The God of Fire's Commission to the Hero

Early morning.

Helios drove the Sun Chariot out from his temple, heading toward the west, though today he seemed to deliberately restrain his radiance.

The sunlight this day was so serene and elegant, devoid of any boisterous air, leaving one feeling calm, relaxed, and content to enjoy the tranquil time.

Thaumas rose from his slumber, yawning and stretching his body to its full extent.

His well-defined muscles, sturdy physique, newly sprouted short black hair, and a pair of pure azure eyes—every detail seemed meticulously carved by the God of Artistry. What a handsome youth he was.

It had been a long time since he had slept so comfortably. It seemed he had been busy ever since coming down from the mountain, rarely having the chance to sleep in.

When was the last time he slept this well?

Was it that night in the Nemea forest? Oh, no! It must have been the night he first met the goddess Hera.

It was truly a rare luxury!

As these thoughts crossed his mind, Thaumas climbed out of bed.

However, he discovered a very important problem: wait, where were his clothes?!

Glancing around the room, he realized with a start that this was not his own room!

A round, snow-white wool bed, a room filled with fresh flowers, and various ornaments scattered about—all of them a pristine, stark white.

Was this not the room of the goddess Hephaestus?

Come to think of it, she still loved the color white so much.

And so, he silently burrowed back under the covers. It wasn't that he wanted to laze in bed, but he truly had no choice; was he expected to walk out naked?

Other men of Ancient Greece might have been able to do it, but he really didn't share that custom!

Just as Thaumas was caught in this dilemma, Click—

Accompanied by a crisp sound, and under Thaumas's expectant gaze, the door was gently opened.

Thaumas hurriedly covered his vital parts with the quilt; this was truly shameful! Please forgive him, but he really could not accept the ethical standards of Ancient Greece.

Wait, who was this?

"Lo... Lord Thaumas, these are the clothes from your backpack. I have already washed them once, and I have placed them here!"

Having said this, the little maid placed the tray containing his clothes on a nearby table, her face flushed red, before she turned and ran out in a shy panic.

But immediately, she ran back.

"Oh, right," she said awkwardly, "Lord Thaumas, remember to come see Master Hephaestus after you have dressed. She is waiting for you in the hall."

After closing the door, she scurried away in a flash.

Hey! Where did that arrogant doll-maid go?

Why was there such a sudden contrast?

Well, one had to admit, it was actually quite cute!

No! Had she seen everything? Damn it, he felt an inexplicable sense of shame.

When he was being tempered by the Heavenly Fire, he hadn't been in the mood to care about such things, but looking back now, it was truly embarrassing.

However, Thinking that Hephaestus was merely a machine, that these gods were all deus ex machina, and that this little maid was just a doll.

So that was it!

They weren't the same species! It was better to just think of them as little animals; that made it much easier.

And so, feeling enlightened, Thaumas changed into his clean clothes.

Incidentally, he liked white, but he also liked black just as much; the beauty of the contrast left him intoxicated.

After tidying himself up, he walked slowly toward the living room. He was still a bit unfamiliar with his current body, but it seemed to be excessively powerful?

On the way, he casually picked up a decorative bronze block. There were many such blocks, so he didn't need to worry about Hephaestus getting angry over one missing piece; she didn't care.

With a gentle squeeze of his hand, the hard bronze bent as easily as rubber.

Fiddling with the bronze block in his hand, Thaumas felt happier than he ever had before.

The suffering had truly been worth it!

Not only was his body now impervious to blades and arrows, but even his physical strength and mana capacity had been greatly enhanced!

Just like the bodies of demigods in Ancient Greece! He, too, was now a demigod.

Finally, Jason was now rightfully in last place!

Previously, he had needed that guy to go easy on him just so he wouldn't be at the bottom, but now he could successfully beat Jason to a pulp!

He could probably take on ten Jasons? After all, as a student of Chiron, Jason wasn't weak; it was just that everyone else was too strong.

