Hades saw Eric for the first time when he arrived to reclaim Persephone from her mother one year. Eric had scampered up to me, tugging on my skirts to get my attention. Bending down to listen to Eric’s childish rambling, I could feel Hades’ gaze on us all the while. When I straightened, there was an obvious question in his eyes. I gave him a barely perceptible nod, and turned away towards my villa, not staying to watch their departure.
That night, after Eric had been put to bed, I wandered out into my dark garden to find Hades waiting for me under a tree.
“Is the boy mine?” he said without preamble.
“Yes,” I said.
Hades closed his eyes and turned away. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
“I’m sorry. I was so focused on protecting myself and Eric that I didn’t think it wise.”
Hades sighed. “When I heard that Hephaestus had fathered a son, and that you had taken him in, I took it at face value. But when I saw him today… The boy looks like me, not Hephaestus. Someone is going to figure it out. I can help protect him.”
I caught Hades’ hand to focus him on me. “No one has figured it out yet. You are so rarely here—that must not change. Do you understand?”
“You want to keep me away from our son,” he responded flatly. “You know that’s not right.”
“It is, for both our sakes. How would Persephone feel, now that she’s carrying your child? I don’t know what Zeus would do to Eric and me if he found out. That’s why I never told you about Eric. I just couldn’t take the chance.”
“That’s unfair, Athena. You know that I would never endanger either of you.”
“Prove it, then,” I challenged him. “Stay away from him. At least while he lives on Olympus. I will have to foster him out soon, and I’m considering sending him to King Cecrops in Athens. He will be protected in my city, and I promise that I will tell him the truth when he’s old enough to understand. He will come find you then.”
“He is my oldest child,” murmured Hades. “You ask a great deal.”
“I have risked a great deal.”
Hades nodded at that, and touched his hand to my cheek. “I want you to tell him about me as soon as he grows his first beard.”
I nodded, relieved beyond words that he appeared to be going along with the plan. “I will. I swear it upon Gaia.” Hades dropped his hand from my cheek.
“Thank you. I will stay silent.” Hades paused and then asked shyly, “What is he like?”
I laughed out of sheer relief. “A complete terror. He has my power of transformation and your power of lie detection. It makes parenting him a nightmare, but I love him with all my being. I will make sure that he grows into a man you can be proud of, Hades.”
“And Hephaestus? Does Eric like him?”
“He does. Eric visits him now and again, but it is difficult because of the rape story. Hephaestus is very good to him and will be a good influence as Eric grows up,” I promised, understanding that it was a bitter pill for Hades that someone else would get to play father to his son.
“Hephaestus is better than most. But I’ll keep an eye on Eric nevertheless.” Hades turned to leave, then paused for a moment. “I’ve missed you,” he said over his shoulder before he disappeared.
Hades was true to his word, and I was to mine. When I saw the first wisps of hair appear on Eric’s chin, I cleared the villa and told him the truth. I won’t detail the angry words that flew before Eric vanished, but suffice it to say that many of his accusations wounded me deeply. I sent Glaukos out to Hades and Hephaestus to let them know that the revelation had not gone well, and he came winging back with the comforting news that Eric was safe and staying with Hephaestus. I gave Eric room to cool off, which turned out to be a good thing, as Hades was able to meet his son without any of the resentment that my presence could have triggered.
As he approached adulthood, Eric went to King Cecrops to learn the fundamentals of leadership, and to build relationships within the city of Athens. The fact that Cecrops only had daughters certainly played in my plans, but it all came to naught when Cecrops died before Eric was old enough to marry. Nevertheless, the combined will of Athena, Hades, and Hephaestus is nothing to sneeze at. After some well-timed deaths (Hades) and a couple of coups (Hephaestus and myself), our son ascended to the throne of Athens as its fourth king.
Hephaestus
Hephaestus continued to live on Thera for a few centuries. With a volcano-sized furnace at his disposal, wonders started issuing forth: Metal giants that could be used to patrol long distances of coastline; self-propelled tables that could roll along after you and set themselves up wherever you’d desire. The islands around Thera quickly welcomed Hephaestus to the area in order to benefit from his new flush of creativity and the commerce that would inevitably follow.
