
Zeus rolled his eyes, "of course, this again. I didn't want this throne to begin with but it's always the same with you lot isn't it? I stole Kronos' throne; I dethroned you of all your power…"
He bore into Atlas, Zeus' full power echoing in the chambers, the screams of the storm echoing in the chamber. It thundered ruthlessly, threatening to take Hephaestus breath right out of his lungs if he wasn't careful.
"You lost."
Zeus sneered.
"Accept it. Now…for your accomplices."
Atlas bore the weight of his sins clearly. But…his children did not. Hephaestus narrowed his eyes at the cold look the others had…it was uncanny.
"A similar punishment to their father perhaps," he mumbled, "yes…prisons of their own. Examples to be made of."
Hera twitched, minutely. Ares and Hephaestus both turned to her, their own existences attuned even to her micro expressions in a manner humans simply didn't understand. A subconscious understanding of her that delved beyond normal sight and in Hephaestus' case, deep within his subconscious. After all, it must have been the only explanation, or was the only explanation that Hephaestus would accept. The woman never so much as looked at him properly…and yet he knew beyond a shadow of a doubt…she didn't want this. But that mattered little before a more present issue.
He didn't want this.
"Calypso…you were the nexus of your siblings magics," muttered Zeus, "without you, Atlas' plans would have never developed as they had...for your punishme-"
"Lord Zeus."
The chamber went silent. The giant, towering gods, looked to their smallest number.
"If…I may have the chance to speak on this matter?"
Zeus narrowed his eyes. At his size, Hephaestus could see the lightning, the living storm within them so clearly. He was toeing the line.
"…."
The silence was suffocating…but it wasn't something he had not experienced before. Eventually, even Zeus nodded.
"Very well, you may speak."
Politeness was working its magic it would seem. He jumped down, a look of confusion on Hermes' face. To other gods, the idea of lowering yourself in anyway was preposterous. But Hephaestus wasn't postering for his fellows…no, he was playing the field of politics…and appearances could be levied just as fine as any blade. By moving himself down near the prisoners, he was giving the view of deference to Zeus. Perhaps it wouldn't hold any sway…but better than nothing. He wouldn't stay silent for this.
"Atlas crimes are his own to bear," echoed Hephaestus. His somber, gritty tone washing through the room. He raised his hands gesturing to the spirits around them, and Atlas himself.
"How many of the Titans roam among us? Free to pursue and maintain their domains as they had previously…were they not aligned with Kronos at one time?"
Ares' voice retaliated. It was short, and brutal.
"What of it. Get to the point."
"Why are we punishing his children for his crimes? Is it not the way of a child to obey their parent?"
He turned to those he knew were parents.
"Is it not the expectation that they obey?"
He turned to the five young goddesses, his eyes he hoped carried a sense of empathy for them.
"To chain them for all eternity for simply following their father's way…my lord is too much."
The tightening of his grip silenced any rebuttal…and yet for Zeus, he felt a smidgen of respect. The boy did not cower. Ares was just as headstrong, maybe even more so. But unlike his half brother, Hephaestus eyes carried no expectation of victory…but there was no acceptance of defeat in him either. It was…refreshing. No smile adorned his face, no shift in his expression, but Zeus quelled his rage easily enough. He had to admit…he was interested in where this was going.
"Does he favor one of them," he thought with amusement.
It was a sentiment shared by many, unbeknownst to Hephaestus.
"So…they should go free?" he drawled.
"NO."
The word was echoed strongly. Enough to a point even Athena was confused.
"They bare their own sins," he stated, "the lives of nymphs, mortals, and various other sentient creatures were cut short at their hands…those sins they MUST pay for. I'm not adjudicating the lack of punishment lord."
He turned to them, the solemn expression bringing a sense of weight the daughters of Atlas hadn't really experienced before. Their father punished them…but this felt more like…disappointment. As if he expected better of them. It hurt, in its strange way. Though it was a prick, barely a spark of remorse echoed in them…well…most of them. Calypso's face soured…while her sister Zoe seemed to close her eyes in regret. His eyes met Zeus again.
"Each of the beings that died at their hands, the lands they've destroyed, and the habitats lost…adjust the punishment to reflect their individual wrongs, not merely umbrella them under their father."
