As blood brothers, what was the relationship like between Ares and Hephaestus in greek mythology?
Regarding this, Ares himself didn't want to elaborate too embarrassingly. In short, if Ares in greek mythology wanted to speak with Hephaestus, he would definitely put on his armor and bring all his weapons before daring to step into the Fire God's Hall, because if he didn't, he might fall into the intricate traps designed by Hephaestus.
As a brainless brute, Ares had always only respected powerful violence and was only willing to converse as equals with beings possessing great strength. As for Hephaestus, who was inherently weak and even abandoned by his parents, he was naturally looked down upon by Ares.
In Ares's own memory, the previous Ares had always looked down on Hephaestus and was extremely impolite. The relationship between the two brothers had always been no different from that of strangers.
Fortunately, Ares carefully searched his memories and found no record of him sharing a bed with any beautiful goddess. This made him greatly relieved.
After all, they were blood-related brothers; as long as things hadn't gone to the absolute extreme, there was a possibility for his relationship with Hephaestus to mend. The reason for the complete rift between Ares and Hephaestus was naturally a certain goddess who was widely shared among the Twelve Gods, Hephaestus's wife, Aphrodite, the goddess of love and beauty.
If Ares in greek mythology hadn't found his sister-in-law's dumplings particularly delicious, Hephaestus wouldn't have thenceforth refused to meet Ares privately, and the brothers wouldn't have regarded each other as enemies.
"But she hasn't been born yet, that's truly excellent."
After finally confirming this, Ares let out a long sigh, then summoned the Nymphs within the God of War Palace and had them fetch him two pitchers of the finest divine wine.
To gain the favor of his elder brother, Hephaestus, Ares decided he could temporarily abandon the dignity of a God of War.
In fact, Hephaestus was indeed worthy of such effort. If one were to discuss which of the Twelve Great Gods of Olympus was most worth currying favor with, it would undoubtedly be Hephaestus.
He could help Zeus forge 'Thunder,' the strongest weapon in all of greek mythology, and also forge the 'trident' that controls the seas and the 'Bident' that wields Death. With him, it meant having an endless supply of various divine artifacts. Compared to Hephaestus, his wife Aphrodite was utterly insignificant; in Ares's current view, that 'vase' wasn't even fit to carry her husband's shoes.
Thus, carrying two pitchers of divine wine, Ares headed straight for the Fire God's Hall.
Arriving near the Fire God's Hall, Ares heard the sound of hammering emanating from the temple from afar. He came to the temple entrance and found that the temple, which had been built into a massive forge, was already in full operation. From the massive chimney on the temple, sparks were continuously spewing forth, and the fiercely burning internal flames also shone through the various doors and windows of the Fire God's Hall, making one feel the intense heat just by looking.
And near the Fire God's Hall, there were no Nymphs serving as in the God of War Palace. Aside from the lesser gods serving the Fire God, those coming and going here were all Cyclops. They were the loyal servants of Hephaestus.
Ares arrived at the entrance of the Fire God's Hall, where two Cyclops were waiting. Seeing Ares approach, they dared not be negligent and bowed their heads to greet Ares:
"Great Ares, it is an honor to see you."
"Hmm." Ares asked the two Cyclops: "Is Hephaestus working?"
"That's right. During the previous great war, much of the warriors' equipment on Olympus was damaged.Lord Hephaestus must repair this equipment for them as soon as possible."
One of the Cyclops asked:
"Lord Ares, are you also here to repair your spear, shield, and sword?"
"No, I'm here to see Hephaestus."
Ares replied.
"Then I'll inform him for you," the other Cyclops suggested.
"No need." Ares understood well the unpleasant feeling of being in the middle of work and then suddenly being interrupted, especially since his relationship with Hephaestus wasn't good at the moment.
Currently, he had a favor to ask of Hephaestus, so leaving a perfect first impression on him was extremely important. Thus, he directly refused the Cyclops' suggestion: "No, I'll wait for him here."
Although the gods of Olympus were immortal and powerful, they also needed rest. Even Hephaestus couldn't work for days on end without eating or sleeping. So when the starry night arrived, and the veil of Nyx, the goddess of night, quietly covered the sky, the flames within the Fire God's Hall gradually died down.
Seeing this, Ares's spirits lifted, and he then asked the two Cyclops guarding the entrance to go in and announce him. After a moment, the Cyclops reappeared and led him inside.
Upon entering the Fire God's Hall, Ares saw his 'elder brother,' who was currently covered in soot marks, sitting cross-legged beside his anvil, his tired eyes filled with surprise as he watched Ares slowly walk in.
To be fair, Hephaestus couldn't actually be considered ugly, but on Olympus, where everyone was a handsome man or beautiful woman, his truly ordinary face would indeed be categorized as 'ugly.' His body was the same. Currently, Hephaestus's legs hadn't been broken yet, so he now looked like an ordinary Greek blacksmith from a later era.
"Ares." Hephaestus asked Ares, who had walked up to him: "What wind blew you here today, that you'd actually be willing to wait outside the temple until I finished my work, and even waited for someone to announce you and only entered after getting my permission?"
"Isn't this standard procedure?" Ares came to Hephaestus's side, disregarding the ash on the ground, and sat down cross-legged like him, replying with a smile.
"That is indeed the behavior of a normal god, but the normal you would never do such a thing." Hephaestus looked Ares up and down, then asked: "Ah, I understand. You need a favor from me, don't you? Do you want me to repair your weapon, or forge a new one for you?"
"No, no." Although he did indeed want Hephaestus to use his talents and divine power to help him analyze that black crystal pendant, Ares also knew that such matters couldn't be rushed. The most important thing right now was to build a good relationship with the Fire God.
So he presented the two pitchers of divine wine he had brought, placing them before Hephaestus, and then said:
"Actually, I just came to drink with you."