[Greece] Lemnos

[Apollymi]

https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4385/36320194576_43878cc421_o.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/Xkuutj)

Lemnos is an island in the northern part of the Ageanon sea off the coast of Greece. It is home to the Smith God, Hephaestus after his fall from glory among the Olympians and even after he was restored. The island itself is full of tropical like forests and cave systems, with lots of clean water springs and interesting wild life. Among the wild life, are Cyclops, Minotaur and other manner of unwanted creatures who seem to like the place because it is strangely void of people. Here even from a great distance, the sound of the Smith God working can be heard as the pings and clangs of metal on metal are a common music about the area. It is rumored among demigods that the Smith God will occasionally create weapons even for them, if he is caught in a good mood and the demigod can gather the materials, what he wants is usually rather dangerous but the reward is usually worth the risk. The Smith God is lonely and often enjoys tormenting the mortals who visit him even as he is doing them favors.

[Bloodedge]

Days ago, the teen son of Poseidon and, strangely enough, Medusa, departed from his recent home in New Olympus on a journey to locate the blacksmith god Hephaestus. It had taken him some time to discover the location of Lemnos, but with serpents on land, and fish at sea to instruct him, he eventually found a path. The trip which followed this discovery was nothing short of a casual swim at speeds trumping that of any vehicle or creature well-known to mankind. Athos eventually reached the shores of Lemnos. The sound of a blacksmith's forging hammer guided him from there, as it resonated across the island. Athos employed his many snake-like qualities that went unseen by his demigod peers, as a sure method to avoid the senses of various cyclopes and other creatures, until he eventually found himself entering the mountain of a home belonging to the blacksmith god himself, and walking along a bridge over lava that soon rose into a staircase toward Hephaestus.

[Apollymi]

The Smith God was a horrid deformed creature. As a god he didn't maintain the beauty or general size of his peers. He was a giant with a hunched back and a lame leg tucked beneath him as he hunched over his work. Large hands manipulated impossibly small materials making them into various shapes. What he was making now would be unclear, but the approach of someone would cause this God to lift his head. His disfigured visage and discolored teeth showing as he gazed upon a demigod. "Hoh! It's been quite a while since I've seen one of you, I wonder what you want?" he said, finding it strange that one so small had even made it to this forge alive. The cyclops of this island loved the flesh of men and animals alike.

[Bloodedge]

At long last, Athos stood before the god he sought. In spite of his propensity for avoiding eye contact with anyone, he spared a glance at Hephaestus. He quickly found this to be a mistake. His one visible eye widened to its very limit when he witnessed the grotesque form of the crippled god, and he looked away for a very different reason than the norm he chose. "Ew," he muttered under his breath without so much as a thought. Upon recovering from the sight of this individual, he spoke in response to the giant's query. "Someone told me you could make me a weapon."

[Apollymi]

The lips of this rather sinister looking individual twisted in a sick way as he revealed those disgusting teeth at the sound of the young man's voice. His 'ew' had been previously diminished by the sound of the hammer clanging down, but once the great Smith Gods work stopped the boy's words were able to reach his ear. "Ha! Someone was right. I could make you a weapon..." the man took one look at the boy turned away from him, and for whatever reason, unlike the other god he'd so recently had contact with, felt no pity for him. "Doesn't mean I'm going to..." said the Smith God as he went back to his work. "What reason do I have to interfere in your little life mortal?" a long blast of the man's breath came with this sentence and he sat smiling with those wretched teeth waiting for an answer which he might actually care for. As was the case with most Olympians fallen or otherwise, they didn't want to do anything that didn't benefit them in some way. It seemed that though Hephaestus didn't get the good looks of his Olympian family, he'd somehow ended up with the attitude that most of them had.

[Bloodedge]

A minor scoff escaped the lad when Hephaestus made it seem he was unlikely to do as Athos wished. The god went on to ask why he would have to interfere with the life of a mortal such as himself, causing Athos' brows to draw together briefly as his nose furled. "I could trade you for some toothpaste," was his initial response. Moving on, though, he had more words to share. While in most cases, Athos had few things to say to anyone, the words of this god were quite annoying to him, and thus he found himself with more to say. "I figured someone who can't move would enjoy any opportunity to do something..."

[Apollymi]

When the boy finally spoke up, his words to the Smith God seemed to enrage him. "WHAT?!" his voice was thunderous spreading around the entire cavern and causing it to shake with the fury of his anger. When the young demigod went on to claim that obviously the invalid god should simply enjoy the opportunity to do something with himself since he was incapable of moving, it only seemed to further the idea in the God's mind that no simple conversation would be happening today. "GET OUT!!!!!" he thundered the entirety of the place trembling in response to his anger. "AND DON'T COME BACK UNLESS YOU CAN LEARN SOME MANNERS!" it seemed that the man was done with this conversation. And the Smith God hadn't created a thing for the demigod child of Poseidon. What he expected from him, is what he usually expected of other mortals, a simple explanation of looking for valor, fortune or fame to get them a weapon. This would usually come with an idea for a half-baked weapon and a fools errand. He'd never been spoken to in such a way by a child before.

