Mount Etna was where Hephaestus lived. As one of the Twelve Olympians, the god of fire had been born to Zeus and Hera, making him Diana's half-brother. When Diana was born, he'd crafted several pieces of equipment for her, including the Godkiller sword.
When it came to forging, the god of fire was unmatched.
His appearance went beyond plain—he was genuinely ugly, resembling the dwarves of old stories, with nothing remotely divine about his look. When Jack found him, he wore a leather apron and was hammering at some piece of equipment, his hands glowing cherry-red with heat.
"You are Jack Kadere?"
The god of fire glanced at the Aerie that had dropped straight down from the sky, then at Jack stepping off of it. His voice was calm.
"Can you fix this ship?" Jack asked.
"Chaos has broken out on Mount Olympus." Hephaestus spoke slowly. "Gods are no different from humans. In some ways, worse. I don't participate in their power struggles, but I want this ended—peace restored. I can modify your ship, but you must help end the chaos." He met Jack's eyes. "I know you can do it. And I know you could easily kill me."
His tone was calm. Resolute.
"Sure," Jack said.
"Look around while I work."
Hephaestus called his subordinates/automatons to move the Aerie into position. Jack tried watching the process, but there was nothing to understand—no technical skill involved, just divine authority reshaping matter in ways that defied physics.
He wandered instead.
The forge was filled with finished equipment, mostly melee weapons. The materials weren't exceptional, but being Hephaestus's work, the quality was leagues above anything mortal-made. Jack browsed for about an hour before the god of fire called him back.
"Throw a punch. Let's see."
The Aerie looked identical from the outside, except the damaged sections had been repaired.
"How much force?" Jack asked.
"Whatever you want." Hephaestus sounded confident.
Jack thought of Diana's demigod-level strength and swung.
Bam.
The shockwave sent Hephaestus's subordinates staggering. The Aerie didn't have a scratch.
"Impressive." Jack stacked four times that power and threw another punch.
This time: a slight dent.
"Nice work."
Jack gave him a thumbs-up. Without seeing any of what the god had done, he'd enhanced the Aerie's defenses to this degree. That second punch was equivalent to four demigod-era Dianas hitting at full strength, and the result was barely a dent. Against something like the Firstborn's power, it should withstand multiple strikes. If they were attacked like last time, even with the defensive barrier breached, the hull would probably survive.
"This is a gift for Diana."
Hephaestus looked exhausted. He had someone bring out a sword.
"The Sword of Hephaestus?" Jack smiled and took it. "Can it cut through my ship?"
Hephaestus said nothing.
"So that's a yes. Preferential treatment—but you're family, so fair enough." Jack tucked the sword under his arm. "Out of all the Olympians, you're the one I like best. Keep it up. If you run into trouble, come find me—though I have no idea how you'd contact me."
He chuckled and boarded the Aerie.
Defense upgraded. Next: build an AI for the ship, then track down the Atom to research nano-shrinking technology.
Boom.
The Aerie shot into the sky, speed several times faster than before.
Hephaestus watched it disappear, then collapsed to the ground. He hadn't cut corners on any of the modifications. The Aerie's internal structure was intricate and complex—working on it had drained most of his energy and divine power.
---
Jack piloted back to Paradise Island in less than half the time it had taken to leave.
Defense and speed both massively improved. He couldn't be more satisfied.
He spotted Diana walking toward him from a distance. Smiling, he strode forward, pulled her into his arms, and kissed her.
Diana startled, then responded instinctively.
A moment later, Jack released her. "Your brother's not bad."
"Getting you to say someone's 'not bad' is rare." Diana paused, then smiled. "The modifications must have impressed you."
"They did." He handed her the Sword of Hephaestus. "This is from him."
Diana took it, feeling the power thrumming inside the blade. Her expression brightened—then sharpened. "Where's my Lasso of Truth?"
"Well..." Jack considered it for a moment and shook his head. "It's too useful."
"Hmph." Diana huffed, annoyed and a little petulant.
That expression made Jack reach for her again, pulling her close and murmuring against her ear. "Your room or the ship?"
"We just—before coming back to Paradise Island. Why again..." Diana blinked, caught off guard.
Jack's grin turned wicked. "Just following Zeus's example. Besides, once I finish dealing with Olympus, I'm leaving. Next time we meet could be decades from now. Centuries, even."
"You're going to find that Flash?"
"Exactly."
He smiled brilliantly and pulled her toward the Aerie.
After a few steps, Diana slipped free. "I'm the only leader my sisters have left. I need to organize defenses. And—" She straightened. "Don't forget we're still enemies. Next time, I will defeat you."
"Even if you're stronger than a god?"
Jack paused, then pointed at the night sky above them. "You want the stars? I could steal them for you."
"What?" Diana looked up at the glittering expanse. "Steal stars? What are you planning now?"
She felt helpless sometimes—she never had any idea what Jack was thinking or what he intended to do.
"I'm going to pull off the greatest bait-and-switch in history." Jack's smile was radiant.
"Bait-and-switch? You mean... secretly replacing one thing with another? Changing the truth of something to deceive everyone?" Diana stared at him. "What are you doing?"
Jack just laughed, waved, and turned back toward the Aerie, leaving Diana standing there trying to puzzle out what he meant.