Chapter 21:
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.