She found it so strange, watching him sleep. Gods didn't sleep the same way humans did. They didn't dream after all. Rather, it was just a silent void. Them alone with their thoughts. To some, that would seem like hell, but to the Gods with their domains? It was a nice brief respite.
Yet, Hephaestus was asleep, like a human. It was as fascinating as it was adorable. She could sense the dreams within, his mind conjuring whatever images that seemed to give him solace. She brushed her fingers across her exposed lips, smiling softly. They were bruised and slightly puffy. The markings across her mouth and throat usually brought questions, yet he didn't bat an eye. Though…he certainly did far more than that.
One of the bodies she had formed that night was still limping slightly, in another room of her personal abode. It was more like a hut than anything, with expansive rooms as she needed them. Green rooms and areas isolated for research were a must for her. Her apprentices were not strong enough to weather the more disastrous of her experiments, so rarely was anyone here.
Yet, within the beddings of her personal room, was a God. She didn't know how his human lovers survived his immense strength, her rear still stinging from before. Her third body ached as well, from the way he gripped her throat and bit her shoulder. She was currently front and centre, gathering her apprentices for the gathering today.
It was all light play really, but far from what she expected. For all his talk of experience, his body was pure and innocent as any virgin. There was…tang to it. Virginity held a special power in the more tantric rituals of magic. She had felt that same purity within him.
She had expected a young unsure man. A young god who knew very little and needed to be led. Yet that night was anything but pure.
"He's a natural," she thought, chuckling quietly.
She wondered how he would react if she compared him to Zeus? Not that she had ever slept with the God, but the lord of the skies' reputation preceded him. It would seem his newly claimed son held a similar affinity.
Oh, the look on his face would be priceless. She blinked, shifting slightly to look at his sleeping expression again. It was as calm as it ever was. His chest rose steadily as he breathed, his crimson hair matted to his face. She brushed it slightly. A widened jaw, angular despite its ruggedness. There was a strength to the gentleness of his face, handsome with some imperfections. His nose was ever so slightly crooked, his skin was not as smooth or bright. He had hair too. A slight sparse of it across his arms and chest. There was even a small trail across his abs. She trailed her fingers through it, noting the slight heat his skin gave off. She leaned in slightly, graceful as a cat, slightly rubbing her lips across his.
He had a slight stubble, one that ran around his lips and hung on his jawline. It was not an overtly large stubble, but it was notable. Facial hair wasn't something she had thought of on a partner before. It was usually a status symbol or an accessory. Most humans attempted to keep their faces free of such a thing, though many kept it as well.
It added a sense of age to him but also a rugged quality. Neither of these was things she normally looked for in a partner.
Yet…she rarely ever took divine lovers. Even her mortal lovers were rarely male to begin with, though there had been a few. Yet, looking at him…she found it strangely appealing. Was it a new facet of her sexuality…or was it just him?
Did it matter? She smiled softly as she felt him stirring. Her second body started making its way here as his eyes fluttered open and she snuggled back into his chest. She had to move as he shifted over, her back pressed into his chest as he turned to his side.
His eyes focused a bit more as he turned to the sound of her other body.
"Good morning, lover."
She leaned on the end, watching the awareness grow. She chuckled as he turned more, her hands finding their way on his chest.
"Quite the night," she whispered softly, "I have to say…I've never been tuckered out like this before. You were exceptional, well done."
She stood on shaky legs, her hand still on his chest. She straddled him, running her fingers over his muscles. She bit her lip as she felt him rising beneath her.
"Hecate?" he whispered.
She simply nodded.
He looked down at his bareness. Looked back at her, noting she was in her full glory, naked to the world.
"Already?" she muttered.
Suddenly, his eyes snapped open.
"...oh," he muttered.
She snickered more as he was now fully awake. He smiled a bit.
"I was worried that it was a dream," he smiled.
"Oh, I would hope not," snarked Hecate, "I was worried you'd blame Dionysus' wine and scurry away."
He sat up, brushing his hand on the Hecate that was lying against him. She dispersed, merging with the Hecate that was on his lap.
"Who on earth would be foolish enough for that? I admit, though…I likely wouldn't have initiated without that wine. It was strange…not like what I heard being drunk was supposed to be like."
Emiya had been drunk before and he wasn't a fan of it. The memory still rested in his head, so he had some inkling as to what it was supposed to be like. Yet, this was an entirely different experience. It felt less like he was being drunk and more that he was…uninhibited? As if his worries were gone without the loss of control?
"It is why everyone enjoys his alcohol," muttered Hecate, "it has a way of lowering inhibitions, yes, but also worries and concerns. Humans have been trying for centuries to replicate that feeling, but they never will."
"His authority?"
"Somewhat…is that really what you want to talk about?"
Her nails dug into his chest and his fingers curled on her back. She gasped a bit as he leaned forward, locking her lips with his. Their teeth lightly hit each other, as new lovers do. He moaned appreciatively as she deepened the kiss, intertwining their tongues. She drifted back, a gust of visible breath between them from the brisk morning air filtered into the cabin.
"...I think you're the first God I've wanted to stay for the morning," she smirked.
"I see."
His tone was neutral and she felt instantly that things had cooled down.
"What's wrong?"
He smiled softly, shaking his head.
"It would be childish…but what are we?"
She blinked.
"I do not want this to be…temporary," said Hephaestus.
She blinked again, her eyes slowly widened.
"You seek to stay?" she chuckled, "Quite the disparity between you and your wife," she stressed.
He frowned lightly.
"Aphrodite is free to live and sleep with whomever as she pleases," he muttered, "but that's not what I want."
Hecate scoffed.
"So if Aphrodite was naked and willing, you'd say no?"
It rooted her to the soul, his words echoing slightly. The bond between him and Aphrodite was…augmented, but it was still present. His words were laced not with charmspeak, but intent. His words echoed slightly, his eyes glowing as he simply stated the truth.
"Of course. I'm not some mutt," he muttered.
She tilted her head.
"So, you're asking for me to stay…loyal?"
"Exclusive," said Hephaestus, "a relationship. I admit, without that damn drink I wouldn't have sprung on my intentions so early…but I enjoy your company. I would have enjoyed taking things slow."
She looked at him with the most quizzical expression he had ever seen.
"...Are you alright?"
"Who are you?"
"Excuse me?"
She stood up. There was no aggression to her movement; if anything, she seemed more playful. She put her hair into a ponytail of all things and she smirked at the way his mast sprang just that little bit higher.
"A God that seeks to court instead of conquer? Most would belittle you for that, you know?"
He rolled his eyes, stood up, and wrapped her in his arms. She kind of hated the way that she felt safe. She was stronger than him dammit.
She blinked a bit, noting she was already in his arms…perhaps not physically then.
"I don't see the point," he said, "I enjoy your company and I know you enjoy mine. The opinions of others matter little. Their interference on the other hand," he growled.
She shivered a bit at the way his hand caressed her stomach and his voice echoed in her ear.
"Besides," he smirked, "do you think of me so little for wishing for your company alone?"
"Never," she smirked, "Unlike them, I'm well aware how far you'll go to defend my…maidenly honor."
She said it with such sarcasm that he wasn't entirely certain what she meant. He blinked, separating from her.
"I don't follow."
She scoffed a bit, chuckling as she placed her hands on his chest, looking him in the eye.
"You sweet man. Did you think I wouldn't know about Pan?"
For a moment, she felt volcanic rage. The ground beneath her feet would have splintered without a second thought if he didn't keep it contained. She felt the searing heat on her hands, the natural cold of a Chthonic god done away with for the moment.
"Has he reformed?"
"No," she chuckled, "not after the eighth time you've ripped him apart."
He had come across Pan years ago. At first, he had been considering what he should do with what he knew about the horrible little goat. No laws had been broken; As such, what avenues did he have? Then Pan opened his mouth and any sort of civility Hephaestus had was shredded. He killed Pan with Harpe. Beheaded without a thought.
It had taken Pan about a few months to reform from that. Fun fact, apparently killing the Gods with Harpe only slowed their reformation, not killed them permanently.
He only escalated from there, hunting him down until his eighth death. After that, Pan seemed to disappear.
"Every time he resurrected, you just killed him again and again," she smiled, "how did you avoid repercussions for that?"