I started visiting Hephaestus secretly once Eric was old enough to talk. I would haul the wriggling child into my arms, and whisk away in the night down to Thera. Hephaestus had constructed a simple house on the lip of the volcano. With the exception of a few metal decorations, it was basic and functional.
Hephaestus was as good as his word, and treated Eric like his own. Surrounded by women as he was, it was invaluable for Eric to have a male influence. Zeus played that role in Olympus, Hephaestus on Earth, and eventually Hades did in the Underworld. I secretly hoped that Eric would grow into Hephaestus’s mold, but he went his own way, as children often do.
As for Hephaestus, his life on Thera was not lonely, as he had a dozen eager apprentices who had sought him out to learn their craft. As mortals, they were not able to withstand the heat from the master forge in the heart of the volcano as an immortal could, but Hephaestus built a series of smaller forges midway down the mountain, where the air was clear and cool. When Eric was old enough, he too joined the apprentices to learn his adopted father’s trade.
It was at times like this that Hephaestus and I could sit and talk as in the old days on Olympus. Living in close proximity to humans was taking its toll on him. He seemed to be aging faster, or perhaps it was that he had far more worshippers in the local area, and they were molding him into their vision of the smithing god.
Whatever the reason, the effect on his body was profound. He looked heavier, bound from head to toe in muscle, and the aspect of his face had become coarser. His bad ankle was now bent at an awkward angle, which made walking difficult for him. Still, he bore his burdens with gentle acceptance, and his golden eyes shone with their familiar humor.
I gave him the latest in Olympian gossip, and he told me tales of his interactions with his neighbors. One piece of news that he shared was that he had fallen in love with a sea nymph named Cabeiro, and that he was going to move to the sea’s edge to be closer to her. That brought me no end of relief, because it alleviated the awkwardness between us regarding the matter of my own affair. It was a pleasure to be able to relax with him as freely as in the old days. For a person like me, who doesn’t make friends easily, I value those I do have as a miser does his gold.
I never mentioned that Aphrodite had moved on as well, and that was a terrible mistake on my part. I believe that he would have taken it better from a friend. As it was, it was that interfering gossip Helios, who descended to Earth to warn Hephaestus that Aphrodite was betraying him with Ares.
I felt the explosion as a slight shudder of the ground on Olympus. I thank goodness that Eric was not on Thera that day, because nothing could have survived that blast. The top of the volcano literally blew off, in what is known today as a Plinian eruption. Looking over the edge of Olympus, all I could see was a dark swirling ash cloud forming over the island, lit from within by fiery sparks.
It was Hermes who came flying in to tell us what had happened. Hephaestus had lost control of his temper and his power, and the island of Thera was no more. The center of the island had collapsed inwards into the volcano, and all that was left was a raging, sea-filled caldera. Helios was badly injured, but would recover. That was more than could be s
aid for the islanders on Thera and the nearby island of Crete. The combination of debris from the explosion and the tidal wave that resulted had wiped out the villages on Thera and northern Crete. Hephaestus’s apprentices were no more.
Eric heard about his father from his playmates, and came home wailing. Between the chaos on Olympus and my fear for Hephaestus, I couldn’t just sit around and hope for the best. I loaded Eric into my chariot and we went looking for Hephaestus.
Thera was a living nightmare. Clouds of steam and ash hid the island from view. Wrapping a fold of my chiton around Eric’s nose to filter the air, I directed Ice and Cream to dive into the dark cloud. We fought through the burning, ashy air and exited below the cloud to see a gigantic plume of smoke and ash streaming skywards. With a twitch of the reins, we circled downwards around the plume to its source.
Leaning over the edge of the chariot, I could see that the center of the caldera was lit underwater by the continuing flow of magma. The seawater in the caldera was boiling from the heat, and I couldn’t see anything but surging water. As for the island itself, all that was left was a burning and blackened wasteland of jagged cliffs rising from the water. Nothing moved. Nothing could have survived.
