Hephaestus... why did she come?
Hearing the words of the Goddess of Wisdom Athena, this doubt could not help but arise in the hearts of the gods present.
Especially Queen Hera, who had frozen slightly, and the Goddess of Beauty Aphrodite. Looking at Hephaestus, who then entered sitting on a golden wheelchair, their expressions immediately became complex.
Hera naturally was because of those troublesome matters with Hephaestus. One had to know that when Hephaestus entered the Olympian pantheon, she had played a trick on Hera, yet Hera had no way to deal with her at all.
As for the Goddess of Beauty Aphrodite, the relationship between the two was even more complex.
Because the Goddess of Beauty Aphrodite was Hephaestus's legitimate wife... That's right, Hephaestus was the husband of the Goddess of Beauty Aphrodite!
Then, just as the gods doubtfully looked at Athena, and then shifted their gazes to Hephaestus.
Soon, the gods' gazes could not move away.
Especially God King Zeus and the Sea Emperor Poseidon present...
Just as the evaluation Athena had given back then, when Hephaestus appeared among the gods the next time, she would inevitably become the focal point among the gods!
Because she herself was an extremely beautiful goddess... As the child of Queen Hera, how bad could she possibly be?
Therefore, now, with that exquisite mask covering the birthmark on her face, wearing a pale golden veil, and appearing before the gods with a special sense of beauty, she naturally became the focal point among the gods.
The transformation of the ugly duckling into a swan undoubtedly drew even more attention.
Thus, the Goddess of Beauty Aphrodite could not help but stand up in surprise, looking at her originally ugly 'husband.' At this moment, her eyes were full of incredulity.
If the stunning appearance presented before her eyes made Aphrodite feel surprised, then after looking at Hephaestus a few more times, Aphrodite even thought she had mistaken the god... Because the change in temperament was also too great!
"Hephaestus, did you make this mask yourself... It's so beautiful!" Soon, while the gods were surprised, the recovered Artemis could not help but walk over and say to Hephaestus.
She even wanted to reach out to touch it, but Hephaestus stepped back, not letting her.
"Thank you." Hephaestus smiled lightly at her and said, "On behalf of my student, I thank you for your praise, Goddess Artemis... It is not a mask I made."
"Your student?"
Aphrodite looked at Hephaestus doubtfully.
"That's right." Hephaestus turned her head, looked at the most beautiful one among the goddesses present, Aphrodite, and also glanced at Hera before saying, "The great hero Heracles in white clothes riding Pegasus... he is precisely my student."
...Oh, so it's something Jason gave!
The Moon Goddess Artemis cutely tilted her head, thought for a good while, and only then reacted.
Then she looked at the exquisite mask Hephaestus was wearing and could not help but bite her little hand.
Mm, next time I see Jason, I want him to make one for me too!
At this moment, it was not only Artemis who thought this.
The recovered Hestia Goddess also thought this...
"And it is also because of him that I came out of the temple..." As Hephaestus spoke, she gently stroked the exquisite mask on her left cheek.
Her gaze appeared incomparably gentle as she said softly, "This is also the best tribute I have received... I know that the child gave me this mask, actually also to tell me not to be bound by the mask."
The mask Jason gave to Hephaestus actually did have deep meaning.
Hephaestus was a goddess who had nothing, suffered neglect, and was thus the hardest but also the easiest to deal with... Jason naturally always remembered the divine oracle Athena had given him.
And this divine oracle was actually also the Goddess of Wisdom Athena using the simplest words to inform Jason what kind of goddess Hephaestus was.
Although she had unparalleled creative power, because of her appearance, she was not favored by the Olympian gods. Even though she was still one of the twelve main gods, the seats of the gods often did not have her place.
Thus, Jason reached out and removed her pitch-black mask.
Although he had put a brand-new mask on her, this was a tribute from child to god, it was sincerity.
And regarding such a tribute, one could see from Athena and Artemis how the gods would react.
They would display it to other gods, showing off how cute their child was, what precious gifts they had received.
Therefore, when Jason was making this mask, he had repeatedly emphasized to Hephaestus that the gift he made not only needed Hephaestus's approval but also the approval of the other gods...
At the same time, this was the reason why Hephaestus back then would say that from now on, no one except Jason could remove her mask, that she would only wear the mask Jason made for her, and that she came here today!
"Your student made the mask for you... Wait, when did you get a student, and your student is that white-clothed Heracles?!"
And just at this moment, Queen Hera finally came back to her senses and said to Hephaestus with exceptional surprise.
"That's right." Hephaestus turned her head to look at Hera... This time, she met Hera's gaze directly.
And now, without the past complexity and resentment, she appeared so calm, and also indifferent...
Because now, she truly would not care about Hera anymore. She had received approval... approval from her student Jason!
'Teacher Hephaestus, I do not know how others think, but in my heart, you are undoubtedly a beautiful goddess'... These words were naturally deeply imprinted in Hephaestus's mind.
"That child in white clothes who saved Lamia and Io is indeed my student... Queen Hera."
Hephaestus said flatly to Hera, "And during this time, he has also been following me in learning forging techniques... So, what matter do you have with my student?"
Now, looking at such a Hephaestus, the Goddess of Beauty Aphrodite finally understood why she felt Hephaestus was different... She was indeed different, no longer the Hephaestus of the past.
This could not help but make the Goddess of Beauty Aphrodite's expression become complex.
Student Heracles, huh... No, actually, it is that Jason, right.
Aphrodite thought this in her heart.
She looked at the mask on Hephaestus's face, then looked at Artemis, recalling the romance Jason had offered her.
Then, for a long time after, Aphrodite silently sat down.
