"What do you want?" Hephaestus asked coldly, his voice dripping with disdain.
The scowl remained fixed upon his face as he answered the question.
"Mother wishes to meet with that woman," Ares replied.
His fist clenched tightly at his side.
"Tell her not to meddle in others affairs," he said coldly and turned around, preparing to take his leave.
Ares then grabbed him by the shoulder, but that was a big mistake on his part. Hephaestus elbowed him hard and sent him flying straight out of the building.
The attack was incredibly powerful, even though he didn't even use his full power in the strike. A few moments later Ares returned, his face bloody and bruised.
His eyes were completely bloodshot.
"How dare you attack me!?" He shouted furiously and ran straight at Hephaestus with all his might.
He attacked and landed a punch directly at Hephaestus. Hephaestus's head tilted slightly to the side, his eyes remaining focused intently on Ares.
"Weak," he said dismissively and returned a punch of his own in response. But this time it shook a significant part of Olympus.
He had used all of his power in that single strike and had sent Ares flying far away into the distance. He looked back for a moment and turned back to where Ares flew after seeing that Melody didn't notice anything that had happened.
He then ran towards the direction where Ares had flown.
Boom
He landed with tremendous force and caused a miniature explosion upon impact. The other gods noticed the disturbance and started heading towards where the sound came from.
One by one each god arrived at the scene only to see Ares getting his ass beat thoroughly. Each punch that Hephaestus landed caused the watching gods to wince in sympathy.
It seemed the years of resentment had been released all at once though no one knew the exact reason for it or what had sparked such fury.
A woman then ran up to the two of them in alarm.
"Hephaestus, calm down," she said urgently, trying to stop the fight.
Hephaestus who had his fist cocked back ready to deliver another attack paused mid-strike.
"Aunt Hestia," he muttered in recognition.
Looking at Ares beneath him and hesitating before he finally stood up and looked around at his surroundings. Only now did he notice that the gods had gathered around them.
Even Zeus had seen everything that had transpired. But he hadn't intervened when he saw the sheer power that had been used on Ares.
He didn't know what had happened but he wasn't about to involve himself in something that didn't concern him directly, especially since it was a dispute between Hephaestus and Ares, since these two already had a notoriously bad relationship.
"Hephaestus, he's your brother, why did you beat him so badly," she said while helping Ares to his feet.
He looked at her and didn't say anything in response. Hestia was one of the only people he truly cared about deeply. She was one of the only family members that had ever treated him well.
"I'm sorry aunt, I was just angry," he answered after a long pause.
She sighed deeply. But then he remembered something important.
"I have something to do, I'll excuse myself first," he said and left back for his home quickly.
The gods looked between themselves uncertainly. They started to disperse one by one until only a few were left remaining. Them being Zeus, Hestia, Hera, Ares, and Athena.
"What happened?" Zeus asked with concern.
Ares got up slowly, his face purple from all the attacks he had sustained.
"Mother, I had planned to get that girl for you but he stopped me from doing so," he said while caressing his injured face tenderly.
Hera frowned deeply.
"He told me to tell you to mind your own business," he added bitterly.
All their eyes widened in shock and looked towards Hera immediately. She shook in anger at the disrespect.
"How dare that brat," she scowled with fury.
Just as she was about to storm into Hephaestus's quarters in rage, they all froze when they sensed a new presence arriving.
It was incredibly powerful. It might even be stronger than any of them. They looked at each other in concern and then went to investigate the location.
Once arriving they realized it was the home of Hephaestus. They looked at each other again before carefully entering.
Eventually they reached the living room and opened the door. Inside they saw a man sitting across from the girl and Hephaestus.
He looked up from the two and looked straight at them with piercing eyes. The man had strange clothing they had never seen before in their long lives.
"Who are you," Zeus asked warily.
He barely acknowledged them at first.
"My name is Erik Horrendous Haddock, I am just here to meet my future son-in-law," he said calmly and matter-of-factly.
