sterile as a hospital.
They arrived at the end of the hallway, Dionysus stopped and knocked on the door. He stood to the side, and Rebecca glimpsed a dingy door with a rusted doorknob.
Rebecca said, “Try the door.”
“Huh?”
“Try it.”
Dionysus turned the knob and the door opened. “How did you know?”
She shrugged. “Who locks a door like that?”
Dionysus surveyed the door then agreed, “Good point.”
Dionysus immediately stepped in and doubled over laughing to the sounds of Heph working.
Rebecca noticed a rack with the same attire that the Hestia follower had presented them. She hastily put everything on and followed Dionysus. She was semi-perplexed about why he was laughing so hard as she stepped inside. She waited a moment for him to explain himself then yelled over the noise of what sounded like hammer on anvil. “What is it?”
Dionysus had not heard her but said, “Things never change.”
The room had a few Cyclops hunch over while Heph worked at the anvil. It was small. It was cramped. It had a pit in the middle that a Cyclops’ was manning. It was exactly what Heph had worked at on Mount Olympus.
Heph said, “Look who showed up.”
Dionysus said, “Surprise.”
“What do you want?”
“A great many things. Hermes said you were working on something for her.”
Heph took a look over his shoulder. “He didn’t say anything.”
Rebecca then recalled Hermes saying Heph had made it for her, opened her mouth to say so then closed it shut. Hermes lied. She knew it. Must be the cunning gods can lie bullshit on display.
She did not remember that trickster gods can lie.
Dionysus said, “Ah, I see. It was a negotiation he hadn’t negotiated yet.”
“It would appear so.” He limped slightly to grab some tongs and grasped a weapon out of the forge with them.
“Brings you back, don’t it?”
He grunted.
“So you don’t have anything for her?”
“Perhaps. . . where’s Hermes?”
“He’s watching TV at her place.”
He sighed, long and heavy. “That again, huh?”
Dionysus nodded. “Yeah, you still owe me one?”
“Nope.”
“Shame.”
“Go ahead.”
“What?”
“Go ahead and mock me.”
“For what?”
“Hestia took over my shop. I end up with what I had all those years ago. And I’m fine with it. . . really, I am.” To Rebecca, to Dionysus, to the world, he was not fine with that.
Dionysus thought for a moment. Her, it had to be. His thought was that Hera was actually behind this newest assault on Heph. Heph and Dionysus shared an equal disdain for her and she held an obscene hatred for them. “Who told you to partner up with Hestia?” Heph raised an eyebrow and looked to the side, gazing at Rebecca.
Dionysus stared at Heph. “Don’t worry about her, she’s great.”
“I’m super,” Rebecca said at a feeble attempt of breaking the ice.
Heph snorted. “All right. I went to her asking for help with the plans.”
“Before that.”
“Before that?”
“Yeah, I know you well enough, Heph. You like to do your own thing. You had an opportunity to sculpt the shop however you desired.”
“Well. . .”
“Yeah?”
“My wife was the one to come to me with the idea.”
Dionysus said, “ Aphrodite?”
Heph’s voice immediately became accusatory and defensive, “Why is that strange to you? Strange to all of you? She is more than a pretty face.”
“Deceptively so, Heph, I wasn’t implying she didn’t have a brain.”
“Then what?”
“Come on, I’m a bit more perceptive than your average god or goddess. She’s never showed any interest in your work besides the hours you occupy.”
Heph’s face crunched up into a snarl but he said nothing. Dionysus continued, “Am I wrong?”
He shook his head, keeping his thoughts and comments to himself.
Rebecca would be alarmed to know that he had a fleeting thought of throwing her in a pit. He felt enough disgrace from his family and the Greek gods alike. He didn’t care for the
They arrived at the end of the hallway, Dionysus stopped and knocked on the door. He stood to the side, and Rebecca glimpsed a dingy door with a rusted doorknob.
Rebecca said, “Try the door.”
“Huh?”
“Try it.”
Dionysus turned the knob and the door opened. “How did you know?”
She shrugged. “Who locks a door like that?”
Dionysus surveyed the door then agreed, “Good point.”
Dionysus immediately stepped in and doubled over laughing to the sounds of Heph working.
Rebecca noticed a rack with the same attire that the Hestia follower had presented them. She hastily put everything on and followed Dionysus. She was semi-perplexed about why he was laughing so hard as she stepped inside. She waited a moment for him to explain himself then yelled over the noise of what sounded like hammer on anvil. “What is it?”
Dionysus had not heard her but said, “Things never change.”
The room had a few Cyclops hunch over while Heph worked at the anvil. It was small. It was cramped. It had a pit in the middle that a Cyclops’ was manning. It was exactly what Heph had worked at on Mount Olympus.
Heph said, “Look who showed up.”
Dionysus said, “Surprise.”
“What do you want?”
“A great many things. Hermes said you were working on something for her.”
Heph took a look over his shoulder. “He didn’t say anything.”
Rebecca then recalled Hermes saying Heph had made it for her, opened her mouth to say so then closed it shut. Hermes lied. She knew it. Must be the cunning gods can lie bullshit on display.
She did not remember that trickster gods can lie.
Dionysus said, “Ah, I see. It was a negotiation he hadn’t negotiated yet.”
“It would appear so.” He limped slightly to grab some tongs and grasped a weapon out of the forge with them.
“Brings you back, don’t it?”
He grunted.
“So you don’t have anything for her?”
“Perhaps. . . where’s Hermes?”
“He’s watching TV at her place.”
He sighed, long and heavy. “That again, huh?”
Dionysus nodded. “Yeah, you still owe me one?”
“Nope.”
“Shame.”
“Go ahead.”
“What?”
“Go ahead and mock me.”
“For what?”
“Hestia took over my shop. I end up with what I had all those years ago. And I’m fine with it. . . really, I am.” To Rebecca, to Dionysus, to the world, he was not fine with that.
Dionysus thought for a moment. Her, it had to be. His thought was that Hera was actually behind this newest assault on Heph. Heph and Dionysus shared an equal disdain for her and she held an obscene hatred for them. “Who told you to partner up with Hestia?” Heph raised an eyebrow and looked to the side, gazing at Rebecca.
Dionysus stared at Heph. “Don’t worry about her, she’s great.”
“I’m super,” Rebecca said at a feeble attempt of breaking the ice.
Heph snorted. “All right. I went to her asking for help with the plans.”
“Before that.”
“Before that?”
“Yeah, I know you well enough, Heph. You like to do your own thing. You had an opportunity to sculpt the shop however you desired.”
“Well. . .”
“Yeah?”
“My wife was the one to come to me with the idea.”
Dionysus said, “ Aphrodite?”
Heph’s voice immediately became accusatory and defensive, “Why is that strange to you? Strange to all of you? She is more than a pretty face.”
“Deceptively so, Heph, I wasn’t implying she didn’t have a brain.”
“Then what?”
“Come on, I’m a bit more perceptive than your average god or goddess. She’s never showed any interest in your work besides the hours you occupy.”
Heph’s face crunched up into a snarl but he said nothing. Dionysus continued, “Am I wrong?”
He shook his head, keeping his thoughts and comments to himself.
Rebecca would be alarmed to know that he had a fleeting thought of throwing her in a pit. He felt enough disgrace from his family and the Greek gods alike. He didn’t care for the
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