He smirked. There was a darkness to it, a zeal for violence that made Hecate both concerned…and slightly horny.
"Gaia was not his fan either."
Her desire was doused. She almost hissed like a cat, turning around, gripping his face.
"You've spoken to Gaia!?"
She separated, any thought of another interlude between the two forgotten instantly.
"...is that so odd?"
"Of course it's odd! She's a primordial entity, she doesn't just talk with anyone!"
She felt a vein pop in her skull at his casual shrug. Their words did not echo beyond their conversation, neither wanting to invoke the earth mother at the moment.
"Well, that's just not true," muttered Hephaestus, "there's Rhea and a few–"
"What did she say!? What does she sound like?" whispered Hecate.
"She sounded like a woman."
"...I'm going to kill you," stressed Hecate.
"She…sounded normal. We made a deal–"
"ARE YOU INSANE!?"
This probably had to be the most emotion he had ever seen from Hecate, though he smiled softly at the worried expression.
"I have it handled."
Her glare intensified.
"Let's just say that Pan has been negligent in his duties," coughed Hephaestus."In return for cleaning his messes…he's mine to deal with."
She rubbed her temples, barely understanding his explanation.
"You sound content," she whispered, "you're insane. Who binds themselves to a Primordial!?"
"You assume that there was any sort of contract between us."
Her sense of right and wrong snapped. It echoed in her mind like a broken guitar string.
"...what?"
"Gaia's rather reasonable," he muttered, "there's no formal contract between either of us. No oaths, nothing but our word."
"...you think she'll just keep it?"
"She's a mother too, you know," it took Hecate a moment, but she realized what he meant.
"Wis was hers?"
"Yes. It's why she's willing to shoulder the divine law in my place. Honestly, I was shocked when I heard she had created Typhon purely to kill the Olympians."
She had been so cordial with him. The idea that such a sweet woman was so vicious was difficult for him to grasp. Even the shaky natures of the gods were not so 180.
"Dionysus communes with her as well," said Hephaestus, as if it somehow made it easier to handle.
"He gets her drunk and then talks to her," muttered Hecate, "That's not the same thing. My mood is ruined," she sighed.
The clothes wrapped around her, hugging her body closely. Her signature hat was adorned as it always did with the shawl covering her face and neck.
"Busy day?" he smirked.
"Yes. That and I've had enough revelations from you."
She stopped…turning to him.
"Give me time to think about it. I suspected you simply wanted a dalliance between us…I'm not the marrying kind. I abhor contracts like what Hera invokes. So…complete, it just…so confusing."
"I do not seek that," said Hephaestus, "merely a place in your life. If you'd like…we can pick a day to genuinely discuss it. Make our intentions clear."
Her back was still to him. Her hand on the frame of the next room.
"If I say no?"
"We can still be friends," said Hephaestus, "I find your company enjoyable regardless."
"There's your naivety," she waved off, a small lilt to her words, a laugh that never bubbled up.
She seemed to struggle with something. He looked around for his clothes, noting his altered Chiton was on the floor. He picked it up, rolling his shoulders from the rather stiff bed.
"Hephaestus…"
He turned, noting the reluctant expression.
"...What you call Rule Breaker…may I borrow it?"
It was conjured instantly in front of her, the blade plopping into her hand.
"...you're just giving this to me?"
He smiled.
"I trust you. I know you need it for a purpose. Besides–"
The blade dispersed just as it appeared.
"You assume it remains in your hands when I give it to you or that I will give it without reason."
She seemed to smile a little, curling her arms together in front of her.
"You're powerful, Hecate. You'd only need a tool like this for a specific purpose. If you want it…I need to know."
"...I'm severing my ties to Circe".
His jaw clenched slightly, the memory of that witch one he'd rather forget.
"Oh?"
"There were contracts that were bound to us both in ages past," explained Hecate,"it's why she remains even when she shouldn't."
"Why would you bind yourself like this?" stressed Hephaestus, "you've always told me to be careful…ah."
The discomfort was obvious.
"I won't pry."
"With Rule Breaker," she continued, "I can sever our ties and bind her elsewhere…a place without the abundance of resources that she enjoys here…it would be a cage in the truest sense."
"A just punishment," said Hephaestus.
He gave her Rule Breaker.
"...you don't wish to kill her?"
He sighed.
"I know with Pan, it paints me in a more…violent light. But Circe was not the direct reason Calliope and her family died. She allowed it to happen with her negligence, but she did not instigate it. Her betrayal is ultimately more so to you than anything. So long as she is punished, I will be content."
That was a bold-faced lie. If he had the opportunity, he would honestly extract his own vengeance. However, there were elements at play that restricted him for the most part. The key of which was retaliation. He didn't know how it differed for him versus other Gods, but the idea that the retaliation could be used against him and he couldn't respond in kind? That was more of a deterrent than any other.
Imagine, for a moment, that you've beaten down a man of most despicable character…only for the law to back him instead of you. Yet, rather than the law, it was a divine law that allowed him to retaliate against you in whatever way they pleased. Perhaps you were weakened? Perhaps you couldn't respond to something? Maybe you were restrained?
If he just ran around Greece beating the shit out of everyone whose behaviour he found despicable or atrocious, he'd be swarmed by a legion of Gods, all using divine law to back their plays. It's what he hated so much about the whole thing. Most divine laws protected humans from the worst of the Gods…but there were always loopholes.
His own situation with Pan was a sterling example of it. Hephaestus was powerful, he knew that. But only an absolute moron would open himself up to such open retaliation.
Rule Breaker was conjured once more and Hecate took it gracefully.
"I will let you know when I'm done with it."
He said nothing, merely nodding. As a God, his connection to the blades he created was much deeper than EMIYA's. He'd know when the blade was used. She'd get one shot. Both because he'd deactivate the damn thing and also the fragility of Rule Breaker to begin with. It could only shoulder so much divinity before shattering into little pieces anyway.
It was funny watching her be so thrown off though. The suspicious little glances as she left. She'd understand the moment she actively uses the Noble Phantasm. Honestly, knowing her…she'd probably be proud of the way he handled this.
Still…there was a problem.
He sat down and clasped his hands in front of his mouth.
"...how do I leave?"
He'd usually be teleported right about now. Did…did he just sneak out?
"...hmm…"
Ifrit wasn't the best idea. He'd rather not cause a commotion. There was also the idea of whether Hecate even wanted her followers to even know they were uh…doing the business. Most were celibate by Hecate's rules to begin with…probably wasn't a good face to have that you were allowed, but your followers were not.
"...hmm…"
He was slow as he exited Hecate's cabin. Ifrit coiled within him, itching to just fly out. Honestly, he was rather tempted. But, considering Hecate's reluctance to have an answer, it was probably best he kept this between them for now. Her home was surrounded by trees, with a clear path to the glade she used for her own personal experiments. He could see her in the distance, walking.
"She must have a lot on her mind," Hephaestus mused, "normally she'd just appear wherever she needed to be."
He wanted to support her, but he had a feeling his presence would cause more problems than either of them would like. Circe had her own supporters, best not to give them the ammunition they could use for Circe's defense.
Though…he doubted it would matter much. Hecate was powerful enough to just blitz the lot of them. The issue was the morale of her coven afterwards.
It was built entirely on the premise that everyone was free from the persecution of the masses. What would happen if Hecate simply bludgeoned this entire problem?
"I don't envy you Hecate," he whispered, "if you need me, simply call."
He felt the brushing of her own energy caress his cheek for a moment…but that was all. His nose twitched a bit as he smelled the sea. It would appear he had a way out.
The question really was…where to go?
How long had it been since he'd been off Lemnos? For a moment, Hephaestus thought of his responsibilities. He had a home, people he cared for…and yet things were peaceful.
He hopped to the gravelly coastline, looking into the distances as the fog subsided a bit.
He wanted to go, his wanderlust echoing in a way it hadn't in so long.
Hecate's island never remained in one place. He could feel it, the way the island shifted its location once more, twisting to a new area.
He stilled for a moment, realizing the new area he had just drifted into. He could feel it, even from here. He echoed his divinity, funneling it forward. It felt a response on the other end. A casual, quiet acceptance. The same as always.
