Love's Forge (5 page)

* * * *

Zeus raised his eyebrows as his wife approached the flat, smooth side of the mountain. Was this really where Hephaestus lived now? Zeus knew he lived underground, but his front door being on the side of a mountain seemed too fanciful for someone as serious as Hephaestus. Of course, he’d already surprised Zeus once today.

Hera put her hand to the wall, but nothing happened. She withdrew her hand and looked around, and then she touched the same spot again. After ten seconds, she punched the wall.

“Are you sure this is the right place?” Zeus asked.

“We’re locked out. He granted me entry long ago, but he seems to have revoked that.”

Zeus examined the stone wall for himself. “You’ve entered before without his permission?”

“Yes.” She touched a discoloration on the stone. “He’s locked us out completely.”

Zeus looked closer and saw that the darker spot vaguely resembled a keyhole on an old fashioned lock. “I never thought much about how hard it would be to fight Hephaestus. Something forged by him could keep any of us out, bind any of us forever.”

Hera stared down at the ground. “Why would he lock me out?”

Zeus had to keep himself from rolling his eyes. “Well, aren’t you incredibly angry right now? Wouldn’t you be likely to try to free Ares?”

“I wouldn’t hurt Hephaestus.”

“I don’t think he’s afraid of that. He has a plan, and he wants the chance to carry it out.”

“Ares is your son too! Don’t you care?”

“Yes, he is, and Hephaestus might do a lot of things, but he’s not going to kill Ares, is he?”

“He can have Aphrodite. I don’t care! I want my son free!”

Zeus looked around, half hoping someone would materialize and explain the big picture to them, but of course no one did. The three people who could explain all of this to them were on the other side of a wall they couldn’t penetrate. The solution wasn’t going to magically present itself.

“You don’t mean that. Can’t you admit it bothered you when Alala told us what Hephaestus did? He forced Aphrodite to marry him.”

She waved her hand to dismiss his comment. “That’s Aphrodite’s version of the story. She’s used and cheated on both my sons.”

“She fucked your husband too. Not to mention you. We’re a pretty complicated family. A little too much sharing over the years,” he said. He found it hard to hold his frustration back, and it came out in cruel shots. The situation needed to be dealt with, but Hera’s behavior wasn’t going to help anything.

“I don’t care about that. Why are you bringing it up? It makes no difference who fucked whom, when, or how many times. We aren’t mortal teenagers.” She shook her head. “Do you think I was jealous? I didn’t care how often you two had sex. I was fine with it. Gods, we’ve both had so much sex with so many people, I don’t care.”

He touched her arm. “I wish you did care. I can’t live without you anymore.”

She glanced up at him sharply. “You hardly go more than one day without me. Gods, I can’t believe you’re trying to change the subject! Does your agenda mean that much to you? We’re in the middle of something, and I am not in the mood. Can we talk about all of that later? I want to talk to Hephaestus!”

“Fine. Just a moment.” Zeus snapped his fingers.

Hera gave him a withering look because she knew he was making fun of her with that gesture, as she often snapped her fingers to work magic that needed no gesture. He didn’t care. Her words had hurt, and now he couldn’t stop himself from being angry with her.

Hermes appeared between them. “You needed me?”

“Yes,” Zeus said as he pushed his anger back. “You can enter Hephaestus’ home even if it’s locked, right? Just as you can enter the Underworld?”

“Yes. I can appear wherever he is to deliver a message. It must be from his mother though. Otherwise, his magic can keep me out.”

“Well, it’s going to be from his mother. Don’t worry about that,” Hera said. “Go in there and tell him I want to talk to him. Once that’s done, go home. I want you to give a message to Eris.”

“Hera,” Zeus said. “Please don’t.”

Hermes looked concerned that their problem might involve his new wife. They’d only been back from their honeymoon for a day or two, and it had been rather short since Ares and Alala’s wedding had been set for just a couple of weeks after theirs. “What’s wrong?”

“Tell her Hephaestus has kidnapped her brother because, supposedly, he caught Ares in a tryst with Aphrodite,” Hera said.

Hermes nodded slowly, and then disappeared.

“Hera, I don’t feel like dealing with Eris as well. She’ll only become angry and worried.”

“At least she won’t sit back and do nothing! If she annoys you, send her away. She won’t disobey.”

“You’re acting like a child desperate to have her way.”

“Are you surprised?”

Hermes reappeared. “He said he’s coming.”

“Did you see Ares?” Hera asked.

“No, only Hephaestus. He said he would be a few moments. He’s preparing a meal.”

Hera ground her teeth together. “Thank you, Hermes. Go tell Eris what is happening.” She glanced at Zeus, and then said, “We’re handling it here, so tell her to go to Alala. She needs her.”

Hermes nodded. “I can’t guarantee she’ll obey, but if she knows Alala is upset, she may at least check on her first.”

“That’s fine.”

