....Mount Olympus.
An awe-inspiring height, visible only to gods and those like them. It was said to be a realm of perpetual sunlight, a place of palaces in gold and marble made only for the Gods, ruled by Zeus and protected by golden gates..
High above the clouds, the mountain rested in stillness as Selene's silver light faded from the sky. The Moon Godess pale glow slipped behind the western hills, leaving a faint shimmer on the marble halls.
From the east, came the Illuminator of the Earth, Goddess of the Dawn, Eos who began to rise — in gentle, rosy light that spread through the mist. Her touch turned the white stone gold, her soft breeze carrying the scent of new air. The peaks glowed pink, and the shadows grew warm. All symbolizing a new day as she briefly drive her chariot across the sky before leaving quickly as she came.
Then came Guardians of Oaths, The Sun God Helios, brilliant bright and steady, guiding his chariot into the sky, as his first rays spilled over Olympus, lighting every pillar, every garden, every quiet path.
The world was silent except for the whisper of wind and the faint hum of life waking below. A day that began with a peaceful morning.
"What.Is.This...."
Until a voice sundered the silence. Typically it would be harmonious blend of magnificence, regality, and melody that could naturally charm most mortals. Yet now, the same voice carried strain and choking fury, and though the words were not screamed, the barely withheld anger did more than enough to shake the ground where she stood.
The voice came from one of the main palaces, specifically designed only for the twelve main Olympians — even more specifically, the palace reserved for the Queen of the Olympians. The owner of that voice was none other than Hera, Queen of the Gods, surrounded by her Nymph servants, who were wobbling and prostrating themselves on the floor in fear.
As Hera stood, her tall stature showed grace and elegance, moving with a dignified and imposing presence. Her skin was both pale and flawless in complexion; her eyes large, dark, and certainly beautiful — considered among the most beautiful goddesses in all of Greece.
Yet...
"I who possess one of the most noble lineage of Divinity, Queen of the very Gods themselves...AND YET I GAVE BIRTH TO THIS!!!" Now practically roaring at what seemed to be a bundle she held in her arms, with even a few tears running down her face.
"You who were to be MY Vengeance! My proof to Zues that he ALONE is NOT the only one capable creating a perfect offspring!!"
"That no matter what he cannot rule without ME!!"
"To show I'm am STILL his equall–and he is NOT ABOVE ME!!"
"That he still NEEDS MEEE!!!"
Hera cried as she stared at the bundle she was holding in her shaking arms. Inside the bundle was, in fact, is an infant covered in pristine cloth.
"...you were supposed to be perfect, not this." Hera now whispering as she looked at the newborn, what was supposed to be her son.
A perfect child she made alone without him, without Zues. Instead what she got was a hideous, small and pitifully frail infant, covered in disgusting looking hair, worse its left being deformed—a lame leg.
"What a horrific thing you are...you should have not been born into existence." In spite of her words, she still held the child instead of immediately throwing it away in disgust—gently rocking the infant in her arms instead.
"If I kept you, you would bring nothing but a stain on my dignity, and would live a sufferable existence here on Mount Olympus, constantly humiliated by the Gods, including Zeus."
"It'd be far more merciful for you if your life came to an end." Hera though now much calmer in her voice, seems determined in what she'll do next.
The Nymph who were still prostrating themselves dared not move or make a sound, subtlety looking each other in shock from their Queens statement, afterall knowing their Queen typical behavior, fear quickly began to rise questioning if whether or not they'll be silence for today's event.
Before they could say anything, Hera immediately used her regal and authortive aura, issuing an order they cannot refuse.
"My servants, you will not speak word of today, nor mention anything that have transpired here and what it is about to happen."
"Otherwise...we'll you should already know my punishments, correct?"
"Y-Yes y-your m-m-majesty!"
"We s-sear on your n-name that we shall not speak of the e-events that have t-transpired or w-what is about t-to happen f-for the c-child...!"
Hearing their Queen's command, Hera Nymphs swore an Oath to her, an ancient law where in this universe, where if a being made an Oath, then they must follow that through it no matter what, let's they be punished by the ancient laws, and this is a law that applies to every being that lives in this grand universe, especially the Divine, but more on that later.
Now, golden binds hidden from mortal sight had manifested between the two parties, in the next second the chains had attached themselves between Hera and her Nymphs servants, signifying the Oath completion.
"Good. Now leave and proceed to the duties I usually entrust you with, for I must deal with this matter promptly and permanently."
"Y-yes your majesty..." The Nymphs responded carefully.
After leaving her palace she headed straight to edge of Mount Olympus, overlooking the mortal world, still carrying the infant in her arms.
"..."
She let the quiet morning sink in just for moment, before lifting the child she carried face to face, still disgusted by the child appearence.
"This is for the best. Even if I kept you, you'd still most likely receive a cruel death here on Olympus anyway. I'm… just sparing us both the pain."