[Bloodedge]

"I said your breath smells like the inside of a basilisk!" Athos replied, seeming to be growing more irritated along with Hephaestus. "Being loud isn't making it any better..." With that said, it seemed as if the god would no longer reciprocate discussion of any caliber with Athos. He didn't know what he expected to come of such interactions in the first place, but he supposed it was best if he found another way to accomplish his goals regardless. Without further ado, Athos turned his back on the smith god and began to walk away. As there was nowhere for him to go other than New Olympus, he began a trip there that would take much less time than it had taken him to reach this place.

[Apollymi]

A while after the daughter of Dionysus gave a light interrogation to her newest companion an island came into view on the horizon. She seemed to be in a regular state, her leather ripped assortment of clothing billowing in the breeze as her salt kissed skin shown in the moonlight which was rather quickly fading from sight. Of course, this was a very interesting to see as such the young woman moved towards the front end of their vessel and found herself standing right at the tip with the wind blowing her hair away from her face. Her eyes concentrated on the shore as if she was on high alert. She hadn't said anything but she didn't bother to turn and face her companion knowing he didn't want her looking in his direction for whatever reason he still hadn't admitted to.

[Bloodedge]

After successfully slowing the boat to a halt just at the edge of the water, Athos was able to cease his manipulation of the sea for the sake of faster movement. With Deianira standing at the boat's fore, Athos hopped off the boat and stepped out ahead. Finally, he had something worth saying, and a legitimate reason to say it. "There are lots of monsters here. They look busier than they did last time I slipped past them. I think Hephaestus meant to keep me away."

[Apollymi]

"Monsters, huh?" unlike most instances of Deianira speaking she seemed to be a bit excited and in a very different way. The idea that there were monsters moving about the island and that they were aiming to keep Athos away was a bit daunting, but... if one got past that minor detail, then there was the last thing which would be clear about the young woman. "Something new to hunt~" she said with a hint of something different. "So, he's trying to keep you away, huh? I'm going to get an earful about whatever you said to him last time I take it~" the young woman said seemingly amused before she hopped off the edge of the boat and headed for shore with the swiftness which most wouldn't have expected of her. As soon as she made footfall on the land she took off at a run her eyes dancing across the various creatures which moved about in the moonlight here. She hid the the shadow of a large tree right at the edge of the forest and waited for Athos, watching several cyclops move about in front of the clearest path towards what had to be the forge of Hephaestus by the sound which reverberated across the entirety of the island.

[Bloodedge]

Athos had nothing to say about the words that would surely come from Hephaestus when the pair reached his forge. He didn't really see what the big deal was about what he'd said to the god, but he also had no other real situations in his life to compare it to. He remained silent, but after Deianira's forward movement, he followed in her tracks. The young male seemed strangely apt at moving about in a nimble manner while making little to no sound at all. Soon enough, he was crouched behind a tree adjacent to that which Deianira used as cover, looking out unto the crowd of cyclopes.

[Apollymi]

The daughter of Dionysus had previously described herself as Artemis' blessed huntress. Such a statement might not always make sense to others, but as Deianira watched these beasts move about one might notice the stilled and practiced way she began to move. Knowing Athos had caught up the young woman found herself smirking resisting the urge to look towards him even though she'd heard only the gentlest of noises at his approach. She had something to say, but she'd have to save it, at least for a few moments. The light silver glint in the girl's eyes would soon enough seem to allow her to lock on to the position of some five cyclopes which seemed to be searching the forests, probably for the pair of them. She held out her left hand from her position, a small marking on the side of her wrist giving off a gentle glow in the moonlight before a mysteriously ethereal bow appeared to be clutched smoothly by said hand. At her lower back a quiver also appeared in this moment with several arrows which she pulled from it in a single grasp.

All five arrows were held in the palm of her hand, until she was ready to fire them off. She slipped around the other side of the tree and pulled back on a string which didn't seem to exist loading a single arrow and firing it in an instant and then another immediately after simply by flipping them up against the right side of her bow. The tension of the string seemed to be at its maximum before the release of each arrow, in a single swift motion. The first two arrows flew directly into the eyes of two cyclopes which faced her. Before they could realize what happened they were indeed dead. Their bodies still standing as their fellows meandered around them. Before so much as an alarm could be noticed a third arrow was flying by the time the first two bodies were falling forward to the cyclops who'd been standing right between the first two as their bodies made loud noises which caused them to thud to the forest floor. It stirred the animals causing a bit of chaos as the two other soon began to flail about swinging large clubs around without a care in the world for the forest they wrecked. Of course, this action would last only a few seconds as the final two arrows came sliding through the air at a lightning fast pace. The girl after doing this watched as the final two bodies crumpled beneath their own weight and fell. Silence came to the forest again and in this moment a huge grin came to the young demigod's face. "You're surprisingly quiet for someone who obviously wants other people to know when he's coming~" she said to Athos as a compliment of his abilities. "There aren't any more in this area, we should be clear to approach the forge~" she mentioned giving a small bow so the young lad could lead the way. If one happened to take a look at the bodies of the fallen cyclopes one would notice that each of the arrows which killed them, seemed to be buried precisely in the middle of their eyes. As if they were being used for target practice. Meanwhile Hephaestus' hammer clanging stopped if only for a moment. He immediately knew of the deaths of five cyclopes, if he was upset about it, his face didn't show it, and instead the hammer beats would start up again without more than that momentary pause.

