In the Temple of Hephaestus,
A maid doll with long flaxen hair pushed Hephaestus in a wooden wheelchair along the corridor inside the temple, while Promise followed quietly behind them.
He scanned the temple and quickly noticed that something was wrong.
Although many people were seen walking and busy along the way, the entire temple was unusually quiet, like a pool of stagnant water without any vitality.
"Promise, you came here so that I could create a brush and canvas that could paint gods, right?"
Suddenly, Hephaestus, the god of craftsmen in front of him, asked.
She relaxed at this moment, and the standard smile on her face disappeared a lot, returning to her usual indifference.
Because the moment Promise stepped out of the temple, it became difficult for him to leave on his own.
"Yes, respected Goddess Hephaestus." The latter took two steps forward and answered softly to the goddess, who looked like a young Hera version.
Hephaestus tilted her head, ger amber eyes reflecting the bot beside him.
Only at this moment did she truly take in the young man in front of her.
And at first sight, she didn't dislike Promise, but this time it was not because of her looks or fragility.
Looking at him, who seemed to be born with artistic aura and was kissed passionately by the goddess of art, Hephaestus, the god of forging and sculpture, naturally had some good feelings towards Promise.
"You seem very much looking forward to it." Hephaestus asked again.
Although Promise' hair was tied with Athena's silver thread, preventing the gods from seeing his thoughts, Hephaestus saw urgency and expectation in his eyes.
Hearing this, the boy was slightly stunned, then smiled shyly and nodded calmly before replying: "Yes, Goddess Hephaestus, to be honest, I am indeed looking forward to it."
"Ever since the goddess of wisdom told me about you, I have been looking forward to meeting you and getting a paintbrush and canvas from you!"
Lies are useless to God, so these words were naturally the true thoughts he had.
Although Promise had caught a falling star from the stars and possessed a treasure, in the kingdom of the river goddess Aegina, Athena told him that he could paint the gods and create a treasure that belonged only to him.
Looking back, even in the entire history, such a feat is absolutely unique.
No one can resist such charm.
The same is true for Promise.
"So, which god are you going to engrave?" After nodding slightly, Hephaestus continued to ask naturally.
Hearing this, Promise lowered his head and thought silently for a while.
But when he looked up at Hephaestus again, the goddess found that the boy's emerald eyes had completely lit up and looked very beautiful.
"Among all the gods," Promise said with a smile.
When he finished speaking, the maids pushing Hephaestus stopped in their tracks, looking at him in shock.
Hephaestus was also taken aback but quickly smiled again. This time, her smile was genuine, unlike the previous forced ones.
"I actually didn't have such an idea at first, after all, it sounded a bit too unrealistic."
"My life was originally just about pursuing a magnificent ending, so I chose to go down the mountain from Teacher Chiron... and it still is, in a way."
Promise continued with a calm tone, speaking extraordinary words as if they were ordinary.
"But I've come this far, and looking back, I see that I've painted many pictures... Artemis, the moon goddess; Apollo, the god of light; Athena, the goddess of wisdom; and Hera, the noble queen of the gods."
"I've already depicted them; now, I just need the final step."
"Since my pursuit has always been an extraordinary life and a dazzling end like a shooting star that leaves a mark in the night sky as it falls."
"Why not make my life even more spectacular this time?" The centaur sage Chiron had once said that Promise had changed and no longer needed to stay on the mountain.
For now, he no longer chased after death blindly but had truly gained the resolve to face death with a smile.
The value of life has never been about its length but whether the journey was exciting... at least for heroes, this is true.
"I will forge for you a brush that can paint the entire pantheon and a canvas that can hold them," Hephaestus responded.
"Thank you, goddess Hephaestus!" Promise's eyes brightened as he hurriedly expressed his gratitude.
"There's no need," Hephaestus shook her head. "I don't need thanks because, for me, using what I forge well is the greatest form of gratitude.
Moreover, I must admit, your idea moved me, even reigniting a long-lost inspiration and desire to forge..."