Hermes disappeared, and Zeus put his hand on Hera’s shoulder. “Thank you.”

“Don’t thank me. No point.”

Hephaestus appeared in front of them. He didn’t show any emotion but surprise. “You wanted to see me, mother?”

“Of course I did.” She looked at him angrily for a long moment. Then, much to Zeus’ surprise, the anger faded and she gazed at him sadly. “What have you done? What are you doing?”

Hephaestus regarded her seriously. “I’m fighting for what I want. I’m not hurting anyone.”

“Ares? You swear you haven’t hurt Ares?”

Zeus saw Hephaestus’ expression flicker slightly. He turned away to let them talk. Hera had been right. Hephaestus knew she favored Ares, and Zeus could see it did affect him. Hephaestus didn’t care about having anyone else’s approval, but he definitely cared what Hera felt and thought.

“No. He needs to be taught a lesson though. He’s a few days away from marrying a sweet, beautiful girl who could excite desire in any man with a pulse. She loves him unconditionally. He doesn’t deserve her. He betrayed her because his pride couldn’t stand for Aphrodite to finally be over him.”

Zeus disagreed adamantly, but he had no intention of speaking, especially since his relationship with Hephaestus could be difficult at times like this. He ran through the possibilities in his mind. Hephaestus had never had any enemies that he knew of. At the moment, he also couldn’t recall anyone who would wish Ares or Aphrodite harm. A spell made no sense, even though it was the only explanation he could come up with.

“Ares loves Alala. It is far more likely Aphrodite tricked him!” Hera said.

“No. She’s happy for him. He went to her house. He made that first move.”

Zeus said, “You two aren’t going to persuade each other. It seems more fruitful to look for another answer. Would either of them be stupid enough to seduce the other this close to Ares’ wedding? Neither of them would hurt Alala this way.”

“You didn’t see them together,” Hephaestus said. “The uninhibited lust was revolting.”

“So both of them? Neither one was resisting at all?”

Hephaestus shook his head. “They didn’t even notice me. They were far too distracted.”

Zeus paused before asking, “And what do they say?”

“No explanations. Not even an attempt. They both say they don’t understand what came over them.”

“You feel justified imprisoning them based on that?” Hera asked.

“Everyone who cheats says that. They don’t know what came over them. It’s ridiculous,” Hephaestus said as he glared at both of them, his meaning quite clear.

“Hephaestus, maybe they truly don’t,” Zeus said.

“Tell me who would do this, and maybe I’ll let them go.”

Hera touched his arm to plead with him. “Let Ares go. Let us question him. We want to know the truth too.”

Hephaestus looked down into his mother’s eyes. “I’ll think about it.” He bent and kissed her forehead. Zeus had not seen them be affectionate very often. Perhaps it was a beginning.

She held his arm for a moment before letting him go. “I’m more confused than angry. Truly. This is the kind of thing Ares would do. I’d never expect something like this from you.”

He stepped back from her without replying and disappeared.

Zeus went to Hera. “Let’s go.” He took her hand and pulled her toward the valley they stood on the edge of. “Let’s walk for a while.”

Hera followed and held his hand limply. “I’m not used to being powerless.”

“I doubt you want me to strike the mountain with a thunderbolt.”

She sighed. “Of course not. What silly stories mortals create.”

He squeezed her hand because he knew exactly how much she loved the stories she claimed to think were silly. “I’ve been very creative in my anger over the centuries. And I know how to use a thunderbolt if I need to.”

She forced a smile. “I don’t feel like laughing now, but I appreciate the effort.”

“I like the old stories. Even some of the new ones. Why don’t we go watch a movie? Let’s get dressed up and revisit the golden age of Hollywood. What was a good year for movies?”

“I don’t feel like playing, Zeus. Not here or in the mortal world. You want to make me happy? Make it possible for us to time travel here on Olympus. Take us back so I can know about all this and stop what happened today. Take us all the way back so none of this ever happens.”

“You don’t want that. It’s beyond my powers, of course. I’d do anything for you if I could.”

“I know.” She gazed across the grass. “I am going to the mortal world. I’d like to think.”

“Where? When?”

“Long ago. I’d like to see the temples again. Hear people talking about us. They were good days, most of the time.” She squeezed his hand. “I won’t interfere with anything.”

He started to speak, but she was gone. He walked on. Time travel in the mortal world took a lot of energy, so she would be tired when she came home. Maybe then she’d rest.

He watched the horizon change color as the sun started to set. He felt weary, but he wanted to investigate as much as he could before Hera returned. If he could at least present her with a theory, she’d be much happier to come home to him.

* * * *

Eris had bolted out the front door as soon as Hermes explained everything to her. She wanted to go straight to Hera and Zeus, but she knew it would be pointless. She had to trust Hera to care about proving Ares was innocent as much as she did. Hera was right to send her to Alala, who was probably either scared or angry, perhaps both.

