Chapter 20:
Him? Aphrodite? It rattled in his skull, the idea of their marriage being nothing short of ludicrous. Did they all think this was a great idea somehow? The way all but Aphrodite seemed alright with it was just horrendous. Though, to be fair, Artemis wasn't a fan in principle, much like himself. Athena was just…Athena. Ares was the biggest surprise. His brother didn't seem to care whatsoever, looking like he'd rather be anywhere else.
The specifics of their relationship were always…difficult for Hephaestus to comprehend honestly. Love and hate intermixed in a strange and explosive love affair. It was far from healthy in his opinion.
He was still reeling from it all, his mind ringing with the word marriage over and over. In all honesty, Hephaestus had assumed he dodged the bullet, so to speak. From what he remembered of the tales from EMIYA's memories, Hephaestus had only been married to Aphrodite in one of two ways.
Either he forced the marriage, or she was forcibly married to him by Hera and Zeus due to the throne debacle. With Hera's caged throne destroyed, he had assumed it was all in the ether now. A make-believe tale only Hephaestus would ever hear.
Yet, reality always had a way of bitch smacking you in the most unexpected of ways.
Whatever the other gods had said about this whole thing never registered. Even with his near eidetic memory, he couldn't recall a single word of what others were saying during this council meeting. He was too far gone in his own thoughts. Yet, in the turmoil lay a single resolve. It weathered the storm, boring to the forefront as the Gods began to leave one by one. He eyed Zeus, making it clear he wasn't going to leave as he crossed his arms.
He felt like screaming, of throwing caution to the wind and simply raging to the world that he wanted no part in this. Yet…there were considerations to be made. Insults to be wary of. It was best to wait…until it was only them.
It was usually a quick affair, the council disbanding. In most cases, it was even lighthearted. The solemn air did little to ease the smug arrogance Zeus wore. He bore it on his shoulders, marring whatever civility there may have been. He had won…and he made sure they knew that. Hostility stained the air and Zeus simply drank it in.
Yet, he remained…and so did Zeus.
There was no easy way to start something like this. Perhaps he could have been more…diplomatic.
"No."
But diplomacy died the moment Zeus made this choice.
"Excuse me?"
The skies rumbled with dark clouds as Zeus stared him down.
"You heard me," said Hephaestus.
"You think this is something you can just say no to?" gestured Zeus with a lazy wave, "just like that?"
Hephaestus surged his own energy around him, circling the two in an aura of privacy. Like he needed whatever voyeurs that were around listening in any further.
"You know this is…idiotic," grumbled Hephaestus, "there's no purpose to be served with something like this."
"You're being a bit hasty." chuckled Zeus.
He wanted to clock the idiot. The way the now larger God just shrugged off his words was irritating in an all-new sort of way. He felt electric, like a piece of himself was being poked and prodded by something. He itched his chest, Zeus eyeing the slight static that built up on Hephaestus' fingers.
He smiled wider, feeding his newfound son's ire. It was adorable.
"I see that you do not understand the severity of what you've just ordered."
"I understand it quite clearly. It has been well thought out, you see."
"It could have been thought of by Athena herself and I'd still say no." Arms were crossed as he openly glared defiantly at the king.
"This marriage…it ends here, Zeus. Whatever plans you had…I won't be working with them. Aphrodite and I deserve better than this. You know that. Neither of us consented to this, so call it off…or we'll be having more than words."
He did not yell, yet his words echoed all the same.
Zeus eyed the young god, noting how the boy never moved and remained stalwart. His family was always loud, fighting to be heard. It was what, ironically, made Hephaestus so distinct. His voice was calm, steady, and its timber would bring any who heard it to a stop.
A different sort of charisma than the likes of Zeus.
Sadly, it did little to ease the situation as the monarch of Olympus stood, lightning curling around him. His face however, was rigid and cold. Zeus was larger than Hephaestus now. Hephaestus was more like a linebacker. Broad-shouldered and muscular with a 6'5 frame.
Zeus was slightly taller and somehow larger than life even with the slight difference in height. It made Hephaestus feel small. Zeus could see that, feel that even. Yet, golden eyes stared back, unmoving, undeterred. It was a strange emotion for him, pride and anger mixed in one.
"Your consent," said Zeus, "is unnecessary. This is no mere gift for you alone, Hephaestus. It is also for the good of Olympus."
"Forcing someone into a marriage? That's for the good of Olympus? Did you not fight for the freedom of the other Gods?"
Hephaestus paced around, gesturing to the open skies around them.