She paused, then looked Promise up and down, nodding.
"No wonder so many gods pay attention to you. You are indeed likable in many ways."
With that, Hephaestus glanced at the maid behind her.
The maid snapped out of her daze and hurriedly pushed Hephaestus forward.
At this moment, Promise also felt relieved, though he was still somewhat puzzled and confused.
He found Hephaestus to be quite approachable and gentle, nothing like the terrifying figure described by Athena and Hera.
Promise didn't realize at the time that he had inadvertently avoided a death flag.
His response not only excluded Hera but also gave Hephaestus a perfect answer beyond her expectations.
After leading Promise into the temple, Hephaestus left, instructing her dolls to take care of him while she departed with the assistance of her maid.
What Promise didn't expect was Hephaestus's astonishing efficiency.
He had prepared for a long wait.
Considering these were two divine artifacts capable of painting the gods and preserving their images eternally, the difficulty of their creation seemed immense.
And Promise had already waited a long time just to meet Hephaestus.
He thought he might have to wait another month or two or even go on a quest for materials to get the artifacts he desired.
But to his surprise, it only took a week.
During that week, since his initial meeting with Hephaestus, Promise hadn't seen her.
Although he was taken care of by the dolls, they avoided him as much as possible.
Even when he tried to talk to them, they would be scared to the point of tears.
Though the dolls had no souls, they were otherwise indistinguishable from humans, with their own thoughts and emotions.
They already knew that Promise was a follower of Hera.
Even though rumors that reached them piqued their curiosity about him, they were more afraid of their capricious master disassembling them.
To Hephaestus, these imperfect dolls shouldn't exist in the world; their continued existence was a testament to her divine mercy.
Thus, a week passed.
One night, while Promise was eating food nervously served by a trembling maid doll, the door suddenly opened, and an exhausted Hephaestus was wheeled into the room by her maid.
Promise was unaware that, at that moment, the surrounding tremors had ceased... The volcano had been erupting, the earth rumbling constantly during this time.
Hephaestus had been tirelessly swinging her hammer in her divine forge!
"This is the artifact you requested."
Under Promise's wide-eyed, shocked gaze, Hephaestus placed a white feather quill in front of him.
Although clearly tired, her amber eyes shone with excitement, and she wore a radiant smile. "It's been a long time since I've enjoyed forging so much!
Designing the brush wasn't difficult, but I struggled with the canvas. Ultimately, I decided that the sky, capable of depicting and encompassing everything, would be the perfect canvas.
And you're in luck—I just happened to have something left behind by Uranus, the sky god!"
Uranus, the primordial Greek god of the sky, was the first king of the gods.
He constantly pressed the Earth Mother Gaia beneath him, refusing to part from her, causing chaos as the sky and earth were conjoined.
It was the second-generation king, Cronus, the father of Zeus, Hera, and Demeter, who wielded a sickle to separate the sky and earth.
Hephaestus explained simply, though her maid, who had been helping her, glanced at her with admiration.
After all, she had witnessed rhe goddess sacrificing the majority of her wealth into the forge.
Thus, Hephaestus created a divine artifact capable of painting and recording even the gods!
To understand the enormity of this wealth: Hephaestus, as the god who forged temples for the main gods and weapons for heroes, had accumulated mountains of wealth in her temple.
The maid, witnessing all this, couldn't decide whether her mistress hated or liked Promise.
In truth, the matter wasn't so complicated.
Hephaestus didn't care about the wealth she sacrificed.
Her greatest joy as a god was forging.
And when she forged, she aimed for perfection, even if the person was a follower of Hera.
As the god of forging, she wouldn't compromise.
Hephaestus proudly and boastfully said to Promise, "Promise, do you know? This is one of my finest creations, comparable to the Aegis shield I forged for Athena!"
"It has no canvas because the sky is its canvas. When you paint with it, the image will appear in your hand. You won't need any dyes—it will produce any color you need!"