I directed the team to skim around the outside of the island. Staying out of the ash plume, Eric and I searched through the floating pumice for Hephaestus—or anybody else, for that matter.
A dozen bobbing heads in the water caught my attention. Diving down with the expectation of survivors, I found a group of sea-nymphs instead. They had been drawn in by the explosion, and floated out there now, watching the eruption from a safe distance. They told me that their sister Cabeiro had found Hephaestus floating unconscious in the caldera, hauled him out, and swum him out into the open ocean alone. They didn’t know where she was bound. Eric gave a crow of relief; I was similarly inclined. Hoping that Cabeiro would have struck out for the nearby island of Crete, we headed in that direction.
Arriving at Crete, I was greeted by a different type of devastation. Everything had been flattened, as if by a giant boot. Here too nothing moved, although there were a stunning number of broken bodies entwined with the remnants of trees and houses. Unwilling to land and risk getting the chariot mired in the mud and debris, I directed the team back to Olympus.
When I arrived home, Zeus had already summoned the full council to the Agora. Entrusting Eric to my handmaidens, I hurried to the Agora without changing out of my soot-covered garments.
Poseidon had arrived when I reached the Agora, and was describing the carnage on Thera to the council. No one was yet aware of the reason behind Hephaestus’s violence, only that Helios had said something to trigger it. Helios had been claimed by his children, taken home to Rhodes to recover and was essentially unavailable for the time being. No one seemed aware that Cabeiro had Hephaestus, and I had no interest in tipping off the council so I held my tongue. The conversation turned to what could be done for the survivors on Crete, and the council got to the business of providing food and water for what could be a very long recovery. Amends had to be made for what Hephaestus had wrought.
Crete never did fully regain its former glory, but Hephaestus did manage to sneak onto Olympus to reclaim his honor. Iris dashed in to the villa a month later, words pouring from her mouth in excitement.
“Lady Athena, come to Aphrodite’s villa quickly. The council is gathering!”
“At Aphrodite’s?” I asked. “Why would that be? That makes no sense.”
“It’s the Lord Hephaestus! He’s making such a commotion!” That set a fire under me. I shimmered right over to Aphrodite’s courtyard, and swept into the villa with dignity. A crowd was gathered in the back of the villa, in Aphrodite’s bedchamber, which was a shocking and unusual invasion of privacy. I fought my way through the younger gods, who were all giggling and nudging each other like a flock of students.
When I got to the front of the crowd, my glad eyes lit on Hephaestus. But he looked terrible, almost unhinged. His hair and beard were ragged, his chiton tattered as if he held no pride in his appearance. But he stood straight, calm and cold.
My eyes swung to the bed, where a surprising sight awaited me. Aphrodite and my half-brother Ares were naked in the bed, trapped by what looked like a fishing net. The strands of the net were so fine, almost wire-like, and so sharp that they cut into Aphrodite’s and Ares’ skin. Before my horrified eyes, their skin healed, embedding the wires in place, only to cut free again as the two struggled against the net. Aphrodite’s glorious breasts were a patchwork of thin, healing scars as tears streaked down her face in humiliation, and she struggled to cover her private parts with her hands.
I acted, out of embarrassment and pity. Seeing a thin sheet fallen to the foot of the bed, I picked it up and swung it out to cover their nakedness.
“Stop struggling, for Gaia’s sake!” I said. “You’re only making it worse!”
Hera spoke up from behind me in a cold voice. “It’s only what they deserve. They are committing adultery.”
“It’s not as if we didn’t know,” I hissed at her over my shoulder. “There’s no reason for this public humiliation!” I glared at Hephaestus, appalled that he had engineered this. A net so finely wrought could only be his creation. Ares’ face as it poked over the sheet was murderous, his furious eyes resting on his tormentor.
“Are you content now, Hephaestus?” I asked him.