It would be good to see a friend on his way home.
-Athens' Temple of Athena…sort of-
To say she was surprised would be wrong.
She was rarely surprised, if ever. So when Hephaestus' divinity had echoed to her, she mused just how unlikely the occurrence really was. Yet, he was coming all the same. He was polite about it, making his intentions clear. It was only right that she responded in kind.
The temple of her worshippers was a common location for her to reside in, though the mortals never knew it. After all, she overlaid her personal workshop over the entire temple. It was the most efficient solution really, for she could remain close by to overhear the musings of all her followers.
She never really understood why the Gods wanted humans to worship them. For a time, she entertained the notion that human worship empowered Gods in some way.
The free will of man was considered the most powerful force on the planet. The ability to choose your own path, to ignore the ramblings of talent, or even veer off the paths the fates had weaved. It was a surreal power to the Gods. It was what made humankind so intriguing to them all.
Alas, there was no such connection. There was something to be said of it, true. Human worship affected them, but in more indirect ways. For instance, it always calmed Athena's mood when her worshippers followed her path. When logic prevailed and strategy was employed. Those who walked her path, embodied her ideals; they were her true worshippers.
She was still trying to convince the populace that beheading a goat was not what she was looking for, but alas…it never really stuck.
Though the burning of its meat had an oddly pleasant scent. She wasn't entirely certain how much further that connection went, but it certainly wasn't affecting a God's strength.
She remembered a year ago a conversation with Hephaestus regarding this exact topic. It was intriguing, filled with insights she had never considered. She couldn't help but wonder what else their conversation would illuminate for today.
"An intriguing concept," she whispered as she rearranged some materials.
Her owl had a flat expression, its feathers ruffling as it twitched.
Ignoring her divine beast, she couldn't help but feel impatient. Other gods would just instantly appear before her in the rare visits. He could not and the hour it has taken for him to get here was oddly aggravating.
She felt his divinity echo and smiled, turning her vision to the streets of Athens. She always wondered why he walked amongst humans the way that he did. He could just hide, obscure himself with the tools at his disposal…yet he walked amongst them. He wore his shroud over his head, covering his crimson hair and golden eyes as best he could. Yet, that did little to hide how he dwarfed the average person.
That and Hephaestus was in her city now.
She had visited Lemnos before, seeing the way he had interacted with the humans. It was all so strange to her, why he wasted his time with them the way that he did. She remembered a time a child had come running into his abode, filled with energy and zeal. She could feel the way the child's mind churned. It was annoyingly like Poseidon, impulsive to the bone. The child was a born sailor and navigator, connected to the sea in a way few humans were.
Yet…he nourished that child's talents. Told the child he would help him after he was done spending time with his friend.
A path completely alien to his own and he helped that child walk it.
Mind boggling.
His people welcomed him with open arms, no trepidation, no concern. Waved at him as if he were some neighbor. She thought it a quirk of theirs…until she herself appeared. Their reverence ran deep, most bowing in her presence. She could literally taste their trepidation.
But…it lacked fear. There was a sense of safety amongst them, even with their anxiety. It was…odd.
It must have been for Hephaestus too, for many of her citizens balked at the sight of him. Even now, she noted the way he stopped to assist an elderly man with his burden and the poor soul looked ready to fall over.
She wasn't staring, obviously, just studying the oddity that was Hephaestus. It didn't thrum something within her when he helped a small child up and assisted the older man into his home.
It didn't matter. Nothing but the data mattered.
She turned her attention away, back into the data that she had been studying for years. The biology of Hephaestus still remained a fascinating subject. It became even more so when she learned that he was still entirely different from the demigods that were being born now. There was only one logical explanation that explained such vast differences, a hypothesis that Hephaestus was conveniently around to verify.
That was why she was letting him in on such short notice. That and being polite. It was the obvious thing to do.
She prepped her home for him, adjusting some of the magic circles in her home to better facilitate her hypothesis. She felt it the moment he set foot into her temple. It was a heady feeling, like sweltering in the sun. A raw heat that even Apollo couldn't match. The weight he carried with his power grew every day, not that he was likely aware of it. He was, ironically, like Zeus. A force of nature that walked on two feet.
The entirety of Olympus was the same way, each growing in power little by little as time went on. She twisted her hand, opening her home to him as he walked past a pillar. Hephaestus blinked as he looked around the room. What had once been an open temple for all, complete with marble and pillars, became an enclosed space.
The walls were lined with theorems and workbenches. It was a circular area, a common theme for most of Olympus. Though in Athena's case, this was used mostly to make room for the multiple copies of her roaming around. It was just them in this space, the further reaches of her home barred to him. He didn't mind, as he wasn't interested in a tour.
"Athena," he greeted with a smile.
"Hephaestus," she said stoically, "this is a welcome intrusion."
"I was in the area and noticed that you were actually in Athens," he said looking around. "Usually you set your workshop in Olympus, no?"
"Hmm."
The dismissive grunt was unlike her. Her face was calm as always, but the ends of her jet black hair were laced with strands of blonde.
"...Athena?"
"It is just an argument with Poseidon," she muttered, "he touched what he shouldn't have. Nothing more. I've resolved it…though it still burns at me."
He placed a hand on her shoulder. There was no strength to it, but she found the heat…comforting?
She didn't rightly know, but her divine animal was currently screeching for some god forsaken reason. She narrowed her eyes at him, making it somehow gurgle itself back to silence. Hephaestus laughed, gesturing for her little freak to settle on his outstretched arm.
"Still a hassle, I see?"
The poor owl looked about ready to explode, shaking slightly. The poor thing was a conduit for all the emotions Athena excised and shoved away from herself. It blinked each eye separately, the eyes bulging ever so slightly, making Hephaestus frown a bit.
"Is…is he alright?"
"He's fine," muttered Athena.
A wave of her hand and the owl dispersed. She felt it the second before it happened. Her gaze quickly went to the cracks that grew on Hephaestus' skin, watching Ifrit fly out like a liquid fire. She still couldn't see how he was doing that. It wasn't biology. She had studied Hephaestus intensely for the last few years, analyzing every piece of data that she could scrape from him.
Actually, that reminded her.
"I'm done."
She felt her cheek twitch slightly, noting the way he was lost in caressing Ifrit's feathers. His attention span was still horrible. A trait that she could now confirm was normal amongst demigods thus far.
Most were weak, thus she couldn't rightly say if it was common. Yet, her father's first demigod had been born not some time ago, so she could verify it soon.
"Hephaestus," she stressed.
He blinked, smiling softly in that irritating way. She wasn't sure why it made her warm. It certainly wasn't arousal, she knew that. She had sworn off such attachments, finding them unnecessary.
Because it totally worked like that.
Yup.
"Athena?"
"Hmm?"
"You said you were done?"
"Correct. I can confidently say that I have studied your biology as far as constraints allow."
He let Ifrit fly around her domain. Under ordinary circumstances, she wouldn't allow it, but Ifrit was different. She knew where not to perch.
"I see. Anything of note?"
"Yes. Your divinity and mortal components are entirely separate."
"Oh?"
"Intertwined."
"...ok…"
"And in some cases, molded together like the other demigod samples I've tested."
"...you realize that makes no sense?"
"Your entire biology is an impossibility," stated Athena, "everything that you are should not exist as it does. Your mortal pieces are synchronized to you in a way that other demigods don't exhibit."
"You make it seem as if I am a contradiction," he mused, walking around her.
"In many ways, yes. Take for instance, the average demi-god," she explained, gesturing to various glyphs and data that she conjured. "Each demi-god is connected to their parent. They are…conduits, divine, yet mortal."
One showed a human-like body, filled with yellow and blue energy.
"The human body adapts, adjusting to facilitate the divine energy of their parent during their development stages. It is why they can filter divinity to begin with, as their entire birthing process integrates the energy."
"Remarkable work," praised Hephaestus.
She merely continued, ignoring the proud fluffy owl that beamed at him.
"It's proven a hassle to get accurate readings on every demi-god I've come across. My sample sizes are still too small. What of a demi-god for a chthonic god or goddess? What of one with an Olympian parent? The differences can be quite skewed."
"Of course," muttered Hephaestus, "but there are greater variables than that. What of the health of the parent? Gender? The components of their own physiology?"