[Bloodedge]

Athos kept himself prepared to assault or bypass any number of cyclopes in the vicinity. Interestingly enough, though, Deianira's next spurt of movement resulted in a rapid elimination of all five large bodies blocking the path toward Hephaestus. Athos' brows rose slightly as he watched the release of five arrows, and his eye widened thereafter during the systematic fall of five cyclopes. It seemed their problem had been dealt with single-handedly, and with that in mind, Athos stood erect. There was nothing left to worry about. Stepping out ahead, he once again made the trek into the mountain Hephaestus' forge was located in, and traveled along the bridge toward the god's precise location. This was sure to become an interesting day rather quickly.

[Apollymi]

Athos seemed happy enough to move forward and take the lead. As this happened the girl's happiness seemed to reach an unreasonable level. Even so she walked behind him and after a few seconds the bow disappeared from her hand and the quiver disappeared from her side, seeming to leave the girl able to walk about with her hands tucked behind her head as if she seemed utterly amused.

Soon enough the white haired demigod would be found standing in the forge of the Smith God, Hephaestus. This decrepit and disfigured God was hunched over his work seemingly unable to pull away from it. Of course, he knew of the approach of Athos and didn't feel like dealing with him again, he doubted after all that the lad had learned any manners. "I thought I told you not to come back here..." he said seemingly calm large scale god. He wanted this lad to go away, with such a fierceness that he still wasn't trying to turn around or hear him out. His large fingers busy working metal as if he hadn't a care in the world.

[Bloodedge]

When Athos stood before Hephaestus again, his mood turned sour within moments. The god would obviously not be interested in entertaining his needs, but the statement which came from the gimpy blacksmith did not sit well with Athos nevertheless. His words were strange, stating that he thought he'd told Athos not to return. Turning his head away to his own left, Athos scoffed through a retort. "Obviously. Your brain would have to be as bad as the rest of you if you forgot that sort of thing," was his statement of choice, revealing the notion that he did not fully comprehend the form of speech used by Hephaestus.

[Apollymi]

Deianira was quiet after their approach, mostly she was just letting the waters rest, seeing how Athos handled his secondary meeting with the Smith God. Deianira, found it very easy to understand what Hephaestus meant, though she didn't have the context for the previous conversation between him and Athos. Still when Athos spoke up again, instead of presenting an apology for his previous statements or a plea for the weapon he wanted, what came out his mouth was the single most insulting thing she'd ever heard someone utter to a God in her entire life. It was hilarious and the young demigod's mood skyrocketed in this moment, reaching a point of elation that she hadn't felt in quite a while. Even so, what came out of her mouth was a swift hiss which wouldn't be any discernible language to most. "ATHOS, SHUSH!~" was what she said, but it couldn't have seemed more amused. Aloud she chose to intervene on the side of keeping the Smith God in a calm state as the hammering had stopped once more. "You'll have to excuse him. He didn't mean that the way it sounded~" the young woman said rather quick the hand still up to her lips with a single finger in front of them so he wouldn't say anything cross to this statement.

The Smith God heard a different voice from that of the boy who insulted him already today. He couldn't help but notice a distinctly female voice, and one which didn't hold the lack of affect which came from the boy who initially sought his help all alone. "Another came with him? So, he didn't learn his manners then... but, you seem polite enough to speak with..." said the god as he turned around. His full grotesque visage seemed to face Deianira, and much to the surprise of everyone present the girl didn't flinch instead she seemed to have a bit of a smile on her face. "Oh, don't say that, I'm just here to help~" the lass said those grey eyes of hers seemingly alight with amusement. She knew her abilities didn't affect Olympians, even so, she seemed to behave as if this wasn't the case. "Could I maybe get you a drink as an apology for that earlier outburst?" she asked which made Hephaestus chuckle sending a wave of hot breath towards the girl that she didn't know could exist in such a manner. "What can a demigod do for me?" he asked with the same arrogance most Olympians possessed.