For a moment, everyone wondered what an umbrella was, but the point had been put forth.
"So, mercy?" scoffed Poseidon, "spoken like a brat. Mercy is no mercy at all. It will embolden them to merely strike at us again!"
"You guarantee it with punishments this severe."
He felt Hera's eyes bore into him, but he ignored it.
"A punishment should reflect the crime. You speak of emboldening others to attack you and your order…but Atlas already has. If you merely keep punishing for example's sake…you'll just making more enemies than allies."
"They'll fall as always" growled Ares.
"Perhaps. But not all wish to wage unending war lord Ares."
The eyes of Ares were…strange for Hephaestus. The moment they locked eyes…the hostility he felt ceased from his…brother?
"I..guess he is my brother," Hephaestus thought with a sense of disconnect. He felt so foreign. He thought for sure they would be nothing but confrontational with each other…yet when they looked at each other a sense of kinship echoed. Ares relaxed, however minutely…to the shock of his mother.
"…you speak of war as if you understand it," he muttered.
"I understand only the surface," admitted Hephaestus, not daring to believe EMIYA's experiences was an equivalent to a God, "…Atlas will endure, his hate unending. It is his nature."
Atlas smirked, the boy at least got it.
"But his children are not him…they should not bear his sins alongside him. To forever contain them for the actions their father led is merely to repeat the cruelties that Kronos is known for."
He gestured to the room around them, looking at each God, even Hades with his cold emotionless expression.
"Each of us have felt the chains that bind us to our nature more than once. Felt its call…its pull. Freedom is the right of all sentient beings, to remove what little freedom they have merely because their father compelled them…is that really what you want to do? That for…an example."
He turned to Zeus.
"…is stripping them of that little freedom worth it that much?"
The room was silent once more. Zeus felt his smile return.
"…you speak well nephew. What punishment do you wish to envision for them? Will you…monitor them."
He titled his head, wondering why there was such an amusement to Zeus.
"No, that's a waste of time. Restrict them to their homes, forcing them to repair that which they damaged. Let them restore the communities they destroyed in the wake of their father's plans. Let their actions show that just as there is punishment, there is mercy lord. That is all I wished to speak of…I will abide by your judgement."
Zeus felt his mirth grow. He could feel the indignation from here. It was no mystery to Zeus why his nephew positioned himself in front of them as he did. It was strangely adorable to the older God, like watching a younger, brasher version of himself. Did he not do the same? Throwing himself at his own father to free his siblings, because he believed that was what was right? Abide by his judgement, yea right. Whatever trick he used to conjure that half truth impressed him enough to dissipate his lingering resentment.
"I'm sure you would have," joked Zeus, "relax nephew…no harm will come to them."
With a snap, Hephaestus was placed back into his throne, the displacement causing him to almost throw up, so abrupt was its force even for his enhanced physique. Hermes smirked at him while Apollo kept staring strangely.
"The children of Atlas, Lord Hephaestus has spoken on your behalf…and your punishment has been decided. It will be your duty to repair all that your father has damaged through-out the realm, offering your magic and services as needed…within reason."
The divinity of Hera had edged her husband into adding that last part. Far too much can be taken for granted with that sort of leeway. He sent a smile her way, a thanks for the reminder.
"Atlas…your punishment begins."
Atlas turned to Hephaestus.
"What I would expect from a bastard. You think this…mercy," he stressed, "has garnered any sympathy from me? When I escape…and I will! You will be the first I break upon my knee!"
He spat at the ground.
"COWARD."
He felt nothing at the provocation…but he could feel the way the others watched this. The fact that Zeus did nothing to remove Atlas from the throne room even after his words…he wanted a response. He had pushed enough…if he acted as he wanted to here…there was no way to gauge how Zeus would react.
"A coward," sighed Hephaestus, "I could speak on the way you strong armed Styx into giving you favorable odds."
His divinity grew hot, the taste of steel sputtering into the room.
"The way you beat and bound your own children to you, to foster an army you couldn't even manage without divine power."
