~Chapter 19~
~The man who fell from Olympus~
Bang, bang, bang,bang. The giants marched forward, carrying a feast fit for a king. One after the other, they carried giant deer, enormous fruits, massive barrels of water, and fans large enough to crush us.
They continued their march until they reached Kang. Then, suddenly, they froze in place.
The giants holding the fans stepped forward. One on each side, they bowed deeply and began to fan him. Another giant, carrying a cello, approached next. He too bowed, then began playing a magical note, the melody smooth and beautiful.
The next giant, bearing a drum filled with water, bowed as he washed Kang's hands. Another stepped forward with a cloth to dry them. Finally, the last giant approached, awakening Kang with the fragrant scent of flowers.
Kang stirred, stretching deeply, shaking the entire forest as he yawned. Then, with a deep voice that seemed loud enough to reach the heavens themselves, he screamed: "FOOOOOOD!"
The remaining giants rushed forward, kneeling as they presented an all kinds of different food. Giant chicken legs, yellow meat, red steaks, enormous mangos, grapes the size of our heads—all kinds of gigantic foods id never seen before.
Kang devoured it all like a pig, stuffing his face. He dropped chunks of food after barely tasting them, spitting out fruit he disliked without hesitation. The giants stood nearby, their eyes filled with hunger as they watched.
When Kang finished, he let out an enormous burp. Then, with a casual wave of his hand, the giants scrambled in a frenzy, devouring the scraps Kang had had left behind. They slurped, munched, and filled themselves on the leftovers as Kang slowly picked his teeth.
Once the giants had cleared the ground of scraps, Kang screamed. Instantly, they stood at attention. He screamed again, and they lifted their hands toward the moon. Then, in unison, they turned their heads to the right, closed their eyes, and began to hum.
"Mmmmmmmmmmm…
Mmmmmmmmmmm…
Mmmmmmmmmmm…"
At the strike of midnight, a glow began to seep from their massive bodies, flowing like streams of light toward the moon.
"Mmmmmmmm…
Mmmmmmmm…
Mmmmmmmm…"
The humming continued, a haunting sound that spread across the forest.
Hephaestus watched silently before speaking, his voice filled with bitterness.
"I was born into a family of hate," he said. "My parents—Zeus and Hera, king and queen of the gods." He gave a weak smile.
"My father birthed Athena from his head, a daughter of perfection, and my mother could not accept this. In her jealousy, she birthed me." Hephaestus' voice grew quieter.
"She wanted me to be beautiful, a trophy to show Zeus—to say, 'Look, I too can create something extraordinary.' It was childish now that I think about it. But things didn't go as she planned."
He gestured to his face. "I was born with defects. This large nose, these big eyes, my plump lips, my oversized teeth. I was… a disappointment." His voice cracked as he lowered his gaze.
"She threw me from Olympus, cast me down from the mountain that housed the gods. She would not tolerate an ugly child—not in her perfect world." He looked up at the distant mountains with a sad smile.
"But it seems the gods favored me that day."
"Mmmmm…
Mmmmmmm…
Mmmmmmmmm…"
The giants' humming grew louder as glowing particles continued to float toward the moon.
"I survived. By some miracle, I was saved here in Stormspire Plateau, raised by two giants—sweet and kind." Hephaestus clenched his fists. "Until Kang ate them."
His voice turned sharp. "Before this 'order' you see now, Stormspire Plateau was a death trap, a land ruled by chaos. Kill or be killed."
"They raised me here," he continued, his tone softer as he gestured toward the plateau. "I had a home. I had a mother who loved me, a father who cared—not just for his daughter, but for me too."
"They taught me the art of craftsmanship. With these hands…" Hephaestus stared at his calloused palms, a small smile breaking through his pain. "I can create."
Day after day, since they were taken from me, I've honed my skill. And now, I offer you a deal—Maddox, Melody, and Eliza."
Kang suddenly stood, tall and proud.
"GONE!" the giants screamed as thire voices echoed across the forest the white particles stopping completely and disappearing no longer rising to the moon.
The giants clutched their heads, screaming:
"GONE!"
Tears fell down their huge faces as they screamed in pain and panic.
Hephaestus' eyes burned with rage. "That," he said, voice trembling, "is the enemy that keeps me from returning home." He turned to us. "I will fix your arms, Melody. But in return…" He pointed a finger at us, his voice rising. "You will slay my enemy. Do we have a deal?"
The giants roared, pounding trees with their fists. "GONE! GONE! GONE!"
I didn't know what it was—the guilt I felt for Melody's hands or the sorrow in Hephaestus' story—but in that moment, I screamed back, "Of course! Fix her hands, and all my strength is yours!"
Hephaestus smiled. Then, with a raised his hads and he slammed his hands against the mountain top ground. It shattered l beneath us pieces of rock flying everywhere.
We fell into darkness, the wind rushing past as Eliza clung to me, screaming she held onto my arm so tightly i though it would fall off "Maddox!"
Melody, on the other hand, was laughing hysterically, flung around like a rag doll, held only by the hair tied around her waist.
We landed in a cavern surrounded by pools of glowing lava. At the center stood an enormous anvil.
"Why did you do that?" I shouted, mildly annoyed, though secretly, it was fun.
Hephaestus simply laughed, Melody joining in. "It's better than the door!"
I rolled my eyes. "Pshhh," I muttered.
Eliza, still clutching my arm, screamed, "You're all crazy!" before breaking into laughter herself.
"It was kind of fun," I admitted, grinning.
Hephaestus raised his hands towards the cavern. "Welcome to my home," he said proudly. "Here, I will craft the finest arms this young lady has ever seen."
He raised his hammer high "i swear on this with my name!" He shouted. " Hephaestus, the man who fell from Olympus."