The fire in the gods

5000 words no questions (Make the characters speak) it was a sunny day, on Olympus, mostly everything was normal. Ares and Aphrodite were walking away from the council, they had been charged with the retrieval of Hephaestus. Zeus had told them that Hephaestus was deep in the Etna, and to go find him because he wanted his commissions. Ares and Aphrodite, even if begrudgingly, went. they arrived at Etna, the volcano smoking, and neared its crater. Ares shouted Hephaestus’ name, telling him to come out. Aphrodite leaned against Ares’ shoulder, bored. Hephaestus, hearing him, came out— and damn if he came out. he was soaking wet in the lava, the lava dripping off him and not scathing his skin. he looked like a Titan, he looked like the concept of strength and muscles itself. His bronze skin looked radiant, he was burning and radiating the heat of the volcano itself. his hair, recognizing the lava and Fire, were completely molten, as well as his beard, ablaze and framing his face perfectly. his chest was bare, his trousers heat resistant. he looked hot in every sense of the word. Hephaestus looked at them, moving through the lava like it was viscous honey. He stepped out to the volcano, a good distance away from the two gods, not wanting to burn them. he materialized a towel to clean himself, one that couldn’t burn. he asked Ares what he wanted. Ares and Aphrodite had been staring at him wide eyed and stunned— they looked at eachother for a second— that was the Smith? The Crippled? The one that looked like a Beast of a God right now? Aphrodite looked away, her face flushing a little, not from the heat of the volcano. Ares briefly forgot his own name, before telling Hephaestus that Zeus had called for him to return. Hephaestus nodded, telling him he would come, but he had to wash himself first. From the plain beneath the Etna, Aphrodite and Ares waited for the Smith, speaking with eachother of what they had just witnessed, about the sheer event they had just witnessed. they left with Hephaestus as if nothing happened, Hephaestus was a little confused by the flush on their faces, but thought it was just the heat if the volcano— he was very dense romantically— and they returned to Olympus. 5000 words no questions that night, it was atrocious. Aphrodite dreamt about having Hephaestus by her side, kissing him, Hephaestus wrapping her in his arms, the heat hot but unscathing. Aphrodite woke up with a jolt, breathless. Ares dreamt of sparring with Hephaestus. In the end, they both went down, and Hephaestus pinned Ares underneath him, their lips crashing against eachother. It felt incredible, like a revelation. The god of Fire, out a hand in Ares’ heart, and Ares could hear his heart thumping frantically. He sat up with a jolt. Ares and Aphrodite met on the terrace of Aphrodite’s palace that night. they recounted their dreams, the situation had gotten out of hand. really out of hand. they needed the Smith. Both of them. Ares didn’t want to admit it, but he felt the sheer need to hold him close to him. Aphrodite nodded along. they needed that mountain of a god. both of them. they started fantasizing about Hephaestus’ body, of touching the muscles, of kissing the skin, of touching his scarred chest, of cupping his face, of holding his hand, of stroking his hair. Ares snapped and looked at Aphrodite, asking her what to do. Aphrodite looked at him from a long minute, and then sighed softly. She told him not to worry. She was the goddess of love, and he was already her husband, technically. She could get him back for the both of them in a second. right…? … 5000 words no questions the next day, Aphrodite went down to the forge. Hephaestus was there, his chest bare, moving with steady strokes as he polished a shield. Aphrodite took a moment to take the view of him in. how? How had she never noticed? How had she insulted this Mountain of a God? By the Fates, if he had crushed her, she would’ve thanked him. she spoke, making her presence known, and continued to speak about his craft, the things he built, and how much he looked like the volcano itself. Hephaestus looked at her a little confused and defensive. He told her that of course he was hot, he was the God of Fire, and that he was working. He told her that if she wanted to mock him, to leave, and if she continued her mocking, he wouldn’t make her commissions. to hell with the commissions! She wanted the man! Aphrodite cleared her throat, telling him to come for dinner in her palace tonight. Telling him that Ares was going to be there as well, but he was going to be perfectly calm. Hephaestus looked at her, and asked her why. Aphrodite was a little taken aback. She told him that he looked in dire need of good food. Hephaestus looked at her and sighed, nodding. Aphrodite went away victorious, and went to Ares to tell him That evening they ate, overall peacefully, although Hephaestus noticed that they were speaking about heat related things (volcanos, furnaces, forges, himself, the sun, the fire). Hephaestus didn’t worry much, he probably thought they were mocking him, he didn’t trust them much. Ares was progressively leaning against him, but Hephaestus dint notice, or didn’t care. They passed carafes and food with their fingers brushing every time, and they continued to look at him with a yearning he’s never seen. Hephaestus, after the dinner, asked what they really wanted from him. Aphrodite and Ares grinned, getting closer and more handsy.