*450
A blast of hot air hits your face.
Sparks fly from a red-hot fire in the
middle of the room. Suddenly, two
robots appear in front of you. They are
made of gold and silver. "Sorry. No one
home," says one robot. "You might as
well leave," says the other. Do you
want to leave? (Y/N)
*451
"Ha, ha!" booms a jolly voice. "Pay no
attention to my assistants. I am
Hephaestus, the god of fire and of
blacksmiths. Welcome to my forge. This
is where I work." Through the cloud of
smoke and sparks, you see the huge,
smiling face of Hephaestus looking down
at you.
*452
"I make things of metal, [name],"
Hephaestus explains. He picks up a
delicate gold necklace with his tongs.
"This is a gift for my beautiful wife,
Aphrodite. I made my robot helpers,
too," he says proudly.
*453
You look around at other things
Hephaestus has made--a fine net made
of tiny gold links, a silver sword, and
a golden chariot.
*454
"[name]!" says Hephaestus severely. "It
is very impolite of you to take a gift
before it is offered! Come back when you
learn some manners. I would be glad to
tell you my story, if only you would
ask." Chuckling mechanically, the robots
pick you up and drop you out the door.
*455
"I'd like to hear more," you say.<
<
"Come sit on this bench with me,
[name]," Hephaestus says. "I see that
you notice my limp," he says kindly. "It
is true that my body is strong, but my
legs are weak. Would you like to know
why?" (Y/N)
*456
"Well, [name]," Hephaestus begins, "I am
the son of Zeus and Hera, the rulers of
all the gods. They are powerful--and
they sometimes have fiery tempers. Long
ago, my parents had a quarrel. I tried
to step between them."
*457
"Zeus thought that I was taking sides
with my mother, and as you know, he
cannot stand insults. He took me by my
legs, and flung me down from the top of
Mount Olympus."
*458
"What happened then?" you ask.<
<
"As I say, Zeus is very powerful. He
threw me so hard that I flew through the
air for a whole day."
*459
"At nightfall I landed on an island
where a sea goddess named Thetis found
me and cared for me. At last Zeus
forgave me and welcomed me back to
Olympus, but I have been lame ever since
then."
*460
"Now I content myself with working at my
forge," Hephaestus says. "Some say the
things I make have magical qualities.
This golden net keeps anything beneath
it quiet and still, at least for a few
minutes. I would like you to have it. It
may help you deal with the Minotaur."
*461
"It was nice meeting you, sir," you say
respectfully. "Your metalwork is
beautiful. Thanks!"<
<
"Good-bye, [name]," Hephaestus says as
you leave. "May peace and good luck go
with you."
*499
There is no more to read.
*1000