Even fallen and cast aside, he had a bit more clout than the demigods presently before him but unlike Athos, Deianira seemed to be a bit more used to this. "Well, I don't really presume I can get you drunk or anything. That's outside my abilities, you'd need to see Daddy for that~ But, it's pretty tasty~" she offered, as if she expected it to be taken she walked forward and touched a thing which looked like it might have once been used to quench metals in, but instead had it fill to the brim with golden liquid which would taste of spearmint, limes and blackberries. This was meant to simply appeal to the God while also doing something about the horrendous breath which was leaking into the space around them. "Hoh! I can't say no to that..." Hephaestus mentioned as he knocked back the beverage seemingly pleased by its taste while all present would benefit from the lack of his previously foul breath polluting the area. "That was good, I can forgive, so what... do you want here?" asked the man, the young woman was silent for a seconds as she wondered if she could allow Athos to take over for himself in this moment.

[Bloodedge]

Athos scoffed again. All he did was speak the truth of his own mind, but there was apparently some issue with this. He held his tongue after Deianira's interjection, choosing to hear out how Deianira approached the repulsive god. She didn't do much of anything; all she managed to do was offer the god a drink, and all he did was drink it. Athos couldn't fathom how this was meant to quell the conversation as it was at the time. Of course, Athos also had no clue how he would have made things work out... but he also wouldn't have tried very hard regardless. By the time Hephaestus finished the drink that had been offered to him, he seemed to be wondering why Deianira was here, but Deianira herself looked toward Athos. The white-haired lad looked away; he didn't know what this lass expected of him. Surely Hephaestus couldn't be wondering why he was here, as he'd been informed on the last visit. The god would have to be some sort of idiot to not know why he was here, as far as Athos was concerned.

[Apollymi]

Athos was content not to speak, and though Deianira figured this would go this way, she'd held out a bit of hope that she wouldn't have to completely take over this conversation. Though by virtue of Athos having come here before, she figured the Smith God still had no intention of doing what the boy asked previously so, she took a rather relaxed posture and spoke up. "I don't want anything, I just came to help out my friend here. He came here before seeking your aid and I heard it didn't turn out well~" she said rather calmly, which in turn brought a scoff from Hephaestus. "Understatement of the century, but there is no reason I should help this boy on his quest. He has no manners and he insists on coming into my home and insulting me!" the god seemed to still be sore about whatever was said the first time, but Deianira didn't really seem to be phased by this. "Ah.... I see..." she said, this particular god always needed a reason to do things for people regardless of his own status he still felt he was a bit above the standards of demigods and expected to be treated as such. "I get that and all, but... he's just trying to go home..." she said of the young lad with her. "Surely even a god like you can understand what that's like..."

The Smith God's hammering stopped and he just looked at Deianira. She'd hit a nerve but unlike when Athos insulted him in earlier instances this one in particular was a soft spot. He thought about the boy's actions in his previous visit, and what it was like to be left out from his home, or cast aside by those who were meant to care for him. In this regard, the Smith God and the demigod were quite similar and they would as such have common ground. Though this wouldn't take the sting out of the boy's earlier words, it would at least get him something of an answer this time. "I suppose, I can make his weapon as a favor to you, for your hospitality," said Hephaestus. "But it won't be easy, the things needed are each worthy of being considered their own labors and monsters like the ones you need the materials from will likely get him killed. Boy do you understand, what you ask for is just as likely to get you killed as going wherever you're trying to go unarmed?" this was a question to Athos while Deinaira sat in silence beaming. Getting to the unfathomable quest was much easier to do than she'd imagined, she only wondered how few social skills Athos had that he hadn't gotten this far on his own.

[Bloodedge]

During his continued silence, Deianira continued speaking with the god. This all resulted in Hephaestus agreeing to create a weapon for Athos as a favor to the girl. However, he thought the task Athos needed to do for the sake of obtaining this weapon would be more life-threatening to him than whatever he wanted the weapon for. Athos' head sank a few additional centimeters; clearly this individual had no clue what the situation was. "I... disagree. What do I need to do?"

[Apollymi]

"Disagree all you want, the tasks ahead aren't ones which should ever be undertaken lightly..." said the Smith God. He moved about his hand resting under his chin as he began to look at the lad, examining his person and figuring out what would be needed to create a weapon for him. "I need, a basilisk fang... not the normal sort either, the ones with multiple legs found only in the deserts of Persia," said the God who seemed to think more about the necessary materials. "I also need the horns of a Minotaur. Not the garden variety ones you find around here, nor the mostly human ones you'd find in thew Wilds surrounding New Olympus. That simply wouldn't do, you'd have to go north, to the lands of snow and ice, to kill one of the Ice Minotaurs. They are necessary to create the weapon which you would wield," said the man as looked back to his potential work. "One more thing... the blood of a God is necessary for a binding agent, and even your silver-tongued companion couldn't talk me out of mine," the god said as he began shooing the duo away. This caused a chuckle from Deianira as she seemed to find something amusing about the statement. "Oh give me a little more credit than that, I wouldn't have tried it~" she said which only made the god chuckle a little was well. "Go find what you need, and bring it back here if you can..."