Thinking this, Thaumas arrived in the living room.

Hephaestus was sitting there, her flowing, silky hair making Thaumas feel a pang of envy.

She gently trimmed the leafy branches in the vase, humming an unknown tune.

She looked up to see Thaumas approaching, her eyes softening as she smiled and said:

"Come, sit!"

"Mm!" Thaumas nodded slowly and sat down beside her.

It seemed that this goddess's impression of him had improved significantly.

After all, the chains on his wrists—the same style as those currently binding Prometheus and those that had once bound Hera—were now gone.

"This is your bracelet. I have reforged it, and it can now contain the authority of a god.

If a god favors you, you can use it to channel their divine power."

Only after Thaumas sat down did the God of Fire take out the bracelet, handing it to him gently before placing it in his palm herself.

"Thank you, beautiful Goddess God of Fire!" Thaumas thanked her sincerely; this was a massive help!

He quickly put it on. The feeling of having his inner thoughts pried into for these past few days had been unbearable, and he finally felt at ease!

With this, combined with the craftsmanship of the God of Fire, he had a chance to wield the authority of Hera and would become an incredibly powerful Heroic Spirit in the future!

He wondered how the Monument was recording his data now.

Since it always displayed "Not Yet Finalized," he didn't have a concrete concept of it.

But no matter how he thought about it, it couldn't be too bad!

"Child, do you wish to possess my favor?" the God of Fire asked suddenly.

"Hm? Why do you say that?" Thaumas was puzzled, but he immediately expressed his firm stance: "I am sorry, Lady Goddess, but I have already pledged my faith to your mother, the Goddess Hera. I cannot betray my faith."

"Child, that is not what I meant. I want to ask you for a favor." Realizing that Thaumas had misunderstood her, the God of Fire hurriedly explained.

"Child, since you are a follower of Hera, you must know of our relationship!

I would like to ask you to help me mend our bond; consider this a request from the God of Fire.

If you can help me, regardless of the outcome, I will grant you a portion of my authority."

Hm?

It seemed things were not quite as Thaumas had imagined.

Shouldn't the relationship between the God of Fire and Hera be like fire and water? Why would the God of Fire want to actively reconcile now?

It seemed legends were indeed just legends; through word of mouth, they had likely long since deviated from the original version.

The God of Fire had been abandoned by Hera as a child. Hera had cast her down from Olympus, and the God of Fire had tumbled through the air for a day before landing on Lemnos Island.

From then on, she was crippled. Fortunately, she was found and raised by the sea goddess Thetis, which was how she had survived until now.

Thus, the God of Fire later sought revenge against Hera. The daughter who was once considered the most useless had become the most accomplished, and Hera paid the price for her arrogance.

Ever since the "throne" incident, this mother and daughter had become like strangers.

But now, it seemed that wasn't entirely the case.

Thaumas remembered what Hera had said to him when they first met.

Hera had only wanted the family to be happy together, but she had indeed made a mistake.

She should not have abandoned her own daughter just because she was "ugly." She might have been a capable wife, but she was certainly a flawed mother.

Such an act of abandoning a child was something even Thaumas found despicable; he felt ashamed for his own goddess.

Perhaps the God of Fire's retaliatory behavior, which could be described as a petty temper, was merely a way to get Hera's attention and receive an apology.

It was just that things had gone against her wishes, and the mother and daughter had drifted further and further apart.

The God of Fire was truly poor at expressing herself; she was a kind goddess!

Even after being bullied by other gods, being cheated on by the gods, and being isolated by them, she still painstakingly forged divine artifacts and temples for them.

She met almost every condition to turn dark, yet she still looked forward to the coming of tomorrow.

So, then.

He truly could not stand to see such things!

"Then, Goddess God of Fire, I accept this commission!"

He would bring this goddess—no, this girl—the miracle she longed for!

Simply because he was a hero!

A hero was meant to help people in just this way!

He was a man of contradictions, but even more so, he was a hero of miracles!