After Eros and Prometheus left, Hephaestus rested her chin on one hand, quietly immersed in studying Eros's design drafts.
She didn't notice the silent figure who had appeared before her, calmly observing everything.
It wasn't until she looked up by chance that she gasped in surprise.
"Father?! When did you get here?"
Startled, she immediately dropped the blueprints in her hand and stood up instinctively.
The silver-haired figure sitting across from her, be it posture or features, radiated supreme divinity and perfection.
This was her father, the most noble and sacred being in the world.
Zeus sat with one hand supporting her cheek, smiling faintly at Hephaestus.
Faced with that amused, probing gaze, Hephaestus suddenly recalled her current appearance and reached up to cover her face.
"No need to be so nervous. It suits you well."
Zeus waved her hand casually, motioning her to relax.
Hephaestus sat back down as instructed, but unease still lingered in her chest.
Though she revered her divine father deeply, this king of all gods, no one, not even her mother Hera, could claim to truly understand Zeus's thoughts.
Let alone Hephaestus herself.
She had no idea why Zeus had come to her forge today.
Zeus picked up the blueprints from Hephaestus's desk with interest, flipping through the Saint Cloth designs in detail.
Clearly, this was because of Eros. But her exact attitude was still a mystery.
"How fascinating. Now then, where's the divinity he gave you? Let me take a look."
Not daring to disobey, Hephaestus obediently handed over the divinity of the Star God.
In Zeus's hand, it radiated like a blazing star core, as if she were holding a miniature sun.
Her slender fingers glided across the surface. The divine authority of the stars sealed within it, something Hephaestus had expected to spend years dismantling through endless hammering and reforging, was pulled apart as easily as untangling thread.
This divine power contained the immense might of the cosmic firmament, the essence of countless stars in the sky.
In a geocentric worldview, it would be akin to the original star holding all stellar mass.
Zeus herself had once split this into smaller constellations to prevent Hyperion, the Titan of celestial bodies, from monopolizing the stars.
And now, in her hand, the Star God's divinity was being divided into eighty-eight constellations, each with its own scale and brilliance.
Once stripped of divine authority, however, the core dimmed, now just a dead star, cold and lifeless.
"Hmm..."
Zeus hummed softly and said,
"I'll be taking this for a while. I'll return it later. When Eros picks his favorite Saint Cloth, use this to forge that one."
"And don't tell him I interfered, understood?"
She twirled the dimmed divine core lightly between her fingers.
Now that it had been split into so many fragments, it wasn't quite enough. She'd have to find something to add to it, just a little something extra.
With that, Zeus vanished from the forge, leaving Hephaestus clutching her chest and letting out a long sigh.
She had no idea what Zeus was planning to do, but it was far beyond her ability to meddle.
Best to pretend she hadn't seen a thing.
She quickly returned to her work and resumed forging.
Meanwhile, Eros and Prometheus had already boarded their ship and begun sailing toward the Domain of the Ocean Gods.
The ship rose and fell with the waves.
As they sailed, Kekropis couldn't contain her curiosity. She bombarded Eros with questions:
Had he really met Hephaestus? What happened? What kind of divine blessing had he received?
"Kekropis, are you really this curious about the gods?" Eros chuckled.
He had already told her versions of the same story several times, each one a little different, sometimes more fantastical, sometimes less.
But Kekropis's curiosity was insatiable. She just kept asking.
Luckily, Eros loved telling stories. With half-truths and clever flourishes, he spun tales like a bard, using them to pass the time at sea.
When he finally ran out of tales, Eros turned the question on her.
Kekropis scratched her head awkwardly, finally realizing she had been asking a bit too much.
"I was born without father or mother... as a demigod. I've met many humans, but I've never seen a god."
"I once chased a nymph riding on the waves, but no matter how fast I rowed, I couldn't catch her."
"That's why I want to learn more about the gods, to understand the difference between them and mortals."
"Maybe then... I'll understand why I exist at all."
Though she tried to speak lightly, her words revealed the sincerity buried deep in her heart.
During their voyage, she had already become captivated by Eros.
Whether it was his wisdom, his experiences, or the carefree ease with which he spoke and moved, he seemed to radiate something she lacked.
She had always felt isolated, viewed with awe or fear.
Neither human nor divine, Kekropis lived in a lonely in-between space, without peers, without purpose.
Hearing her confession, Eros glanced sideways at Prometheus, his face twitching slightly.
You're not a good person, he thought. You've been with her for this long and never said a thing to guide her?
"You don't need to think so hard about it," Eros said gently, turning back to Kekropis.
"Take your time. Slowly feel it out."
"I've met many gods, but to me, they're really not so different from mortals."
"Besides the power they're born with, they're still people, just another kind."
"So don't place your hopes too high. When you do meet them, you might just end up disappointed."
After all, few gods were truly reliable.
Each was self-centered and stubborn in their own beliefs.
With great power came deep flaws.
Eros was just giving her a small warning, planting a seed of caution.
"I suppose you're right," Kekropis said with a smile. "We're heading deep into the open sea now, maybe we'll meet another sea goddess."
Her mood brightened, her trust in Eros unwavering.
Thanks to him, what would've been a dull voyage now felt filled with color.
They were heading far from mortal waters, deep into uncharted ocean, where goddesses were said to appear more frequently.
Just as she was about to speak again, a sudden wave slammed into the hull, tilting the ship violently.
Kekropis quickly grabbed the rudder and shouted to the oarsmen.
"What's going on? Why the sudden swell?"
The skies were clear and sunny, there was no storm.
She narrowed her vertical pupils and scanned the sea.
Amid the rolling surf, she spotted the source.
"Those are... sea monsters?"
Kekropis hesitated as she looked at the figures stirring the waters.
Though she had heard of them in sailors' tales, it was her first time seeing the Siren up close.
With two pairs of arms and serpent tails, they resembled her in some ways.
"Mhm. Definitely Sirens," Eros confirmed, his eyes narrowing.
He was suddenly reminded of a certain silver-haired worm who loved exploding in public.
"Better stay out of it," Kekropis muttered. "We don't want trouble with those creatures."
She steered the ship to avoid the Sirens' chaos.
But Eros had sharper eyes.
He quickly realized the Sirens weren't just stirring up the sea randomly, they were chasing someone.
Surrounding and cornering a goddess on the open water.
His interest immediately piqued.
"You all stay here. I'll be right back."
Then he paused.
"Actually, maybe not. If I don't return, meet me at the Oceanic Throne, Naxos Island."
With that, he leapt from the deck, stepping across the surface of the sea toward the Sirens.
Kekropis was stunned.
Should she follow? Help?
"Relax. We're going to Naxos," Prometheus said, stepping in. "Don't worry about him."
She too had noticed the figure the Sirens were attacking.
Her expression turned strange.
That person... surely shouldn't be this helpless, right?
Then again... sigh, family matters among the gods weren't hers to meddle in.
Under Prometheus's command, the ship changed course toward their original destination.
Meanwhile, Eros dashed across the waves, rapidly closing in on the Sirens and their prey.
But just before he reached them, he hesitated.
Should he heroically charge in, full of righteousness?
Or sneak into the Sirens' group and shout, "Take me with you!"
It was a tough decision.
Before he could make up his mind, the goddess being chased suddenly turned and ran straight into him.
"Hero, please save me!"