"But for what it is worth...." Hera calmly gave the infant a small kiss on the head, then moving the infant away from her face.
She looked at the infant for a minute… then two… then finally five, before letting it go — disappearing from her sight, from what she believed to be forever.
".....It was supposed to be a good day." Hera spoke in slight regret, no sadness, only the regret of could have been.
Looking at the edge where she dropped the infant for maybe a minute before returning back to her palace.
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'...Where am I?'
'.....'
'Who am I?'
'....'
'Hello!?'
'.....Am I alone?'
'Am I...scared? Wait, was what's scared? Wait, how am I even thinking? Am I even alive?'
'....'
'Am I dead—Archks!!!'
'Ouch!(x15)–O-oh! I'm John! a human from earth(I think), a-and...I was a streamer and I died from...exhaustion?'
'Huh, was I a good fishermen at streams? I must've been over working my body from working...'
'No? I just played games n stuff? Oooh, I'm–or was an entertainer, kind cool I guess?'
'I guess I'm just a plain old gu–Archks!!!'
'.....I am Hephaestus, God the Forge and Fire, one of the 12 main Olympians Gods.'
'A disgrace, a failure, a mocked, a humiliated, unwanted existence that is only accepted because I am of use.'
'Till I wasn't....'
'Now nothing means anyth—Archks!!!'
'No...that's also wrong'
'A...second chance, for us–me'
'A life of my chosing, as a being one not of a mortal, but I'm also not just a God'
'Simply me, and the life I want to live'
'But how?...what is a meta essence?'
'.....That is overpowered by even divine standards...I get THREE!?!?!?!'
'Problem solved I guessed...?'
'Now what do I want to do next...'
'I think....I know what I want.'
'It's....
'A harem of Big Bad Booty B*tches...'
Then suddenly unbearable pain came.
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As the golden rays of Helios dimmed at the end of his daily journey, twilight fell — and Astraeus, the Titan of Dusk, watched over the arrival of the stars and planets.
Once again, Selene's silver light illuminated the now star-filled sky, becoming a beacon to those lost in the night.
Far below, in the northern Aegean Sea, an island with distinct volcanic features rested in solitude. An island that would originally be known as Lemnos. It was a peaceful place, barren and quiet, with little life upon its rocky shores and scorched hills.
Then, without warning, a massive flaming ball streaked down from the heavens, tearing across the night sky before crashing violently upon its beaches — the impact shaking the ground and carving a massive crater into the earth.
After awhile, when the smoke began to fade, a small, ugly baby could be seen crawling from the wreckage, limping and trembling with every frail movement.
"To be quite honest," the infant muttered weakly, a strange glimmer of awareness in his eyes, "I never thought I'd be happy to be here again… haha."
"Guess I'm home." As he tried to move forward, his limp leg gave out, causing him to topple over the scorched sand that had partially turned to glass.
Carefully, he propped himself with the little strength he had left. "This leg had always been the original Hephaestus's shame, but soon enough it'll only be a distant memory."
"Actually... let's see if those abilities are crazy broken as I expected them to be."
With a simple thought, Hephaestus had summoned a large blue, somewhat glowing rock — about 2.3ish feet in diameter — along with some wood, aluminum, plastic, and carbon fibers. Using the experience gained from the original Hephaestus, he spread a golden glow that rapidly coated the raw materials.
And like playing with clay, Hephaestus used his hands to "shift" the form of the materials, merging them together (albeit partially clumsily due to baby hands) into two mini crutches, and turned the leftover material into a tiny strapped-on shield for his back.
"Crutches, and a tiny shield, both made mostly of Vibranium... I basically did the equivalent of using a nuclear-powered diamond drill to put a picture frame on a wall–hahaha!"
"Cough! Cough! –ugh, first let's head somewhere a bit more... private."
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Making his way deeper in the island Hephaestus would quickly find the hidden cave within the island's rugged volcanic cliffs, a cave Hephaestus is all too familiar with. How could it not, it was the same one that the original Hephaestus's spent his years, laboring and plotting his revenge, practicing his craft, all so he could humiliate the Goddess that had casted him down.
It also made the perfect place to hide from prying eyes, be it mortal or divine due its entrance being partly concealed by dark stone and drifting sea mist.
When making his way Inside, the air was warm and heavy with the scent of sulfur and iron. Veins of molten rock glowed faintly beneath the walls, casting a dim amber light that danced across rough basalt surfaces.
Water from the cliffs above dripped into shallow pools, hissing into steam where it met the heat. Deep within, the cave widened into vast chambers that pulsed with the quiet breath of the island's fiery heart.
"Just like in the old Hephaestus memory when he first found this pace..."
"A great place to make a forge, but first I should probably go over the new abilities granted by these essences."
And just like that with a subtle desire to understand these abilities, information had began to poor in his head.