Angry Hephaestus returned to his own temple.

The furious and irritable god of fire came to the forge, gripped his hammer, took off the garment wrapping his upper body to reveal his chest, and struck the gold that had been heated until soft. Hephaestus's face was taut; he was still upset about Aphrodite's earlier mockery.

How could Aphrodite judge Hephaestus with such base thoughts?

The goddess of beauty, seductive and certain, assumed that what Hephaestus wanted was merely a momentary pleasure with her, but Hephaestus had no such thought. Hephaestus only felt that Aphrodite demeaned herself—being the "fairest," does she consider everything only in terms of "desire" and "bed matters"?

Hephaestus clenched his teeth and swung his arm forcefully, forging and kneading the gold ingot. He stared intently at the gold beneath the hammer as if gazing at Aphrodite's perpetually proud and confident face. Hephaestus brought the hammer down as if to crush the sudden, humiliating anger that rose in his heart.

Hephaestus disliked Aphrodite's ways; that flamboyant goddess always attracted suitors and flirted recklessly—shameless!

An inexplicable bitterness appeared in Hephaestus's heart. Sweat slowly trickled down his skin over time as he swung his arms; even Aglaea's calls could not stop Hephaestus's relentless, almost self-torturing forging and arm movements. Hephaestus's lips moved slightly as he silently uttered the name "Aphrodite," as if reciting a spell.

Hephaestus missed Aphrodite and was pained by her promiscuity. The god of craftsmen and flame was certain that Aphrodite had cast a longing spell on his heart, even though Aphrodite had sworn by touching his heart with her finger that she had not cast any spell.

Aphrodite was convinced that Hephaestus had fallen for her at first sight, but Hephaestus was sure it was a spell—one cast by the deity who governs love and beauty.

So even though Hephaestus and Aphrodite were now so at odds, Hephaestus still intended to go to her and order that damned, wanton goddess to lift the spell.

But things like "love" are always elusive; even a god who masters "desire and beauty" cannot stop the birth of the purest "sincerity." Even if Hephaestus denied that his feelings came from the heart, the flame of love still burned within him, unnoticed by Hephaestus himself. Perhaps what Hephaestus sought was not to lift some so-called spell or curse—what he wanted was merely Aphrodite's gaze... just like the affectionate looks the beautiful goddess cast upon others.

If Aphrodite's looks toward others are so full of affection, then why... why is the look she gives Hephaestus always filled with mockery and disdain?

Hephaestus had not realized he harbored such thoughts. Now he forged gold by instinct; the blue spiritual fire born with it seared the splendid glow of the gold. Gold forged by Hephaestus's spirit-fire gained divine power—these items, forged from gold and spirit-fire with anger and unconscious love, became a dagger and a ring.

The dexterous, sharp golden dagger was inlaid with gemstones. Hephaestus held the object in his hand, staring at the weapon without blinking—he even wanted to use this weapon to dig out Aphrodite's heart, to see how malicious and ugly her heart truly was.

After finishing the forging, Hephaestus finally calmed down a little. He went to a corner of the palace, sat in a chair, and Aglaea handed him fresh water. Hephaestus gave Aglaea a faint smile, then drank the water in one gulp. This irate and angry god stood up, dressed, and put away the golden dagger and ring.

The enraged god of fire knew he still had to see Aphrodite. Even though their previous conversation had been unpleasant—Hephaestus's face was half ugly and his right leg crippled—Hephaestus was not a god so sullen as to be self‑loathing. The hot-tempered craftsman and god of flame had his pride. Although Hephaestus's heart loved Aphrodite, he had not yet recognized that pure affection; for now, he only felt suppressed anger toward her.

Originally Hephaestus bore no hatred for Aphrodite. Earlier, although he resented his longing for her and thought Aphrodite had cast a spell, Hephaestus had come to Olympus simply to ask Aphrodite to lift the curse—nothing more.

Once Aphrodite removed the curse, Hephaestus would naturally return to the island of Lemnos and resume being that rustic wild god upon the earth.