And engraved Jason's name deeply in her mind...
"Truly your student?" Hera widened her eyes slightly as she looked at Hephaestus. She now appeared somewhat anxious to question Hephaestus.
But because of fear, she did not dare to step forward and act too intensely.
"Absolutely true." As Hephaestus replied faintly, she paused slightly and then said, "And he is also my only student... my child."
The words fell, and swish swish swish, instantly the gazes of the gods present turned to Hephaestus.
Even Athena was no exception...
And Hephaestus, being looked at like this by them, had a very frank expression, not embarrassed at all... After all, just like Athena, Hestia, and Ares, Apollo, and the others.
As long as Jason nodded, they would immediately snatch him over...
"This... how is this possible!" Hera said incredulously, "He is actually your child... Wait, since he is your child, then why did he call himself Heracles!"
Heracles meaning Hera's glory... At this moment, looking at Hera's anxious appearance, Athena could not help but look at Hera with a very peculiar gaze.
That gaze even carried a trace of sympathy.
Because Hera wanting to see the white-clothed Heracles was naturally not to punish or deal with him. On the contrary, she even wanted to reward him.
That's right, Hera would not pursue the matters of Lamia and Io. She even admired that Heracles greatly and wanted to take him as her own child...
Not only that, Hera also wanted to focus on cultivating this white-clothed Heracles, then have him go defeat the real Heracles, and also the Jason who had been taken as a student by Hecate!
"Because my student, he is somewhat different from others." As Hephaestus spoke to this point, she revealed a somewhat helpless expression and said, "He has no interest in becoming a hero or anything, so he is unwilling to reveal his true name.
Coincidentally, he knows Heracles and knows he is a great hero, so he left the name Heracles."
"...Just this reason?" Upon hearing this, Hera froze for a moment.
"That's right." Hephaestus nodded, looking at Hera before her.
The corners of her mouth curved up slightly as she said, "Otherwise, what other reason do you think there could be, Queen Hera?"
Of course it is because he greatly admires me, so he left such a name! ...These words, Hera naturally could not say now.
She widened her eyes, looking at Hephaestus before her.
Looking at the exquisite mask Hephaestus was wearing, looking at her showing off that the white-clothed Heracles was precisely her student, Hera felt an emotion lingering in her chest, unable to rise or fall, exceptionally... stifling!
Because Hera originally wanted to take this white-clothed Heracles, then boast greatly to the gods about her cute child!
Athena saw through Hera's stifling at a glance and felt it unbearable to watch directly, so she turned her head away... Too tragic, this was truly too tragic. This was already the second time!
Twice falling in the same place was one thing, but the two times she fell, it was the same person!
Not only did Athena feel this way, even Hermes, who reacted later, and even God King Zeus.
The way they looked at Hera gradually became strange.
And they also recalled back then when Hera learned that Jason had actually become Hecate's child, and thus cried out 'Impossible'... It was as if everything had just happened yesterday!
Thus, after Hephaestus's words fell, the scene welcomed a bout of eerie silence.
Everyone looked at Hera, and their gazes gradually became sympathetic...
This could not help but make Hera feel inexplicable.
In the end, it was Athena who could not bear to watch and coughed lightly twice, saying, "Actually, it is like this, Hephaestus. Queen Hera is very interested in that child and wants to meet him once."
"You want to meet my student? ...You may."
Upon hearing this, Hera, who had frozen slightly, could not help but look at Hephaestus with a very surprised expression.
"But there is a condition... Actually, my student has recently been preparing tributes for the various gods present, and currently, he has already offered tributes to the Moon Goddess Artemis, the God of Light Apollo, the God of War Ares, the messenger of the gods Hermes, and me, Hephaestus. And we have correspondingly given him gifts."
Hephaestus said to Hera, "Therefore, next, when that child offers you a tribute, you must also offer a corresponding gift... And also, for that child's prayer of the gods of bow and arrow, you must swear here that from today on, as long as that child prays to you, you must unconditionally agree to him!"
"...Tribute of the gods? Prayer of bow and arrow?"
Hera had a blank face and turned her head to look at the gods Hephaestus had mentioned.
And regarding the gaze Hera cast, even Artemis guiltily turned her head away...
Great, so many things happened, and I actually knew nothing about it!
Then, when Hera reacted, she could not help but grit her teeth and sweep her gaze over the gods, her mood extremely displeased!
"Um... cough cough, great Queen Hera, actually, it is not that we did not want to tell you these things."
At this time, under Athena's faint gaze's coercion, Hermes helplessly stood up on pins and needles and said, "It is really hard to say. Because that child... is Hephaestus's student. This..."
Hearing Hermes's words, Hera looked toward Hephaestus.
The two's gazes collided, and Hera's heart could not help but feel helpless, while accepting Hermes's statement.
After all, her relationship with Hephaestus was indeed very bad.
"Fine, as long as you let me meet that child once, I can agree."
After saying that, Hera directly swore, indicating she would definitely give that child a corresponding gift and from now on unconditionally agree to the white-clothed Heracles's prayers.
This made Zeus, listening to the side, furrow his brows slightly.
Hera's such oath was indeed somewhat rash. After all, she had not even figured out what the bow and arrow were, but now she was too lazy to care about so much. She now only wanted to meet the white-clothed Heracles.
What? You ask why meet in this situation... Of course, to win him over!
Evidently, Hera had not given up at all on the idea of turning the white-clothed Heracles into her own child. She prepared to compete with Hephaestus for him...
And her little scheme naturally could not fool the Athena and Hermes and the others present. Thus, at this moment, Athena and Hermes and these few gods were holding back laughter somewhat arduously.
Because Hera's action was destined to lose both wife and troops.