"Exactly," smiled Athena, "there is still much to research…but I believe that I can now firmly give you the answers you've been seeking after these last few years."
He sighed.
"I already know all that I wanted to know."
She ignored him, continuing on as if he didn't speak. He merely rolled his eyes, smiling. She always had difficulty moving onto new topics when she had her current focus. She gestured to the globe that she created. It was a metallic sphere, with every continent and ocean accurately displayed.
"As you can see, demigods can freely travel into the other realms, as is the result of their human nature."
A small human doll was placed on this globe. Yet, when it reached an area that Hephaestus would call modern-day Russia…
"However, once they are outside their parents' realm of influence, their ability to use that authority is cut off."
She snapped her fingers, the sound of scissors snipping a cord echoing.
"They are connected to their parents, yet distinct."
She picked up the little human, filtering her power through it.
"They can handle more divinity than any other living mortal species known…but even they have their limits."
"Hence the…combustion," muttered Hephaestus.
She nodded, saying, "They've become an entirely new subspecies of humans and gods."
"I see…but what's the point you're trying to reach here Athena?"
She pursed her lips, struggling to put what he was into words. "You are both human and divine. A man. A god. A demi-god. All intertwined into a singular existence."
"...I think you're simplifying this a step further than necessary."
She looked at him expectedly.
"You're envisioning this on an entirely biological spectrum," stated Hephaestus.
He gestured to the doll that had been reduced to slag. He conjured his own using tracing.
"You view humans as a purely biological entity. They're not, there are other elements that are present."
He smiled, the cracks of his body becoming visible as they glowed an angry volcanic red. She leaned forward, watching as his body adjusted and turned. She blinked as she watched a blade slowly pierce through his skin.
"...fascinating, this…this is a concept in physical form."
The poor owl of Athena went to screech once more, to express the filtered feelings, but a solid glare silenced it. She turned back to Hephaestus, now animatedly walking around the room.
"This…yes, this fits!"
Suddenly there was a diagram of a small child being formed, the differing stages of fetal development along the way. Hephaestus watched her work for a moment, noting the sigils. He had yet to fully master the use of runes, but he was entirely fluent in them now.
"...are you constructing a demi-god of your own?"
She stared at him, completely ignoring the question he had just asked, lost in her own world.
"How were you born?"
He remained silent, not wanting to dredge up memories that were better left dead. Both the original Hephaestus' and EMIYA's.
"I have a theory that your nature is due to the construction of your birth. How are your circumstances different from the other demigods I have studied? Father's demigod has just been born, but he stubbornly refuses for me to look at Perseus."
Hephaestus didn't react, but the name of one of the first Greek legends made him mentally sigh. So it has begun.
"...wait, wasn't he seeing some mortal woman a week ago?"
She rolled her eyes.
"Apparently more than one it would seem, for quite some time."
He decided to bite for now, his curiosity inching him further in the conversation.
"...what do you want to know?"
"For starters, do you know how you were constructed?"
That was an answer Hephaestus wished he knew.
"I do not. I know that Hera formed me herself, whichever method she used for that."
"...Interesting. So you were woven together."
It was the way she said it, as if she had gotten a theory confirmed just the way she wanted it. Her designs also adjusted and the features of her child became far more clear. He could see that her hypothesized success rate had jumped from 0.08% to 25%.
"...I find it funny that you're spending so much time on a purely hypothetical," he muttered. "You've already helped me uncover my own issues for children and yet you still pursue something like this? What Athena? You plan to have a kid of your own or something?"
He had meant it as a joke. His smile waned as his eyes widened.
"Oh."
She blinked, tilting her head.
"I have no desire for companionship."
A solid screech echoed through the chambers, making Athena's expressionless face fall and her hair turn blonde for a moment. It reverted almost instantly.
"But…the idea of children intrigues me. Is it possible to have children without a partner?"
Hephaestus merely shrugged.
"I do not know how to do that. If I figured it out, I would have told you."
She stilled. She tilted her head, as if verifying something, before eyeing him directly.
"Right. You wished for children, but your body is incapable of reproducing. My apologies for bringing it up."
He blinked. It was less the reminder of his own infertility, but more so the fact that she had actually attempted to comfort him about it.
"...it's alright, Athena. Still, not like it matters. You know Hera will not explain any of her weaving to you."
"She owes me."
He smirked, moving closer to her. She balked a bit at the scent he had as he walked by. The way it was mixed with Hecate's. She heard her damn owl screech again, Hephaestus turning a the more aggressive screech, but she kept it contained. There was no fire in her loins, not the way that she understood sexual desire.
But…there was a sense of affection intertwined with intense jealousy. The physicality was absent but her damnable emotions kept bubbling to the surface with this man.
"Would you reveal your weavings?" he chuckled, looking at a workbench behind her, "tell all how to bring clothes and crafts together?"
"...that's ridiculous," she muttered.
He fiddled with something on her workbench. It was a set of gears that she was adjusting for a new loom system. Ares had done the same and she had blasted him out of her temple. She only watched him adjust the gears perfectly to match seamlessly, running a careful finger through the gears to loom some thread. He turned the gears, smiling as a bungle came together into a singular strand.
"But the principle is the same," he said, placing the gears back on the table. "Hera is just as likely to reveal her methods to you as you are to her."
She hated the way it made perfect logical sense…the way that it made him all the more desirable in this strange twisted way. She was supposed to be on fire apparently, her body alight with the need to copulate. Instead, it was like a cold caress, a need to continue their conversation, to continue in his company. This meeting of the minds, however light it may be, was something that she actually found herself craving and the idea of sharing?
It was one she wasn't too keen on.
The most damnable part?
They hadn't even begun to actually theorize anything in depth yet. An idea was formed.
"...We've never talked about it," she whispered.
His spine tingled for a moment. There was a hint of something under her voice. The memory of Hecate made him pull back, eyeing her carefully.
"What about?"
If she disliked his distance, she didn't show it. Instead, her ravenous appetite for knowledge reared its way into her eyes.
"Your payment…for my knowledge."
She leaned forward.
"...I wish to study you."
"You already ha–"
"Fully. No dissection but…I want to see how it was that you were made."
He blinked.
"You…want to reverse engineer me?" his voice chuckled in disbelief.
"Yes. I swear to you, no harm would come to you."
He didn't want to. Not really…yet the idea of his own children was a constant one. He couldn't have them biologically. He was much the same way a mule was. Alive, healthy, but unable to breed.
…it was a risk…but one that he at least wanted to try. Perhaps if she failed at this again, he could at least put the desire to bed.
"...very well."
She placed a hand on his chest immediately. Her energy filtered into him and there was a…sense of harmony. He had felt Artemis and Apollo's divinity before. Apollo's was more…volatile. It ravaged his system like a foreign body. Artemis was…different. It was still not good, but it was a mild discomfort rather than a ravenous pain.
Yet…Athena's was…cold. If anything, it felt pleasant. Like cold water in the middle of a hot summer day.
Athena blinked, tilting her head.
"Strange. Before your body completely rejected me."
"Another oddity?" he muttered.
"Is it related to compatibility?"
"Perhaps. But what if it has more to do with emotion than biology?"
She leaned a little closer, eying something on his collarbone. A bite mark that had long since disappeared, only present with the lingering memory of Hecate.
"Explain," she said, her tone short, eyes still on his collarbone.
Did she want to replicate that? The confusion only added to her mood.
"I'm closer to Artemis than I am to Apollo," he mused, not noticing the eye twitch Athena had. He rubbed his hand on his stubble, his growly tone echoing in her chambers. "Perhaps it is a mental cognition that dictates the compatibility?"
She blinked, filtering the information. He smirked a bit at the way she tilted her head. It was so much like the owls she adored. Suddenly, she twitched upwards, locking eyes with him.
"You feel safe with me."
"Of course."
She had always kept her word. Never pushed boundaries. Apollo kept pushing and pushing…but Athena never did. She would ask, yes, but she would drop it just as quickly.
"...why?"
"...well, we're friends, are we not?"
He meant it. Apollo kept trying to "fix him" and completely ignored his boundaries. Athena? Athena was respectful and for that, she was a solid friend.