Hephaestus stood up abruptly and wanted to make them leave but Erik stopped him with a gesture.
"Introduce them to me," he said firmly.
He paused for a moment then nodded, introducing them one by one.
"This is Zeus the god king, Hera the goddess of marriage, Athena the goddess of war, Ares the god of war, Hestia the goddess of the hearth." He introduced each one.
Erik looked at them with clear amusement.
"Two gods of war?" He muttered curiously. Hephaestus nodded in confirmation.
"That's quite interesting indeed, but-" he said and looked straight at Hestia.
She looked quite confused as to why he would look at her instead of the others who were more powerful.
He continued staring at her intently and then drank a cup of tea leisurely.
"Father, do you plan to make her your wife?" Melody asked innocently.
"Pshoo" he spat out his drink in shock. "Cough, why would you think that?" He asked in bewilderment.
Hestia looked embarrassed while the other gods looked completely dumbfounded.
"Well, you looked interested in her," she said innocently.
He sighed deeply.
"Just because I looked interested doesn't mean I am interested romantically," he said with a gentle smile.
She nodded in confusion. He smiled warmly and patted her head affectionately.
"How about you two go on your date now, I want to talk to these people," he said encouragingly.
Remembering her plans she smiled brightly and grabbed her basket and headed out, dragging Hephaestus along with her.
He looked hesitant but still didn't stop her from pulling him along. They closed the doors behind them. The 6 remaining in the room stayed quiet.
Erik's POV
As I looked at the five wary gods standing before me, I couldn't help but laugh internally at the situation. To be perfectly honest, these gods weren't anything particularly special or impressive to say the very least. Perhaps the only exception to this assessment was that woman named Hestia.
She possessed a soft and warm aura about her that seemed to have the effect of making me feel calmer and more at ease in her presence.
"Why don't the five of you take a seat and sit down," I said to them in a calm and measured voice.
They looked at each other uncertainly for a moment before finally finding suitable places to sit and settling down into their seats. Hera and Zeus positioned themselves directly in front of me while the other gods sat around us in various locations.
"What exactly are your intentions here?" Hera asked me directly.
I let out a sigh of mild frustration. I had just told them the reason for my presence, but it appeared they didn't seem to believe my explanation.
"Did I not just tell you the answer to that question?"
Their eyes narrowed with suspicion as they regarded me.
"That simply can't be the only reason for your presence here," Athena said with absolute certainty in her voice.
The room fell into an uncomfortable silence as the atmosphere in the place got a little tense and heavy.
"I don't think he's lying to us," Hestia said, breaking the silence.
We all turned our attention to her at once.
"Remember that I have the special ability to differentiate between truths and lies when I hear them. Though Athena also has this ability, she has to be in the proper character and mindset to use it effectively," she explained to the others.
They all nodded in acknowledgment at her words. They were well aware that Hestia would never lie to them or deceive them in any way.
"Though you may speak the truth about your intentions, what kind of god are you exactly?" Hera asked me with genuine curiosity.
I paused for a moment at her words, considering how to respond.
"What do you mean by that question?" I asked, wanting clarification.
"What is your domain of power and influence, for example war, knowledge, fire, and things of that nature," she elaborated.
I paused again at her words, taking a moment to think. Did I actually have a specific domain? Diastasi, what exactly is my domain of power?
-you have more than just one domain, to list a few examples you have war, wrath, destruction,-
Okay, you can stop listing them now. Damn, why do I have so many domains that sound so negative and bad? I turned my attention back to them and prepared to answer,
"Cough, I am the god of wrath and fury," I said, revealing my primary domain.
It was the domain that most suited me since I have a tendency to possess an uncontrollable anger that can be difficult to manage. They seemed to carefully contemplate and consider my words.
"You don't really look like that type of person at all," Hestia said with a hint of surprise.
I smiled warmly at her words and observation.
"I'll take that as a compliment then," I said with a genuine smile on my face.