She went straight to the backyard, which was usually the best place to find Alala. She opened the gate and looked toward the gazebo first. Alala sat in the swing with a black cat in her lap. Her long red hair hung in her face, and she looked like a sad child with no one to play with when she should have been a happy bride-to-be preparing for her wedding in a few days. That made Eris angry. Whoever was behind this was going to pay, and dearly.

“Alala?” Eris said as she strolled over to her.

“Hi.”

“Hi. They’ll straighten all this out. Hephaestus won’t hurt Ares.” Eris didn’t know Hephaestus well at all. She’d met him, but it hadn’t been the most stimulating conversation ever. However, she didn’t see any reason to be afraid for Ares’ safety. Not yet.

“I know.”

Eris sat down next to Alala and extended her fingers to Shadow for inspection. The male cat purred and squeezed his eyes at her. He’d always liked her because he could tell she had cats as well.

“Alala, you do know Ares is innocent, don’t you?”

Alala looked up and met her gaze. “Is he? Why would someone do this to us? To me? It doesn’t make any sense.”

“Ares cheating on you makes no sense at all. He loves you, Alala.”

“Maybe he changed his mind. Decided marriage isn’t for him. He could have been scared to tell me, so he came up with a plan to make me call the wedding off.”

Eris considered her words carefully. She knew Alala was upset and had never had much confidence in herself as a woman. Eris couldn’t understand that, given Alala’s beauty and intelligence, but she knew it was true. “Alala, I can’t believe that. My brother has fucked up lots of things, many of them very important things, but he wouldn’t do this. He would be honest about something like that.”

“He’s proud and stubborn. It’s hard to say what he’s capable of at times.”

“I agree, but I can’t believe this.”

“Hephaestus wouldn’t do this for no reason.”

“Aren’t you angry with him at all? What did he say?”

“He left me a note.” She handed the note to Eris.

Eris unfolded it and read it aloud. “Ares has betrayed your trust. I’m sorry if this hurts you in the end, but this scoundrel and my cheating wife are going to get what they deserve.” This scoundrel? Get what they deserve? She sighed, but then she looked back at the note. “Wife? My cheating
wife
?”

Alala nodded. “It’s true. She told me months ago. When I was worried about Persephone, I went to her. I wanted to know if Hades truly loved her. I also wanted to tell her that Ares and I weren’t angry with her.” She smiled with fake enthusiasm. “We wanted to be friends.” She huffed in frustration.

“How long have they been married? And more to the point why can’t I hear Hera having a fit?”

Alala half laughed. “She actually took it better than I’d expected. She’s very angry with Hephaestus, though she may be calmer now.” She shrugged. “I don’t know. A long time. Before Eros was born.”

“Shit!” Now she was even more surprised all of them weren’t feeling some kind of reaction from Hera. “Hera’s upset with Hephaestus for doing this and with Aphrodite for keeping such a secret. She’s worried about Ares. And you say she’s calm? That might be worse for all of us in the long run.”

“Maybe.”

“Are you angry with Ares? This can’t be his fault.”

“You’re sure about that?”

She nodded her head emphatically. “Of course I am. How can you doubt him? I know you’re scared, but you know the truth. Don’t you believe he’s innocent? It wouldn’t make any sense for him to do this.”

Alala jerked Shadow up and put him in Eris’ lap. She stood quickly and stalked away. “Did you ever think I’d prefer being angry to being scared? I used to be a warrior! I used to fight by Ares’ side and help him! I’m not supposed to be scared of anything! My name was a fucking battle cry for the Greeks! I’ve cut down thousands of men and never regretted it. I ought to be able to save him, but I can’t! Gods, we’re all so useless now! You started the Trojan War. When’s the last time you did anything even half that important?” She turned back to Eris. “Does
that
make sense to
you
?”

Eris clutched Shadow tight, even though he seemed unalarmed by his owner’s outburst. He yawned and stretched in her lap once she loosened her grip. Eris personally didn’t mind that she hadn’t started any wars recently, but Alala was a war deity. Maybe she still needed battles of some kind to fight.

“Yes, Alala, it does. I hardly know Hephaestus, but Ares is his half-brother. Even if that means nothing, he’s Zeus and Hera’s son. That protects him to some extent. No matter what his initial reaction, Hephaestus can’t still be that angry. He’ll relent soon.”

“Even if he does, Ares still has to explain all this. What’s he going to say?” Alala turned back to the house and kept walking.

Eris didn’t say anything else. She stroked Shadow’s ears and leaned back in the swing. Hermes could find her if there was news, so she’d stay put for now in case Alala needed her. She was dealing with her fears in her own way. It was best to let her do so, at least for now. Hopefully, it would all be over so soon it wouldn’t matter. Alala could be just as stubborn as Ares, and Eris knew that was one of the many reasons they were good together. They understood each other. She couldn’t do much more to prove Ares’ innocence to Alala now, but once he was free she’d stop at nothing to make sure the beautiful wedding planned for later in the week did take place.