It didn't hurt that she hadn't stepped on his toes so to speak either, like the others. Even Artemis for all their friendship was far from perfect.
He remembered stopping her and Apollo from murdering that women and her children. The frown that spread on his face was a grim reminder of what he had narrwoly avoided. He was extremely lucky to have caught them in Olympus before they had left. Still–
Hephaestus shivered a bit, as he felt Athena's hands drift further across his chest. He looked down at the way she had both hands on the inside of his chiton.
"...Um…is that needed?"
"I do not know," she said, lightly dragging her fingers across his pecs, "but I'm learning a lot. The way your divine core is a perfect match for your mortal soul…it's intriguing."
A spark of something. His human soul was more than it appeared. Its entire construction was of normal make, yet there was something there.
….it was as if he had been altered.
Was that the secret?
She copied everything she could, noting the way the body was constructed, his bones, his vessels. The entire template that was Hephaestus boiled down to a stream of raw data. She frowned, separating from him.
"Athena?"
"I"m thinking," she whispered, her eyes following along equations and ideas only she saw.
"Yes," she muttered, "that would be the only way. It's impossible otherwise…"
She placed a hand on her own belly.
"What is it?"
"Hera used a framework. An existing soul that was blank to create you. It wasn't that she never had a partner; it was that she bypassed the need for one by having a template for the result."
To Hephaestus, he imagined it like a colouring page. The design was already filled out, but the qualities, color, and details were your own to add. Yet…that brought more questions than answers.
How was it that EMIYA was a perfect match for the old Hephaestus? He knew that Rin was a host to Ishtar in Chaldea a few times, so he knew that there was some compatibility with mortals and gods. Yet…
"You're saying my mortal and divine halves are perfect matches?"
She nodded, still covering her stomach.
"Of course they are. They were born together and intertwined at your birth. Is there something I should know?"
"Of course not," he smiled.
Lying to Gods was hilariously easy when they assumed you couldn't lie. There was also the fact that Hephaestus always tried to remain as truthful as he could, aside from the rare instances when his origins became a topic. She scowled again at her stomach.
He watched for a moment, his curiosity getting the better of him. He leaned forward a bit, matching her eyes as she looked at him.
"Athena…what are you doing?"
"Attempting birth, obviously."
He blinked, his voice chortling a bit. She looked up and to his surprise, her hair turned brown, her eyes more like a storm than steel. Her face contorted into a pout that he could only call adorable. It made the small chuckle turn into raucous laughter. He tried to cover it, looking away as he held his sides a bit.
Athena scowled a bit. Her words caught in her throat as she saw his smile, wide and full of teeth. Still, she steeled herself.
"...you are to cease your mocking of me immediately."
"You're adorable!"
She stiffened and a blush appeared on her face for the first time in her life. It was strange seeing a golden hue appear on her face. In the corner of his eye, he saw her owl sigh in relief, ruffling its feathers into a more relaxed state. As if some great burden had been relieved.
"...I dislike it when you laugh at me."
His voice quieted and he gripped her hand. She stared at it, the heat now scalding to her cool skin. She stared at him as he pointed to something.
"Humans don't give birth that way. The kid doesn't magically appear."
"...Now I am genuinely insulted," she hissed.
He just chuckled again, making her fumble for her words for the first time in her life.
"You…you cease this immediately!"
Her voice rose as she immediately closed her mouth. Her owl then expanded like a puffy toy, its chest now inflated like a balloon in the rafters.
Hephaestus shook his head, a surge of emotions that he didn't know filtering from his connection. He looked up, but Athena had already obscured them.
"My…apologies for my outburst," she said calmly. He looked at her again, noting the black hair and steel grey eyes.
"No…I'm sorry," said Hephaestus, "I should have known you were doing something else. What happened? I'll listen."
She held her stomach and noted that his eyes were not glowing.
"..."
She looked away. The thought warring within her.
"You can look," she whispered.
He blinked, staring at her.
"What?"
She gave him a blank stare, waiting for him to catch up.
"...are you sure?"
She nodded.
His eyes glowed, and he saw beyond her mortal shell.
He saw a god's true form.
It wasn't something that could be put into words, like the way that a person was beautiful or the sky was blue. It was as if the concepts and ideas that made Athena who she was were made bare before him. If he were given the time, he could study her true form and know her inside and out. That wasn't what he was here for, though. In the centre of this form was the small sphere of a child that she was attempting to create. He wasn't sure what she meant by it all, but he could tell that it was just the process. It was off the steps for creating this child were all lined up, her hypothetical process lined up together to create the child. It had no form, no traits whatsoever. Purely an idea. It lacked a life…it lacked a soul. The spark of life could not be lit by her alone.
"...I see what you mean," he said, his eyes dimming, "it would lack a spark."
"Any ideas?"
"Honestly? I think you'd need a partner, in truth."
He tapped his legs, the white adamantite that had been hidden from human view on full display.
"I doubt you want your children to end up physically distorted like I was."
She stared at his limbs.
"...you are not your form, you know that, yes?"
He smiled, placing his hands on either of her shoulders.
"I know my friend. What brought this on, anyway? While I don't think you'd make a horrible mother, you never struck me as someone who wanted to raise children?"
She shrugged uncaringly.
"It is less about that and more about being able to."
She responded to his disappointment with apathy and logic.
"I put a block. The child would not be born unless I wish them to be born. I wish to understand the process, nothing more. Perhaps one day the desire to have children will come to me, but at the moment, it is mere curiosity."
She rubbed her stomach, molding some of the divinity. She lacked the skill of Hera to merely weave with a thought.
"Is it smart to just…keep that there?" asked Hephaestus, noting how she just kept the entire process ready to go, like a key ready to start the ignition, just needing a turn.
"It is protected within me for as long as I desire. I cannot seem to find the method to spark its creation. Without a framework, it simply will not take form either. Purely hypothetical, nothing more. This way, I can freely adjust the method and processing in real time as inspiration hits me."
He smiled, shaking his head at her impatient nature.
"What? Why are you looking at me like that?"
He gestured to himself.
"I'm just noting the lack of framework. You copied me, did you not?"
She looked at him like he was an idiot.
"You did not consent to that. Besides, the child is not formed, merely hypothesized."
She shrugged.
"I do not want a child at the moment. Instead, I've hypothesized the process within me, creating a facsimile of how the process would begin and end. You've stated that any experimentation between the three of us is to remain theoretical. I've merely kept to my word."
He shrugged.
"Like Apollo does?"
"...fair."
The comfortable silence remained. Yet…the idea would not leave her. For a moment, just a moment, she inputted the framework into her mind. Her traits. His traits. Both their templates and abilities intertwined into a mortal shell. At first, she assumed a god would be the hypothetical result. However, his divinity was not something that she could attach to. It was too imperfect for the process.
His mortal half however, the one scorched in the divinity that was incompatible? That framework was possible. It was a strange thing. Pure mortal didn't work. Pure God didn't work. But that strange middle that could be inferred from him…it worked. Only when his two components were overlaid together did the framework even come close to working.
There were still countless variables to consider in the far future…but she had done it…or at least she thought she had. She scowled as she noted a rather damning imperfection.
"Athena?"
She pursed her lips. She twisted a few more things, her brain countering countless 'calculations' in her imaginary process.
"Athena."
She blinked.
"...it doesn't work."
"...what?"
She looked at him.
"It doesn't work, even with your framework."
"...did we not just talk about that?" he stated dryly.
"It is theoretical. After all, I have the block."
"Yes, as you keep saying. Just…be careful, this isn't an exact science." drawled Hephaestus.
"Of course. I am never wrong."
She ignored the feeling to pout at the way he just stared at her. As if he knew her words were somehow false, which they weren't.
"So, it doesn't work?"
"The body is formed," said Athena, "but it lacks a soul. The process would wither before it even began."
"...I see."
She actually felt her heart sway a bit. The way he looked so down. Most of the time, for the Gods kids were a consequence. Yet, he seemed distraught at the idea that children were not in the cards for him. He didn't remain down for long though, turning his attention back to Athena.
"Did this curiosity have anything to do with Perseus?"
She smiled slightly.