"Before, you stated that you were here to meet your future son-in-law, is it Hephaestus that you're referring to?" Hera asked, seeking confirmation.
I nodded in affirmation.
"They will be wedded in just a few months from now," I said with a smile of satisfaction.
They went completely silent at my words, processing this information. Especially Hera and Ares, who seemed particularly affected.
"How—how could someone like her possibly love someone like him?" Ares growled with clear disdain.
I turned to face him, raising an eyebrow in response. I knew exactly who he was and what terrible things he had done to his own brother. Though I had decided to do nothing about it since he wasn't currently doing anything particularly stupid or harmful.
"My daughter is a pure soul with a kind heart, and when she looks at someone she doesn't simply look at their outward appearances," I said calmly and with conviction.
Hera visibly flinched at my words, clearly affected by them.
"And I find it quite amusing and ironic since the reason he was born deformed in the first place was because of his own mother's actions," I said with a smirk, looking directly and unflinchingly at Hera.
She frowned deeply at my words, her expression darkening.
"What exactly do you mean by that accusation?" She asked, her voice turning cold and threatening.
"When I was in the process of healing him, I learned and discovered that his divine core was incomplete and underdeveloped," I explained.
Their eyes widened in shock and surprise at this revelation. They had probably never bothered to look or examine him that closely since they didn't want to get close to him or associate with him.
"You could say that he was essentially born premature, before his time," I said, looking directly at Hera with an unwavering gaze. "If perhaps you had been stronger at the time, or if he had been given more time before his birth, then he would have been born as an extremely powerful god with incredible abilities. But unfortunately, his potential was completely wasted and squandered. As of now—" I deliberately let the silence fill the room, allowing the weight of my words to sink in.
"His core—has been fully and completely developed," Athena muttered quietly, her voice filled with realization.
I nodded my head slowly in confirmation of her statement.
"That's absolutely corr—,"
Ring ring ring
Everyone in the room paused abruptly and froze as a distinctive ringing sound suddenly emanated and sounded from somewhere within my storage ring.
"Ah my sincerest apologies, but I really need to take this call." I smiled politely at them and carefully took out a tablet from my storage ring and began answering the incoming call.
They all watched me with visible confusion and curiosity as I took the device out, and when they caught sight of a moving face appearing on the other side of the screen they immediately paid their full and complete attention to what was happening.
It was the quadruplets calling me.
"Daddy, it's time for dinner and I'm really hungry," they said in perfect unison with each other.
I smiled warmly and affectionately at their words and their adorable voices.
"What about the chefs that are there?" I asked them with mild curiosity.
"Their food simply aren't as good as yours, daddy," they replied honestly and matter-of-factly.
I felt a surge of pride swell up powerfully in my chest at their words, but I remained outwardly calm and collected in front of the other gods who were present in the room with me.
"How about Moon? Where is she right now?" I asked them.
"She's currently out somewhere with Hercules," they informed me.
I paused for a brief moment at this information, then nodded slowly in understanding and acceptance.
"I'll be back home in just a little bit," I smiled reassuringly at them and ended the call promptly.
Putting the tablet carefully back into my storage ring, I turned my attention back to look at the gods before me. The air in the room seemed to grow noticeably tense as the energy and atmosphere around Hera grew significantly colder and more hostile.
"Hercules?" She muttered under her breath, her voice tight with barely contained emotion.
I nodded in simple confirmation.
"As in Zeus's illegitimate bastard child," I said deliberately, my words carefully chosen to provoke a reaction.
She clenched her fist tightly at her side, her anger clearly rising to dangerous levels within her. But with considerable effort she managed to control herself and instead glared intensely and furiously at Zeus for a long moment before abruptly standing up from her seat and leaving the room without another word.
Zeus immediately stood up from his position and ran after her hurriedly, clearly concerned. Seeing this dramatic scene unfold, Ares quietly walked out of the room as well, and Athena politely excused herself shortly after. This series of departures left me alone with only Hestia remaining in this room with me.