Deianira listened to this entire list with wide eyes. She didn't know of these other creatures but the idea that she might get to see them seemed to give her a bit of a stir. Even though the situation seemed to be fraught with peril for them, it seemed like the girl intended to stay along with Athos. "Thank you very much," she said offering a bow to god before them for his kindness.

[Bloodedge]

Upon receiving the list of necessities for his weapon, Athos' expression shifted to one of utter indifference. Nothing Hephaestus said sounded nearly as deadly as the boy's ultimate task. If he was to perish by the hands of these monsters and deities, he would have been unable to accomplish his goal regardless of whatever weapon Hephaestus had in mind for him. Moving on, Athos took the dismissal of Hephaestus, and immediately vacated the forge. He had quite the journey ahead of him, and as far as he knew, he would be making it alone. The only issue he was having was deciding where to go first to collect these items.

[Apollymi]

"Oh, are you going to let him go alone?" the Smith God said as he began hammering out something. Deianira looked at this god and shrugged, "Probably not, I'd be a bad hunter if I let him go see things I haven't seen yet to face them alone~" she said heading to take off. "I could still make you something too.." the God said seeming to find something amusing about the girl. "Nope, don't need it, in it for the thrill of the hunt~" she said with a nod before taking off to catch up with Athos. Whatever else the Smith God had in mind he didn't say anything he simply looked up from his work as the girl left watching her rear move until she disappeared from sight.

Outside of the mountain which housed this forge, Deianira wiped a bit of sweat from her brow nimbly moving along the ground in a quick effort to catch up with the other Demigod. "Athos, wait up!" she said though she made no efforts to look in his direction. "I wanna go with you~" she said knowing the young lad probably expected her to help him and then leave him be, she couldn't really gauge his initial reaction. Of course, she wasn't really normal herself.

[Bloodedge]

On his way to the boat they'd used to reach this island, Athos heard the call of Dionysus' daughter. He turned his head right, not to look toward her, but to let his voice be heard more easily. "I don't need help. But... I guess... we came on the same boat," he said. At this point, he spoke nothing but logic. He'd much rather had gone without a companion even to Hephaestus, but he couldn't exactly accept assistance only to then leave his helper stranded afterwards. At the very least, he figured she could come along until they were properly able to separate. "I'm going to Persia."

[Apollymi]

It seemed that Athos thought the young woman needed to know that he didn't require help. She thought he might in some way but that wasn't really the point of her going along again after doing the one thing she'd offered to do. To be fair, Deianira simply wanted to see the whole of it through, it would have been a negative to her to get Hephaestus to make his weapon, only for the boy to be killed along the way. Besides that she was still quite interesting in Athos as a person, and all the creatures she might get to participate in slaying over the course of the time they spent together. As such she wasn't really apt to let him go alone.

Surprisingly though, the white haired lad seemed to think about the fact that they'd arrived together on the same boat and take that as a reason for them to continue to travel together. "Suppose that is true~ Also I don't think you need help..." she said as she hopped into the boat herself and settled back into the position she'd had while they rode in together. Athos then made it known what his first stop would be, which made Deianira chuckle. "Straight to the desert, all heat and sand in awkward places~ Sounds like fun, lead the way~" the girl said picking up her cup to have a nice drink as a reward for the good things which happened, she also filled Athos' changing the composition so that it'd taste of melons and nectar instead. She'd just keep trying out these different things until they found one which actually made the young man confirm or deny his like of things.

[Bloodedge]

Without further ado, Athos employed his manipulation of the sea once more. In doing so, he pulled the boat away from the island when Deianira and himself were both upon the vessel, and turned it in the direction that would lead them toward Persia. This time around, there was less build-up to the high speed movement he'd achieved earlier. On the way toward land, he would partake of the beverage given to him, but would show no particular favoritism of it or its predecessor.

[Apollymi]

"Ah, still no favorites huh~" the girl said seeming to be lightly amused as she drank from her cup and looked over the edge of their vessel and into the water. "That's cool, gives me a reason to keep drinking and trying new things~" she said with a bit of a chuckle. From the words of Hephaestus she knew their time in the desert wouldn't necessarily be easy-going or pleasant so she decided to use the down time in their travels as such, and perhaps prodding the young man into opening up a bit.

[Bloodedge]

Five days following the departure of the two demigods, the small boat which carried them returned to the shores of Lemnos. Athos departed first, carrying a Minotaur horn under his left arm, while using his right hand to sturdy the Basilisk fang strapped to his torso. More Cyclopes filled the area between the shores and Hephaestus' forge, but they now seemed docile. In fact, the beasts - which now numbered 8 in total - stood in two rows to pave a path toward Hephaestus in the forge. "What does this mean?" Athos wondered aloud as he took a few measured, careful steps forward.

