Date: Fri, 20 Jun 2008 18:46:55 -0400
From: Joe Barker <jbark217@gmail.com>
Subject: A Greek Story - Hepaestus' Gift

	I stood in my small room, off the side of the main hospital in the
city of Sparta. Nikias was resting on the cot that was set up in my make
shift work-room. He was breathing deeply as he slept, his muscles rippling
as his chest went up and then down slowly. It was strange to think that we
were something so different, but when I paid close enough attention to him,
it is only possible that a god sired this beauty.
	I had set up my statues of all the gods that I worshiped on a
regular basis. I was in the presence of eleven statues, Apollo's was
absent, because I had melted it seeing as he tried to kill Nikias and
myself. I knew that my mother and Nikias' father were at least on our side,
whatever that meant, and I figured that I would try to appease the others
just in case.
	Nikias stirred in his bed and sat up slowly, blinking as he looked
around the room. He looked dazed and confused, but after a few more blinks
he regained his normal facial features. His dark eyes narrowed as if he was
constantly contemplating something. His slender nose peaked right over pair
soft lips that could melt a glacier if he would ever smile. He grinned at
me as he saw me arranging the remaining gods. I lifted the statues of
Athena and Ares to the top of my altar, and the other nine remained below
them.
	Nikias walked over to my side and put a hand on my shoulder,
strength flooded through my body, I reached up and returned the touch to
his hand and felt power flood toward the touch and into him. We couldn't
use each other's abilities but we had begun to learn that we could at least
share energy. It had been about a week since the scene with Apollo, and we
were sort of in hiding with the help of my Athenian Master.
	"Did you sleep well?" I asked up to him.
	"Yes your concoctions really are wonderful." He grinned down at me.
	"Thank You, but I think that it comes with my territory...or
destiny...or whatever." I said slowly returning my gaze to my statues. Out
of the corner of my eyes I saw the fire in our pit roar to life from the
nearly dead coals. Flames erupted as tall as myself, and burned for a
minute and then went as quickly as they had come, leaving a man behind. The
ugliest man I had ever seen in my life, his face was scared so only about
half of it was even remotely normal. I almost knew who this would be just
from the stories I had grown up with.
	"Welcome Hephaestus." Said Nikias from beside me, apparently he had
the same assumption I had.
	"Thank you, and before you get worried by no means am I here to
harm you. I saw what you did to my nephew, and I don't know whether to
laugh or thank you. It's about time someone wounded his ego, although how
you did it is still a mystery to most of us." He bowed his head slightly
and then took a seat on the hearth that he was standing on.
	"What brings you here honored lord." I said with as much reverence
as I could.
	"Please call me by my name, as the fates would have it, you are as
honored as I am, or will be soon. While we are on that subject, I have to
come to warn you that, Apollo is not the only god that will make an attempt
on your life now that the prophesy has been made known, and the others are
far better killers than him. Their weapons will be mighty; for I forged
them, but that is another reason I have come, to give you boys' a few
gifts." He snapped his fingers and the fire roared to life again this time
it branched three times around him. "Please sit."
	I moved so I was sitting cross-legged in front of him and Nikias
knelt in front of him. The two outer flames lurched forward and scorched
the ground in front of us, neither of us jumped, we were used to the parlor
tricks of the gods. When the two flames returned safely to the pit there
were shinny metal objects in front of us.
	"Nikias, for you I have forged a pair of wrist bands, imbued with
the most powerful Ruby and Sapphire that I have ever crafted. The bands
themselves are made from quicksilver and will always protect you when you
use them, and the stones themselves will allow you to manipulate fire and
water, bending them to your will, to use in combat." Nikias lifted the
gauntlets slowly and slid them on one at a time. The gems glistened in the
center of the silver, reflecting the light. I noticed him shiver, I
wondered if the power had slid across him, or he was just excited.
	"Solon, for you I have crafted a belt quicksilver belt. If you
notice the markings across it, they are the shapes of a variety of throwing
weapons, Stars crafted after weapons from Chin, silver darts used by many,
and metal spheres that maybe small but will be lethal. They are just
engravings, but when you wear this belt, and touch one of the engravings a
true weapon will fall to your hands, and I think, combined with your
ability you could make any of these lethal.
	I picked the belt up and ran my hand over the engravings, nothing
happened. He had said when I wore it that it would work. The silver
glistened in my hand and I felt the power resonate from them, knew now why
Nik had shivered.
	"Lastly, I grant you a third gift, a silver coin engraved with my
insignia, when the time comes that you face opponents from Olympus and
beyond, know that I will rise up to fight with you." The last tendril of
flame twisted above our heads and with a pop a silver medallion fell from
its depths. Nikias and I both reached out to grab it. Our hands rested one
on top of the other as it fell into our open palms. We stared first at the
coin and then at each other. When our gaze finally found the hearth again,
Hephaestus was gone and the fire had returned to nothing more than embers.