Chapter 113: Olympian Gods
Inside Mount Etna.
A red, warm room was saturated with high temperatures. A lava pool encircled the area, and scorching flames churned within it, emitting intense light and heat. The room was filled with searing air; a mere mortal would suffocate just by approaching.
Orin Vale walked between the furnaces, scanning the surroundings with his armor.
This wasn't just simple high temperature. The room was alive with magical fluctuations. The huge furnaces roared, and even the metal materials on the workbenches and hangers along the way were imbued with a magical aura. On the surface, it looked like an ancient, traditional forge, but even the most inconspicuous block of metal was not of any ordinary material found in the mortal world.
"Your friend is a weapons fanatic," Orin Vale said as he scanned.
"His name is Hephaestus," Diana said.
"The Olympian god of fire?"
Orin Vale was naturally familiar with the name. The story of the god of fire was something of a classic "trash-to-treasure" comeback tale on Olympus. As the son of Queen Hera and King Zeus, he was born extraordinarily ugly. Hera was so shocked by her son's ugliness that she rejected him and casually tossed him off a cliff.
Knowing from a young age that he was the despised loser among the gods, Hephaestus worked desperately. He relied on his outstanding talent to fight his way back to Olympus, not only seizing a divine position among the Twelve Chief Gods but also marrying Aphrodite, the goddess of love and beauty, hailed as the most beautiful on Olympus.
A classic loser's comeback, from being abandoned by his own mother to becoming one of the Twelve Chief Gods, climbing to the pinnacle of a god's life and marrying a beautiful, wealthy goddess.
"He is also the god of the forge, the number one craftsman on Olympus, a weapon master," Diana said. "Even Zeus's lightning and Apollo's golden chariot were forged by him, as well as Athena's shield... oh, but his relationship with Athena is very strained right now."
"Why?"
"Athena wanted Hephaestus to forge armor for her, and he proposed that he be paid through the pleasure of bliss. Athena refused, so he tried to take it by force."
"That really happened? So, he didn't succeed in the end?"
"No... but the result of that incident was that the Earth Mother, Gaia, became pregnant."
Orin Vale: "?"
He instantly felt his light-quantum brain grind to a halt.
Wait, what did this have to do with Gaia?
A quick Google search with the battlesuit's built-in computer actually pulled up the relevant myth. It said that Hephaestus's assault failed, and his "shot" went wide, hitting Athena's thigh. Athena wiped it off with a piece of parchment and threw it on the ground. As a result, the earth goddess Gaia took the stray bullet, so to speak, and gave birth to Erichthonius, who later became a king of Athens.
Orin Vale: "..."
*Ultraman-shocked.jpg*
Gaia had some truly rotten luck, having a baby fall from the sky while she was just sitting at home. She was literally hit by a stray bullet while lying down.
And Hephaestus was Zeus's child, while Gaia was Zeus's grandmother, making her the fire god's great-grandmother. What the hell...
This was Absurdity's mom opening the door for Absurdity—absurdity had come home. Are you Greek gods always this insane?
"This is just how things are on Olympus."
As if sensing what he was thinking, Diana spoke helplessly, seemingly accustomed to such situations.
"At least Hephaestus is a good friend. He's helped me a lot since I came to the human world. Almost all my equipment was forged by him. This Sword of Hephaestus can even slice through sub-atomic particles."
She gestured to the longsword sheathed on her back.
Orin Vale nodded. The scanner had indeed marked the sword as no ordinary object, containing a powerful magic akin to the will of "severing."
It was completely different from that joke of a divine sword, the "God-Slayer," from the movie.
"As I said, he's practically my only friend on Olympus. If there's anyone who might reveal something about the prophecy, it would probably only be..."
Diana was leading the way as she spoke, but Orin Vale's steps came to an abrupt halt.
An enemy attack warning flashed in his senses.
The moment he turned his head, a searing wave of heat erupted from one of the furnaces. A massive shadow leaped out from the churning lava, pouncing straight at them!
It was a large fish, its entire body shrouded in flame, its scales shimmering with a crimson light. Its gleaming body was illuminated scarlet by the firelight.
Several meters in length, it exuded rolling waves of heat as it lunged. Its fish eyes were like scorching fireballs, its sharp teeth glinted menacingly, and a roar like one from the depths of hell burst from its cavernous mouth. Its body left a blinding trail of fire in the air.
"Get back!"
Diana was startled and quickly turned, attempting a rescue. But she was a step too late.
Because Orin Vale had already handled it.
*Bang.*
The sound of a metal fist landing on the large fish.
A fleeting shockwave created a brief gale that instantly suppressed the heat from all the furnaces. The fish's scale armor dented violently at the point of impact, and a wave-like depression spread outwards.
One punch, and the roar died abruptly.
As if a cannonball of compressed air had blasted straight through the fish, it tore a bloody hole through its body. The flames were extinguished in an instant. The large fish, its eyes wide open, fell to the ground, motionless.
Diana had just turned around. She paused for a moment.
"Well... or don't get back. Doing that works too."
Orin Vale clapped his hands and walked forward. "Do you usually receive such a warm welcome when you come here?"
"No, not usually. Only today..."
"Diana!"
A powerful voice echoed from the depths of the forge.
Following the sound, they saw a short, burly craftsman striding quickly toward them. He had solid, powerful muscles, bronze skin, and long, curly black hair. A furious light glinted in his eyes, which seemed to burn with flame.
And that face was indeed ugly beyond words.
The Olympian gods were all obsessed with looks. The moment he saw that face, Orin Vale suddenly understood why Hera had thrown him away.
"Hephaestus," Diana said, walking forward. "It's been a long time."
"What have you done, Diana?" Hephaestus said angrily. "You killed Kaparufa!"
Orin Vale glanced at the large, flame-extinguished fish behind him and raised an eyebrow.
So this thing was the fire god's pet?
"I'm sorry, Hephaestus, but it attacked us first," Diana said.
"That's because you brought an outsider in! You broke the rules, so of course my good boy would attack!" Hephaestus yelled. "This is not a place a Mortal should be able to enter!"
"He's my friend too, and he's not a Mortal... but in any case, we are still very sorry," Diana said. "Tell me where this kind of fish lives, and I can go catch another one for you... Ten of them, if you like, as compensation."
"What do you think it is? Just a tool to help me forge? Kaparufa was like a child to me, and every child is irreplaceable!" the fire god bellowed.
Diana was about to say more, but she was interrupted by a lazy yet majestic voice from above.
"Hephaestus? What are you making such a racket about down there?"
The group looked up to see a purple figure floating in mid-air. He was dressed in a suit and tie with shiny leather shoes, but his entire being was deep purple, and golden flames burned in his eyes.
Diana frowned slightly.
"Apollo."
*Releasing so many chapters in a row has left me a bit drained; I feel completely hollowed out. Allow me to post two chapters today and take a day off to recover. I'll be back with more updates tomorrow~*
(end of chapter)