"So now, Promise, take it up. Hold this creation I'm proud of, and before me, display a painting with it!"
Gradually coming back to his senses, Promise looked at Hephaestus with disbelief.
He had thought that Hephaestus might have been forging a divine artifact for him during her absence, but he never expected her to present him with such an incredible gift!
After a brief hesitation, Promise gritted his teeth and took it, then looked at Hephaestus and sincerely expressed his gratitude, "Thank you, noble and beautiful goddess Hephaestus. From today onwards, I will make good use of it!"
Hephaestus was very satisfied with Promise's reaction.
If he had pretended to be overly humble or fearful before such an artifact, she would have been displeased.
"But using it doesn't come without a price," Hephaestus then said. "Its creation was inspired by what you told me."
The object painted should be the gods of the heavens.
"It was your words that gave me inspiration and rekindled my forging spirit. So, if you want to use it, you must fulfill this requirement. I need a vow from you, one that must be kept!"
"I understand, goddess Hephaestus. I will paint the gods," Promise nodded and replied seriously.
Such a price for such an artifact wasn't a question of worth; it was a windfall.
"Not just any gods, but the main gods," Hephaestus corrected. "Since you have already depicted four main gods, my requirement is that you complete the rest.
Swear to me that you will paint all the remaining main gods, including my father, the great god-king Zeus! Only then will it truly belong to you."
Hearing this, Promise hesitated for a moment.
"What, are you afraid?" Hephaestus smiled. "Didn't you say you wanted an extraordinary life? Isn't this extraordinary enough?"
"...I understand, goddess Hephaestus." Promise exhaled slowly, then smiled and said, "I vow to you, I will use this brush to paint the gods of Olympus!"
"Good," Hephaestus nodded in satisfaction. "Then let's begin now."
Hephaestus smiled and said, "Start with me, Promise. Show me your ability, and don't disappoint me."
She knew Promise's abilities well.
Whether it was Artemis using the night sky as a canvas or the events involving Hades and Persephone, she could hardly remain unaware.
At this moment, Hephaestus was quite eager to see how Promise would depict her.
But then she saw the boy looking troubled.
"What's the matter?" Hephaestus asked, frowning slightly. "Did I make an unreasonable request?"
"No, it would be my honor to present a painting to you, goddess Hephaestus!" Promise quickly denied, waving his hands.
Seeing Hephaestus's puzzled look, hr hesitated for a long while before answering reluctantly, "It's just... I'm sorry, goddess Hephaestus. Before coming here, I promised Hera that she would be the first god I paint once I got the brush..."
The more he spoke, the softer his voice became.
Even he understood how absurd his response was!
Hearing this, the maid next to them was stunned.
The maid had just relaxed, sensing that Hephaestus was in a good mood.
She couldn't remember the last time Hephaestus had been genuinely happy and excited.
She thought everything would be fine today, but then Promise dropped this bombshell!
To their surprise, Hephaestus did not erupt like a volcano. Instead, she fell silent.
Because Hephaestus realized she had forgotten her original intention.
Forging had been so enjoyable, combined with her anticipation for Promise's future works, that she had genuinely forgotten she intended to imprison and torment him.
Yes, Hephaestus's original plan was to break Promise's spirit and make him renounce his faith in Hera.
She intended to imprison him in the temple, waiting for Hera to come.
She eagerly anticipated Hera's reaction to seeing the boy in such a state!
Coming back to her senses, Hephaestus looked at the downcast Promise.
Should she start tormenting him now?
But they had already made a vow, and she didn't find him that annoying...
Feeling inexplicably irritated, Hephaestus finally took out a golden apple she had prepared earlier.
"Eat this."
"Huh?" Promise blinked, looking at the golden apple Hephaestus handed him.
He wanted to say he wasn't hungry and save it for later, but Hephaestus's gaze, though calm, allowed no refusal.
Feeling guilty, Promise had no choice but to take the apple and bite into it in front of her.
Then he rolled his eyes and fainted.