Hephaestus Aetnaeus

The olympian god of fire and metal

## History

### Overview

**Hephaestus** was a member of the Olympians a group of humanoid beings that hale from the pocket dimension; Olympus. He was worshipped by the humans of Ancient Greece and the Roman Empire. He was the god of fire and metal, patron god of blacksmiths, weapon maker and armorer of Olympus.

### Early Life

Hephaestus was the son of the king and queen of the Olympians; Zeus and Hera. Zeus threw him from Mount Olympus because he was crippled; he fell into the ocean and was raised by Thanatos - who told stories about the Eternity Gemstones - of which there were six in total, each controlling an aspect of existence: Space, Time, Probability, Matter, Energy, and Magic. It is on Earth where he became a master craftsman. He was later accepted back to Olympus, and became the craftsman of the gods, creating majestic armors, shields and weapons.

Hephaestus, being the most unfaltering of the gods, was given Aphrodite's hand in marriage by Zeus in order to prevent conflict over her between the other gods. However, this did not stop her from having secret affairs with other men, be it mortal or god. It was Ares she was attracted to the most, something that Helios told Hephaestus after catching them in an affair.

Hephaestus created an invisible net and hung it above his bed, making sure it was completely hidden. Then he told his wife that he was going on a trip. The moment her husband was gone, Aphrodite invited Ares for a visit. The lovers went to bed, but the net fell on them while they were making love. It was impossible for the couple either to escape or to separate. The more they tried, the more they became tangled. Hephaestus then invited the other gods to see their shameful position, in further mockery. Naked and damp, their limbs entangled in each other's and in the golden web that held them. After publicly humiliating them, Aphrodite and Hephaestus' relationship became bitter, and Hephaestus grew to dislike Ares even more.

### Seeking Power

#### Quest for Eternity Gemstones

Hephaestus eventually realised on the injustices that his father had inflicted upon him, decided to covet all of Olympus, especially Zeus's throne, for himself. Deducing that the Eternity Gemstones, six oval gemstones of immense power, that held considerable dominance over an aspect of existence: Space, Time, Probability, Matter, Energy, and Magic, could solve his issue permanently, Hephaestus soon made it his life's goal to gather them, and forged several alliances in order to locate them. He soon successfully located at least one of the gemstones; the Meta-Space Gemstone, which he then hid inside a volcano
that was his secret workshop.

Through many years of searching, Hephaestus would tell one of his mechanical handmaidens that his intention was that once he had claimed all the gemstones and caused the Second Titanomachy , he would go to his father's throne and become the new king of Olympus, but with even greater powers than Zeus'. Eventually, Hephaestus had discovered a lead on the Meta-Time Gemstone's location, sending his mechanical handmaidens to a parallel universe where life of an alternate earth evolved differently. One of the mechanical handmaidens fell victim to a trap during the mission, and Hephaestus, not one to tolerate failure, forbade Tityus from rescuing her.

As a result of Hephaestus' disregard of her, the mechanical handmaiden was forced to amputate her own arm in order to escape. The Meta-Time Gemstone was recovered, but Hephaestus let the failure pass and resumed his search. He had also sent Tityos to find the Meta-Probability Gemstone, but he lied and reported back to Zeus that Hephaestus was in search of the Eternity Gemstones However, Hephaestus, being as perceptive as he was, easily saw through Tityos but simply allowed him to believe he had fooled him for the time being.

## Powers and Abilities

Hephaestus possessed all of the conventional powers of an Olympian god.

* **Superhuman Strength**:

* **Superhuman Craftsmanship**:

* **Regenerative Healing Factor:** Hephaestus, if injured, was capable of rapidly regenerating damaged or destroyed tissue with greater speed and efficiency than an ordinary human. However, Hephaestus' healing factor was not enough to recover from the wounds dealt from wielding the Eternity Gemstones.

* **Allspeak:** Do to the Allspeak (also called *All-Tongue*), Hephaestus could communicate in all languages, Earth's dialects, and various alien languages.