Morning.
Helios, the sun god, drove the Sun Chariot from his temple toward the west, but today, he seemed to have deliberately restrained his radiance.
The sunlight this day was tranquil and gentle, devoid of any noisy air. It soothed the heart and refreshed the mind, inviting people to enjoy the peaceful hours.
Thaumas rose from his sleep, yawning as he stretched lazily.
His toned muscles, powerful body, newly grown short black hair, and pure azure eyes all seemed to have been meticulously crafted by the god of art. What a Red-Faced Beautiful Boy.
It had been a long time since he had slept so comfortably. Ever since coming down the mountain, he seemed to have been constantly busy. When had he last slept in?
When was the last time he had slept this well?
That night in Nemea Forest? Oh, no! It should have been the night he first met Goddess Hera.
It truly was rare.
As Thaumas pondered this, he climbed out of bed.
But then, he discovered a very important problem—no, where were his clothes?!
Looking around the room, he was shocked to realize that this was not his room!
A round white wool bed, a room filled with flowers, and all manner of decorations around it, all equally white.
Wasn't this Goddess Hephaestus's room?
Come to think of it, she still liked white that much.
So, he silently burrowed back beneath the covers. It was not that he wanted to stay in bed; he truly had no choice. Was he supposed to go outside naked?
Other Ancient Greeks might be able to do that, but he really did not share that custom!
Just as Thaumas was caught in a dilemma,
Click—
With a crisp sound, the door slowly opened under Thaumas's expectant gaze.
Thaumas hurriedly covered his vital parts with the blanket. This was truly embarrassing! Please forgive him, but he really could not accept Ancient Greek morals.
By the way, who was that?
"L-Lord Thaumas, these are the clothes from your backpack. I've already washed them for you. I'll leave them here!"
After saying that, the young maid, her face flushed red, placed the tray holding his clothes on a nearby table, then ran out in embarrassment.
But almost immediately, she ran back in.
"Oh, right." She said awkwardly, "Lord Thaumas, please come see Mistress Hephaestus after getting dressed. She's waiting for you in the hall."
Then she shut the door and dashed away.
Hey! Where had that arrogant doll maid gone?!
Why had her personality changed so drastically all of a sudden?
Well, she was kind of cute, now that he thought about it!
No! Had she seen it?! Damn it, he felt an inexplicable sense of shame.
When he had been tempered by Heavenly Fire, he had not been in the mood to care about such things. But now that he thought back on it, it was truly humiliating.
However,
Once he remembered that Hephaestus was merely a machine, that all these gods were machines descended as gods, and that the little maid was only a doll—
So that was it!
They were not even the same species! He just had to treat them like little animals, and he would feel much better.
Having come to terms with it, Thaumas changed into the clean clothes.
Incidentally, he also liked white, though he liked black as well. The beauty of opposites captivated him.
After tidying himself up, he slowly headed toward the living room. He was still somewhat unfamiliar with his current body, but wasn't it a little too powerful?
On the way, he casually picked up a decorative block of bronze. There were plenty of such bronze blocks, so he did not need to worry that Hephaestus would be angered by one going missing. She did not care.
With a gentle squeeze, the hard bronze bent as easily as rubber.
Playing with the bronze block in his hand, Thaumas felt happier than ever.
The pain had truly been worth it!
Not only had his body become impervious to blades and weapons, but even his strength and magical capacity had improved tremendously!
Just like the body of a demigod in Ancient Greek myth! He was a demigod now as well.
At last, Jason was rightfully dead last!
Before, Jason had needed to go easy on him to keep him from taking last place. Now, he could finally beat Jason up properly!
He could probably take on ten Jasons, right? After all, Jason was Chiron's student, so he was not weak. The others were simply too strong.
Thinking this, Thaumas arrived in the living room.
Hephaestus was sitting there, and the sight of her smooth, beautiful hair made Thaumas envious.
She gently trimmed the branches and leaves in a vase, humming an unfamiliar tune.
When she looked up and saw Thaumas arrive, warmth filled her eyes as she smiled.
"Come, sit."
"Mm!" Thaumas nodded slowly, then sat beside her.
It seemed this goddess's impression of him had improved greatly.
After all, the chain on his hand had been of the same kind as the chain now binding Prometheus, and the one that had once bound Hera. Yet it was now gone.
"This is your Bracelet. I have reforged it, and it can now contain a god's Authority.
"If a god favors you, you can use it to wield that god's power."
Only after Thaumas sat down did Hephaestus take out the Bracelet. She gently handed it to him, then personally placed it in his hand.
"Thank you, beautiful Goddess Hephaestus!" Thaumas thanked her sincerely. She had truly helped him enormously!
He hurriedly put it on. The feeling of others peering into his thoughts these past few days had made him uncomfortable. At last, he could relax!
With Hephaestus's reforging, he now had hope of wielding Hera's Authority. In the future, he would surely become an exceptionally powerful Heroic Spirit!
He wondered how the Monument recorded his information now.
After all, it always displayed "Not Yet Finalized," so he had no clear idea.
Still, however he thought about it, it could not be too bad!
"Child, do you wish to receive my favor?" Hephaestus suddenly asked.
"Hm? Why would you say that?" Thaumas was puzzled, but he quickly declared his firm stance. "I'm sorry, Goddess, but I already worship your mother, Goddess Hera. I cannot betray my faith."
"Child, that is not what I mean. I want you to help me with something." Realizing that Thaumas had misunderstood her, Hephaestus hurriedly explained.
"Child, since you are Hera's believer, you must know the relationship between her and me!
"I want to ask you to help ease the tension between us. Consider it a request from the God of Fire.
"If you can help me, no matter the outcome, I will grant you an Authority."
Hm?
This was rather different from what Thaumas had imagined.
Shouldn't Hephaestus and Hera be bitter enemies? Why did Hephaestus now want to take the initiative to reconcile?
It seemed legends were indeed only legends. Passed down by word of mouth, they might have long since diverged from the original story.
Hephaestus had been abandoned by Hera as a child. Hera threw her from Olympus, and Hephaestus tumbled through the sky for an entire day before falling upon Lemnos Island.
From then on, she was crippled. Fortunately, the sea goddess Thetis found and raised her, allowing her to survive until now.
Thus, Hephaestus later took revenge on Hera. The daughter who had initially seemed most worthless became the most accomplished, and Hera paid the price for her arrogance.
After the "chair" incident, mother and daughter had become complete strangers.
But now, it seemed that was not quite the case.
Thaumas remembered what Hera had told him when they first met.
Hera only wanted the family to live happily together, but she had indeed made a mistake.
She should not have abandoned her biological daughter simply because she was "ugly." She might have been a qualified wife, but she was absolutely not an unqualified mother.
Even Thaumas despised such abandonment of a child. He felt ashamed for his goddess.
Perhaps Hephaestus's revenge, which could be called nothing more than a petty tantrum, had merely been an attempt to draw Hera's attention and receive an apology from her.
But things had gone against their wishes, and the mother and daughter had drifted farther and farther apart.
Hephaestus truly was not good at expressing herself. She was a kind goddess!
Even though the other gods bullied her so much, cheated on her, isolated her, she still diligently forged divine artifacts and temples for them.
She met nearly every condition for turning dark, yet she still looked forward to tomorrow.
So,
He truly could not bear to watch such things!
"Then, Goddess Hephaestus, I accept this request!"
He would bring this goddess—no, this girl—the Miracle she longed for!
Simply because he was a hero!
Heroes were supposed to help people like this!
He was a contradictory person, but even more so, he was a hero of miracles!
Before you continue