[Apollymi]

Some five days after they'd originally departed the demigod Deianira returned with her companion, Athos. As he walked carrying half of his bounty, she carried the other half, one of the basilisk's fangs was strapped across her back while she carried one of the Minotaur's horns over her right shoulder. It seemed that they wouldn't have to deal with as much this time. The Cyclopes which had previously attacked or tried to detour the young demigods but now they were lined up as if waiting for their return, being completely docile even. The question from Athos would garner a response from the young woman as she carried part of their bounty. "Oh? Seems like a welcome party. I take it then he isn't upset anymore... gods seem to do stuff like this when they are happy with your arrival," she said thinking about it she once had a similar experience when approaching one of Artemis' divinely protected forests. "Well go on, don't keep him waiting, but... shoot for nice, yeah?" she said fully intending to follow the young man down into the forge to see the Smith god again, hoping for a happier moment and outcome for them on the word of Boreas and Camus that all would be taken care of. And from the looks of things so far it seemed that way.

[Bloodedge]

Moving onward, Athos heard that these Cyclopes were forming some sort of welcome group for the demigods on their return. His pace increased to a more normal rate after this clause was shared, and soon enough, he was crossing the bridge within Hephaestus' mountain for the third time. Once he reached the center platform beneath the massive and grotesque god, he placed the horn and fang on the floor in front of himself. "Boreas says to take his blessing instead of blood," he said.

[Apollymi]

The grotesque form of the god chuckled still hammering away, but he looked towards the young demigods letting out a mighty bellow. "Did he now, figures... but you weren't going to get it from me," said the god "From me..." the statement repeated, his hands seemed to stop but the hammering could still be heard. Deianira managed to look confused, as the joints of this large god seemed to stiffen and then it fell over. Her eyes widened as she had something of a realization but it was likely something confusing. This being fell forward revealing behind it another opening into a rather scorching cavern. She figured this place was set across a volcano but the hammering could still be heard. She looked to Athos and then down the opening and spoke up. "Um... hello!?" she said seeming confused by what she was seeing and knowing if she was confused then Athos likely was as well.

[Bloodedge]

The repeated line from Hephaestus was curious indeed. What was stranger, though, was the fact that the hammering continued to sound even after the physical hammering stopped. When Hephaestus' body fell, Athos gazed down the opening revealed by his movements. The hammering from before somehow seemed to have gotten even louder than what one may consider possible. The half-Gorgon's eye narrowed as he stared into the glowing corridor, only for him to immediately move into it with his Basilisk fang and Minotaur horn in tow. He slowly paced down a curvy walkway surrounded by magma on either side, going deeper into this seemingly dormant volcano. The heat, while obviously immense, was luckily less problematic for demigods; this especially being the case for one such as Athos. Before the walkway reached what seemed to be its lowest point, a final hammer strike sounded, and its power was great enough to stir the volcano and send a shockwave which blew Athos several feet back from his location. The young male braced himself to prevent falling over, then continued onward to see the path winding into a large platform. At its center, there was a pillar roughly 12 feet in height, adorned with visages and an obviously mechanized interior. A male figure leaned against this pillar. He had short, spiky brown hair, orange eyes, and he wore a sparkling golden armor which featured a pair of low wings spouting an arch of flames at his back. His right hand held a golden smithing hammer to match his armor, and his left hand wielded a matching pair of blacksmith's tongs. Unlike the figure from above, this male with a godly aura about him was a rather handsome specimen. He opened his mouth to speak, and the voice which emerged was a deep and mighty bellow of a sound. "Athos of the Snake Blood... Deianira of the Hunt... Welcome to the forge of Hephaestus!"

[Apollymi]

As Athos began the trip down the winding path which opened up in the body of what had to be a false Hephaestus, Deianira followed seemingly amused and wondering what this god actually looked like if he was willing to give himself such a horrendous visage. As they moved forward the final hammer strike was made on whatever the man was working on, and it reverberated with such fierocity that she was pushed back and had to use the Minotaur horn she carried to help brace herself to keep from falling into the magma. Though she wasn't truly bothered by the heat here, she still didn't want to experience a burning death by lava. 'Jeez, what's a girl gotta do to find a temperate place to visit,' she thought as she eventually worked herself back into the proper position to find herself at the center with Athos. She was soon greeted by what she expected of an Olympian, a rather attractive looking male in armor. She thought about the difference between himself and his fake self that they'd initially met and she had but one thing to say. "Why?" her entire face seemed distraught as her arms opening as she finally dropped the Minotaur horn and released the basilisk fang from her back. It had been a rough bit of travel carrying one of each of those things and she was more than ready to release the tension on her shoulders and look a bit confused as to the entire pomp and circumstance. "Oh, sorry though, it is nice to meet you... properly~"

[Bloodedge]

