[3rd POV]
How is the relationship between the god of war, Ares, and his brother, Hephaestus, in mythology?
Ares doesn't like remembering it too much because it's a bit embarrassing.
When Ares wants to talk to Hephaestus, he always puts on his armor, grabs his weapons, and only then dares to go into Hephaestus' temple.
Otherwise, Ares might fall into one of Hephaestus' clever traps.
As a reckless brute, Ares had always respected raw strength and violence above all else. He only considered those with overwhelming power worthy of speaking to him as equals.
Hephaestus was weak from birth, even abandoned by his parents, and Ares always looked down upon him.
From Taro's own memories, Ares remembers always treating Hephaestus badly. Their relationship had been no different from that of strangers.
Fortunately, Ares felt relieved when he searched through his memory and realized he had never been with any beautiful goddess in that way.
After all, they were blood-related brothers, and as long as they didn't go too far, there was still a possibility of reconciling.
The main reason Ares and Hephaestus broke apart was Aphrodite, the goddess of love and beauty, who was Hephaestus' wife and caused a big problem between the two brothers.
If it weren't for the fact that Ares found his sister-in-law's dumplings were so delicious, Hephaestus would never have started refusing any private meetings with Ares, and the brothers would not have started treating each other like enemies.
"But she hasn't been born yet... that's a good thing."
After realizing this, Ares sighed deeply, then called for the nymphs in his temple to bring him two jars of the finest divine wine.
In order to gain the favor of his older brother, Hephaestus, Ares decided to set aside his warrior pride for now.
In fact, Hephaestus really deserved this kind of respect. If anyone among the Twelve Olympian Gods deserved to be flattered, it was Hephaestus.
Hephaestus crafted the strongest weapon in Greek mythology, Zeus' Thunderbolt. He also forged the trident that ruled the seas and the two-pronged fork that controlled death.
With Hephaestus around, it was like having an endless supply of divine artifacts.
Compared to him, his wife Aphrodite was basically nothing. Ares believed she wasn't even worthy of helping her husband tie his shoes!
Thus, with two jars of divine wine in his hand, Ares walked straight to Hephaestus' temple.
As he approached the vicinity of the temple, Ares could already hear the sound of hammering coming from inside.
He reached the entrance and saw that the temple that had been turned into a giant blacksmith's shop was full of spark.
The large chimney on top spewed out sparks, and the bright flames inside shone through the temple's doors and windows. The intense heat radiating from the forge was so noticeable that one could almost feel it just by looking.
Near the temple, there weren't any nymphs like at Ares' temple. Instead, there were only one-eyed Cyclopes coming and going. They were loyal servants of Hephaestus, the God of Fire.
When Ares arrived at the entrance, two Cyclopes were standing guard. Upon seeing Ares approach, they didn't dare show any disrespect.
They lowered their heads and greeted him:
"Great Ares, it's an honor to meet you."
"Hmm."
Ares nodded, then asked the two Cyclopes, "Is Hephaestus working right now?"
"That's right. After the recent great battle, many of the warriors' equipment on Mount Olympus was damaged, and Hephaestus must help repair everything."
One of the Cyclopes asked, "Ares, are you here to repair your spear, shield, and sword?"
"No, I'm here to see Hephaestus."
Ares replied.
"Then let me inform him for you."
The other Cyclops suggested.
"No need."
Ares understood how uncomfortable it could be to be interrupted while working, especially since his relationship with Hephaestus wasn't great.
Since Ares needed something from Hephaestus, making a good first impression was very important.
Therefore, Ares directly turned down the Cyclops's offer and said, "It's fine. I'll wait for him here."
Although the gods of Mount Olympus were immortal and incredibly powerful, they still needed rest. Even Hephaestus, the God of Fire, couldn't work relentlessly for days without a break.
As the night fell, Nyx's veil quietly covered the sky, and the flames in the temple began to die down gradually.
Seeing this, Ares' spirits lifted and asked the two guarding Cyclopes to inform Hephaestus.
After a short while, the Cyclopes returned and led him inside.
As soon as Ares entered the temple, he saw his "brother."
Hephaestus was sitting cross-legged next to his anvil, his face covered in ash, his tired eyes filled with surprise as he looked at Ares slowly walking toward him.
To be fair, Hephaestus couldn't be considered ugly, but in a place like Mount Olympus, where everyone was considered very handsome or beautiful, his straight face would be seen as "ugly."
Hephaestus's body was no different. Although his legs weren't broken yet, he looked like an ordinary blacksmith from the future.
"Ares."
Hephaestus greeted as Ares approached, "What's going on today? You actually waited outside my temple until I finished my work and only came in after being informed and given my permission?"
"Isn't that the normal procedure?"
Ares sat down beside Hephaestus, ignoring the ash on the ground, and crossed his legs just like him, replying with a smile.
"That's indeed the way of normal gods."
Hephaestus said, looking at Ares from top to bottom, "But normally, you would never do something like this."
After a brief pause, Hephaestus asked, "Ah, I see. You need something from me, right? Do you want me to fix your weapons or forge you a new one?"
"No, no."
Ares replied.
Even though Ares wanted him to use his skills and divine powers to help him analyze the black crystal pendant, Ares knew that such matters couldn't be rushed.
The most important thing for him right now was to strengthen his relationship with the God of Fire.
So, Ares brought the two jars of divine wine with him and placed them in front of Hephaestus.
"Actually, I just came to drink with you."
To be continued...