"Take off your clothes."
The moment they stepped into the room, that was the very first thing Hephaestus said.
"...Just taking measurements, surely I don't have to undress for that?"
Eros hesitated, surprisingly unsure for once.
"Why are you talking so much? Take. Them. Off."
With a flick of her fingers, a flicker of flame surged out, and in the blink of an eye, every thread of Eros's clothing was incinerated, not even leaving ash behind.
Even the greatest sculptors of Greece could not craft a body like this.
Eros stood there in the nude, his very presence radiating the essence of masculine beauty.
Hephaestus clearly froze for a moment. Then her hands began to trace over his body in a kind of stunned reverence.
"Perfect... This musculature! These lines! These proportions!"
"Flawless. Absolutely flawless!"
The last time she had seen a body so stunning was when Aphrodite herself had worn nothing but a sheer veil.
But that had been feminine allure, this, Eros's form, radiated raw power and virile strength.
Her gaze burned, and her fingers moved over his chest and arms.
Her touch felt like flame, hot, searing. She was utterly captivated.
Her expression looked just like Kira Yoshikage when he first laid eyes on the Mona Lisa.
"Forge Goddess, can we… maybe focus on the actual reason we're here?"
Eros uncharacteristically reached out and grabbed her hand, trying to pull her back to her senses.
Hephaestus snapped out of her trance. Her eyes narrowed with displeasure.
"You're refusing me?"
She'd heard of Eros's many scandalous liaisons with the sea goddesses. The rumors were endless.
But why was he resisting her?
Was her face not beautiful enough?
Was she, Hephaestus, daughter of Zeus and Hera, less desirable than some shallow sea nymph?
When it came to official business, Hephaestus was the generous goddess of the forge.
But in personal matters, she was the sensitive, prideful, and volatile goddess of fire.
Eros's refusal had clearly hit a nerve.
"...Not exactly."
Eros studied her face.
It was indeed flawless, flawless to the point of seeming lifeless.
He had already noticed it earlier. Her expressions didn't quite match her eyes. Something felt… off.
Her body was hot like a furnace, yet her face was cold, like iron.
Too many inconsistencies. Enough that even without focusing, Eros could sense something was wrong.
Prometheus had warned him not to pry. Not to look, not to ask. Not to prod the fragile pride of the forge goddess.
Unless he wanted to be incinerated.
But,
Eros didn't step back. Instead, he tightened his grip on her hand, and locked eyes with her.
"This just feels unequal. I'm completely exposed. But you're still hiding."
He reached up, brushing her face with his fingertips.
Cold. Rigid. Not at all like the rest of her.
He had made up his mind.
He had to see what she was hiding. Even if it made her angry. Even if he lost the favor.
If he was going to pay for a goddess's favor… he wanted to know what he was getting into.
In one bold motion, Eros pinned Hephaestus against a nearby shelf, his eyes filled with heat.
"This just isn't fair, Forge Goddess. Let me see the real you."
"Impudent!"
Her hand surged with power, matching Eros's strength.
Flames exploded. The entire room heated up. She shoved him back, reclaiming control.
"You talk too much. If you want my help forging something, then follow my instructions like a good boy!"
"I'm asking for your help. And I'm willing to pay the price. This is supposed to be a fair transaction."
Eros stood firm, expression calm.
"But right now, I'm giving you everything. While you hide behind excuses."
"Don't pretend it's just a 'body scan.' That's a lazy lie."
"I know exactly what you're after, you want to mold my form."
Hephaestus's fascination was plain to see. She was the type who lusted after the beauty of her creations.
If he let her have free rein, she'd probably churn out an entire line of Eros-themed dolls by tomorrow.
And he had no interest in becoming Olympus's most popular knockoff merchandise.
He could tolerate flattery.
He could even tolerate voyeurism.
But fakes of himself?
Absolutely not.
"Tch. And what can you pay with, mortal?"
"Your body is your only value to me."
The flames in her forge roared to life.
Her eyes gleamed, not with lust, but with the obsession of an artisan.
"Then deliver results first. You don't get paid until the job is done."
"I'm just taking a down payment," she smirked. "What's wrong with that?"
To Hephaestus, beauty was sacred. She wasn't ashamed of her desires.
Why should she be?
Her workshop already contained countless life-sized replicas of goddesses.
Unless Eros could convince Zeus, Athena, Artemis, or Hestia to pose for her, he was her only viable model.
She needed him.
"Tch. Then I'll evaluate the quality of the so-called forge goddess before I offer anything."
Eros folded his arms defiantly.
"Your face is fake, isn't it? And your limp, your footsteps are uneven. One leg's heavier than the other."
"So show me how convincing your craft really is. Let me judge your handiwork for myself."
The insult landed hard.
"A fake?!"
"Do you even realize that with one word, I could summon Hera's thunder to obliterate you?!"
Eros raised a hand.
From his palm, the cold aura of the underworld surged, the Deadly Cosmo Wave roared silently behind him.
"Go ask Poseidon. When I beat her down, did she look as smug as you do right now?"
He wasn't about to cower, not to a beautiful face, and certainly not to someone threatening him with mother-in-law drama.
"I swear, even if I have to drag you into the underworld myself, I will see what's under that mask!"
The room trembled with their stand-off.
Hephaestus's expression darkened. Her fingers brushed across her own face, cold, flawless, lifeless.
"It's just skin. A facade. Easy to alter, easy to wear."
"But if people didn't judge based on appearances, I wouldn't have to wear it at all."
...That was a tough one to refute.
Eros fell silent for a second.
She was right.
Appearance was the first impression for most people.
For Hephaestus to hide her real face made sense, if it protected her pride.
But still…
"I admit, I do have a thing for attractive people."
"But I don't judge worth based on looks. That's not the same."
"There's a difference between admiring someone's body… and loving them."
He smiled again.
"That might sound presumptuous. Or maybe even offensive to you."
"But I'm just trying to see the real you."
...And then decide whether I want to sleep with you or not, he added silently.
He let go of his hand first, stepping back with poise.
"I still want you to forge my Cloth. Whether you're beautiful or not doesn't really matter to me."
"We both have our quirks. I can respect that."
Something shifted in Hephaestus's expression.
She wasn't angry anymore.
She was... surprised.
His words struck a familiar chord.
"Human, you…"
She stopped herself. The flames in the forge died down.
Her gaze wavered.
"You remind me of someone."
"The things you said… the way you said them…"
"It's almost exactly the same."
"Huh?"
Eros blinked, confused.
But Hephaestus was no longer hostile.
Her gaze twisted slightly, part amusement, part wariness.
"Since you're so desperate to see my real face… how about this?"
"Agree to a little condition. And I'll not only reveal my true form…"
"I'll even forge all your Cloths for free."
Eros narrowed his eyes.
"What condition?"
"You'll have to tell me first."
"Relax," she said with a grin, biting her finger like a mischievous devil. "It won't cost you anything."
"All I want…"
"...is for you to go seduce Aphrodite."
OG Author's Notes:
Aphrodite is Eros's mother in many versions.
But his father varies wildly depending on the source.
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100 P.S = 1 Extra Chapter