Several days later. The outer reaches of the Ocean of Oceanos.
Mount Etna.
Nourished by the fertile volcanic ash, the foot and midslope of the mountain were covered in dense vegetation of chestnut trees, oak trees, pine trees, birch trees and more, forming a lush green expanse full of life.
However, as the altitude rose and the temperature dropped, the thick forest gradually gave way to sparse shrubs, and strangely shaped chunks of volcanic rock lay exposed on the surface, forming a unique landscape.
Inside the open crater at the summit, thick smoke billowed at one moment and flames shot skyward at the next, all mixed with the intense thundering of heavy hammers striking.
This was the new forge built by Hephaestus, God of Fire and Craftsmanship, which could draw on the inexhaustible fire from Mount Etna's earth veins to forge weapons and items for the Gods.
But due to the secluded location and Hephaestus's peculiar temperament, not many people knew of this secret place, and even fewer had actually been here given the harsh high-temperature environment.
And at this very moment, a slender figure walked into the fire-red lava cave under the guidance of two female metal attendants.
Hearing the footsteps behind him, Hephaestus, who was bent over the forge table in focused work, dropped the forging hammer in his hand and turned to look at a visitor who was both expected and unexpected.
"You came?"
"Mm."
Lorne nodded and offered this craftsman a warm smile before looking around the space and asking in a measured voice.
"Where is Thetis?"
"Do not worry. As you said, I sent her to Athens. She is safe now."
Hephaestus answered casually, then dragged his lame foot in a limping stride and came forward to carefully examine Lorne before him.
Then he suddenly raised a thick, hairy arm and brought it crashing down hard on the other party's shoulder, his tightly set face breaking into a hearty laugh.
"Not bad. You are a real man!"
Hearing the praise, Lorne suppressed the aching numbness spreading through half his body and squeezed out a smile that came out somewhat crooked, then continued asking.
"Are everything prepared? When do we set out?"
"No rush. I hear your wine is quite good. Sit down and have a few cups with me first."
Hephaestus waved his hand and then swept all the odds and ends piled on the table crashing to the ground, pulling Lorne down to sit.
The hospitality was hard to refuse and Lorne had a request to make, so he could only endure and take a seat, producing his treasured divine nectar wine to share drinks with this legendary craftsman God.
After three rounds of wine, the somewhat tipsy Hephaestus fixed his gaze on Lorne and looked him over with growing satisfaction.
To be honest, because of his bitter marriage experience, he had never been fond of tall, handsome pretty boys.
But the young man before him not only stepped forward at the critical moment to rescue his foster mother Thetis, he also made clean and decisive work of killing that blind little beast Peleus, eliminating the problem at its root.
And what surprised Hephaestus even more was that despite causing such enormous trouble, this young man genuinely did not just walk away.
He only asked for some time to prepare, then came to Mount Etna exactly as agreed, ready to be brought by Hephaestus to Olympus to make amends, willing to take on the God king's fury on Thetis's behalf.
That kind of backbone and courage was far, far superior to those spineless sea Gods.
No.
There was simply no comparison at all.
"BANG!"
Drinking enthusiastically, Hephaestus gave another smack on Lorne's shoulder and announced with a hearty laugh.
"Young man. Their marriage.
I approve!"
"Mm..."
Lorne gave a muffled nod, looking at the cracked stone stool beneath him with equal amusement and helplessness.
Worthy of a blacksmith. The strength was immense and the temperament straightforward. Likes and dislikes never hidden or concealed.
But if this kept up, they might not even make it to Olympus before the other party smacked him to pieces.
'And fortunately, you only know I got involved with your foster mother.
If you knew I also slept with your birth mother, you would probably tear me apart on the spot.'
Lorne muttered inwardly while asking about the aftermath of the Peleus affair.
The straightforward Hephaestus naturally held nothing back and recounted how things developed after Lorne left, exactly as they happened.
Uncle Poseidon naturally could not hold off three Hecatoncheires working together and took a thorough beating.
The scene was described as nothing short of brutal.
Not only was the Sea King himself left with a bruised and battered face with his dignity in tatters, but quite a few of the Atlantean forces he recently gathered also suffered heavy losses, and even the sea God's temple freshly built not long before was reduced to a pile of rubble.
After this very public beating, the sea Gods once again experienced the terrifying power of the three Hecatoncheires.
With old nightmares refreshed, they one by one turned into ostriches, firmly shut their doors, distanced themselves from Poseidon's circle, practically wearing the words "none of my business" written across their faces.
Having suffered such a massive loss with the reputation and power he just assembled evaporating into nothing, Poseidon naturally refused to let things rest and immediately had his wife and son carry him up to Olympus to bring charges before Zeus about the Hecatoncheires' violent conduct.
He had absolutely nothing to do with the culprit who killed Peleus, in fact had a grudge with them, and never intended to interfere with Thetis's marriage.
That matter had nothing whatsoever to do with him.
Yet trouble came falling from the sky while he was sitting peacefully at home eating a meal, and his distinguished self as Sea King got tracked down by three Hecatoncheires and dragged out for a beating.
Was there any justice left? Was there any fairness left?
So that [Fair and Just] God king stepped forward to arbitrate.
On one hand he comforted his aggrieved brother.
On the other hand he righteously reprimanded the three Hecatoncheires, ordering them to get back to the primordial ocean and reflect on their conduct behind closed doors.
No crossing boundaries without orders.
