Kronos (Book Two)

Trapped

Drip.

Drip.

Hephaestus' s right fist drips with divine ichor. A golden pink wisp tries to push him back, but he breaks through the divine shield of Hermes and Aphrodite's son. His porcelain skin matches his mother's complexion while having blue hearts for irises.

The fire god stomps his way forward. "Tell me where she is!"

"My parents died that day! I would have felt their presence!"

He tries to out speed the Olympian only to be backhanded to the ground. Patience growing thin.

"Hermaphrodite, reach out to your mother. I will leave you alone after that."

He spits out some golden crimson from his lips. "And what happens to her afterwards?"

The sword has a small taste of his foot. He yells out for help but is muffled by the gauntlet. He's smacked through a boulder. His body self-heals, but the pain lingers.

The Olympian walks to him. "She will be safe in my home. I will not allow her to see the products of her affair."

"Is that....what she would want?"

His steps almost stop. "Does it even matter?"

"It does! What you say isn't love! It would be a prison for her."

Flames erupt like a geyser. "Then I would no longer be alone."

"Do you hate yourself that much? That you would want her to be miserable too?"

Despite not landing a physical attack, his words act like poison to the fire-forger's heart. 

"ENOUGH! I will not ask-"

Laughter from Hermaphrodite interrupts him. "You know it's wrong. She would never give you what you truly desire. She will never smile for you."

His steaming hand grabs him by the throat. His feet kick against his arm. Hands burning from trying to escape.

"Her body is what I desire. Just like everyone else."

A spit of ichor lands on his helmet. "My father loved her."

He brings him down to his face. "Don't joke with me."

"I'm not! I've seen their love. Him making her laugh on her worst days. Her holding him close. It's more real than what you will have with her!"

The Olympian's orange irises flicker with rage before releasing the god.

His mind and heart argue over the words told to him. He gnashes his teeth from what he could give her: a new body, well-crafted gifts, loyalty, and..........

His mind draws a blank. Hermaphrodite takes the time to run away-

Fwoosh!

A wall of flames stop him. "I have a lot more to offer her!" His mind argues against the words that broke from his lips. "She will appreciate my gifts for once!"

"She always did!", Hermaphrodite argues. "She always touched them with respect and care of a priceless pearl. But she wanted to spend time with you which you rejected!"

His mind throws that memory to the front like a discus. How she would kiss the back of his head before asking for a picnic in the garden area of Mt Olympus. 

"We could rest under the shade and-"

"I'm too busy!"

"What about later at nigh-"

He banged his hand against the table in objection. Aphrodite's smile vanished from his action. He would return to hammering a weapon for completion.

"How about tomorrow?", she asked.

"I'm scheduled for the rest of the month. We can have our picnic by then. Just wait in bed for me."

His constant refusals were an act that he had nothing else to give her. What could he even say? Their marriage was to stop a war between Ares and Poseidon who vied for her attention. A peace offering that gave him temporary peace.