“Not until I’m free of this woman,” he replied. He looked at Zeus. “It was your will that I marry Aphrodite. Clearly, she has betrayed me with Ares, and perhaps with others. I do not know if her children are even mine. It’s time. I am done with her.”
Zeus had no other choice, when the proof was laid out in front of so many witnesses. His lips thinned, as he never appreciated having his hand forced.
“Granted,” he said in a flat voice. “Ares will pay the fine for adultery to you. As the offended party, you may set the amount. Lady Aphrodite, consider yourself cast off as of this moment.”
Zeus then looked at me. “Free them.” He turned his back on the transgressing couple and held out an arm to Hephaestus. “Come with me, Hephaestus. We have much to discuss.” Hephaestus moved to his side as the crowd parted to let them through.
I called for cutters. There was a scramble somewhere behind me, as Aphrodite’s handmaidens rushed to find appropriate tools. The humiliation had served its purpose. Hephaestus was able to return to Olympus as an injured party, and Aphrodite got her freedom.
A Favor
Aphrodite was glowing when she showed up at my villa unexpectedly some time later. We had never become close, and the memory of my cutting her and my naked brother free of the net was something I was trying to forget.
“I have a favor to ask of you, Athena,” Aphrodite said as she stretched one golden arm languorously to take the cup of iced wine that Lito offered her. A favor… Interesting.
Born from Gaia’s first consort Ouranus, Aphrodite had the most impressive bloodline of all the Olympians. More than that, she was worshipped in equal measure by both men and women, an advantage that only she and Zeus enjoyed. Right now, though, she just looked like a glowing maiden, with nothing more taxing on her mind than the elegant draping of her rose-colored peplos over the slight bump in her midsection. No one mentioned her pregnancy out of sympathy, and I didn’t feel the need to do so, either.
“Three veiled figures visited my temple in Athens last night. It was the three Gorgon sisters: Stheno, Euryale, and Medusa,” she said. “They came to beg for my favor. The youngest, Medusa, is not immortal. Death will visit her at some point and before she ends, she wants to experience love and have children to leave a legacy.” Aphrodite gave me an intent look. “A very reasonable desire, but if you have seen her, you’ll realize the problem. She has a lovely face and body, but the snakes are a real issue. All hissing and darting about. Very distracting. And she has interesting eyes, but they are slit like a reptile’s, so I don’t think they will get her anywhere.”
I sat listening politely, thoroughly mystified as to what she needed from me. Aphrodite finally got to the point.
“I need you to transform her into a human beauty.” Ah. Gaia, couldn’t she have asked for something simpler?
“Aphrodite, my powers of transformation have increased over the centuries, but I have never tried it on another person. I don’t even know if it can be done.”
“Can you please try, at least?” Aphrodite pushed, surprising me with the depth of her intent. “This young Titan is asking for help, and even she is deserving of a chance at love. It would be a violation of my purpose to ignore her plea.”
I sat and considered. Only Zeus and I had the power of transformation, and having Aphrodite indebted to me could be useful.
“And who are you considering as a potential mate for her? Clearly, it can’t be a mortal.”
“Any of the young gods,” replied Aphrodite calmly, arranging one of the gold brooches on her shoulder. “Medusa will serve me as a handmaid, and I will gently nudge things in the right direction.”
“All right. I agree, but I can’t make any promises.” Aphrodite relaxed, the corners of her eyes crinkling as she gave me a delighted smile.
“Tonight, then. I’ll bring the sisters here.”
That night, Aphrodite and three veiled women entered my villa. I sent Iris and Lito out of the room, as I wasn’t sure if the Gorgon’s gaze would have an effect on them. After their departure, the Gorgons pulled their veils off. All three had that ageless look common to the immortals, but Medusa had the pink cheeks and lips of a maiden. They were all oddly beautiful, even with the serpents waving around their faces. It was the power of their gaze: Their golden, reptilian eyes were steady and hypnotic.
My Life as Athena: The Private Memoirs of a Greek Goddess Page 10