After Hephaestus greeted the young ones, another round of trembling would be heard from the false forge above. The first version of Hephaestus these two had seen would have been returned to its previous, connected state. "You have both proven yourselves worthy to wield weapons of my craft. As for you," he said, looking toward Athos. "Now that I understand your situation, I can understand why you and my representative did not get along very well. It is a shame that my uncle would condemn you to such a fate, but such is the way of the first generation gods." With that out of the way, Hephaestus began pacing around the podium, eventually placing his tools within the pillar. Deianira's query had not gone unheard, but it was a matter the god did not feel needed an incredibly direct answer. "I have been watching the two of you on your journey, from the moment you were given the second test by the Automaton Gate. The gate itself was the first test; if you could not somehow come to an agreement with its grotesque form and bad attitude, you would not be worthy of my craft. I see you even gained double the required items." As he spoke this section, Hephaestus looked toward Deianira. Now that he understood the situation of Athos, he knew it was best not to bother pressing the matter, so he instead redirected his clauses to the one who'd already resigned herself to being the lad's speaker.

[Apollymi]

Deianira heard out what the god had to say, and he too found the boy's plight to be one worthy of sympathy. She supposed many of the gods would feel the same way. There was a great deal of unfairness in the kind of sentence handed down by Poseidon for something that was his own fault, but that was a matter for another time. It seemed she wouldn't get a direct answer about her question as to why their were two versions of this god, but he did go on to explain that the the automated gross version of him was meant to be a test. And then the adventure to gain the items another question one which he was apparently privy to, Deinaira nodded her understand of all this and only spoke up after the man had finished his sentences. "Okay, that's pretty cool I guess, though the guy upstairs is a tad overkill with the breath thing..." she said not thinking too much about it, she'd offered the guy a drink to kill the odor which was about all she would do in such a situation if she was confronted with it, out of her own sense of politeness. "The two of each thing was kinda just coincidental, you saw everything so you know it wasn't really intentional. Like I told the big guy upstairs, I don't want anything like that. I just wanna help him out~" she said of Athos. Though they hadn't spoken nearly as much as she would have liked, she'd gained quite a bit of fondness for the lad and an understanding of his plight. Even if Hephaestus thought her worthy of his gifts, it wasn't at all why she was here.

[Bloodedge]

"That breath is what keeps this forge going," Hephaestus replied with haste. "What you smelled was masked brimstone. It channels through the automaton to balance the pressure here below, and keep the volcano from erupting. If this volcano erupted, even New Olympus would be affected by its reach." The blacksmith god walked around more, picking up the horns and fangs with no effort whatsoever as he passed the demigods. Hearing that Deianira did not wish to have a weapon made for her, frankly, made the smith scoff. "You would turn down the gift of an Olympian? You would be a fool. These items are unnecessary for the craft. In observing the two of you since you left, I have already forged the items you will receive. For you," he said while the pillar began to compartmentalize itself, soon releasing a sheathed long knife from its shaft. This curved blade was offered to Deianira. "The cursed dagger: the Blade of Woe. Anything this blackened blade pierces will be rendered incapable of escaping. The blade resonates with its own marks, and can point the way, that it might finish the job. The perfect tool for a huntress."

After addressing Deianira with her gift of choice, Hephaestus turned his attention to Athos, the boy who'd come for one of the god's tools initially. A sword emerged from the pillar this time. The sword was also sheathed, and had a strange, green eye in the middle of its guard. "I have no better name than the Boa Sword. Your kind fall into the same classifications as snakes, and you are of the venomous type. This sword carries the power of the Titanaboa, and will curse anything it cuts with its binding tail. Surely this will give you the power you have been lacking." Athos accepted this blade, and found himself staring into its eye. It seemed somehow... alive to him, as if he and the sword were somehow related.

[Apollymi]

Deianira looked at the man who claimed that without the use of this forge that the eruption from this volcano would have wide spread effects. She thought about it for a while, and she figured he was right about that in more senses than one, so she was willing to accept it. "Okay, covering brimstone, right in everyone's face. Like one of those, suffer a little now so not a lot later type things... sure," the girl held up her hands in mock surrender. Of course, this gesture would only be furthered as the man went on to explain that her weapon had already been created and as he produced and explained it she couldn't help but accept it. He was right, only the foolish turned down the gifts of gods, and sometimes when they did it didn't end well for them.

"Alright, I mean, you already made it so it would be rude not to accept it. Thank you," the girl said as she inspected the sheathed blade. The idea that this cursed blade would allow her to track anything she wished after it was cut was one she couldn't help but play with in her mind. Beyond all this, she had actually been thinking about acquiring a new hunting knife, and getting one without having to do anything extra was nothing to scoff at. As she unsheathed the blade she noticed a strange ethereal glow coming from the blade. A bit of a grin spread across her face, though not because of this weapon, but because she looked over to Athos as he was receiving his weapon. He seemed fascinated by it and given what Hephaestus had to say about it, she could only assume it would help him on his quest, whatever that actually was.