But Aphrodite actually presumed such base thoughts about Hephaestus!

The enraged god of fire could not ignore such an insult.

Hephaestus, expressionless and sullen, stood in the center of his temple; after a long while, a grim smile slowly appeared on his face.

At the best moment of the next morning’s light, Aphrodite awakened—resplendent as a blooming flower, the goddess of beauty with a head of radiant golden hair. Her face was beautiful, bearing both the delicacy of a woman and the strong contours of a man; her face and body were so beautiful that gender was indistinguishable… In any case, one thing was certain: Aphrodite was beautiful.

With the attendant of the goddess of glory serving her, Aphrodite put on her robes and fastened her belt. She smoothed her golden hair, cleansed her body with "ambrosia," and at last learned what had happened on Olympus earlier.

…Hephaestus was the son of Hera and Zeus, and had recently returned to Olympus to become a member of the divine court.

The radiant halls of Olympus and the restored temples were Hephaestus’s masterpieces.

Aphrodite sipped wine while listening to the nymphs’ accounts, but the beautiful god felt a constant unease… In other words, Aphrodite had offended Zeus and now had also offended a craftsman god who could help the gods in many ways. Aphrodite understood without thinking that punishment would surely follow, so she nervously rubbed the golden cup with her scarlet lips, her teeth instinctively biting the rim, then drained the wine at one gulp.

This unease grew even stronger when Hera’s daughter, the goddess of youth Hebe, arrived.

Zeus sounded the horn; all the gods had to come to his side.

Hebe, Olympus’s cupbearer, smiled as she slowly approached Aphrodite’s temple and blessed the radiant, handsome god: “Aphrodite, great mistress of love and beauty, your joyous event is approaching!”

Hebe lifted what she had brought: a golden ring gleamed, and inside the ring were words of blessing and love.

Aphrodite did not understand what this meant—was it a punishment from Zeus and Hephaestus?

Since punishment is to be given, why give him a ring?

Hebe smiled brightly; the youthful goddess stood gracefully and spoke in a clear voice, “Please go to the Hall of the Gods—Zeus is about to announce something important!”

As Zeus’s command, all gods must comply. Accompanied by Hebe, Aphrodite headed toward the summit of Mount Olympus. At the summit stood a resplendent hall where the gods convened. Although uneasy, Aphrodite still wore her usual alluring smile, unabashedly radiating her charm and enjoying the gods’ gazes, regardless of how angrily married goddesses or attached male gods looked at her.

Aphrodite sat beside Hebe; not far from her were Athena, Apollo, and Artemis.

Aphrodite turned her gaze toward that ugly god of fire.

Seeing that most of the gods had arrived, Hephaestus stood up. His vivid crimson hair was tied in a ponytail down his back. Wearing a mask and prosthetic limbs, Hephaestus approached Zeus and bowed gracefully, as if he were a well-bred prince.

The usually expressionless craftsman and god of fire faced Zeus, his voice low and resonant.

“Zeus, my father, I beg you for a favor.”

Hephaestus slowly turned his face toward Aphrodite, and his eyes met hers.

The god of flame and craftsmanship grinned menacingly at Aphrodite.

“I want you to arrange the marriage for me; the one I will wed is Aphrodite, the goddess of love and beauty.”

Hephaestus slowly voiced his request; he looked at Aphrodite's suddenly wide eyes and pale cheeks, his grimace unchanged.

"If you refuse this request, then I will leave Mount Olympus, return to my island of Lemnos, and resume being my rustic god."

"And Mount Olympus will lack a craftsman who can forge all things—my ability, Great Zeus, as you already know."

Looking at Aphrodite's pale cheeks and wide eyes, and her body springing up in disbelief, Hephaestus laughed.

Hephaestus turned his head back and stared at Zeus.

"Yes, this is my revenge. I hate Aphrodite, because this proud and wanton goddess dared to humiliate me yesterday, so I will bind this promiscuous god with the constraints of marriage!"

"Zeus, please consent to this marriage!"