"Yes, actually. He is strong, much stronger than the average demigod I've come across. A child of my own would be able to confirm if the divinity of the parent has anything to do with the potential of the child. Though that is my own impatience. I'll simply wait for the others to sire their own progeny for that confirmation."
She hummed a bit, rubbing her fingers.
"I was allowed to see Perseus for only a moment. The small babe was able to produce sparks. I remember the tingle on my finger. The poor mother gets jolted every so often while breastfeeding that child."
"Well, he is the son of…"
His voice went quiet.
"Hephaestus?"
His voice trailed off, a thought suddenly coming to him.
"Perseus."
The words echoed within his mind.
"He touched what he shouldn't have. Nothing more. I've resolved it…though it still burns at me."
His eyes slowly widened.
"...Athena…what did Poseidon do?"
She answered, uncaring of how it came across.
"He dared to seduce my priestess. Both were punished accordingly."
He turned to leave. She blinked after him, the thought of deleting her framework within her put aside for the moment.
"Hephaestus?"
He exited her domain and quickly exited her temple. She couldn't follow or wouldn't; he rightly didn't care which at this time. He was once outside of Athena's domain and back in the realm of men. He was still inside her temple when he came across a young woman. He put his hood up, not wanting to draw more attention to himself…though it did little to help. She shook a bit at the larger man towering over her.
"Excuse me," he rasped.
She instantly perked up.
"Yes, sir?"
"Is there a priestess by the name of Medusa?"
The poor girl seemed to wither before him, a weight she didn't want to be reminded of propped back on her shoulders.
"She left," she whispered, "she broke the tenants so she left."
He didn't like the way this was sounding. He knew that gallivanting off around Greece would prove fruitless for the most part. He was only one being, incapable of splintering himself across multiple places at once.
He had seen what a lifetime of servitude to the people could become…and he wanted nothing of it. He owed EMIYA that much. However, that wasn't to say that he was absent from the drives that drove the wrought iron hero. He wouldn't allow this travesty to happen in front of him if he could avoid it.
Yet…this wasn't his world. Was this Medusa like EMIYA's? Or worse, was she a normal girl turned into a monster? Was she somehow, strangely enough, just a monster to begin with?
He needed to confirm…only then could he take the appropriate action.
"Do you know where she went?"
The girl glared up at him but froze instantly at the sight of his golden eyes. They were not human. She had seen the Goddess Athena only once, when she swore herself to the service of her temple. The slight tingle she had felt with Lady Athena was present here with this man.
This was a God. She shivered a bit, pointing north.
"S-she sometimes went north towards the coast sometimes. S-said it brought her peace."
He turned, walking out of the temple. He couldn't help the eyes that followed him but they were not the hardest to avoid. A quick duck to a rather empty street and he jumped. The houses beneath him would not survive his weight crashing into them. Yet, at this height, he should be able to summon Ifrit without too much notice.
She unfurled around him, quickly moving him to the northern beaches. He analyzed everything he could see from Ifrit's wings, noting long trenches in the sand as he neared the coast.
There was no need for words. She banked to the right, bringing him down swiftly to the sands. She landed as softly as she could, furling into the cracks of his right shoulder that closed as she entered. He knelt beside the trench, noting the thickness was much wider than any snake native to Greece. It was a couple of days old, the sand having almost been blown away. He noticed that the trail went straight to the water, only to reemerge where he was kneeling.
"...she must have looked at herself in the water," He muttered, "or at least tried to."
Sea water was rarely reflective at the coast, but that would indicate a rather human level of thought. He looked to the left, noting the rocky caverns that the trail seemed to lead to.
He placed his hand on the surface, closing his eyes as his divinity filtered through the land. Athena was fighting him on this, more so out of confusion than anything. He couldn't hear her, the voice of the Goddess of War no longer in its human guise. He supposed he could elevate his hearing the same as he did his sight but…
"Honestly, at least try to figure it out," sassed Styx.
He only smiled in gratitude as the melodious notes he could faintly hear became much clearer. Music became words and Athena's dry tone echoed in his head.
"What are you doing? This situation isn't yours to meddle with. Leave and I will–"
He cut it off. He had always been hesitant with the idea of his…future knowledge. How much could he change really? Limited as he was? He could move faster and more efficiently than EMIYA could ever conceive of, but that did little to mitigate the fact that he was a singular individual.
He was not a true God in the sense that the others were. He couldn't split his consciousness across multiple bodies and exist simultaneously in multiple areas. Saving one meant sacrificing another…it was the hardest truth EMIYA had to learn.
A lesson Hephaestus had learned.
His answer?
Just because he couldn't save everyone, didn't mean he couldn't save those in front of him. His reach was vast…the least he could do was try.
"I will not ignore this injustice," muttered Hephaestus.
He made sure Athena heard him. Regardless of their friendship, wrong was wrong. He was not the hesitant man before the underworld, but he was no fool. Already, he was devising ways to protect Lemnos from any of Athena's retaliations that may come from this.
I am the Bone of my Sword.
His heart hardened as he looked towards the littoral cave. There was just enough land to allow someone to climb the surface and enter. The concerns for his people were heavy…but it was alright. He could endure that which others could not.
Steel is my Body
He could fight what others could not.
Fire is my Blood.
He could save people, help them. Yet…he refused to burden the lives of every mortal because that was a world of impossibilities. He would do as much as he could…like now.
I HAVE CRAFTED WEAPONS BEYOND LIMITS.
He felt it in his chest, something that churned within him. In the world of Unlimited Blade Works, the gears shifted ever so slightly, the blades all standing on the ground unobscured now, unhidden behind rock or tree. The once lush forests died away, becoming a more sparse Sahara. Yet even with the lack of trees, the world felt fuller, brighter, more defined.
It wasn't there yet, Hephaestus' UNLIMITED BLADE WORKS…but he'd get there one day.
For now, he had greater concerns and a woman to find.
It wasn't unreasonable to deduce that she retreated into the cave by the sea. It was out of the way and Athens didn't appear to have a port of any sort near this beach. It was probably free from people for the most part.
He turned, his scowl growing deeper. This close to the ocean and Athena's voice was muted, but instead, he was brought a new feeling. Like daggers lightly dragging across his back, the cold steel near his spine.
He was being watched. The cavern was dark but his sight could see further in, revealing a series of paths…and claw marks. The entire cavern was littered with the ravages of a tantrum, one with strength enough to leave gouges in rock.
His nose twitched, smelling the slight tinge of raw fish.
He took his hood down, kneeling on the floor. He closed his eyes and waited.
"HISS!"
He spun around, gripping his attacker by the throat. The look he gave Medusa did little to ease her emotions. Her face was human-like, somewhat. She had human eyes, a human mouth, albeit with fanged teeth, and an odd hairstyle of twelve sectioned rows close to her head, curling around her shoulders.
Her entire body was hued like shadow, an umbral tone that absorbed the light around her.
It was a perfect tone for something that hunted at night. Her eyes were a vibrant green, the irises practically glowing against the black sclera. While her upper body was human-like, her lower body was that of a snake.
Starting at her waist was a massive scaled tail, mostly black with bits of green seared into the edges of her scales.
Her eyes widened as her hair came to life, the once sleek sectioned hair rearing to life with its own snake heads. 12 in total stared into Hephaestus. His muscles twitched a bit, stiffening as her curse worked its way into his system. He quickly spun, dragging Medusa through the air to slam her back into the ground. He leaned forward, pressing his forearm against her collarbone to keep her pinned. Her tail lashed to wrap around his waist. He quickly dug his left hand into the ground beside her head, using reinforcement to maintain a grip. She hissed again, trashing as much as he could as she uselessly tried to pull him off. He scowled a bit, noting the ground was beginning to crack even with his reinforcement.
She hissed even more, exerting her eyes as the cracks of his body appeared. The crimson hue was a muted sort of heat, but more than enough to filter out her curse. It was powerful, almost disgustingly so, but compared to the Medusa of EMIYA's memories?
It was lacking.
"Calm yourself, I'm here to help you."
A hiss became a roar as her mouth stretched to reveal rows of teeth. He could see it in the way the teeth intermingled together along her mouth and throat. This transformation…it wasn't done. She was still metamorphosing into whatever the Gorgon Queen would become. There wasn't any thought behind her gaze, just pure instinct.