"What territory could you possibly desire that requires this sham of a marriage? There's nothing to be gained from marrying off two Olympians."
"How little you know," muttered Zeus.
"Knowledge matters little here," said Hephaestus, his voice dipping lower, "nothing changes that this is ultimately wrong."
"Wrong?" chuckled Zeus.
The skies rumbled with thunder as he stared down Hephaestus, walking steadily to loom over him.
"Right or wrong is for me to decide…son."
His smile almost broke the confines of his cheeks, enjoying the way Hephaestus mouthed the word son in confusion. His newest child looked to the side before focusing back on Zeus.
"I don't have to attend Zeus. King, you may be, but my home is fortified. If you wish to push this forward, then I will respond in kind."
"...oh really?"
It was obvious between the two of them that Zeus was superior. However, unlike his siblings, Zeus knew that Hephaestus didn't fight the same way they all did. In fact, he fought the same way Ares and Athena did. In conjunction with their authorities, rather than reliant on it.
In theory…it was certainly possible for Hephaestus to fight back, successfully even. He wouldn't win…but neither would Zeus.
Hephaestus knew this.
Zeus knew this.
Yet, it was the king of thunder that laughed. The skies echoed with it, carrying his joy-riddled laughter to the winds and beyond. It wasn't a laugh of a joker…but of someone who already won.
"...what did you do?"
Hephaestus kept his gaze as Zeus paced around him. The older god clasped his hands behind his back, his cloudy hair flowing freely behind him. His electric eyes brightened as Zeus smirked.
"Be honest with me…what makes you so averse to marrying love itself?"
"Don't change the subject!"
"Humor me," drawled Zeus.
He took a breath, crossing his arms as he looked around—anything for a clue as to why Zeus seemed so calm about all of this.
"Honestly? The principle of it, Zeus. This is childish and stupid. Aphrodite and I have far better uses of our time than simply playing make-believe in our marriage."
"You do perhaps, Aphrodite would rather fornicate," chuckled Zeus.
He said as if it were the funniest joke in the world.
"How Aphrodite uses her time is her own business," said Hephaestus. "Are you much better?"
Zeus blinked, turning to face Hephaestus.
"...quite the assumption you have of me there."
He stared blankly at the smirk Zeus held.
"You have several children, all with different mothers. You've also taken on human lovers…and if I am to hazard a guess, you have another kid on the way."
The twitch in Zeus' eye made him smirk.
"I find it foolish that you seek to punish Aphrodite for the same behavior you exhibit."
"...there is a difference, you know."
He said it sheepishly, as if this entire argument was just a discussion between friends. This was why Hephaestus detested interacting with Gods unnecessarily. Their emotions always flew off the handle or they were just outright weird. He had to handle this carefully, but he refused to simply take it either.
…he really didn't like the smug feeling he felt inside his chest right now. Styx and her misplaced pride were a distraction at the moment.
"I told you," reminded Hephaestus, "not to change the subject."
The smile fell and Hephaestus felt like his neck was between Zeus' jaw. He was all teeth as he turned and leaned into Hephaestus' personal space.
"I doubt principle will matter once you gaze upon Aphrodite. You'll thank me for this."
"Thank you?" leaned Hephaestus.
Their noses were almost touching. The room began to heat up as lightning and fire meshed around them. Privacy was eroded as any semblance of control was cast aside. Lighting echoed silently around the room as fire clashed with it.
A pyroclastic dance that, by physics, shouldn't exist.
"I should thank you for this? I want nothing to do with this! I've danced around the subject long enough, Zeus. Cease this marriage, now."
The lightning popped away, as the King of the Gods leaned back. He clasped his hands behind his back. The tension was eased out, any aspect of violence gone.
"Just because you disagree with it doesn't mean the marriage won't happen," chuckled Zeus.
It was the way he looked at him, as if it were truly a foregone conclusion. Hephaestus scratched his chest again. Yet as he reached his chest, eyeing Zeus' reaction, he blinked.
His hand fell away as it all clicked together.
He had felt this once before.
"No," muttered Hephaestus.
The growing smugness on Zeus' face assured his worst fear.
"...you've already done it," whispered Hephaestus.
An innocent shrug, a what can you do expression.
Hephaestus had enough and conjured Rule Breaker.
"I won't let this stand, Zeus."
Zeus blinked. He could feel it, the way the blade shimmered with such strange authority.
"...I admit, son…your arsenal is full of surprises. Honestly, when do you find the time to forge these oddities?"
He chuckled, watching as Hephaestus stabbed himself. It was more of a prick really, but whatever he needed to activate the strange blade was done.