[Bloodedge]

"I've done nothing more than my duty," was Hephaestus' response to the young huntress. To Athos, who still seemed engrossed in his new sword, he had one more thing to say. "You may also find that the sword you wield may do something about that curse you were born with. The method used for its binding curse is the reason behind this," he explained. Though it was a bit vague, Athos understood the god's meaning. He prepared to position the sword on his person, but Hephaestus interrupted before either of these individuals could get too comfortable. "If I may stop you both from equipping those, there is more. I did not need these materials for creating your weapons, true, but there is a reason I wanted them. You two were simply replacing the materials I used to fashion your new clothing. You may retrieve it from the console before you leave."

[Apollymi]

A small smile came from Deianira, it was sort of nice to know that Hephaestus was actually quite the charitable god, despite all the things said about him throughout the years. Beyond this he seemed to have something more to say to Athos about the nature of his weapon. It seemed all of this was going well, but before either herself nor Athos could get comfortable with their new weapons the Smith God had a bit to say about why he'd requested the items he'd wanted. He'd apparently made them clothing while they were gone to go along with the weapons. "Really?" she asked, it seemed a bit far-fetched that he would go so far as to make them new articles of clothing as well, as far as the young huntress was concerned she didn't really need any such thing, but apparently turning down a gift from this god wasn't something she'd be allowed.

As she reached the console she found some maroon colored pieces much like the ones she was wearing right now. Only more solid in their construction. Her clothing package also came with several belts and newly fitted boots and wrist guard with silver decorations, for a shirt it came with a corset much like the one she was already wearing only a lot more solid in its creation. "Thank you..." she said wanting to question why he'd bothered with such a thing, but knowing that she probably shouldn't continue to question the gifts being given them right at the moment.

[Bloodedge]

Athos also moved toward the console when told there were clothes prepared for both demigods present. For himself, he found a pair of long, black pants with zippers up each leg, a pair of jet black boots, and a pair of seemingly protective gloves which would reach and cover his biceps. There was also a set of jewelry to replace all the articles he wore, bar a single ring. Athos wasted no time before discarding the clothes he wore presently to don these new garbs, which fit more comfortably than any mortal clothes could ever hope to. It was as if the items refitted themselves upon being placed on his body, and in fact, they were enchanted to have the perfect fit in such a way. "The two of you are free to go now, assuming there is nothing else you seek to gain from a few labors," said Hephaestus, who'd already stepped away from the half-bloods.

[Apollymi]

After looking over her clothes, Deianira also stripped down to nothing and redressed. It was probably quite odd to see, two young demigods who seemed to have no thought or idea about where they were while changing clothes. By the time Hephaestus spoke again, Deianira had just finished sliding knee high boots onto her feet and re-equipping her bow. Her new blade was also inside of this piece of gear. She looked towards the god and smiled. "I'm pretty sure we're good. We're good right?" she asked of Athos seemingly happy to be in her new clothing which felt different but oddly right. "Exit?" she asked looking around trying to figure out how they would leave if this place was sealed from the way they'd come in.

[Bloodedge]

"... Yeah. We're good," Athos replied as he slipped the sheath of his new sword into a slot designed on these pants for it. In the meantime, Hephaestus turned to point toward the end opposite of where these demigods came from. "Take one of the boats from the grotto out back. Any of them are surely better than... whatever it is you came here on," he said. With that, he dismissed the pair. Athos walked along this path, which emerged from the volcano and let out into a large grotto connected directly to the open sea. Numerous high-tech ships resting in this grotto, and all were apparently up for grabs. Athos cared not for what these boats could accomplish in any aspect, so he simply awaited Deianira's choice.

[Apollymi]

Hephaestus soon pointed out the exit and mentioned that the pair should take one of the boats from there. This made Deianira's face scrunch up slightly as she looked in the direction of everyone else. "Hm, I see..." she said aloud as she began walking away. 'Maybe I should send more people his way, seems like he might be bored...' she thought absently as she waved her farewell to the Smith God. With this she followed Athos out of the volcano seeming to think this whole thing strange. As she got outside she looked over these new boats and they were all pretty high tech. She scanned each of them before deciding on a midsize boat with a large cabin on it. She figured that given Athos' general disposition he would care about this too much. "Am I picking the boat? 'Cause I want this one~" she said as she climbed onto the boat with a silver and seafoam like motif. She seemed to like this vessel and would wait for Athos to climbing aboard, her general thought that he now had what he needed to do whatever it was he planned to do.

[Bloodedge]

Soon enough, Deianira was visually inspecting the set of boats they had to chose from. She apparently had a very clear preference for which one she wished to use, and that was alright. As far as Athos was concerned, it would be mostly for her use, as he intended to be parting right after reaching his own destination. So long as he had his way in this matter, he would never see her - or any of the other demigods - ever again. Without another word spoken, Athos climbed onto the vessel and prepared to nigh immediately make way for a place he could never forget the location of: his second home. Of course, he intended to reach this destination by once again controlling the waters himself, to move the boat at great speeds.