He conjured a second copy of Rule Breaker.
"Moments like this, I really wish I could trace Tsumukari Muramasa."
He grunted as the stone gave way beneath his left hand. He quickly grabbed Rule Breaker as Medusa's strong tail flung him into the other side. He slammed into the cave wall hard enough to reverberate through the tunnels. The echo made Medusa cringe slightly, unused to the strength of her current senses, her hands covering her ears.
"It would be so easy," muttered Hephaestus, lunging forward.
The ultimate blade, forged by the skill of Senji Muramasa. It was what many would call, complete bullshit.
Medusa swerved, her bulk obscuring the raw strength of her tail. She moved quickly, slithering across the ground flat on her stomach.
Hephaestus took a breath, flipping Rule Breaker into a reversed grip, eyeing the Gorgon carefully.
If there was ever a Noble Phantasm that EMIYA legitimately craved…it was Tsumukari Muramasa. In the darkest recesses of EMIYA's mind, he always assumed that Alaya ensured he'd never be able to copy it, for fear that he could somehow sever their contract.
Instead, he was stuck with the current weapon.
Still…this was no human, no servant, and especially no god. This was just a monster, running on instinct. So, it did what any cornered animal would do.
Attack.
She lunged again, but was quickly subdued as Hephaestus maneuvered around her lunge, gripping her neck in a one-armed hold. Her hands reached uselessly behind her to grab him, unable to exert the strength in her human limbs to throw him off. His legs wrapped around her waist in her shock, his hold unmoving amidst her struggles.
She screeched, thrashing into the walls to knock him off. He closed his eyes, stilling his mind of all thoughts…and stabbed.
It was a strange sensation, using Rule Breaker. It required that someone knew the flow of mana and the construction of whatever they were attempting to sever. It was what made Medea such a monster. Her intuitive understanding of magic allowed her to make the most of her one Noble Phantasm, leaving EMIYA and even Hephaestus only able to make a mockish attempt at her skills.
It was why he had given the blade to Hecate. With it, she was able to sever the bond between him and Aphrodite if he wanted. As far as he was willing to help Aphrodite in their shared circumstance, there was no way he wasn't going to figure out a means to escape if it ever became necessary.
The obvious issue was that he wasn't Hecate. He could feel the strands of this curse and it was nothing like what he knew. This was not a structure of sigils and runes. Nor was it the mathematical equations of other branches. It was a unique mess of divine intent, shrouded in divine law. Each line he metaphorically cut drained away at his divinity. It cost far more than he anticipated, not that he was in danger of running out. Rule Breaker's own origins revolving around the bloodline of Helios was the only reason it didn't simply shatter. It wasn't like his other Noble Phantasms that were sturdy and strong. It was delicate and precise. He could use his divinity to empower his weapons to their truest potential, but with this…it could only handle so much.
One. Three. Nineteen. He wasn't sure how much of the curse he was shaving away as he plunged the blade deeper into Medusa's chest. It must have been painful, the way he had to subtly twist the knife to cut other strands. He felt his hand grow hot, his eyes opening. His hand was cracking not with red, but white energy.
"Athena," He growled.
She was attempting to overload his own body? It was a funny thing to him in a way, the notion of filling his body with divinity. They had all assumed that he had never bothered learning to shield himself from it, that it simply flowed in him. Granted, it requires conscious effort, but it wasn't difficult to seal the "cracks" of his body. He felt disbelief as she was kicked out of his system.
Yet, she was no fool. It was instant when her own interference transferred from him, to Rule Breaker.
"NO!"
The blade shattered before he could finish. He could see it, Athena wrapping the curse so fully into Medusa that what was once visible strands was now a cohesive complicated puzzle. He felt Medusa squirm beneath his arms. He could hear the bones snap and her voice gurgle in pain. He held her close, trying anything at all to ease her suffering. His body shuddered, black lines flowing from his body. Something shifted…but it was out of place, like something was skipped or incomplete.
I (*WH ENDURE #$ C$#%E MA Y WEA#$N
He wasn't sure what he did, only that he had felt it just like in Styx's river. Her rattling voice softened as she sighed a breath of relief. It was a stinging pain, one that travelled up his arm and into his shoulder, but he had felt worse in all honesty. He could move and still talk normally if need be. As her bones finally stopped shifting, he noted a sense of power about her. She was not stronger by any means, but there was a greater mysticism to her than before.
"Are you conscious?"
The woman in his arms began to struggle and he let her go instantly. She shot to her feet, covering her bare chest. She stiffened as a crimson cloth wrapped around her body. It draped across her shoulders, long enough to drag around her feet if need be.
She turned, glaring at the God. She remembered everything.
Hephaestus sighed, eying her skin and face. She was even more human now, with the only inhuman parts of her being the snacks on her head and the glowing green eyes. Yet…there was more to her, that much he could tell.
"Are you alright?"
"Get away from me," she growled.
"I mean you no harm," He pacified.
She wanted none of it, backing up even more.
"I refuse to even entertain you like the last one. LEAVE! I've already suffered enough here."
Hephaestus looked above her head, noting Athena's power. He always wondered what divine law looked like. It wasn't visible in the sense that it could be seen, but there was a pressure there, something that Athena could not overcome, even with her own immense power.
The punishment had been laid…she couldn't interfere anymore…in theory.
"I only wanted to help."
"You helped," growled Medusa. Her teeth extended and the white of her eyes inverted to an inky black. He could see her fingers turn black as well, sharpening into scaled talons. Her legs, from what he could see, also displayed a scaled pattern.
"Polymorphism?" wondered Hephaestus.
"L-leave! GO!"
He moved closer, his hands raised.
"I'm not–"
"GO!"
He inched a little closer, eyeing the mass of energy that was above her head. When she went to open her mouth, she shrieked as she was grabbed and pushed aside. She averted her eyes as Athena's divinity punched through divine law, using a loophole to attempt to bring Medusa back to her domain.
Instead, she nabbed Hephaestus.
He shook his head, attempting to shake the nausea from his stomach. His vision settled, still slightly shaking as he locked eyes with Athena. Her mouth was straight, her expression stoic, but her eyes were wide open, her head already tilted to the left.
"...you've overstepped," she said simply.
"Have I?" he questioned, walking around her. His steps echoed with a deadly finality, the echo resonating with the silence between them.
"You know nothing," she stated, "meddling in affairs not your own. You only knew of this in passing."
"Passing?" he scoffed, "What does it matter if it was in passing or if I knew her for a century? Athena, you turned a woman into a monster!?"
"She desecrated my temple," she explained, "destroyed her vows right in the sanctity of my own domain. You believe she can break such vows without consequence?"
He walked right into her space, unafraid of the Goddess of War.
"You act as if she had a choice in the matter? I highly doubt Poseidon would simply leave with a no."
She blinked, staring at him.
"You've deduced her crime."
For a moment, he admittedly freaked out a bit. He kept his composure as he maintained his staring match with Athena. Her poor owl was…Hephaestus blinked at the utter rage her owl was exhibiting towards him. It was glaring at him, no longer was it a comical bird, but instead the picture of the omen of death that the Greeks believed owls to be. It was a strange contrast between Athena and her divine beast. It brought a certain weight that he didn't think it would. Like a small puppy that suddenly became a growling wolf.
"It wasn't that hard to figure out," bluffed Hephaestus, "you and I both know that there is no single way that Medusa would come out of that unscathed."
"She did nothing," scoffed Athena, "just invited him into my temple and fornicated with him!"
"So what if she did?" he said, stubborn in his stance, "does that justify–"
"It. Is. JUSTIFIED."
Her words echoed with steel, her eyes and body glowing to match the inner rage that was forming.
"It is my temple," she hissed, "my rules. My. Domain. Not yours! You do not get to intercede in matters that are not yours to see!"
"IT WAS WRONG!"
"IT WAS RIGHT!"
She snapped, her hair shining a light blonde. Her eyes darkened into a storm grey, her spear forgotten as she simply marched into his face.
"You and your arrogance!"
She peered down at him, a part of her detesting the way his calmness gave way to surprise. She couldn't be bothered anymore, the turmoil in her mind shuddering.
"You disrespected me!"
He could almost taste her anger, the way it lashed at him.
