HEPHAESTUS

They were walking around the marketplace with blood dripping from behind their shoulders. It did not burn like the other bullets they had been struck by. Probably because it was not iron. The bullet did not come out of a military pistol.

What did I just do? They asked themselves, eyes on the white mask which they were holding. They put it inside their bag instantly and looked left and right.

What did I say? They asked themselves when they threatened Petbe.

You sounded just like him. A voice echoed in their head.

I am not him. They kept running with jumps.

Lucifer is nowhere to be found, Ukko too. The army and Mordred are after them. All because of their stupidity.

You caused this.

Shaking their head, Hephaestus blocked the voices from their head. There was no time for them to cry or give up.

Their mind did not stop working no matter how much pain they were experiencing from the bullet. An old man was resting in a dark corner wearing a heavy dark coat. Judging by how deep his slumber was, it did not seem that he would wake up any time soon.

After picking it up, Hephaestus wore it as he continued to drag their legs from the muddy ground as he covered the bullet wound.

Unlike the one they saw in Babel, this one had fewer things. Most of them were dark fabrics. There was also food but it seemed rotten. They even smelled awful.

They shook their head so they could avoid the thought of them living in Babel in peace. It was something that they knew they could not have. Not after this.

And that place had more soldiers than they were expecting. Everyone was asking about Ukko and Lucifer. Hephaestus took another look at the bottle. All this fuss...for that? They asked themselves. It did not seem threatening to them. It was just red liquid inside a simple small bottle. It could have filled half a glass of wine. How can this be so critical that people kill for it?

And they now had it. And they did not know what to do. Wait for Ukko to appear. And then what? Should they fight Mordred and the rest of the enemies that they had made over the past few days? to find his friend?

They knew that Mordred was right. But they could not let someone suffer.

Not another one.

But they also had their plan. They had to find Venus. They had to see him again, to tell him everything.

''Hephaestus?'' A familiar voice shouted their name. Slowly, they turned back and saw Venus in his military coat crying. Everyone around him stared at him with hatred. But it did not matter to Hephaestus. They found him. He was there. In front of their eyes.

Without a second thought, Hephaestus let their cane fall to the ground and ran towards him. He followed and squeezed tightly. Their skin was hurting but they didn't care anymore. Venus's left hand was far away from the wound, far away from the blood. Far away from the truth, they were hiding from him again.

They sniffed their tears and started whimpering with relief.

''I ...'' He backed up and smiled brightly. ''Thought you died'' Hephaestus responded with a chuckle. ''It takes more than that for me to die'' They looked around silently, keeping their dazzling smile.

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They were now hiding behind a dark alley. Then he told them what had happened to Olympus. About a royal who got kidnapped. Hephaestus tried to act surprised even though they knew it from the start. The soldiers just came a bit earlier.

''Look at you,'' he remarked, showing off their clothes with a sweet laugh. Hephaestus just smiled. ''How did you end up here?'' He asked. Hephaestus didn't know what to say. Or that they had to say. They just asked him a simple question. ''Do you remember when I...'' They swallowed and stretched their wrists. ''Yes...'' He answered. Hephaestus felt like they were ready to fall.

''But you never tried to harm anyone...'' He took off his coat stayed with his turtle neck and tried to hug them again. This time they didn't feel the burning. They touched his back with a strong grip and laughed in relief. Their worst fear was over. They could be free. But something was off.

''You are not evil like the other ONES from the incident'' Venus did not hide the hate in his tone.

Hephaestus flinched and backed away. ''What evil ones?'' Venus laughed and patted the top of their head.

''Stop being an idiot'' He told them as a joke. '' You don't remember those things ?'' He asked them with disgust. Hephaestus played dumb. ''There were these hideous warlocks...They killed thousands of people''

Hephaestus remembered that they saw Mordred in the infirmary while other warlocks had been injured badly.

''And for what?'' He scoffed. ''For pure entertainment'' They wanted to be free. ''They are just horrible'' Mordred helped me. Gaia helped me.

They finally had Hermes' answer.

''Monster'' They mumbled. Venus agreed with them and tried to hug them but they pushed him away. ''I...'' They stretched their wrists. They felt everything inside of them burn. They laughed as they tried to hold back tears. ''I will see you later'' They ran away.

''What do you mean? Where are you going?'' He asked but Hephaestus was long gone.

They were now in another alley, trying to concentrate, stretching their wrists and tapping their fingertips on their cane, counting from one to three.

From an early age, they learned the hard way that they were always the hunted and not the hunters. Being with one meant that they were just buying time. But they bought so much that they forgot what they were.

They tried to hold their breath. Their eyes were back on the bottle and the liquid.

And their head was back at Babel, drinking tea with Janus. Telling them that he wanted to help people. But they knew what happened the last time they tried to intervene. And of course, they could not forget the first one.

A cold hand covered their mouth while another clung to their waist and pulled them deeper into the darkness. Their wound started itching, and their head became lighter from their blood loss.

''Don't scream'' A voice whispered in their ear. Their heart was racing and cold sweat was streaming down their faces. They tried to fight back but in the end, They passed out.

Help people? What a joke. I cannot even help myself.

There was a heavy book with calculations that Hephaestus could not understand when they were younger. Words that they were too young to comprehend. But there was a sketch next to the confusing letters. A human was painted in red as rain poured from above. Hephaestus watched the pages of the book slowly burn, becoming ashes and reflecting in their eyes. Knowledge, windows open for their mind to find new ideas, and new solutions. A solution that they did not even understand it was possible.

''You are closer to the Spirits than you could ever imagine''A brooding sharp voice whispered to young Hephaestus and echoed into the darkness. ''This is the truth. Your mind, Me, knows what you have to do.''

''Yes''Hephaestus smiled with a dense look in their eyes.''I know.''

Don't end up like me. Prometheus' voice made them wake up to a cold dirty floor. Their back was on a wall and their eyes were on Mordred who was trying to calm them down. They did not even realize that they had sharp steel around their hands and it was caressing Mordred's throat.

"It's me," he pleaded again and again. But Hephaestus pulled it closer, making him bleed. Dark blood fell from his thin neck and fell to Hephaestus's palm. He tried to kill me. They thought. If they tried to pressure it a little bit more they could have killed him.

''Wait'' Someone shouted. Hephaestus turned in their direction and saw Ukko hugging a frail girl who had gray marks all over her face. She did not seem to be able to move or even open her eyes.

Is that his friend? Is She alive?

''He is alright'' He said and looked at Mordred sharply. ''For now''

Hephaestus gasped and looked at Mordred, flinching. He did not speak. He did not fight. The pain from the bullet was gone. They could feel their shoulder being relaxed and clean. They let the blade drop from his body and nodded.

''Soldiers are guarding the exit'' Another voice announced from the other side. They looked to the left and saw the girl with dark hair sitting on the floor with her back against the door. She looked at Hephaestus and let out a satisfying hum.

''What is going on?'' Hephaestus asked , breathing shakily.