Zeus ignored the boy, as his eyes narrowed in concentration. It was an interesting trinket. Certainly a devastating tool. From what little Zeus could sense, it had something to do with severing magic and bonds.
Unfortunately for Hephaestus, there was one glaring weakness.
Zeus could see it right away, the way the weapon responded to its maker. It reflected the user in a way, being able to funnel even divinity. There were cracks on the blade; the weapon was not strong enough to outright handle divinity constantly. Yet, it didn't need to last forever.
By all accounts, it was more than enough to sever divinity.
Well…ordinary divinity maybe.
He allowed Hephaestus to frantically grasp at his own core, smile widening as the boy turned to him with a wide gaze.
"...what is this?"
"The bond of marriage. It takes seven days for it to fully mature, hence why you'll be married in full then."
Zeus waved and any cosmetic damage was undone. The dark clouds around them dispersed, revealing a pleasant sun.
The light danced on Zeus' skin, the God having the audacity to bathe in its light for a moment. He turned back to Hephaestus.
"Interesting tool you have. Shame that it reflects the user so much."
"...you knew this would happen."
Zeus smirked.
"I've heard rumors that you could sever divinity. Hecate and Circe were not quiet enough to hide that. Yet, in the end, it all matters little. Hera's bonds are not simply curses or blessings, son. They are absolute."
He shrugged.
"Till death do you part. If I could, I'd separate our bond myself…alas, it cannot be done."
A gust and Zeus were there, flicking Rule Breaker. It broke into tiny little motes. Zeus rubbed his fingers together, staring at what specks of dust that remained on them.
"If I cannot break my bonds…what makes you think a little trinket like that would do so? Still, an excellent idea to hide such a thing within yourself. Your world is vast…I can't help but wonder what else lies in it."
Hephaestus frantically looked around, his own divinity creating a shoddy bubble around the two. Zeus waved it off.
"Have no fear son, there is no one who can listen to our conversations."
Hephaestus stilled as the winds pushed him to the edge of the council. There, it was an open sky, thunder clouds rolling. He was now standing beside Zeus, staring at the sights.
"I'll be leaving," said Hephaestus.
"To the rivers, I take it? You think they'll have the means to thwart Hera's authority?"
He bit his lip, the veins in his arms bulging as he clenched his fists.
"You can't possibly think that I'll just…accept this!?"
He turned to the older God. Every fiber of his body wanted to simply blitz him and just force Zeus' hand, somehow.
However, he wasn't a hot-headed fool. Well, at the very least, not every part of him. The shock of the marriage began to wane as he thought things through.
"If I just simply lash out, there's no telling what the consequences will be. What of Hera? What of the other Olympians? Going against this order…I need to be careful."
Zeus took his silence for another matter entirely.
"Your brooding is…understandable. Easily fixed, though."
"Is that right?" muttered Hephaestus.
"Oh yes. A simple rollick in bed, that always brightens the mood!"
"..."
Hephaestus resisted the urge to groan aloud. Of course, Zeus, of all gods, would think sex was the solution.
"That has to be the most ridiculous fu–"
"Have fun."
Olympus shattered in his view as he was suddenly shifted elsewhere. He quickly looked around, shaking off the nausea that came with teleportation.
"I need to fix that," he growled.
His vision settled, seeing that he was surrounded not by marble and thrones, but drapes. It was a tapestry of pink, purple, and beige clothes all spread across a marble room. He wasn't alone in this clothed temple, eyeing a random serving girl. She was a waif of a thing, pretty in a petite sort of way.
"U-um Hello Lord Hephaestus. L-lady Aphrodite is right this way!"
"...I'm in Aphrodite's temple?"
She gave a meek nod, doing everything she could to avoid eye contact.
"...you are?"
"Aglaia, lord Hephaestus."
… Well, this was awkward. He remembered the name as some other wife Hephaestus had in myth, yet for himself he couldn't really imagine such a thing. For starters…she was admittedly too small. She was beautiful, sure, with golden hair framing a cherub-like face. However…she was short.
As in her head barely met the middle of his stomach. Not to mention she was rather underdeveloped in all truth, not his cup of–
"What the hell are you thinking?" thought Hephaestus,"snap out of it!"
The fog that settled on his…groin dispersed as he flushed divinity through his system. The worry the little Goddess carried dissipated with it, a sigh of relief in her tone.
"Please," she said, "follow me. She's right this way."
"Of course, this entire area is saturated in her most…annoying authorities," thought Hephaestus.