"You call yourself a champion of the people!"
Anger with a hint of jealousy.
"You say one thing and simply worm your way into another's bed the moment you can."
"Wait, what?" he muttered.
Her words caught for only a moment, Hephaestus lashing back with words filled with righteous anger.
"You speak as if you bothered to investigate anything!"
She shivered as his heat broiled over her, their emotions intermixing into an odd spiteful mix.
"I don't need to investigate! I need you to trust me!"
"Trust you!" he scoffed, "for what!? For you to decide that sacrificing a mortal for a petty revenge against Poseidon is just!? He interceded in your temple, surely there are other ways to get back at him!?"
"Are you calling me lazy?!"
"I am calling you inefficient!"
"HOW DARE YOU!"
She gripped his chiton and he gripped her wrists in turn. She shivered, feeling the raw heat under his head. His grip tightened to a point that it actually hurt her. In many ways, most forgot that Hephaestus was leagues stronger than most.
It itched a different part of her, the need for conquest and battle. The lust to see who would truly win in a battle between the two of them. It was the greatest disconnect between her and Ares. Her brother indulged his nature in the worst of ways, Athena avoided it…until now.
She shoved him into her workbench, her spear forming, along with a divine-crafted shield.
"...So we resort to violence," he muttered.
"Do not pretend you didn't overstep! You wanted to insult me, then suffer the consequences!"
A thrust, one that had easily pierced the likes of Apollo and Artemis, parried in a moment. A pair of hunting daggers that were formed, one white and one black. He threw one, her head dodged it without a problem.
"What is he–"
She ducked instinctively as her thoughts waned away, her eyes widening as the black blade returned to his hand. There was no divinity involved, not even magic in truth. It took her a moment to see that somehow he had created a sort of…spiritual magnetism between his two weapons. He threw the other one, lunging to her kneeled state. He slammed his metallic knee, meeting her shield with a resounding clang. She was launched off her feet into the trajectory of the white blade. She used her divinity as a foothold to adjust herself, pushing off against her own energy to divert herself.
She threw her spear at Hephaestus, both of them weaving to each other in a rapid confrontation.
She was absorbing everything he threw at her, using her divinity to recall her weapon in another piercing strike. He dodged of course, but she wasn't expecting the large two-handed axe that he conjured. He used the moment of his side step to slam the axe hide into her side. It only just grazed her, at the cost of her spear cutting his arms as she waved back.
She blinked, staring at her golden blood dripping on the tile.
She looked to Hephaestus, noting his crimson ichor steaming on the floor as well. The wound sealed shut just as hers did. Though she noted it was more regeneration than recursion.
A new blade took hold, one with a hoplite shield.
She felt her heart hammer in her chest. She had only felt this once before with the Nymph Pallas. She didn't know her original name, only that she had earned the right to call herself after the Titan of War. It was she who honed Athena into the weapon that she was in her earlier years, free of her father's skull.
Ares. Apollo. Artemis. Even Poseidon, the one time they fought. Each didn't drum her lust for combat in the same way. Ares was difficult, neither really having an advantage. Apollo and Artemis were ill-suited to her, losing greatly once resolved into a divine conflict…though…Athena always felt there was more to the celestial twins than they admitted. Poseidon, however…she soundly lost. Not in arms…but in power. She was too weak to overcome him just yet…hence her punishment for Medusa.
It worked, driving the knife into Poseidon's delusional head…but it lacked that punch that her friend Pallas always had before she died. One that had just revisited her today, especially as Hephaestus' fist rocked her skull. Her nose bled as it cracked, just as his own rib cracked from a knee strike. He was just as relentless as Pallas was, using everything to his advantage to win. He conjured a massive black bow, a massive steel arrow loading in. The idea of a ballista came to Athena in that moment, though she gritted her teeth as the arrow launched with a sonic scream. She parried it with her shield, throwing her spear again with every ounce of her strength.
He parried, but gritted his teeth as she used his own arrow as a second javelin, piercing his right shoulder.
"I HAVE YOU!" She declared.
Then came the fire. She had to actually jump back, the searing flames filling the room. She gritted her teeth, the memories of the one fight she had with Poseidon flooding back. This was the reason that she had lost. The difference between fighting a warrior…and a walking natural disaster.
The flames quickly dispersed, her eyes widening as he used the flames as a smokescreen just to get in close. It thrummed the strategic feeling in her core, the way this god walked a path not too dissimilar to her. Blades spawned all around her, launching with immense force. She was trapped and was forced to take a blow straight to her sternum.
She gagged, flying through her ever-expansive domain. She heaved on the floor, smiling to herself as Hephaestus hesitated for a moment when he closed it.
"GAH!"
A smaller blade, not too dissimilar to the knives he had formed, was driven into the point between his leg and stump. The metal shattered but it was her divinity that caused his leg to lose strength as it destabilized his own.
He was grappled from his weakened state, slammed into his back. She thought she had him; her leverage was dominant, her legs wrapped around his arms, and her elbows locked around his throat.
It was effective. As he rose, she simply snapped his arm horribly, splintering bone. The plan was to take the moment he exhibited pain to further her advantage. Instead, it was like he didn't feel it at all, moving his arm out of her grapple. She tried to reassert, only to have him slam his skull into her nose. She fought through the pain, but her own strategy was used against her and she felt his other hand wrap around her throat. She gagged a bit as he reversed their positions, spinning to slam her into the ground. He knelt over her, his other arm raised and already healing.
He slammed his fist into the ground beside her head and she stabbed a blade into his stomach. She flinched at his endurance to pain, wondering how it was that he remained so stoic. She and Ares were no strangers to it, their battles constant as their various aspects constantly honed their prowess.
"Enough," He growled quietly.
She glared at him, her hair fluttering into a natural brown. He noted that this seemed to be her most relaxed state. Nothing was sealed or avoided; her emotions ran free. His anger and hers.
His adrenaline and her taste for battle. She dug the blade even deeper into his stomach, ignoring the searing pain of the heat his blood gave off. She actually smiled. He blinked, noting the way it reached her eyes.
She was having fun. He stiffened, ready for whatever she was going to throw at him. He had leverage, but she was not a Goddess of War for nothing. Her grin turned savage, twisting in the way someone had when they knew victory was in hand.
This feeling was surreal. Someone who could fight her, talk on her level, and was not an idiot. She was open and so was he, their emotions intertwining in that chaotic way. If she was going to win…then she didn't really have a choice.
Restraint was only for the overwhelmingly strong.
He felt it in his spine, like she had gripped it and pulled; his divinity and hers screamed out, ready to elevate this further. He felt her hips as she adjusted to and her mouth opened as his fist was raised again.
"I HAVE Y–"
Her eyes widened as her core shook. The sudden absence of the tension made him pause. Her hair instantly became black, her eyes searching his face…no, looking beyond him. She was limp, her mouth closing as it all shut down suddenly.
"Athena?"
How maladjusted was he that he showed concern, even now. She was silent.
"...Leave," she said.
"What? Are you insane?"
She tilted her head.
"Divine law is clear. I'll simply use it."
"Wait–"
He was effectively punted out of her realm. It was insane to him, the way that she simply ejected him for nothing. He looked around, noting that he was left at the foot of the stairs of her temple, in the dead of night. He looked at his fist and then back at her temple.
He couldn't wrap his head around it. What had just happened? One minute, they were fighting because they were angry. Next, Athena's murderous intent skyrocketed, and then it all just dissipated.
He entered her temple again and demanded answers, but a force blocked him. Not just Athena, but something greater. He pushed against it for a moment. He realized that he could force his way in if he wanted.
"..."
Yet…she had used divine law to block him. The repercussions of Medusa had effectively been reduced to her kicking him out of her place. Why was she in such a rush? Couldn't she have done it without it? It was complete overkill.
"...What?" he muttered.
He crossed his arms, wondering what he was supposed to do. The anxiety of it was irritating…but standing around did nothing. So, in a flurry of feathers, he was gone into the wind. Intent on getting to the bottom of this when he could.
Athena was still in her realm, flat on her back. Her eyes were still wide, every ounce of fight removed from her. She slowly placed a hand on her stomach, lost in her own little world, countless designs and algorithms flowing in her mind