And to smooth relations between both parties, Zeus personally arranged a marriage, having the Hecatoncheires' leader Briareos wed one of Poseidon's daughters, becoming that Sea God's son-in-law.
Obviously, this so-called punishment was nothing more than raising the hand high and lowering it gently.
The result of the arranged marriage even carried a somewhat insulting undertone.
But circumstances were stronger than the individual.
Even if Poseidon was dissatisfied, he could only pinch his nose and accept it.
As for the true culprit who triggered this "misunderstanding," Zeus declared there would absolutely be severe punishment!
Lorne could not help rolling his eyes upon hearing all of this.
That old schemer clearly wanted to use the situation to teach Poseidon a lesson and then pushed the blame onto him.
Truly the same two-faced nature as ever.
'Sending a grandson who had a grudge with Old Sea Man Nereus's family to court Nereus's daughter Thetis, and dispatching three Hecatoncheires along the way as escort.
With scheming this obvious, did he really think no one could see through it?'
Of course, what was more likely was that Zeus knew full well, and simply did not care what Poseidon and the sea Gods thought.
All he wanted was to use the opportunity to scatter the bit of momentum and power Poseidon just assembled.
'Old Poseidon. Fallen on hard times. The other party never even considered you a real opponent.'
Lorne shook his head quietly, offering a private lament on Uncle Poseidon's increasingly miserable situation, while his eyes flickered with quiet light as a trace of mockery rose on his face.
However, Zeus was also careless here.
He clearly underestimated the scale of this rebellion, thinking only the Poseidon with a track record was the mastermind, stirring up some restless little schemes.
He had no idea that this time it was not only Poseidon.
Apollo, Hera, and Athena were all involved, building their strength and ready to move.
One third of Olympus's powerful chief Gods in revolt would be more than enough to give that God king a serious headache.
Though going forward, he still needed to add more fuel to the fire and make this upheaval even more violent.
"Alright. I drank your wine.
By rights I should give you something in return. Follow me."
Just as Lorne was deep in thought, the tipsy Hephaestus rose from the table and pulled him staggering over to the forge's crater, pointing at the red-black magma surging below and speaking in a measured voice.
"Jump in."
"?"
This completely out-of-nowhere absurd demand left Lorne visibly stunned.
However, before he could react, the impatient Hephaestus grabbed him and threw him straight into the rolling magma.
'What the!'
Lorne was caught completely off guard and could only instinctively summon the divine incarnations of [Flame] and [White Horse] to resist the high temperature radiating from the magma.
"Endure it!"
At this point, a solemn low shout came from the crater as Hephaestus ripped off the rough cloth shirt from his chest, bared his torso, and pulled the wind bellows used for stoking the forge.
In an instant, wind fed the fire and fire borrowed the wind's force.
The previously calm magma river boiled and churned as the temperature continued to climb.
Even with the dual protection of [Flame] and [White Horse], the blazing heat everywhere seemed to seep through every crack, continuously penetrating every limb and bone of Lorne's body and igniting the God blood within him.
In an instant, golden-red God flames surged continuously from every pore and acupoint, and Lorne seemed to transform into a person burning intensely.
His blood vessels pulsed, his internal organs blazed, and wave after wave of stinging pain crashed over him.
'What was Hephaestus trying to do? Was he trying to smelt me down?'
Just as Lorne's consciousness grew somewhat hazy from the heat, a clear bird cry rang out from beneath the boiling magma.
Then a flame-shaped giant bird with partly golden-yellow and partly bright red feathers, shaped like a great eagle with a clear and melodious voice, spread its wings and flew up out of the magma, circled the crater several times, and then plunged straight into Lorne's chest.
In the instant of contact between them, a surging wave of heat rushed into Lorne's body, bringing with it some indescribable rhythm of life.
And almost at the same moment, he recognized the identity of this divine bird.
The Phoenix.
A divine creature possessing the attributes of "immortality" and "rebirth."
According to legend, when it sensed its lifespan approaching its end, it would gather fragrant wood and set itself on fire.
Three days later it would rise again from the ashes, resurrecting like Christ.
Records of this strange creature originated from the Assyrian people, but similar myths existed all over the world.
The European Phoenix, the Russian Firebird, the Egyptian Bennu, the American Yel and the Arabian Anqa were all birds sharing the characteristic of dying and being reborn, with lifespans of five hundred, five hundred forty, one thousand, one thousand four hundred sixty-one, one thousand seven hundred and twelve thousand nine hundred ninety-four years respectively, all bearing a close relationship with the sun and flames.
Greece equally had similar records.
The first person to mention the Phoenix was the eighth century BCE Greek poet Hesiod, author of the Theogony.
The first to describe it in detail was the Greek historian Herodotus.
Obviously, this divine creature did genuinely exist in the Greek age of Gods and nested within Mount Etna, connected to the craftsman God Hephaestus in some way.
'Immortality? Rebirth?'
Lorne's heart stirred as he vaguely grasped Hephaestus's intent.
He immediately cast aside all stray thoughts, closed his eyes, gathered his God power, and began guiding the force from the Phoenix into the golden wheel behind him.
Seeing the scene below, the craftsman God at the crater gave a satisfied nod and while drinking the divine nectar wine in his hand, pulled the bellows with even greater effort.
The explosive booming of the boiling magma mixed with the Phoenix's clear bird cries and continued to echo through the fire-red lava cave.
(End of Chapter)