Hephaestus was quick; he wasn't forging an artifact like Zeus's Thunder, but merely adding something to Aphrodite's belt. By the afternoon of the same day he took it back, he had already finished the belt Ares had envisioned.
After finishing it, Hephaestus immediately wanted to send it to Aphrodite so she could try out its "power." Luckily, Ares had been quietly monitoring Fire God's Hall, and as soon as he noticed this movement, he quickly rushed over to stop Hephaestus.
According to the pattern he had observed, it was Zeus who was scheduled to "favor" Aphrodite at the Temple of Aphrodite tonight. If Hephaestus had gone through with it, he would probably be hammering iron in Tartarus from then on.
Of course, Ares couldn't tell Hephaestus directly that his father was cuckolding him, so he concocted a lie, saying that Aphrodite and Notus would meet nine days later. At that time, he would use the excuse of a business trip to transfer the belt to Aphrodite, which would have a better effect.
Hephaestus, at this point, had no reason to doubt Ares. So, nine days later, Hephaestus, carrying his tools, found his wife, Aphrodite, and said to her,
"Aphrodite, today I'm going to Lemnos Island to look for forging materials. You should sleep by yourself tonight."
Aphrodite naturally had nothing to say to this; Hephaestus not being home was even better for her. However, she was still thinking about her belt, so she asked before Hephaestus left, "Hephaestus, where's my belt?"
"Oh, my memory." Hephaestus feigned hitting his head and then chuckled, "It's already done. I have it on me. I almost forgot to give it to you."
With that, Hephaestus took Aphrodite's belt out of his satchel.
As soon as the belt appeared, the entire Temple of Aphrodite was illuminated by a bright but warm light. Aphrodite stared intently and immediately held her breath. Not only had Hephaestus embedded huge gems into the belt, but the skillful blacksmith had also used hollowed-out threads to create a seemingly ethereal sheer skirt and pantyhose beneath the belt.
This made Aphrodite firmly believe that wearing this belt would elevate her beauty by two more levels.
Because of this, she finally, with great difficulty, gave her husband a pleasant look and praised him, "It truly is your craftsmanship, Hephaestus, perfectly done."
"It's best if you like it." Hephaestus smiled and said, "Then I'm off."
"Have a safe trip."
Aphrodite waved her hand, showing no intention of seeing Hephaestus off. She simply held the belt and returned to the Temple of Aphrodite to try it on herself. Hephaestus didn't mind. He walked out the door, turned onto the main road of Olympus, and after a few steps, encountered Ares, who was strolling idly on the road with his sword and shield.
"Yo, Hephaestus." Seeing Hephaestus, Ares walked over, patted his shoulder, and said, "Good morning."
"Good morning, Ares." Hephaestus lowered his voice. "It's done."
"Got it." Ares also lowered his voice and whispered into Hephaestus's ear, "Leave the rest to me. You can rest easy."
Hephaestus nodded, then continued on his way with his tool satchel. Ares escorted him all the way to the golden gate of Olympus, watched Hephaestus leave Olympus, and then returned to God of War Palace.
Of course, Prometheus could not be overlooked. Not long after Ares had left earlier, the God of Forethought had lit the vulture's feather, agreeing to cooperate with Ares.
Therefore, as Ares saw Hephaestus off, his main body, far away in Hecate's Tree Palace, also dispatched another avatar, which transformed into a wild boar and ran to Prometheus's dwelling to meet with the God of Forethought.
Time flowed. Helios drove his chariot back to his residence, preparing to rest, while Selene, Goddess of the Moon, tirelessly helped the current Moon Goddess, Artemis, drive the moon chariot into the sky.
The moon was bright and the stars were sparse; darkness enveloped the earth. Hestia on Olympus also extinguished the candles in all the temples. The gods prepared to sleep peacefully. At this time, Ares also gathered his equipment and began patrolling Olympus, responsible for guarding the gods' peaceful slumber.
Meanwhile, on the other side, his clone also embarked on a journey with Prometheus.
Ares's clone sometimes transformed into a wild boar, sometimes a vulture, sometimes a hound, guiding Prometheus to the golden gate of Olympus. At the same time, Ares's divine power clone, responsible for night patrols on Olympus, also arrived at the golden gate of Olympus.
He gently pushed the heavy golden gate open just enough for a person to pass through, then whispered to Prometheus outside the gate, "No internal spies. Let's make some trouble."
Prometheus nodded silently, then quickly slipped inside and closed the golden gate behind him. Ares's beast clone also self-destructed in a hidden corner outside the gate, and by tomorrow morning, with a gust of wind, it would vanish without a trace.
After Prometheus entered, Ares lifted the hem of his robe and said to Prometheus,
"Come in, follow me. I'll take you to God King's Hall."
Prometheus complied and slipped inside. The robe Ares was wearing was made for him by Hephaestus from the skin of the giant Python, and it was very wide. Prometheus's stature was relatively small compared to Ares, so along the way, no other night watchmen discovered that another deity was hidden beneath the God of War's robe.
Ares thus smoothly brought Prometheus to the entrance of God King's Hall on Olympus. Seeing no one around, he released Prometheus and said to the creator of humanity,
"The rest is up to you. Remember, if anything happens to you now, it has nothing to do with me, Ares. Now, I have other matters to attend to."
"Of course." Prometheus gratefully nodded to Ares. "You've helped me a lot, God of War. Now, go attend to your own affairs. Don't worry, I, Prometheus, swear to the heavens that no matter what torment I endure, I will not expose you."
"Then I'm leaving." Ares turned and departed. Seeing Ares's figure disappear, Prometheus also withdrew his gaze and turned to walk into the dark God King's Hall.
...
Following his patrol route, Ares arrived near the Temple of Aphrodite. Upon entering Aphrodite's domain, Ares reined in his divine power and aura, and lightened his footsteps.
When he arrived at the entrance of the Temple of Aphrodite, he happened to see Notus, the God of the South Wind, with an impatient expression, slipping into the Temple of Aphrodite, which was emanating an ambiguous glow. Seeing this, a smile also appeared on Ares's face.
He walked into the shadows beside the Temple of Aphrodite, put down his weapons and shield, then comfortably crossed his legs, quietly waiting for a reaction from within the Temple of Aphrodite.