Atlas felt a vein bulge on his neck, but it was the twisted torment on his children's faces that tore at him more. He needed to do that! They understood that didn't they!? Yet…they looked away as Hephaestus power stormed ever higher. He may not have been like the other giatns in the room…but even Altas had to admit he fit amongst their number. Yet, as Hephaestus power grew higher, as the temperature rose, his face remained ever stoic…fridged in his judgement.
"The weak and the feeble crushed under your heel for no other reason than they were simply in the way. I fought by your rules Atlas, and you lost."
Blades of unknown make launched themselves from Hephaestus, cutting into Atlas legs, another spearing through the air to cut his cheek, billowing his dark hair to dance across his eyes.
"The next time we fight…there will be no such rules to protect you from me."
Hephaestus golden eyes shone as he called on more of his divinity. Atlas went to heal, but his eyes widened as the wounds remained as they were, stubbornly never shifting. He stared at the blades cutting into his legs. They…they were dispersing his divinity. Even as he forced more of his power into his body, the wounds did nothing to seal. Atlas stared at the blacksmith of Olympus. The balance of power had always been precariously hanging on by a thread, with many an advantage in Zeus' palms…but now it had completely broken.
"The next time we fight," repeated Hephaestus, "do not expect to get back up."
Zeus slammed the butt of his new spear into the floor of the council room and Atlas dispersed, alongside his children.
"That adjourns the meeting. Now, before we split…any other concerns?"
No one spoke a word, that was until Hephaestus rose his hand. Zeus chuckled, shaking his head.
"You interrupted once before, and now resort to this nephew? Come now. Speak."
Hephaestus turned to Demeter.
"Is there a time that is best for you milady? You are the next in line."
Demeter blinked, looking at her brother. She smirked a bit at the way Hades scowled.
"Oh, I believe I can make some time…though I am preoccupied for now. Give me five days Nephew. I will send someone to your realm when I am ready."
He bowed, hopping to the ground. Well…he meant to anyway. He fell into a large palm, blinking up at the sight of Apollo's stern expression.
"You're coming with me!"
He blinked.
"Wh-
He was now in a temple grounds, forcibly placed into a chair of some sort, Apollo before him in a more human stature. Standing tall, his blonde hair curling around him in a fluffy like mane, not unlike a ram or a lamb even.
"-at?"
"What have you done to yourself?" muttered Apollo, rummaging his hands over his legs.
"HEY!"
Hephaestus kicked at him, but the god of the sun merely fizzled beneath his steeled leg, reverting to light and dispersing and reforming out of the way of his physical attacks. Instead, he found himself trapped in a strange divinity.
"Stop your prattle!" stated Apollo, pointing his finger at him, "do you have any idea what you could have done to yourself!? What brought you to do this? There's no creature in the realms that can possibly harm you to this extent!"
He started roaming the room, talking to him as if he had a clue what he was talking about. Apollo ran his fingers through his mane of hair, his illustrious eyes wrought with a sense of despair.
"Oh when I saw what befell you, I thought you had been maimed by some creature. I couldn't figure it out, couldn't think of how to repair it! It was as if it was severed entirely! I had Artmeis searching for any creature that could have done it…but I understand now!"
Apollo turned to him, near manic.
"Those blades, those blades I had felt before, echoes of them, the way their awful power wrapped itself around you. You had done it to yourself!"
Apollo grabbed him by the clothe of his chiton, dragging Hephaestus' wide eyed face closer to his own.
"Why!? You were fine before weren't you!?"
Apollo's fever was so intense Hephaestus did nothing in the face of his own divinity. Apollo's light saturated his entire body, scanning him inside and out within an instant. The digust he saw melted away, revealing a face with growing understanding.
"…it was weak," he muttered, "cursed…what happened?"
Apollo sat, a paper being written by a nymph of a kind Hephaestus had never seen nor heard of before. She was busy writing as Apollo spoke.
"Hephaestus, age….approximately 336 moons, divinity and mortality melded together…overlapping…regardless. Have a file for him dear, and make sure to keep up and store it elsewhere as we practiced!"
…wait.
Apollo turned with a bright smile.
"So, I think we can figure out how to best prevent such drastic measures in the future right! I am the god of healing!"
"Did…I just get a doctor," thought Hephaestus.
Chapter End