HEPHAESTUS

Hephaestus' parents loved gatherings. They always tried to dress them up as they kept thinking about the inventors outside the window. Inside the workshops, watching their imaginations come to life.

One thing they loved about the gatherings was that they had to travel to Olympus by train. Their heads rested on the cold window, far from the arms of their parents, as the cogs and gears made the engines sing like a concert.

The noble house was substantial enough to keep all fifty of the guests and ten of the servants in place. The food was terrible, Hephaestus thought. But still, everyone had a good time. They played games, told stories, and talked about the coming week. The servants were always busy, but they were friendly and kept the place in order.

Sitting now, down on the red velvet couch, Hephaestus moved their head up to see the candlelight standing still inside the room full of people chatting about their businesses and assets.

Even the kids did. How rich their father or mother was.

So Hephaestus was dying of boredom, moving their back behind with a loud grunt.

‘’May I sit?’’ A gentle voice asked from the left side of Hephaestus’s shoulder.

Turning their head, surprised by the voice, Hephaestus found a man standing in front with a kind smile. His face was shadowed by his long dark tophat, for only his smile to be shown. His hands were gloved with tight leather and his hair was pulled inside the hat. Each of the dark sleeve cuffs had knitted daffodils, light yellow like the pollen of them. He had a unique style that was both captivating and inviting, yet his eyes remained hidden in the shadows of his hat.

Hephaestus shook their head, agreeing with the man who was now trying to sit next to them, looking at the same crowd as them. Their parents kept talking about the new opportunities the inventors in Aztlan were giving.

‘’You are too young to come to those gatherings’’ He realized.

‘’You are far old’’ Hephaestus replied.

‘’How old do you think I am, kid?’’ The man let out a laugh.

Hephaestus did not answer the question. They could say he looked twelve. Or eighty nine. His hair was tugged inside his top hat so they could not see if he had white stripes.

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A man trapped in time, they thought.

‘’Your parents made you come, didn’t they?’’ He said and turned his head to them once more. ‘’My parents did the same with me. And I am still dying of boredom.''

Hephaestus snorted, listening to the man’s childish yet calm tone.

‘’They did’’ They finally said, trying to hold their laughter but none turned to look at them as if they were invisible to the entire house. None told Hephaestus to behave or stop talking.

‘’So what are you?’’ Hephaestus asked.

‘’I invent’’The man sighed nervously with a smile and scratched his chin. ‘’I am a scientist in Elysium actually’’ He explained.

A big grin drew to Hephaestus’s face, feeling their cheeks hurt. But they moved their body closer to the man. They let their tongue run, telling him that they wished to become one too, unlike their parents. They even told their ideas, and their dreams to him. About a net that can be invisible. A machine that can make mortals travel everywhere.

The man gasped,d interested in their words. He saw the potential of the child and offered to train them in the ways of the Order, an offer the child eagerly accepted. Even if they felt that it was a lie for someone to tell a foolish child, Hephaestus wanted to believe it.

‘’What is your name, kid?’’ He asked.

‘’Hephaestus’’ they said.

‘’Well,’’ The man offered his hand to them, clicking his tongue to his lips.

‘’My name is…’’

The next day, Hephaestus woke up with an ill-looking hand. Like they had placed their palm on a fire. They could remember they had touched the man’s glove. The one dressed in iron. And then, he left as their parents moved to their side, almost worried.

Getting dressed in their red robe, they went downstairs m, only to see one of the maids opening the door of their basement. With a tray of food.

Hephaestus tried to sneak inside getting downstairs. When the maid tried to get back, Hephaestus jumped off the right side of the stairs.

Their body fell to the floor. It burned their skin. But for just a moment. Their head started to ache with their eyes, looking inside an iron cage.

‘’Who are you?'' A voice growled in the dark.